Jay's POVMy heart beat up my throat almost to my mouth while I kept my composure to the exterior. My arm was hooked with Maria's. She gracefully walked around as if we weren't looking around for dealers who came in for auction.
They didn't bet on non-living things. They were betting on humans, young girls. For what? To satisfy their lust!? It disgusted me more than anything that the ones who bid were the elites with a psychopath mentality. Damn Pheliophides.
I glanced at Maria who didn't even shed a sweat and I looked nervous while trying to hold it in.
Maria: Don't make it look obvious. Even though you are behind a mask, your body language speaks it all.
She said rubbing my arm with her other free hand to relax me before flashing a charming smile to another man staring at us.
We were walking on the 1st floor which gave a typical grand view of the ballroom, the giant chandelier looked enchanting from above, though the lights were dim, the staff had successfully managed to arrange tables around ready for the auction, and a grand stage was set up for the auction.
The anchor climbed up the platform holding a mike addressing the businessmen about the auction and its valuable items worth millions. This looked like any other auction.
The auction was about to start. The place didn't look fishy. It felt like any other grand event that I had visited before. My mind drove back to others who were working together now as a team. Laura, Fedrick and Drake.
All of us had divided our roles. Fedrick and Drake were paving ways to search places where the girls would have been held captive.
Laura had one of the hardest tasks: hiding that old man's body who was knocked down in the room before. Assigned by Maria. And I had seen the steam blowing off her ears while she death glared at Maria. I suppose if a stare could kill, we might have to hide Maria's body as well.
Maria and I had the task of looking over the auction and figuring out how they were going to show off literal girls/ human beings being auctioned on stage in the eyes of the press.
Yes, Media was surely present all over the room, entertainment journalists ready to make the littlest of the whisper into the talk of the town. This could go public on the internet overnight. So there were only 2 options left. Either there was a miscommunication or misunderstanding to bring down the host, maybe done by his enemies. Or this auction went over some secret Morse code to get those girls auctioned.
My steps halted near the fence, my eyes flying around the ballroom to find something out of place. My promise and yearly resolution to not get myself stuck in such a mess was now thrown straight out of the window.
I couldn't care less. Those girls were innocent and must be searched by their families, with such crucial information I couldn't just sit idle and watch the situations unfold.
After a few minutes of anticipation, the host had started to speak and this time the the first item was brought into display.
It was a footwear designed by one of the most famous brands that existed decades ago. The host continued to describe the item and I was lost. Weren't they out here to sell kids?
Maria came behind me, her iris dancing, tracing the tables and their surroundings. Her hands grasped my sleeve, followed by her covered arms that hooked around my arm, it caught me off guard, making me flinch a bit. Her forehead rested on my shoulder while her eyes took in the ballroom's view.
She was thinking. I could feel it. A minute of silence is what it took her to speak.
Maria: While attending such a grand event how come they are using their phones in the middle? Of an auction like this? What a shame.
I couldn't help but stare at her, astonished. She was quick to find out while my eyes ignored the phones because it had become a common lifestyle factor.
Jay: So are they bidding through their phones?
I couldn't help but question because some of them were glancing at their phones once in a while, while others seemed to look composed, smiling.
Maria: No they aren't.
She paused.
Maria: They are actually bidding for the girls. But for the world, they are buying those antique pieces that are worth millions. Their phones only have the details of the girl that they are currently bidding for. And once the auction is over they are going to get what they have actually bid for.
Disgust crawled into my veins. This was so clever that even if we provided proof, no one was going to believe us. The thought of these people's minds made me sick to my stomach.
I looked at Amy and realised she actually wasn't talking to me. Her fingers were touching her ears, she was talking to someone through the earpiece that had been hidden behind her thick black hair all this time, which almost seemed like curtains to her ears.
She walked off leaving me behind.
Did she just walk over to me?
She ignored me. I had never seen someone so arrogant. After Amy.
Such negligence! But I couldn't waste time mourning over my crushed ego. I followed behind her.
She continued to scan through the rooms. As if she had studied the detailed architecture of this palace and stayed for long. She entered one of the rooms, maybe speaking to Drake.
I quietly followed her, not wanting to be a nuisance. Her steps halted in front of a giant painting. I stopped a few steps away from her, tracking her gaze.
This room was quite different. It had more books and maybe files. It was a study room while other rooms were clean and empty since nobody lived here.
Maria had been silent until she turned towards me.
Maria: Help me remove this.
She indicated the painting.
I stepped forward reaching the frame, pulling it off the hooks that were used to hang it on the wall. Once I had put the big frame aside, my eyes went back to the wall and saw Maria inspecting it up close.
Before I could even blink, Maria's fist collided against the wall, I gasped almost sprinting towards her to look for injuries. But then the wall caught my attention again, Maria's fist had plunged into the wall, and she punched it repeatedly making a large hole out of it. She tried to look through it.
Maria: This is it.
She mumbled. Speaking something incoherent to Drake on her earpiece, for sure they were instructions to rescue those girls. Maybe they were way ahead in their planning and knew what they had to find.
There were faint sounds coming from the hole. I inched near the cavity, the sounds were more audible. My eyes widened at the cries.
It was of girls, the ones we all are trying to rescue. Maria had already instructed the next steps to Drake. And before we could fix the picture on the wall and leave, men were barging in. Tall and buff. The door was slammed shut behind them to avoid any disturbances in the auction. And humble us with their fighting skills.
Their weapons including guns and knives were sure not meant for showpieces. I calculated my skill level from the past two years and I knew these guys were far more experienced. I have to save myself and Maria too.
We could only defend and run. I grabbed Maria's hand, making a run to the bathroom. And I was fast enough to actually manage and shut the bathroom door behind us. Maria gave me a look, confusion etched upon inspecting her twitched lips.
Jay: What?
I breathed heavily.
Maria: What?
Her tone was indifferent.
Jay: What do you mean?
Maria: What do you mean?!
She mimicked the same words.
Jay: Stop copying me. I'm making an effort here to save ourselves.
Maria: By hiding in the bathroom?
She mocked.
Jay: What?
I was annoyed.
Maria: Do you think a bathroom door is going to save us?
She mocked again.
Jay: Why not?
I snapped.
She didn't speak, folding her arm across her chest she leaned her back against the wall, even though her eyes were barely visible behind that fancy mask. I could tell she was rolling her eyes at me.
Jay: This door is strong enough to avoid attacks.
I huffed.
And the next moment I was proved so wrong. A damn axe penetrated through the door. Its shiny iron tip peeking through. I almost screamed.
And before we could even think of any solution, the door had broken by powerful kicks. Maria still didn't move an inch while I panicked snapping my irisis to find any weapon. Out of everything I saw a mop, nothing could be as funny as the situation I was in. My life was on the line. And so was Maria's and yet she had been so unfazed about it. She didn't care, did she?
The bathroom was grand and classy enough for us to defend and run around. I grabbed the mop and my peripheral vision had already caught those men entering inside. The wooden door was broken into pieces and Maria didn't even bat an eye.
This WOMAN!!!
One of them lunged forward towards me and I held the mop as if it were a sword. But the next moment he tripped and fell to the floor, his face planting on the marble tiles right before my feet and I decided to aim for his head, hitting hard enough to make him unconscious. My eyes followed Maria spotting her bare leg from her high-slit glittery gown being stuck out, tripping the man who collapsed before my feet, now out of consciousness.
I gulped forcing myself to look up and found her smirking at me.
Maria: Like what you see?
She spoke coyly.
I was lost for a while and before another man could stalk forward, Maria had his arm dislocated in a blink of an eye. There was an audible crack, while that man screamed over the top of his lungs. She snatched the knife from his hand simultaneously twisting his arm, breaking more bones, while she plunged the knife with her other hand on his spine, leaving him in a vegetative state for a lifetime.
Maria: I suggest you Doctor, do not die.
What did she just call me?!
I didn't react. My eyes stared at her hand which was smeared with blood as she repeatedly stabbed the others who had barged in. I continued to stare. It brought back memories. The last time when I had seen such bloodshed was 2 years ago. My head felt lighter as if I was dwelling back into my memories.
I had to snap back! This wasn't the time when one fatal move could bring me long-lasting injuries. I had to act upon my instincts. My brain was back to alert mode. I had one attack coming in. A punch to be shoved right at my face. I instinctively dodged the punch; fist nearly touching my face but it tossed my mask over leaving my face bare. I didn't flinch and punched the said man in his stomach.
I pulled the mop, charging it at the other one who had been standing right behind my back trying to grab me. My instincts had strengthened with time. Two years and present I had invested most of my time on training martial arts. And the initial phase was horrible. My mentor had been ruthless, he had tortured me in many ways. At the end of the first month of training, my knuckles were covered in bruises, and so was my body. So small blows didn't do me much now. I was quite immune from distractions.
After fending off those two guys, the third one came for my throat, his knife almost piercing my neck, if it was not for my reflex speed making me grab his wrist before he reached for my neck. I lunged my knee hitting a place where the sun didn't shine, hearing a groan from the guy. Before he could scream in agony and grab his now pained crotch, I successfully grabbed him by his waist and pushed him over my shoulder, making him fall on the marble bathtub behind me, his head crushed and neck snapped not enough to kill him. I made sure of it. Because killing them wasn't my motive. I meant no harm.
What were these guys?
They just wouldn't give up.
Two of them surrounded me, making it difficult for me to predict their intentions. My gaze flickered between the two. I did have an idea for that. Before they could comprehend, my feet planted with force on the man's feet who was on the left while I made a turn launching my feet swiftly to the other man, kicking him square to the jaw and slamming him to the wall in retreat. Their groans and screams echoed in the large bathroom. I wanted a moment to appreciate my hard kicks which I had practised for months and it was now fruitful but I couldn't afford the time.
There were more coming and I didn't know how long had I been fighting, my energy was drained by using such hardcore moves to disable them. These guys were pro at killings and I was sure I would be in cuts and bruises by the end. My blazer had been helpful due to its thick material that had prevented the small cuts from passing through it, but now it was ripped.
I was in a dilemma, to save the remaining energy I had just one option left. I jabbed the side of my hand to a specific point on their necks that would make them unconscious for some time and would buy us time to escape. I breathed heavily dodging and throwing limb-numbing moves on those fighters for more than half an hour had taken a toll on my body. I almost felt paralyzed. My brain was dizzy due to being targeted and hit on the head more than once.
I didn't know how many men were there to fight me. I continued solving my ultimate test after 2 years of hardcore training. I would survive and protect Maria too. I gave a mere glance for a second towards Maria who was behind me on the other side. But my gaze seemed to be stuck. I was caught off-guard.
I turned my back only to see the white marble tiles covered in red liquid.
Blood.
Everywhere.
Just Red.
Gore.
There were sprinkles and splashes of blood on the walls and the marble tiles as if they were brushstrokes made on canvas. A pile of few men lingered around Maria and I knew none of those men were alive. While I had fought badly and defended myself, I had ignored those heart-wrenching screams in the process.
The bathroom had dim yellow lights. It gave a monochromatic look. Everything looked yellow except the blood and that pitch-black outfit worn by Maria that shined with glitters around such gore.
Maria looked like a fallen angel, powerful yet looked so fragile. One could ignore the bloodshed around but would see Maria as an angel. Twisted. I thought it was. I didn't know one could look so ethereal while killing people like a maniac. Her hair was wet, drenched in blood. Droplets of red liquid fall off the strands to the floor, immersing in the pool of blood around. Her hands held a gun and a knife.
She looked so sinful, yet so pure and beautiful. Her black feathered mask looked as if it were a part of her face. I had ignored the small groans around me because I was too caught up in the sight until I was attacked by one of them again. And my reflex was just too slow as I yanked away, that man had a knife and he almost stabbed me. But the damage was done.
The knife sliced through my shirt underneath, penetrating my skin near the stomach. The burning sensations surged through my veins and I groaned, one of my hands covered the wounds while I elbowed him in the stomach with my other arm making him jerk away and groan in reaction.
The next moment I heard a loud bang and saw the guy sprawled over the floor with a thud, a few seconds later his clothes were soaking in his own blood. I saw Maria staring at the man, I couldn't see her eyes but I could feel her aura, it gave me chills, there was something dark and eerie about it.
Her hand held straight with the gun as smoke blew up slowly from the gun's muzzle indicating the amount of heat it had generated.
Did she just shoot him?
Was killing a piece of cake for her?
I realized she wore a black dress for a reason.
To hide blood. Her first intention was to kill and rescue the girls. She wouldn't mind if this event ended in a massacre. She had the power to wipe out existence and wouldn't leave any traces of it.
My eyes lowered to my abdomen, though the attack hadn't pierced my vital organs but this wound would require stitches. The white shirt beneath my blazer had already turned red, soaking with blood in places where my wounds existed.
My energy was on the brink of exhaustion, my eyes felt droopy and I could lose consciousness at any moment. I looked at Maria, vision blurring in one of my eyes, maybe my lens came off. Or am I practically dizzy? I crouched to the floor pressing my wound to avoid losing too much blood.
She walked towards me, her hand reaching for her mask that had her face covered the whole time. Though I was dizzy, I was still curious to discover her true self, her identity. She crouched down, splashes of blood decorating the skin beneath her eyes. Her mask came off, and I couldn't understand if I was in reality or just hallucinating or if was it my blurred vision that was making me believe what I was seeing.
This can be.
This was not real.
My bloodied hand reached her face, my legs wobbling at my thoughts, lips quivering at the sight I was seeing. It felt like I was sinking. Sinking deep in the dark, swallowing me to the abyss, and I just couldn't float back.
She couldn't be alive.
Amy...
Mine...
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Hi guys, its been a long time that I had updated an another episode, but here I am back with an update. I hope you guys enjoy this episode and leave your ratings and comments. I am very grateful of how much you guys have appreciated my writing and have watched my writing and vocabulary grow over the episodes. So stayed tuned with me to the very end.
Thank you 💜
Peace ✨🤍
