Fifty Seven

***Ruby***

Seconds flew but it seemed to me like ages and to make matters worse, my heart couldn’t stop pounding mercilessly and my head kept interfering with my will to stay conscious.
As my eyes blinked occasionally to get rid of the sinister look my sight had befallen, I wished it was nothing but a dream.

But it felt so real and that scared me.

What scared me the most was the fact that Bryan Lockwood, the guy that finds a way to mess with my ability to remain a mentally fit individual, was the one on top of me. He was wearing an evil smile that I could tell would haunt me for a number of days.

I was already regretting turning off the lamp on my reading table when I got an advantage from the universe.

The hardly existing moon suddenly shifted its illumination into my room and I got a better picture of Bryan. And I got an explanation pertaining to the weird, dirty feeling on my lips.

The man was covered in blood. His entire face wore the redness like it was a fashionable thing. My fear-filled eyes saw that even his outfit wore a mix of dirt and blood, making me wonder what had happened after Adonis dragged him out of the school.

It certainly was a thing to wonder about but that would be after I have gotten out of the trap I am in.

Stylishly, my eyeballs shifted to see if there was anything nearby that I could use to get him off me.

That was when it came to me… the good old method.

I gathered every ounce of my strength, pictured the scenery, positioned my right knee well, and the next thing, I jammed it into his groin. With a small smile on my lips, I waited for him to jump off me while howling ridiculously.

It never happened.

“It won’t work, Ruby. Don’t waste your time,” his raspy voice came back and I felt feverish all of a sudden. “If you want to get out of this, just do as I say,” he said, his hold on my mouth now relaxing.

I had no choice but to nod and agree to his terms. So while repeating a single prayer in my head, I sent a plea through my eyes and my lips finally knew what freedom felt like.

But my body was still in between his legs.

“Why are you here?” I asked, my voice embracing the line between caution and anger. “What are you going to do?”

“I have no idea.” I frowned at the humility that suddenly took over his voice. “Sometimes I want to just be beside you. Something I want to make you regret not looking my way. At times, I just want to fuck you hard and forget about you but there are times I just want to end your life because you make me feel, very, very sick.”

His words, every single one of them… made my heart pound even harder. I feared for my life some more.

There was a psycho in my room and I wasn’t seeing a way out of it.

But something inside me told me to play along with his threatening words.

“So, what are you going to do?” After I asked this question, I cringed at the audacity of my voice that would never help my situation.

“I’m thinking of ending your life.”

My heart stopped for some seconds. The fear in my body finally reached my eyes and I felt my head swirl.

How could he be so casual about taking someone’s life?
Was that how he casually took Maddison’s life? Without a bit of mercy in his being? Without considering that he was ending a life that had hopes and dreams?

I swallowed hard as his statement rang in my head. And I found it absurd when the voice in my head told me to ask him why.

“Why?” I did it regardless.

“Because you both annoy me.”

“Both?”

“You and Adonis. Especially that Adonis.” He scoffed as he bit into his lower lip. “I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he meets you dead thanks to me. You know what?” The manner with which he switched moods was crazy. His eyes suddenly li with hope as he locked eyes with me. “I should take my time with you.”

I swallowed with difficulty again.

“I should start slow, make you feel what my dick can do to you, make you addicted to how my dick feels in each of your holes, and after, I will review my option of killing you. It depends on how cooperative you are though. If you are easy with this like that whore, Mrs. Cook, I might not kill you.”

His revolting touch landed on my right cheek and with aspiration all over his eyes, he said, “So, do you agree to both of us having a splendid time together? Will you help me get rid of the hate I have towards you and Adonis?”

I closed my eyes for a second as I became disgusted by the turnout of the situation.

“So…” As my eyes opened, I watched his lips draw into a smile. A smile that made me more disgusted. “You want to rape me.”

He scoffed again. “Are you seriously going to be this way? Because of what? That prick Adonis?”

“To me, it seems you are jealous of Adonis. I-” My sentence was left incomplete as Bryan suddenly circled a firm hold around my neck. He suffocated me and I began to fear that he was going to kill me at that moment.

But he was not. I realized that when his other hand traveled to the end of my nightgown. As his fingers struggled their way up my thighs with their dirtiness, I began to resist his disgusting touch.

"Stay still," he growled as his fingers fumbled their way to my panties.
With growing fear inside me, I held no regard for his command. I was not going to let him use me that way.

So, I increased my struggle.

My body shook with aggression to shake off his wandering touch but that action was soon held against me. Bryan's suffocating hold around my neck tightened as he got angrier at my resistance.

"I said, stay still!" he commanded again, a choking sound coming from me as his circling hand threatened the state of my life.

I began to hit his hand violently, I was really feeling like death was around. The feeling was not different from the one I get whenever my heart issues arise.

The very feeling that could cause me sleepless nights.

I was beginning to lose my strength, my beatings were not as impactful as I thought they would be and by the deadly look in Bryan's eyes, I could tell my actions were doing nothing but worsening the situation.

But I couldn't bear the idea of just laying that way. I don't want him to have his way with me. I don't want to die by his hands.
I don't even want to die.

Tears welled my eyes as it came rushing to me. The very idea that Bryan might get away with what he planned to do with me.

"Answer me!" His stern voice made me realize that I had zoned out or perhaps... I was already on the journey to the other end.

No, no.

It mustn't happen. I must fight him back. I will summon all my strength and-

The light suddenly came on, the illumination scarred my sight for a second but I began to feel hope.

Someone else was in the room.

"Who are you?"

I almost broke into tears as Adonis's voice pierced my ears.
As his footsteps drew closer, Bryan chuckled, threw a wink in my direction, and finally got off me.

"Wow. I see you came after all. I was just thinking how unfortunate it would be if you missed the show," I heard Bryan say, over-confidence the theme of his voice.

My throat feeling parched and still suffocating, I rubbed the sore spot with my fingers as I sat up. My sight captured the mess on my bed in the process. The sheets were disgustingly coloured with a mix of blood and dirt.

"How are you here?" Adonis asked confusion all over his face.

Bryan chuckled again, his hands clasped behind him. "Did you really think you could end me? I am not that easy to get rid of and I am glad I can make you realize that."

Adonis stopped right in front of Bryan, his eyes boring anger into the latter. "How did you escape?" he asked with strained caution.

"I have my ways. I have to admit though, that Maximus guy is quite a monster, he almost ended my life."

Adonis's brows lifted. "But?" he simply asked.

"But he had to bow to the higher power."

Adonis sighed and it occurred to me that I was supposed to be doing something, anything to get Bryan out of that space.

Adonis beat me to it.
A gun now in his hold, he killed the safety and pointed it with determination at Bryan. "I should finish the job Maximus started right now."

"You know you can't," Bryan replied with a smile.

Adonis finally looked in my direction and another deep exhale slipped out of his mouth. "Get out of this place. We will sort this out some other time."

"Don't be delusional Adonis..." Bryan walked a little distance, leveled his shoulder with Adonis's, and continued, I am unstoppable and unreachable."

"We'll see about that," was all Adonis replied him with.

A frown appeared on my face as I watched Bryan walk out through my door. After a quick look around my room, I realized that was the only way he could have entered.

The thought that I could easily be in danger scared me even more.

"Ruby." Adonis's sudden yet warm hug drove away part of that fear.
As my hands went around his body slowly, my throat became heavy, my eyes felt like it was wearing a thousand weight and the next thing I knew, I was crying.

Clutching any part of his shirt, burying my head into his chest, I let it all out. I cried about the fear I felt. I cried because I almost died. I cried because of Bryan's presence.

And all he did was pat my back. Sometimes his fingers caressed my hair and that was enough comfort for me as I cried my heart out.

"Adonis..." I finally called him despite my shaky voice. "Why... is... this happening to me?" Sniffles kept interrupting my intended sentence.

"I am so sorry Ruby." He hugged me even tighter. "This is all my fault. I brought this drama into your life."

"Not Bryan. You-"

"Ruby, you should rest," he immediately cut my words short. "You should take a bath first, I will help you change your sheets and-"

We both shared a look as a noise came from another room.

"Do you think he came back?" I asked with teary eyes.

"Then he must really want to die. Just lay low. I will-"

"Zion go to bed right away. Ruby?" My eyes widened as it became obvious that my mom was making her way to my room.

I had to act swift.

"Adonis, you have to hide."

"But-"

"My mom cannot see you in here."

"She can't come in here either. It is a mess," he pointed out.

I sighed. "Okay, I will meet her on the way."

"Okay, I will take care of things."
I got off my bed and made for the door when Adonis stopped me. As I questioned him with my eyes, he wrapped my back scarf that was strangely on my desk around my neck.
With fallen eyes, he said, "There's a mark on your neck, she must not see it."

I nodded. "Thank you. I should get going before-"

Before I could complete my sentence, the door flung open.