LOGINLaura. I thought my world had ended, my fate sealed with the demon called Raven as the ceremony progressed. My mind was in a daze. Everything Boaz was saying fell on deaf ears. I just stood there like a tree, unmoving. His men chatter boisterously, hailing their demon boss as he spills vows he's never going to keep. Their mock excitement sickened me.The moment Raven put his stupid ring on me, the crowd whistled, applauding their boss for bagging a slave, not a wife. While they were happy, I was drowning in misery.Just when Raven was about to kiss me, the loud crack of a gunshot echoed. That's when my hope revived. Help came. Murmurs ripple through the crowd as the men exchange looks, fearful and confused ones. One group left to find out the cause, and we heard another sizzling blast of gunshots followed by roars. Screams. The pungent smell of blood wafts into the air. That's when tension arose, thick like plumes of smoke in the air. I noticed Raven shaking visibly, his
Michael. Redemption comes when it's least expected. Mine is here, and I grab it with two hands, not minding the map of bruises on my body.“Boris.” Bones calls, the hammer dropping from his hand. It lands with a faint thud on the floor. Boris bows his head, speaking. “We got a Morse code sent by the queen. She demanded Pahkan Oleg's help immediately in the villa.” Laura…Something swims through me. Pride, I guess. Despite her suffering, my woman didn't stop being strong. She didn't stop fighting for me and our people. I never even knew she was adept with Morse code. “I'm sorry it took us so long to come. We had to train our new recruits for the mission…” “How many men are here?” Bones asks, cutting through Boris's words. “A hundred men…” I trade glances with Bones. “They've more but can make do with a hundred men.” They nod, preparing for the impending battle. Wordlessly, Boris unzips the waist bag he's carrying and pulls out a small container with a transparent liquid. He
Michael. I thought I'd experienced the worst misery in the world before. I thought that after being locked for three months in a water tunnel where sharks made a meal out of me, nothing would ever be as painful, but I was wrong. Being held prisoner in a tunnel is not as painful as seeing my wife being abused for the past two months. It's not as painful as seeing my son torture me. Lately, I'm a shadow of myself. A man broken beyond repair.My life is invariably tied to Laura's. Whatever pain she feels, I feel it too. Whatever misery. I'm not broken because I'm being tortured. I'm broken because my wife is hurt, and worst of all, I can't do anything to help her. We were taken by surprise, crippled before I could even wrap my head around it. Now, I'm nothing more than a slave in hard labor on my own property. A punching bag for my son and his allies.Liam has tortured me with hot iron, electrified me, lacerated me, and waterboarded me. I've been forced to ràpe teenage girls I'd n
Laura. *Two Weeks Later* I've waited patiently for intervention to come, for help, but it seemed too far-fetched. Two whole weeks have gone by, and there are no signs of Maisie, much less Boris and Oleg. I don't even know whether Patricia delivered my message at all. Now, my hopes are dashed. Crushed into tiny pieces, I can't even seem to pick it up again. Tonight, my fate will be sealed— I’m being forced to wed Raven tonight. The upbeat music streaming from downstairs into the room is proof that this is happening. I'm marrying the man who murdered my parents. I'm marrying the man who forced himself on me time and time again. I'm marrying the monster that forced me to divorce my husband and kept him in prison for over two months. It's a horrible tale. A dreadful path to walk in, but some things can't be avoided, as they say, and I guess this is one of them. Footsteps echo behind me as I stand before the mirror, examining myself. I have hundreds of scars on my body inflicted
Laura.“You've got visitors.” Boaz walks into my cell– the bedroom, and announces. He doesn't even mind knocking.None of them do.I've grown accustomed to being intruded upon, even if I'm in the bathroom, naked or not.It's already eleven in the morning, and I'm left gathering myself together after Raven wrecked me apart last night.I only decided to distract myself from my misery by writing down Morse code.It's been ages since I did that.Maisie and I used to learn it together back at Grams’ place. Apparently, one of grandma Shirley's customers was a retired soldier.The old man used to teach us Morse code together whenever he came to grams coffee shop.This morning, I decided to play with that knowledge, that's why I'm with a paper and pen.And the code I've been writing is about our captivity. I pretend to be writing it for Maisie.I scribble nonchalantly on the paper, ignoring Boaz, who's standing by the door.“Didn't you hear me?” He barks. “I said you've got visitors!”I write
Laura.Liam's wail reaches every corner of the villa as Raven burns his skin with a hot knife. The long chain bolted to the ceiling holds him aloft with his arms raised above his head, like the prisoner he is.His body dangles helplessly as Raven punishes him. His skin sizzles and burns under the hot knife, wafting the air with acrid scent along with the metallic scent of blood.This has been his condition since he was caught trying to help my husband and his friends escape.I don't know what made him change his mind, but I've an inkling he found out the real truth and decided to act fast.Unfortunately, his plans didn't push through. Igor caught him. It appeared they've been keeping an eye on Liam ever since, but Liam wasn't aware.I can't help but feel pity for him because he's as much a victim as we all are. His abuse began right from a young age, so I don't blame him for being the way he once was.Right now, this boy hanging from the ceiling in chains is a far cry from the Liam I
Liam. As I drag my tired feet over the floor of the bunker, I hear Raven's voice echoing, loud, firm, and clear like he's lecturing. “The world will be ours. East. West. South. And the north.” His feet clack in the silent air. “You'll rule the world with me like demigods. Pass judgments upon your
Liam. Slowly, I bend over and cautiously run my fingers over the weapons on the floor that are yet to be assembled, especially the Remington 700 sniper that sends a cold thrill through my system. Raven's smoke infiltrates the air in the space, saturating my lungs.He's watching me, letting me bas
Liam.We are here in New York City– Anton and I. Our arrival was last night, and I used it to scope the environment. The penthouse we're staying in is directly opposite Silas's. It'll give me the opportunity to deliver a clean shot just as I've planned. I've seen how his men sneak in and out of t
Laura. The doctor's appointment went smoother than I expected. From Michael's revelation earlier, I was expecting to see a young doctor, but it turned out the doctor was an old man, probably in his late sixties. Doctor Martin is cool and chatty. He remained in his professional mode all the while







