Chapter 3 CHASED

"You are twenty minutes late," he said

"Am so sorry, it wasn't easy getting a bus."

" Hold your excuses and get to work", he snapped and Hazel immediately took a towel and started cleaning the tables, ready for the usual evening rush.

The place was buzzing with music, as different lights coloured the Celine, guys drank and made out with girls.

"Miss Frowny is back again", a hefty guy with a bald head and a bulging stomach said.

"Oh you mean the girl in jeans?" His companion asked, "I have seen the ass of every girl here except her. Why does she hide so much? I wonder what's under those jeans" he said , licking his lips and the hefty man smiled.

"Hey Bonnie", the hefty man said to one of the sales girls.

" Yes", she answered, chewing her gum noisily.

"What's up with Miss Frowny?" he asked.

"Like you don't know, she is always minding her business and acting all holy" she answered and walked away.

Before the other guy could say anything he saw the hefty man walking towards hazel.

"Hey beautiful", he said and Hazel threw him a side glare.

" You want a drink?" she asked.

"Yea" he answered in a deep tone.

" What drink,whiskey?" Hazel asked, feeling uncomfortable by his gaze.

"Something better, something you have down there, I promise to pay you well". He said and Hazel just stared at him, ignoring the nonsense she just heard.

" You still haven't told me your drink, if you aren't ready yet I have to attend to other people" she said and took two bottles in her hands, she walked passed him but he grabbed her hands, and whispered to her

" I can pay all you want, all I ask for is a night" he said and his hands traveled down her thighs, she struggled free with him.

The sound of the drink breaking, got everyone else's attention as they watched how he tried to force himself on her. Hazel struggled with him but he was too strong.

"Let go, let me go" she yelped.

"Mr Drake", her boss yelled.

"I won't tolerate such insolence here, if you have to do such nonsense do it when the working hours are over" he yelled and the hefty man smirked as he let go of her, hazel scurried away.

"Now get back to work", he yelled at her, she walked past the hefty man and Continued her work. She kept checking the time as she couldn't wait to go home.

Once she saw that it hit eleven, she packed up her bag and went straight to her boss for her pay.

She looked at the money he gave to her and it wasn't complete, she looked at him with her eyebrows up.

"My pay isn't complete", she said

"I reduced your pay because you came late, and you broke a bottle, you should pay for that," he said with a straight voice, hazel was a quiet person but she wasn't dumb, she had a sharp tongue for whoever tried to get in her way.

"Ha ha ha ha...."

Her laughter filled the air, she laughed like a maniac and her boss wondered what was funny, but she kept laughing, suddenly she stopped and wiped the single tear that fell from her eyes as a result of her laughter.

" I did not just go through hell today, of a near sexual assault without getting my full pay, I work two times the way others do, and what, I came late, you set up my time by 4pm while others come by 6pm, and yet we get the same pay, you think I didn't Know, am not a fool boss so don't think that I am dumb, pay me my complete money if you don't want to see the other side of me, because its very ugly," the look in her brown eyes made her boss shiver with fear, but he refused to succumb to it.

"How dare you speak to me like that, everyone here works equally, so who are you to say that you work more".

" Ahhh, my back really aches, should I report to the police for sexual harassment, this is a bar not a club, am sure they would be curious to know what is happening here" she said.

"What nonsense are you saying, if you are tired of working here then leave".

"I will, and I will like to see you find another hard working girl like me, let's see if your sexy girls can do all the hard chores when I am gone" , she said.

" Take, take your money and stop spurting nonsense," he said and gave her the remaining balance.

" Thank you" she replied with a mock bow, she walked a few steps when she turned back and said.

"You should tell that mad dog to pay for the drink he broke," she added and left.

Hazel stood by the bus station as she thought about how she just quit her job.

"Arghhh, you are in no position to quit, so why, why did you quit", she said to herself in frustration.

You know what, it's a good decision that place is dangerous, she thought as the bus arrived and she got on.

She got down from the bus and walked down the lonely street, everywhere was calm and quiet, it was really late and only few people walked down the street, hazel was never really fond of the dark, she always made James come meet her so they could walk back to the orphanage but she didn't want to disturb him, he would be tired from his part time work.

Nothing bad really happened in the street, it was filled with churches and a lot of Christian's but still that didn't stop hazel from walking fast, she suddenly noticed a shadow behind her but she thought they were just probably going the same direction, but after taking two turns she realized that the person was following her, she walked faster, she turned back abruptly and saw the hefty guy with a smirk on his face, fear crept into her heart and she began to run.

The street was so quiet that she could only hear the sounds of her feet running. He chased behind her and began to catch up to her. He had longer legs and ran like an athlete.

Hazel took several turns, because she knew the in and out of the place very well, she tried to get him off her trail. She reached into her bag hurriedly as she searched for her phone, she bumped into someone and her phone fell. She was about to ask for help when she saw the face of the person and recognized him as the hefty man's friend.

"Who are you running from my pretty... " he couldn't complete his sentence because she suddenly hit him in the groin and he yelped, she turned around and saw the hefty man at her front few steps away from her, she couldn't run back either because his friend was behind her, she looked to her side and saw a narrow road, she had never walked that part before and had no idea where it led to, but she didn't care, she ran down the path and her pursuers followed suit, she ran down the path and it led to a Forest, she didn't see the billboard that indicated a danger sign as she ran into the forest.

"Stop! Can't you see the danger sign" the hefty man friend said to the hefty guy as he stopped him From entering.

" Danger sign my ass, she is getting away", he said and tried to shove his friend off.

"That is a very dangerous forest, no human being has ever came out of there alive, it is said to have the most dangerous wild animals in there, do you really value lust over your own life," he said and the hefty man sighed not moving from his spot, he could only watch the tiny image of his prey running deep into the forest.

Hazel kept running until she tripped on a twig and fell down, her ankle was broken and she had a long scratch on her leg, she saw the blood on her leg and winced in pain, she turned back only to notice that she was no longer being followed, she sighed in relief, but her relief soon turned to fear when she saw that she was in a Forest, everywhere was pitch black and she could barely see a thing.

She urged herself up and stood on one leg, she turned around trying to survey the area, but when she looked in front, she saw someone in front of her with bloodshot eyes, her heart stopped a bit, and she fainted in his arms.