The Engagement | COMPLETED

NINETEEN.

Warning: It's a little graphic here.

ALEX.

It hurt. Everywhere. I probably had some fractured ribs, a huge bruise was undoubtedly forming near my abs. My head was pounding and spinning. I couldn't see straight, vision blur as fuck. My clothes were soaked and they smelled of iron.

Fluids were building up in my mouth but I had no choice but to swallow it back down. I didn't want to drown and die just yet.

The beatings went on for what seemed like an eternity. I only got 'breaks' when they got tired. They would throw their punches and kicks together and when they got tired, they would tag-team.

At this point, all I wanted to do was to lay flat on the floor. I could feel my body succumbing as I leaned back into the chair, drifting in and out of consciousness, but I wasn't going to crumble.

"He hasn't uttered- a single sound of pain- after all that?" Bodyguard Two uttered between pants.

Of course you fucks, I have my pride and dignity to uphold.

Bodyguard One snickered as he walked over, wiping the sweat away with the back of his right hand. He peeled the duct tape off my mouth, my lips burned from the action. That didn't stop me from what I have been wanting to do.

I spat in his face, feeling all kinds of satisfaction. "You fucking assholes. That the best you've got?"

He wiped off the spit from his face. "You son of a bitch! You're gonna wished you didn't do that!"

"Try me," I challenged. My brain wasn't thinking straight from all the loss of blood. It was screaming at the fool in me for opening my mouth. 

Grabbing a knife from his back pocket, he swung it back and aimed straight for my right shoulder, stabbing it like a hot knife on butter. A harsh half-stifled yelp escaped my lips. My body trembling from the pain.

He pulled the knife out only to push it back into my arm, dragging it downwards. Tears flowed out my eyes as I screamed out in agony. My head started to spin, the urge to puke kicking in, but I'm not going down without a fight.

I struggled in my chair, not caring if the rope was burning and cutting my skin open. Fuck, I just want to give him a taste of his actions.

"Not so tough now, are we?" he sneered.

Bodyguard Two took the knife back as he grabbed his partner by the arm.

"Alright, that's enough. If he's dead, we won't be getting a single cent out of him."

"Fuck the money, I just want him dead," he cursed out.

"If he's dead, we won't get our cash so back off before we lose the ticket to our fortune."

Guard One clicked his tongue and stomped away, clearly steaming that he was forced to stop his new favorite past time. Both of them walked to the back of the room, one leaning on the table, the other against the wall.

"When did the boss say we would get the loot anyway?" Guard One asked as he lit up his cigarette. "I'm getting impatient of watching this bastard."

"They've already sent out the ransom amount. Wanting 1 million dollars this time because the guy's fucking loaded." 

Guard One nodded in approval before taking a long draw from his stick. "Didn't the boss say the rich kid's mother was helping lure him out?"

Wait, the crazy woman was going to do what now? She's after Nathan? What's happening here?

"The bitch doesn't even know she's bait. Boss is intending to get rid of her once he's got what he wants." Another long draw. "Boss charmed her into working for him, ask her to get the cash he wanted. Bitch took too long. Mother duck decided to protect her duckling instead."

"And that's why you got me instead," I intercepted, voice loud enough for them to hear. Their heads turned my way, successfully getting their attention.

"Damn right you are. You're our golden ticket. That bastard would pay anything in exchange for you!"

He jabbed then cigarette butt into my left shoulder blade, burning a hole where there shouldn't be one. I hissed out as the ashes ate into my skin.

Now I know how Nathan felt when that crazy bitch burnt his skin.

"You're not- getting away- with this," I said between my gasps for air.

"Oh, we will," the ring leader announced his presence. "And we will be fucking loaded. As for you and that bitch," he kicked me in the face, sending me flying and crash landing on my right. "You both won't see the light of day outside of here."

The impact alone made me see stars floating around. I blinked hard, trying to refocus on my vision.

"In fact, she probably won't even be alive after the next 24 hours. What do we say about a death by overdose? Very fitting for an ex-drug addict don't you think?"

Ex-drug addict? She's clean? They've got the crazy bitch? She wasn't helping the ring leader? What exactly the fuck is going on?

My mind is no longer in a state where it can process information that is thrown my way. I could only focus on the pain as the adrenaline started to wear off, my body losing blood every second.

"Boss, its been long enough. When are they going to cash out this asshole?"

"They have a few more hours on the clock. Prepare a chopper, boys. His hand will be the next thing they get."

My hand? Fuck, I still need my hand to type my final year paper. Nathan, where in the world are you? My timing is running out here.

Talks about what to do with me were on-going but I could barely hear a thing. The pungent smell of iron filled my lungs, my clothes soaked. As I laid on the cold hard concrete, blood flowed out from my open wounds.

My breathing started to slow, a black tunnel was closing in on me. I felt my body giving way. Is this the end of the road for me?

BANG! CRASH! Screams and people shouting instantaneously filled the place. Footsteps echoing throughout. Sirens were also heard the distance.

I could hear the bodyguards cursing and swearing as they tried to make a break for it, but it was too late.

"GET DOWN! PUT YOUR FUCKING HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD! I SAID GET DOWN!"

The voice pierced my ears. I see, the police finally found me.

"ALEX!" a familiar voice hollered my name, panicked footsteps approaching me.

"Oh hey, Nathan. About time you came. Missed out on all the action," I joked as the tunnel in my eyes closed in on itself.

"Alex! Don't sleep! Stay with me!" He was trying to get me out of the chair that I was strapped on to for god knows how long by tugging on the chains. I could hear the faint clank of the chains hitting the floor. "STAY WITH ME!" 

A weak smile formed on my face. "I don't- remember the engagement- contract telling me- to be- be careful of a poten- potential kidnap- kidnapping-" my sentence came out in chunks as the tunnel closed in.

All I heard was Nathan screaming my name as I drifted off into the darkness.

——————
(1203 words)

A/N: I can only describe this part in one word. PAIN.

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