THE CAGED BIRD

CHAPTER 19

I had just put on my clothes, making myself ready for a new day.

Evelyn would be coming back today. She had visited her friend for a couple of days and came back to our house to keep me company again. She wanted to look at the room which could be possibly the nursery for the baby.

When I left the bathroom and was ready to exit the bedroom, I heard people shouting downstairs. I quickened my steps and headed towards the noise, only I was held back by the sound of a gunshot.

I tensed.

Careful I stepped forward. This was a stupid idea, I thought. You should run away! A voice in my head shouted at me…..

Short after the shot, it became silent, like the silence before a storm. Then all hell broke loose. Multiple gunshots were fired, by the sound of it. More people started to yell at each other.

Instinctively, I stepped back

I saw a figure appearing around the corner. I wanted to shout for help, but seeing who it was, I remained quiet. I calmed down.

It was Alex.

‘What are you standing there for!? Run Ava!’ He shouted at me with a panicked face. I did not understand what was happening. Still, I listened to him.

Before I turned around, I saw someone behind Alex. I wanted to shout at him to step away, only it was already too late. A gun was fired and hit Alex in the back. Soon he coughed up blood and fell on his knees.

I was paralyzed from shock. I put my hands automatically around my stomach. I looked up and saw a man with an evil smirk on his face. I did not wait any longer. I turned around and run into the bedroom.

Locked the door.

I Run further to the bathroom.

Locked the door.

I looked at the windows, they could be opened. I looked down and then I knew I was trapped. It was too high from up here and I did not want to risk the safety of my child. I hoped I could hide in here long enough.

I sat down in the shower, the wall around the shower made me invisible if you were to enter the bathroom.

I waited and waited. I had looked for my phone, but I think I left it downstairs. For a short moment, I thought I was safe, and I could sit this one out. Only I could not be farther away from the truth.

The bathroom door broke open and I heard multiple people barging in. I held my breath, too afraid to make any sound. I heard footsteps coming from all the corners of the bathroom. It would not take long before they had found me.

Then I heard a sinister voice. ‘Well, Well, Well, look who we have here, The Angelo princess.’ I looked up to be met with the same man who shot Alex. My whole trembled.

‘Please, Please don’t hurt me.’ I pleaded. I was so scared, never in my life, I was this scared.

I heard people laugh and mock me. A tear rolled down my cheek.

‘We’ll see about that.’ With that, the man grabbed me by my hair and dragged me towards the front door.

Instinctively, my hands went up to his where he was holding my hair. It hurt. I hissed and groaned. I pleaded with the man to let go, but my words fell to deaf ears. The moment I left the stairs behind me I saw bodies scattered all around the floor. One of them I had recognized, Edric.

A certain sadness washed over me. Yes, Edric was indeed not a great husband nor a great person for that matter. But I had spent the last couple of months of my life with him and in a way, he helped me with dealing with my father’s and brother’s death.

More tears escaped my eyes.

I was dragged outside and pushed towards a van, just before I entered the vehicle, I felt a hard slap against the back of my head. My whole world turned black.

A groan escaped my lips as I tried to wake up. I was hit with a foul smell. A smell that reminded me of a public restroom, rotten food, and blood. Next, I felt hair sticking onto my neck and a headache coming up. I put my hand on my neck and felt with my fingertips what it could be. I retracted my hand and I saw blood.

Slowly the memories from hours ago flooded in my mind. The blood was probably caused by that hit against my head.

I sat up and put a hand on my stomach. Fear pumped through my veins. I was afraid they had done something to endanger my baby. The bump was still there, and I felt no pain coming from that specific area, so everything should be fine.

I rested my back on a wall and looked around. It looked like I was in some kind of basement. Many stains covered the walls and floors. I did not want to know what it was. I pulled my legs up, towards my chest as a protective layer for my stomach.

I rested my arms on my legs and waited for information or a person. The only thing that was on my mind was Edric’s and Alex’s bodies, laying there on the cold marble floors in my home.

I think several hours went by when I heard people coming from outside the door that led to my basement prison. With a loud sound, the door was opened, and six men walked in.

I tried to make myself smaller if that was even possible. My throat was dry and cold sweat formed on my forehead and back.

As I looked at the six me, I recognized one of the men. The one with the sinister voice and evil smirk. Only he was not the leader of this small group. In the middle was a man standing tall and strong with a large scar on his face. He stepped closer to me, crouched down, and spoke.

‘My apologies Mrs Verlice or should I say Miss Angelo Again?’

He laughed. I resisted myself from giving the man any reaction. ‘I’m sorry about the whole showdown at your house, but I did not know how to do things differently. And don’t worry you won’t be staying here for long. Once we know how to get rid of that baby you can come up.’ He said very causally, like it was a normal Tuesday, having a conversation with a stranger.

‘What do you mean?’ I stuttered, I tensed at his words.

‘I can’t have you bringing that child of yours into the world.’ he stated.

My mind was filled with worries. This baby was the last chance of having a family to call my own. If he or she died I had no one.

‘Why? And who are you to demand something like that?’

My whole body trembled now, fear pumped through my veins.

‘The whole Verlice family needs to be dead for me to take power and with you, at my side, people will accept me to be the new boss in town.’ He stood up and dusted his clothes off.

‘I need to go.’ He walked away but stopped when he stood in the doorway.

‘I’m Lex by the way, you’re soon to be husband.’

I looked horrified at the man who called himself Lex. I was not going to be anyone’s wife ever again.

He laughed seeing my face an exited the basement.

I had fallen asleep and was startled by the sound of the basement door being opened. I wrapped my arms around my stomach as I sat up again. Lex and his men stepped inside and circled around me.

‘I’m sorry sweetheart, but it seem we need to do this the old - fashioned way.’ Lex turned towards one of the men and said.

‘Aim for the stomach, I don’t want her dead understood?’ The men nodded their heads and Lex left as soon as he had entered the basement.

I looked up and begged the men to leave me alone. They did not listen. Two of the men grabbed one of my arms, I could no longer protect my belly. ‘BEGIN.’ I heard and I cried out a ‘NO’ but nothing helped.

When they left me, it was almost like I could feel the life inside my stomach dying, slipping away. I held a hand over my bump, but I knew I was already too late. The blood gave away the baby had died and was leaving my body.

I cried. I screamed.