Sophie’s POV

The screams echoed loudly. So many people were screaming like they were on fire. I was standing outside the burning apartment confused about what to do. I could hear them scream for help, but I couldn’t help them – I was stuck. I couldn’t move my legs. I was rooted there on the spot.

I turned my head as I heard the cynical laughter. Tears filled my eyes as I knew that this was how I would die, stuck and burnt alive.

It was hot, everywhere felt like it was on fire. The screams were loud, so loud that I covered my ears. Desperate to get away from it, I tried to move, but I couldn’t. The flames were catching up to me. I watched the fire getting a hold of my legs, I couldn’t shake it off.

It was hurting me, and I couldn’t do anything about it; I could only watch as my whole body got consumed by the flames.

I wake up in cold sweat. I can’t sleep. I am wide awake, alert, and desperate to forget everything that has happened so far in my life. Every night, I lie on my bed, calling out to sleep, but it’s refusing to grace me for some reason. And every time I close my eyes, the images behind them are not something I want to see or remember. It’s a living nightmare that haunted me and made me a refugee.

I stay awake for the rest of the night. I can’t close my eyes, afraid of what I will see.

I fled to New York after Antonio burnt down my apartment. It was a miracle that I escaped without a scratch. I had a feeling that he knew I was alive and was coming for me next. Whenever I managed to escape his clutches, he was getting even more determined. That made him vicious and me the object of his obsession. He killed people to get to me, innocent people were dead like bees because of me.

I run my hands through my hair. I am in my version of hell, and it’s hotter than I have imagined. It’s lonely, cold, and heartbreaking for me to keep living like this.

Anytime I think of ending it, I imagine Antonio grinning over my dead body and telling my corpse that he has won, I immediately get back on my feet and move to avoid getting caught. I am going to be having this nightmare for weeks to come. It’s one of the disadvantages of being on the run. Nothing matters and you never get to be happy.

It’s like he finds new ways to torture me, so I will have to keep dreaming about it till he changes his pattern, giving me something new to think about. This is the part where I wish for a knight in shining armor, but we all know that isn’t happening. Nobody cares about me, not even my brother cared enough to stick around.

He hightailed it out of here once he got the chance, without a heads up or warning, and he ended up like my parents. My life changed because of one little mistake, and I know I can get it back by fixing that mistake.

I say a tiny prayer, asking God for a little chance to get my life back on track. There’s something I need to do to evade Antonio and settle here.

First, I need to change my appearance just like I have done so many times. This time I was going to dumb it down.

Brunette, here I come.

It is the one color that no one will take notice of. I am going to be a wallflower and blend in, so I don’t attract attention. I don’t want to leave New York so soon. I feel a connection here, and I am going to make it work.

I check my phone – it’s just 1 a.m. I yawn; it’s way too early to be awake. I had just two hours of sleep. I feel tired. I try to play games on my phone to while away time but I’m not interested in any of the games. They normally help when I am down, but now my body is alert and filled with fear and anxiety from both the dream and my life.

I was just scrolling through my phone when the thought occurred to me – how did he find me so fast? It felt like he knew every city I was in and he waited long enough to make me forget that he was here before moving in for the kill. I check my phone – maybe there is a tracking device he used?

I don’t want to be found again. He might already be in New York waiting for me. I nod my head as I have figured out what to do this time. I’m not going to act on fear anymore, I’m going to be smart and alert. He won’t be taking me unaware again.

He doesn’t get to drive me from this city, a city that was once my dream. No way am I going to allow him to win this round when the day breaks. I’m going to look for a way to get out of his claws. It’s one thing to become invisible, but it’s another thing to stay invisible. I can’t slip this time.

Not even a little bit, the plan was simple for me.

Dye the hair. Get a job and stay incognito for the time being.

I check the list in my head, satisfied that the feeling of this time being different is real for me. Antonio won’t see what hits him.

I lie back on the bed, slowly counting the seconds till people start moving around. That’s enough time for me to set my plans in motion.