CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
ALICE
The night air in the lower sector of the city doesn't just feel cold... it feels heavy, thick with the suffocating scent of grease, exhaust fumes, and decaying garbage.
I pull the frayed brim of my baseball cap lower over my eyes, tucking a few loose, damp strands of hair back into my messy bun as I push open the heavy metal back door of the diner.
My first brutal shift of the night is finally over, leaving my arms aching from carrying heavy, loaded trays for hours and my feet burning like fire inside my worn-out sneakers.
But the physical exhaustion is absolutely nothing compared to the violent war raging inside my head.
I walk down the narrow, cobblestone back alley, my hands shoved deep into the pockets of my dark hoodie, trying to shield myself from the biting wind.
Every single time the wind howls between the crumbling brick buildings, my entire body tenses up.
My mind automatically flashes back to the university corridor... to Mio's tear-filled, heartbroken eyes... and then, inevitably, my thoughts drag me right back into that dark gym shower stall.
"Remember who owns this pussy…"
Zade's rough, gravelly voice echoes in my ears so clearly it makes my breath catch in my throat.
I unconsciously tighten my thighs together as I walk, a sharp, localized throb pulsing through my core, reminding me of the brutal, punishing rhythm of his fingers inside me.
He stretched me completely.
He broke through every single one of my defenses, and he left me dripping, ruined, and trembling on the freezing tile floor.
I hate him. I swear to God, I hate him... but as I walk past a dim, flickering streetlamp, I can still feel the terrifying ghost of his lips slamming onto mine, swallowing my screams whole.
"Get it together, Alice..." I whisper fiercely to myself, my voice cracking in the quiet of the dark alley.
"You don't have time for this. You don't have the luxury to fall apart. You have to work."
I lift my wrist, glancing down at my cheap, scratched wristwatch.
It's already past 08:00 PM.
I have exactly fifteen minutes to get entirely across the lower sector of the city to the convenience store for my graveyard shift.
I can't be late...
Not when my rent is due, and definitely not when I'm just trying to survive in a corrupt city where the rich can crush people like me for their own sick amusement.
To save time, I take a dangerous shortcut through the abandoned warehouse district, the loose gravel crunching loudly beneath my thin shoes.
The streetlights out here have been broken for years, leaving the entire desolate road shrouded in deep, ink-black shadows.
Suddenly, the hair on the back of my neck stands completely on end.
It's that same feeling.
The exact same suffocating, heavy pressure that made me freeze in the university hallway right before Mio walked past me.
The temperature in the air suddenly plummets, growing freezing cold... so cold that my frantic breaths begin to mist in white plumes in front of my face.
I stop walking dead in my tracks.
My heart starts slamming violently against my ribs like a caged animal, a sudden, sharp panic locking my muscles tight.
"Who's there?" I call out into the darkness... my voice trembling despite my desperate attempt to sound brave and fierce.
Silence follows.
The only response is the distant, haunting sound of a siren echoing somewhere in the main city center.
Am I just being paranoid? Am I finally losing my mind because of the concussion... because of the fever... because of Zade?
I force myself to swallow the heavy lump of fear rising in my throat, forcing my locking legs to move again.
I quicken my pace, breaking into a fast walk.
But the exact moment I step under the deep shadow of an overgrown alleyway, I hear it.
A soft, distinct scraping sound right behind me.
A footstep.
I don't look back.
Fear triggers my adrenaline, and I keep walking as fast as my aching body allows until I finally see the harsh, neon lights of the convenience store bleeding onto the pavement.
Without looking back a single time, I practically sprint inside, the bell above the door chiming loudly.
"Thought you wouldn't make it, Alice..." Yuri says, his voice rough and monotonous as he stares at his computer screen, not even looking up to acknowledge me.
"I am always on time, Yuri... you need to stop pretending you hate me," I say, leaning against the counter for a brief second as I try to get my shaking voice steady.
"Get over it, Alice... and you can take some of the Ramen packs from the back. They are about to expire in a few days anyway."
I look at the old grump.
Yuri was the first person to actually give me a chance, keeping me on a part-time shift when I had absolutely nothing.
I don't even know where I would be by now, or if I'd even have a roof over my head, if it weren't for him.
"Thank you, Yuri, you're the best..." I say softly, and he just lets out a rough, dismissive grunt, though I see the faint twitch of his mustache.
For the next three agonizing hours, I force my body to move, organizing the heavy products into their proper sections on the shelves.
By the time my shift finally ends, it's already past 10:30 PM... and I need to be at the city library by 10:45 PM for my final job of organizing the overnight books.
I grab the plastic bag of ramens, wave a quick goodbye to Yuri, and leave the store.
I hang the bag containing the ramen and a few small juices over my forearm, pulling my phone out of my pocket as a sudden message notification pops up on my screen.
It's Ellie.
Ellie:I am craving some ice cream so badly. Tell me where you are right now. I'll meet you there.. 🙂
Me:Are you okay, Ellie? Mio is completely upset with us... we shouldn't have hidden the fact about your pregnancy from her..
Ellie:I already apologized to her.. but she didn't reply to my texts. That's why I am coming with her right now... she didn't say no when I asked if she could drive me to join us...
Me: I'll see you guys at the Café near the sector border... don't come alone, Ellie...
I quickly shove my phone back into my hoodie pocket and make my way toward the library.
It takes me 45 minutes of frantic, hyper-focused lifting to reorganize the heavy academic textbooks on the shelves, my muscles screaming in protest the entire time.
Once the shift is cleared, I make my way immediately toward the Café.
But before I can even reach the entrance, I see Ellie walking toward me through the dim streetlights.
Mio is right there with her, but just as they approach, Mio says something sharp and angry, turns abruptly on her heel, and storms right back to her car, slamming the door.
Ellie stands there, watching the car pull away, looking vulnerable.
She is wearing a simple tunic, a denim jacket, and jeans.
"Are you okay? How's the baby?" I ask anxiously, stepping up to her and taking in her pale appearance.
"Come on, I am not made of glass, Alice... the doctor explicitly said it was just a temporary drop in blood pressure. It happens. Though... I'd really appreciate it if you kept the fact that I came to see you tonight a complete secret from him. Nate thinks I am at Mio's apartment with her mother... that's the only reason he let me out of his sight," she says, a small, guilty smile playing on her lips.
Despite the overwhelming tension of the night, I almost laugh.
She really is a sneaky one when she wants to be.
"Um... Alice... do we... do we know them?"
Ellie asks suddenly, her voice dropping into a frightened whisper as she points toward the dark shadows across the street.
My heart drops.
Standing in the darkness are several tall silhouettes.
Men.
They are standing perfectly still, staring straight at us with an intense, predatory focus.
I look around the perimeter desperately.
The street is dead. The shops are closed. There is no one else out here. We are completely, entirely alone.
"Ellie, don't look at them... don't look back. Let's leave right now," I command, my voice laced with sudden panic.
I grab her smaller hand tightly in mine and begin to pull her into a run.
"Do you know who they are...?" she asks, her breath hitching, panting hard as her denim jacket rustles against her sides, trying desperately to keep up with my frantic pace.
"I don't know them, Ellie... but I have been seeing them everywhere! They've been tracking me!" I yell.
At this point, all pretenses of walking are gone. We are flat-out running for our lives down the empty pavement.
My heart hammers violently against my ribs as I frantically reach into my hoodie pocket with my free hand, my fingers grasping for my phone to call for help...
But before the thought can even finish processing in my brain, a cold, heavy, and calloused hand violently clamps over my mouth from behind, completely cutting off the blood-curdling scream building in my throat.
A thick, muscular arm wraps around my waist like an iron band, lifting my feet completely off the concrete ground.
I twist my head wildly, looking over at Ellie.
Another massive man has already cornered her, clamping a chemical-soaked cloth over her nose and mouth.
In an instant, Ellie's eyes roll back into her head and her body goes completely
limp—she passes out, unconscious before she can even fight.
I thrash wildly against my captor, my elbows slamming backward with all my remaining strength against his solid, unyielding chest.
My legs kick out uselessly into the empty air as I try to break free... to try and help her... because if I don't save her right now, I will fail her and her unborn child completely.
The sickening, metallic scent of copper and old dust fills my nostrils, making my head spin with a sudden, suffocating dizziness.
"Shh... quiet now, bitch," a smooth, chillingly unfamiliar voice whispers darkly right against my ear, his hot breath sending a wave of absolute terror down my spine.
"We've been waiting a very long time to take you back..."
Panic, cold and absolute, floods my entire system.
The monster that has been tracking me from the campus borders... just waiting in the dark for the perfect, vulnerable moment to take me away.
My vision begins to blur rapidly as a thick cloth scented with something sweet, heavy, and chemical is pressed hard over my nose and mouth.
I fight against it with everything I have left, my fingernails desperately clawing at the iron arm holding me down, my mind screaming for help... screaming for anyone to save us...
The very last thing I see through the fading, hazy darkness is one of the men lifting a limp Ellie up over his shoulder... but as the world begins to slip away, my mind doesn't think of the police. It doesn't think of safety.
It only thinks of one person.
Zade...
The thought of his angry, protective amber eyes flashes through my fading consciousness before the chemical darkness completely consumes me.
My hands drop limply to my sides, my strength vanishes, and my entire world goes completely black.