I scream on top of my lungs as the arrow pierces dark woody bark of tree.

I bend down, shutting my eyes close and wrap my arms around myself.

God why do you hate me so much ? I never asked bad or did bad to anyone then why me ? Is asking for mother's love such a big mistake ?

I hear footsteps approaching, and then silence.

I open my eyes, only for them to widen and I crawl back as a pair of dark hooded eyes shoots daggers through my timid body.

Its a man, tall, deep steel grey eyes, thick eyebrows and face covered with a scarf kind of thing.

"W-Who a-are you ?" I shiver in fear as his predator like gaze doesn't move from me.

He stays silent and I notice a large horse few meters away from us, muscular and too enormous. I have never seen a horse by this close in my entire life but I am sure that normal horses aren't suppose to look that scary.

My attention snaps back to man and my fingers curl around the sharp brach of tree. I point it towards him, hurriedly getting up and backing up.

"I-I will c-call police if y-you try t-to h-hurt me...I know j-judo." I lie. Truth is I only know basics of Judo, and I learnt them when I was in fifth grade.

"Who sent you ?" His voice is deep, calm and laced with anger as he speaks for the first time. Eyes so harsh, and if looks could burn then I would have been cremated by now.

"L-Look if y-you want money then you ha-have caught the wrong g-girl, I am broke. I have loans, and lots of d-debts of my shoulder. I-If you let me go t-then I won't call anyone." I take two more steps away from him and he steps forward.

"Who sent you ?" Again, the same question.

"I don't know what are you talking about !"

"Are you a tribal girl ?" His eyes fall on my chest and I notice a wierd neck charm around my neck.

"I live in a town !" I yell again to shoo him away from me. Who even lets such lunatics run away with that kind of horse and dressed like that.

I look behind me to make sure no one is there and then turn around.

Then sprint with my whole speed, not knowing a single direction but my feet move on their own.

I turn back frequently to see how far he is and my heart beat spikes up when I hear the horse sounds coming closer by each passing second.

"Somebody save me !" I yell for help.

No no no I cannot do certainly die again by hands of some kind of lunatic who ran away from a mental asylum.

My feet start to pain as something sharp pierces the soft skin, maybe a branch or a stone.

I trip over a stone and am about to fall when something lifts me. No, someone. Him. He lifts me just by his one arm while riding the horse and wraps an arm around my bare waist.

"Stop! You are kidnapping me ! I will scream and I will hit you. You asshole put me down !-" his palm muffles my screams and horror floods my mind when I see that we are going in complete opposite direction from where I just came from.

"How dare you speak to me like that." His voice roars and my body shivers with fear.

"I will call police if you don't leave me now." I muster up strength in my voice and he abruptly stops his horse.

Maybe he is afraid of legal actions after all.

"So you do know the consequences of-" my voice turns into a gasp when he gets down and wraps his fingers tightly around my neck making me struggle to even breathe.

"How dare a tribal speak to me like that. " I choke on my saliva as my body practically levitates in air. My feets dangling and my hands scratching his arms to escape.

"S-Sto-stop..." my face begins to turn pale and black spots cover my vision. When I think I am going to be dead for the second time, he drops me.

I gasp loudly for air and glare at him through my eyelashes.

"Did I choke the attitude right out of you or do you want my sword to do the rest ?" His voice is dark, filled with menace as wrath surrounds his eyes.

I often heard people say that eyes are windows to ones soul, and now as I look into his grey soulless eyes, I think those people were right all along. Because his eyes look as if there is no life in them, numb.

I cough violently and glare at him which makes a dark chuckle vibrate in the quiet surrounding.

"Apologize. " he looks at me as if I insulted his entire bloodline and even though my sane part of barin screams 'Apologize to this bloody psycho and escape!', my ego is too high right now.

So rude.
He is the rudest man I ever met.

"I-I won't. " I hold my chin high as I look back into his deep grey orbs and refuse to give up.

Shut the fuck up Tara, already you are in this world where everyone including your mom is not sane. Don't cause much trouble.

My inner voice screams, but do I listen to it ? No.
And do I wish I listened to it ? Absolutely yes.

"Do you know who I am ?" His scarf around his face falls and I don't show a sign of recognition, because I don't know him to begin with.

His facial features are like those models who come up on TV and get paid in million or probably billions. Eyes sharp, nose held high and perfect lips with high cheekbones, fair skin.

Too good features for a retarded psycho.

"I don't know you ! And leave me alone you retarded man !" My eyes burn with tears and I grip a rock tight in my palm. If he tries to hurt me then I will throw this stone on his head.

"You might want to drop that." His lips twitch into a devilish smirk and I glare at him before finally keeping the rock down.

"Butterflies should stay away from spider webs, you know why ?" He walks towards me and my gaze doesn't falter a bit as I return his look back with all amount of anger burning inside me.

He crouches in front of me, brushing his thumb across my jaw and I don't dare to lift a finger after I see a knife in his other arm.

"Answer me." His index and thumb finger hold my shin so roughly that I wince.

"Tell me." He hisses.

"B-Because s-spiders are pr-predators and butterflies are p-prey." I clench my jaw as I spit the words gurdgingly.

"No. That's where you are wrong. Butterflies are not prey until they lure themselves into the web. And spiders are not predators until they spin a perfect webhole to catch a prey."

Something dark passes through his soulless orbs, his thumb preses against my bottom lip, his eyes darting there and I gulp nervously.

"Get on the horse." He says after a minute of silence and I shake my head.

I would be rather dead than to go willingly anywhere with this lunatic.

"No." I scoff and then get up. Dusting my clothes and covering my body with dupatta properly from his hawk like eyes.

"No ?" He asks with a tone of amusement.

Doesn't this man understand the words I am telling ?
I called him retarded, I cursed him and yet he is shamelessly in front of me.

I am going to sue him once I reach police station.

"Why would I even go with you ? You think I am stupid or something ?" I glare at him and then roll my eyes.

"Listen, I know I am pretty but don't fall in love with me or something."

I don't know why I say that but something in my nerves just wanted me to rile him up, to make him regret even touching me. He tried to choke me and I will make sure to return it back.

Normal me would be scared and back off by now but after losing my mind over all the nonsense happening in my life I just want some peace, even if I have to fight for it.

"Ji bilkul." He chuckles deeply and I glare back. ( oh Ofcource)

"And I am not going with you." I say and he raises his eyebrow in amusement.

"Then I hope you know the way back."
"Yes I do." I say confidently.

◇🌷◇🌷◇🌷◇

No, I don't know the way back. Its been two hours since I have been roaming from one part to other part of forest and again ending up in the same place.

"Do you want help ?" I hear him say and roll my eyes, yes he has been following me from past two hours even though I gave him the nastiest glare possible to shoo him away.

He has that same irritating smirk plastered over his face and I contemplate throwing a rock at him.

Oh the wonderful view it would be if he falls down from that horse.

"I don't need your help." I say dryly and my own mind curses me for such bad effort at lying.

My throat has gone dry due to thirst of water, legs are injured, hands and rest of the clothes covered in mud. And my face too from all my assumptions looks wild I guess.

I bite my cheek before turning back and already find him looking at me with no expression on his face.

"I don't take favors. If you help me then I will help you too." I say.

Yes Tara, now just make him tell you the correct way and pray to God that you don't see this face ever again.

"Okay." He says without wasting a second.

"And you will not touch me if I get on the horse."

"Okay." He says again and my eyes narrow. How is he agreeing to everything? Is this some kind of trap ?

"And- don't look at me like that." I point my fingers at him and he chuckles.

"Get on the horse butterfly." I glare at him when he calls me that but nevertheless hop on horse.

His breaths are dangerously close to my neck and I doubt if it is on purpose.

In less than fifteen minutes I see faint fire torch lights around the place where I ran from and villagers desperately moving the fire torches.

This is my que, I need to go.

I get down the horse and look at him in distaste, with a scowl on my face.

He helped me but I don't want to say Thankyou.

No Tara the asshole literally tried to choke you, don't thank him. I will not thank him. If it wasn't for him then I wouldn't have ran so far in first place.

Be nice Tara, atleast he dropped you safely.

"I will help you, if I meet you again." I say, looking away from him.
"Tomorrow at the same place." My brows furrow when he tells that.

"You want me to come here again? "
"Yes."

"For what ?" I narrow my eyes.
"That's what I want. Not help."

Meeting him again. That doesn't sound soo good. But how will he get to know even if I come here or not ?

I can say yes right now and then forget it tomorrow.

"If you don't come to me then I will come." He warns as if reading my mind.

"Tell me your name." He asks and I am about to blurt Tara when my mother's voice echoes from a distance.

'Heer.' I say and run away without saying anything else.