I groaned inwardly. This woman is crazy!
I reluctantly trailed after Hannah. We hadn’t proceeded much further, however, when we came to a halt.
K City’s underworld was equally as squalid as how vibrant the city was. Beneath streetlamps so dim, there was barely a glow in the oppressive dark sat a few men. Some were leaning against the wall while others perched on top of it. Some looked haggard, skeletal, and barely sustained by the occasional meals from good Samaritans.
Others were dressed in flashy outfits, clutching thick wads of cash in their hands. Revolted by the grimy, seedy appearance of the place, I grabbed Hannah and yanked at her frantically, indicating that we should leave right away.
Hannah was evidently terrified as well. She took one glance and turned on her heels, ready to leave with me. Before we could escape, we ironically crashed headlong into the one person we’d come here to meet. It was Rebecca! In the flickering light cast by the streetlamps, Rebecca’s face looked absolutely ghastly.
Rebecca’s eyes widened first in shock, then in recognition. She instinctively recoiled, her eyes darting nervously from side to side. Realizing that there was nowhere for her to hide or run, she faced me squarely, her eyes blazing in fury and despair. “Scarlett? Why are you here?” she asked.
My gaze shifted to the object that Rebecca wielded in her hand, then jumped in fright. “You…”
Rebecca glanced down at the sealed plastic sachet in her hand. The corners of her mouth curved up into a sinister smile. “What? Do you want to try some? It’s good stuff. Once you’ve had some, you’ll find yourself craving for more the rest of your life.”
I staggered slightly in horror and gawped at Rebecca. “Did you use the money from all your dirty deeds to purchase this?”
Rebecca narrowed her eyes, then abruptly burst into peals of high, piercing laughter that sounded almost like a shriek. “So it was indeed the two of you I saw just now! I’d thought I was hallucinating,” Rebecca admitted dizzily. She stuck a fingertip into the powder in her hand, then waved it in front of us. “Come on, I got lots of extras today. I can spare you a little. Why don’t you try a bit to see what it feels like? How about that? Just a little.”
“Get away from us!” Hannah struck out, shoving Rebecca aside. She bellowed, “Rebecca, no one cares if you become an addict. But you’d better keep your distance from us! We don’t want to end up like you.”
Hannah’s words seemed to trigger something in Rebecca. Scowling, Rebecca snarled, “Mrs. Fuller, you’re already married to Ashton, aren’t you? What are you doing all the way out here, then? Why are you suddenly so interested in addicts like us? Aren’t you afraid that someone will kidnap you and demand a ransom of millions from Mr. Fuller?”
“Enough of your nonsense!” Hannah snapped back in return. “You’ve already been reduced to such a state, yet you’re criticizing others? Let me tell you honestly then, we came here to look at you!”
Hannah pulled my arm again, but Rebecca stood adamantly in our way. Raising her voice, she addressed the group of men standing behind us. “Everyone, listen up! She’s the wife of the president of Fuller Corporation! If you manage to get her, you should be able to easily get a cool hundred thousand from Mr. Fuller at the very least.”
Does Rebecca intend to incite my kidnapping and threaten Ashton? I pondered.
Hannah was speechless. “Rebecca, have you gone crazy? How can you bring yourself to stoop so low?”
Busy reveling in her loathing of me, Rebecca seemed unfazed by either Hannah’s derision or the cold wind. One could say that Rebecca was my nemesis, perhaps, but amongst all the possible endings to our rivalry, I’d never imagined this one. There was no light at all in Rebecca’s dull eyes. She looked as if she had utterly given up on herself and life.
I had no intention of squabbling with Rebecca. This wasn’t an ideal environment, and the sooner we got away from here, the better. Besides, I wasn’t invested enough in her to care. We were merely two individuals whose paths had crossed at one point in time but had diverged thereafter. I thus saw no purpose in further engaging with her antics.
I briskly pushed Rebecca aside, dragging Hannah close behind me. But, Rebecca stopped us with one hand. “Scarlett, do you really think I’m going to let you get away so easily?” Rebecca sneered.
Having said that, she howled towards the men behind us with a vengeance. “Inject her with the stuff! I’ll give my entire stash to anyone who succeeds. Quickly!”
I froze. Hannah lunged forward to restrain Rebecca but was pushed aside. Rebecca’s eyes were blazing. “Move aside if you don’t want me to kill you as well!”
I struggled, but Rebecca seemed possessed with an inhuman strength. I was totally incapacitated by her strong grip.
The audience behind us in the alley sprang into action. I highly doubted that they cared about the legality of their actions. Rebecca’s proclamation seemed to unleash the demons within them. They scrambled and sprinted over in their eagerness to inject me.
At the sight of those needles pointing towards me, I stood rooted to the spot, petrified. My mind raced and I panicked. These needles are all probably infected with something or another! I’m dead if they touch me!
Rebecca laughed maniacally. “Scarlett, I never thought I’d live to see you like this!”
Just then, a miraculous burst of energy surged through me. I wrenched my arm out of Rebecca’s strong grip and hurled her towards the incoming needles. Without a second thought, I grabbed Hannah. We sprinted for our lives towards the exit of the alley.
Fortunately for us, it wasn’t a long way off. The addicts, probably lethargic, didn’t have enough of an interest to hunt us down.
