Phonophobia

|14|

I had slipped on a hoodie in a frenzy and at the same time my door opened and closed quickly. I jogged to the living room and clashed with Lace.

"Payne was here!" I exclaimed the same time she said.

"We need to go."

"What? Go where?" I asked, puzzled.

Lace walked past me to the bedroom and I followed her like a lost puppy.

"This is not the time to be dumb Abigail, I bumped into him and he has a fucking earpiece in his ear, we need to jump out the window, now!" She said yanking the bedroom window open.

"Lace he left just now, he can't co–"

"Just fucking get out the window!" Lace yelled in a hushed voice.

"But we're going to die if we jump." I said with a cry of protest.

"In this situation, we'll die either way but there's a twenty percent chance we'll survive this. Stop fucking talking and get out the window before–"

She was cut off by the sound of the door slamming down. I flinched and grabbed my curtain tightly.

"Go without me." I whimpered, already feeling like I would shit myself.

Footsteps were approaching.

"I'm not leaving without you!" She gritted.

I opened my mouth to talk but I was cut off.

"Nobody is leaving anyone behind." Payne's deep voice rocked the room. "The both of you are coming with me."

Lace froze at her father's voice. Her whole body had gone stiff and her eyes were shut tightly, as if she dreaded this day. She did.

"Step away from the window Orianna." Payne ordered in a firm voice.

"I'd die three more deaths than to follow your orders." She said opening her eyes but not turning around to look at him. 

"There's nowhere to run, my men are everywhere." He said taking a step closer to me than to her.

I couldn't help but frown.

"Why are you following me! I have nothing of yours, just let me go!" She said in a frustrated voice.

"You need to come back home Orianna, drop all this hide and seek act and come home with me."

"Home? There is a home for me, but it's not with you Christian Payne." She said and his body went still for a moment.

"Don't talk me like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like I'm not your father!" He yelled.

He dropped the bomb, my heart sank and my fingers started shaking, slowly loosing their grip around the curtain.

Lace let out a shaky scoff and turned around slowly to meet his gaze. Payne's face softened when he saw her face, he looked like he was relieved, happy even. But his face was set, hiding the emotions in his eyes.

"Father?" She asked rhetorically. "Are you seriously not ashamed of yourself right now?"

"Ori–"

"Stop! Stop calling my name and telling me off like everything is okay, like you actually care." Lace said, her voice shaky and eyes glassy. "Your not my father, Payne." She said.

This was the first time I heard someone call him that apart from me. It sounded different, like venom. The name coming from her mouth seemed like a mirror, reflecting all the pain he had caused her.

"I do care, I care for you. I've been looking for you ever since your mom died–"

"Ever since you killed her you fucking murderer!" Lace choked out, tears escaping her eyes.

I've never seen her so vulnerable, so broken. Even when she had told me he was her father yesterday, after I had fainted and woken up, she acted like everything was okay.

"It's not what you think, I had to." Payne said and my heart beat increased it's pace.

"You fucking shot her because you had to? And left me in the fire! I could've died, but that was what you wanted right? For me to join my mother. You're here to finish me off right?" She sobbed.

"I didn't leave you in the fire Orianna, we couldn't find you! We searched everywhere but you weren't there." Payne tried to explain.

My mind was barely registering this. Their voices were loud, the tension was thick, the commotion was too much.

"I don't believe you! You're a liar, you're going to do the same to her right?" Lace said jutting her chin towards me, taking a few steps backwards close to the window. "Use her and then kill her."

Payne straightened and shook his head rapidly. It didn't make me feel any better.

"Trust me Orianna, come home with me, I'll explain everything to you." He offered.

"You'd have to kill me before taking me with you." She said, taking a stance beside the window.

"Orianna don't jump out, I'll sort everything out, just don't jump. Please." He said, his voice cracking at the end.

What? Was he really having a sentimental moment?

Lace shakes her head and swung one leg over the window.

In one fast move, Payne was behind me, grabbing my hands and holding them behind me. His free hand went down and pulled out something.

I didn't realize what it was until a muzzle was pressed to my temple.

"Don't jump or I'll shoot." He said and I froze. My breathing, my hands, fingers, everything. I just froze.

A gun.

"Leave Abigail out of this." Lace said seriously.

"I'm going to have to do everything to make you stop Orianna." Payne said.

"Even if it means killing innocent women. I already know that, but please let her go." She sniffled, her eyes darting from me to him.

"I can't do that Orianna. I can't lose you." Payne's said.

Lace looked at me and in my dazed state, I held her eyes for long. Long enough to tell her to just go ahead and forget about me.

Lace gave me a barely noticeable nod and looked at her father.

"Fuck you." She told him before letting her body fly out the window.

I immediately started wiggling in Payne's body, trying to free his grip.

"I'm sorry Baybi." Payne said.

"You moron! You pointed a gun at me and threatened to kill me. You're such a buffoon." I spat.

"Yeah, for that too." He murmured and I stop.

"Wha–" I didn't get to ask the rest of my question because gunshots started firing and Payne lifted his hand and connected the butt of his gun with my head, knocking me out cold.

My words jabbered and I gave into the darkness.

*****
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Maryam M.B ♥