★FREEDOM★

~CHAPTER 4~

We were now in a dense forest, with trees towering above us like giants. The car slowly came to a stop at the side of the road. Mr. Tattoo harshly stepped out and walked over to my door side.

He pulled it open. "Get down," I looked over to the driver, wondering what was going on. Were they going to kill me?, cause I didn't understand a word they had said, so it might be a possibility.

This was a secluded area, far from prying eyes. If they wanted to get rid of me, this was the perfect place to do it.

And If I was to disappear, I bet no one would notice. I had no friends and no family remaining...well, if my father isn't dead yet, but he too wouldn't care.

The sadness of it was overwhelming and painfully true.

An impatient voice cut through my thoughts, as Mr Tattoo repeated"Get down, now," pulling me out of the car.

My bare feet stumbling over roots and fallen branches, littered over the uneven ground. His tight grip was the only thing that kept me upright.

Moving deeper into the forest, the silence between us was oppressive. He's eyes were trained on me, boring into my skin, making me shiver, despite the fact it wasn't that cold.

He tugged me forward to a towering tree. "Pee," he snapped, his eyes fixed on me.

My face burned with humiliation as I held my ragged gown, looking over to the car, which was now at a distance away, but not so far that I couldn't see their other sleek SUVs moving past it.

"Umm...can you turn around?" I stammered to him, wanting to salvage the little dignity I had left.

Even though my plan was not to actually pee, but rather to use the opportunity to escape. Hopefully he would at least have some basic humanity to turn around and give me a semblance of privacy.

His face was a mask of stone, his expression unreadable. He eyes were sizing me up, wondering if I was trying to pull a fast one on him. But then, he clicked his tongue, before saying, "A gun is in my hands," don't even think about trying to escape.

I had to be careful; any wrong move could be my last.

He turned his back to me and Slowly i turned around, my eyes quickly scanned the surrounding area before it spotting a narrow path winding between trees and made a split-second decision. I began to walk, further away from him barefoot.

Being barefoot had its disadvantages and advantages. On one hand, my footsteps were quieter, making it easier for me to move stealthily. But on the other hand, my feet were vulnerable to the rough forest ground, getting them cut and bruised with each careful step I took.

The pain was starting to become unbearable, but I didn't stop; I didn't even look back to see how far I had walked. My heart was pounding in my chest, ringing in my ears.

"Are you done yet?" His growl cuts through the forest. It sounded a little far away, muffled by the trees.

Quickly I looked over my shoulder, the darkness making it hard, but I could make out the faint outline of his figure in the distance, and that's when I realized I had walked far enough to make a run for it.

Not caring much about my bare feet, they stepped on sticks and sharp debris, the pain barely registering in my mind as I began my run.

My sole focus was on escaping and putting as much distanceas possible between me and Mr. Tattoo.

But my reckless pace proved to be my downfall as I failed to notice a sturdy stick lying across my path. My leg stepped on it, and it snapped.

The sound was loud and I knew for sure that would bring attention, and I was right.

"You sneaky bitch!" I heard his voice spat with venom. Before it was followed by a gunshot that rang out loudly, making me freeze in my tracks.

My pounding heart stopped beatting but as the echo faded away, I noticed something - the shot wasn't aimed at me. It sounded like he had deliberately shot towards the sky, perhaps to scare me or to intimidate me into surrendering.

The realization didn't bring me much comfort, though, because it only served as a reminder of the danger that lurked behind me.

I began running, harder than before, changing directions, darting between the trees, not wanting him to quickly spot me out.

The forest was dense, making it impossible to see more than a few feet ahead. But having spent most of my time locked up in a dark basement, I had developed a peculiar kind of adaptability. My senses had grown more acute, more attuned to the subtlest sounds and movements.

I could hear the rustling of leaves, could feel the forest soil beneath my feet.

My life with my father was hell, the endless beatings, the constant belittling and the feeling of being trapped and helpless.

I thought about how I had finally escaped, finally gotten some freedom, only to find myself in an even more precarious situation but I refused to give up.

It was a strange kind of freedom, but it was freedom nonetheless.

I gritted my teeth, I was going to hold onto this freedom, no matter what.

No one and I mean no one else will take away my freedom or take me to their boss or whatever he was, to sell my body to the highest bidder.

The thought was revulseful and I dug deep, finding a reservoir of strength I didn't know I possessed.

"Ahhh!" cried out in pain as my hair was suddenly yanked backwards with such force that made me stumbled and almost fell.

Just as suddenly as it had started, everything stopped. "Got you," his voice was hot against my ear.