The Defiance novel

---- Chapter 18: I Knew Alice's POV I knew the moment he walked the door. Just like that time when he decided to walk out of my life. He never turned his back or looked over his shoulders to see how hurt I was when he did. And I hated him for that. Ihated him for years. Controlling my breathing so they won't hear the whimper threatening me to come out, it would alarm them, they would know I was awake.

They were moving away and when I couldn't hear them, I opened my eyes to stare at the ceiling and mutely cried. I was exhausted from today's happenings but my eyes never seemed to get tired of flooding free tears. I shut my eyes firmly and pushed myself up. I couldn't sleep, the moment my body hit the mattress, my senses were conscious, grasping stimuli from everything around me-movements, close heat, and sound. The room was too quiet and it felt like I was going crazy by the second.

I had to go out. My feet touched the floor and with its bareness fighting the cold, I made my way out of the suffocating space. The whole place was quiet, too. The hallways were scenery from ---- the movies, dimly lit and silent. But terror was far from my mind, nothing was occupying me now, only the thought of finding him. He hurt me more than I could take but I want to see him. I really am crazy. With careful pace, I thread like a ghost.

I walked and walked aimlessly until I quickly hid on the dark corner when someone appeared far ahead from me, from another corner. He was holding a cell phone that lit the lower part of his face. He was wearing an earphone and seemed like talking to someone from his device. "Yeah. I'll be there. The basement right? He's there? Uh-huh", he listened a little and nodded. When he was about to turn into another corner, I followed him secretly.

"He'll kill them I tell you" I was nervous getting caught but I prayed I wouldn't, the man was too pre occupied so I continued. I followed him until we crossed two more turns and came to meet stairs down. I waited for him to be gone from my sight. I hid my body and my ears could catch some voices of men shouting. It was faint but it sounded struggling. I gulped. The stairs leading below were steep. It was too dark but my eyes adjusted from it so I could see well.

The door was slightly open and I took a peek. My eyes widened at what I saw. Two men were tightly tied on ---- the chair, bloody. Faces were near beyond recognition. No one's talking aside from them. It was ascary sight but what terrified me more was when I saw an arm extended to them holding a gun on hand. My hands flew to my mouth. My body shook in fear. "Do you think I fucking care?" , another voice boomed , and I knew it was his. I was scared for my life, scared of it but I couldn't run.

I couldn't help but watch it happen, when he pulled the trigger and shot the man who was clearly afraid of dying, and then he shot the other man dead. And there, right before the last one breathe his last, his eyes caught mine and it froze me in place. To see someone die in front of you was a living nightmare and to meet eyes with them was haunting. I was crying out of horror and panic. I jumped when something banged loudly against the wall.

It was the gun that killed the men, it was thrown on the room's wall and echoed on it. "Fucking shit!", he growled. "Leave us", it was the sound from the one who came earlier into the room where I was staying. Footsteps started to come closer to the door where I was, and in my adrenaline , I quickly looked where to hide. They couldn't find me here snooping on their business. There was an even darker part that lead I didn't know where, my instinct told me to keep myself there and I