Apollo's 11

by Anna Collins

  Now I was 110% sure that the woman was a psychopath. Black magic, spell? As far as I knew these things were nothing but myths. Maybe there were CCTV cameras fitted all over this creepy place of her and it caught my footage when I had sneakily entered here that day. But I had checked for cameras and found nothing. Silly! There must have been hidden cameras. I made a mistake, I should have never sneaked into this unknown house and that painting, why was it bleeding? Must have been some technology stuff.

  "What are you thinking? Your powers are weak. You will not be able to do anything with it. So better hand them over to me or prepare to die" that woman warned again and this time, she spoke in my ear.

  "Okay, I will give you my powers but first, untie me," I demanded.

  That almost sounded confident, I had no way but to lie, what could I give her when I had nothing.

  She went silent.

  Speak up woman, just free me for once and I will run like a storm; I plotted this plan in my mind.

  Once I escaped, I would run to the nearby police station and this woman along with her lover would rot in jail for the charges of kidnapping and attempted murder.

  "Fine! I will untie you. But don't even think that you will be able to run away from here." She warned.

  "You are talking about running away? I am not even capable of lifting my head" I said in a weak tone.

  "Hmm. Stay still" she ordered and then murmured something in a language that I could not understand.

  Within few seconds, I felt free. There were no binds on any part of my body but the unbearable pain in my head was still there. I held my head and touched something liquid out there. I brought my fingers down to see what was it and my eyes were raised to my forehead when I found out that it was blood. That wretched woman! She made me bleed. Now it was war, I decided not to spare her like this.

  "Stop getting angry, hand me what I want and I will set you free" she hissed in a snake like voice.

  Bloody witch!

  I looked around and finally got her glimpse. But why the hell was she wearing a veil? She was wearing a black mask around her face. It covered every part of her face except for her eyes. And her eyes were deep black in color, they were piercing and very intimidating.

  I swallowed hard, feeling my throat getting dry. Don't be scared Freya, get up and get the hell out of here. A voice inside my head instructed me. And I began getting up, it was really difficult to lift up my weak body without any kind of support but I managed it somehow.

  "Don't try to cast a spell on me. I am protected" she warned.

  Jeez! Was there any other thing this woman could say except of spell, black magic, and death?

  Trying my best to ignore the rib shaking fear inside my heart I tried to look for a way out. Yes, the exit door was just behind the candles, near the painting wall.

  "Ow, my head is still hurting a lot and the view of these flashy flames are just making it worse. Can I stand there in the darkness, so that I can umm…focus better?" I asked with hesitation and before she could even answer I moved away to the dark region, near the exit door.

  "Thank you" I uttered.

  She was silent and was still looking at me eagerly, I could see the excitement in her dark eyes.

  Then I closed my eyes and moved my lips, pretended like I was chanting something.

  "Close your eyes, you need to focus too," I said and opened one eye to look if she took the bait and was surprised to see that she actually fell for it. She had closed her eyes. Yes! Yes! Yes! I jumped a little in my heart then slowly, taking baby steps I went for the door and ran out of it.

  Once I stepped into the lawn area, I breathed the sweet aroma of freedom. I ran and ran as fast as my injured body would allow.

  "Hey stop! Or I will burn you into ashes, you tried to fool me?" cried out that woman from my behind.

  I stopped and turned around "yes, yes go ahead and burn me with your spell" I laughed. Stupid woman, she actually believed that there were such things as spells.

  I didn't turn back, but I assumed that she was still following me. I needed my phone yet couldn't find it anywhere.

  I stepped out of that creepy hollow, where that wretched woman had captured me. But where was I? In a hurry to get away from that woman and in the fear of getting caught.

  "Is there any end to this road? It seems like I am running forever." I panted but the fear inside me told me to keep running and I chose to listen to it. Until I collided with someone.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Freya

  Ow! My chest hit with his back and it felt like I got hit with a cement wall instead of a human body. Man! What did he got in there?

  Yes, I was certain that it was a man because no woman could ever have that bag of stones in the name of a 'back'.

  Was it really that hard? Or did my weakness and pain made me feel like that? Anyways what the hell was I thinking? I was still being followed by that crazy woman and maybe this guy could help me.

  While I was lost in my thoughts he actually turned around and my head spun even more after seeing his face. God! I was so dead.

  Robert

  It took me more than a glance to make sure that Freya Lawrence was standing in front of me. She was whispering to herself and had a troubled expression on her face. Yep, I needed nothing else to confirm that she was Freya. Only she had the ability to act crazily in almost all the time.

  I rubbed my chin and checked her out from top to bottom, making her feel uncomfortable and self-conscious.

  "Why are you looking at me like that?" she swallowed.

  "Just wanted to make sure if there was an end title to your drama scene. But no, there is nothing" I smirked and turned to leave.

  She held my arm "what do you mean?" her eyes were all pointy now.

  I jerked away "don't you get tired? You created a scene of getting in trouble and look what again I fell into your trap and here you are standing fit and fine. Taking a walk in the park" I shrugged shaking my head.

  "What are you saying? Can't you see this injury on me? For God's sake, I was actually trapped by a woman. I just escaped from her clutches" She panted.

  "Oh, I see. Then the blood must have dried out by now" I said in a soft tone while leaning down and then tapped on her forehead yelling "because I can see no blood. Your story is fake just like you!"

  Now she was crying as she stepped ahead and grabbed the neck of my T-shirt "I am not lying, please trust me" and while saying this she buried her head in my chest.

  My eyes closed automatically as the warmth of her skin tingled again my skin. It felt like my heart was beating again, and it was just happening because she was near me. Her touch did wonders to me. But she was a faker! I couldn't let her play with my emotions again.

  I held her shoulders and pushed her away from me. She looked at me with the pain of rejection in her eyes and I did not look back, I bored into her eyes giving her the meanest and toughest look.

  "You have to believe me, Robert, that woman will kill me" she sniffed.

  "I had enough of your lies already, it may be hard for you to believe Freya, but I am no longer playing the role of a fool" I snapped.

  "Trust me, please. I have no idea how the wound got cleared up and I was running like a blind girl so I might have found a shortcut that led me to this park." she breathed.

  And continued "but I can show you the place where she had kept me"

  She was looking at me intently, checking for my reactions. She looked very troubled and tired so there might have been a chance that she was telling the truth, or so my heart told me; as it was too keen to believe her.

  "Fine! Then take me to there. Get in my car" I urged.

  She wiped her tears and nodded.

  "Wooo, this seems like a really big bungalow Freya and I really like this tall, tree-like candles," I said in a childlike voice, looking at Freya, she was sitting in the passenger seat of my car and was just staring at the place with wide eyes.

  "No...umm this is the same p
lace, but there was a bungalow here and that woman..." she was stammering and before she could continue with her useless blabbering I stopped her by throwing my angry voice which made her shook a bit "are you freaking kidding me? This place is just a plain land with lots of trees and grass. There is no sign of any construction on this land".

  "Robert, that woman was a witch she..."

  "Oh shut up! Now you are adding supernatural elements to your story too" I yelled then ran my hands through my hair.

  She was still staring at the plain land. I turned to her and shook her by the shoulder, and she looked at me.

  "Why are you doing this Freya? Haven't you had enough? Now, what else do you want?" I asked, my voice was soft now for a change.

  Freya sighed deeply and shook her head "I knew you will never believe me. But there is a voice of yours that just keeps echoing inside my mind. Remember Robert once you told me that you will believe anything, that I will say?Ahh forget about believing, you are not even ready to listen to me, not even for once" she looked away and before I could absorb or speak she continued again "you know what, you don't need to believe me. I believe in myself and that's enough for me. I just wanted to show you the face of that woman, because she is the partner in crime of your uncle. I am sure that they are planning to do something which will be very harmful to you and your business as well. Because Joe Hudson is the same person who had stolen those valuables from your company, he is also a murder and the kidnapper of Ben Wyatt"she said and went out of my car. Leaving me shocked and frozen.

  Freya

  "You should go to the cops" Rick and Danny exclaimed in unison.

  "And what should I tell them, officer a witch had kidnapped me and now she has flown away with her magic castle. He will admit me in a mental asylum right away" and again I checked out my face on the laptop screen to find out if there were any scar of the wound but there was nothing.

  "Freya, you shouldn't have walked out of Robert's car like that. I'm sure he had it in you to drop you home. You have no idea but he was very worried for you and was looking for you everywhere" said Danny.

  "Huh! I saw him and I couldn't find anything but rudeness on his face. And why are you holding on to it? I am safe and now I am sitting on my bed with my two best friends. Who believe me and can fight with the world for me" I smiled, leaning over Danny's shoulder. Danny stroked my back.

  "It was good that Danny had followed you and Robert otherwise there was no way you would have returned home in one piece from that lonesome place," said Rick.

  "Guys, thanks for believing me and being there with me," I said meaningfully.

  "Don't worry about that we completely trust that and I have heard a story about that place. That is the reason that place is so deserted. Surely there is something" Rick said.

  "What story? And who told you?" Danny asked curiously as he scooted near Rick on my bed.

  "Real story, Freya, you know Rafael Rodriguez? The guy who worked with us for 6 months then went back to his home for family problems?" Rick asked

  "Yes, that reporter from Portugal, he is a charmer" I winked.

  "Yes, he is very good-looking but he told me a story about his cousin. His cousin's name was Michel Rodriguez. They both were foreign exchange students at that time and lived in a shared apartment with some other guys. Michel was in his early twenties a very handsome guy, and worked at McDonalds; one night while returning from his shift he was too tired to take the long route to his home so he chose to go buy the shortcut instead. The road was not unfamiliar to him, he had passed that way another day but it was during daytime. And the road went past the gas station and was completely deserted" Rick paused.

  "It seems like the same place where Freya was held hostage" Danny pointed.

  "Yes, I am talking about that place only idiot" Rick got disturbed.

  "Okay, sorry, go ahead" Danny urged.

  I also got interested but had no idea if this story was true or not. Anyways I needed them to stay the night here, Kate was out with her boyfriend and I was feeling too scared to stay alone. So I was in for whatever crappy story Rick was making us listen.

  "Freya, are you listening?" Rick clapped his fingers in front of eyes and I nodded.

  "Good. Then that night he saw a girl on the road, her face was covered in a veil but there was something about her that allured Michel to go to her and as they chatted he instantly felt a connection with her. She didn't reveal anything else about herself except for her name. And when Michel asked where she lived she showed him an old bungalow. Michel didn't hesitate to ask her out on a date at a fancy restaurant. But she rejected his offer"

  "But why? Michel seemed like a nice guy" I asked.

  "I know, but she had other plans. She asked him to dine with her in her bungalow on the coming Friday night and also informed that she lived alone" said Rick

  "Dude, that seemed like an open invitation for doing anything he liked, you know what I mean" Danny winked.

  "Yes, like you he also got very excited and said yes" Rick shook his head.

  I sat up "how can he just say yes he hadn't even seen the face of that woman he was about to go out with?"

  "Hmm, I know. But he was too much allured by her and she told him that she would show her face on the night of their first date. And she also asked Michel not to say anything to anyone about their meeting or the date. Michel promised her that he wouldn't" Rick smiled.

  "Aww that almost sounds cute and not to mention very secretive" I added

  "Michel came back home and was very excited about his date, he couldn't keep it within himself and told Rafael about the whole scenario. Rafael was repulsed and he strictly forbade his brother not to go there. And as expected Michel didn't listen, to ensure the safety of his brother, Rafael chose to follow Michel.

  At the night of the date, Michel got all groomed up and set out for his date. Rafael followed him from a distance and they reached their destination. At first, Michel and that girl were chatting happily then he requested her to lift up the veil. This time, she agreed and when she lifted up the veil both Michel and Rafael were scared to see the ugly burn scars on her face. Michel took his steps backward and was all set to leave but she caught him and held him in her arms, her hold was so tight and forceful that Michel got strangulated and died on the spot. And by seeing all this Rafael got fainted near the tree, behind which he was hiding. In the morning some people found Rafael and took him home. The people who helped him told that there was no bungalow situated in that area." Rick stopped.

  "Guys, if this story is true then it could be possible that the same veiled woman had kidnapped me. She practices black art and now I believe that she surely has some evil powers" I felt a knot in my heart as I said this.

  "Freya. Just forget about everything. Surely that woman exists, and she seems dangerous too and we can not ignore the fact that she is dangerous. But we can't do anything about her, she is a witch and we are humans" Rick said.

  "Yes, and all this drama started from the time you found this ring. Take it out and give it to me, I will destroy it. We want no connections with that woman and you only said that she told you that it was her ring." Danny exclaimed.

  "But…guys this ring, it can be helpful" I hesitated, fingering that beautiful ring.

  "Oh just give it to me" Danny rebuked.

  Rick gestured me to listen to Danny.

  With a heavy heart I took off the ring, surprisingly it came out very easily, but why wasn't it coming out when that woman was pulling it with her full effort? I wondered.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Freya

  Next morning, I woke up with a fresh mood and a super positive attitude. I decided to leave my past behind and to focus on my future. I had my job back and Kent said that if I keep doing the good work he would be happy to promote me in the upcoming Annual meeting.

  While applying mascara, my eyes traveled to the red mark on my index finger, where the ring used to live. And I was forced to remember the dark shadows
that were moving behind my back and were not ready to leave me alone. My bright face turned into a gloomy one in no time.

  My phone buzzed it was an email from Tina, the personal assistant of Ben Wyatt and the email was a reminder that I needed to show up at Ben Wyatt's office in less than an hour. They were keen to discuss the share transfer proposal.

  Damn! That day also I was going to Mr. Wyatt's office. I wanted to politely decline the offer. I knew he was very impressed with my smartness and bravery but there was no way I could accept that generous gift. I had zero knowledge about business stuff. On top of that if I accepted the shares it would enter into a one on one battle with Robert Hudson. Jeez! That guy could kill to get those shares. And for the moment I wanted to stay away from all the trouble in the world.

  "It's decided Freya, you will go there and will decline the offer politely," I said to myself.

  I was wearing a peach knee-length dress, it had a black border all over it. My hair was raised into a ponytail and I was carrying a black GUCCI handbag. I looked fresh as a daisy, there were not even a single sign of last night's traumatic event on my face. I looked like a smart and confident person. Great, in this way no one would be able to find out how scared I was.

  It was a modern corporate building. It had 10 floors and the exteriors looked kinda lifeless. Most of the plants were dead and though there was no visible dirt but the place appeared to be dirty.

  The automatic glass door flew open at the slightest touch of my foot. Except for the automatic door, there was nothing fancy about the interiors. Hudson's office was far better than this one. I thought.

  I went to the 7th floor, as instructed and the receptionist asked me to go right inside.

  The wooden door was slightly ajar and I could see that Mr. Wyatt was having a heated argument with someone who was wearing a blue business suit. First I thought that it would be better to wait outside. But as I saw that the blue-suited guy was Robert Hudson I decided to stay up and listen to the conversation.