I narrowed my eyes at her, laughing nervously. “What do you mean you’ve killed someone?”

“I’m serious, babe. We need to get moving. Pack your bags.” She moved to enter our bedroom, but I blocked her. “Move.” She demanded.

“Love, who did you kill?”

“She kept critiquing me and I felt insulted.” She mumbled, slowly leaning closer to me until her arms were around my waist.

“Please, just tell me who you killed.” I whispered against her hair. She lifted her head. A slow smile spread over her face. She leaned up to my ear.

“Your mother” She whispered with a little giggle. I pulled back, shock overwhelming my senses.

“My mother? Zi, why?” My voice trembled and I fought to hold back my tears.

“She annoyed me.” A thought crossed my mind. I thought I didn’t want to think about, but it was there.

“Zianna, have you…have you done this before?” She looked up at me with her big brown eyes.

“Yes. Now, pack. We leave in ten minutes.” She pushed me aside and started dragging things out of the closet. I stood still, unable to move my body. Zi sighed deeply. I heard her footsteps and then I felt her hands. “You said you’d love me forever. You still love me, don’t you?”

I forced my lips to part, forced my vocal chords to function enough to let one small word out. “No” I whispered. I slowly turned around to face her.

“Well, either you leave with me or you die too.” She spoke so calmly that it shook every bone in my body with rage.

“No.”

“What do you mean no?” She asks, arching a brow at me.

“No, I’m not leaving. And neither are you.” I lunged at her and we toppled to the ground. She screamed and thrashed underneath me. I wrapped my hands around her throat, closing over her airway. Panic flooded those beautiful brown eyes I’ve memorized as she continues to flail for escape. As the life starts to leave her body and she became motionless, I shouted at her, “She was my kill!” I lifted her body up by the neck and slammed it back into the floor. Standing up, I started to pack. She may not have gotten to run away, but I will.

I slide the red backpack across the table to the hooded figure across me. He peers inside. “Where the hell did you find this?” The astonishment in his gravelly voice was not well hidden.

“Does it matter? You got what you want, now give me what I want.” He peeks at me from under his hood.

“What if it’s fake?” He drops the bag back on the table.

“It’s not.” I slide the red back back across the table, the hooded figure across me peers inside. “Where the hell did you find this?” He asks, the surprise in his gravelly voice clear.

“Does it matter? You got what you want, now give me what I want.” He peeks at me from under his hood.

“What if it’s fake?” He drops the bag back on the table.

“It’s not.”

“Prove it.” He challenges.

“How can I prove that?” I try to steady my voice and not shout. He leans back, considering for a moment.

“Tell me a detail only the original owner would know.” He finally says.

He has me. I don’t know, but I can’t say that. I decide to drag it out. “And what would happen if I didn’t have the answer? Hypothetically.” I ask.

“If you don’t have the answer, we reconsider our deal.”

“What do you mean by “reconsider our deal”?”

“It means the terms will change. ” He tilts his head, eyes narrowing.

“Well of course, but what would they change to?”

“That's for me to decide,” he says, his tone turning colder. I stand still for a moment. It’s fake. I don’t have his answers. This was stupid. I turn to run. But I don't get far. His grip is iron as he catches my arm, yanking me back. His hood drops back, revealing scars and a sneer. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he growls.

“Please, I’m sorry-I just wanted my mom back.” I whimper and struggle to get free from him. His grip tightens, and his eyes bore into mine. “Sorry won’t cut it. You lie to me, you pay the price," he snarls. I feel my options slipping away.

“Wha-what is the price?” I stammer.

He smirks, leaning dangerously close. “The price? Do you really want to know?”

I hesitate, then nod. “You work for me until you repay your debt,” he says.

“What does working for you entail?” I ask, trying again to slip out from his grasp. His smirk deepens, and he pulls me closer. “Anything I need,” he replies. “Whether it’s dangerous or menial, you’ll do it.

“No-I refuse to do that.” His laughter is cold. “Oh, you don’t have a choice,” he says, dragging me forward.

“Wait-where are you taking me?” His eyes flash with a mix of menace and amusement as he says, “You’ll see soon enough.”

“No! Tell me now!” But he only laughs again, a chilling sound that sends shivers down my spine. I change strategies. “Please..I get you the real one. Just let me go.” I whisper. He pauses, considering my offer with narrowed eyes. For a moment, silence stretches between us, thick and suffocating. “I don’t believe you,” he finally says, his voice low and dangerous.

Tears brimmed my eyes. “Please..just give me another chance!”

He tightens his grip, his expression unyielding. “Do you really think you deserve another chance after what you’ve done?” My silence gives him his answer and he continues dragging me forward. As we turn a corner, the shadows grow darker, the air colder. My breath hitches. Desperation claws at me, but I stay silent, realizing that begging won’t change his mind. We stop outside a door and he opens it. A bedroom. Inside, it's dimly lit, with heavy curtains blocking any light from entering.

“What are we doing here?” I lean away from him a little. He pushes me inside, his grip firm.

“You wanted another chance,” he says, pointing to a chair in the corner. He releases my arm and gestures for me to sit in the chair. I take slow hesitant steps towards it and sit down. I shiver, watching him as he paces the room. The tension mounts as he regards me with a mix of anger and something darker. He stops pacing, his eyes locking onto mine with a determined glint. My body tenses, waiting for him to speak, to do something. He crosses the room swiftly, leaning down to meet my eyes. “If you want redemption, you’re going to have to earn it.

Hello! I’m trying to get back into writing on here, I’m a little out of practice on it! Hope you enjoyed 🤍

Venom runs through my veins

It drives me insane

I run back to my drug

Waiting for him to pull out the rug

Poison is man

Fangs sink into my skin

Taking over me in a win

I run back to my drug

Waiting for him to pull out the rug

Poison is man

I’m yanked back for his gain

Venom seeping through my veins again

I run back to my drug

Waiting for him to pull out the rug

Poison is man

And I am forever trapped by it

The happiest day of my life

Was the day I met beloved

For all the days I’ve lived

I thought my soulmate was dead

I was beheld with a ring

By my beloved

And I let a single word fall from my lips

‘Yes’

I was held close

By the one I called babe

I am

Held, beheld, beloved.

I lay in the darkness

Drowned in my thoughts

No panic

No tears

Just silence

And through my thoughts

I drift to the brighter side

No panic

No tears

All fantasy

Too soon I woke

My voice caught in my throat

No panic

No tears

Just exhaustion and recovery

(Hello! This is a poem about a surgery recovery I actually went through. I wrote down as much about it as I could remember. Due to the medication some memory of it was lost, but the main point of it is that my dreams were always an escape. Then I was thrown back into my reality everytime I woke up.)

My head snapped over to where he stood, but he disappeared before I could react. He stormed over to where I was, the anger pouring off of him in waves. He checked the lock on the window. He scowled at me and pushed the window open. “Tried to escape again, hm?” I looked at him in disbelief.

“I didn’t unlock that.”

“I would’ve if I’d known it was open though.” I thought to myself.

“I don’t need to hear your lies.” He snapped, cutting me off. “Get on the bed. Now.” He commanded. Where was this going?

“No.” I raised my chin high in defiance.

“No? No isn’t an option.” I stayed quiet, thinking. Remembering my father’s research I reached for the knife hidden under his shirt, but he caught hold of my wrists. He brought them up and away from himself. Damn. “Nice try.” He glared at me again. “Now get on the bed.”

“Why should I?”

“Well you know I have a knife. And you know I’m good with it.” He spoke slowly as he kept my wrists suspended in the air, restraining me and pushing me closer to the bed with his body. “I wouldn’t want to damage your pretty face..again.” I fell onto the bed. I scooted away from him, but I didn’ot get far. His hand caught hold of my ankle and he dragged me back. He bent down, taking my ankle down with him until it was hanging off the bed.

“What are you doing?” I asked him, not bothering to squirm away. I’d never win anyways.

No answer.

I repeated my question.

Once again, no answer, but this time I felt cold metal wrapping around my skin.

Chained again.

Hello! I’m taking a break from this story. Im not feeling connected with it right now. I’ll still be qriting, just not this story.

I opened my eyes slowly. There was a soft mattress underneath me and sheets over my body. My injured arm was bandaged tight. Just then I heard footsteps approach and a lock click. The door opened to reveal Butch with a plate of food and jug of water. I licked my lips, suddenly realizing I was famished and dehydrated. I got out of the bed quickly only to get dizzy again like before and I collapsed on the ground on my hands and knees. I heard the clatter of dishes being set down then I felt Butch’s strong hands pull me up. I flinched at his touch, but he seemed to ignore it. He guided me back to the bed and made me sit down. He grabbed the dishes and sat next to me. “Here. You need to eat and hydrate.” He extended his hands with the plate. I didn’t move or speak. Was this food poisoned? What was his angle? Was this some kind of sick game like all the others? I inched away from him on the bed the best I could.

“I-I’m not hungry.” I lie. I put my hand on my stomach to try to muffle the hungry protests it gave.

He kept one hand on the plate, but reached out with the other hand and grabbed my neck, dragging me back towards him. He was oddly gentle. “Don’t lie to me.” He said sternly, but not aggressive. “Why do you not want to eat.” He stated more than asked.

“How do I know you didn’t poison it?” I said timidly. He laughed.

“I wouldn’t poison you to kill you, silly.” He released my neck and pushed the food back towards me to take it, but I was still hesitant. He sighed. “Fine, open your mouth.” He stabbed a fork into some eggs on the plate and put it up to my mouth.

“Why are-“ I started to talk but he took that chance to shove the fork in my mouth.

“Chew and swallow.” He commanded. I couldn’t fight once I tasted the food. I chewed it quickly and swallowed. I took the plate out of his hands along with the fork and ate every bit of it. I felt his eyes on me, but I didn’t care. I licked the plate clean and then reached for the jug he was still holding. He held it away from me last minute, which caused me to topple over him. He laughed. “Say thank you and I’ll give you the jug.” He said with a smug grin.

My need for water overruled keeping my confident composure. “Thank you.” I said without looking at him. My eyes were still fixed on the jug. He kept that smug grin on his face and started to hand it to me, but I already had my hands wrapped around it and was gulping it down. Suddenly I coughed up a little bit of water. He took the jug back and I reached for it again, but he kept it out of my reach.

“You just choked yourself by drinking too fast and you still want it?” He chuckled.

“Give it back!” I demanded. He had turned me into a child by merely giving me food and water.

“I’ll be holding it instead so I can control how much you drink at a time. Don’t want you dying if it ain’t my doing.” He grinned. “Now sit still.” I sat on my knees as he let me drink the rest of the water at his pace. Only did I finish when there was none left. Butch surveyed me for a moment before breaking into a smile. "You sure are something else, aren't you? " he remarked, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

“I was hungry and thirsty.” I retorted.

“Uh huh” He grinned while grabbing the dishes and getting up. “I’ll be back in a bit.” The door closed behind him. I heard it lock. I looked over at the sun gleaming through a large window. I scooted back towards the edge of the bed, hesitant to get up. After a moment of watching the window from the bed, I got up. My legs shook from underneath my weight, but it was manageable. I stumbled over to the window. I leaned against the dresser in front of it while gazing at the mesmorizing scenery before me.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

(Hey y’all! I hope you enjoy part five the this thrilling series! What do you think is going to happen next?)

I held my breath and his heavy foot falls came closer. I ran through my options quickly. Either wait and fight, jump out now to fight, surrender, or run and hope for the best. No good options. Running was risky, but I don’t see how I’ll be able to fight him considering my injury. I was dragged out of my thoughts. His body pressed against mine, pinning me to the wall. Damn! “Trying to run, hm?” He hissed. I didn’t answer him. Instead, I kicked out at the slash marks from the knife I had taken before. Damn I wish I had that blade right now. He winced, but didn’t move. A second passed with him simply looking into my eyes, searching. A searing pain shot up my arm when he suddenly shoveed his finger in the gash spread across my arm.

“Gah!” I cried out. I tried to move my arm, but failed. I tried to slide my other arm between us to stop him that way, but before I even was close my wrist was snatched and pinned against the wall. He stared at me, listening to my pained cries as he dug his finger deeper.

“Since you’re so eager to escape, let’s play a game” He smiled creepily as he took his finger out of my gash slowly. I whimpered involuntarily.

“What kind a game?” I eyed him carefully.

“Well, you’d have a ten second head start to escape.”

“What’s the catch?” With him, there’s always a catch. Usually one that ends up in blood or death or both.

His eyes shimmered with excitement. “For every step I have to take to retrieve you, you get a cut.”

“Let’s play then.” I grinned at him. He was pretty predictable considering the research my family has done on him, but what his did next was extremely unexpected. He released my hands and slid his hands underneath me before lifting me up bridal style. “What the hell are you doing Grayson?” He never liked his real name being used, that why I used it.

“You’re playing with fire, Geneva.” He warned as he started walking in the opposite direction of the room I’d been locked in. I squirmed in his arms.

“Put me down!” I screamed at him.

“Quiet. We’re almost there.” I knew better than to continue, but I couldn’t help myself. I didn’t know what he was doing and that terrified me more than being kidnapped by him.

“No! Put. Me. Down!!” I shouted again. His irritation was growing, but he didn’t say anything. Instead he kept walking silently. He stopped in front of a door.

“Open it.” He commanded.

“I will if you put me down.”

“I said, open it.”

“And I said put me down and I will. Plus if you want the door open then open it yourself.”

“I can’t open it because I can’t trust you to walk by yourself so I have to carry you. Now, open the damn door!” He shouted and rammed me into the wall quickly after his little speech. I whined a little involuntarily in pain.

“Shit, okay!” I opened the door quickly and he stormed in before turning around to have me close the door. I closed it before he even told me to. I looked up at him, watching a smirk cross over his face. He was enjoying my vulnerable side.

“Good girl.” He pat my head. He was obviously making fun of me and trying to make me feel smaller. It was working. He carried me over to the middle of the room.

“What are we doing in here?” I whispered.

“Preparing you.” He put me down. He was surprisingly gentle, but that didn’t last long. He grabbed my wrists and roughly lifted them up, locking them into a pair of cuffs hanging from the ceiling. My feet were now dangling off the ground.

“Preparing me for what” My voice was shaky. I was genuinely scared and I couldn’t hide it.

“For our game” He smirked again and brushed his hand against my face. I tried moving away from him, but it was futile. “You should act scared more often. It suits you better.” He bent down to the ground in front of me. I tried to kick him, but my body wouldn’t cooperate. I was frozen in fear. He took my sneakers off and set them aside. He got up. I watched him grab a bottle of something. He squat back down in front of me and squeezed something onto his hands.

“W-what is that?” I asked nervously. He looked up at me, smirking.

“You’ll see.” He rubbed it on my feet. It felt cold. Somehow liquidy and solid at the same time. He forced my foot to lay in his hand. I screamed in pain as a stabbing sensation shot up my legs.

“What is that!” I said through my somewhat restrained tears.

“That my darling victim is a special lotion. It moisturizes the skin while also making it extremely sensitive to even the slightest touch. I don’t want to make getting away too easy for you.” I watched him grab scissors. “It’s 35 degrees outside darling.” He whispered with a smirk while cutting off the sleeves of my shirt. He bent down and did the same with my jeans, leaving me with shorts that only was there to cover anything up. He next grabbed a blindfold. He stalked close again.

“No please don’t!” I shook my head violently in attempt to stop him. He simply grabbed ahold of my hair to keep my head still and then tied the blindfold around my eyes. I felt the cuffs around my wrists realease and I fell into his arms.

“Hold out your hands.” He commanded. I did as he said, too scared of what he might do next. He wasn’t as predictable as I thought. He put the same lotion on my hands. He walked over to the door. “Open it.” He commanded once again. I let out a small whimper and shook my head.

“It’ll hurt..”

“Open the damn door Geneva!” He shouted, causing me to flinch. I hated how easily he broke me down this time. I opened it while crying out in pain again. He stormed through the house quickly. He stopped again quickly after. “Open it.” I opened the next door, whining before during and after I did so. He dropped me on my feet and I cried out from the pain. “Ten seconds.” He pushed me forward. I ran. I bit my lip in attempt to not let out pained cries. I heard him counting loudly. I kept running. I didn’t stop even when I heard him stop counting.

It felt like an hour had gone by. I started to get dizzy. I stumbled a little and took my blindfold off despite the pain in my hands. My breathing was ragged as I fell to the ground. Last thing I heard was footsteps before my eyes closed and everything went black.

Hey! I’m so sorry it took me so long to post this! I’ve been having writers block along with a bunch of school work. I hope you enjoyed 🤍 If y’all want a pt5 let me know! I’ll be happy to write one 🤍

I opened my eyes. The chilling feeling of cold metal wrapped around my neck brought me back to my situation. I tried to ove my arms. Cold metal trapped my wrists again. Even though it was probably hubris to try, I tried moving my legs. Alas, my ankles had been pinned down too, restraining any movement I could make. I was on my back on a table, but no just any table. Butch’s torture table. It was only then that I realized my head had been bandaged. “What the hell happened?” I muttered. The door suddenly swung open.

“Ah, good morning” He strode over to where I was laying. “How’d you sleep?” He looked down at me with an unsettling smile. He obviously was enjoying this. I stayed silent. He chuckled. “Very well then, I’ll get to the point.” He ran his hand through my hair. “Your time will soon be over.” I looked at the key that was sticking out of his pants pocket. If I could get that, I’d have a chance of surviving this. I didn’t say anything to his statement. He leaned over me and grabbed a butcher knife. The one I had used on him.

“What’re you gonna do with that?” I already knew, but the longer he talks the more time I have to cook up a plan. He laughed.

“Oh silly little Geneva.” He dragged the soft side of the blade across my arm. “Don’t be foolish. I know you already know.” He pressed the blade against my skin teasingly. Keeping him talking wasn’t working. I only had one other thing to stop him from cutting into my skin, but before I start that I want to know something..

“Butch, why did you bandage my head if you’re just going to kill me anyways?” I looked up into his ruthless eyes. He paused.

“I like my victims healthy.” He stated. “With all the research your family has done on me, you should know that by now.”

“I suppose, but I know it’s not me you’re looking to hurt. You want to hurt my father. The idea of him watching you torture and murder his only child must appeal to you.” If I could get him to hold off until he had my father, that might give me a chance to get that key off him and actually be able to use it. He stood still, thinking over my offer. He was still for awhile, so I took my chance. His front pants pocket was in front of my hand. Although I was still shackled down to the table, I managed to get ahold of the key. I slid it out of his pocket slowly.

“Never thought the Geneva Leighton would encourage me to capture her father. You’re not as predictable as I thought. I like that.” He said suddenly. I jumped. He laughed at me. “Awe, did I scare you?”

“No.” I lied. If he enjoys this too much, then he might not wait until my father was here. He yanked my head up by my hair, but becuase of the metal locked around my neck, that choked me instead. I widened my eyes with panic as I squirmed. He wasn’t laughing anymore.

“I don’t like being lied to, Geneva. So now, your father will still find you alive, but not unharmed.” He let go of my hair and picked up his knife again. The blade was shoved into my face. He spun it around a few times. Taunting me. I slid the key from out of my hand and under my body, he always goes for the arms first. Leaving the key in my hand while he does so would be dangerous. I felt the sharp end of the blade rest on my arm, but he stopped. “One final warning, the less you scream, the more I cut.” He pressed the blade against my arm, then starting dragging it down slowly. Tears welled up in my eyes and I screamed screams that weren’t fake in the slightest. He dragged it down as slow as he could, ripping my skin apart just as slow. He continued until he came to the cuffs around my wrists. I could only see his blurry figure through my tears. I fell his rough hand cup my face. I wanted to move away from him, but I knew I shouldn’t. Even if I did, I wouldn’t have gotten very far away due to the shackles. “Shhh. Don’t waste all your tears now. I’ll only do two more cuts, alright?” His voice was soft, but I knew he wasn’t asking. No matter how much it felt like he was. The only thing I could do was strike another deal.

“Do you really want to chance me bleeding out before my father arrives?” He paused again. Then he let out an agitated growl deep in his throat.

“Fine. You’re lucky you and your family know me so well.” He stormed out of the room.

Click. He locked the door, damn. I’ll worry about that later. By some miracle, I was still moving my arm. It hurt like hell, but nothing’s ever easy. I had nothing to gag myself with, so I bit down on my lip to stop any pained cries from escaping. I moved my hand a little to grab the key from under myself. I dropped it. I twisted my hand a little bit, scrunching up the slash on my harm. I caught hold of the key again. I kept my hand twisted. It was the perfect angle to unlock the cuff. I slid the key in the hole and twisted it. I bit down on my lip harder. This hurt. A lot. It was worth it though, because soon enough my arm was free. I drew blood from my lip this time. Reaching up and bending my arm, which also bent the slash, to unlock the metal collar keeping me pinned. It fell off and I repeated the same with my other wrist and my ankles. I got up. My legs were stiff and my arm hurt like hell, but I kept moving. I bent down and looked inside of the lock. I thought Butch was better tan this, the lock was one so easy a bobby pin could unlock it. Which I had one thanks to my father. I used my left hand, the side that was unharmed, to grab the bobby pin and fiddle with the lock. Before long, I got it open. I opened the door carefully and quietly. I stuck to the wall, taking carefully steps.

“I don’t care what you have to do. Just get him here.” I stopped in my tracks when I heard Butch’s voice. He was talking about my father. I stuck to the wall, staying completely still. “Then take them ou-I’ll call you back..” I looked down. Shit! He must’ve noticed my blood on the floor. His heavy footsteps came toward me. I closed my eyes, praying he wouldn’t turn the corner.

Hii! I was rushing a bit on this, but I hope you like it! I’ll most likely write a part four lol. I love this series and I’m glad y’all do too!

I held my sister’s hand tightly as we plummeted to our deaths. Bullets rained down on us, but surprisingly none hit us. He must have terrible aim. I pulled Charlotte close by her hand and wrapped my arms around her. Twisting in the air, I made sure she wouldn’t take the impact. “I love you, Charlotte”

We hit the ground and then everything went black.

I woke up to someone shaking me. Charlotte looked at me with worry in her eyes. “Alex?..” She’d called me Alex instead of Alexander ever since she was a toddler. “Alex, please tell me you’re okay”

“I’m fine, just a few scratches.” My voice came out a weak scratchy whisper as I lied to her. I didn’t want her to worry, but truth was, I didnt’t know if I was okay. I felt a liquid piling up underneath my back I assumed was blood, but is must’ve not been quite visible yet. “Charlotte, go get help. Bring them back here.”

“What! No, are you crazy? I’m not going to leave you!” She shouted as tears started streaming down her face again.

“Damn it Charlotte, go! Run as fast as you can and get help!” I shouted at her when I regained enough of my voice. The hurt in her eyes was unbearable to watch as she got up. She bolted into the trees. My eyes were closing involentarily. I did my best to keep the open. Even someone who can’t tie their shoes should know not to let yourself sleep when in this state. I resorted to talking to myself to stay awake. Not anything interesting either. I swear the bears thought I was crazy doing this. Wait are there bears out here? Well, nothing I can do if there are.

“Doo da doe da dee da roo ba ba blacksheep” I said random things, begging the question, am I just unjured or have I gone insane too? I sound like I belong in an asylum. It must’ve not been enough, because before I could see anyone coming to my rescue, everything went black again.

The beeping of monitors woke me up. I was in a hospital bed. I felt bandages pressing against my body. Charlotte was sitting in a chair next to me. I saw our mom outside the room on call with someone while pacing back and forth. Charlotte saw me and her face lit up. “Alex!! You’re okay you’re really okay!” She hugged me tightly. “Mom! He’s awake!”

My mom rushed into the room and buried her teary-eyed face in my chest. “I’m so glad you’re okay my beautiful baby boy” She lifted her head off my chest and kissed me on the forehead. “”Everything’s going to be okay.”