Chapter 2

Dad hoisted me over a fence, and leaped over. Dodging the lights

"Don't let him get away!" I heard one yell, oh my god, we're getting mugged. I thought and prayed within me. I almost lost my balance but dad kept pulling me till I fell hard against the granite floor.

I screamed when something caught me by my foot. Kicking hard against whatever it was because I was too busy panicking and my pulse was racing.

"You're gonna wish you hadn't done that__"

I recovered, back on my feet and watched dad spear the black sweater guy, both collapsed on the floor, dad punched him several times, I could see blood on his knuckles, he flashed his cold eyes at me

"Run, Darcy, get out while you can!" He yelled, I went pale and felt a chill in my chest when the man punched him and threw him down. The other ran after me.

I panted hard running as fast as my feet could carry me, tears blurred my vision, wiping it off quickly, I couldn't think, I just ran wherever I could.

"You can't run from me Darcy"

His cold voice made my heart race, he had learned my name from dad.

I tried to climb over an iron fence and screamed when he threw me down.

My teeth rattled when I hit the ground, my head throbbed.

"Don't hurt me, I_I'll give you anything"

I pleaded and studdered shaking. His face was undetectable, with the bright light behind him. He crouched down and pressed the gun to my stomach and felt at my sides, then dug into my pocket and pulled out a container with a luminescent purple substance in it.

Surprised at what the strange object was in doing my pocket in the first place.

It illuminated his taut face and his ugly yellow-toothed smile. I grit my teeth and kicked him in the groin, he cursed through clenched teeth, growling, we struggled, I was more concerned about the gun than the container. He kicked me in the knee and I gave him a headbutt, the container crashed on my head and he reeled backward then hissed

"Fuck!. You're a bitch ain't ya?"

The substance had covered my eyes, partially blinded. I cried when I felt something hard against my abdomen and fell on my back. I heard the cock of his gun

"Look what you've you dirty rodent, time to die!"

I screamed shielding myself, my whole body clenched anticipating a bullet. I didn't want to die

I spat out water when it fell on my head and washed off the substance, I could see a bit, mentally planning on ditching whoever it was, once the cloth wiped the rest of it off my face dry. I ducked and tried to run.

"Stop, it's no use" A masculine voice said, punching again as hard as I could, I regretted that the moment I felt excruciating pain.

He stood one foot above me, with his tight grip on my hand.

"I won't hurt you, Darcy" he assured me, I couldn't see his face but the outline of his hair, ruffled by the wind. I punched him in the face

"You never learn, do you?"

"How do you know my name?" My eyes stung and it watered, I didn't know if the side effects of the purple goop would come afterward.

We were on a street across from the woods. He pulled my hand

"No!"

"I have to take you somewhere safe"

He said, his voice a little raspy now when he pulled something off. He sounded younger.

"There they are!"

"Run, I'm right behind you"

Without hesitation, I dashed through the trees breathless, my heart skipped a beat when I heard dead leaves rustle behind me, heavy footsteps. Running faster, my stomach began to hurt and felt bloated.

It was too dark to see, someone leaped over me and I fell behind a rock, the attacker pressed a hand against my mouth.

"Shh" he whispered. I recognized his voice and nodded, slow footsteps, I paled, crouched over me, shielding me with his body. His breath was steady whereas mine wasn't so I held my breath, my stomach hurt.

"We lost the essence, yeah the old man's dead." Australian accent

I gasped but his hand pressed against my mouth to keep me quiet.

Just as soon as the attacker was gone, he got up on his feet dragging me along.

"Wait, I have to go get my dad"

"It's too dangerous, that fucker almost had you killed, it's too late to turn back now"

He said, I was hurting all over and my throat clogged, I couldn't bear to admit that my dad possibly could be dead. Why them?.

We walked for what seemed like over an hour, I felt queasy and ran behind a tree and threw up, sitting back on the ground.

"I can't, I'm too tired"

"We have only a mile to cover, there's a river down there, it'll lead us straight to a village"

I grimaced

"Are you kidding me, those men are far behind, it's too dark to see, I've tripped over and I don't even know who you are"

"I know but wouldn't it be a lot better if we could go a little further and camp next to a river for the night and freshen up"

"I'm a girl, not a robot"

I felt faint, I had tremors and my head spun.

"Are you alright?" He asked, my eyes rolled back.

I woke up with a big headache, not the best feeling. Wide-eyed at the small room rather than a canopy of trees, dirt, mosquitoes, and humid air.

My hoodie was neatly hung on a chair.

How long had I been out?. I sat up alert when the door clicked open and he walked in, he had brown hair with a visible grey streak, pointy eyebrows, piercing blue eyes and he was wearing leather. He looked like trouble with legs. Had he carried me all the way here?.

He held a cup holding it out to me, I eyed it and him in suspicion.

"Drink it, it'll help you regain your strength"

I held the cup and drank after a few seconds of inspecting the contents, I spat it out and wiped my mouth.

"I just remembered I don't drink coffee" Wiping my mouth.

"They were out of sugar, the best I can do for now," he said and prompted me to drink more. I shut my eyes and forced the hot content down my throat till the cup was empty. Coughing, he took the cup.

"Good girl" he said flashing me a grin. He seemed older than I was maybe by two years. My stomach knotted when last night's occurrence resurfaced.

I watched as he pulled out a bag pack from the ceiling searching its contents, he pulled out a gun and cocked, loading it up. Then tossed me a shirt and jeans that were too big to fit.

"What's this?"

"They've seen enough to recognize you, put them on"

I looked behind me at the small bed, too small even for me and heat gathered in my face.

"Did we sleep__ together?"

He didn't show any emotion which was a lot more embarrassing for me.

"No, I slept in the bathtub"

"Really?" I blushed

"No, I barely slept a wink. Hurry"