Fighting for our Home

Chapter 10: What we Hide?

Chapter 10: Where we Hide?

I somehow knew, before opening my eyes, that I wasn't dead. I could feel the pain shooting through my whole body. I could hear someone screaming my name.

"Alice!...Get up Alice. Please get up!"

And I wanted to so badly, I wanted to get up and tell Aaron and Travis that I was alright and that I just wanted to go back home, where it is warm and light, not here on the pavement, where it is cold and dark. I just need to open my eyes, so they can see that I am alive, but even that simple task proved to be impossible.

"Travis, we need to go, the guards are coming!"

"No, we can't just leave her here!"

And then everything fell silent again.

A wave of coldness came over me, and I shivered, wanting to return to my warm slumber. My eyes flew open, when I remembered what had happened. To my horror I wasn't home in the warmth of the school, but I was in a damp cold room made of four concrete walls and no windows. The only light in the room was that of a single lamp hanging over my head. The cold that had awoken me was a bucket of cold water that someone had dumped on me

"though you might had succeeded in killing yourself, for a second"

I blinked a couple of times to see the tall figure standing over me. It was no other than James Santos himself, the man behind every loss I had ever experienced in my life. I moved, to punch him in the throat, but only just then realized that I was tied to a chair, as the thigh ropes held be back. As soon as I tried to move, it became apparent how badly I was hurt. My side was burning every time I took in a breath, my arms and legs were covered in cuts from the glass, my head was throbbing from the fight with Lukas, and my hand felt like it was on fire.

"Now that you are finally awake, you can tell me where my old buddy Charles is hiding." James' harsh words called my attention back to my immediate situation.

"Do you seriously believe that I would ever tell you that?" I laughed, ignoring the pain temporarily. I just had to drag out time, so Travis and Aaron could find me.

"Ow I see that hope in your eyes, child. Charles won't find you, not after that stunt you pulled, by throwing you and Lukas out the window." He smiled, his eyes seeing right through my confidence.

"What d..do you mean?" My voice broke and I cursed myself for letting him hear it.

"They think you are dead, they left you laying there ALONE!" He was doubling over while laughing. His hollow laughter echoing in the room.

"It doesn't matter if they are coming or not, I would rather die than tell you where they are. And if you kill me you will never find out" I had to keep acting cocky to not let him see what I was really feeling, Despair

"I already know that stupid girl, I won't kill you, I will only make you wish that you had died when jumping out that window." He pulled out a chair from the shadows, sitting down in front of me. He shifted his weight and pulled something out from his back pocket. A knife shone in the light of the lamp. I looked into his eyes, seeing only the enjoyment that he felt about this situation. James never had to get his hands dirty, he never dared to go after anyone from the school himself, he only sent his gorillas or Lukas. But now he had the chance to hurt the one person he hated most in the world, not me, but Charles. He knows that if Charles finds out what really happened to me, he would never be the same again. And the best part is that he isn't at any risk, since I don't pose a threat and the others don't know to look for me.

He slowly lifted the knife fully into the light, allowing me to see the sharp jagged edge. I knew exactly why that kind of knife was the deadliest. If you pull out the blade, it will do more damage than the initial wound. He slowly lowered it to the edge of my dress at the middle of my right thigh. My eyes followed the knife and then he stopped moving it, I looked back up at him, he flashed me a disgusting smile before hammering the knife into my thigh. I screamed in pain, trying to move my arms against the restraints to no avail. Warm tears of pain streamed down my face, as I gasped for breath. I looked down to see the blood streaming down onto the floor.