She is the Queen

Chapter 33

"Out," was the only term I managed to utter, as shock swept across my body like a tidal wave. I needed time to process the monumental revelation, to make sense of the whirlwind of emotions brewing within me. Caught in the surge of conflicting feelings, my body defaulted to an unfamiliar defense mechanism. Paradoxical as it may seem, a sudden urge to embrace him washed over me. An ongoing quest to find him had consumed me; the man that held the key to my heavily-guarded secret - my abductor.

A startled expression flashed across his face as he began to question my abrupt dismissal, "Wha-". Before he could construe my reaction, I interjected with an adamant, "Now!" While a feeble plea of "please" lingered just beneath the firm command. Puzzlement etched over his face, he glanced over me, perhaps struggling to untangle the tangled mess of confusion my reaction had birthed. Offering no further dispute, he released the room back into the embrace of silence, unceremoniously allowing the door to crash into the wall as he exited.

Throughout the past years, my search had been imbued with an underlying desire to confront him, and yet, a part of me wished he was a mere figment of my imagination. His existence bore the potential to exploit my vulnerabilities, to wield my secret as a weapon against me. For years, I had closed my eyes to this underlying fear, and now, he stood revealed. The man who had abducted me, betrayed my trust, inflicted physical torment, and even besieged my personal boundaries, he was privy to my most profound secret.

My mind was a battleground of questions, a rising storm of apprehensions. What approach should I adopt? How do I prepare myself to face him again, and in doing so, gird myself against potential threats? Was I ready to face the world knowing that my secret was no longer safeguarded under a veil of obscurity?

Ironically, the one character I had distanced in my past had now invaded my present with an intensity that left me gasping. As I cowered in the corner of the room, I hid my face into my knees. I felt weak. No, I was not weak, I argued with my inner critic. I was strong. Hadn't I proven my strength countless times? I had killed, taken innocent lives. Yet, how could I reconcile with such horrific act? Who had I become?

First, I had no mum. Then I was raped. I got kidnapped many times as if I am a lifeless doll to be thrown around. A perfect and planned life was waiting me ahead of me, in Harvard with my amazing friends. But then Andrea came into picture. He made me feel things I never felt before. He was warm, kind and caring, he showed me how to love and how to feel things. But also because of him, and also because of my granddad, I was pulled into this mess. No, it was my own decision and my own fault. I cannot blame anyone and will not. I forced myself into this world only because of the thirst of power that was inside of me. I am a monster. I killed people, innocent people died because of me. Just for what? So I can make a lawful system in the illegal world. Who am I even kidding.... I lost my innocence. More reasons to feel numb. Then I am here, don't know where the fuck I am but I know one thing for sure. I hate being with him. I don't wanna see him ever again.

Confusion spiraled within me like a whirlpool, tearing at my senses and replacing them with a vacuous nothingness. I had no sensation of what my body was experiencing, if it was experiencing anything at all. Just a sudden, primal urge to flee, to escape this suffocating place. It was possibly the first time in my life that I was being guided by a wave of impulse, rather than a meticulously hatched plan. Every nerve on my skin seemed to be screaming at me, teetering on the edge of an unfamiliar precipice, clamoring for me to take the plunge.

A surge of vitality pulsed through my veins, fueling me with a defiant strength that I didn't know I possessed. It was an adrenaline rush that didn't cloud my mind but rather took root within my heart, amplifying every beat into a drum roll of anticipation. The sensation was a ferocious symphony of arousal, each note resonating on the battlefield of my skin.

This was not mindless terror. This was a raw, visceral force that drew strength from the very core of my existence. It wrapped itself around me, a comforting cloak amidst the stormy seas of uncertainty.

In that moment, impelled by a power I had never known before, I did something I never imagined I was capable of doing.

-

𝚄𝚗𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝙿𝙾𝚅

Laila erupted from her confinement, a figure transformed from a timid bird into a fearless dragon. Her once sparkling eyes were empty, the glint replaced with a vacant darkness. Her posture was rigid, her steps methodic, and her aura radiated a newfound charisma that resonated dominance—she was an emerging soldier, ready to wage war on her nightmares.

Three hulking sentinels blocked her path in the dusky corridor but their intimidation tactics held no effect. As one extended his arm, she effortlessly snapped his wrist, her kick to his stomach sent him to the bare ground. The remaining two guardians were quickly disarmed by her swift and powerful kicks. With one of their weapons in her hand, she wasted no time, sending two bullet-strikes to their legs.

Descending to the main hall, Laila was greeted with the stares of ten hostile eyes. Her fearlessness resonated through the room. She swiftly assassinated the nearest opponent, morphing his lifeless form into a shield, while her bullets traveled through flesh and bone, leaving two men injured in their wake. Using a nearby column for cover, she threw a vase at an advancing attacker, while her agile reflexes avoided a bullet aimed to end her blaze.

In an instant, she was standing over a fallen soldier, his attempts to eliminate her ended with her astride his neck. His gun, now in her possession, ensured the downfall of two more opponents as her bullets sliced through the air, their deadly aim as sharp as a knife.

From behind her human shield, she rolled over, pushing his limp form at a shooter while smashing a wooden chair onto another's skull. Two recovering attackers charged at her, one brandishing a knife. She evaded, counter-attacked, and used an adversary's own weapon against him, her hands steady as a surgeon's. Within seconds, the surrender of the remaining men was swift, their retreat resounding in their cowardice.

Armed with their dropped weapons, Laila navigated the building with stealth, making her way to a guarded room. Dispatching the guards with ruthless precision, she entered the room housing a row of screens. Spotting her prize, Alex, surrounded by men at the main gate, she located her escape through a back door in the kitchen.

Treading lightly, she stealthily moved, ears tuned to the absence of footsteps and slid towards the old-fashioned kitchen door. Spotting the unsuspecting maids through the window-pane, Laila exploded into the kitchen. Her voice echoed through the room, her raised gun stirring waves of fear and alarm.

"идти!"
(Go!)

With a second all the maids emptied the room, thus aware she couldn't leave without a diversion, Laila seized a bread knife from the counter. A flash of inspiration sparked within her; she drenched the kitchen with vodka from a sizeable bottle at the bar and ignited a small fire that quickly engulfed the room.

Within moments, the kitchen was ablaze. Breathing deeply, she slipped outside, silently eliminating five unsuspecting guards. She swiftly incapacitated one, swiping his apparel, gun, and shoes. Her next target was the poised helicopter.

From one tree to another, she weaved her way stealthily to the aircraft, taking down an unsuspecting pilot and two guards. She swiftly occupied the pilot's seat, recalling the skills taught to her in a distant summer school. As the men advanced, she ignited the machinery, lifting off and leaving the inferno behind.

The flying fortress she escaped in had been her uncanny prison. She wasn't sure how she did it, but it was the dragon inside her that guided her. Laila found an inconspicuous landing ground in a nearby forest and immediately went off the grid, tearing the tracker from the helicopter, and salvaging an intact phone.

Her escape was complete. But was it her freedom?

Her past was inching closer, an impending storm on her horizon. Would she face the storm head-on, or once again, escape from the clutches of her demons? Only time would tell.