~Locked Away~

*Message not delivered*

A notification pops on my phone's screen.

What the- damn the connectivity of this college!

I can't believe this.

I can't believe this.

I raise my hand, phone along, and move it in the air around a certain radius while simultaneously checking for signal.

There it comes for a moment and relief washes over me. I bring back my hand and phone back to eye level and resend the text.

A few seconds pass by and it still doesn't get delivered.The network signal bar in my phone shows no horizontal lines.

Stupid thing! It's acting like a ghost!

There one moment and gone the next.

I move a little further into the basketball court, hoping for my phone to get some signal but this time I don't even get a false line over the bar.

I can't believe this.

I'm going to sue my network provider's company!

How am I ever going to find my way out of this maze?

There is definitely something with this place and me. Three continuous days in this college and I have never not felt like this is any less than a hell hole.

Feeling completely betrayed by the company whose sim I have been using, I hang my head down and with much heaviness in my heart I turn around to walk out of this court.

Maybe I should just go back to the place where I lost my way and then re-think about which direction I came from.

This place is anyway giving me the creeps.

But just when I am about to take a step towards the door,

I stop.

My heart skips a beat,

stops,

and picks up the beat once again.

It starts beating frantically.

Goosebumps creep up the length of my arms.

Out of nowhere in this empty room I hear the sound a ball bouncing on the floor.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Stop.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Stop.

Tap. Tap- it stops for a second and in that time I turn back around, my heart jumping at it's place.

Just as I turn,- standing right at the spot which is illuminated by a bright yellow-orange light in the otherwise dark court,- I notice a basketball flying in the air right in my direction. I squat down, shutting my eyes tight and a tiny squeal escapes my mouth.

I hold my position for another few milliseconds until I hear the sound of the ball falling down the basket which is a few feet away from me.

I retract myself from the squatting position and stand up straight, my heart still pounding fast, and watch the ball roll up to my feet.

What the hell just happened?

I am breathing heavily, still recovering from the shock from before.

I start to look around the place still standing at my spot because I don't want to lose the light and step into the dark in a place that gives me the creepiest creeps.

"W.. Who is it?" I ask. My voice echoes back to my ears.

"I swear if this is a prank, I'll kill whoever it is!" I shout when no replies for a good 2 minutes.

I move my eyes to the ball lying next to my feet and bend down to pick it up.

There is no way this ball is possessed to come flying at the basket like that on it's own. Things that do not have a soul can't be possessed, I know that- thanks to Conjuring.

So this ball was thrown by a person, I know.

Because who else can do that? Heh.

It's not like the ball would launch itself towards the basket on its own. Just because the basketball belong to the basket, doesn't mean it'll start jumping on its own. That's ludicrous. And, it's definitely not possessed.

Pfft. Never.

It's a person.

Definitely a person.

Or a ghost.

No. It's a PERSON. HUMAN.

Or a ghost.

PERSON IT IS!

There is not a single soul to be seen around this place. I can't see anyone as far as my vision extends.

There is no person here. It's a ghost.

It's a fucking PERSON!!

It's a ghost.

It's a pers- Or not.

I don't know! Shut up Nandini Murthy!

What the hell even? I don't have to think of ghosts. Ghosts aren't real. There's no way there can be a-

I can't breathe.

Suddenly I feel no air rushing inside my lungs. Instead, an awful smell makes it's way through my nostrils. It smells somewhat of weed. My mouth along with the opening of my nostrils get covered by a large hand whose fingers reach till the tip of my left ear.

I'm pulled right into somebody's front, my back facing that person so I can't tell who it is.

I want to turn around but I can't. The person's hold on me is too tight.

I want to squeal but I can't. My mouth is completely covered by an anonymous hand.

I'm trapped.

I wriggle helplessly in the strong arms that are surrounding me from behind but that doesn't do me any good. Sweat beads align themselves over my forehead and panic arises inside me.

I feel my phone slip right out my hands and then it drops to the floor with a thud.

"Just don't leave her!" A hushed feminine voice speaks from behind me.

"I won't, I know." Another hushed voice replies but this time it's of a guy and it's coming from right behind me." Just do it fast."

A soft black cloth gets tied to my head, blocking my vision in any possible way.

I protest, trying to escape the guy's hold but I can't. I try to speak but my voice comes out as muffled. But nonetheless, I keep squealing and struggling. When I realize that all my efforts are miserably failing in freeing me from my kidnapper, I jerk my elbow backwards and it comes into contact with that guy's gut, making him groan.

"Oof!" He stumbles back a little, his hold on my waist loosens but my mouth is still tightly covered.

"Don't leave her!" Shouts the same feminine voice.

"She hit me!" Hisses the guy behind me.

"Survive through it, asshole." Replies the girl.

"Easy for you to say!"

"You're such a sissy."

"Oh yeah? Try stepping into my feet. She sure as hell looks tiny but hits like The Rock!" He hisses and pulls me towards him with a jerk.

"Can you stop cribbing for a second? Hold her tight until I tie her hands up." She continues again in a hushed tone.

I wriggle like a worm in his hold but damn the guy is strong.

I don't understand why they think talking in hushed voices can make them inaudible because I can hear everything.

The next moment my arms are pulled to my back and they are too tied by a soft material. My kidnappers make sure to tightly tie my hands. It is then that the hand over my mouth releases it's grip and I can finally inhale oxygen and not some kind of a weed.

"What the hell! Who are you people?!" I start to turn around but am stopped by the same strong hands that were surrounding me until about a moment ago.

"Why did you leave the mouth! She'll attract attention!" The girl screams.

"The college is done. No one's here anymore."

"WHO ARE YOU GUYS?!"

"He is! And so is Sam. They shouldn't know! Shut her mouth!" She ignores me.

"LEAVE ME RIGHT N-" My words are pushed back into my mouth when the guy with the worst smelling hands covers my mouth again.

"Pick her up." The girl says in a commanding tone.

Pick her up?

What does she- woah!

The guy behind me encircle's his arm around my waist and lifts me up with one hand, while he uses the other to cover my face.

"Locker room." Says the girl and then the guy starts to walk with me lifted in his arms.

"Stop moving!" He hisses in my ear while I struggle in his strong hold.

After about a second he stops and puts me down. I jerk away from him and stumble on my feet, falling down on the floor.

My hands are tied, my eyes blindfolded. My heart is beating so fast that I don't think it is even possible for a human heart to race at that speed.

"What do you want from me?! Who are you people!" I scream in the air.

"Just throw her in." The girl says, obviously ingnoring me. Then again I am manhandled and lifted up from the ground below, much against my will.

"DROP ME RIGHT NOW!" I shout but it's like my words don't each my kidnappers tiny brains at all.

The guy carries me in his arms while I struggle in all possible ways that I can.

"I AM GOING TO REPORT THIS THING."

My feet find the ground once again when I am put down by my kidnapper.

"Once I find who you guys are you're both fucking going to PRISON!" My hands are stuck to my back, tied so tight that even my blood circulation has stopped at that point.

"Goodnight Princess." The guy finally speaks, humor in his voice.

"What.. What do you mean?" I ask.

"I hope you have a nice time rotting alone in this room for the entire night." The girl fills in.

"This is a very pathetic joke. Now untie my hands and remove the blindfold."

"Do you think we'd go through so much trouble with you for just a stupid joke?" The girl scoffs, "This is so much bigger than a joke. It's a war bitch. You started it but it shall end our way." She snarls and I feel her breath from a step away on my face.

"What the hell are you even talking about? Who are you?"

"You'll know who we are but just not today. Have fun in here!" She laughs and then I hear her footsteps, trotting away from me.

No. No. No. No. No. No.

What?

No.

What the hell have I even done to these people?

I can't stay alone in this creepy place. No way!

"You can't leave me!" I protest. But,

The door is slammed on my face,

the lock is twisted making a click sound,

And then there's silence all around.

They're both gone.

The whole place is eerily quiet.

The only two things I can hear are; My rapid breaths and my beating heart.

I'm left all alone in here with nothing but tied hands and blinded eyes.

------

Hey Yo! This is a little update that I had planned to post on Christmas but failed and then had to postpone it till New years but then I failed again.

Sorrrrrry.

But here is a tiny little update. I will update again in some time because I have divided this chapter in two, the other one is under construction. Just like I promised you guys! Here.

IGNORE THE ERRORS. PLEASE.

Do COMMENT and let me know how you liked this. VOTE as well!

And oh, Happy New year to ya'll! ❤