Chapter 135: From Relief To Terror

Night had fallen, and the heavy clouds veiled the sky, casting a pitch-black shroud over the landscape. I was on my own. Like I gave a shit. At least I knew the twins wouldn’t spot me right away. The icy wind and light rainfall would’ve made me chatter my teeth like any other time, but right now it was the best feeling in the world. If you were a sugar addict and your whole body was a tongue and it was raining honey, this would be it.

As much as I wanted to enjoy the drizzle and fresh air, I knew my problems were far from over. First: I need to hobble my ass all the way over to a neighbor’s house. Second: how low will the flood be?

After a while of ‘walking’, each step grew slower and heavier as I began to pant. Being chained up didn’t help my weakening stamina. Being pregnant was taking a toll on my body. *C’mon, c’mon!* I grind my teeth and bear it. I had no choice. The fire beneath my bandaged-up thigh was coming back with a vengeance.

The darkness was all-encompassing, making it nearly impossible to see what lay ahead. Yet, the melodic sound of water filled the air, signaling its presence nearby.

*Shit…*

It was lower, low enough for a car to zoom through, but the dark water still would come up to my knees. I’m bouncing around on one leg, plus a log, no–a twig–could probably knock me down if I wasn’t careful. Who knows where I’d be swept off to?

*It’s a chance I have to take. Anything is better right now than that fucking mansion!*

And yet, I still hesitated to stick a toe in the water. The only clothes I had on were a small, thin nightgown and a thong. My feet were probably cut up from the rocks already, but I couldn’t feel anything from the adrenaline and how cold the wet road was.

*Fuuuck. Alright, let’s just get this over with. This is my only obstacle. It’s all or nothing.*

I tried to psyche myself up while taking a deep breath and taking my first step into the freezing water. My deep breath shot out as a startled shriek. “F–fuck!” I ignored the uncomfortable, numbing cold of flooded water against my bare feet that gradually slid up my ankles and then my shins the farther I went. But with each step, the depth included the strengthening current, and it was becoming difficult to keep my legs rooted in place.

*I may have overestimated my height…!*

As I waded through the water, a shiver ran down my spine when I felt the icy cold rise above my knees, and I realized I still had a long way to go. I was practically hopping on my good leg now since straining my wounded leg to stay in place was starting to become too painful. *How much farther is it? I can’t see shit!* The noise of the rushing water became so overpowering that it muffled all other sounds. I could only hope that I was at or near the middle of the flooded road.

This was when the current’s strength began to increase to the point it was shoving my steps to the side with each limp, I couldn’t go in a straight line anymore, it kept pushing me toward the forest on the other side of the road. Fuck knows what's waiting in there.

*Dammit!* I cursed to myself again when I almost fell. Right as I reached the middle of the flooded road, my single but weakened leg couldn’t keep up with the current any longer and my balance gave way into the water. My body didn’t have the physical strength to stand back up, let alone stop myself from getting dragged off. *No! NO!* Even trying to put my bandaged leg to use was futile, and I ended up getting swept off the road and over the ditch, the flood practically turning into a river when it dived into the black forest. I was finally able to drag my pathetic body out of the water after getting swept downstream by a good distance. It wasn't an easy task, and I was fortunate to find a shallow spot where I could crawl out. I coughed while gripping my red, soaked, bandaged thigh.

*Fuck! Now what do I do??*

I glanced at my surroundings. It was even darker in here than it was walking down the road. No light.

*Of all the times I wish I really was a cat.*

The sound of an approaching engine made me duck behind some trees. My anxiety came rolling along in this damned flood the closer it got, it was coming from the direction of the mansion. Julian knows I’m gone. I ducked down even lower when his car slowed to a stop in front of the flooded road. His headlights gave me a brief view of my surroundings. Trees and bushes were scattered all around me, giving me the perfect cover, but the journey uphill back to the road was steeper than I thought, basically impossible in my condition. I’d have to walk around it.

After a few seconds, Julian’s car slowly drove through the water and sped up once it was on the other side. *I need to get moving, too. I can’t sit around and hide all night!* As soon as his car’s engine faded into silence, I took the opportunity to continue my limping walk to the neighbor’s mansion. Each step hurt worse and worse. My soaked, battered body trembled like a dried leaf in the wind each time the oncoming storm breeze swept through. The cold mud that coated my feet and squeezed between my toes didn’t bother me nearly as much as the wind.

*How far did Julian go? I haven’t seen his car…*

As soon as I could stumble back onto the road, my body almost gave out from sweet relief when I saw how close the neighbor’s mansion was. *Oh, thank fuck!* My limped steps quickened, the cuts on my feet were starting to make themselves known, but I didn’t dare slow down. I didn’t know when Julian would be on his way back.

My muddy feet left the concrete and met the green grass’s gentle touch. Never in my life did I imagine I’d miss the texture of grass on my feet this much. The neighbor’s mansion didn’t look all too different from Gabriel’s and I gave loud, brisk bangs on their front door. “Is anybody in there? I need help!”

To think the day would come, I’d have to say those words.

I heard the clack of heels before a middle-aged woman opened the door. Her jaw dropped and her eyes flew wide the moment she saw me. “Oh, my gosh!”

“Please, I need to use your phone. Now.” I tried to sound at least a little polite between pants.

“Come here, come in!” She gingerly placed her hand on my back and guided me inside. “What happened to you?”

“Ma’am, I just *really* need a phone. I don’t have time to explain.”

She perplexedly looked me up and down. “You… don’t happen to be Sukia, are you?”

I froze in my tracks, preventing her from taking me further. “...Who wants to know?”

“Well,” The woman blushed and looked away. “A kind, young man came by to see if you’ve made it here. It’s been so long since I’ve seen the neighbors, I’m surprised by how much he’s grown–”

“Wait, wait, wait.” I cut her off. “You mean from the August family?” *There’s no way. It has to be a different neighbor. There’s no way!*

“That’s right, the male twin.”

*SHIT!!!* My heart began to race again to the point I felt it pounding behind my chest wall. “Did he say where he was going? When he’ll be back?”

“Back? Oh, I’m sorry! It completely slipped my mind.” She smiled sweetly and pointed behind herself. “He’s waiting in the living room.”

All hope and relief that I felt minutes ago burned to ashes the moment I saw Julian walk up from behind the woman.