11.

Her breath came in ragged gasps as she darted through the dense forest, branches clawing at her skin and clothes. The makeshift rope of torn bedsheets had barely held her weight as she climbed down the farmhouse window, but it was enough to grant her freedom. Now, with the sun casting a golden glow through the canopy, she pushed forward, her legs aching and cuts stinging from her desperate escape.

Behind her, the silhouette of the farmhouse loomed, its dark windows-like eyes watching her every move. The trees closed in around her, a labyrinth of trunks and shadows. She stumbled over roots and rocks, her bare feet raw and bleeding, but she didn't slow down. She knew the kidnappers would be after her soon, if they weren't already.

Her mind raced, the panic in her chest threatening to choke her, but she fought it down, focusing on the rhythm of her steps and the distant sounds of the forest. Every rustle and snap made her heart jump, but she kept moving, pushing through the pain and the fear. The forest was her only hope, its tangled depths the best chance she had to lose her pursuers.

With each passing minute, her exhaustion grew, but so did her determination. She couldn't go back. She wouldn't go back. As the trees swallowed her deeper into their embrace, she clung to the hope that somewhere, beyond the darkness, lay safety and freedom. 

The cuts on her body stretched painfully with every step she took ahead, shooting dull pain all over her body.

But she didn't stopped, she couldn't stop. She knew in her consciousness, that maybe she wouldn't be able to survive today too. She won't be able to break free, she will be proven unsuccessful to escape again.

Even though the depths of vulnerable possibilities were freshly carved in her head, she held onto the hope, strongly, she wanted to believe in the strength of her prayers, the depth of her faith and the mighty power of her Lord.

She won't give up so soon, she won't give up that easily.

As her steps hastened further, her breathing exasperated more; uneven and raspy. The strides seemed to make zero to no effect as her legs could only move with a certain speed, given the condition of her body, which has worsened since her time here.

She seeped through the dense trees, the dry leaves crunching beneath her bare feet, causing small lits of fractions to burn at her skin. Gradually, she heard something unusual, causing her to widen, but she didn't halt in her run-away adventure.

There was someone else behind her, she felt the presence. But she just didn't had the courage to trade her time in expense to get a glimpse of whether the follower was a person or a wild animal, ready to make her his prey for the day.

She shuddered at the thought of being eaten up by a lion or a beer, her breaths got stuck in her dry throat as she gulped hard.

Oh God. Please, not a wild creature.

She halted, deciding to hide behind a huge tree at her side. Her curiosity and fear got the best of her at the moment. She swiftly moved towards the tree, hiding behind its huge brown-rusted log, hoping silently to not be seen by whoever was preying on her.

The faded footsteps became clearer to her ears, the cool morning breeze swayed the leaves hanging from the branches of long, terrifying trees, causing few dried ones to fall smoothly on the piles of already fallen ones.

The sun was not fully up on the head yet, but it's bright rays seeped through the narrow and wide spaces between the logs, the earthy smell of the forest mixed with a mist of woods was a harmonious aura.

She breathed out, the pupils of her eyes rolled to the side as her ears silently heard the footsteps that seemed to get closer and closer with each passing second, the leaves making sound as the weight of God-knows-what-or-whom walked stealthily nearing her hidden figure.

She suppressed the urge to peek behind, fearing the probability that the animal or person behind her would see her and attack right away.

But she couldn't kill the curiosity that settled deep inside her. She subconsciously peeked behind, turning her head just a little to catch the view of whosoever's footsteps were crushing and twisting the dried piles of yellow leaves on the ground.

Her eyes widened at the sight of the most detested criminal—after DK and that blue eyed jerk— came into her view. Her heart sank 6 feet under the ground, thumping vigorously against her ribcage.

She twirled her head around instantly, feeling her blood rush with anxious chills that flowed through her whole body.

He indeed was a wild creature, and she refused to be devoured by him.

She gulped, feeling his closeness approach her secretly. The urge to once again turn behind to see till where he had closed the distance towards her little hideout was overwhelming, but she stood there silently, hoping to not be found, to not be heard, to not be seen or caught.

Little did she knew, her hopes were meant to be broken again when she felt him dismantling the distance, as the dry leaves flitted with his heavy steps, making her close her eyes. She felt a warm hand curl against her arm swiftly, making her gasp and widening her eyes.

"Running again, squirrel?" His deep voice cut through the thick fresh air around the dense trees, her expression soured as she turned to face him.

She wished it was a hallucination but his malicious face was an inducement of flashing her back to the ferocious reality.

She stared at him with eyes brimming with unwanted tears, every ounce of hope betraying her, every bit of courage washing away as the depth of her situation poured upon her with heavy raindrops, drenching her down with its aggressive falls.

His mysterious brown eyes searched her face for a moment, meeting with only silence as an answer. The warmth of his palm was slipping its way beneath her torn clothes, inspiring cold waves of shivers to run down her spine.

He tugged at her arm, forcing her body to jerk forward as her fingers curled into small fists in front of her chest instinctively as if to refrain her body from colliding with his.

"Let's go." He announced, pulling at her hand.

"No." She resisted, twisting her arm out of his hold.

"Stop it, woman. You are only hurting yourself." His grip tightened, making her wince in pain. The remnants from the previous day insinuated their presence.

"And I can hurt you too." She gritted her teeth, a muscle in her jaw twitching with anger.

"Ah really? How?" He raised his eyebrows while taking a step closer to her, an amused grin breaking through his lips at her newfound confidence.

She sealed her lips, boring holes in his eyes. 

Then suddenly, she lifted her leg, kicking him straight at his calf, causing him to lose his balance as he fell to his knees. His hold loosened on her arm as she instantly turned to run away.

She didn't even take a step ahead when his hand grabbed her ankle, hauling at it strongly as her weight lost its balance too. A gasp left her mouth as her body twirled down. She closed her eyes in anticipation of getting hurt again, feeling his arm whirl around her back as it collided with the ground first, followed by her legs. She gathered her hands in front, waiting for the pain to hit at the back of her head. Instead, she felt his hand placed under her nape, acting as a barrier between the rocky surface and her skin— protecting her from any injuries.

She opened her eyes, meeting with his impenetrable foxy orbs. He was hovering above her, his one hand beneath her head while the other situated just at the side of her face, supporting his weight. A wave of panic surged across her veins, her body tensing physically as horrific images of her dark, unforgettable past fenced every shred of her senses. 

"Wh-what are you doing?" She stammered, her voice barely audible. Although she knew his eyes were dark brown, her mind made glitches in front of her own hazel ones, making her see them as blue, making her relive the dreading situation for split seconds.

"Making you realize who is more powerful here." He failed to observe the tension in her eyes.

"Get off me." She wiggled under him but he wouldn't budge. 

Her fists tried to dodge him away as she struggled to break free from his invading proximity. He narrowed his gaze, shattering all her acts of protest. He removed his hand from under her nape, pinning both of her hands down at the sides of her head. 

Her heartbeats palpitated, hammering against her ribcage as if it would come out any second, her breaths shallowing torturously as her windpipe suddenly stopped taking or releasing air. Flashes of the traumatic memories flooded her mind, disconnecting her from reality. 

"N-no, please....stop......No....please no." Her eyes were shut, hands continuing to punch and drub at his hard chest to fend him off while she muttered in a dissociated state, lost in the fog of overwhelming memories. 

Tiger's grip loosened, his orbs searching her face but she didn't seem to notice that, she was still caught in the voices and images of her mind. 

"Stop it, Nike.....please stop...please no.." Tiger's brows furrowed at the familiar name, confusion etched across his divine features as he slowly lifted himself off of her. 

He pulled her hand upward, making her sit as she opened her eyes, retrieving her hand back instantly from his hold, gathering her knees in front of her chest while her hands covered her ears in an attempt to stop her own screams from ringing through her ears, her unruly hair curtained her features, hiding the tears that stained her rosy cheeks. 

"Squirrel," He called out to her, but she didn't look at him. Her heavy breaths were loud, making his eyes glint with an uncertain emotion.

He felt a wave of guilt tug at his chest, something he hadn't felt in years, an emotion he thought wasn't made for him.

"I'm not doing anything, okay? Calm down." He instructed softly.

She peeked at him through her eyelashes, her face contorted in an expression that clearly showed her revulsion and distaste for him. 

Another pang of guilt tugged at the strings of his heart, which he ignored yet again.

"Can you walk?" He asked cautiously. 

"No, I'm handicapped." She snapped. 

"Back to being feisty so fast." He shook his head. 

"Come on, get up." He said, rising from the ground while dusting his clothes.

"Who told you I will come with you?" She stood on her feet too, glaring at him with anger and disgust evident on her face.

He looked away, hating the way she was looking at him, hating the way he was feeling because of it. 

"Nobody has to tell me that, squirrel. You're coming with me. You don't have choice." He grabbed her hand, tightening his grip on her wrist. 

"Let me go!" She screamed, twisting her wrist which only caused more pain to her.

"Look, you little woman. Just shut up and follow me silently when I am being nice." He said, nearing an inch closer to her for emphasis. 

"I won't. Let go of my hand." She winced.

"You're such a headache." He ran a hand through his raven hair, his words dripping with underlying frustration.

"Just let me go then. You won't get headaches anymore." She suggested, a hint of sarcasm lacing her tone.

"As if I will." He smirked, turning around and pulling her with him forcefully. 

"No, let me go, you jerk." He ignored her protests, her words fading into the air, just like how her efforts faded in vain every time.

----

"Ugh, leave my hand, its hurting." He let go of her hand, pushing her into the room as she stumbled back. 

She turned around with all the furious expressions settled on her face. She glared at him, clenching the side of her torn clothes at her sides. 

"Bloody bastard." She muttered, which was surprisingly loud enough to make him smirk. 

"That I am."

"Of course, you are." She grimaced. 

"Enjoy your time alone for a while."

He chuckled, taking a step back and closing the door. 

"I'll run away again, you moron. Just wait and watch. You heard me?!" She screamed at the door, knowing he was still there listening. 

"Good luck trying, squirrel." His mock broke through the thick door. 

It felt like an insult, a degradation, a kind of humiliation which she hated the most. It was as if he underestimated her, as if she wasn't strong enough to fight against him, as if she was weak and vulnerable and didn't stand a chance against him. 

At that point, she wondered if it was his mockery that was humiliating to her or her own thoughts and miserability. She didn't know if it was her weakness or his strength, if it was her inability to win against him or his capability to always make her fail.

Whatever it was, she hated it, detested it. 

----

Tiger settled on the couch, resuming his work on his laptop in silence. His mind whirled around a particular name, the image of her taking that name didn't left his subconscious.

"You're here," Warren said, announcing his presence as he sat opposite him while munching on a snack.

"Hm..." He focused onto the device in front of him. 

A moment of silence passed by as both of them didn't utter anything for a while. The only sounds that prevailed in the Hall were the dabs of the keyboard's keys and the crunch noise the wrapper would make whenever Warren retrieved some chips out of it.

"Warren," Tiger lifted his gaze after a moment. 

"Hm?" Warren hummed, returning his gaze while still eating his snack.

"We have to find something," Tiger said, a glint of seriousness embracing his eyes.

"Find what?" Warren frowned. 

"Nike..."