by Anna Collins
Tears of pain from my eyes had dampened the cloth that was tied around my eyes. And I could see something, my vision was unclear but I could see the light of some flames, the flames were coming out of...what seemed like black candles. There were thousands of black candles lined up there and that's when I remembered that I had been to this place before. It was the same bungalow where I had seen that weird painting, it was the bungalow of Joe Hudson's creepy girlfriend. That meant that he had kidnapped me. Jeez! Why didn't I think about this earlier?
His men kidnapped me when I was going to Ben Wyatt's office. They hit my head from behind, I passed out and they carried me here. What a great plan!
I sighed deeply and began weeping, feeling trapped and extremely helpless.
"Stop crying and yelling. No one is going to help you" a sharp female voice taunted me.
"Please let me go. I am harmless" I pleaded.
I had not even finished my sentence when I heard a loud laugh that made me shook.
"Harm? No one in this world has the ability to harm me. You can't even imagine what I do to people who try to get in my way. You are here because I am interested in knowing about you. Tell me about your powers" she demanded.
Her heavy words made me chuckle "powers? What powers? I have nothing"
"Don't dare to lie? I have practiced black magic for ages, don't try to fool me" she snapped.
"Trust me please, I even don't know what black magic means. I'm a simple girl. Yes, I admit that I entered into your place but trust me I meant to do nothing. I have nothing against you, let me go please" I pleaded, pouring out the emotions of my heart.
I felt her touching my hand, the touch of her cold hand made me squeak.
"Then why did you stole my ring?" she charged me and tried to pull out the ring but it refused to come off.
"Ouch. You are pulling it too roughly; open my hands I will take it out for you. And I had no idea it was yours. Someone slipped it inside my jacket. I had no idea it was a magical ring until it showed me…." I stopped.
Damn you Freya, what was the need of blabbering so much? Now this witch will kill you for sure. I was crying again.
"It's not a magical ring. It just has an emotional connection. However, I left it long ago" she sighed and I could feel a hint of hidden pain in her tone.
I wanted to shout what I doubted, I wanted to let her know that maybe Joe Hudson had slipped that ring but clearly that would not have made any sense. So I decided to plead again "mam, please let me go, for God's sake," I said in my weak voice and now my head was spinning.
"God?! You believe in Him?" her voice sounded like she was in a deep shock.
"I sure do. Everyone does" I replied confidently.
"That means there is no way you could practice black magic, then how did you achieve those powers to outdo my spell?" she demanded.
"Mam, trust me I don't know a thing about the black magic thingy that you are talking about and I have never outdone a spell in my whole life. Maybe you got the wrong girl. I am a very simple person. You have to believe me. Why are you wasting your time and energy on a useless person like me? I think you are smart enough to get it that I wouldn't have been lying and pleading here if I had those damn magical powers and these ties and folds wouldn't have stopped me. Ouch, my head is paining so hard." I blurted out with all my strength.
"Don't act smart with me, I know you are the same girl that made my master bleed. You should be grateful that I haven't killed you till now. Joseph is searching for you like a mad bull and if he gets you he will kill you for ruining his business. Now be a smart girl and hand over all your magical powers to me and I promise, I will let you go. I don't like to kill people" her voice was stern yet promising, and I could smell a strange kind of perfume, which told me that she was standing or sitting right next to me.
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 wretche
d 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 35
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 place, 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"
