Chapter 17: The Warm Hug of the Hazel Eyes Man

Dad was standing with his hands tied to a tree.

The tree has a fairly wide diameter. Maybe almost a meter. I don't know what kind of tree it is. I don't care. All I cared about was my Dad's condition; who was closing his eyes as if sleeping. His face was covered with blue bruises covering his aging skin. Under his eyes, there was a swelling that was horrible enough for me to see.

At that moment, I was standing in front of him. However, for some reason, my body couldn't move an inch. When I tried to realize what had happened, I found both my legs were handcuffed and pinned to the ground. I went crazy and tried to release the handcuffs holding me back. The iron felt very strong, and there was no way to loosen it a bit.

I looked around, trying to find the keys to these handcuffs. There was nothing as far as the eye could see but the weeds surrounding me. I was scared to death. How can I be in a place like this? Where am I actually?

I continued to struggle as best I could and called out to my parents. Dad still kept his eyes closed and wasn't bothered at all. It was as if he couldn't hear my screams, even though I screamed as loud as I could.

My throat hurts like hell right now. I was apprehensive about his condition. He looked like a lifeless figure.

Is he sleeping? Fainting? Or maybe…

I shook off the evil thoughts. No. He's still alive, of course.

My eyes are running wild, trying to find anyone around me. Unfortunately, there was no one but the two of us. And even worse, it felt like the handcuffs were pressing against my skin even more. So tight, it hurts. It was sure that the marks from these handcuffs would produce a red rash on my hands.

I cursed loudly.

Suddenly, Dad moved from his position. I was about to burst into tears of relief before finding his mouth wide open. Dad screamed so loudly that I nearly slipped where I was standing. He struggled and howled, but his eyes were still closed. I don't know what he's feeling, but one thing is for sure, he looks like he's in a lot of pain.

I screamed, trying to call him and wake him up, but he couldn't hear me at all. My Dad shouted the words I couldn't understand. He looks terrible. His face scares me.

His feet hit the ground many times. His body trembled as he screamed. I was afraid and worried about him. I screamed with him too. We screamed together, not knowing what we were doing...

And I jumped up with a scream.

Wet sweat covered my whole body. I was gasping for breath as if I had just run a long distance. My neck felt like it was being strangled. My mouth is openly trying to get as much oxygen as possible. My body shivered with cold while my fingers trembled instantly.

I'm still in the bedroom. No trees. No grass. No handcuffs. There's no Dad here either.

In the darkness of the room, there was only Zo, who crawled onto the bed and shook my shoulder lightly.

"Hey, calm down. Calm down, Minka. Sit down slowly."

I stared wildly at the figure in front of me. It took me a few seconds to focus on the man. In the next second, I sat down to obey his orders. When my gaze was entirely focused, the man's face was clearly visible in front of me. Zo looked at me, concerned.

"Drink this." He gave me a glass of water which I didn't know since when he had brought it.

I shook my head, rejecting it.

"Come on, Minka. Drink first." Zo convinced me to take the drink.

I ended up taking one or two gulps of the water. The water cooled my throat, which hurt like it had been strangled. I handed him the glass and covered my face with my palms.

My body is still shaking from that horrible dream. Tears also fell down my shirt without me knowing it. Tears and sweat made my clothes wet and sticky.

"What is it?" Zo asked in a tone that was too soft.

He embraced me with both hands. His fingers move to try to get my palms off of my face. The man then took me in his arms, and I cried into his chest.

I was so scared of my dream earlier. That damn dream felt so real in my mind. I'm worried about my Dad's condition, which is still unclear. I'm so afraid that he is currently being hurt.

What if my dream did come true?

"Calm down, Minka. You're okay." He stroked my hair slowly. "You just had a bad dream."

That's not a question. That's a statement. And I nodded my head in agreement even though it was difficult.

"It doesn't matter. It was just a dream," he reassured me again.

"But it looks real," I mumbled quietly.

For a few moments, no one said anything. Zo was silent as he rubbed the top of my head. Until when it calmed down, I slowly stopped crying.

I pulled my head away from him and wiped my snot with the palm of my hand. Very unhygienic indeed, but it can't be helped. There is no tissue in this room.

Zo touched my face with his fingers. He wiped away the tears perched on my cheeks using his thumb. He even wiped the tears that were still stuck in my eyelashes. When my sense of sight wasn't as wet as before, he turned to gently caress my shoulder.

"It was just a dream, Minka. No one's gonna hurt you now," he reassured me. He tucked a few strands of hair behind my ear. "I'll accompany you. Let's go back to sleep," he added.

Zo shifted my body to be in the sleeping position as before. The only difference was that he joined me by stretching out his right hand. My head was carefully lifted before being placed on top of his outstretched arms. He settled my head before looking for a comfortable position for himself.

"No, you—"

"Shh," he stopped. He hugged my hips and took me in his arms. "I'm not going to mess around. Just keep you company until you fall asleep."

I shook my head noisily. "But you don't have to be with me," I whispered softly.

"You woke me up the cause of your screams. If the others wake up when you're noisy again, it could be a problem. They might do something bad to you," said the man who now hugged me in his arms. "Now go to sleep. Don't think about anything else. If you have another nightmare, I'll wake you up."

I, who was still half-conscious, was dazed to see Zo's treatment. Finally, I just nodded in agreement with my kidnapper's words. I feel awkward being so close to this person who once hurt me.

However, Zo didn't look at me with the death stare he used to. He looked at me sadly for a few minutes. He looked like he was about to reveal something.

I waited for him to speak, but there was only silence between his arms. I could only catch the hint in his eyes. He reached out his left hand and rubbed my face.

"Sleep."

Since I've only had a few hours of sleep, my body still feels tired and sore; I can't bear it anymore. I closed my eyes and carried myself into unconsciousness. I let Zo kiss my hair one more time before hugging me tighter than before.