CRUELTY

Augusta's POV:

I ran as fast as I could, my family and friends were in danger. I was their only hope, my feet were bare as I felt the stone beneath them, but I ignored them. I could hear the voices, calling my name, they needed my help, Mum, Jessie, Leo Derek, Damon, and I could spot them in the distance. I didn't stop running even though I could hear someone's cackles, it wasn't nice, and I was sure he was the person putting them in so much pain.

Suddenly the noise stopped, and I wasn't running anymore. I was in a room, one with no bed or furniture, and I saw them, their bodies clutched to a chair with thick strong ropes. I dashed towards my mum first but halted when she told me to run. I wasn't supposed to be there, she sounded like the way she did on the phone, and I didn't understand why.

Not why she had warned me, but why my family was kidnapped. Who was doing all of this? I couldn't see him, but I could hear his laughter. I spotted a knife on my mum's neck as she mouthed 'run'. But I couldn't, I was glued to the ground. I wanted to help her. I wanted to attack the attacker, but I couldn't do so as I stared at my mum, tears rolling as the knife seemed to move with a sharp motion.

I gasped as I opened my eyes. My breathing was fast, and I brought my index finger to my eyes and felt a liquid moisture. Tears. I had cried through my nightmare, the thought made me scared for my family again. I hoped all was going to be well, I couldn't stand the look in my mum's eyes. I sighed as I stared up at the ceiling, and prayed in my heart that everything was going to be alright.

I knew it was already dusk, and I wasn't going back to sleep because of the fear of having another nightmare. As I lay on my back, my hands clasped on my stomach. I stared up at the dull white ceiling, trying to keep my mind occupied with memories of jokey days, but they only made tears sting the corner of my eyes.

Life for me was cruel, and mysterious, with bad people always wanting to hurt you without giving you a reason or having a reason to. Speaking of mysterious, there was a momentous memory of the guy that had saved me. I didn't forget him, I just wanted to know who he was. Why did it always have to be me? Why did life have to treat me this way? My head was banging with so much pain. I could barely feel my legs because of how terrible I was feeling at that moment. I just didn't want anything to happen to my child. If anything, I needed to do something to get out of here. While I thought I was on my bed, I had no idea I'd been captured. The scent of the doze they gave me just made me go unconscious. I felt their breaths on my hair. I was terrified of what the outcome was going to be. But how was I going to get out of here? The sack covering my head didn't permit me to see their faces, but of course, I could hear their voices, their foreboding cackles, their irritating discussions. They wouldn't dare rape me. I was a fucking pregnant woman? Could anyone be any more discussing? How would someone rape a pregnant woman? They stopped driving and roughly pulled me out of the car, I succumbed to everything they wanted to do to me. But I was so terrified. But I knew they couldn't touch me. Of course not yet. And I thought I had known that there was something suspicious going on around me. I should have trusted my gut feeling. I didn't even know where they were taking me but hell the smell here was different. Like blood, decay and engine oil. I nearly gagged. The smell was terrible. I was forced to sit on what felt like an iron chair. They could have at least been more gentle with a pregnant woman, but of course, they wouldn't be. They weren't taught to be like that.

It's something I would keep on brooding about now. How would they possibly find me? I didn't even know where the hell I was. The sack was removed from my head and I came face to face with a man in his late forties... probably. I knew him, I'd seen him before...the man from the club wasn't he? Jonathan!

"I had no idea you were still alive. You were wearing a mask that day. If I had known I would have done this a long time ago." He said.

"What do you want Jonathan?" I questioned spitefully.

"Oh? Something I've wanted a long time ago. You see your new lover boy, Derek has been in my way for too many years now. And I just think he has lived way too long. You're an easy target for me, to get to them. Both Derek and Damon. It's really funny how you could get them so easily with just a snap of your finger, they wouldn't even blink twice to save you. What do you think I want?"

"I see you're the selfish wanna-be that stole a little child's company. You were so ashamed of yourself that you had to hide your reputation behind the legacy of your superior. Something he left for his child." I said and there came the resounding slap.

"Don't you dare speak to me that way? Derek and Damon may accept it but I'm certainly not like them."

"You're right. They're not like you. They're way better, and that's why you're so intimidated by their success. You believe you can never stand against them like a man and so you decided to prey on their weakness. How smooth."

"If you don't shut the fuck up..."

"What? You'll kill a pregnant woman? I promise you, you'll live haunted till the day you die because Damon and Derek will torment you. And that's not enough. When you die, you'll have a special place in hell, meant to torture cowardly people like you." I said and he chuckled humorlessly. He knew I said the truth, so he dared not follow his deceitful heart.

"I'll take it from here Jonathan." I heard a familiar voice and my heart jumped to my throat. I looked up and noticed Lamas walking in, along with Augusta. Jonathan stepped back, what a coward. Then he leaned down and showed me his phone screen with our messages on display.

"You refused to reply to my message. Did you think I was lying to you?" I was silent. "Let me explain something again. You either come with me, or you risk being dead in the next seven days. The time's counting. I looked at his phone and saw the timer. "Trust me when I say, the whole world will know and will see and bear witness to what will be done to you."

"You have no shame. Doing this to a pregnant woman." I said and he chuckled humorlessly.

"Do you even think I care? Make your choice. Which do you want?"

"Go to hell." I watched as he immediately clicked on the post. It was uploaded.

"Then perhaps I'll meet you there."