CHAPTER 52 (STRUCK)
Oh dear. What have I gotten myself into?
Okay. Okay. Calm down.
One lady fought off a group of buff guys by using Taekwondo.
I didn't know that though. Darn it. I knew I should've tried learning martial arts/ I knew I shouldn't have given up my dream of becoming Bruce Lee's disciple.
Option two:
Run.
But how long will my legs
take me? I could run a long distance, but I knew these scum would
eventually catch up with me.
The three were grinning at me malevolently, as if I were a tasty blueberry cheesecake.
Oh! How could I compare myself to food at a time like this??
I scurried back, nearly hitting a branch as I did so. Something darted behind me. I screamed as it did so.
There was a resounding echo of my scream ringing throughout the whole forest.
Phil cackled. "She's a noisy one, eh Bill?"
Bill, the fat one, nodded and eyed me greedily. "I know. How about ripping her mouth off before we sell her off? Right Jill?"
Jill, the bald one, nodded. "I guess so."
What the heck?
Phil…
Bill…
Jill…
Hey, if you
make an acronym out of that, it's going to be P, B, and J. Peanut
butter and jelly.
Okay. Now that I've pointed out my little
discovery, I think it would be best to think of a solution out of
this.
I scrabbled my mind for one, but I did it in vain. I couldn't think of anything. I was helpless, defenceless and weaponless.
I felt like crying. I was silently praying for someone to come and rescue me.
Harold and Danny would come, but what would happen to me by then?
Phil approached me and knelt down. I gasped and my lip trembled. He smiled at me. I noticed that a few of his teeth were already rotten and I could smell a trace of whiskey from his breath.
He lifted my chin and placed something cold against my neck.
My eyes widened as I realized what it was.
It was a knife.
I started to cry.
This was hopeless. Simply hopeless. I wished so badly that this was all just a horrible, twisted dream.
"Aw… Don't cry love," Bill smirked.
"Yeah. Don't waste your tears," Jill said in a bored voice as he leaned against a tree.
How could I not cry? I was stuck here in the middle of the forest with practically no one present to save me. I was desperately hoping against hope.
"Anthea!!" I heard Danny bellow.
I turned a bit, tears still brimming in my eyes. Finally, salvation had come.
"D-Danny?" I said feebly, my voice shaking so badly.
Danny and Harold had arrived. The two looked tired as they were red and panting.
The three's eyes widened as they saw Harold. Then, a playful smile spread across Phil's sick face.
"You let her go!!" Danny yelled, looking furious.
"I
order you to let her go!" Harold bellowed as well.
"Well, well, well. Boys, we've hit the jackpot. It seems that this girl is important to Denmark's bratty prince," Phil laughed.
"Good thing we came by," Jill said, smiling evilly.
"I swear! If you even touch her I'll—" Danny roared and began to charge when Harold stopped him.
Bill chuckled unpleasantly. "Ooh. A feisty one. So Phil, what're your plans?"
"Simple," Phil replied.
All of a sudden, Phil exerted more force on the knife. The blade managed to cut my skin. A sharp pain settled on my throat. I let out a cry of pain. I could feel my blood trickle down my neck.
I cried some more. I've never experienced something as painful as this before.
My hands dropped to my side. I
couldn't do anything. I began to feel dizzy again/
Suddenly, I
felt something in my pocket. I began feeling it more carefully.
Oh my gosh!
Maybe I could be saved!
I had Dougie's pepper spray here after all!
I winced as more blood oozed from the cut.
I'll be out here soon.
Harold and Danny continued yelling threats at the bandits.
"Prince. We'll let her go. Just give us your whole family fortune," Bill explained slowly.
I saw Harold frown even more. "You low leech! Let her go or so help me I will unleash the whole military force if Denmark on you scumbags!"
Jill laughed. "Go ahead. They're not here anyway."
Harold grunted in frustration. Danny looked at me, panic covering his face.
All right. I had a plan now. It seemed that persuasion wouldn't get these buffoons anywhere.
On the count of three…
One…
Two…
THREE!!
I whipped out the pepper spray and sprayed it on Phil's ugly face.
"Aaaargh!" he screamed at us as he backed away, covering his eyes.
I ran for it.
I didn't know where I was going. All I knew was that I had to get away now.
I hit branches almost half of the time. I'm beginning to have more cuts on my hands, cheeks, and arms. I nearly tripped on a boulder.
Finally, I think that I've run far enough. I'm already near a brook. I saw a boulder. I staggered towards it. I could still feel the blood trickling down my neck.
For some reason though, I didn't feel the pain anymore. In fact, the only things I'm feeling right now are light-headedness and numbness. I needed to sit down.
I was gasping for breath. I didn't expect to run this far.
I dropped to the ground. My knees hit some twigs and I heard one snap. I leaned against the boulder, absolutely exhausted.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps.
I looked up, scared that it might be the bandits.
Luckily, it was Danny and Harold. They both had a few bruises on their face. They immediately rushed to me.
Oh gosh. I felt the color from my face drain.
"Anthea… Anthea," Danny said in a panicked voice as he began dabbing my neck with his handkerchief.
I
smiled feebly at him. "Danny?"
Then he hugged me. I could feel
that tears were trickling down his cheeks.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" he said, as if it really was his fault.
"Danny, it's not your fault. I'm just glad you're here now," I replied.
"I thought I lost you. I've never been more scared in my life. I'm so sorry I didn't come on time."
"Ssh. Danny, it's not your fault. I'm just glad that…"
After that though, my body gave away. I felt my systems shutting down. I could only see black now, and I could hear Danny's voice fade away.
I managed to get a glimpse of Harold's face. He looked terrified too. In fact, he looked like he was too scared to even utter a word.
Finally, the last flicker of light extinguished, and I was unconscious.
Harold had never been more scared in his life. He couldn't believe that he was inches away from losing Anthea.
He felt like ripping the three bandits apart. He had never felt more hate in his life. Something within him snapped as he saw those villains trying to hurt Anthea.
He looked at her as she was unconscious in Danny's arms. Danny was crying. He kept on wiping his tears away while tending to Anthea's wounds.
Suddenly, Harold realized something.
For the past few days, even though he had found a way to force Anthea to like him, he still felt like it was the wrong thing to do.
And for some reason, he kept on thinking about Althea. She had always been there for him, in every stupid step that he took.
What haunted him most though was his conscience. If he proceeded with that plan, Anthea would most likely curse him for eternity. He felt guilty just by thinking about it.
To be honest, he's even thought about proceeding his engagement with Althea. It seemed the best option by far. And it was guaranteed that no one could get hurt.
Realization, however, dawned on him today.
He realized that he couldn't bear to lose Anthea. Moments ago, he felt like his heart was about to erupt if she got even more hurt.
Then he thought about his life at the Royal Palace without Anthea in it. He felt a burning sensation dance in his veins.
He finally realized that he couldn't take it.
All guilt was gone now. He had a firm decision as he realized this:
He could not bear a life without Anthea.
