His Angel

Chapter Thirty-Four

I will get away from you! 

The malice in those words, wounded him. He kept having to remind himself that her response was entirely logical, to not let it get to him, allow his personal emotions to muddle the situation. Things had been fine, not perfect, but they had been fine, He just had to try and get on her good side again. He had done it once, he could do it again, there was hope, at least he tried to convince himself as such.

The next morning, with her food tray, he attempted to deliver it personally, but opening the door he found the chair was still in the way, only giving it enough leeway for a few inches.

"Come on Harmony" He rolled his eyes, and got no response. He growled in irritation, dropping the damn tray in front of the door and stomping off to try and ease his anger so he wouldn't do something he would regret. He had to try and make her interact with him, he wouldn't get anywhere if she could just force herself into her cave and never talk to him!

She hadn't eaten breakfast, she wasn't hungry, but as the hours went by she found her stomach growling more often. Her stomach had gotten used to the good life, two meals a day that was fresh and delicious, and it was very upset with the lack of food she was giving it. She knew someone was cooking dinner, the smell beckoned itself into her surroundings, teasing her with its enticement for what-ifs. The breakfast tray had been taken away after two hours of just sitting in her doorway, so she couldn't reach out for something there anymore. She sat on her bed, her knees up to her chest with arms wrapped around them. She perked when her door opened just slightly, it was him, and he must have not been wearing shoes because she didn't hear his footsteps. Then, it caught her. She realized exactly what he was doing. He was trying to entice her out of her little safe haven with the scent of food, like a stray animal. Who the hell does he think I am?!

She knew that eventually she'd have to leave, she needed to eat, and he was the one that supplied the food. But...perhaps she could take this moment to her advantage. He had given her a direct escape route, and he wouldn't stand in her way, because he knew she would do nothing but flee back into her room if she even saw a glimpse of him. She could leave the room, but it wouldn't be for food, not like he thought. She dressed quietly, simply in a set of sweatpants and a shirt, putting on a set of sneakers. She could try and convince him that she was going after the food, but would turn in direction at the last moment, without a second for him to realize what was happening and act accordingly, taking him by surprise.

I'm not as brainless as you think I am, Maxwell.

Then, she could find Zuni at whatever vet he had taken her to, call everywhere in the city if she had to, and they would both get out of there. They could go anywhere, and finally experience freedom from this psychopath. But, that meant leaving everything behind. She would start over again the same way she had started the first time, living in hostels and homeless shelters. Living in this place, it was living, but she wasn't alive, and she never would be alive unless she took the jump with both feet. If she couldn't find Zuni, at least she knew the dog would be Ok. When no owner would come to get her, the vet would most likely hand her over to the SPCA, perhaps she could find out a new home, with a better owner that could spoil her just like Harmony knew she couldn't. Or maybe Zuni would become a lifer, spending the rest of her days in the comfort of shelter staff until she passed on to the next world.

I was never good enough to be a dog owner anyways

There was a reason she had gone to a shelter that didn't care about the dogs they cared for, that was the only way she would have had one handed over to her. She told herself not to cry, she had to do what she must to survive, and she was sure that Zuni would forgive her, more sure of that than anything else. So, she pulled the chair away from the door, peering out into the hall, looking in either direction. 

It was empty, with no Maxwell in sight. She thought about where he would be, to watch her but not get in her way to send her running back to her room, maybe even corner her before she got back. There was only one place he could think of him to be, his bedroom. She was partly convinced he had a monitor in there, although she couldn't be certain. If he was in his bedroom, then she would have a chance to get to the elevator before he could stop her, if he was anywhere else in the house he could easily catch her before she had a chance to book it. 

She was putting all her cards in that he was in that room, and if she was wrong, it could mean a premature demise. But, there was no turning back now. She stepped out into the hallway, hyper-aware of any sense of movement within her peripheral. It was silent, all that lingered was the smell of food, beckoning her every step towards the staircase. But, she wasn't going to get a chance to eat that food. Her steps were as quiet as she could make them with shoes on, but this was carpet, walking the wood floors was going to be another beast. She grabbed the banister with gentle fingers, head turned towards the other end of the hall as she leaned her foot carefully onto the top step. If he did have that monitor in his room, he knew that she was out of the bedroom, but she didn't want to clue him into exactly where in the rest of the place she was.

So, she took each step gently, the little creaks were inevitable, no matter how light she pressed her feet on the wood of each step, trying to put more weight on the banister by pressing down with her arms, making it take a good chunk of her weight. She was so focussed on staying quiet that she hadn't noticed the body slip from the other room down the hall, she had been right, he had been in his bedroom, waiting for her to move out from the monitor on his dresser, and now that she was out of the bedroom, her hermit hole, he could stop her from fleeing back and try to talk to her. 

He thought himself so clever, he was the strategist after all. He smiled at his own success, rubbing his hands together just enough to satisfy himself without making noise to alert her to his presence. He took every carpeted step gently, watching as she took one stair at a time, leaning over the hallway banister to watch her trying so cleverly to be silent, just what he wanted her to do. She had been putty in his hands, everything had been working just the way he imagined and he couldn't have been more delighted.

She inwardly screamed in delight when she made it to the bottom of the stairs, unaware of the man leaning over the upper banister, watching her with dark eyes. The kitchen was the door to the left, and the elevator was at the other end of the hall. All she had to do was take one foot in front of another, each step its own little journey in her little escape adventure. She found herself intrigued, stopping in front of the kitchen entrance and peering inside. Some sort of stew in a big, shiny pot was bubbling on the stove. It smelled divine, she wondered if Lancy had cooked it before he left, or if Maxwell actually had a talent in the kitchen she was unaware of. 

If she thought she had the time, she would have tasted it. But, sadly it simply wasn't meant to be. A small creak in her ear, just a tiny one, but it was enough to have her head snap to the left. She caught him, overlooking the banister down at her. They both fell motionless for a few moments, just looking at one another. She was the first to snap out of the trance, realizing what the hell she was doing! it was the distance between him and her, versus the distance between her and the elevator.

She took off, and his eyes widened into saucers.

"Harmony?!" she ran down the hall, her shoes slapping against the wood of the floor as she went. She could hear his quick steps down the stairs, he was on the chase. As soon as she reached the elevator, she slammed her finger repeatedly on the button to the side, and when the doors opened, she raced inside, slapping all the buttons on the keypad to the side, watching as the doors slid closed.

"HARMONY!" he ran towards her, and she couldn't fathom to look him in the eyes. He reached her only a moment after the doors shut, he was quick to press the open button, but it was a moment too late. "FUCK!" she had duped him, and now she was loose. He yanked his phone from his pocket, demanding a lockdown of the building. No one would get out, and he would find her, bring her back, and punish her properly.