Chapter 12: Nightmare

Chapter 12: Nightmare Seraphina’s POV I was shoved into the van, the pain at the back of my head making everything spin. My vision blurred, and I could feel myself slipping, but I bit down on my tongue, hard, the sharp sting forced me to stay awake. I couldn’t black out. Not now. No one was coming to save me. I knew that. But I still had to try. I’d fight, even if it were pointless. Even if no one ever heard me scream. "Take her," one of them barked. My body trembled uncontrollably. "Man, she’s wild," another one laughed. "Yeah, but you’re not touching her ’til the boss says so," the third snapped. My blood turned to ice. The boss. There was always someone worse. Someone was waiting for me somewhere! My breathing hitched under the cloth. My skin crawled. I knew what this meant. What they were talking about. And I refused to let that happen. Not in this life. Not again. But what could I do? I was tied up and half-conscious in the back of a van! Panic clawed at my throat, but I shoved it down. I needed a plan—just anything, damn thing—to escape this shit! I wouldn’t go down without a fight. I tried to think of any way to escape before we got wherever they were taking me. But my body wouldn’t move. My mind blurred, freezing in place. I couldn’t help but remember that day with Jim all over again, and my previous life. The terror, the helplessness, and the weight of not being able to fight back were still fresh to me. Only this time, there was no mysterious man to save me. For some reason, I found myself thinking about Lucien. His face, his voice—the way he’d made me feel safe, even for a moment. I was really missing him. In the end, I couldn’t keep up with my consciousness and fainted. I just... couldn’t take it anymore. Two hours later— I woke up to the faint sound of dripping water and something cold pressing against my cheek. The floor. For a second, I didn’t know where I was. My head was pounding, and my body felt too heavy to move. Everything that had happened before—being dragged, tied up, the van—came rushing back like a nightmare. I wish it were just a dream and all these things hadn’t happened. But I was already here. Thankfully, my face was now uncovered, and I could see around. The lights were dim—yellow, flickering, like they were about to die. My throat was dry. My head felt like it had been split open. Every part of me ached. And it was cold... very cold! Not just the air but the silence too. I blinked a few times, trying to adjust my eyes to the dull light. The room was the same—small, walls stained with dampness. I touched my forehead—dry blood crusted at the edge. They must have hit it harder than I thought. My wrists were still bound, but looser than before. Maybe they thought I wouldn’t fight anymore. Maybe they were right. No... no. I had to get out of here. I had to stay awake this time. Even if no one was coming, even if Lucien wasn’t out there, I had to escape anyhow! I started struggling against the ropes. They were a little loose, but the knot was tight... too tight. My fingers fumbled, shaking as I tried to undo it. That’s when I noticed something else— My feet were tied too. "Just what the hell do they want from me? Who did this to me?" I whispered, panic curling in my chest like smoke. I was close— so close—to freeing myself when I heard voices outside the door. Someone was whispering. "This bitch! How could she do this to me?" That voice. My stomach dropped. It sounded familiar. Was it... Jim? The same bastard who’d dragged me to the hospital? Or someone else? I couldn’t tell. But something deep down warned me—whoever it was, this wasn’t a good sign. "Open the door! I want to see what that little lass is doing!" the voice shouted, followed by a loud, hysterical laugh. A harsh bang rang out as the door burst open, making me jolt in fear. I stumbled back, collapsing to the floor, and faking that I was still unconcious! If they noticed I was trying to escape, I didn’t know what they’d do. Footsteps echoed as the person stepped into the room, heading straight toward me. I wanted to scream, to push him away—but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to alert them. "Take her!" he barked, turning to the others who had followed behind him. "The setup is ready! We’re going to make some big money off this one!" Then he laughed again—cold, cruel, and familiar. What...? No. No, it couldn’t be... Don’t tell me... He’s the one—the same person who filmed those videos of me in the hospital? My whole body trembled, but I forced myself to stay composed. I wasn’t the same person I was in my last life. "Fuck! She’s bleeding!" someone cursed, slamming a person against the wall. A sharp shriek of pain echoed. "Why hasn’t her wound been tended to yet? We need her ready in an hour!" "I... I’ll do it right now!" the person who’d just been slammed stepped forward quickly. "Forget it!" another voice interrupted. "I’m Ralph. I never cared about stuff like that. As long as I have a good time with her, I can make do with it!" What the hell? Ralph? It’s him? Why do all the villains from my past lives seem to be gathering in the same place? Before I could process any of it, someone grabbed me and threw me over their shoulder and walked out of the hellhole of a room. I was finally out in the light—and to my shock, this was the corridor of a hotel. "Help!" I screamed as soon as I noticed unfamiliar faces nearby, hoping they weren’t part of this nightmare.