Chapter 8: Broken Vows and Burning Bridges
Clara's POV
The phone resonated with Lily's broken and strained voice. "Clara, I need your assistance."
My chest was thumping with my heart. "Lily? You're where? Are you alright?
Her voice was shaking as she added, "I don't have time to explain." "Just come see me. This evening. 9 p.m. The historic rail station on the city's edge. By themselves.
"By yourself?" I repeated in a disbelieving tone. "That's risky, Lily. I can't meet you by myself.
"Please, Clara," she pleaded in a frantic tone. "The only person I can trust is you. Just, please.
Her voice was so urgent that it chilled me to the bone. There was a terrible problem.
"All right," I answered in a shaky voice. "I'll be present. But please, Lily, use caution.
Her voice broke as she murmured, "I will." "Just hurry up."
The line died. My palm trembled as I gazed at the phone. What was going on? Why did Lily feel so afraid?
Through the vehicle window, I could see the blurry city lights as I drove to the ancient rail station. The engine's hum was the only sound to break the calm, black night.
The station, a skeleton of shattered glass and corroded metal, loomed in the darkness. It was an empty, uninhabited location where secrets flourished.
My footsteps reverberated on the concrete floor as I entered. Slivers of moonlight peeking through the broken windows were the only illumination in the dense blackness.
"Lily?" With a shaky voice, I screamed out. "Are you present?"
I was met with a chilly, hollow quiet that made my skin crawl. As I moved farther inside the station, I looked about in the dark for any indication of life.
Then, with their back to me, I saw a man standing on the far platform. They had a recognizable silhouette, tall and lean.
"Lily?" With a shaky voice, I whispered.
My breath froze in my throat as the person turned. Lily wasn't the one. Someone else did it. Someone I had never seen before.
"Who are you?" My voice trembled as I asked. "Where is Lily?"
The young woman with dark hair and sharp green eyes emerged as the figure moved into the moonlight. Despite her familiar appearance, I was unable to identify her.
"Lily sent me," she said in a smooth, low voice. "You could help," she said.
"What do you need help with?" My voice trembled as I asked. "Where is she?"
The woman narrowed her eyes and said, "She's in trouble." "And she needs your assistance to leave."
"What sort of trouble?" I raised my voice and asked. "What's happening?"
"She can't tell you," the woman said, her voice hard. However, she requires your trust.
"Believe her?" I repeated in a disbelieving tone. "After everything that's happened?"
The woman's eyes flashed as she said, "She wouldn't ask if it wasn't important." "She needs you, Clara. More than ever."
A wave of fear washed over me. Lily was in danger. And she needed my help.
But something about this woman, something in her eyes, made me uneasy.
"What do you want me to do?" My voice trembled as I asked.
"Go to the address on this paper," she said, handing me a slip of paper. "Tonight.
Midnight. By themselves. And don't tell anyone."
I looked at the address, my heart pounding in my chest. It was an old, abandoned warehouse on the other side of the city.
"Why there?" My voice trembled as I asked. "Why alone?"
"Lily will explain," the woman said, her voice hard. "Just…trust her."
She turned and walked away, disappearing into the darkness. I stared at the slip of paper, my hand shaking. What was I getting myself into?
A flashback hit me, a memory of another night, another dangerous encounter.
Jackson's face, hard and cruel, flashed before my eyes. His words echoed in my ears: You're mine, Clara. You always have been.
I had made a promise to myself that night. A promise to never let anyone control me again. To never let anyone hurt me again.
But Lily was my best buddy. And she was in trouble. I couldn't abandon her.
I drove to the location on the paper, my thoughts racing. The engine's hum was the only sound to break the calm, black night.
The warehouse loomed in the darkness, a skeleton edifice of rusty metal and shattered glass. It was an empty, uninhabited location where secrets flourished.
My footsteps reverberated on the concrete floor as I entered. Slivers of moonlight peeking through the broken windows were the only illumination in the dense blackness.
"Lily?" With a shaky voice, I screamed out. "Are you present?"
I was met with a chilly, hollow quiet that made my skin crawl. I moved farther into the warehouse, looking for any indication of life in the darkness.
Then, with their back to me, I saw a person standing in the far corner. They had a recognizable silhouette, tall and lean.
"Lily?" With a shaky voice, I whispered.
My breath froze in my throat as the person turned. Lily wasn't the one. Olivia was the one.
"Olivia?" I asked in a disbelieving tone. "Why are you in this place?"
His face was strained and pallid as he approached me. His voice was low as he replied, "I followed you." "I was aware that something wasn't right."
I remarked in a shaky voice, "You shouldn't have come." "It is risky."
His voice was forceful as he continued, "I'm not leaving you alone." "Never again."
He took a step toward me and looked into my eyes. His voice was low as he said, "Where's Lily?"
"I'm not sure," I murmured, my voice quivering. She sent someone to come see me. However, that wasn't her.
His voice was harsh as he said, "Who was it?"
"A woman," I murmured, my tone faltering.
Green eyes, dark hair. I don't know her, but she seemed familiar.
Olivia squinted her eyes. "That's odd," he remarked quietly. "A stranger wouldn't be sent by Lily."
"I understand," I responded in a shaky voice. "There's a problem."
The lights abruptly came on, their intense glow blinding us. Our eyes adjusted to the unexpected light as we turned.
Jackson stood at the doorway, his expression stern and ruthless. The lady with the green eyes and black hair was standing behind him.
"Hello, Clara," Jackson murmured in a menacingly low voice. "You brought a friend, I see."
His muscles tensed as Olivia moved ahead of me. His voice was harsh as he said, "Jackson, what do you want?"
Jackson looked at me and said, "I want what's mine." "And I get what I want every time."
The lady moved forward with bright eyes when he gave her a nod. "Clara, you know who I am?" she said in a soft voice.
With my heart thumping in my chest, I shook my head. "No," I muttered. "I don't."
She grinned, a ruthless grin that chilled my blood. "My name is Lily," she stated in a firm voice. "And my life was stolen by you."