Chapter 1: Escape and awakening
The City First Hospital, Late Night
Alice Willson lay still in the sterile hospital bed, one hand resting protectively over her stomach. A soft hum of machines surrounded her, beeping in rhythm with the faint heartbeat she held within her. She was groggy, drifting in and out from the effects of the sedatives they had given her, though her senses felt sharper than they should.
As her eyes fluttered open, voices drifted through the door that shielded her from her ward's hallway. She could only make out fragments, but the tones were unmistakable cold, and scheming.
"…a few days, and it's done," one voice said, sharp and familiar.
Alice tensed as she recognized her husband's voice. John. Her husband's words had once brought comfort, but now they echoed with a sinister indifference.
A second voice chimed in, honeyed with malice. Sherlin. Her step sister. "You promised, John. It's simple. Just pay the doctor and let him do the rest." Her voice was calm, as if she were planning an evening out. "Once she's gone, it all comes back to us. I have the book in my hands already,with her gone we can marry openly and stop pretending,and no one will question her death. So it's an easy task"
"I also want to get rid of her quickly, seeing her scar filled face everyday get's me irritated, but we have to be careful...let me think of something... first"
Alice's mind reeled, the meaning of their words sinking into her bones like ice. They planned to kill her. She was lying in this bed, weak and pregnant, and they were plotting to end her life and that of her unborn child.
She gripped the bedrail, her fingers trembling. Her body was frail, and the drugs dulled her reactions, but her mind surged with adrenaline, cutting through the sedative's haze. She forced herself to lie still, listening to the footsteps fading down the hallway, until silence returned, wrapping her in an urgent solitude.
Alice inhaled deeply, pushing herself to sit up despite the rush of dizziness. She had no time to waste if she didn't leave tonight, she might not have another chance. Weak as she was, she knew she had to find a way out.
The memory of their voices lingered, haunting her. How had she been so blind? She'd tried to believe in her family, tried to find some goodness in them. But John's cruelty, Sherlin's betrayal it had all been a glaring sign from the beginning. But she choose to turn a blind eye to it. Her marriage had been nothing more than a convenient lie, a facade to strip her of the precious medicinal book her mother had left behind. An important book that her mother had entrusted to her, sensing the danger that might lie in the hands of the wrong people.
After her mother's sudden passing, everything had changed. Her father, Williston Willson, had remarried his mistress within months. Alice remembered the day her stepmother had moved in, the way her father's eyes had softened for his new wife in a way they'd never softened for her. Her stepmother had brought along her own daughter, Sherlin a cunning girl with a smile as false as her mother's.
Alice's heart twisted. She'd been sent to the countryside soon after, told it was "for her own good." And like the obedient daughter she was, she'd believed it. She'd waited for her family to remember her, to bring her home. She'd never guessed they'd left her there to keep her out of sight and mind until she became useful to them.
Her pulse thundered.They knew..They knew about her mysterious pregnancy. They had known for weeks. And now that they had gotten their hands on what they wanted. She was off no use to them . And now, with her unborn child growing inside her, she wasn't just running for her life she was running for them both. Her baby deserved better than this nightmare.
Suddenly, Alice heard the unmistakable faint sound of footsteps in the hallway. Someone was coming. She couldn't wait any longer.
She thought they had gone, they couldn't wait to kill her?. Her heart finally shattered,, no she had to leave here quickly..
She blinked against the small light in the room, her gaze sweeping over the room. Her phone was missing from the nightstand. It must have been taken away by them no doubt to leave her isolated and trapped. Her pulse quickened. She had to be smarter than them, just this once. With that she ran to the ward's bathroom.
Her eyes darted to the small, slightly open window above the bathroom sink a narrow escape, but the only one she had. She had overheard the nurses' gossip about the weak security around the lower floors. When she had been hospitalized. No one would be looking for her in the alley behind the building, not yet.
With her heart hammering, she slowly eased herself off the bed, her legs shaky beneath her. She winced at the pain from her injuries, but there was no choice. Stealth was her ally now. She moved toward the bathroom, careful not to make a sound. The window in the bathroom had been left ajar, just wide enough for her to squeeze through. She took a deep breath, pushing aside the fear creeping up her spine.
Her fingers trembled as she pried the window open further. She could hear the earlier footsteps more clearly indicating that there were approaching, her ward... They were too close for comfort. "I think It's time to end this, let's do it tonight or else we might not have another chance" her husband, John's voice, was unmistakable. Cold. Calculating. He had decided they do it themselves rather, than letting the doctor do it as it was safer...
"Yes it's now or never...If she's dead, no one will ever know what really happened. We'll be free."
They had already approached her ward doorway and we're undeniably close
A fleeting thought of giving up crossed her mind, but she dismissed it. She had come too far. The life inside her the one thing that still kept her grounded was waiting for her to be strong.
With one final glance over her shoulder, Alice climbed onto the narrow ledge outside the window. The hospital room was now behind her. The cool night air brushed against her face as she carefully balanced on the ledge, her heart thundering in her ears. She took one last deep breath, holding the weight of her decision, and dropped down into the darkness below.
Landing softly on the damp grass, Alice's heart skipped a beat. She looked down and saw blood trickling, down her thighs to her legs staining her hospital gown... And her heart shattered although, she didn't know how she took in, as it was a mystery to her who had always been a virgin. She had slowly come to terms with reality and each, passing day her love for the unborn child grew..she couldn't bear to lose this child no matter what. She stood up quickly, her body protesting, but the urgency of escape and will to protect her unborn child surged through her veins. She didn't look back. "I'll make you all regret this"
She said barely a whisper then quickly took to her heels and ran.
John's shoes echoed sharply against the ward floor as he and Sherlin rushed down the sterile hallway. The weight of their mission pressed on him, his jaw set in tight, angry lines. They reached Alice's room, his mind already racing with exciting thoughts of what they'd do once she was out of the way.
But when the door swung open, his heart sank.
The room was empty. The bed, once neatly made with Alice still lying in it, was now an unsettling mess. The sheets were tangled and shifted. The window... slightly ajar.
John's pulse quickened, the anger building in his chest.
"She's gone." His voice was low but edged with fury.
Sherlin's eyes scanned the room in disbelief. "How? How could she leave?"
John took a deep breath, stepping into the room, his eyes narrowing as he looked around. Without a word, he pulled out his phone, dialing his men. "Get to the back entrance and search around. I want Alice found now."
He hung up and turned to Sherlin, his cold expression unwavering. "She won't get far. We'll find her."
Sherlin clenched her fists. "She has to be somewhere... this is just a delay."
John shot her a look, the venom in his tone unmistakable. "I won't let her slip away no matter what."