Submission

CHAPTER : 32

Someone was trying to break the wall.

I don't know what they were using but it seemed like a sledgehammer was being pounded from the inside, trying to pierce its way to the outside of the wall. The deep and loud beating of my heart threatened to escape from the cage of muscles as the pounding continued inside my heart. A drop of cold sweat trickled down my spine as my eyes tried to scan through the darkness.

The painful squeaks of the wooden floor stopped in front of my closed bedroom door. Seconds ticked by as I laid under the bed, hiding from the unknown monster standing on the other side, waiting for me to make any mistakes.

I already did make a mistake.

By trusting all of them.

The doorknob jingled once, too slowly and quietly to make any audible crack in the thick atmosphere but when the knob didn't turn around to satisfactorily unlock the door, a rage fuelled uproar came from the other side as the person started ramming his body on the door, trying to break through it.

This isn't going to work. I can't hide under the bed, praying to god so that the person won't be able to miraculously find me from my hiding spot; which I must add, is the most cliché place to hide. The grunts from the person kept on ringing in my ears along with thunderous blows on the door while my mind tried to keep up with what was happening around me, trying to find a possible way out of this mess.

The windows shuddered as the cold wind slammed against the glass. My dilated eyes darted towards those windows with a hope for a possible escape. I got out from under the bed and towards the window to open it only to be greeted by my fear of heights. The snow layered backyard was barely visible in the faintly illuminated moonlight but through that darkness, I could still see the silhouette of the tree, as old as the house itself. The branches were perfectly bare with nothing but the seasonal orange flowers.

The old lady who was the previous owner did inform me about the strange qualities of the flowers and their capabilities to make anyone unconscious if they took a whiff of the flower for than a few minutes.

I took a large gulp and averted my eyes to the narrow ledge, lining the wall of the house. With the slippery snow glistening on the ledge, I was tempted to find another way but the ticking clock and the thumping door left me with no other choice but to get out of the window and creep my way on the ledge towards the tree a few feet away.

If somehow I make it through the dangerously narrow ledge and reach the tree then I could climb down and run away from the backyard, into the woods.

It was risky as hell but I had to take my chances instead of giving up my only hope of escape. I ditched my slippers as they were not of any help on the slippery ice and with that ledge ahead of me, I didn't think that my slippers were fit enough to make that walkthrough.

I placed one of my feet onto the ice which was as cold as needles piercing through the thin film of skin. The hot breath escaping from my lips, fogged into the air, making me realize how badly this could end. My bones were doomed to be broken if I fell from the second floor if the house. I mustered up all my courage and placed another foot on the ledge while keeping myself balanced with my hands.

The door kept on banging and so did my heart as I took stealthy steps along the ledge. The ridges along the wooden wall on the exterior of the house helped me in getting a grip but the biting snow was gnawing at my skin while I struggled to keep myself on my toes. The steps I took seemed too small to make any progress and it felt like an eternity after I reached halfway through.

At a certain point in time, I heard a loud bang which almost made me trip on my feet and lose my balance. The frustrated growl was too clear and loud for me to ignore. Somehow I recollected myself and took another daring step forward. The commotion in my room had strangely subsided as I continued my venture towards the tree.

I didn't know how to feel.

Was it Mr. Dimitri in my room or Ivan? Who was better? Who was the stalker? Who should I consider the better person? Who made it...through the fight?

Last time I saw Mr. Dimitri with the knife in his hand and his eyes solely focused on Ivan I thought Ivan might not make it through the night. Even though he molested me, I couldn't bring upon myself to think that someone lost their life because of me. Could it be Mr. Dimitri? But I did hear them fighting downstairs after I locked myself in. So maybe Ivan wasn't hurt that much. Maybe Ivan was in my room?

It's strange how I never asked Ivan about his family or where he belonged from. I don't know much about him except for the fact that he is always so humble and funny. Tonight was an exception though.

Finally, I reached my destination at the edge of the ledge and stretched my hands to grab the branch. The skeleton of the branch looked too weak to take up my weight but somehow it didn't snap when I got up on it.

As soon as I climbed on the tree, the sickly sweet smell of the intoxicating flowers engulfed me in its dreamy cloud. The thick silence in the air was condensed in the surroundings. This made me suspicious.

Where are they?

"I just need to get off this damn tree and ru..."

My voice was stuck into my throat as I noticed a dark silhouette standing under the tree with his head pointed upwards. The darkness had become his ally as I couldn't see anything except for his silhouette and tilted head. The shadow of the tree shivered a little as the cold wind ruffled its feathers. The skinny shadows cast onto his silhouette made a perfect match with his pearly white teeth as he smiled an evil grin.

As if the devil had reincarnated itself into a human form, I felt his strong glare directed towards my shaking being. He was not making any move to climb up the tree which seemed a little weird to me. Earlier, he was probably trying to break the door down to get to me but now when I am at his hand's reach, he is just waiting there, taking pleasure in some sick twisted game of his.

I decided that I would not climb down even if my life depended on it. With my stubborn will and wit, I decided to stay up as long as I could while the chilly atmosphere decided to work against me with its snowy disguise.

It was all decided.

But clearly, it was a bad decision.

The intoxicating scent of the flowers slowly lured me into a haze of unconsciousness as I felt my body drifting down the tree and falling in the eyes of green pools and tattooed arms.