PUPPY

CHAPTER 36

I don't know how much time has passed, but I couldn't feel my arms and mouth. The poor light in the room started to give me anxiety.

I'm praying to anything sacred that Neil comes back and takes all this off me. That he holds me tight and strokes my hair while saying that everything will be alright.

I learned my lesson.

Next time, I'll listen.

The door slowly started to open. I got on my knees and looked toward it.

He came for me.

The more that the door opened, the less it looked like Neil. The light opened.

What is she doing here?

She wasn't supposed to come back!

"Oh, Buddha. What did he do to you?" Laura said with an anxious tone.

She came to me and started untying my hands. As soon as I was free, I took off the muzzle and shouted: "What the hell are you doing here!?"

She put her hand on my mouth and whispered: "Keep it down. I'm here to save you."

"You're not supposed to be here! Where is he?"

"Calm down. He went out running into the woods."

"How did you come in?"

She stopped and looked at me. "Maybe I broke a window."

"What!?"

She pulled a pair of pliers out of her pants and started digging into the chain that held my legs together.

"I have to get you out of here. I'm sorry for what I said and did. I shouldn't have ..."

We locked eyes for a moment.

"It's ... it's okay."

"Yeah."

She started digging into the chain that held me in this room. I don't know how she cut that off, but she did.

"Quick, we have to get down to the kitchen."

As soon as I got off the bed, my legs gave up. Laura pulled me up and almost dragged me out of the room. We were at the top of the stairs when the alarm on the ground floor rang.

He's back!

I pulled Laura into his studio opposite the bedroom. I started sweating bullets. My mind started spinning. I forgot this sense of anxiety when you hear your own breathing.

I heard his quick footsteps make their way into the bedroom. Laura placed her hand on my shoulder, and my mind stopped.

"Fuck!!" I could sense the rage in his voice.

I heard a loud crash and then him moving downstairs. I grabbed the knob to open the door, but Laura stopped me.

She turned on the light on her phone and started searching the room.

"We need to find something to defend ourselves," she whispered.

I hate the way she thought at that moment. The second that the light hit the wall; I froze. Every wall was covered in my pictures.

My blood ran cold.

There were pictures from my first job when I was still living with my parents. On my first day of university. All the parties that I went to. Then I noticed the most recent. In most of them, I was asleep.

"Girl, he's insane," she said with a hushed tone.

"Forget the weapon, let's get out of here." I quickly grabbed her hand and went for the door. We tippy-toed our way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

I saw the broken window that was above the sink.

"You go first," she mumbled.

"No, you go first," she said as she shoved me toward the window.

I got on top of the counter. I looked out of the window to see the meadow. I don't see him. As carefully as I could, I jumped out. But I wasn't cautious enough because a small piece of glass snitched my cheek and thigh.

I glimpsed at Laura, who was at the edge of the window.

Then we heard the door alarm. She quickly jumped out of the window.

"STOP!!" Neil shouted behind us. He sounds furious.

Laura started running. I ran behind her like a lost child.

She sure knows where to go.

"Come on, Amalia, run," she panted.

I ran as fast as I could. I ignored the pain of my bare feet against the glass. I could hear him shouting behind us. It felt like a hand was squeezing my heart from how guilty I felt.

I looked back to see that we made quite a distance between us and Neil. Suddenly Laura tripped and fell.

Shit!

I stopped and started helping her. She pushed me away. "Run! Straight ahead is my car. Here is the key. Run!" She shoved the key into my hand.

"I can't leave you here!"

I could see him approaching us.

"Come on, Laura, " I shouted before I started pulling her up.

She pushed me away. "I twisted my ankle. I can't be saved. Run! Please ..."

I stumbled before starting to run.

I can make it out.

"PUPPY!!"

My blood ran cold. I gulped the saliva down my dry throat. I turned around and looked back. I saw Neil holding Laura in a neck lock.

What was I thinking?

I can't leave.

It's impossible.

"Come here!"

My legs locked in place.

Laura was struggling under his tight grip.

"COME HERE!!" The anger in his voice is indescribable.

Slowly I started walking back. My jaw was clenched. All my hair was standing up. He's going to kill us.

We locked eyes. The fury in his eyes could kill. His tongue ran over his teeth.

He let go of Laura and stepped a step closer to me. He grabbed my hand and started pulling me toward the house. On our way, he grabbed Laura by her hair and dragged her behind us.

"No! Please let her go," I begged as I struggled with his grip.

He looked down at me with defiance. "I think that you should finally learn a lesson." Shivers ran down my spine.

Laura didn't lose one second to fight for her freedom. And I was walking and waiting for something.

I'm a terrible person.

We got into the house and Neil closed the door behind us.

It is true.

I can't get out of here.

Neil threw Laura in front of me.

She grabbed my hands and looked into my eyes. "Amalia, you can make it. Run! I'll distract him-"

I looked at Neil. He came from the kitchen holding a chef's knife.

Laura went silent

No, talking back or fighting. She went numb.

I freed my hands and stepped in front of her. "Please, let her go. This wasn't her idea. It's my fault. Punish me, but please let her go."

"Your 'best friend' is not as innocent as you give her credit to be."