Armin waited a few minutes after the car halted.
He heard the driver open the door and jam it back before he finally opened the trunk and slipped out.
He was in an underground garage, and the floor was cold beneath his feet.
It was then he realized he wasn’t wearing the shoes Valerius had given him.
He groaned in regret.
He had been so focused on escaping that he completely forgot to wear them on.
Leaving the garage, he walked up to the top floor and found himself in the same hospital.
His mind raced as he tried to figure out his next move.
He could meet the friendly nurse—or was it a doctor now?
Oh, whatever!
His mind was a mess, but he tried to focus.
He would find the man and ask for shoes, or any substitute to cover his feet.
Since the man was a friend of Valerius, he wouldn’t refuse, right?
He nodded to himself and started walking toward the hospital’s front desk to execute his plan.
But then a terrifying thought struck him: what if the doctor alerted Valerius and brought him right here, just like before?
Armin stopped dead in his tracks.
He executed a sharp U-turn and began fleeing the premises.
He decided he would go to Alicia instead and stay for a few days before escaping again.
As long as he tagged along to her madness, he would be fine—at least for a few days until he could flee.
His eyes lit up, and he nodded happily at his new idea.
He started walking briskly toward the road… and then reality hit him.
He didn’t actually know the way to her mansion.
He had passed out inside her torture room and woken up in the hospital; he had no idea how far away it was or how to describe it if he were to ask strangers for clues.
He sighed dejectedly, his shoulders slumping and his head bowing in regret.
He shouldn’t have escaped today.
He should have planned a better exit.
But was going back a better idea?
Absolutely not!
Valerius was going to bite into his neck, use his blood as wine, and feed his flesh into those exquisite meals he always made.
Right on cue, his stomach growled quietly.
He realized he was hungry.
He was already missing the taste of the meal he had eaten this morning, the comfort of the warm, soft bed, and the—
“No!” he yelled, grasping his hair.
“Get out of my head, Valerius! You can’t manipulate me into going back!”
“Is everything okay?” a quiet voice sounded behind him.
Armin flung his head back and quickly spun around to see a man probably in his mid or late 40s.
The stranger had bright, assuring eyes and a kind, gentle smile.
Armin instantly felt warmth and relief wash over his heart.
“No…” Armin murmured, pouting.
The man chuckled softly and pointed to his feet.
“You shouldn’t be walking around barefoot in a central city, you know?”
“Central city?” Armin asked, bewildered.
Was that how far he was from home?
From his dad, his childhood memories and everything he had ever loved?
The man snapped his fingers in Armin’s face.
“Hey! Are you still with me?”
“O-oh, sorry. What did you say?” Armin stuttered, realizing he had slipped into his thoughts and completely ignored the kind stranger.
“You could get arrested—”
“For what?” Armin cut in quickly, fear evident on his face.
The man stared at him, bemused. Find the original chapter at g.com.
“For—” He started but Armin cut him off frantically.
“I didn’t kill Ivy! I didn’t, you have to believe me! Madam Margaret lied! She lied to you all, and I’m going to find my brother. He will say it to your faces that Madam Margaret lied and falsely accused him. Because I know my brother—Archer would never—”
“Woah, woah, woah!” the stranger interrupted, waving his hands in front of him.
“I was talking about walking around barefoot.”
“What?” Armin asked, caught completely off guard.
“You could get arrested and sent to a correctional institution,” the man explained calmly.
“But I’m not crazy… I’m just in a bit of a situation.” Tears of fear were already pooling in Armin’s eyes, threatening to spill over.
“I understand… That’s why I want to help you.” The stranger walked closer and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“How? I just want to go home to my dad. I miss him so much.” Armin was openly crying now.
The stranger brought his hands to Armin’s face and gently wiped away his tears.
“It’s okay. Here’s what’s going to happen.”
Armin paused his tears and listened intently.
“There’s a store across the street over there,” the stranger said, pointing ahead.
“We will go there and get you a pair of shoes. Then, we will grab dinner at the restaurant and pass the night at my house. Then, as early as the first peak of dawn, we will head out, and I will drive you back home to your dad.”
“Really?” Armin asked hopefully.
The man nodded gently and pulled him into a warm bear hug.
Armin succumbed to his arms, burying his face into the man’s shoulder as his own shoulders heaved with frenzied tears.
“It’s okay. You are okay now,” the man whispered into his hair.
The man kept his promise.
He took Armin to a small boutique and bought him a pair of red Converse sneakers.
Armin suddenly forgot about his worries as he stood in front of the dressing mirror, fit-checking his outfit.
A white crop top, wide cargo jeans, and red shoes—it wasn’t really his usual aesthetic, but it looked good on him.
“Can I get a red ball cap too? I wanna match my shoes,” Armin asked, beaming.
“Of course,” the stranger agreed.
After their shopping, they crossed to the other side of the road to grab dinner.
Armin felt incredibly grateful when the stranger held his hand and pulled him close while crossing.
The restaurant was decent, and Armin heaved a sigh of relief.
He was tired of the expensive lifestyle he had been subjected to by Alicia and Valerius.
They took their seats at a table close to the entrance.
The man ordered two plates of plain fried shrimp rice and two glasses of iced cola.
Armin quickly devoured the food and asked for another plate.
He had a massive appetite tonight and couldn’t understand why.
Was it because he was finally eating what he was used to?
Or was it from the stress of fleeing Mr. Vampire?
Or perhaps he had suddenly gotten used to eating so many different lavish dishes that a standard plate of food now looked small.
When the waitress placed the second serving on the table, Armin looked up at the kind stranger.
For a split second, he thought he saw a smug, annoying look on the man’s face, but it vanished instantly as the stranger flashed him that assuring smile again. Read this novel at novelping.com for the best experience.
Armin smiled back and dug into the food.
Once the plate was cleared of even the last grain of rice, he gulped down his cola and belched loudly, slumping back into his chair.
He still felt like he could handle one more glass of iced cola.He called out to a nearby waitress, “Can I get one more glass of—”
The man suddenly grabbed his hand and yanked him forcefully off his seat.
Armin yelped in surprise, looking at the stranger with wide eyes.
The stranger smiled tightly.
“It’s getting late. The streets are dangerous at night. It’s better if we head home now.”
Without waiting for Armin’s reply, the man paid the bill and dragged him by the hand out of the restaurant, across multiple roads, and shoved him into a taxi.
The taxi drove off immediately and eventually parked near a street, and the man paid the driver.
They got down and began walking.
Armin noticed other taxis driving past them further into the street and asked the man why they had stopped halfway.
“It’s not safe,” the man replied simply.
Armin noticed that the kind smile had completely vanished into the night air.
He was beginning to feel an intense unease, but he couldn’t back out now; it was already dark, and the man had warned him the streets were dangerous at night.
Shivering at the thought, he continued to follow.
They turned into an alleyway.
After a few minutes, they stopped in front of an old, rundown, beat-up house.
It looked like the exact opposite of how the stranger dressed and carried himself.
How could a man in a fine suit, tie, and shining black shoes live in a dump like this?
The man walked up to the porch and unlocked the door.
He stepped inside and held it open, inviting Armin in.
Armin peeked into the dimly lit room and hesitated.
The interior looked creepy, and it gave him cold goosebumps.
He looked at the stranger’s face.
The smile was entirely gone, replaced by a hard, irritated scowl.
“Get your ass in here,” the man howled in a harsh, demanding voice.
Armin refused to believe this was the same kind man he had met just hours ago.
Terrified, he scrambled backward and turned to run away, but the man swiftly caught his wrist and flung him violently into the room.
Armin hit the concrete floor with a loud, painful force.
He groaned in pain.
Violence again, more pain, and worst of all, he didn’t know how far this stranger would go to hurt him in this deserted place.
He could get killed here, and no one would ever find his corpse.
Suddenly, he bitterly regretted running away from Valerius.
He wept at his own stupidity; he wasn’t supposed to die today, he was supposed to learn the ways of a gold digger.
He cried harder in the dark corner he had been flung into, his shoulders shaking profusely.
He heard the door locking shut and then, the stranger reappeared out of the shadows, wearing an evil grin and wielding a chainsaw.
Armin screamed at the top of his lungs.
He frantically dashed backward until his back hit the solid wall behind him.
“Tell me, what else will you like to order?” the man mocked.
He brought the chainsaw to life, throwing his head back into a loud, frightening laugh to the roaring sound of the saw.
Armin shivered in undiluted terror as the man revved the chainsaw and marched toward him.
He felt a warm streak of liquid pool in his pants, realizing he had just peed on himself.
Throwing his hands over his head, he ducked, squeezing his eyes tightly shut as he thought of his brother one last time.
He was going to die.
He knew it.
“I’m so sorry, Valerius…” he whispered.
And suddenly, everything went still, dark, quiet, and peaceful.
Armin is about to become minced meat when his dinner is yet to digest!
Thank you y’all for stil being here.
Love!!