Trapped

Chapter 3 Make it Out Alive

Slowly but surely, Rosalie recovered from her temporary knockout. She quickly realised the gravity of the situation since her hands and feet were tied in a chair. Giving all her remaining energy to untie herself, Louca was observing her.

"I had to double knot it," he stated, walking towards her. "Your wrists are skinny; that is kind of cute."

"Why? Why did you do that?" Rosalie asked with her crackled voice.

Louca stared at her pathetically before sitting, followed by a long sigh. Rosalie desperately tried to find a response in his eyes. His attitude, manners, and tone of voice. Everything had changed.

How could she have not seen his real intention? How could she be that foolish? All those questions ruminated in her head, and she felt remorseful—not about him but about how naive she was.

"Come on! You do cry a lot, don't you? Anyway, a girl like you does not fit in this world; you are better gone." 

Forcing to hear that hateful comment, Rosalie could not help but confirm. Perhaps that was for the best, she thought. After all, surviving in this cruel dimension was beyond her capacity. 

"You are going to kill me, now ?" Rosalie kept her head low, as she did not want to face the consequences.

"You are on the right track," said Louca sarcastically. "You know, when I first looked at you, I knew. I knew you would be the one who could help me fulfil my last quest. Remember, when I told you not to tell anyone about your tasks, that was a lie." 

She could not believe her eyes; from the beginning, Rosalie had been his target—too beautiful to be true, as people would say. This reminded her that the AI had informed her that not all the players would be her ally.

Well, now she was sure of that.

"Want to know my quest?" Louca waited enthusiastically for her answer. "I tell you, anyway. I had a choice between amputating one of my arms or betraying an ally by killing them. You understand now that I had no choice, right?  Though, it was easier than I thought it would be. A naive girl like you is like a sheep surrounded by wolves; you are precious."

She felt a pit in her stomach when she heard his sarcastic laugh. She could utter no words, only disappointment. Yet, she had to prepare for the worst, as Louca had brought something: a ghoul. Tied up and taken as a vulgar dog, he proudly introduced his new prey.

"Did not expect that, sure you did not! I captured him while you were sleeping; as you can see, he is starving. Well, you will have all the time to chat with him when I untie him, " Louca claimed, tying the ghoul in a beam.

She was slowly understanding the meaning behind his statement. Rosalie panicked as she tried to free herself from this nightmare. 

"You do not seem to fancy your new friend. You are the one who told me you did not want to be alone. I am being kind."

"Please!" cried Rosalie aloud. "I do not want to die like this; I am begging you!" 

Louca shook his head to the right and left with his arms crossed. All she could do was pray for a miracle to happen, and she felt frustrated that she could not defend herself or be sufficiently strong. If only she could prove him wrong; she knew deep down he was not wrong. In fact, Louca could see straight away how weak she was; thus, it meant Rosalie was an easy target for everyone. 

"You are right," said Rosalie, avoiding his eyes. "I am a defenceless girl who cannot stand for herself. I am just weak."

As she stated that, some images popped into her head; she could see herself crying. Rosalie could hear unknown voices accompanied by blurred faces: