Running from a Vengeance

* Belle *

“We’re going to the police station right?” I asked, looking up into his eyes hopefully. We were walking along a tarred road, but no one was really driving along it. Regardless, every time Matt or myself spotted a vehicle, we hi-tailed it into the ditch so as not to be seen. No way in hell did we want to try and hitch a ride this time of night. We couldn’t even tell what the approaching vehicles looked like. For all we knew, it could have been them.

“Yeah if you want me to go to prison, that’s exactly where we’ll go.” He said sarcastically, and then he rolled his eyes.

“You’re with me Matt, I can vouch for you.”

He stopped in his tracks and ran his hand through his hair. He was getting irritated, I could tell by his heavy breathing and the way he was looking at me. “Do you have any idea how much dirt these guys have on me? I mean, in the first house, where we brought you, they had cameras. They have video of me killing people, raping women, and torturing them Belle. They could put me away too.”

“How come they didn’t put you in jail when you went to the hospital?” I was confused now.

We both looked to our right from seeing an oncoming light. It was a vehicle. Matt and I quickly shuffled down into the ditch. I lay my head down in a pile of leaves, trying to keep myself well hidden. Matt put his arm around me in a protective way, making me feel safe and secure. The vehicle passed without so much as slowing down. Even after the vehicle was long gone, we stayed put. I didn’t know what time it was, but I was definitely tired.

“I escaped from the hospital after they gave me the transplant.” He explained.

“Oh.” I murmured, turning to face him. He opened his arms, letting me get closer to him. I cuddled into him and nestled my face into his chest. His hand snaked up and reached mine. He intertwined our fingers. I smiled against his body. Sure it sucked that we were in the ditch, but there’s no one I would have rather been in there with.

When we awoke, there was someone standing over us yelling. I looked up and noticed a woman standing there. She was looking down on both Matt and me. She looked like a soccer mom with her expensive pants and nice blouse.

“Do you need help? One of my kids noticed you and I thought I should stop.” She sounded nice enough, but she could take us to the police and ruin Matt.

I stood up and brushed the leaves and dirt from my body. I extended my hand to her, she took it. After shaking my hand she smiled at me.

I returned the smile. “We’re fine. Just a long night of drinking.”

“Well, you two be careful. It can be a scary place out here sometimes.” She sounded like she knew it all. She had no fucking clue how scary it could be out here.

“Yeah we’re not going to drink that much again.” I explained, nodding in agreement. “You have a nice day now.”

She smiled and walked back across the street to her car before she walked off. “Is she gone?” Matt asked from in the ditch.

“Yeah.” I answered, turning around and trying to help him out of the ditch. Of course my minimal strength wasn’t something that was going to be of much help, but I was willing to try.

He stood and looked me in the eye. “I’m going to be honest with you. I never thought we would escape, so I hadn’t thought very far in the future.”

I sighed. “So you have no idea what to do now.”

He shook his head. “No fucking clue.”

“Well think Matt! I’ve been trying to get away from these guys for so fucking long so I could just be with you and now I’ve got you! So let’s do something!” I was almost in tears from the frustration that had been building up in me for so long.

“Okay I do know a place, but you’re not going to like it very much.” He said before he took my hand in his gently.

“Well, out with it.” I urged, not wanting to wait anymore.

He looked at the ground and back up at me. He bit his lip. I touched his face gently, feeling the stubble forming there. I rubbed his cheek back and forth with my thumb, feeling the gentle groove where his dimple lies. He smiled at my touch.

“We don’t need to go there. I don’t want you there.” He grabbed the hand from his face and held it there.

“Tell me.” I demanded, not wanting him to fool around anymore.

“It’s a harem, in California.”

I was prepared for anything, besides that. I was hoping he said his parent’s house or something, but not a God forsaken harem.

“Why a harem? Is this all part of your master plan or something? Are you secretly an owner of a harem and you’re trying to get me to join it? Well I’m sorry asshole but that’s just not happening!” I turned away from him and started to walk away. It’s not like I had any plans of anywhere to go, but I was getting away from him regardless.

From behind me I heard loud thumping footsteps. “Belle get in the woods!” He said before he grabbed my hand and pulled me quickly into the forest.

“Matt what are you doing are you crazy?” I yelled as we flew through the wooded area. We ran for as far as our legs could carry us. Matt found a huge rock. We jumped behind it and there we stayed.

He struggled to catch his breath. He kept looking behind the rock out into the woods. His actions and our situation finally clicked together in my head. He must have seen Vengeance.

“Was it them?” I whispered to the still breathless Matt. He held up a finger to me while he nodded. He had run fast to get here. “Hurry up and get your breathing in check. I think I hear them.”

“I know I saw them!” I heard Vengeance yell. My breathing became jagged from fear. “I don’t know which way they went.”

Matt grabbed my hand. “We’re going to have to make a run for it.” He whispered.

I pulled my hand back and reached around quietly and managed to find a rock. I threw the rock in a different direction than us. It hit a tree somewhere. The men fired their guns, giving Matt and me enough of an opportunity to make a run for it. While they ran toward the sound they heard, firing their guns, we made our way back to the road. When we finally made it back to the tar, we began to laugh quietly to ourselves as we noticed their van that had been left unattended to on the side of the road. We walked over to it. Matt got in the driver’s seat, and I got into the passenger’s seat. When Matt started up the engine and drove away I looked in my rearview mirror. Vengeance was running after us shooting.

“Hurry up! We’re going to be fucked it they get our tires!” I shouted as he tried to speed up.

“It’s difficult to get these fucking things to go fast Belle. Why don’t you shut up and let me fucking drive!” He yelled, trying to keep from putting the car in the ditch.

“I’m just scared! Sorry!”

“I think we’re all fucking scared!” However, by the time he said this, the men behind us were nowhere to be seen.

We both sat there in silence for a few moments, trying to breathe and relax for the first time in a long time. Matt held his hand out, I took it gently.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you.” I said honestly.

He sighed and looked at me quickly. “I’m sorry too.”

“So, a harem?” I questioned, still wanting to know why that’s where we were going, of all places.

“My dad owns it.” He explained, looking shamed by this. “It’s not something I’m particularly proud of, like many things in my life, but it is what it is.”

“At least you’ve never been there, right?” I looked at his face, trying to decipher what he was about to say. Judging by the fact that he was biting his lip, I had to guess that he was a part of it.

“I was there and I’m supposed to take it over when he passes.”

I tried to hide the fact that I was ashamed of this, but I just couldn’t keep my mouth shut. “You’re not serious.” But he most certainly was serious.

“Belle, I’m not going to take it over now. I’ve found something better to live for now.” He squeezed my hand, which I roughly pulled away after he did so. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.

“I can’t believe what a pig you are. You had a bar where you fucked all the girls in there, you’re an heir to a harem, and you kidnapped and raped women for money. You are so fucking gross Matt. I bet you spent the four years we weren’t with each other fucking the girls at the harem.” I angrily crossed my arms over my chest.

He grumbled, clearly being irritated with me. “Belle, I did no such thing. Sure I lived at the harem, but I didn’t do anything while I was there. You can ask my father when we get there I promise. Or, if you like, I can drop you off and you can take your chances with Vengeance. Those are your two choices.”

I didn’t say anything for a while. I didn’t want to admit that he was probably right, that I should just be happy with being able to have a nice place to go.

“Fine.” I murmured. “To the harem it is.”