Page 6 of Encounter

As if they fused with my skin in those few short days, the second my arms were free, a sharp, throbbing pain spread throughout, making me groan. Spilling off the chair like some formless, boneless sea creature, I barely avoided my vomit on the floor and landed on my side, trying to get used to being able to move my joints again.

My body barely felt like it was mine anymore, even though I came out with nothing but a few bruises.

My stomach—aching and sore—quickly began calling for food with the urgency of a starved beast. Goosebumps ran over my body, mostly from the wet area around my crotch, but the cold, hard floor didn’t make me any warmer.

He watched me. Someone else seeing me like this... It made me even more sick. “Please don’t— Don’t hurt me,” I mumbled in between my trembling breaths.

Glancing at the man again carefully, it dawned on me how stern and scary he looked. Patches of blood coated his t-shirt and his tanned hands. His eyes were dark, almost black, and they demanded respect, like I was staring down a panther in a dark jungle.

A gun was holstered on his belt, next to the sheath for several throwing knives—the ones he used.

“Do I look like I’m goin’ to hurt you?”

Yes, actually!

“Come on, up!” He gestured at me, paying seemingly no attention to the state I was in. “Let’s get out before anyone else stumbles on this mess.”

Watching me try to stand up but failing, the man finally took pity on me, grabbing my shoulder and lifting me up.

“Don’t.” He snapped his fingers as soon as my gaze was drawn toward the dead body again. “Don’t need you throwin’ up again.”

As he led me through the hall, fingers firmly wrapped around my skinny arm like it was a branch he could snap, I still couldn’t believe it was happening to me.

It isn’t real. None of it is... It can’t be.

Before opening the door, the man paused. “There’sa lotof corpses out there. You better close your eyes or somethin’.” He smirked at me, waiting for me to follow his advice, and from his grimace, I couldn’t tell if he was worried for me or amused by me.

Led by this person whose name I didn’t even know, I had no choice but to trust him. I didn’t want to see any more death.God, he said corpses, right? Plural.How many people did he kill, and in what horrible ways? With a knife, probably? Like a proper killer.

“My dad s-sent you?” I peeped as we walked. The smell got worse the further we went, making me grateful at least one of my senses remained oblivious.

“Huh?”

“My dad sent you?” I repeated more loudly.Don’t throw up. Don’t throw up again!

“Sure did. Took a while to find you, but... I was supposed to bring you home alive, and now I am. Glad this worked out for us.” The man let out a chuckle. “Your daddy pays good money—I guess he really wanted to find you alive, huh? You’re lucky he hired me,” he added, sounding proud of his accomplishment.

Dad... He did? He didn’t leave me at those people’s mercy, at least.

I tried to remind myself that the guy was the only reason I was alive, but I still couldn’t process the fact that he murdered all those people, no matter who they were. He sounded so breezy about it, as if taking a life meant nothing.

One man, no shooting—he did it all by hand. Quietly. Or brutally enough to not give anyone any chance to fight back. Like an apex predator. He even looked like one. The hand that gripped me was strong and rough. His steps echoed like war drums.

Unsure if it was from the horrid smell, hunger, or everything else, I stumbled, letting out a painful whine as I raised my hand toward the wall next to me. My stomach twisted, turned, and cramped, and I became incapable of making another step. “I... I don’t feel—”

“Hey, hey, hey!” The man grabbed me by the shoulders, trying to keep me straight. Opening my eyes again without even realizing I closed them, I briefly saw his face before my entire body started dragging me down. “Don’t you fuckin' faint on me, alright? Man up, hey! Focus on my voice.”

Though it seemed counterproductive, his deep, sharp voice somehow snapped me out of whatever state I was sinking into. Taking in a deep breath, I clenched my jaw and tried to command my legs to move.

“We’re almost outside. Just get in my car, and you’ll be home soon enough. No one’ll hurt you anymore, alright? Besides me, if you don’t move it.”

He wouldn’t really hurt me, would he?Not if Dad paid him. But he killed all those people. There was no saying what he could do.

I pulled myself together and kept walking. The man’s hand held onto me even tighter now, and his fast, long steps forced me to hurry and stumble behind him. I had no idea where we were, but the long corridors and high ceilings made me think it was some kind of abandoned factory.

Until finally, we got out.

It was dark—probably god knows what time of the night. As soon as the cold, fresh air met my cheeks and passed through my lungs with a deep breath, I stopped and relished it for a moment. I never knew something so mundane could feel like the most marvelous thing in the world.

---