Kim’s Earth: Lauren: A Change of Ownership (part 2)

[k_a_webb]

Part 1

Personally I thought it was more likely that he was lying, but then the new world had made me paranoid. I’d never expected to be a survivor and some days I couldn’t help wishing that I had died the same way my parents and older sister had. Then I wouldn’t be standing in front of a man who was looking me over, as though he was seeing what I would be good for, in a way I really didn’t like at all. He didn’t appear to be someone that I would be able to convince to let me free and getting out… I didn’t bother to look around, it was easy to tell be the feel of all the eyes on me that there were too many people for me to be able to escape, so that meant I had to work out another option.

“Why did you come here?”

“Woody was my friend.” My voice, thankfully, was emotionless. “I used to visit at least once a month or so.”

“He didn’t ask you to stay?”

“Every time I came he tried to convince me I’d be better off here, but I wanted to stay at home. I feel more comfortable there than I do here.”

He nodded. “That I can understand. It took me a long time to leave my home and when I finally did… the world had changed in ways that I didn’t expect. I am the leader of this group because I challenged the idiot who was in charge before, knowing that I could do a much better job than him; Woody left because he knew he couldn’t take me on; and you’re attempting to work out how you can get yourself out of this situation, because Woody didn’t warn you that I had taken over his block of flats.” Smiling, he stood. “You don’t have to stay. I’m not going to make you, but I do want you to show one of my men where your house is so I can keep an eye on you. If you don’t agree to that I have no choice but to keep you here until you decide otherwise, because a female on her on isn’t safe.”

“I know. I have weapons. No one is going to touch me without my permission and you aren’t going to keep me here against my will.”

“Exactly how are you going to stop me, sweetheart?”

That made me smile. “Don’t call me sweetheart. Not when I’m going to kill you.” I took a step towards him, knowing that I was probably making the biggest mistake of my life, but it felt, at that moment, like the only one I had. “I challenge you for leadership of your group.”

A long silence followed. I’m not sure anyone expected me to do that and if he hadn’t of mentioned that he’d killed the previous ‘idiot’ I wouldn’t even have thought of it. Thankfully he had. He had, unexpectedly, given me a chance to get out of the situation that I’d found myself in, even though that might mean throwing away the life that Woody kept telling me, over and over, that I was lucky to have.

Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.