CHAPTER 319: SPARE THEIR LIVES (5)

Georgia’s POV

I woke up and my skull felt like it was being split open. A nauseating wave hit me so hard I barely had time to roll to my side before vomiting. My throat burned, my vision blurred, and when I blinked through the dizziness, I realized something: the room was swaying.

"What the hell..." I muttered, clutching my temples. The floor seemed to sway beneath me, and not just in my head.

Oh my God.

I was inside a ship’s cabin.

Heart pounding, I glanced down and froze. There was something or someone warm beside me. I lifted the blanket slowly, and my breath caught.

"Katie..." My voice broke in relief and terror at once. My little girl was there, curled against me, still asleep, safe for now. But what the hell were we doing on a ship?

Sunlight filtered through the tiny porthole, glinting on the waves outside. Morning. That meant hours had passed. My mind scrambled, reaching for the last thing I remembered.

Amara and I were searching for the treehouse, and Katie

Then, someone covered my mouth and nose. That smell. That sharp, chemical sting pressed over my nose.

I’d been drugged.

Oh God, Amara! Where is she? Was she one of them? Did she set us up?

My pulse spiked. I don’t care anymore. Right now I only have one priority... And that is to bring Katie to safety.

I grabbed Katie’s shoulders and gently shook her awake. Her lashes fluttered, confusion clouding her sleepy eyes.

"Sweetheart," I whispered, pressing a finger to my lips. "Listen to me carefully."

She blinked, nodded, wide-eyed now.

"Remember what we practiced? When there are bad guys? Like when Nanna Wendy told you to hide?"

Another nod. Silent. Brave.

"There are bad guys again, baby," I said, voice trembling despite myself. "I don’t know where we are, but we have to be very quiet and do exactly what I say. Understand?"

Katie swallowed hard, then gave me a tiny thumbs-up. My heart broke and steeled at the same time.

Good girl.

Because whatever waited outside that door, I will surely get my daughter out of here.

I gripped Katie’s trembling hand as tightly as I could and crept toward the door. My pulse was hammering so loud I was afraid whoever was outside could hear it.

Pressing my ear against the cold metal, I held my breath, listening.

Silence. No one was outside.

I glanced at Katie and pressed a finger to my lips. She nodded, eyes wide and glistening in the dim light.

Slowly, I turned the doorknob. It creaked, the faintest sound, but enough to send chills down my spine. I cracked it open just enough to peek through.

Empty. The hallway was clear.

Thank God!

We slipped out like shadows, moving as fast as our shaking legs could manage. The corridor stretched long and narrow, lit only by the dull, warm glow of lights. I could feel the ship swaying under my feet, the metal groaning with each movement.

At the far end, an exterior door. Salvation. I hope.

I tugged Katie’s hand and hurried toward it. But just as my fingers brushed the latch—

"The girls are gone! ALERT EVERYONE!"

The shout exploded behind us, echoing down the hall.

My blood froze, but only for a second. Then instinct took over.

"Run!" I hissed.

We sprinted. My bare feet slapped against the metal floor, every sound a betrayal. Katie’s hand was slick with sweat in mine as I yanked the heavy door open—

And my heart dropped.

"Fuck," I breathed. The warm air hit me, cold and sharp. The ship was already moving, cutting through blue waves under a sunny sky.

We were nowhere near land.

I hadn’t checked the porthole earlier, too afraid to hope. But now I knew, we were trapped on a cargo vessel, not some luxury cruise.

Think, Georgia. Think.

I scanned the deck, white painted steel, ropes, lifebuoys, until I saw it. A davit. A lifeboat, just below the railing.

"There!" I whispered and pulled Katie toward it. The wind whipped my hair, salt burning my eyes as we ran. The deck tilted slightly, and I half-dragged her toward the stairs leading down. Just a few more steps... just a few—

Then a scream tore through the air.

"Mommy!"

Katie’s hand ripped from mine.

I spun around—

And my heart stopped.

"Mommy!" Katie’s scream sliced through the air once again.

My blood ran cold.

A man had her. His arm was locked around her small body, his other hand gripping her wrist like a vice. She kicked and cried, reaching for me.

I froze. Every muscle in my body turned to stone. My lungs forgot how to breathe.

"Where the fuck are you trying to go?" he barked, his voice echoing off the steel walls. "You think you can swim to that ocean? The ship’s moving, lady. Get inside before you kill yourself or the kid."

Then, just like that, he yanked Katie back through the doorway.

"Mommy!" Her cries echoed down the corridor, each one ripping a deeper hole through my chest.

For a heartbeat, I couldn’t move. I couldn’t think. Then my knees buckled and tears spilled down my face.

No. No. No.

"Katie!" I screamed, finding my strength again. I bolted after them, slamming through the door. But the hallway was empty.

He was gone. She was gone.

I darted to the room we’d just escaped, nothing. I tore open door after door, each one revealing only darkness and cold air.

I couldn’t lose her. Not again. Not like this.

She will not share her father’s fate. I will never let that happen.

"Planning to escape a moving ship again?" a voice drawled behind me. "You really don’t learn, do you? Or were you hoping lightning would strike twice?"

That voice. That damn voice. I knew it very well.

Nancy.

I turned around, and there she was, standing calmly in the middle of the hallway, arms crossed, a smug smile twisting her face.

"What the fuck do you want?!" I screamed, fury shaking my entire body. "Is this about Raymond? Is this your pathetic revenge? You and him can rot in hell for all I care, just give me back my daughter!"

I didn’t wait for her answer. I lunged.

Adrenaline surged through me. I didn’t care if she had a gun, a knife, or an army. I would rip her apart with my bare hands if I had to.

But before I could reach her—

*CRACK!*

A blinding pain exploded across my back. My body went numb, my legs giving out beneath me. The floor rushed up fast.

My vision flickered. Nancy’s silhouette blurred.

"Katie..." I whispered.

Then everything went dark.

*******

Thank you for the Golden Tickets!

DaoistDzePMZ