Villains on My Mind

Chapter 14

I have to escape. I lie on Kylo Ren's polished gloomy dining room floor, and after he stormed out of the room, I realize I have to escape and warn New York City. Somehow. I'm not exactly sure how, yet.

Kylo Ren said they will be landing to New York first, to take able-bodied men and train them to be Stormtroopers, and then the murders will fly out to the safety of space and annihilate New York City, my home.

"You'll stay here. You shall watch as I abolish all that you love," Kylo Ren had sneered, then slammed the air out my lungs with his powers, "powerless to do anything... But watch."

Then the monster stalked out of the room, leaving me gasping behind.

I can't understand how he can go from zero to a hundred in a matter of seconds. He's insane, I know. He is, then why does it feel like this comes as a shock to me? I feel stupid. Like a high school girl who realized that her crush is actually a kind of an asshole. Like the specs on my nose have fallen and my mind cleared. Lust has abandoned me at last and I can see. Of course, I wasn't completely stupid, I knew he was a murderer and a psychopath it's just that... I somehow thought maybe, I could persuade him of the autonomy, he seemed to be taking it seriously, as well as General Hux. And then, his understanding, equally lonely eyes, looking into me, seeing into me, stroking my lips ever so softly, how could I have fought?

Bottom line; you're stupid, Ana. Stupid.

I gather my determination and my sheet off the ground, and run to his bedroom. I get dressed and I know what I must do. A plan has formed in my head. But Fuck. Kylo Ren will kill me if he finds me.

Deep breath,

Deep breath,

Deep breath.

I can do this. You can do this, Ana. I take a seat on the bed to relax my mind, trying to fill it with pictures from last night, so Kylo Ren can't sense my plan. I don't know how far across he can read my mind from, or even if the distance matters, but I figure better safe than sorry. So, I cross my legs and take deep breaths.

I took yoga once, it was something like... inhale through your mouth and exhale through your nose. And focus on your breathing, only breathing exists, nothing else.

In...

               Out.

                                In...

                                                 Out.

And for the first time, I let my mind submerge itself on Kylo Ren. I figure that's the only thing that can hide all else from my mind, occupying every corner of it. How his lips felt on my skin, how is warm breath made my core jolt, how his sure fingers knew precisely where to go–

All Stormtroopers, report to the hangar immediately. All Stormtroopers, report to the hangar immediately.

The unsettling recording plays. A blow of fear runs through me, itches on my skin, but I don't let it consume me.

Now, Ana. Now, or it's over.

I get up and run to the bathroom before I can change my mind. Before my limbs give in to the racing terror in my stomach. I feel queasiness fast approaching. Before I know it, I'm plummeting down the laundry chute in his bathroom, hoping I'll land into a dirty towel pile instead of the hard, un-cushioned floor.

The speed is-- it's really picking up. At first it was a bit of an inclined descend, but it changes into a bullet straight vertical line, and I'm essentially free falling now. I grit my teeth so hard I'm afraid I'll crack a tooth trying to stop myself from bursting into a full on 80's slasher scream queen. I'm trying desperately to hang onto something on the walls of the shaft, to try and slow down my descend at least to some extent, but the walls are made of even metal with no edges.

To my relief, the shaft turns to the right and begins a tiny rise, reducing the dropping to a more controllable speed. Finally, I come tumbling out and fly straight into a huge pool of dirty towels. I almost barf, so close. I have to hold my breath and think of a flowery field to stop the dry heaving. Flowers, grass... not the horrible stench of old sweat and dampness.

There's countless towels. So. Many. It's plainly a pool of bath towels. But then again, the ship is gigantic, consequently, the crew is gigantic. They all have to shower. I make my way through the sickening cloths and I achieve to climb out of the quite literal pit of sweat, eventually. I seem to have landed in a fairly useless space since it's empty. Or maybe Stormtroopers take turns in the laundromat, and all Stormtroopers are needed according to the alarm.

I look up at the thousands of metallic pipes running along the walls and the ceiling, the couple flickering overhead lights, and the wall of washing machines. Then I find myself looking at a droid. Black, huge, with stick-like legs. Of course. Why would they use humans when they have robots? The droid hasn't noticed me yet. It's heading to one of the washing machines, pressing buttons.

I freeze for a moment, unable to move. What am I going to do, what am I going to do!? Droids are walking computers, who knows if they have some sort of built-in lie detectors or something. I take a low breath and somehow succeed in moving my legs, even though my legs feel rigid from fear. The consequences if he finds me...
No, can't think about that now.

Quiet now if I just stay quiet. I can see the exit, it's on the opposite side of the droid and the washing machines. My heart is so noisy I'm starting to get scared the droids have super hearing too. And if that's the case then I am most utterly and irrevocably fucked. Just fucked.

But it doesn't notice me. I stay low, silent, crouching on the floors like a bug. Hiding behind banisters and containers, sneaking a peak of the droid every chance I get. But the final part is the hardest. Its unobscured, entirely exposed. Nothing to hide behind. I would have to try and dash quietly to it.

I sneak a look at the droid. Still at the washing machines. Now pressing the buttons of another one. The droid looks creepy. Okay, I have to do this. One, final push. I do it before I can over think it. I'm running, suddenly, I'm running and trying to land on the balls of my feet, coincidentally, I'm wearing soft black ballerinas with a rubber bottom. They had appeared in front of the couch at some point yesterday. I figure Kylo Ren must've ordered them too, and a droid had delivered them silently as I was sleeping.

Well, thank you Kylo Ren. These shoes definitely make running away from you a lot easier.

"Excuse me, "I hear the robot's motorized voice behind me. "Where are you going miss?

I run faster, not looking back. I have to make it, I have to. Or else the last consolation left in this world, the last thing keeping me away from total darkness, will have been swept away too.

And a lot of people I care about, and a lot of people who I don't care about. Like that bad-mannered Dunkin Donut's worker in my building, but he still doesn't deserve to die. Even if he always does attempt to give me the oldest donut on the shelf.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Note: I promise, Ana & Kylo Ren will find each other again real soon...
As always, thank you for reading. <3