Clarissa

I ran as fast as I could. As fast as my feet could carry me.

I was pushing through the crowd and trying to find my way towards Suzanne's stall.

After what seemed like an eternity, a freaked out Suzanne and an almost calm Laura came into my view.

As I stumbled past a few people, falling to my knees due to exhaustion, I could feel Suzanne all over me.

"Oh god where we're you! Oh my god I was so worried! Let's get out of here fast! Hurry up!" She was blabbering nonstop.

"God Suzy calm the fùck down!! Nothing will happen!" Laura Exclaimed and Suzy closed her eyes and started taking deep breaths.

I remembered my hair and put them in a bun, while Laura tried to cover it with some of my coloured locks.

We then started looking for Martin while Suzanne was trying to call him, I saw a guy approach us, or rather approach this area.

I saw around and my eyes widened when u saw that most of the young girls, some with brown hair, were around here.

I looked back at him and saw him looking at a girl behind me.

And Suzanne.

Before I could think of something he started a sprint in our direction.

And he was damn close.

I was standing behind Suzanne, towards her stall. Suzy did not notice the guy coming.

My mind was fogged up and when he came and put an hand on her shoulder, I picked her stalls laddle and swung it as hard as I could on his temple.

A few shrieks was all I could hear when I felt another grip on my shoulder.

Which was too hard to be concerned or friendly. And too big to be Martin's.

I elbowed him without looking and turned around to land a punch on his face when someone else beat me to it.

Martin.

There weren't much of the guys right now. Just two more. I could do this. I'll save atleast them.

"When I say RUN, you all do not think twice and sprint!" I yelled as loud as I could and took the laddle in my hand again.

A guy punched me when I bent down to pick it up but I did not stagger back and instead flicked it at his pelvis, in my bent position.

Martin took the lead and punched the guy, receiving some in return.

I saw Laura punching another guy.

When the guy was trying a very hard blow on his stomach, I punched him instead.

This was the time. Both the men were busy and one was extremely injured.
No one was in the direction of the exit.

"RUN!" I bellowed.

It was all it took for three girls to sprint right from behind me.

It was all it took for me to send a 'please go! I'll be safe' look to Suzy for her to follow the others.

It was all it took for me to push Laura out, and all it took for Martin to take my hand.

And it was all it took for someone to smash something hard at the back of my head.

I collapsed to the ground, feeling my head pound hard at my temples.

I could see those white and black spots at the end of my vision.

I was slipping into oblivion.

I was living what the books spoke about death not being painful sometimes.

I saw Martin kneel down and try to wake me up. I felt his hand go to the back of my head.

"Go." Was the only thing I could manage to speak in a gruff and croaky voice.

I peeked in horror at the guy kicking him in his stomach, and I watched him fight the man, all in vain.

And just before my vision blurred, I saw the hands of my watch.

11:06

And then it dawned on me what the note in my locker meant to say.

What that one vertical line insinuated.

11:00 AM.

☆

The smell was the first thing that hit my senses.

Sweat. Dampness. Dust. Blood.

And then the itch at my wrist. A terrible one at that.

I decided against opening my eyes to hear what ever I could.

Laboured breaths of many people.

Grunts of pain.

Nothing else.

I don't know for how long I had been out. But considering the blood I could feel on my pinky finger behind my back was still sticky and wet, not long.

There were two guys sitting on the chairs around us.

Us. Yes. There were atleast 20 more girls with me.

And my head was throbbing like nothing before.

My hands were bound from behind. And the rope was making an incredibly unbearable itch on my wrists.

I was sitting down on the ground. With knees touching my chest and hands behind my back.

And the pocket knife still in my back pocket.

Before I could even think of getting the knife out and slicing my rope, someone else was pushed into this dark musty room.

I couldn't see her face yet. But she was pretty tall. After she took some steps inside, I realized it was not a 'she'.

It was Martin.

I mean what the fùck?

Couldn't he just go home? Why the hell was he even pushed in? He doesn't even have brown hair.

All the girls in the 'cellar' turned to look at him. And he was looking at me.

I am supposed to be angry at him. I am not going to fall prey to his docile eyes.

But that's what my mind says.

Even then I mustered courage to not smile at all, trying to conceal the pain showing on my face and raised an eyebrow at him.

But exactly opposite to what I had expected, he raised his lips upwards in a sly smile.

Did he have anything planned?

"He was very insistent on getting inside." A voice from somewhere left,  in the dark.

"I remember him. He was with that purple haired girl. He knocked Ryan out." Said one of the guys sitting on the chair.

Purple hair? What? Are the referring to the purple streaks in my hair? Probably.

"When are we going to finish this off?"

"Probably soon. We just need to get the message. The setup is all done."

After this small conversation of theirs,  two of them retreated back into the dark, leaving just one of them behind.

I glanced at Martin and found him already staring at me.

He nodded towards his hands and wiggled them.

They were already free. I don't know how.

I took this as cue and studied the man sitting on the chair.

He was glancing at some other girl absentmindedly.

I barely had to wiggle my butt to get the knife out of my back pocket, all the while looking at the guy for any signs of attention directed towards Martin or me.

I carefully cut the rope, with gentle strokes so that it won't make a noise. Once or twice he did glance at me, but I successfully maintained my tired expression to ward him off.

Before I got rid of the cut rope pieces,
I instantly froze at the entry of 3-4 men in the dark space.

I glanced at Martin and he mirrored my expression. I noticed that all the men carried something I truly despised now.

Syringes. Empty Syringes.

All of the men caught hold of the arms of one of the girls and pierced the needle in the anterior surface of their elbows.

One came to me.

The syringes were pulled back and blood was extracted out of our arms.

Now I know what they had planned.

One of the men pointed out to Martin with the barrel of his gun, "What to do with this kid?"

"Get rid of him. For now."

A slight nod was the only approval he gave to his command.

In that slight moment, with panic surging up in me, I looked at Martin and did not find the slightest hint of fear in him.

The man flipped the gun in the air and took hold of the barrel and swung it towards Martin's head.

But before it could reach his head he swerved to his right and the man hit some box behind it.

A punch was thrown in the air and the noise of pain was all that made me jump up and pierce the knife in his thigh.

He let out another guttural scream and before it even ended, I pulled the knife out only to pierce it back into another man's leg.

It was all in a matter of seconds.

I got up and plunged the knife into two more men when my hand was pushed behind my back. I tried to kick him in his thigh-- which I somewhat did-- but that didn't make him loosen his grip on my wrist.

I had to think of something.

I looked right and left for some leverage when my eyes met a pair of grey ones.

She had a fierce look in her eyes and I recognised her from the girl who kicked that guy and saving many girls in the process.

A slight nod towards my knife is all I need to know what she meant.

It was still clutched tightly in my hand. But he had mine in a tight grasp.

I shifted my foot a bit and found his. With all my might I stepped harder than I think I could and his immediate response was to loosen his grip.

I took this as my cue and swiveled the knife towards her and she eagerly grasped it in her mouth and then a bit firmly with her teeth and sunk it deep into the guys thigh.

I got down and helped her cut the rope binding her hands as fast as I could.

After I undid her she mercilessly wrenched the knife out of the man's thigh earning another wail out of his lips.

"Back to back." She whispered.

Kicking another man in his groin and punching him under his ear, I saw how he fell limp on the ground when she attacked.

I tried to mimic her actions but couldn't get the exact results.
Instead he lost his balance and grabbed on to my arm tugged me hard.

The force of it had me collapsing on my back. The moment I felt the contact of something hard on my back, I tried to shift on the side with might and hit myself with something else on the back of my head.

The instant ache surging to my head had me screeching in pain. I could see the blinking colours around my vision.

A blurred face was in front of my vision and I assume it was Martin.  Again.

'Déjà Vu' was all I could think of at the moment and again, I said the only word I could possibly have the strength to utter, "Go."

And then I slipped into the dark oblivion.

_____

Hey lovelies,
Sorry for the wait but I had my finals and could not write properly during that.

This chapter is comparatively small, but I am going to update soon hence you don't need to worry.

Thankyou so much for sticking to this book. Hope you like this chapter.