A gentle, warm touch scorching my skin through the layers of fabric. Softness skimming across my throat, grazing the side of my neck. It was a pacifying, warm touch, one I hadn't felt since my mother's death. I sucked in a quivering breath as the warmth connected with the side of my face.332Please respect copyright.PENANAXulGiLzs80
332Please respect copyright.PENANAeRwEPFL0Gg
332Please respect copyright.PENANAAnZIUoCMJT
No one has touched me like this in years. Before I knew it, my fingers were instinctually reaching towards that comforting heat, craving its touch. Trapping the spectre of warmth between my palms.332Please respect copyright.PENANAAp2eMqmxjo
332Please respect copyright.PENANAaqUEiMSy4m
332Please respect copyright.PENANA0N8Zi6Sn1z
Sighing in satisfaction at the protective radiance that now curved over me, I opened my heavy eyes, registering a harsh reign of darkness around me. Through my hazy sight, I could briefly make out the shadow that loomed above me. My breath hitched. Tremors threatened to spill within my throat.332Please respect copyright.PENANAB9NIDdjkjH
332Please respect copyright.PENANAEqv2wnvXQL
332Please respect copyright.PENANAH2QNTayLop
Cold, empty eyes, grazing my features like frost. Dark, lean build that closed around me like iron, pulsating warmth. The moment I registered it, every movement in my limbs froze, every vertebra in my spine turning to ice.332Please respect copyright.PENANA6v9xUWqxdQ
332Please respect copyright.PENANA30VmRGqSZE
332Please respect copyright.PENANAZoa28xN4eq
The face was not of familiar features; yet his eyes, his brows, his mouth, all seemed to connect like a glowing constellation. This was the boy who had witnessed me abused in my father's room, no doubt. A moment of uncomfortable silence passed between us as I stared at him in disbelief.332Please respect copyright.PENANA3okugiz2wc
332Please respect copyright.PENANAfHiWa2QbY5
332Please respect copyright.PENANAMVxQTPSwCQ
"Where...Where is this? Why am I here?" he was so close, so close to me, till the only thing shrouding him was the pressing darkness. "Where is my father?" As I asked this, a throbbing ache gushed within my head, reminding me of my haunting nightmare- one I will never forget.332Please respect copyright.PENANANJW9e1qVl8
332Please respect copyright.PENANAjcg8AKcBLe
332Please respect copyright.PENANAgZMsZ3EkGZ
"This is where I live," he replied abruptly, his cold, distant expression burning through me like a merciless fire. "And your father is fine. After I struck him with the club, he blacked out. He's probably at the hospital now." He lowered a steely glare at me. 332Please respect copyright.PENANAM1RaFxodBz
332Please respect copyright.PENANAJBw7849xbk
332Please respect copyright.PENANAxwZ601QSJN
"But you... you've been in a coma for three days already. You've been quite the burden; running a fever throughout the nights, sudden convulsions, and occasional screams." This statement made me flush with embarrassment, but he ran on like he hadn't seen my uneasiness. "I held your hand to calm you; but you hung on so tight and wouldn't let go."332Please respect copyright.PENANA9a9DwRHKiI
332Please respect copyright.PENANAJRFSz1G5Y8
332Please respect copyright.PENANAoEpWvriSR5
Red touched my cheeks, deepening my blush, as I gazed down at his hands. It was imprisoned in my firm grip. I hurriedly disentangled my hands from his.332Please respect copyright.PENANAhSFDlyT6us
332Please respect copyright.PENANAePCtRR0hNR
332Please respect copyright.PENANAdUumHT0ohM
"I'm so sorry..." Apprehension crowded my throat. His gaze softened at my apology, but examined me strangely as if expecting a different answer.332Please respect copyright.PENANAWfWnpErk7X
332Please respect copyright.PENANASYaXNHSUAg
332Please respect copyright.PENANAJMgXpyMZiK
"I...um..." My heart raced as my voice shattered in the broken pieces. "Thank you so much for what you've done for me. But I really need to go home now. My father will-"332Please respect copyright.PENANA9woF3iukzA
332Please respect copyright.PENANAaI4okZldnZ
332Please respect copyright.PENANArrew61r3t7
My voice broke off as an almost incomprehensible expression began to shroud his darkening face. I remembered his complex gaze that night outside my house; it was an expression so similar to the one that now flickered across his features. That look soon slipped away, and he sighed uneasily. "Do you want to go back now? I thought you were abused." 332Please respect copyright.PENANAgwtOQhacbO
332Please respect copyright.PENANARgiJhL1DdG
332Please respect copyright.PENANAWztYGDq7eF
I said nothing, and we both drifted into intolerable silence, the gloom around us hiding his features. He took a few steps away from me, then signalled, "I'm going to fetch some food for you. You must be hungry."332Please respect copyright.PENANA8UwP0d4uwz
332Please respect copyright.PENANAm8Ag2dHAyb
332Please respect copyright.PENANAgLAJ7JiVNb
With this, I surrendered to my slumped position once again, surveying the interior of this room with stinging curiosity. It was a dreary interior, and although it was not small, the structure of the building reminded me of a dark, sinister attic. Drenched in a brooding melancholy, and whispering of bitter entrapment. The lack of air in this dark, inhospitable place seemed to strangle my heartbeat, reminding me of my countless sufferings.332Please respect copyright.PENANAYgNOu9syAd
332Please respect copyright.PENANAa9il91kQxA
332Please respect copyright.PENANAYxa2qPnfiI
I arose with teetering feet, making my way cautiously across the strange, dark space. As I removed myself from the warmth and safety of my nestled position, a frosty gale suddenly began to envelop my frail limbs, accompanied by another strange flood of odour. The strength of the smell intensified as I stumbled closer to a part of the room; that odd yet familiar scent. It reminded me of that icy night, when I succumbed to mirthless beatings in my father's room.332Please respect copyright.PENANAmNoNckTcBo
332Please respect copyright.PENANAmO0dRfn9XB
332Please respect copyright.PENANATsU0PRwpaK
Agony thawed in my throat, tearing me apart. Drawing me back into reality.332Please respect copyright.PENANA9cpAm7FJfv
332Please respect copyright.PENANAK2hIHXYm7S
332Please respect copyright.PENANA2I7nwiN3C7
There was a door at the corner of the attic. As my eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, I caught sight of its rusted handle, and an urge to open the door conquered my inner worries. As I turned the handle, the door yawned unhappily, revealing the murky interiors of a tiny storage apartment. Uninterested, I was about to latch the door, when a shying light peered weakly into the dim room.332Please respect copyright.PENANATXGQuytuP9
332Please respect copyright.PENANAZ77xqYqhbh
332Please respect copyright.PENANAdQAr67nHcn
I felt my blood run cold. Every inhale drew in sharp bursts of ice, their forces threatening to tear me apart. 332Please respect copyright.PENANAvYAEyAx5mU
332Please respect copyright.PENANAvAA3bZ4cSe
332Please respect copyright.PENANA5vVQijG7hZ
In a shadowed corner of the apartment, lay nothing other than the disfigured body of a woman. Clothes soaked in douses of blood, body contorted in an odd, sinister position. The sight of her slit, blackened feet was enough for dread to engulf me.332Please respect copyright.PENANAzQrCCvOmMQ
332Please respect copyright.PENANARChKyzQn3V
332Please respect copyright.PENANALuHvtE7w3z
No, it can't be a coincidence.332Please respect copyright.PENANAaZ8xaJEkVq
332Please respect copyright.PENANAJRdo56htkr
332Please respect copyright.PENANAptFkYPpvzm
The reflections of faint light slowly bled away, and I was pulled under the blanket of darkness once again. I hastily slammed the door shut. Dread unleashed and whipped viciously at my shuddering limbs, and I fought to conceal my cry of panic and shock. Beads of sweat were now streaming vehemently from my searing forehead, as I grasped onto the ground with the remainder of my draining strength. 332Please respect copyright.PENANAxKBPA56bAN
332Please respect copyright.PENANAOXs1jfjF3i
332Please respect copyright.PENANANyUdGVF0xI
Did... did that boy kill her? Is he a violent murderer hiding behind that cold, expressionless mask? And what if... what if he wanted to kill me too?332Please respect copyright.PENANAVIiPXmllMG
332Please respect copyright.PENANAwG9QbNc8VK
332Please respect copyright.PENANAIG0k2CeRCo
I sunk my teeth deep into my vulnerable lips, until I could feel the strings of blood weeping down my chin. There was no doubt. That boy had slaughtered the woman. As much as I tried to suppress the thought, it bubbled up to the surface, swallowing me whole.332Please respect copyright.PENANAEiPAXn5haS
332Please respect copyright.PENANAme2gQVtR2E
332Please respect copyright.PENANAvrtmxZqUqf
He killed someone. Is he going to hurt me too?332Please respect copyright.PENANAHcfu2q0a3s
332Please respect copyright.PENANAfALipumQTq
332Please respect copyright.PENANAw6ot4xwRrW
The darkness pressing cruelly around me exemplified the thought. As I staggered back to the spot where he had left me, one rising thought continuously haunted me as I waited in silence for his dreaded arrival - I could very well... be that lifeless form, murdered under the frosty gaze of the devil himself.332Please respect copyright.PENANAyNhufzOfLQ
332Please respect copyright.PENANAhhsaGmSmHZ
332Please respect copyright.PENANAqorYVn8fEt
And as I crumpled there, tremors rising and falling like mirthless tides upon my body, the boy reappeared. He was holding a round bowl, which was set gently before me. His cool, imperious composure soothed me a little; he likely hadn't witnessed my outburst of shock and fearful realisation. I brought the bowl, which was filled with a strange liquidish substance, greedily to my mouth, but hesitation ceased my tremulous movements.332Please respect copyright.PENANAw0Npr69uYK
332Please respect copyright.PENANAwjQ323LGAr
332Please respect copyright.PENANAWoWFl9xDnJ
What if there was poison in that dish? Should I trust his actions? No, nothing could be helped now. Under his mirthless scowl lurked suspicion and scepticism, as if coldly calculating my every move. I was pretty much dead, one way or another. It was as if my world was crumbling around me, and my eyes instinctively flickered to that door in the corner of the attic. I only glanced for a second or so, but that was enough to catch his eye. I guiltily withdrew my terrified gaze, but it was already too late.332Please respect copyright.PENANAC0ejnU4hXi
332Please respect copyright.PENANAEnqXUarp8s
332Please respect copyright.PENANAD6iSSviUVu
"What did you just see?" he inquired with a cold smile, and his hands instantly caught my wrist in an iron grasp. The bowl of liquid shattered on the floor, and its watery substance crawling angrily down my legs. I made no effort to struggle; fear seized me so completely that I was immobilised. 332Please respect copyright.PENANAOFCSoxTCMJ
332Please respect copyright.PENANAfr7YbyzD30
332Please respect copyright.PENANA55831VzFoH
"Shhhh..." I could feel the rising and falling of his warm breath on my neck, and his fingers digging hungrily into the flesh of my wrist. Revulsion overflowed me like the blood in my mouth, and I gritted my teeth in disdain. This was the boy that I had held hands with while in that coma. How could I? The sight before me faded into an irritating shade of grey; a violent trepidation was smothering my vision. I fought with my extinguished strength, trying desperately to tear away his firm grasp, but that only made his eyes blaze with a more vicious hunger.332Please respect copyright.PENANA5aSSTXbMek
332Please respect copyright.PENANAYFIpYWMLk7
332Please respect copyright.PENANAPm51uhq0Xo
He lunged, hands outstretched, crushing me mercilessly against the cold, hard ground. Paralysed with dizziness and shock, I struggled back, blood trickling from my filthy lips. Before he could register yet another loathful blow, I sewn my eyes shut, vanquished by the fate that awaited me.332Please respect copyright.PENANALqfPl8IHxo
332Please respect copyright.PENANAOwedybXPgK
332Please respect copyright.PENANA3E7aLJvXH6
The shadow of a bloodied fist was threatening above my forehead; I could decipher its malice as it approached my face. Through the depths of my cold; anguished mind, a glacial voice screamed and mocked, over and over, a singular loathsome word. Murderer...But as I blindly awaited that final ominous blow, my body curled and trembling, a glacial laugh of contempt reached my stinging ears.332Please respect copyright.PENANAliuW1ayPc7
332Please respect copyright.PENANARKeyzulL53
332Please respect copyright.PENANAsHessIkdip
"What a shame." The boy was shaking his head tauntingly before me, a wisp of imperious mockery in his ice-cold eyes. "You should've fought harder." Then with another mocking scorn, he released my inflamed wrists, inspecting me with bloodthirsty arrogance. He was the powerful hunter surveying his ensnared prey, and that made every gush of blood streaking through my skin ten times more excruciating. Why wasn't I dead? Thought poured blankly from my mind, and a stubborn weight crushed my painful chest. The malevolent hunter was now encircling me with a teasing smile, grazing his hands momentarily upon the edge of my cheek. Upon seeing the frosty look glistening in my eyes, he extended his arm and wiped the remnants of tears on my face.332Please respect copyright.PENANA76DekFk3h5
332Please respect copyright.PENANAiVUbFHzgUn
332Please respect copyright.PENANAmsAQGzANOx
"Now, now..." he threatened coldly, "don't ever think of going back home. You've seen my inner secrets, so you're staying here with me, no matter what. Or..." his voice lowered into a quiet snarl, " you may choose to die, if you wish."332Please respect copyright.PENANAgrCLYrqlNE
332Please respect copyright.PENANAfphUQ9RglI
332Please respect copyright.PENANAQVqyUiyLO7
With those final menaces, he shoved me maliciously against the hard, dusty wall, and smiled as a groan escaped my throat. Then he strode contemptuously away from my debilitated form, not troubling to lay one last look upon me. A door slammed shut in the distance.332Please respect copyright.PENANAHZsLLs5T0D
332Please respect copyright.PENANAv5icBHai06
332Please respect copyright.PENANAU43foGUEa4
It was fortunate that he had gone. For, luckily, he did not catch the fire in my eyes, now blistering vehemently with none other than the incarnation of flaming hatred. It manifested feverishly within my heart, and I swore to myself, that very soon, I was going to make him regret everything that he had done to me.332Please respect copyright.PENANALE11MPtu1l
332Please respect copyright.PENANAXFw015185O
332Please respect copyright.PENANAGIocfj0ZXH
That night, I lay on the harsh, uncomfortable ground, the pain inflaming my back and chasing away every brooding urge of sleep. I rested quietly, with no bedsheets, bedcovers, or anything that would placate my stiffness. I could see myself in sorrowful tears, a girl entrapped in this wrathful, incorrigible prison, drowning under ever-present anguish. I wrapped my limp, ice-blue arms around my own shivering body, trying to keep myself alive, at least.332Please respect copyright.PENANAGgbQ16dpRS
332Please respect copyright.PENANAFIRLBBzKCX
332Please respect copyright.PENANA2czacFPle5
I have no idea why I'm here. Why he decided to kidnap me.332Please respect copyright.PENANAHUU8doeJDs
332Please respect copyright.PENANABv5qlecpUr
332Please respect copyright.PENANA72wBw5qcbj
I stay awake all night, tears scalding my red-hot cheeks, exhaustion crippling my veins. It was only until morning that I followed the scent of metallic blood into the abyss of yet another frightening nightmare.
ns18.217.91.17da2