“I want your word,” Fabian said as he pointed the gun back at Miamor. His aim was so shaky that even if he pulled the trigger he would miss his shot. His nerves were shot, and he truly feared the woman in front of him. He knew that whoever made her the way she was had to be ruthless. He hated her, but he didn’t want to be the one to bring her death in fear of the repercussions. “If I let you go, you won’t come for me. Say it!”

Miamor bit her tongue, because she knew that it wasn’t a promise that she could keep, but she extended it anyway in order to save herself. She swallowed what felt like a lump in her throat, but the salty taste of blood let her know that even if Fabian let her go, she could still die. Time was of the essence, and her body was letting her know that if she didn’t get help soon, she would be going to meet her maker. She and her sister would be reunited sooner than she thought if she didn’t get out of there. “Let me go. You have my word.”

Fabian approached her slowly and kept his shaky aim on her as he removed one of her hands from the duct tape. He then backpedaled toward the stairs. Miamor’s eyes never left him. They were like a constant threat as he took the stairs upward one by one, until finally he reached the top. Miamor nodded and watched him rush out of the door.

As soon as he disappeared from her sight, she let out a scream of excruciating pain. “Aghh!” she yelled as tears filled her eyes. She used her free hand to try and remove the rest of the tape from her body. Her grip was so weak, which made the effort of freedom so much harder to attain. She was hurt, badly. She could barely breathe, and no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t free herself from the chair. The world around her spun wildly as if she was on a merry-go-round. In frustration, she rocked the chair back and forth as she struggled to loosen her arms. Come on! Get the fuck up! Get out of this! You cannot die down here! she cried silently, forcing herself to move.