Oakhill Cottage

Twenty-Four

Stella

"I told you, I don't know." I pant while hanging my head.

I'm not sure what they expect to get from me. Really, I didn't know much about the place, considering I was only there for a month. Of course, I discovered their little, shady side business, but even then, I still didn't know much. I definitely don't know where they're located either.

I now understand why the house was so far out there in the woods now. They wanted to be hard to locate for this exact reason.

Well, it worked.

"She's useless." The boss sighs before heading out of the building.

Brian follows behind him, shutting the door as they leave.

Silence grows from their depature.

My back is completely numb. Every now and then, I'll feel a pinch, but it's mostly numb. I'm exhausted. I'm too weak to even think about fighting.

The two men return, causing anxiety to tingle throughout my body.

Please, no more.

"You know, you're pretty tough for a tiny girl." The boss approaches me slowly. "The other men we've tortured on the hooks, gave in right away." He narrows his eyes at me as he inches closer. "But you," His tone is soft now. "no matter how many times we torture you, you still won't budge, huh?"

My eyelids fight to stay open, but my body is slowly shutting down. If this is what you call tough, it sure does feel like death.

My vision blurs more as my eyelids became heavier. I exhale deeply with a small whimper.

Over his shoulder, there's a blurry figure behind Brian. The figure quickly covers Brian's mouth with his hand before snapping his neck. His body falls limp instantly as the figure gently lowers him to the ground.

I'm too disoriented to comprehend what is even going on anymore. My mind drifts in between imagination and reality, slipping me into delusion.

Is Brian dead? Who killed him?

Where am I again?

The boss is suddenly pulled backward, causing him to fall onto the ground. He immediately pops back up and faces Theo, who is now throwing a punch at his his nose.

The bad man grunts and swings his fist back towards him. Theo dodges it before striking his stomach, causing the man to hunch over. Theo bends over and hauls the large man over his back and onto the ground hard.

The man groans and sweeps his leg. Theo falls to the ground, allowing both of them to grapple. Theo has the large man in a tight leg lock before he breaks free and climbs on top of him. He strikes Theo's face twice, once on the nose, then on his cheek.

Theo flips him over onto his back, using his right leg to kick him over before standing.

The large man rises with him.

I watch the scene unfold hazily, trying hard to stay awake. Silently, I pray for Theo to kick this man's ass.

The two men have now both climbed to their feet and are now brawling each other. Punches and kicks are thrown, all while dodging each strike. They both seem to be almost equally powerful.

My head lowers as I become more lethargic. I notice beneath my hanging feet is a puddle of blood.

That seems like a lot of blood.

The man then pulls out his knife and slices Theo's shoulder. The last thing I see is Theo swinging a kick to the side of his head.

And I was out again.