Chapter Six

stood in front of the door for a few moments. I know I’m wasting time but this is my last chance to back down, to play it safe but even if I did stay, that wouldn’t mean I’d gain my freedom. If I got my captor to trust me, that would insure a better understanding of my surroundings and situation, but neither option would guarantee I’d succeed. Regardless, I was willing to try. Even if though this may be the end for me, I'd much rather die then be someone's puppet.

Taking a deep breath I look up toward the ceiling. I know I need to go, I know I don't have much time left before someone will want to come check on me but I can't help but close my eyes and reminisce about all the impossibly wonderful memories I've been able to collect over the years. My parents, even if they aren't my real ones, loved me with every fiber in their being. I've had everything I could have needed not to mention what I wanted. We might not have come together in a optimal situation, but I don't know anything about my past, they could have saved me from a miserable life. Maybe I'm crazy, I mean I've been kidnapped twice now so maybe It's only to be expected. A sigh escapes my lips, opening my eyes, I bring my head back to its normal position, I straighten myself out and readjust my body; I do this in order to feel strong and confident. I've made up mind, I know without a doubt in my mind what has to happen. I reach out for the doorknob and once my hand makes contact with the cold round metal, I don't hesitate, I twist the job and rip the door wide open running swiftly through the hallway. 'I don't think I've ever ran this fast in my entire life' I think to myself as doors begin to fly past me in a blur. Even while running, I can obviously see that the building was quite beautiful and in any other circumstance, I would take a moment to appreciate the craftsmanship.

The hallway had a white marble floor with black accents and a black runner rug in the middle of it going the long way, all the way down the length of the hallway.. The walls were a brilliant white while each one of the doors were a deep Mahogany. It didn't take long until I saw the wall open up and it's place was a banister leading towards the stairs so I start slowing down, coming to a stop right at the junction of the wall and the banister. Unfortunately, I can’t keep running like a bat outta hell, It would be irrational to keep going as I am, without looking to see if anyone was down here. If there was, I needed to know what I may be up against and how I can solve the problem, if there was one.

I put my back up against the wall and peek around the corner. Looking around, the first thing I notice is the huge chandelier; this person spares no expense when it comes to the finer things in life. I look beyond the materialistic things, I don't see anyone In the area so I focus on a way out. Regardless, I'll need to get around to the stairs so if anyone is in my blind spot here, I'll be a sitting duck until I can get to each one of those pillars but if I can manage to do this without getting caught, I can get down the staircase, get out the door and be out of the house.

The real question is, do I take a chance or do I take the time to map out the area to find a alternative exit? Whichever I choose, I have a risk of being caught. If I spent to much time feeling out the enemy or just the opposite I could really fuck this up. Now I have a few options, rush it to get over to the next pillar quickly but risk getting exposed because of the blind spot, I could take my time and listen around for any sounds near by but risk having someone check in on me in my room only to find I’m not there and raise the alarm or I can turn around and run back to my bedroom. For whatever reason, I choose to take the chance for a quick getaway and carefully start towards the staircase. Maybe it's a rash decision but now is not the time to be decisive, who knows how much time I have left before I'm stuck here forever? That's a question that do not want the answer to.

Going from pillar to pillar I have gotten a better view, a better angle to look down below. There's no one in sight and it's silent, as if no one is even home. It's not an uncomfortable silence but regardless I keep my guard up, there's no way someone would kidnap someone and leave them in a house unattended. Right? That would be ludicrous! As I make my way down the winding staircase, I'm careful not to make to much noise. I've gotten this far and the front door is in sight I cannot mess up now when I'm this close to freedom, I can practically taste it at this point. Tiptoeing I get to the door and glancing behind me, just to make sure nobody is around; no one, there wasn't even one person around to stop me.

'Weird' I thought, 'You would think there would be at least one person around to watch the door.' Shaking my head, Reach with the door handle with my right hand but hesitate; isn't this a little easy? Is this some kind of trap? I pull my hand back and look around one more time but still, nothing, there was no one around. 'It's worth the shot... All I can do at this point is hope for the best' I thought as I take a shaky breath. I reach out again and open the door.

A small smile starts to grow into a grin, I'm home free. I cannot believe it was that easy. I run out the door as fast as I can, getting near the end of the driveway when I notice something familiar. It's like deja vu, I'm running out of a house at sunset, towards the forest. I stop as quickly as I can, almost skidded to a halt. I look at the forest and then back the large house with wild eyes.

"That's not... that's not possible" Taking a steps back towards the house. "How is this possible? It was a dream, i-it was just a dream!" Bewildered I wander back towards building I worked hard to escape. My subconscious was screaming at me to get as far away from this place as possible but I just couldn't Ignore the fact that my surroundings were almost identical as my dream.

Before I knew it, I was walking into the house trying to see if I could recognize anything else. Felt as if I needed to dig up some answers for myself but as I was passing the stairs a piercing alarm started going off.

"Shit!" I turn around to exit the house but before I can take one step towards the door it slams shut and it audibly locks.

A loud male voice aggressively calls out to me " Hey! Who are you and what are you doing in here?!"

'An English accent?' The dots keep connecting the longer I stay here. Whipping my head around, I spot a man in a black suit making his way towards me but as soon as he sees my face, he stops and has a look of recognition.

"Nina? Are you okay? What are you doing down here?" His voice was a lot more gentle this time as if was was trying not to scare me but it didn't work. Honestly, the fact that this random stranger knew my name, bothered me. I need to get out of here. I slowly take a step towards the stairs, testing out the waters but still keeping eye contact with the guy in the suit. Just the one step sent the suit guy into a panic which in turn freaked me out.

"No, don’t be frightened. It okay, I mean you no harm. You can trust me.” He gave me a genuine smile but seemed desperate at this point but I didn't want to take the chance of being caught. So to avoid this, I quickly weighed my opinions. I could A: run out the front door again but most likely get caught because he’s probably faster than me, knows the terrain like the back of his hand while I’m oblivious to it and/or I trip or B: I take the stairs and take my chances?

I don’t have much time to think about my options before man In the suit takes another cautious step towards me. Quickly I make my decision, it’s either escape or die and with what I can gather, he’s not about to let that happen. If I go outside, he or someone else with definitely catch me but if I go up the stairs, I still have a chance. Turning quickly I hoist myself up the stairs using the banister for balance and I don’t look back.