Chapter 10: Forgotten but Not Forgiven

I wake up in a room with my hands and feet tightly tied with a rope and my eyes blindfolded. I feel the place I am at. Basing on the texture, I am pretty sure that I am on a bed.

I panic as I struggle to loosen the rope but to no avail. I try to remove my blindfold.

I hold my breath as I slowly open my eyes. A fully furnished room welcomes me.

'Where am I?' I whisper. Then, I hear people arguing outside.

I try to listen to the muffled sound of their conversation.

"What should I do with her?"

"Kill her."

"If you kill her here, it would be difficult to discard her body."

I heart pounds as I listen to them. I swallow hard. One of the voices sounds so familiar.

'Could it be?!' I mumble then I shake my head, disagreeing with my own thought.

'No! It's impossible!'

"I want her body to be unrecognizable!"

"What?"

"I want her to die in the same spot where my mother died!"

"You mean... you want her~"

"Yes! I want her to fall from that cliff--- just like what she did to my mother!"

"I understand. Take a rest first~ I will guard."

My body goes numb as I listen in horror. I am shocked.

'I have to get out of here! I have to get out of here fast!'

I tremble as my eyes look around.

'Come on, Merideth. Use your head!' I tell myself as my eyes are busy searching for anything that can help me untie myself.

'Bingo!' my mind triumph when I spot the bed's broken leg with sharp edges.

I slowly crawl, making the least noise as possible. I curse silently when I accidentally cut my hand while rubbing the rope against the rusty iron.

My stomach swirls as I cut the ropes quickly, but quietly as possible. I exhale when I succeeded. I stand and walk slowly to the veranda.

The cold wind welcomes me. My body shivers.

'I can jump from here and run to the forest.' I tell myself, looking at the think canopy in front of me.

Then, I hear the door creak. I move swiftly. I take a deep breath and jump. I curse when I thud on the ground. With my thigh still numb from the fall, I run to the woods.

"Shit! She escaped!"

"Find her! I am sure... she hasn't gotten far!"

"She jumped from the veranda!"

"Good. There's only one exit! I will be waiting!"

I keep running without caring much about my safety. I bump my head onto a tree. My skin is cut from the sharp leaves and thorns. I don't care. I just keep on running.

Yet... no matter how fast I run, I am found.

"Why did you kill her?" a raging voice screams, waking me up from my hovering thoughts.

I shake my head. My body trembles for losing too much blood. I press my gunshot wound and I groan in pain.

"I was given another chance to love her and show her my affection. But... what did you do? You took her away from me!"

"That's not--- that's not true..." I struggle to say.

The pain on my gunshot wound begins to become excruciating. I gasp for oxygen.

"Not true?! You pushed her to fall! Why? Because you are jealous of her? You are jealous of her!"

I want to say something, but my body weakens. My sight blurs.

"I want you to die just like the way she did! Do you see that cliff? Do you recognize it?"

I try to reach out, ask for help.

I hear the gun cocked.

"Die!"

"Stop! Drop your weapon!" I recognize Rob's voice. Hope creeps in my heart.

"You don't understand!"

"Drop your weapon! Don't do this!"

I hear more footsteps approaching. From my blurry vision, I see men with their guns pointed at our direction.

"You know nothing! This woman killed my mother!"

"Don't turn into a monster like your mother! Drop your gun!"

"Fuck you! My mom is not a monster! She is a monster."

I twitch in pain from my hair being pulled.

"They have been lying to you! They fooled you!"

"N-no! Y-you are lying! I saw her dead. I was at the funeral~"

"Did you see her body?"

Silence.

"Of course no! Because there was nobody in that coffin!"

She's crying. Wailing. She drops her gun and raises her hands as he falls to her knees.

Then, my brother and the other men come.

Two men hold her while my brother comes to me.

"Merideth! Merideth! Are you okay?" I hear him say. His voice becomes fainter and fainter. I feel lighter and more relaxed.

"Merideth! Stay with me. Please!" he says as he puts pressure on my wound.

My body feels so light that I think I am floating in the air.

"Somebody calls 911! Sis... stay with me. Merideth... think of your sons! Leonard and Damon are waiting for you at home! Stay with me. Fight. You're a fighter right! Please~"

He holds me in his arms. I weep.

"Your sons already lost their father, their grandfather... they can't afford to lose a mother---"

I can feel the warmth of my brother's embrace. I can feel the pain from my wound once more.

Then, I hear the sound of a helicopter landing near us.

"Sis... the air ambulance is here. Just hang on for more minutes!"

I feel being lifted.

I cry as I hear my brother arrest my assailant. When I think of it, it breaks my heart--- deeply.

"Sophia Maridone Lopez, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you!"