Breaking promises

60. Creatures of the darkness

The stars were illuminating the park in a shadowy light and the trees looked as spiky hands of every child's nightmare. The quiet was something that I've needed for a long time, something to have my thoughts to myself.

Why does this keep happening to me? I thought that maybe finally, I'll be able to live my life and be happy, but Seb keeps making things difficult. I thought that we'd still be friends as we share so many fun moments from our childhoods, but it seems that it is time to finally let him go. Whatever relationship that I wanted to maintain with him, is going to evaporate and he'll become just a distant memory. Not necessarily bad, just nostalgic.

I sat down on the grass by the tree and hugged my knees to myself. I know that Blake's dangerous, I still don't know things about him, but he told me that he has many enemies. Am I really starting to fall in love with him?

But that's so wrong! I have known him for barely a month and don't know many things about him yet.

I dread the way he's going to react to Seb kissing me. If he's going to leave me then... I don't know, but it already pains my heart to think about it. Why can't everything be simple? Why do all the good things that happen to me eventually lead me to something bad?

I noticed that I was starting to cry again and cold shivers started to run down my body.

I can't return home. Seb is going to be there and I don't want to face him. The words he said were really hurtful and I'm starting to doubt the sincerity of his feelings towards me. Was it all for him just a game? Did he really go after me, because I was unapproachable?

Distant voices were becoming louder and louder and the darkness made me feel a little bit worried. It sounded like the voices belonged to several men. They were loudly laughing about something and I could only assume that they were drunk.

I suddenly realized the reality of the situation- I was alone in the middle of the park and drunk men were walking towards my direction.

I pressed myself further into the tree and listened to their upcoming footsteps, holding my breath and expecting them to pass me.

Why do I always do stupid things like this? Why couldn't I just hide behind the dumpster next to my house and cry there?

My nose started tickling and the feeling of total fear came over my body. I felt like I would sneeze at any moment, so I pressed my nostrils together to not blow my cover. The men still hadn't walked past me, but I felt that they were somewhere near.

As soon as I felt that I wouldn't sneeze, I reopened my nose and let the cold air hit my lungs through my nose and sighed.

But like the little traitor my body is, I felt myself quietly sneeze, my body twitching at the movement.

I listened to the voices of the men that were walking past my tree and from the way that they continued their conversation, I knew that they hadn't heard me. Thank god I won't die tonight!

"Hello, little birdie," a deep and raspy voice said, as I felt something cold being pressed against my neck.

A lump formed in my throat and I couldn't speak. I wanted to scream, but I felt that if I did, no one would hear me anyway, so what's the point of trying? So I sighed instead and brushed away the tears, that I had cried and wiped my hands against my trousers.

"Careful, girl, I suggest you stop making any movements, if you wish to see the daylight once again," the man warned me, pressing the knife harder against my neck.

I froze in my place, "Aren't you going to kill me anyways?" I asked him and heard him chuckle.

"Aren't you a little brave," the man laughed, "hey, guys, come here and have a look at this little lioness."

The rest of the men walked up to us and looked at me down like I was some kind of animal at the zoo.

"She's pretty," one of the men said, trying to touch me, as I avoided his touch, as much as the knife allowed me.

"Stand up," the man, holding the knife against my throat, ordered me and I complied with only an evil glance shot at their direction.

"What's your name?" He asked me.

"Katherine Woods," I lied without blinking. The man nodded his head and looked at the other guys.

"Katherine... what is a girl like you doing in this park so late at night?" The man asked me.

"I was hoping to meet you guys and get killed," I simply answered and heard him chuckle.

"I like how you aren't begging for us to let you go, Katherine. But the thing is, that I'm not planning to kill you, but don't think that I wouldn't if necessary. My plan was to earn money with your help. Do you know what human trafficking is?" He asked me and for the first time, I actually realized that if I have two options- being killed or being sold, I actually want to die.

The man was about to explain to me, just like the villains in every movie so, when I interrupted him, by raising my hand, gaining his attention.

"Quick question. May I choose which option I like the best?" I asked him.

"Huh?" He asked confused.

"Can you kill me instead of selling me? Because if you don't, I'll give you so much trouble that you'll want to kill me anyways, so I'm giving you a way out of misery that I'm planning to give you."

The man was lost for words and his pals were standing there with their eyes wide open, some looking at me with raised brows.

"Can we keep her?" One of the man asked me with a smirk on his lips. Although the men all looked like they were no more than twenty years old, this guy seemed the youngest."I'm really starting to like her."

"Can I use your phone?" I asked the man holding the knife, before he could answer his friend.

"Why?" He asked me and looked at me as if I had grown two heads.

"First of all, I forgot mine at home, when I left it at haste and second, I need to remind my friend what to do with my body."

The man holding a knife against my neck rolled his eyes and grabbed my arm, leading me out of the grass and on to the sandy pathway.

"You seem like you don't have a reason to live, why's that?" The man asked me and I just shrugged my shoulders.

"Don't we all go through a stage in our lives, when everything seems painful? I think that I am now in that stage, because suddenly everything is fucked up."

"You know what? I don't care, I'll sell you and with a body and a face like that, you'll give me some good cash."

I frowned at his words and heard the other men laughing behind us.

"And some men even might have a taste of you, even before we sell you," the man with the knife whispered in my ear and felt sick to my stomach.

Is this really how the rest of my life will be? Being sold and used by other men. Never seeing my family, friends and Blake again?