Chapter 4. Who Captured Her?

The blood drained from her face. This was the worst thing that could happen to her. Where would she go now? She knew she hadn’t been able to pay her rent for two months, but Mr. Greene, her landlord, could have given her a month’s warning at least. She felt like crying and ending her wretched life.

Rushing upstairs to Mr. Greene’s apartment, she rang the doorbell and waited. She would request him to give her a little time. She would plead with him not to throw her out on the streets. After a few minutes, her old landlord opened the door and gave her a displeased look.

“There’s nothing I can do about it, Brooklyn, so just pack up and leave. You have twenty-four hours,” said Mr. Greene, trying to shut the door in her face, but Brooklyn held onto the door, refusing to let him close it.

“Please, Mr. Greene. I have nowhere to go. Give me a little time. I’ll pay you the money and when Brandon returns home, I’ll vacate. Please don’t throw me out now,” she pleaded as tears fell from her eyes. Mr. Greene took pity on her and just peered down the stairs as if to check. He opened his door wider.

“Come inside, Brooklyn,” he said. Brooklyn walked into his apartment. She knew he lived alone with his differently-abled sister. “Sit down,” he said. Brooklyn sat down and wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Look, this isn’t about the rent. I know that you’re a good girl and you’d pay me sometime later,” said the old man. Brooklyn’s eyes widened with surprise. If this wasn’t about the rent, then why was he evicting her? She was really at her wit’s end!

“Then why are you evicting me?” she asked with dread.

“Someone threatened me to do so,” said the old man, his eyes looking anxious and frightened, making Brooklyn gape at him with shock.

“Who threatened you, Mr. Greene?” she whispered, dreading his answer.

“The chief of MC Black Devils, Jimmy Black, was here after you left for work today. I do not know how he knows you, but he wants you, Brooklyn. He wanted me to evict you tonight and he would come to get you with his gang. If I were you, I’d pack and run for dear life just now,” said the old man. A gasp escaped Brooklyn’s mouth, and her head reeled at the information. Who was Jimmy Black? Was it her stalker or was it the bald man?

“I have no choice, Brooklyn. He is dangerous and I wouldn’t want to cross him. This is all the information I can give you although he had warned me not to tell you anything,” said Mr. Greene, looking agitated. Brooklyn slowly got up. She would quickly pack up and escape this place before that man, Jimmy Black, got to her.

“Can you do me a favor, Mr. Greene? I won’t be able to take all my stuff with me tonight. Can you keep the ones I leave behind with you? Brandon is away from home at work. He would come to look for me. Can you hand everything over to him?” pleaded Brooklyn. Mr. Greene nodded, taking pity on the young girl.

“I will,” he said. Brooklyn wasted no more time and, thanking him, she rushed to her apartment to pack.

For the next hour, Brooklyn packed her bare essentials in two shabby suitcases. She was so engrossed in packing that she hardly heard cars skidding to a stop outside the building. Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming up the staircase, followed by the sound of her doorbell.

Her whole body froze, and she panicked, not knowing what to do. There was only one exit, and she had no other way of escaping. The rickety door flew open and her eyes locked with the dark, angry hazel ones of her stalker. Was he Jimmy Black?

Brooklyn walked backward with fright, her face paling considerably as she stared with horror at her stalker standing at her doorstep. Petrified, she lost her ability to speak while he watched her like a hawk as if about to pounce upon his prey.

“Please don’t kill me. I have done nothing to you,” she squeaked with terror, words failing her as panic gripped her body. His hazel eyes widened a little, but he started approaching her paying no heed to her words. The stout man, along with other men, all clad in black suits, stood to attention at her doorstep, waiting for their boss’s instructions. Were they all members of MC Black Devils?

Brooklyn looked around to pick up something to throw at him, to ward him off, but sadly there was nothing in the shabby apartment. In her indecisive state, she made a dash for her bedroom to lock herself inside, but her stalker was quicker. He reached her in two strides and caught her arm, pulling her towards him.

“No, please let me go,” she struggled to get free, but he was too strong for her.

“Don’t fight me, Brooklyn,” said her stalker, his deep voice sending a chill down her spine.

Fear gripped her heart, and it constricted, leaving her gasping for air. Her head reeled, and she lost consciousness and would have fallen to the ground had it not been for her stalker’s support. She could feel herself being lifted and carried away, but her body was powerless to resist. Her limp body sagged into a warm torso and she completely blacked out. She was now at the mercy of Jimmy Black!

Brooklyn did not know what happened afterwards. When she woke up, she found herself in a brightly lit, sunny room, with sunlight streaming through the open windows. A refreshingly sweet fruity smell wafted into her nose from outside. Where was she? It felt as if she was in a different world altogether, a world completely different from the polluted city life that she was used to. Did she die and go to heaven?

This was nothing short of heaven. Rubbing her eyes, she looked around the room. It was tastefully decorated in shades of white and olive green, creating a positive and warm ambiance all around. Getting up from the queen-sized bed, she glanced at herself. Thankfully, she was wearing the same clothes as she had last night. Trying to recall, she felt frustrated when she couldn’t recall anything that happened after being abducted by Jimmy Black.