Chapter 13: after

THEY REFUSE TO LEAVE.

"No, we can't until we speak to you." The brown haired says.

Aubrey scoffs, getting disturbed and nervous with them refusing to leave her gate. "Are you deaf? I said we have nothing to speak about, so leave before I call the cops." She unintentionally loses her deep tone and her voice comes out sounding high-pitched and scared.

"Is she really using the word, cops to threaten us?" The lady with black hair says to the brown-red haired man who hasn't spoken a word since.

Aubrey is more confused by everything they say. Why is this new month like this? She no longer has a boyfriend, she got robbed the day after and there are weird people in front of her apartment at midnight.

"Leave now. I'm warning you three." Aubrey forces on a harsh tone and puts on an intimidating look to scare them away but they look unfazed by it.

"Wait, Aubrey. We know you must be scared now but we mean no harm. We only want to speak with you." The brown-haired speaks.

Aubrey's eyes widen at him; he knows her name. She has never met him so he should not be able to call her name. Aubrey is careful with the information she gives every single person she comes in contact with, so she is very confused as to how a stranger she has never met before, knows her name and even her apartment.

Did the crazy, black-haired leak out her information? He sent more people to rob her? Many possibilities run through her mind.

"You three should leave."

She can't get inside her house until they leave. They might break into the house and chase her in, so it's better she stays outside until they are gone. Also, if they try anything, there are plenty of areas to run to.

"Aubrey listen, what we have to say is important." The brown haired begins moving closer to her and that makes Aubrey quickly step back, raising a danger alarm in her head.

'What has the world turn into these days? There's danger everywhere.' Aubrey thinks within herself. "If you mean no harm, then you would leave and stop bothering me."

The brown-haired stops moving towards her, knowing he is only scaring her the more.

Aubrey takes one last look at the three of them staring down at her; they are all taller than her—another thing that makes her more unsettled. She turns away from them, after making sure they won't move and she begins walking to her door.

"Aubrey Kim."

She turns around to see the brown-red haired man speak for the first time. "Your life and everyone else around you, depends on this."

There comes the crazy talk from strangers again. She remembers the encounter with the old lady from the bookstore three years ago, she also spoke a little weird making her story sound dependent on her life. Then the thief from Friday night too and now these three people. She won't listen to them anymore.

"Get lost." She says to their faces -venom dripping from her voice- before turning back to head for her cherry painted door.

She hears the lady say behind her, "I don't have time for this."

Aubrey jumps back, seeing the black-haired lady materialize right in front of her. Her eyes are wide in fear and confusion, having witnessed something above the normal level of human reasoning. Aubrey watches in absolute terror as the bread falls out of her hands.

"Gemma stop." Someone warns from behind.

"I hate stubborn mortals."

That's the last thing Aubrey hears before hands are pushed roughly into her hair, pulled back and hit hard against the short fence.

AN UNCOMFORTABLE, MILDLY COLD FEELING JOLTS HER UP, creating a biting sensation on her skin as her eyes open up and she begins panting hard for air.

"Oh good, she is awake."

The clanging sound of something dropping to the ground beside her makes Aubrey shiver more- not from the cold, but from the fear.

"You didn't have to do that, Gemma."

"What is it? She refused to wake up when I asked gently."

"Connor will not like that."

"Well, he's not here."

The voices slowly reach Aubrey's ears and it feels like they are far away as she tries to regain consciousness. Her head begins to hurt from waking up with such shock; her head is foggy and filled with unsettling thoughts that only makes her panic.

Only then does she start to realize that she is drenched, so she looks down to see her clothes soaked in water and an empty bucket laying beside her. Her senses are still slowly loading as she moves her head around, trying to focus her eyes on what is happening but she can't; they must have hit her head hard.

One thing she is sure of at the moment; she has been kidnapped.

Seconds after, she doesn't hear the voices anymore and she isn't sure if they're gone or just staying quiet. Then she begins to feel restraints on her wrist and that's when her senses pick up the reality of being tied up.

She gasps, looking down at her laps to see them tied down to the chair she is sitting on. She struggles to move her hands but they are tied behind her and she can't move off the chair no matter how hard she tries.

The ropes are knotted tight on her ankles and that makes it hurt with the slightest move of escape she makes. But that doesn't mean Aubrey stops, she keeps on struggling against the ropes in fear that the owners of the voices may come back.

Little does she know that they are standing a meter away, observing her pathetic attempt at escape.

Aubrey slowly begins to tear up after realizing her efforts are pointless. Her lips part open as breaths of panic flow out. Her wet hair is put down over her face that she can't see anything past it. A lot of thoughts are on her mind but one thing she is sure about is that—this is the end; she becomes a weeping mess.

"Would you stop crying?"

The irritated voice makes Aubrey snap her head up, her teary eyes wide in fear as she scans the small, dark room. "Wh-who who is there?" Aubrey stutters, tears running down her wet cheeks.