The Liability

Chapter 2

Louisa's POV:
All I could see was darkness.
All I could feel was fear.
All I could sense was a danger.
All I could question was—
Why am I the target of misfortune. . .
- - - -

I suddenly felt a hand on my back guiding me throughout my salvaged house that held all my memories. good, and bad. It takes everything in me not to cry. It wasn't hard to guess it's been salvaged, I nearly tripped over broken pieces of whatever the criminals had broken.

Sadness washes over me as the idea of never coming back sinks in. I'm scared, nervous, anxious, uncertain. What aren't I?
Safe

A hand finds its way on my head and applies more pressure, pushing my head down to duck me into a car.

When a sense is stripped from use, the remaining senses heighten to help navigate and compensate for the sense lost; to the best of the ability that is.

The car was nice. I could conclude this because I could feel the leather seating, and its luxury atmosphere was undeniable
- — -

The moment I sat a new scent invaded my nostrils.
A musky, masculine, woodsy variant of fragrance. Presumably a high-end cologne of some sort.

It was the only aromatically dominate scent in this car.

However . . .

I can't help but acknowledge its tantalizing effect.

——————
*Approximately 45 minutes pass*

My nerves began acting up the more I sit here in complete silence, and still anticipation.

The more I wait, the more I think. The more I think, the more I internalize all the worst possible fates in store for me. The more I internalize, the more I panic.
.........
Time is immeasurable, unmoving.
It feels like I am awaiting persecution.
Like a convicted civilian. Simply waiting for sentencing that could make or break life as they knew it...

or as I knew it.

The key difference between this hypothetical scenario and mine is what makes this analogy even more harrowing...

I haven't committed a crime

One thing I try hard to keep at this point is the one thing I knew I had left intact. My determination.

—————

I move only when I hear a door slam shut and the cars weight shift.

For a brief moment, I hear the sound of outdoors accompanied by the light noises of nature passing through my ears melodically. I make sure to hold onto this as long as I can because it's only logical to assume I will never be outside again.

The scents are much heavier now.
-
The fact I still can't see only further strengthens my intuitiveness

I become alert at the sound of the ignition starting
Yet silence remains

The tension is palpable and intense.

Based on what I can gather at this moment thus far is there are two men in the front. The one driving I presume is the one who barged into my room, the passenger being the accomplice in my abduction (the man who led me into the car).

But this is a theory no more when I hear a females voice erupt the deafening silence next to me; sending my reactions askew.

"Boss why are we taking this bitch with us instead of the safe. it's about the worst decision you could've possibly made" she says so with such malice and venom spilling out of her hateful mouth that I in any other situation would've put her in place.

She had an air of disgust and condescension that was true to that of a vermin.

The driver speaks up at once in volumes that could account for the entire lapse of silence totaled in this car.

might I add it frightened me to the point of nearly falling out of my seat?

"watch IT Freya" he grits out.

The three words alone sent chills. The way he said it was so forceful; as though he were trying not to do his worst to her.

In his defense, she was fairly rude.

What the hell am I even doing, contemplating the sides of two criminal vigilantes arguing?!

I truly have gone mad.

Against better judgment the female pipes in retaliation "someone needed to say it"

The tires screech and halt abruptly sending me flying forward and faceplanting the seat headrest in front of me.

I can feel the girl next to me cower before she stammers a fearful recant
"Lo-look H-Hugo, you know I only want what's best for us. What's best for the gang"

Hugo, that must be the name of the driver.

" For fuck's sake Freya!!! There is no us" he hisses
"You are way out of line, and you can't seem to get it through your thick skull that— *slight pause*

—no, you know what, we will talk about this later because we have other things to deal with."

She lets out a shaky sigh of relief.
I still don't feel bad for her. To be honest, I'm finding this confrontation rather amusing, I can't help the smirk that takes on my lips.

——

One would say she must've thought it was a shared concern that taking me was ill planned.

But I could tell that's not why she spoke up. the tone of voice suggested otherwise.

"remember Freya, shut. It. And don't make me say it again" he reiterates as if she were slow and incapable of comprehension.

Well, he means business.