PUNISHMENT/PHOBIA.

PUNISHMENT/ PHOBIA.

DAWN'S POV CONTINUES.

I stared blankly at them, my heart racing in fear, as they gazed back at me, their faces scrunched up into frowns and their fists clenched so tightly that veins streaked up their forearms like tree branches.

Still, the other two seemed a little loosened up, but the calm-looking guy whom I still had no idea of what his name was, was glaring intently at me.

I could clearly see the immense annoyance in his gaze, and I could only ponder on what must've gotten him so irritated.

Had I done something wrong again?

Just then, like a bolt of lightning, it hit me— I was supposed to have tendered their assignments to them for submission but I had not even touched a single page.

Instantly, I began to panic, and my legs started to wobble like jello.

I could feel the triplet's intense gaze boring into me so deeply that I couldn't help but gulp hard.

My entire body began to heat up, and I could feel my insides clenching and squirming.

What feeling was causing these reactions?

Normally, it could be easily guessed that this was all a resultant of overwhelming fear but I just knew it wasn't.

Yes, I was scared— petrified even but it wasn't simply all there was to it. There was something else; Another brimming feeling.

I just couldn't put my finger on it.

It was—

Excitement?

"Come here" He calmly ordered, his eyes still blazing like a furnace.

Merely by hearing his command, my instincts kickstarted, and an inward battle began—

A battle between me and my natural instincts which were screaming at me to either take to my heels at that moment, or heed to his command, and approach him but with utmost caution.

I chose the obviously wiser option.

At a snail's pace, I began to make my way towards him, my steps tentative, hesitant, and unsteady. I made sure not to lock eyes with any of the triplets as I made my way towards them, with a heavy feeling in my limbs, a searing burn in my heaving chest, and a pit dug by overwhelming nervousness in my stomach.

I headed towards him, slight hesitations in my steps, which in no time positioned me before them.

The feeling of their intense gazes boring into me made my legs squirm, and sent a hard lump of saliva down my throat.

" Where the fuck were you and where are our assignments?" The calm-looking guy, who ironically wasn't so calm at the moment questioned, his irises still blazing with annoyance.

I made to speak, but words stopped at my throat and refused to come out any further.

All I wanted at that moment was to get the hell away from them— far, far away from them but my legs remained rooted to the ground in immense fear.

Like a bird drenched from the cold rain, I began to shiver, and my legs, as usual started wobbling.

" You've decided to play mute, huh? " He asked with a raised brow, his eyes still ablaze with irritation.

" Run five-hundred laps around the entire school building, don't stop even for a second until you're done. That'll be the punishment for your— insubordination." He growled and immediately stormed off, without even giving me a moment to fully process his words.

His shoulders impactfully collided with me as he stormed off, the force of the collision nearly knocking me off my feet. It felt like I had been hit by a car.

I stood motionlessly, firmly rooted to my spot, still quite unable to process his statement.

His brothers followed after him, letting out mischievous chuckles, as they strolled past me, the scents of their exotic perfumes wafting of their bodies.

" Five-hundred laps,"

His words resounded in my head again and I before I even knew it, I had crumbled down to the ground like a stack of building blocks.

Five-hundred laps wasn't an achievable feat for me, an omega, and a very weak one at that, whose wolf had just gone unconscious from the beatings of the previous night.

I was still lamenting, wondering just how I was going to achieve not a hundred, but five-hundred laps, all in one go, without collapsing midway, when I heard the most horrible laughter I had ever experienced, one which was so malevolent that it sent shivers down my spine.

I actually didn't even need to turn to know who the devil behind me was.

" Looks like you have succeeded in getting into trouble again like you always do," Charlie mocked, chuckling mid-words.

" I'm so enjoying this. Scarlett is actually a genius." She added and I knew instantly that they had something to do with me being locked up and the trio punishing me.

' Just what did I ever do to them to deserve all these?' I wondered, fighting the urge to burst into tears again.

All the pain and suffering I was being dealt by these people, they were completely uncalled for.

" Anyways we'd love to hang around and chitchat but we've got classes to attend and you've got laps to run. " Scarlett abruptly came in.

" Make sure not to collapse out there or you might lose a tooth or two." She added with a feigned, affectionate tone,   laughing at the conclusion of her statement.

I couldn't see her expression at that moment but I just knew it was one filled with mockery and hatred.

I heard the footsteps of their departure right after.

First waiting until they had gone a good enough distance away from me, and confirming that no one else was nearby, I finally stopped holding it all in.

Like a broken dam, all my pent up sadness and devastation came flooding out in the form of salty, hot streams of tears.

Even a single lap around the campus was unthinkable for the likes of myself due to how immensely large it was; speak more of five-hundred. How on Earth was I even going to do that?

I weakly got on my feet, my legs feeling heavy and my palms sweaty.

I was going to miss class again and this would undoubtedly dent the perfect record I was trying to retain.

I sighed heavily, as I began making my way towards the school garden to commence my undeserved punishment.

...................

....................

I woke up to find myself in a completely unfamiliar surrounding.

It was small, damp and cramped up.

My eyes scanned the sparsely-lit place, struggling to get a good view of the environment.

Soon, the realization hit me. This place—

Was a cell.

I looked around, completely lost and confused, my heart palpitating fearfully at how eerie and ominous the place was.

My vision was inhibited by the lack of sufficient light, so I had make use of my other senses in its stead.

I stretched out my hand and felt a stony, cold surface— undoubtedly a wall.

I carefully scanned around the place again and amidst the thick darkness, noticed there was a small window, high up on the wall and covered by thick iron bars.

I tried to stand up, and instantly a searing ache resonated through the entirety of my body, right from the crown of my head to the sole of my feet. I let out a low agonized groan, a torrent of thoughts running through my head.

'How did I get here?'

'Wasn't I supposed to be serving my punishment?'

I finally got up after multiple futile attempts, a sigh of relief escaping me as at long last, caught sight of light.

It was very dim though, so dim that it wasn't even able to light up where I was.

It was emanating from a single torch on the wall, casting flickering shadows on the floor.

I stepped back, once again taking another scan of the place in order to figure out where I was or what was there.

I slowly moved, my heart throbbing in my chest.

While looking around, I noticed two objects— furniture rather. A hard, narrow cot and a chamber pot in the corner.

I heaved a deep breath, taking in a long whiff of the damp and mouldy air.

The place exuded a grim and somber vibe, one that instilled a feeling of despair and hopelessness within me.

Abruptly, the small ray of light which I took as a symbol of hope, was abruptly quenched by gusts of wind, and I found myself stuck in the vast, pitch-black darkness.

Immediately, the profound feelings of panic welling within my being overwhelmed me.

I felt trapped and vulnerable like I was some sort of rodent. Like prey that had been caught and stashed away for later, awaiting a terrible end.

The cell seemed as though it was shrinking, slowly but surely, with every passing second, and the darkness, like it was eating into my very soul.

The sound of my own breathing echoed through the confinement, augmenting the tortuous feelings of isolation.

I trembled, as my ears picked up the sounds insects, cockroaches and critters scurrying about.

Cautiously, I began to back away, until I felt my back slam against the wall.

Everywhere was pindrop silent.

So silent that every minuscule sound made became clearly audible and seemed even amplified.

The maddening silence was only occasionally broken by the faint sound of water droplets, uniformly falling to the ground with plop somewhere in the distance.

The eeriness of the whole place sent chills down my spine, and I found myself quivering violently as though I had been dunked wholly into a tub of freezing water.

Everything about this place was just so ominous and distressing, such that in correspondence, my mind proceeded to further torture me with slideshows of my memories, memories I had been trying my whole life to forget— my ugliest experiences.

I had a slight chance of success at doing so but sadly this place had put all my efforts to nought, and unleashed them upon me simultaneously.

......................

" Get in there, you bitch," My aunt yelled in my face, tightly grabbing a handful of my hair and flinging my head backward in the process.

I winced as a stinging pain surged through my neck and found myself inwardly thanking the Moon Goddess for the miracle of me not ending up with a broken neck.

' Why does she have to be so cruel?' I pondered, feeling tears welling up within my eyelids but I blinked them back, not wanting to give the pleasure of seeing me cry again to my aunt or her evil daughter who was watching contently, giggling at the pain I was undergoing.

" Aunt please" I pleaded, but my pleas fell to deaf ears. Instead she tightened her grip and tugged at my hair even harder, augmenting the stinging pain that had engulfed my scalp.

"Get in there now brat," She yelled while trying to shove me into the small and dark storeroom, but the profound fear of being locked up in such a distressing space again kept me struggling against her.

" Please aunt, please. You know what happens when I'm locked in there." I reminded her in case she had forgotten, in hope that she would have a change of heart and serve me another punishment but to my amusement, she let out an evil grin.

" That's the more reason I want you in there" She stated, letting out a sinister cackle that sent goosebumps crawling up my skin.

I froze, my eyes widening in shock, and without a second of wait, she took the opportunity my moment of weakness provided, and flung me into the place I dreaded the most.

I crashed to the floor with a thud, instantly feeling a stinging pain in my knees from the bruising impact with the rough grounds.

However, that was the least of my concerns right now.

Instantly, I got on my feet and dashed towards the entrance to force my way out of the place before she locked the door but unfortunately, I arrived quite too late.

Just as I reached the door, a loud click resonated through the dark room, to my absolute horror and devastation.

The door had been locked, and I had been trapped in the pitch-black basement.

I cowered back in despair, wrapping my arms around myself, as my body began to tremble, and tears began to seep out of my eyes.

All I could do at that moment was silently weep as my deepest, darkest fears came to life.