ANASTASIA:
When I regained consciousness, I found myself inside a car. It wasn't my car. But then, if not, whose is it?
The surroundings weren't familiar, and a throbbing pain pulsed through my head. My hands were bound, and I groaned as I tried to sit up. Panic surged through me as I realized the car was speeding away from the city. I frantically searched my memories; the last thing I could recall was watching Aurora's blog video, which had exposed Ben as the real culprit.
I had been so wrong about him. How could I have trusted someone like him? I should have known that the group members were all part of the same dark scheme. By the time I had gotten hold of Ben's phone, I already had strong suspicions about his involvement, but I could never have imagined that he was the true monster.
"It's good to see you awake, Ana," a voice came from the driver's seat. I recognized it instantly; Benjamin Sanderson.
"Ben!" I exclaimed. "Where the fuck are you taking me?"
He chuckled in response to my question, not offering any answers. Panic hit my nerves as I found myself in such a condition. Jackson was right, he's a psycho.
"Answer me, damn it! Where the hell are you taking me?"
Ben scoffed, his eyes locked onto mine from the rearview mirror. They looked twisted and monstrous, like the eyes of a madman. Had he always hidden this side of himself so well? I had never noticed it before. He was a master at concealing his true nature from the world.
"Don't worry," he said with a sinister smirk. "I won't kill you just yet. You're my ticket to escape."
"W-What?" I stammered.
He glanced at me through the mirror, and I suddenly realized how wicked and demented he appeared. Had he always been this way? Had I been so blind not to see it before?
"You won't get far, Ben. The police are after you," I said with anger. "They know who you really are. We know what you did to Aurora, Jackson, Miley, Olivia, and so many others. You've destroyed countless lives for what? A sick form of pleasure?"
He didn't react; instead, he chuckled and offered a sly smirk.
"What do you think this is, Ana? Just a little game?" he asked. "You're a fool to think so. There are bigger monsters in the picture that you won't want to face, Ana."
"Stop lying to cover your tracks and tell me where Oliver and Miley are. What have you done with them?"
"Kidnap Oliver and Miley?" He scoffed bitterly. "No, you're mistaken. Miley is clearly working with another organization that is trying to get the upper hand on us. And I won't allow that. She took Oliver, thinking he might have information about our operations, but she's a fool. Don't you think we're aware that there's a man out there, claiming to be the 'Devil,' trying to make a name for himself in this industry? But, Ana, he's a fool if he thinks he stands a chance in this game."
"Wait, you know Miley working with the Devil?"
He chuckled before responding, "She's a young girl seeking revenge, and she can't do it alone. She clearly has someone who is helping her. And who could be a better aid than a brother and a lost lover seeking revenge?"
"You know who the 'Devil' is?"
"No idea," he shrugged. "But it isn't hard to finally connect the dots, realizing that they are connected to Aurora!" he said. "I knew he had a boyfriend and an overprotective brother who stayed out of the picture for too long, and suddenly their love for the late Aurora jumped right in."
Connecting the dots, I realized he was right. The devil had successfully eliminated all the members of the Falcon group who once had their clutches on Aurora. But then why target others? Could there be a possibility that Ben and they are all connected somehow?
I pondered, genuinely intrigued. "Then what about Miley? Why didn't she come for you?"
"Oh, she did. And that bitch made a grave mistake by coming alone," Ben replied with a bitter chuckle. "I ensured her a deserving fate."
that this time, she'd die in that burning mansion."
I was horrified. Only now did it dawn on me that Ben had known all along that Miley was targeting them. He'd sat back in silence and allowed her to shoulder the blame for the murders. So the entire investigation could have been framed around her and he could have escaped everything.
"What did you do to her?"
He chuckled darkly, "There was once a girl who had the same kind of energy as her. Heath. Lara's sister," He began. "She thought she was smart and had a chance against us, but she didn't know she had to face a monster like me. When she tried to blackmail Mia by showing her video clips of bullying a student, I burned her alive. Miley met the same fate as her."
As the car sped on, my forehead glistened with sweat. There's no way for me to escape. No way to run to David and tell him the truth. Miley is dead. And I have no idea where Aurora's brother—The Devil—or his companion are right now. Is Oliver with them? Is he dead too? Why couldn't they save Miley?
"You're a sick bastard!" I yelled in frustration. "There's no way you're going to escape, Ben. The police are on your trail, and they'll catch you soon."
He only laughed at my words. "Oh, dear Ana. You've always been the lamb among the wolves. You're not fit to be called a Brown."
What did he mean by that?
"I've made sure I could escape today," he replied, glancing at me in the rearview mirror. "Even though I was slow to realize Miley's plan, I always have a backup. That's why you're here with me. Alive."
My brow furrowed. "What do you mean by that?" I asked. "The police are everywhere – at the ports, monitoring signals. You won't escape."
"That's precisely why you're going to call the Brown's chartered plane service and get us out of here," he said, "They'll most likely raid the Sanderson residence, and that's where I couldn't escape from. But they'll never look at your place. The police are a bunch of fools. We are leaving for London tonight and you are coming with me until I reach there safely."
"And then?"
He chuckled. "Then we would think what exactly we could do to keep your mouth shut, or..."
As the car raced on, a shiver ran down my spine. His escape plan might well be my inevitable demise.
"I won't do it!" I spat.
"You don't have any other options, Ana, darling," he retorted. "It was all your fault – you started digging into the past, and that's why I'm in this mess." He seethed. "We could have caught the 'Devil' and Miley if it weren't for you, racing against time to gather all the evidence. It was hard to manage everything at once."
His voice held a tone of irritation as he continued, "After Olivia's death, I decided to keep a low profile. But that bitch Miley went rogue. The first time I encountered her was when I was trafficking two girls. It was the first time she interfered. She managed to set those girls free, but they knew too much. I had to kill them."
He killed those two girls!
"And then, a few days later, she began hunting Mia the same way we had haunted her. I recognized the pattern; it was easy to conclude it was her. But she had help from those two men who assisted her in pulling off the impossible. They targeted and eliminated the entire group. But she forgot that I'm the bigger devil here," he sneered. "I planted hidden cameras at Oliver's party to keep a close eye on Miley's actions. I knew she was going to go after her next. Oliver and Tony were only my bait. Morris, however, died as a mystery. Only Miley's henchmen know the reason." He clicked his tongue. "If you ask me, I'd say Morris deserved it. He was a pain in the ass anyway. But I knew I was next in line after Oliver, so I outsmarted her." He smiled a sinister grin. "When she broke into my house, she was alone. It was easier to subdue her and render her unconscious with a single blow, all to let her burn alive."
My stomach churned, and I fought back the urge to vomit.
"And now, with your help, I shall be able to leave this fucking place and start afresh."
"I'll expose you. You can't run away from your crimes, Ben," I seethed.
But he only chuckled darkly, ignoring my warnings. "For that, you have to stay alive, Ana," he said, cocking his head. "Once I reach my destination, I'll have to figure out a way to dispose of you. I can't afford to keep a loose end alive that could possibly lead to my demise."
"My father..." My voice trailed off. "David or Enzo... or The Devil, they won't sit idle. I'm sure by now, the news of my disappearance has reached them, and they're all working on it, Ben. Moreover, they probably know by now that you're the real culprit."
For some reason, I knew no matter what the Devil was going to find me. I am sure of it.
"Wow, never expected you to be a sucker for a murder, Ana," He chuckled. "Does your fucker boyfriend knows your secret crush for the Devil yet, hm?"
"Shut up!" I retorted. "You are going to pay!"
"True," he replied nonchalantly. "But once I escape this town, no one is going to find me. Not even The Devil or your pathetic boyfriend or that idiot detective." He sped away as he continued, "And your father, well, he's going to have another child, and I'm sure that one will be more competent to be called a Brown, unlike you."
My anger surged, and I desperately wanted to take matters into my own hands. However, Ben was far too sinister, for me to make my hands dirty with his blood. He would receive the retribution he deserved behind bars. He deserved to be dragged in front of the whole world to show what kind of human is he. That's where he'd rot. I would make sure of it.
I wriggled once again, attempting to free myself, but the tight restraints held me firmly. My hands were bound securely, leaving me with no way to escape. I needed to find a way to contact David, to alert him to my whereabouts and Ben's malevolent plans, but the situation seemed bleak.
Then, suddenly like a thunderstorm in the night sky, a deafening engine roar reached my ears. Lorenzo?
I glanced back to find that it was indeed him. Lorenzo, riding a motorcycle at breakneck speed, was slicing through the air to catch up with us. How had he found us?
Ben also realized Lorenzo was closing in and floored the accelerator, attempting to widen the gap between us. The chase continued, with Lorenzo drawing near and then Ben slipping away. All I could do was sit in silence and endure the torment of the chase.
"This fucking bastard has really become a pain in the ass," Ben muttered while pursuing Lorenzo. "I should never have listened to Mia. I should have killed him when he first dared to stand against me."
The car swerved left and right, jolting me along with it. It seemed like a terrible idea, given my nauseous state, as I desperately needed to vomit. "Ben... slow down," I pleaded. "I need to throw up."
Ben, however, paid no heed to my pleas, just as he had ignored them before. "Don't you dare do that, or I'll have to throw you out from the running car and you will meet your end under the wheels, Ana," he threatened.
During the chase, he grabbed my phone, dialled a number, and put it on speaker while keeping it near his seat. How had he got my phone?
A lady answered from the other end. "Welcome to Brown's chartered service. How can I help you today, Miss Brown?"
Originally, I had planned to inform the lady to call the police, but with Ben brandishing a gun, I dared not. "I... uh... Can you arrange a flight to London immediately?"
"Immediately?" The lady sounded somewhat uncertain.
Ben pointed the gun at me, forcing me to say, "Uh, it's urgent."
After a brief pause, she replied, "Alright, ma'am. I'll have the plane ready in one hour."
I looked at Ben. He pointed his gun mouthing me, "Fifteen minutes."
I couldn't do much other than listen to him. "Can you do it in fifteen minutes?" I asked.
After a pregnant pause, she replied. "Okay ma'am, fifteen minutes."
"Thank you," I mumbled.
Ben disconnected the call and then hurled the phone away.
The chase resumed, with Ben now in the lead, nimbly navigating the car through traffic. The Bugatti Veyron, his new supercar, was ideal for such manoeuvres.
However, Lorenzo didn't give up. He continued to trail us, offering a glimmer of hope. Miley might be dead, and there was no sign of Oliver, but I couldn't allow Ben to escape justice. But what could I possibly do?
In this case, it was really that my hands were tied.
Taking a sudden turn to the right, Ben veered onto the abandoned road towards the shortcut escaping the town. This time, he really outran Lorenzo behind the piles of moving metals. We lost Lorenzo. Or more Likley Lorenzo lost us.
Shit.
As we passed the road, the sight triggered memories of when I first met Lorenzo, of the attacks, of Blakley's death, and of Aurora's body being found. Passing through Edenfell Woods felt like the resurgence of haunting memories.
Ben didn't slow down, pressing on down the ominous forested path. We were almost at the connector road leading from LarksVille to Texas. Towards the Brown's Chartered service.
Then, a figure appeared in the distance, and my breath caught in my throat. It was Miley. She was alive!
Her clothes were torn and burned, her face bruised and covered in sweat and mud, and her hair wild and untamed. She was distraught. A survivor of a brutal burn. Yet the scars are clearly visible on her skin. She stood facing our oncoming car. The fire in her eyes roared in the dark road with determination for revenge. For everything that the Falcon group has forced her to face.
"Ben, slow down!" I pleaded in a panic. But he continued, increasing the car's speed toward Miley. "She'll die!"
"She must die tonight," Ben muttered as we approached her at high speed.
And then, like magic, the coin turns. Miley raised her hand, holding a gun, and pointed it directly at us. This time, fear was evident in Ben's eyes. Before he could slam on the brakes, Miley fired a shot.
A/N: No matter how long it takes. The justice will be served.