Ch-7: Don't stop!

Miley's POV:

I inched toward the frosted pane window, leaning forward and peering through the narrow strip of clear glass– holding my breath. 

Two men stood outside. One of them lowered his cigarette, the red glow dimming as he flicked away the ash, then puffed out a stream of smoke. 

“It looks like this is your first time on a job like this,” he said casually in a rough voice. 

The other man shifted uncomfortably. 

“Kinda. I've done other ones, but not… like this.”

The cigarette guy gave a lazy shrug. 

“Look, man. The ones who hire us, these are rich folks! They all do dirty things, and we don’t care. We’re not here to judge them. It’s just work. We get rid of whoever they want, get paid, move on. Try not to understand their feelings or the stories behind it… because if you start worrying about their family drama, you’ll drive yourself crazy.”

I felt bile rise in my throat. Get rid of whoever they want?

“Yeah, I get it… but you’re not understanding me right. I heard this young lady… she’s a real beauty of London! What a waste to send her straight to some brothel, right? Shouldn’t we brothers get a taste first? I mean, when are we ever gonna get a chance like this again?”

I froze. My legs went numb.

The first guy stared at him for a second longer, before he chuckled in approval. 

“Now you’re talking. Looks like you’re finally taking my advice! Hurry up and get rid of that nurse, I’ll go in and get the lady out.”

Shit…! 

I covered my mouth, pressing hard against it to stop myself from screaming or swearing. 

Emily… you really do hate me this much? She hated me so much that she wanted everything worse for me… this was what she meant. Worse than death.

I poured my tears back into my soul– there was no time to panic or cry. 

I scanned the room quickly, and my gaze landed on the window. 

I unlatched the window and pushed it open. Cold air rushed in, biting at my sweat-drenched skin. I took off my hospital slippers and left them just under the window sill– their only option would be to assume I had jumped out. 

Then, I dropped to the floor and crawled under the bed… with only seconds to spare as the door creaked open.  

Heavy footsteps entered, then stopped.  

"...The hell?" 

The man’s voice was sharp with confusion. .  

“The window… damn it!”

The sound of rapid footsteps followed as he stormed out, shouting for the others.  

“She escaped through the window! We need to search the area!!’

The moment he left, I slid out from under the bed. I had to keep my back bent low to avoid being seen… but my breath was already getting uneven. 

I pushed myself forward, giving fake promises that it would be over soon: I just had to take a few more steps towards the door, towards the hallway, towards whatever slim chance I had left to escape. 

Running barefoot past the empty nurse’s desk, the cool night air sliced across my skin. The polished floor turned into gravel near the garden exit, and sharp sandstones dug into the soles of my feet. 

I gasped, stumbling forward.

My hands scraped the ground, but I caught myself, barely in time.

My skin was burning, but it didn't matter. I just had to make sure to keep going… even half a step was better than stopping for a second!

I threw a glance behind me. Moonlight caught the red trail I left behind: footstep after footstep, stamped in blood.

Only one thought was looping in my mind, pushing me forward: if they caught me, I didn’t even want to imagine what kind of nightmare they were ready to drag me into… the torture that I might never be able to come back from.

I swallowed hard, coppery blood mixing with my salty tears. My breath came in desperate gasps. My vision became blurry, and I could feel it; my body was getting to the limits of what it could take.

“Over there! I saw her go that way!”

“Fucking hell, how is she still running?!”

My foot caught on a stone, and the world tilted. I threw out my hands, catching myself barely a few seconds before my face hit the gravel. 

I pushed myself to my broken feet, throwing a glance over my shoulder. Two shadows rounded the corner. 

"—check the bushes! She can't have gone far!"  

No… I would rather bleed out and die, than let them touch me. 

Suddenly, the grass under my feet turned to asphalt. I was on the main road, I didn’t even know how I got there. 

My stomach lurched with nausea, my limbs were trembling… my body wasn't strong enough to endure this, and my exhaustion was catching up to me rapidly. 

Right then, blinding white lights flooded the path, freezing me where I stood. 

I threw my arms up to shield my eyes against the glare, but the car came to a screeching stop. 

“Hey, you idiot!” 

A voice yelled from inside the car. 

“You’ve put yourself in danger again?!”

I blinked, trying to recognize the voice that seemed too familiar. 

“What if you came under our car and died?! Don't you know, it has only been two days since my uncle saved you from drowning in the sea? And here you are again, like you have a death wish!”