chased

09

chased
" what a stench ! "

i made up my mind, not knowing what i was about to do next.

i wasn't in control anymore. my mind took over me. i turn around, not thinking twice, but once. scared to look, i covered my eyes then uncovering them to see leather boots, to his crooked fingers, to a face so familiar. i thought my life would've been over by now. i was wrong and was met eye to eye with no other than my dad's unknown killer. my head was boiling, i was unexpectedly looking up at the face of nico.

"nico? NICO? OUT OF ALL PEOPLE, IT'S YOU?" my lips whimpered, shivering from the sudden cold breeze he blew on me. "you don't know how hard it was to find you. i can't believe it, i found you!" he shrugged, laughing at the sight of me on the cold floor getting colder and colder every minute there.

"nice place right? RIGHT? I FUCKING TOLD YOU IF YOU TELL ANYONE ABOUT THIS— if you tell anyone about this, you're next." he laughed maniacally, "you. never. listen." he poked my forehead after every word that spilled out of his mouth.

"aww, look how cute you are. come here." he brought up the one thing i hate about him the most. his crooked fingers were now in front of me followed by his hands and his arms in an embracing position. before he was about to grab me i kicked him in the stomach and started running to a door on the far right corner from where i was. "juno, you can't run away from me anymore." i ran as fast as i could and as soon as the door swung open, i was taken to a room which was the darkest i have ever been to with the amount of zero percent to still be alive. how am i even alive right now? there were no windows despite of the stench that covered the whole place up and i became annoyed.

"okay, you win nico. you can take my family, my friends, my house, everything i own, but you wont take me away just like that. like how you took dad away. you. win." i stood up and sarcastically surrendered, putting my hands up as if i was instructed by a cop who just yelled at me right now. "juno, how sweet of you. HOW SWEET OF YOU TO OFFER SO MUCH TO ME! thank you. and tell your dad thank you." his silhouette showing up at the unlocked door that flew open once i came into the next room. "BUT YOU KNOW JUNO? YOU KNOW WHAT? IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN FOR YOUR STUPID DAD TO STEAL THE WOMAN THAT I LOVE SO MUCH! c'mon juno, c'mon. tell him thank you. TELL HIM!" nico switched on the lights which blinded my eyes for a moment. but as my vision returned, i see the bodies of my precious loved ones right in front of me. their unconscious, pale images made me so uncomfortable i almost puked.

i fall to the floor once again, my tears overtaking me as i see my father and his corpse stuffed in a cage to the left, other people in specific cages. i also see mia who was locked up in a cage under my father.

"what— what did you do? YOU MONSTER!" i call out but another caught my eye. a woman, the homeless woman who i saw some days ago curled up in a ball at the back of the room. i try to crawl to her but my knees were far too weak and a hand grabbed for me from the back, pulled me so hard that it was hard for me to breathe because my own clothes were chocking me to death.

"oh no juno, we don't touch her. she's precious, more precious than you." he let go of me and shoved me on the floor, forcefully throwing me in sign for me to sit and stay still. "what did you do to mia? what did she ever do t—" i asked, so innocently i asked but he cut me off with his words. "oh yeah, by the way did you read mia's text she sent you? she was so worried because you were acting weird. are you hurt? are you okay?" nico said, cooing at me while pouting.

"i was never okay."

"oh precious juno, my sweet baby girl. what happened to you?"

"what?"

"now that i found you, you're acting like you don't want to be here anymore. with me, nico, you're best friend."

"i-"

"OF COURSE YOU DIDN'T KNOW! i was the one to blame, i'm always the one to blame. you know how hard it is to still be alive right now? you know how hard it is to keep living?"

"you're a filthy, finger crooked beast who deserves to be tormented."

"NO NO I DON'T! juno, you know how much guilt i have? how much pain i had to go through? huh?"

i stayed quiet. he was talking nonsense. his words cut me so deep that possibly the air inside of my lungs had collapsed and died by now. i feel so mad with built up anger rising from within me but at the same time i feel so guilty. my weak side was showing again. i decided to stop crying and made up my mind to start acting tough.

i look around for any weapons but the only thing i found was a rusted, old machete which appears to have blood written all over it. i bet that's where it got its rust from.

i grab the knife quickly, now the knife in my hands and when i was about to slice those crooked fingers of his i had a vision. i had a feeling, the feeling that my mother is somewhere near. i stopped myself from almost chopping his fingers to death. life is unfair.

"oh, what is this now? why'd you stop? are you afraid?"

"where is my mother?"

"she's right here."