Chasing

LESLIE’S POV

Pain is the first thing I register as soon as my consciousness returns.

.It shows no mercy, tearing through every joint, every muscle and even skin, rendering me a total mess on the smooth surface I can feel my body writhing on. My eyes open and close repeatedly in an attempt at blinking both the pain and my blurry vision away. However, I only succeed at getting a clearer vision while my body continues to drown in the sea of intense pain.

As I take in the world around me, my memories of them also return. Kian asked to meet alone as that was the only way he would sign the divorce papers. I was waiting for him in front of that empty warehouse when I was comered by three hefty men, attacked and knocked out cold.

It seemed like my unconscious body had been dragged into the dark and empty warehouse whose only source of lightning is the moonlight seeping through the small windows. I also discover the source of the searing pain on my skin when I look down at myself.

My arms and legs are tied together in a way that left me in a position where I could only move my neck, and when I struggle against the tight ropes that bind my limbs in a bruising manner, my wince of pain reaches my ears as only a muffle. A silent realization hit me; a cloth is stuffed into my mouth. I can’t scream or call for help.

I am in danger.

As

s my body aches in pain, my heart jumpstarts in fear.

I struggle even harder, ignoring the way it feels like a thousand needles are piercing through my skin as I try to free myself from this bondage. My cries for help barely form an echo as they are reduced to nothing but inaudible gruntings.

The door to the warehouse opens swiftly and I stop struggling momentarily while my heart continues to beat wildly, I see shadows first, large and terrifying. When I finally recognize the shadows as the same men who had attacked me, fear cripples me into not being able to make even the smallest movement on the floor anymore.

The men’s hard, scarred and unsmiling faces as they walk closer to me does even more to leave me paralyzed. Without a word, they position themselves at every corner in the warehouse and begin to pour the contents of gallons I’d barely noticed they had brought in here with them. The smell of the liquid that’s now seeping all over the floor is what jerks me out of my shocked state.

Is that…gasoline?

Oh my god, it IS gasoline.

I resume struggling, even more desperately this time as the signal of what is about to happen is sent straight to my brain. I grunt even harder, louder, twisting my body desperately despite the pain. They can’t hear me because of the cloth stuffed into my mouth but my grunts are muffled screams of pleas to be saved by anyone.

“Fuck, she’s one noisy bitch.” One of them finally says in annoyance and stalks over to me, ripping the cloth out of my mouth and almost breaking my jaw in the process.

+26 BONUS

He locks his eyes with mine and I tremble from the sheer darkness in them.

“What the fuck are you making so much noise for?” He practically growls at me and for a second, I lose control of my mind and forget the fact that I can now speak clearly.

C

“She’s about to die, Stone. What do you expect? Put that thing back in her mouth and get back to work. We don’t have all night.” One of them orders in a tone as cold as that of the one he has just referred to as

Stone.

Stone sneers dangerously at me as he brings the small piece of clothing back to my mouth.

“Please!” I cry out before he can stuff it back in. My throat lumps up and I swallow hard, “Please don’t kill me…I didn’t do anything wrong. Please…I beg you.” I feel tears starting to sting my eyes. As I beg, I try to think of all the reasons this can be happening to me, try to think of someone who could be cruel enough to want me dead.

“Then you should have known your place. Why go against someone who is more powerful than you are? What a waste of that pretty face.” Stone replies to my desperate plea.

“Stone, stop. We are not here for a chat. Do your part so we can get the fuck out of here.” The other man from before warns again. In response, Stone flashes me a creepy.smile. I shake my head frantically, tears rolling down my cheeks now as I realize what he’s about to do.

“No…No…Please, no-” The cloth is stuffed back into my mouth and Stone steps back, picks up his own gallon and baths my body with it, laughing maniacally as he does.

Once done, he steps away from me and joins the others at the entrance where one of them lights the fire of a lighter. I struggle even harder now, as I realize that this is really happening. I am really going to die. The lighter is thrown to a corner and a fire starts, growing rapidly as it follows the trail of gasoline.

“Shouldn’t we wait till the job is fully done? You know how crazy the client can be.” One of them says as they turn their back on me.

“No one is going to survive that.” Came the response of another. They walk out of the warehouse and shut its door, ignoring my muffled plea for help. I look around me as the fire continues to grow and I know what he said is simply the truth, I can’t survive this.

I am really going to die here.