Python grabs her hair as Ann screams. “Have anything else to say?” Python’s words hiss at her as Ann feels a shooting pain as he violently lets her go.

“Why...,” the words quietly escape Ann’s lips as she shudders in fear expecting another blow. She shuts her eyes tightly and hears a deadly giggle followed by a cough. She slowly opens her eyes and notices Python now coughing and Kai patting in on the back.

“As you can see, my dear brother is suffering,” Kai says.

“It’s ok, it happens when I get excited.” Python’s words though soft were like poison pangs to Ann as she looks away.

“Are you afraid?” Kai asks. Ann lets out a sigh but doesn’t look at the pair.

“HE ASKED YOU A QUESTION!” Ann screams but Kai puts his hand on her head gently stroking her hair. After a few moments, she looks up at him and sees a certain kindness in his eyes as she begins to calm down.

“Please stop all of this,” Ann pleads. “Let me go. We can get him treated; he won’t suffer like his, we can get him the best doctors and…”

“You wench!” Python shouts and raises his hand but then coughs. “You think any doctor would care?”

“We… can… help…” Ann can barely say these words as she feels Python’s angry gaze wrapping around her throat.

“The only one that can help is my brother and we were about to succeed if it wasn’t for that rat!” Ann closes her eyes again as Kai removes his hand.

“My brother is sick and we need an organ donor, that idiot Andrew or whoever, he got to the guy before we did. And well let’s just say he was too brutalized to be used. Now my brother has to find a perfect match with someone else.” Despite being in pain Ann opens her eyes and understands one thing, Andrew is Nicholas or maybe there is someone else with the same violent habits. Ann allows herself to explore the alternate option, hoping she could be wrong, not because she didn’t want Andrew to be Nicholas, but because she hated to admit he did not change his ways.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“What?” Kai says. “We’ll get to him, but first we need you to stop interfering.” Ann looks at Kai confused again and he explains. “You are convinced of my brother’s innocence before, I can tell you are the interfering type aren’t you.” She now notices a sinister gaze in Kai’s eyes and is terrified.

“…” her mouth opens but the words don’t come out. She has so many things to say but the way Kai is looking at her right now has robbed her of her voice.

“Don’t worry,” Kai says taking a knife out of his pocket. “This will be over soon.” Ann’s mind now is at a standstill knowing what is to come. She knows her mind cannot begin to comprehend the sinister man’s mind, but she knows one thing he will not make it easy for her. She tries to cling onto a thread of hope that someone will find her. If they will find her? She turns her head as she looks away but Kai holds her and forces her to look at him.

“Please…,” Ann says now begging.

“It’s always more memorable this way,” he says as he slowly digs the knife into her cheek. Ann is too terrified to scream but just as the knife goes deeper into her skin, it abruptly stops. The fire alarm has gone off and the brothers look at each other.

“Well, I guess if the fire is enough to take care of you,” Kai says. “Lucky day huh?”

“Wait, you’re not going to leave me here?” Ann asks as Python stuff a rug into Ann’s mouth.

“Well, I had every intention of making your last moments the most painful, however, the fire will do that job for me just as well.” Python gives Ann a disturbing smile as the two men walk out of the room and she hears them lock the door.

The sirens continue and Ann begins to panic. She tries to get out of her restraints but she is unable to scream. Ann fears as her mind runs through various scenarios, worried this is her final moments. She closes her eyes accepting her fate, remembering all her good memories with her brother, her friends… with Ben. She begins to cry, dreaming of a future she fears she can’t have, a family, a life with the man she loves and maybe… a final meeting with Nicholas? Her mind remembers the good times they had together but she is also reminded of everything else. She begins to sink into despair and just then.

“Ann?”