Noah could still picture himself in late parties and concerts, having the best time of his life while doing a joint with his friends. Antonio always went for marijuana or cocaine; sometimes they made it decent and only did vaping, nothing too serious. But sometimes they tried to take off their clothes because the heat was unbearable; of course, his bodyguards knew their job and kept him out of danger or embarrassment. One time, Jay was so high that he stripped naked and jumped into the pool while screaming profanities; he almost drowned while they all laughed their asses off. Those were the days when he was in his empire.
Noah sighed out loud as he moved with a groan; his gaze landed on his bandage-wrapped ribs. Avgustin said he was poked by a nasty branch in the woods and the injury was infected. He was down for days with severe fever and vomiting. After taking the nasty soups from Avgustin, who forced him through all painful methods, he knew he was better again but had to rest until the injuries healed properly.
He approached the window while limping, and he was greeted by the winter wind; freezing it was! He wrapped his hand around his recovering body, and much to his surprise, he could touch the visible bones on his ribs. He gazed out through the window down at the boys who were running the field under Avgustin's supervision. He held a thick switch and yelled commands at the boys who obeyed him without hesitation. Merely watching them made him feel exhausted. So he retreated to the desk, sitting with a lot of struggles and moans. Mr. Yaroslav was merciless when he carried out his punishment. Noah secretly vowed to himself to stay calm until he escaped; having another meeting with Yaroslav would kill him. He grabbed the novel Avgustin had handed him for entertainment. He hated reading and never really glanced at the books his mother got him. Reading was like a death sentence to him, but after ignoring the novel for days, boredom began to sink in, and his body began to crave nicotine. Sometimes he felt cold and hot and hallucinated a lot. As he started reading the novel on World War II, he found himself submerged in the world of the writer. And for the time being, he was taken away from his condition.
Not long after he picked up the novel, he heard a loud howl followed by barks.
"Get inside!" He heard Avgustin yell, and the front door was slammed shut, with multiple steps filling the down floor.
"Grab the arms!" Rafael's voice came next, and hasted footsteps were being heard, including shuffling.
Noah rushed to the window just in time to spot Avgustin leaving on his snowmobile into the woods. What's going on?
He stepped away and walked out of the room limping; he appeared at the top of the stairs, taking in the scene before him. Rafael held a pocket knife, as did the others; this triggered his curiosity, and he waited above the stairs unnoticed. The boys would occasionally tap the table with the tip of their finger, only for the action to be reciprocated by another. Noah studied their behavior; tap, tap, tap, knock, knock. They seemed to share a telepathic communication capacity with each other. They were surely guarding the door and looking out through the window.
Growlings suddenly erupted from behind the door as something began hitting the door and scratching. Rafael stood by the door and gestured to the others, who dispersed to different corners while tightly holding onto their knives.
Soon a loud screeching-like siren shook the floor, and the thing behind the door retreated. The boys let out a sigh at once. After a few minutes, the door flipped open, and Avgustin dropped a dead wolf before the boys. He looked perfectly fine, not even a scratch was found on his body. Noah watched with wide eyes as he cut the wolf open, pulling out multiple dead puppies, and he took one of them, furrowing his brows afterward. He looked up swiftly and locked his gaze with Noah, who fled on sight, returning to the room and into his bed, scared for his life.
Noah listened out, and there was no approaching step. His shoulders relaxed as he was relieved. He began pondering about the event; this was not a game, there was something behind the door, and somehow Noah knew it was not the wolf. First, because Avgustin was in the woods, and secondly because the thing retreated after the loud sound.
Noah drew a breath and exhaled while shutting his eyes. "God, please get me out of here in one piece," he prayed.
"Noah." Avgustin's voice rang through his ears, and he tensed up...
Oh God...
A/N
Get ready for the next chapter
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Days Are Numbered
Teen FictionNOAH MERRIDEW is your typical popular kid who can't keep his emotions composed. Being the only child of a rich couple he is spoilt and rotten to the core with all his caprices being answered. However, thing takes a different turn when his father die...
