'Huff...huff...huff...'
Liliana labored for breath, clutching her bleeding wound as she rested in an alley shrouded in darkness. The only sound was the distant chirping of crickets, and the air reeked of garbage and decay. She had barely managed to escape her pursuers, the memories of the past week flooding her mind. 'Her mother's murder last year, being sold off to the countryside by her own father on her 18th birthday—only to have her stepmother hire goons to finish her.' As the young lady of the willow family, pampered since she was born, this was undoubtedly a big blow to her.i
"Find her and bring her back!" the rough voice of the goons leader echoed from a distance.
Liliana's heart raced. 'Not good.'
Frantically looking around for a hiding spot, she noticed a trash can nearby. She scrambled inside, trying to make herself as unnoticed as possible. The footsteps grew closer.
"Search everywhere. The air reeks of blood."
Liliana held her breath, praying they wouldn't notice her. The footsteps paused for what felt like an eternity before finally fading away. She waited for a few minutes, listening intently for any sound. When everything remained quiet, she cautiously lifted the lid of the trash can.
Creak...
Peering around, she saw that the alley was empty and sighed in relief.
But just as she thought she was in the clear, everything went black.
---
Splash!
The icy cold water drenched her to the bone, jolting her out of unconsciousness. Groaning, she tried to free her tied up hands, Liliana blinked hard, looking around to take in her surroundings. A burly goon stood over her, tossing the empty bucket aside with a *clang*
The musty smell of the wooden cabin filled her nose. Panic gripped her as she realized there was only one way out of the room, there was no windows. Despair welled up inside her, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.'Is this really the end for me?'
A strong hand grabbed her chin, forcing her to face upward. Before she could react, he shoved a glass of water to her lips, tipping it back. Liliana thrashed, choking as the liquid flooded her throat. She knew it had to be drugged and fought even harder, earning herself a sharp, stinging slap.
smack!
"Stop struggling and accept your fate. It'll make things easier," the goon sneered, his laughter echoing in the small room. Her eyes, now red with hatred, glared up at him.
"What did you feed me?" she demanded, still trying to spit out the water.
"Just something to prepare you for what's coming next," he said with a creepy smile, his eyes gleaming with malice and greed.
*Ring...ring...ring.*
The goon's cellphone rang, abruptly cutting off his twisted laughter. As he answered, his expression softened into one of fawning respect, indicating that it was likely his boss on the other end. Without another word, he left the room, giving Liliana another moment to survey her surroundings.
But her body was already betraying her. She bit her lip, trying to stifle the moans that threatened to escape as her skin began to burn with a feverish heat. "Those bastards...cough...cough...how dare they drug me," she muttered, her voice shaky as she tried to keep herself conscious.
Her eyes darted around the room, landing on the glass cup the goon had left behind on a plastic table nearby. 'That bastard must have left it behind.' A small surge of hope flickered within her.
Mustering all the strength she had left, she crawled to the table, knocking it over in her haste, making a dull crash. She quickly grabbed a big shard of glass, praying the noise hadn't drawn any attention. But her heart sank as voices heavy footsteps sounded outside the cabin.
'No...'
Clutching the glass tightly, she winced as it cut deeply into her palm, the pain helping her stay awake. Desperately, she started sawing at the rope binding her hands behind her back.
The footsteps approached, growing louder with every second...