BOUND TO HIM BY FORCE

5. NOT MY PARENTS

The pipe went out to the forest at the far back of the house. I could barely see the house standing there, nothing but darkness all around us. My hands went through my hair, not knowing what was what, the sob just stuck in my throat.

My body lowered to the ground, crunched down, and wept my heart out.

“We need to go to the police, we need…” Kane was pacing back and forth just as Ivan slipped out from the pipe, standing on his two feet and walking to us.

What was happening to my parents, they were left in there all alone, who knew how many attackers were in the house. They would kill them so brutally. The pain was too much, my hands over my eyes, the tears just slipping through my fingers and dropping to the ground.

“Where did you park your car?” Ivan asked Kane, his voice wiped of all emotions, him stoic.

Kane was the total opposite of that, shaking his head, crunching down to stand up, and not knowing what to do with himself. I wished I could calm him down but I was also falling apart on my own.

“We need to call the police!” He screamed as Ivan grabbed Kane by his t-shirt and brought him close to him.

“Shut the f**k up and tell me where you left your car?” Even I shook from Ivan’s tone, so deadly. What had he seen down there that had him so cold? Were our parents still alive?

Kane was shaking so badly. Ivan was trained by mother herself; he was bulky and lethal. There was something about mom that was so dark. She did not fight to fight, she fought to kill thus Ivan could be very scary.

“The…the first junction…” Kane trailed away; his body let down with him scurrying away. I stood up straight, my mind seeming to slip away from me, it was stuck in that house, imagining all the things that were probably happening to my parents.

They did not deserve this; they were good people.

The sob broke through just as Ivan grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me so hard as if pulling a demon from my soul.

“Get a hold of yourself. They always told us something like this would happen, stop being a spoiled brat and run. Run to the safe house. Lock the door and wait for me. I will take Kane to his car then go look at the house.” Ivan stared right into my eyes and I wondered how he could do that, I wondered how he could just push everything away. I wished I could, I wished I could set my emotions aside and do as he was doing.

My body was put down, him pulling me to him in a tight hug. I held onto him as if it was the last time holding him, as if it was the last time seeing him.

“I love you, sis.”

“I love…love you too brother,” I whispered back, holding on tighter before he pushed me away.

“Run Masha, Run.”

I did not have to be told twice, turning and running with all I had. It was when I was a few yards away that I turned. The grief came hard, my heartbreaking for the millionth time. My tears just flew down, a name whispered from my lips.

“Kane….”

They were nowhere to be seen, nothing but darkness all around me, the silence was deafening with it so scary a chill ran down my body.

I turned and ran as if my life depended on it but of course it did. My life was hanging by the string and I would be lucky if none of the attackers were hiding in the forest.

Mud splattered behind me, slipping and falling to roll over and over again, hitting my head so hard against a tree root. My world span all around me, slipping on mud yet I found my balance, my hands helping me get my grip to stand up straight and run for my life. I tore through the forest, the trees slapping my face over and over, leaving it bleeding and burning.

My father’s image slipped past my mind and I wept so hard, slipping and trying to stay up but failing, falling and crawling my way through the forest.

How could I live without them, what was life without them?

I got up, knowing they would have wanted me to run. I ran faster, my dad’s voice echoing in my ears as a seven-year-old me ran through the same forests, laughing, because to me at that time we were playing a game. Because to me at that time, it was just another daughter and daddy playtime when in fact they had been training me for this day.

I would not disappoint; I would not fail them by letting those people capture me.

The tears fell away yet the anger kept me going. I would make my father proud for I would survive and come out strong.

The house came into view suddenly.

It was an old cabin; one would think abandoned. There were no windows, there were just tree climbers all over the walls and windows as if a witch resided there. My body slammed on the door, pulling the plants away and pressing the code and my fingerprint scanned. I opened the door and fell in, the door closing behind me and locking.

I got up and ran downstairs where I tore off all the plants that were sticking on the floor, pulling a hatch that opened to the rest of the cabin. I jumped in, closing the hatch behind with the steps taking me down.

The lights immediately turned on, seeing the rug and the couch as I took the last step. I moved to the couch where I collapsed, my head on the headrest, staring at the ceiling and just letting the tears fall off my eyes.

My body bent forward, my face in my hands to bend backward with nothing helping. I screamed into my hands, cursed and cursed even at myself yet the pain was still there, my reality still there. The reality that maybe just maybe I had lost the people that meant everything to me.

I sat there, thinking it all over. I just could not understand.

My father killed all the cartel leaders that wanted him dead and those that were left agreed to stop hunting him. Even if they never wanted to keep that agreement, why after all these years, why all of a sudden. It did not make sense, what had changed?

Thinking about it had my head pound.

I decided to take a shower in case Ivan and my parents came back to say we were leaving. I pulled on my black leggings and my sweater before I went to the weapons room to take out my two guns. I checked to see that they were loaded, the safety off. I placed them on the table, slipping two knives on each boot. I then opened the cabin that held our bags.

Mine was the third one. It was black and large. I opened the zip, seeing a few clothes. I pulled them out and set them aside.

Dad always came now and again to check if the clothes in the bags were still fitting.

In there were three leggings, and two sweaters along with a black t-shirt. I pulled the clothes out, a gun below them with my favorite pencil case. In it was a stack of cash, a few cards in a name I wished to never use. Next to the bank cards was an identity card and a passport holding a name I wished to never use. I put everything back where it was, sure everything was there.

I took the bag and the two guns on the counter, switching the safety back on before slipping them into my back. My feet carried me to the couch where I sat, my eyes on the door, waiting for someone, anyone from my family to just come through.

The hands of time ticked away; my eyes so painful I thought they would fall yet the door did not open even once.

The morning had broken, sure it was daylight, the sun surely burning through the ground above. I had cried enough, I was just bare, eyes wide open, my body still to a point where I was not even sure I was breathing with how silent I was.

My mind was everywhere yet nowhere, the pain molded into my being.

There was a sound, the hatch being pulled up as my eyes quickly traveled to the opening door, standing up and running to the feet of the stairs. Nothing but a small piece of relief washed over me. I watched as Ivan turned and ran down the steps, the hatch closed behind him.

His whole body was covered in ash, it in his hair, all over his hands and arms.

I moved as he rushed past me, not able to read his face. I ran after him, not even wanting to ask, afraid to even ask as the tears came back, damn them.

He opened the door to his room and shut it close so hard it echoed on my face, the impact left my skin burning.

He did not have to tell me, I already knew. I stumbled away, my body leaning on the wall, thinking I would die. My hand came to my chest, it closing in on me as I could not even breathe.

I heard the crush from inside, a scream following after with all of me dying. My body hit the floor, the tears just falling as if someone pouring them from my eyes, my mouth wide open and the sob stuck there.

It was as if I could just see them, my mom, my dad.

I shook my head, screaming in my mind, my face falling on my knees then I just let the scream out.

Mom.

Dad.

How? Why?

Nothing made sense, nothing would ever make sense ever again without them.

Their smiles filled my head, their beautiful smiles that always made my day. They were so happy, they were full of love, the best parents I knew.

I could not believe it, I actually could not accept it, it could not be, not them, not my parents.