FALLING INTO HIS DEN OF WOE
{DO NOT FORGIVE ME ISOLDE}
CHAPTER 1
2024, MOSCOW CITY
Isolde dabbed the sweat that ran down her temples with the back of her hand. She sometimes used the sleeves of her orange uniform, her face mirrored the tiredness she's feeling but she dared not slow down her work because her pay is determined by how many orders she takes per hour
"Isolde, I think you should take it slow. You aren't a machine or some kind of human AI" Ploy said. Ploy is her boss and the owner of the restaurant where she works, she's a kind woman who's kind to all her workers but she's especially kind to Isolde because she knows what she's going through and what she has even passed through
Isolde looked at Ploy and smiled a little bit as she packed the orders waiting for her to be delivered. She actually works part-time here as a delivery girl but this is not her only part-time job as she has three other jobs
"Rent is due in a few days and I have some other debts on the ground…"
"Including the one I owe you" she muttered the last part and her action slowed down a little bit as she sighed
"Is he still into it?" Ploy asked and Isolde looked at her again
"What?" she asked
"Is he still gambling with your money? I know you must have saved up some money as you work this hard! Is he still spending your money?" Ploy asked and Isolde nodded once which made Ploy sigh
"I've told you Isolde dear, don't keep your money at home. I can open a bank account for you, no one keeps their money at home these days. Stop living in those ages" Ploy said and Isolde nodded
"I've been thinking about it and once I've arrived at a conclusion I promise to let you know" she replied with a small smile, the kind that didn't reach her eyes
Ploy gave her a deep look and she could see that she was already in a hurry to have her next order delivered because her pay depends on how fast she works
"I can still lend you some money if you want Isolde. I just want you to take care of yourself and don't suffer" she said as she patted her shoulder gently
Isolde looked at her with surprise and a raised brow. Everyone in the restaurant knows that the business is kind of low these days and that Madam Ploy is definitely suffering some losses but something still remains mysterious to them and it's how the thing never bothered her or seemed to affect her
It's like she has some cash stacked somewhere or is probably married to a rich billionaire that lives outside the country…that's her own assumption though and she can't collect money from someone whose business seems to be struggling, she'll feel like a burden to her
"Madam Ploy…I…I can't take the money. The business has been struggling lately and everyone knows how you suffer losses. How do I dare take the money?" she said and Ploy raised her brow slightly. Her blood-red lips pulled up to the side slightly
"Go deliver those on time and come back for your pay. I know you have to head to the department store" she said and Isolde nodded, she carried the steel box full of food and left to get her scooter
DARK ALLEY
"Aiiish! What the hell is happening to you, Lina? What will you stop here of all places? It's eerie, and I don't know what to do," Isolde lamented as she tapped her scooter gently. Lina is the name she gave to her scooter
Her scooter broke down on her way back from where she went to deliver the food and it's eerily dark here. The wind alone gives her the chills, and goose-bumps flood her skin like the ocean. The alley is dimly lit with few lights and even the present lights are flickering like in the horror movies
"Is a crime going to happen here? It always happens in those horror movies I watch" she muttered to herself as she rubbed her upper arm with her palms
She looked around her surroundings and she sighted a corner where heaps of garbage are situated, a little flickering light was there and it cast an eerie shadow, everything here is eerie
An idea clicked in her mind and she brought out her phone to call Madam Ploy, maybe she could send someone to pick her up or something…she's already running late for her next job and her other boss isn't as nice as Madam Ploy
"Madam Ploy," Isolde called as soon as the call got connected
"Hey Isolde, where are you? Are you on your way already? You're running late already, do you know that?" Ploy asked on the phone and Isolde sighed
"I'm sorry Madam Ploy but I've got a little problem on my way back, my bike broke down," she said and Ploy gasped over the phone
"Where are you? Give me the address and I'll send someone over right now" she demanded
"The address is…" Isolde couldn't complete her statements when the line made a straight noise followed by the dull buzz of her phone. Her eyes widened slightly and her heart sank as she slowly brought the phone down from her ears
Her phone just died! She tried to turn it on but it was all futile. Her thumb dragged on the broken screen as tears welled up in her eyes, she had to get out of here and go to the convenience store at 8pm
Isolde fisted her hair in her hand and pulled it as if she wanted to uproot it from her scalp. Why has this been happening to her for all these days?
It's the death anniversary of her mother today and she hasn't even visited her grave or had the traditional ceremony she performs every year
As her tears finally streamed down her face, she squatted beside her scooter with her hair still fisted in her palm. She was bawling her eyes out
BANG!
She heard the loud sound and she flinched fearfully where she squatted, her heart was thumping crazily with fear and she looked at her surroundings in fear. She clutched the silver necklace around her neck tightly as she ran to hide behind a nearby tree. The tree is big enough to offer her a cover, since her body is tiny and small
She's sure that what she heard just now is the sound of a gun from the other street, not far from the street where she's staying. She could see the shadow of a big car at the end of the alley, and she could also hear footsteps…heavy ones like those of a trained bodyguard or someone in the army
'Are they murdering someone?' she asked in her mind as she clutched the necklace tighter
"Are you sure you hit him in the chest? The boss said to make sure he's dead" A voice came and Isolde just listened in fear, she slammed her other palm on her mouth as she's afraid of making a sound that would attract them to her
"I shot him straight in the heart. You can shoot again to confirm that, you know I never miss a shot" another voice replied and a knot formed in Isolde's belly as she listened to their conversations
There are two people there and a person is being murdered. A person is in danger. What should she do? She probably can't do anything, what if they see her and shoot her too? Then she'll die without achieving her dreams.
With these thoughts, Isolde gummed her body to the tree as if she wanted the tree to swallow her up
Another gunshot sounded, followed by the screeching of the wheels and after a while, the whole place turned silent
Isolde still stood behind the tree for a while, unsure of what to do right there.
'A person has been shot. I should help by calling the ambulance right? After calling the ambulance for him then I'll leave quietly' she said in her mind
'But what if those people are still there? I might get killed and I'll die there…my dreams will die with me' she replied to herself in her mind and it's as if a mini war started in her mind
She sighted a steel pipe near her scooter and she tiptoed to go pick it up
'I can just defend myself with this. If anyone tries anything funny I can just smash this on them and run away. Yes, that's what I'll do' she assured herself in her mind and started moving towards the direction where she heard the sound
Her sweaty palms instinctively wrapped around the steel pipe more tightly as she approached the second alley. She kept reciting the bible verses she learnt from her Sunday school in her mind with each step she took
When she finally got to the scene, her feet stopped on it's own and her eyes dilated with what she saw before her.