Heart of Darkness

Undress?

Angelica's mind wandered away, going anywhere but this place she was in. She thought of her mother and the life she had wished for her. She thought of her greedy father. Even he wouldn't want her to be in this situation and lastly, she thought of her brother. What would he think of this? What would he think of what she had become? 

She had fought hard for him and herself. But this wasn't the kind of fighting she wanted to do. She didn't want to endure this every day, selfish as it might sound. She knew leaving this place could be more dangerous and possibly lead to her death, leaving her brother completely alone. But she couldn't stop herself from being selfish. She couldn't stop herself from wanting something more and not surrendering to this. 

Turning her gaze she looked at the man in front of her who seemed to be losing his patience when she did nothing. 

"It will be easier for you if we get along, Angel." He said. 

Angel? 

She became nauseous at the way it sounded coming from him. It wasn't the same as when Rayven…. She didn't want to hear it from anyone else. 

The man rushed out of bed looking annoyed. Angelica's heart skipped a beat as the man grabbed her and pulled her closer. "I paid one crown for you. You better behave." He warned. 

Angelica pulled her arm away from his grasp. 

"Oh. So this is how you want to do things?" He said reaching for her again when she tried to get away. 

He wrapped his arms around her waist, picking her up he threw her on the bed. Then he placed himself on top of her. 

"Now lay still. It will hurt less." He said and reached for her dress.

Instinctively, Angelica grabbed the small vase on the bed stand nearby and hit it against his head. The man groaned in pain and held his head. Angelica took the opportunity to push him away and get out of bed. She couldn't take the door so she went for the window. 

The man was bleeding from his head and seemed to be in pain. He hadn't called for her help yet instead he tried to get up on wobbling legs. Angelica was thankful for the music playing outside so no one could hear what was happening here. Without hesitance she opened the window and jumped. 

The distance was a little longer than she expected and her legs and bare feet hurt, but she didn't have time to complain. Soon they would start looking for her. 

Angelica looked around to find the best way to escape. She wouldn't manage to get far away so she thought of finding a place to hide nearby where no one would suspect. She hid in the bushes right behind the brothel and waited. 

After a while, she heard the door open and angry male voices. "You better find her and bring her back to me!" The costumer yelled. "Look what she did to me." 

"I will find her, My Lord. Where could she possibly escape?" Simu spoke calmly. 

She heard him order a few men where to look for her and after a while, she heard the sound of horses as they rode away in search of her. Angelica waited anxiously and her legs cramped from the sitting position she was in. She couldn't move so she endured while biting her tongue. When she saw the sky getting darker and the sun set she knew the time was here. The time to escape. It would be easier in the dark and at this point, Simu and his men were further away from this place. 

When it became dark enough, Angelica got out of the bushes and quickly ran across the road to the other side. There were no woods nearby. They were smart to choose this place as a brother because it wasn't easy to escape. It was far away from homes, woods, or anywhere she could hide, so she did what she had to do. When she came to the other side, she crawled on the grass field to not be seen. 

Her arms and knees were sore and she was panting when she finally got to the other side. She had to cross another road to reach the woods. 

When she finally got between the tall trees, she took a moment to breath. She looked at the dark road ahead. The road that could possibly lead to her death. Angelica wouldn't have minded death if it wasn't for her brother. Even though she couldn't be of any use to him now with what she had become, knowing that she was alive would still feel better for him she thought. 

As she walked into the woods she wondered if the young women were killed in a similar place. Did the killers hide in places like this? She hoped not. 

It was already dark enough in the woods but she heard the sound of thunder from afar and looked up to see dark clouds gathering above her. 

Not today, she thought saddened. 

Gravel, stones, and branches wounded her bare feet as she couldn't see where she was going. When the pain became unbearable she decided to sit down for a while and remove whatever got into her feet. 

Removing the pieces of stones and wood that stuck to her feet was painful and tears began to stream down her eyes. Where would she go now after going through all of this? She would run from a few monsters to get into the hands of other monsters. What was the point? 

She remembers her brother's words. Only a monster would save her? Why would a monster save her when she was running away from them? Was this his nightmare? Were these the monsters that were chasing her? She knew they wouldn't stop until they found her. Simu made that clear. 

Just then she heard the sound of horses and men. Oh no!

Angelica listened to where the sound was coming from. She stayed hidden behind the tree and strained her ears. She recognizes Simu's voice and panicked. Making herself as small as she could she waited for them to go away. Any movement could expose her now. 

Thankfully, they passed by and their voices became more distant as they continued further down the road. Now, Angelica had to go in the opposite direction after waiting some more to be sure. She got up and ignored the pain in her feet, not stopping walking until she saw the trees ending. What awaited on the other side. 

Forcing herself to walk the short distance that was left with bleeding feet, she finally came out of the woods and was met by a hill. 

Angelica looked far up and saw the Wolf's den.