The Bodyguard ✔

Chapter Thirty-Three

"Frank".

He came for us.

Pete and a short, but over the top, muscled guy who just arrived in a Mustang with three others, are taking Lisa, Vicky and me through the forest. I have no idea where we're going. I can't escape by running away, because it's too dark and mister fitness has a gun. I wouldn't be able to run as fast as I can without bumping into a tree or tripping over other plants. Besides, he could shoot me in the leg if I run too slow.

I look behind me. We've already gone too far away from the street for me to have a clear view of the situation over there, but I think I see Frank standing by the Mustang.

But what is he doing?

What is he going to do to fix this?

The situation feels so unreal, like a story you hear on the news or read in the paper: "THREE TEENS ABDUCTED BY MAFFIA". Or if this is going to end badly and nobody ever finds out what happened: "THREE TEENS ABDUCTED ON THE SAME NIGHT. NO LEADS".

I'm experiencing this like a bad dream you have while being sick. I feel terrible and I can't escape it. I just can't seem to accept this is really happening.

Again.

I look at the people who are escorting us through the woods. Are they the ones who abducted me around a month ago? Did any of the people I know had something to do with it? Anything? Lucas?

No, don't think about that.

Come on Giselle, you have to focus. You're going to survive this.

I look behind, over my shoulder. In the distance, I spot Frank amongst other figures I can't seem to identify.

What are they doing? Talking? Negotiating? In my head, I try so hard to send a message to Frank, something, anything, how weird it may sound. Please Frank, get me out of this.

Oh my God.

No.

There's someone behind him raising his arms and pointing them to Frank's head. A gun.

"Frank! Look out!" I shout my lungs out before even considering other options. "Frank!" Why doesn't he hear me? My legs start moving without my permission towards him. Why is he so far away?

I shout again: "Frank!"

Then he rapidly turns around.

*BANG*

No.

"No!" Somewhere behind me, I hear screams, maybe my name being called, but I don't care enough about any of that at the moment. I couldn't care about anything else, until I realise a loud gunshot echoes through the woods and beyond.

I drop to the ground before the pain gets to me. The lungs inside my ribcage hurt so badly from pressing all the air available out of me, I forget how to breath. It was dark before, but now, absolutely everything turns black in front of me. I've never endured such a shock, as I distantly sense hands on my body, turning me around on my back.

"Giselle ... hmghueh ... me?!"

I feel a confusing warmth spreading on my left side. Slowly, I can make out stars in the sky and distinguish voices.

"Are you crazy?!"

In the back of my neck, I feel a touch of something warm. Oh my God, I'm losing blood.

Slowly, and with all the strength and willpower I have left, I push myself from the ground with my right arm. Vicky helps me to sit up and soon, the warm fluid spreads down my arm, back and chest.

The big guy starts pacing up and down. "Shit man, what did you do?!" He looks at Pete with widened eyes. "You know how the big boss hates it when they're hurt like that. He's going to hang you for this!"

Pete's face grows dark. "You know what he would hate even more? If we would show up with two girls instead of the promised three." Pete steps towards the big guy, who doesn't look that tough anymore. "She would've fled if I didn't take the gun from you!" He pushes him against a shoulder and points at me with the gun. "Now get her up and get going, Craig. The van is going to leave without us if this is going to take too long. You know how suspicious Elliot is."

Craig, his name apparently, walks with furious eyes and tensioned shoulders towards me. He roughly grabs my right upper arm and pulls me up from the forest ground on my feet. I seem to have forgotten how to stand on my feet for a moment, as the sudden movement stretches the damaged muscles and tissue from the wound in my left shoulder.

I shriek by the brusque rising of pain and try pulling myself out of Craig's brutal grip. "Let me go, you're hurting me." He doesn't seem to care much about my suffering and continues to drag me through the forest.

I keep struggling to free myself, when out of nowhere, Craig falls to the ground and I fall to my knees.

Vicky stands behind him with a large piece of wood in her hands. Craig quickly recovers and curses while getting back on his feet. He aims his fiery attention at my red-haired friend.

He's way too angry now. Too dangerous.

Craig charges at Vicky with clenched fists and I fear the worst for my friend. Only two steps away from reaching her, Craig receives a great punch to the face from someone who's at least two feet taller than him. Craig loses balance and falls on the ground. Disoriented, he reaches to his jaw, while a stream of blood escapes from his mouth.

After Frank punched Craig to the ground, he lowers himself on his knees to turn him on his chest and handcuff his hands together with plastic straps behind his back. He turns to Vicky. "Keep an eye on him, would you?" She looks shaken up, but nods.

I turn my head to search for Pete and I'm glad to find him in a similar position as his friend: sitting on the ground, handcuffed.

Lisa's holding a gun, the gun that shot me in the shoulder, and aims it at Pete in a highly concentrated manner.

I got shot.

With my right hand, I inspect my left shoulder. As soon as the blood covers my fingers in red, I start shaking and I become aware of the amount of blood I must've lost.

A warm hand wraps its fingers around my wrist. "Don't worry about it, you're going to be fine."

Frank's other hand presses against my cheek as he lifts my chin until our eyes are forced to meet each other.

The last drops of adrenaline dissolve, and as they do so, I can feel my skin losing it's color.

"Frank..."

Vaguely, I feel his hand moving to the back of my head and neck. "Giselle, you have to stay awake."

His eyes. I've always loved his eyes, although I denied it to myself.

"Giselle, can you say something to me?"

Now I have a chance to look at them closer than I ever could. But how sad and hurt they look...

"Giselle!"

They're grey on the outside, green and even brown in the middle.

Like a forest covered with fog...