Nowhere to Run
Sameera's POV I woke up to darkness. Strange. Dad always left my bedside lamp on—he knew about my phobia. I shifted, trying to sit up, but a sharp pain tore through my back. "Hmph," I whimpered, my body aching in places I didn’t even know could hurt. My head throbbed, the pounding relentless, like something was trying to break out of my skull. Then it hit me. The memories. The gunshot. The blood. Dad. A choked sob escaped my lips. No. No. No. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. Today was supposed to be our father-daughter dance at school. My dress, my shoes, my crown… my dad. Tears burned down my cheeks, my body shaking as reality crashed into me. I didn’t even care where I was. Didn’t care how I got here. All I knew was that my father was dead, and I was alone. Then—creak. A door opened. The only light in the room came from beyond it, a thin, eerie strip of illumination stretching across the floor. My breath hitched. Footsteps. Slow. Calculated. "Are you awake, little doll?" That voice. I knew it. My body tensed, my heartbeat drumming against my ribs. Him. The man from last night. I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing myself to stay still. Pretend. Stay quiet. If I could just figure out who he was—why he killed my father—maybe I could escape. Then—something touched me. Slow. Soft. Slithering. A chilling sensation trailed up my leg, creeping higher, pressing against the inside of my thigh. I froze. My stomach twisted, bile rising in my throat. No. "N-No," I whimpered, my voice barely a breath. The touch disappeared. "So, you're awake," he mused, his voice dark, amused. "Hmph, little doll." My pulse thundered in my ears as I heard the click of a switch. Light flooded the room. My breath caught. The man from last night stood beside my bed. Rueben. His lips curled into a slow, sickening smile as he reached out, brushing a finger against my cheek. I jerked away, glaring at him. His smile widened. "Oh, I love that," he murmured. "Stubbornness. It always turns me on in seconds." He leaned in, inhaling deeply as if my scent was a drug he couldn’t get enough of. My skin crawled. Little doll. That’s what he called me. I lifted my head, meeting his gaze. "Yes," he chuckled, reading my thoughts. "Little doll." I swallowed hard. "It’s almost 11 PM," he continued, his tone casual, as if he hadn’t just violated my space—my sanity. "You haven’t eaten. I’ll send for your food first. I don’t want anything disrupting us." He ran his fingers through my hair once more before standing up. Then, finally, he left. I exhaled shakily, only now realizing I had been holding my breath. But I didn’t have time to process my fear. I had to get out. My heartbeat pounded in my ears as I swung my legs over the side of the bed, ignoring the sharp sting of pain. My bare feet touched the cold floor, and I hesitated—listening. Silence. He was gone. I sucked in a breath and moved. One step. Another. Slowly. Carefully. The door was slightly ajar. My only chance. I peeked out. The hallway was dimly lit, shadows stretching along the walls like hungry hands. I slipped through the doorway, my breath shallow, my heart hammering as I tiptoed down the hall. I needed to find a way out. Or at least… Dad. I had to see him. Had to know. I turned the corner— And froze. A figure stood at the end of the hall. Tall. Unmoving. Watching me. My breath caught in my throat as they took a step forward, the dim light revealing their face. My mother. Leah. She stared at me, her face unreadable. Not angry. Not relieved. Just… blank. "Where do you think you're going, Sameera?" she asked. Her voice was calm. Too calm. Like she already knew the answer. Like she already knew— There was nowhere to run.Vaughn’s POVThe traitor was on his knees.Bound. Blindfolded. Gagged.Just like Victor said he’d be.He was trembling, muttering nonsense behind the cloth stuffed in his mouth. Pathetic.I held the dagger in my hand, the same one Ben had pointed at earlier in horror. It was heavier than I thought it would be… but it felt right in my grip.Ben stood behind me. Silent.His face was pale. His hands clenched into fists.I didn’t look at him.I looked at the man.The traitor.The reason I was standing here.The reason I was finally going to feel something.Victor’s voice echoed beside me. Calm. Cold. Encouraging."You don’t hesitate. Not here. Not ever. You know what he did. You know what this means.”I nodded once.And in my mind…I pictured my father.His cruel smirk.The sound of my mother’s screams.The night he left me broken.I took a deep breath and pulled the gag from the man’s mouth.He coughed. “P-please… please, I didn’t mean— I didn’t—”I slammed the hilt of the dagger against
Vaughn’s POVBen had been disturbing me for two whole weeks now.Sometimes, I listened. Sometimes, I ignored him because, fuck him, I had my own problems to deal with.But he was persistent.No matter how much I shunned him, he kept coming back like an annoying stray cat.At some point, I took pity on him.And I decided to help.—Surprisingly, we were getting pretty close.I had even talked to Victor about him.Victor approved of Ben coming along to the training sessions after school. Said something about "It’s good to have a partner to spar with."So, what did that mean?That we were… friends?Oh, fuck.I never thought about having friends.It felt exhausting.And today, this so-called friend of mine wanted to hang out.Too bad today was also my first killing session.I grinned at the thought.I had already made a mental note to picture my father’s face as I delivered my first kill.The guy I was assigned to kill was a traitor.He worked for the enemy and was caught less than 24 hou
Sameera's POV Shock and fear were an understatement for what I felt the moment I stepped into the house. Reuben. He was sitting right there in the living room. For a second, my breath caught in my throat. Memories flooded back. The nights he came into my room, the way his rough hands grabbed me, the suffocating scent of alcohol mixed with sweat— My stomach churned. Wasn't he supposed to be in the Dark Room? Or whatever hell Victor said he sent him to that day? Why is he here? I turned to run. But just as I reached the door, I crashed into my mother. She didn’t move. She just stood there, looking helpless. "Where are you running to, little doll?" His voice sent a cold shiver down my spine. I turned back to face him. He was standing now, pushing himself up from the armrest of the chair. His face was bruised, his arms covered in visible wounds. Probably from the Dark Room. Good. But not enough. "Why is he here, Leah?" I didn’t know where the courage came from, or how I e
Vaughn's POVVictor had me enrolled in a school close to the clan—at least, that’s what I was told. Truth be told, I had no idea what the clan even looked like from the outside.But school?Fuck, I hated it already.From the moment I walked in, I could feel the stares. The same ones I’d gotten my whole life.I knew I was handsome—painfully so. I got it from my mother, not my psychopathic father. People often said I looked beautiful, almost ethereal, which only made the attention worse. Girls had always stared at me, from maids to strangers, and I had long since learned to ignore it.But my real issue?I didn’t fit in.I never had, and I never would.Victor and the principal escorted me to my new class, and I could already feel the weight of their expectations."You need a normal, active life," Victor had said. "It’ll serve as a disguise for you in the organization."Yeah, right.Inside the classroom…I walked to the front as the principal introduced me."Hi, everyone. My name is Vaugh
Vaughn's POV I couldn’t believe my eyes. Aunt Maria? My mother’s best friend? Sitting here, acting all lovey-dovey with my father? What. The. Actual. Fuck?! Without thinking, I marched forward, my blood boiling. My fist slammed against the table, making the plates rattle. That’s when they both looked up, and my father immediately withdrew his hand from her stomach. I could feel my breath burning hot as it left my nostrils, the rage inside me making my vision blurry. “What is going on here, Dad?” My voice was low, but the fury behind it was unmistakable. "Vaughn, my son, please—" My father stood, trying to reach for me. Something’s changed. It had only been three weeks, but the way he looked at me… There was something different. For the first time, I saw something genuine in his expression. But it didn’t matter. “I AM NOT YOUR SON!” I roared, my voice echoing through the empty restaurant. I turned sharply toward Maria. “Why is she here?! Why were you two acting all... FUCK
Vaughn’s POVThe training was relentless, but I adapted fast. In just a week, I had learned the first techniques of fighting—precision strikes, defensive stances, controlled breathing. My body, once weak from neglect, was quickly transforming into a weapon.I had taken down four men at once during a sparring session. Victor had been impressed, but not satisfied. He demanded more. Pushed harder. Because in this world, impressed wasn’t enough.And I needed more too. I needed to become stronger—not for myself, but for revenge. My father, my uncle, everyone who had turned a blind eye. They would all pay.My mother’s blood was on their hands. And my sibling—the one who never even made it into this world—was dead because of my father’s psychopathic nature.No one would be spared.But then Victor suggested something that made my entire body freeze."I can't do that, Uncle Victor," I said immediately, my hands balling into fists.Victor’s expression turned sharp. "Just Victor, Vaughn. Not 'Un