ERODA

~Chapter 3~

ANNABEL FLEMING

"Let me make this perfectly clear," Harry states with his hand on the doorknob of the odd cabin we are still inside. "There will be no speaking once we step foot outside. You will remain silent. That means no questions, no smart comments, and no arguing with me. Got it?" He sounds like a dad. I don't answer him I just roll my eyes. Once again I am being pushed against the wall, but this time instead of his hand around my throat, both of his arms are on either side of my head. "This is not a joke! One word out of your pretty little mouth and you go back in the room!"

"Yes master," I say in a sarcastic tone. I am not sure why I chose this moment to unleash my sarcasm, but there was no taking it back now. My breath hitches in my throat as he forcefully slams one of his hands against the wall beside my head.

"For fucks sake Annabel!" He yells, his tone is more agonized than angry. That is the first time he hasn't called me by that stupid nickname. I didn't know he was actually listening when I told him my name. "This is serious! You don't speak unless I tell you to. One word and you could get us both killed." I don't know why he sounds worried. I didn't think there were any living creatures on this hell he calls an island. Does this mean there are other people here? Maybe I did have a chance to escape after all. "Do you understand what I am fucking saying?" I don't understand, but his tone is scaring me and I do not want to spend more time in that room. I slowly nod and he finally removes his hands from the sides of my head. He walks back to the door and twists the knob before one last warning. "Not a peep," He growls and then opens the door.

I expected to walk outside and have trouble adjusting to the light since it was so dim in his cabin, but once I walk outside it is just as cloudy and gloomy as it was three days ago. I don't understand why it still looks like it is about to rain. It was perfectly sunny back on the beach, and I remember checking the weather on my phone a few days ago. It was supposed to be sunny all week long. But then again, I still have no clue where the hell I am.

I follow Harry, who is walking slower than I have ever seen him walk. Every other time I have watched him walk, he took long strides as if he owned everyone and everything, but now he is walking...normal. It is as if he flipped some kind of switch once that door opened.

We walk around to the front of the crappy-looking cabin and he heads towards the grassy path that he carried me down a few days ago. Instead of walking in the direction, we came from, he walks the opposite way. I walk close behind him to the side a little so I can still see his side profile. His jaw is clenched and he is staring at the path ahead of us. I stay silent in fear of what he meant when he said I could get us both killed by speaking. I still don't see any sign of life around us, but I still feel threatened. I feel like it will be better for me to just keep my mouth shut.

I look to my right to the water below us, just as dull as I remember. I realize how high up we are by looking down. We did walk up a hill three days ago, but I don't remember it being this high up. I walk more to the left, with the thought of how Harry could kill me right now with a simple shove. I would fall straight down onto the huge rocks below us. I have not figured out if he wants me dead or if I am going to be some sort of slave of his. He has only said about a total of five sentences to me, so it is hard to decipher what I am here for.

After a few more minutes of walking closely behind Harry, I start to see buildings pop up into my view. The path we were walking on turns to a dirt path instead of grass. The buildings are in a distance so I can not see them yet. We come to a corner of the street and there is a sign on the edge. It has two pieces of wood nailed to the post at a right angle. There are names on each of them and when we get closer, I can finally read what it says. One of the names says "Cherry Street" and the one on the other side of the side, adjacent to the first one reads "Golden Way." The streets diverge and I am guessing that one street is called "Cherry Street" and the other "Golden Way." Harry keeps walking straight, which means we are now on "Cherry Street." There are so many buildings on the right and left of me and it is too much to take in at once. I stop in my tracks when I see hundreds of people scattered out in the streets. There are other people here. It looks like a whole town. There are stores to my sides and what I am guessing is restaurants. There are so many buildings and I can not tell what all of them are exactly. They all look way nicer than what I am guessing is Harry's cabin or house, whatever that place is.