◽CONFINEMENT◽
◽THIRD PERSON'S POV◽
Marian felt trapped in a dilemma. Locked in an unfamiliar place, she spent her days confined to the room with no purpose other than eating and sleeping.
They weren't treating her bad, that much she was greatful for.
Two weeks had passed, and she couldn't shake the fear gnawing at her, the fact that all her school record was going down the drain.
She'd worked tirelessly to excel academically, only for everything to crumble in the end.
Carmello, whom she'd only seen on the first day, remained elusive.
She had tried her best to listen to every instruction she was given.
Her sister was still missing. She found herself entangled in her sister's nemesis, teetering on the brink of losing everything.
It felt unfair but there was nothing she could do about it.
She constantly wandered if the cops were even looking for her.
would they have reported her missing? How was her mother and father faring.
The mansion offered a fleeting sense of freedom during certain hours. When everybody was busy doing their own thing.
Marian was forbidden to take a step up the stairs, Martini had warned her about it.
But something kept drawing her back to the bottom of the stairs.
Perhaps it was the mysterious air around it, or maybe just her curiosity pushing her forward.
Marian glanced around noticing the absence of any guards to disturb her exploration. Bolstered by this, she took careful steps up the stairs, looking around for potential patrols. The sheer curiosity diminished her sense of reasoning.
As soon as she got to the top of the stairs, something shifted.
It felt she was in a different house.
There were five doors, but one caught her attention, the one with the black door.
As she ventured into one of the rooms, her initial curiosity waned. The room held little interest, filled with artifacts. But the next room stole her breath. Magnificent and vast, it exuded an aura she couldn't quite pinpoint. Marian marveled at the intricate details.
She didn't realise the door had silently shut behind her, its lock requiring a fingerprint to open
A detail she didn't notice because she had met the door unlocked.
Marian's fingers skimmed over a figurine as she studied the beauty of the room.
a pregnant woman bearing a heavy load along with a toddler holding on to the selvedge of her cloth. She puzzled over its presence in Carmello's possession, a clear contrast to his extremely dangerous lifestyle. The figurine depicted the pains of womanhood.
She wanted to take it. Disgusted by its presence amidst his curated collection, she contemplated slipping it into her pant's pocket. However, a residual feeling of unease made her hesitate. Foolishness, perhaps, to risk entering a lion's den.
She had been warned not to take a step up the stairs yet she did it and was still thinking of stealing, realising she wasn't thinking right, she turned to leave.
She froze as Carmello emerged from the bathroom, his demeanor icy.
She stared at him unable to take her eyes off him, he's wearing nothing but the towel wrapped snuggly around his waist, his damp skin glistening under the soft light.
His wet hair dripped unto the floor and down his chest.
Marian stared shamelessly.
A Greek god incarnate.
"What are you doing in here?" His voice, though calm, sent shivers down her spine.
"I was just.." Marian trailed off, unable to articulate a coherent response.
She waited for Carmello to chastise her for her recklessness. A nervous chuckle escaped Marian as she edged towards the door, only to find it shut.
Her pulse raced when she noticed a change in his attitude. He appeared as though he could ravage her, as though her mere presence in that room repulsed him. But to her relief, he merely escorted her out, his grip firm but not cruel.
He didn't say another word.
Retreating to her room, Marian had a newfound determination. She couldn't continue living in fear, waiting for them to decide her fate. Perhaps it was time to take matters into her own hands, to plot her escape when he was absent.
Freedom dangled in front of her, offering a breather from the stuffy confines of the mansion. With Martini's watchful gaze as her only obstacle, Marian resolved to seize any opportunity to break free from her captivity.
She began putting a plan into action and kept an eye on everything that happened in the house, including the body guards' patrols and the schedules of all the staff members.
She was aware that Martini was constantly keeping an eye on her, even though he acts as though he doesn't. This knowledge alone posed a significant obstacle to the entire plan she had in mind.
The house was a maze when Marian explored alone, Martini was always there like some tiger prowling around in its corner, waiting for prey to pounce on.
His eyes were always on her, even when she expected him to be busy with another burdening task Marco had given him. Martini was always just there, staring at her, a shadow that never left.
Marian detested being watched all the time. She loathed how his eyes followed her every move, as if he were mocking her, as if he were waiting for her to snap. And she just stood there and took it, like she had no choice.
She had studied their movements enough to know their rounds. It would be easy for her to slip away once she successfully evaded the antagonizing gaze of Martini.
Their eyes met again, and she forced a smile at him. She planned to give it a week to set her plan in motion. She was determined to escape the house she deemed hell, the place where nightmares felt at home.
She worried about her parents. What condition would they be in when their children were missing?
Martini left the house soon after Marian counted down to one. She had studied him enough to know exactly when he left the mansion every day to run some errand after being summoned by Marco. He usually came back two hours later.
That was how long most of his errands took. He leaves grumpily, then returned smelling of gunpowder or splattered with blood. It was obvious what his 'errands' were. He probably hated it, which explained the grumpiness.
Those two hours gave her enough time to slip away without the guards noticing. They didn't really care much about her.
She was merely a fly that wouldn’t buzz off.
After making sure she had a tangible reason for following Martini around, he was caught off guard but called her a wild card. Marian had a tendency to be impulsive, which really covered it all up.
She told him she was interested in their business. She found out where the car keys were and even managed to sneak a gun out of the arsenal. It wasn’t like they were ever going to suspect her.
It was a revolver with a six-round magazine. She found that out from Martini.
He enjoyed assembling his weapons right outside her door. She couldn’t really stay still with the sound of metal clashing, so she always went to sit across from him just to see which gun he was busy with at the moment. That was a huge assistance to her.
He told her they had plenty of bullets for the revolver, so she took it.
It fascinated her, but the fascination ended faster than she thought. As soon as her mind wandered to what the gun actually did, she realized this was a killing machine. This particular one must have been the reason for someone’s demise.
She dropped it hurriedly, ridding her hand of the unusual feeling.
Her next step was to wait until Martini had his next assignment, which would be soon, as he had been going out quite often these days.
She knew she shouldn’t do this, but somehow she was trying to, and her plan was kind of working. She had come to that conclusion because she hadn’t been caught yet.
She smiled at Martini, who was still busy assembling his gun right in front of her room. It was like he had nothing else to do.
She asked him what he was doing, he was a but hesitant but eager to teach “Compress the recoil spring and guide rod assembly, then insert it into this slot.” She was confused. “Right here, under the barrel,” he added. Instead of paying attention to what he was saying, she focused on the steps. She didn’t need to know the names; she just needed to know what went where. “Just ensure it is seated correctly and securely,” he continued, which was quite fascinating to her.
She never knew she would develop a genuine interest in guns.
Two days later, she finally had everything she needed. It was easier to slip away since everybody seemed busy with something else. That day, they had dragged out a man, half-beaten to death, like a sack of meat tossed into a corner.
The man was a horrifying sight, more a bloodied heap than a person. His skin was marred with vicious bruises, a canvas painted in blacks and purples. Blood oozed from gashes that cut deep. His fingers, twisted and swollen, looked like they had been shattered methodically. His eyes, although not swollen shut, stared vacantly ahead, the life behind them flickering weakly as if debating whether to extinguish entirely. His mouth, smeared with a trail of dried blood, mumbled incoherent sounds.
They usually didn’t bring people in when she was awake. It was usually in the middle of the night when she couldn’t see.
She had witnessed them moving bodies in body bags, but she had never been as scared as she was seeing the man.
But that wasn’t her concern. Like the man with the severed finger, she was also an unfortunate victim who had her life snatched away.
A shiver ran down her spine when she made eye contact with Carmello, he appeared colder, a different person, maybe.
When she had spoken to him, he had been softer, tolerating perhaps.
But today he looked like he would give the devil a run for his money
She tried not to dwell on the momentary eye contact and focus on the task at hand. These people were soulless and she needed to escape with her humanity still intact
She snuck behind one of the big flower pot, carefully evading the CCTV. She had studied all the dark spot, and her dark outfit, which made her blend in with the night provided the disguise she needed. She easily slipped away
It was too easy, as if they wanted her to escape, she tried not to overthink it since she really needed to see her parent
As soon as she reached an open road, about an hour's walk from the house, she checked her watch. She had made it in just twenty-eight minutes, running the entire way.
She waved at passing cars, desperate for someone to stop, but each vehicle sped past without a second glance. Finally, a black sedan pulled over, and a young woman inside offered her a ride to the nearest bus stop. Thankfully, the woman didn’t ask any questions. Marian expected a barrage of inquiries, why she was out alone at this hour, why she looked so disheveled, but instead, the woman simply drove in silence. Marian was grateful for that. When they reached the bus stop, the woman gave her a small, understanding smile before driving away.
"There are still good people in the world," Marian whispered to herself, quietly humming as she waited for the next bus. She couldn't shake the feeling of being hunted, even though she was finally free of the house.
she had carefully laid out her plan, she bought herself time, thinking they wouldn’t realize she was gone immediately. Marian had cleverly included her escape as part of her routine, making it look like she was simply heading into her room for the evening at the exact time she slipped away.
She knew no one would disturb her; she'd made sure of that. Like the teenager she was, she'd crafted a simple cardboard sign and taped it to her door.
The sign clearly stated, "Do Not Enter." Martini had knocked a few times, wanting to check on her, but she had ignored him, pretending to be asleep. On one occasion, when he did enter and found her 'sleeping' she later berated him for invading a girl's privacy. That one incident was enough to ensure they would respect her boundaries and leave her alone, believing she was asleep unless told otherwise or at least, that was her hope.
When she reached her house, she immediately started calling for her parents.
But there was no answer.
The door was already ajar.
She stepped inside, her eyes scanning the quiet, usually lively house. Something felt off.
“Mum?” she called, but no one answered.
She stopped in her tracks. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the floor, her heart sinking.
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