MasukHAZEL The door shut with a soft click as I walked inside, and the sound… it sounded as if it wasn't made to keep sound out, but to keep something, or someone...in.I stopped just a step inside, my eyes adjusting to the slightly dimmer lighting. The room wasn't small exactly, but it felt enclosed, like it had the purpose of holding people inside temporarily or hiding them.Lisa was already there. She stood near the far wall, arms crossed, one heel tapping impatiently against the floor. The moment she heard the door close behind me, her head snapped in my direction....and just like that, she looked away.The guards stood inside behind me, positioning themselves near the door, silent but unmoving, watching everything without looking like they were watching anything.I swallowed lightly and moved farther into the room, keeping a careful distance between Lisa anand me. I sat down, holding my hands together before I looked at her again and just decided, I guess, to make conversation...to m
HAZEL Axel didn’t question it. He simply motioned toward a door on the side of the room, one I hadn’t even noticed before.“Thanks. I’ll be back,” I added, forcing a reassuring smile on my face.I started to stand, pushing myself up carefully, already turning toward the door... When there was a knock.A sharp, quick, Quick And… wrong knock.It wasn’t just a knock. It was patterned. One knock, Silence. Then two knocks, Silence. Three knocks and Silence again. Something about it made my skin prickle. It seemed Coordinated and Intentional.And just like that, the air in the room shifted. I felt it before the door even opened.... Then it did And the man stepped in.My stomach dropped instantly. I immediately recognised him. Of course I did; it was the Man from the island. The one from the house where they were making drugs.The one who had come to see me before he left… and told me, 'I have a feeling we’ll see each other again.'He told me his name was Sal. He gives me really creepy vibe
HAZEL Cassio's hands found her quickly, pulling her in, holding her close. And what followed....It wasn’t subtle. It wasn’t careful. It was raw and Messy.Their bodies pressed together, moving in sync but without restraint...hands wandering, gripping, touching places that made my breath hitch. They kissed like they had forgotten where they were, like nothing else existed, grinding against each other in a way that felt too intimate, too much...like they were practically fucking with their clothes like no one's business. No one else in the room seemed to care about the display. Like this was normal. Like this was expected.My gaze flickered away, only to land on Axel again. He had already turned his attention towards Lisa. Lisa was smiling, her hips swaying, her body rolling with the rhythm as her hands brushed up his arm, testing and teasing.Axel caught her wrist lightly. Controlled. Then he pulled her in, not roughly or carelessly. But with intention. He lifted her slightly, just f
HAZEL I instinctively glanced at Axel, then shook my head.Cassio chuckled. “It’s impolite to refuse a dancing invitation.”“I’m sorry,” I said again, feeling awkward now. “It’s just… I hurt my leg, and today is the first day I’ve even worn something that wasn’t soft and… I’m not really a good dancer.”“Oh my God, enough....come on,” Cara insisted, already pulling me up.I hadn’t had enough wine to be that brave. Definitely not enough to dance in front of Axel, his brother, his sister-in-law, Lisa, and the guards who looked like they noticed everything and said nothing.So I stood there. Awkwardly shifting my weight from one leg to the other, making small movements that barely counted as dancing. Meanwhile.... Cara moved like she was made for it.Her body flowed with the music effortlessly, her hands, her hips, every movement smooth, confident, magnetic. I couldn’t even pretend to keep up. I just watched her, a little mesmerised. Because she didn’t just look beautiful.... She owned i
HAZEL We drove out of that part of town and into something cleaner, brighter, safer, until eventually, the city opened up into a commercial area filled with lights and life. Normal. Or at least… something that looked normal.Axel pulled over and parked beside the sleek car Cassio had been driving. But inside, it was empty.“They’re already here,” Lisa huffed, clearly irritated. “I had a bet with Cara… now I owe her money. Thanks a lot.”She turned her head toward me, giving me an accusing look. And just like that, I knew, she blamed me.“What did I do?” I asked, genuinely confused.She didn’t answer. Just gave me a look that was sharp, annoyed, dismissive, before rolling her eyes and stepping out of the car.“I’m going for a smoke,” she muttered.I exhaled slowly, still trying to piece together who she was, what she was, and why she seemed to exist in Axel’s space as if she belonged there.“Don’t mind her,” Axel said as he stepped out, then came around to my side and helped me out of
HAZEL Lisa’s smile was bright, almost blinding in its confidence, but Axel didn’t smile back. And yet—I felt it. That glance he gave me. Quieter. Different. Like something had shifted, just slightly beneath the surface.Before I could even begin to understand it, there was a sudden knock on top of the car. A sharp, loud thud and A scream tore out of me before I could stop it. Nobody else inside the car seemed to be bothered by the knock or the scream. Lisa merely rolled her eyes at me dismissively.Cassio stood there, half his shirt open, laughing wickedly like a man completely unhinged, high on adrenaline, maybe something more.“I want my pay,” he said, still grinning.I frowned, my heart still racing. What the hell was he talking about?Axel didn’t argue or question what he meant. He simply reached for his wallet, pulled something out, and started writing. A check.I leaned forward slightly, trying to see, my breath catching as my eyes landed on the numbers.... Zeros. So many zeros
HAZELI stop chopping and listen.... Silence.I wipe my hands on a towel and walk to the kitchen door. I try the handle. It doesn’t open. My smile fades. I go to the front door. I pull Harder. It doesn’t open. I rush to the back door, the one that leads outside.... Locked.That’s when the thoughts
HAZELStill nothing. Axel still doesn't say a word.I push myself back against the bed, using it to steady myself, and look at him properly now. His face isn’t twisted with rage. There’s no cruelty written there, no madness. He looks composed. Controlled. Unaffected....That scares me more than ang
HAZELNobody comes into the house that day. I know it. I wait until midnight, telling myself I can handle it, until I finally can’t. I dump junk food all over the kitchen, leave the place dirty on purpose, and rush back to my room. Eventually, I fall asleep again.When I wake up the next morning,
HAZELI gesture vaguely around me.“I have a lot of places to destroy today. I hope you all enjoy yourselves as much as I will.”And it’s decided. Axel will have no choice but to let me out. That thought keeps me going. It keeps my smile in place.I look straight into the camera again.“First,” I s







