Salvation

Chapter IV

My vision became blurry.

I could hear loud beating of my own heart in my ears.

My head was throbbing with pain as my senses began to fade away.

Someone's loud voice was shouting in the background, but my mind wasn't able to process the words and their meanings. It was all just a big pile of unconnected phrases.

Firm hands around my shoulders were pushed away and in that moment, I opened my eyes to see him being shoved against the floor, back of his head hitting the same pipe he was tied for just the moment ago.

"What's happening?" I whispered.

Someone's strong hand tried to pull me up, but I was too weak to stand on my own feet.

The world was still spinning around me and I could not recognize the person in front of me. My gaze fell on the big hand that was placed around my shoulders, helping me not to fall, and on the golden ring with a family crest that was so well known to me that I immediately knew who he was.

"Father..? What's going on?" I said, still feeling so drained for some reason. The reason that was lying in front of me, with other three people trying to hold him down.

He managed to push two of them away, but more of them came in trough the door and there was no way that he was able to win against so many people when he was so weak.

"This time they will make sure you won't be able to get away." My father's cold words echoed trough the room.

"What are you saying...? Why are you doing this?" I looked at the man in front of me.

Why did he just say something like that?

Due to his stiff appearance he may have seemed coldhearted to most people but I knew him better than that. He was my father after all. Behind his distant self was a man who cared for others, who couldn't let people see his weak side. 

People usually need someone like him around, even though some of them weren't aware of it. When you are scared, you need someone who will tell you that everything will be alright, someone who is strong enough to keep his promise.

And that was him, whose words made everything believable.

He was probably the noblest person I've ever known, always righteous and fair to everybody.

But this...this wasn't like him at all.

"Stay out of it Sophie. Why did you even come here?" I could tell he wasn't very happy with all this.

"It doesn't matter why I came here. Why are you letting them do that to him? They will hurt him."

He let out a deep sigh. 

His eyes met mine, but then he noticed tiny drips of blood on my dress, and he immediately lifted my hair to see the rest of it. His expression immediately became dark and his eyes closed. He turned around and quietly ordered something to one of the men, with his hands tightly formed into fists. I've never seen my father so angry. The man just nodded to confirm that he understood what was ordered to him. They weren't our servants and I've never seen any of them, but they were skilled, they did know how to fight. They were all dressed in long leather coats, all big, muscular and calm at the same time.

"You don't want to see this." Father took my hand, this time gentler than before and tried to get me through the door, but I didn't move.

The one in front of me was now standing. He was still able to stand, but barely. I knew there was nothing I could do, he was completely surrounded by others.