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You froze at the feeling of a sharp object pressed against your neck, the pressure of the hand being held against your lips increasing, ensuring you wouldn't scream out. "Hey. Just do as I say or I'll kill you."
As soon as those words left his mouth, though, you quickly realized the situation you were in.
He paused for a moment, seeing how you'd react in response to his threat. Once he seemed satisfied, he spoke again. "Alright. I just need your wallet."
Slowly, you reached into your purse, scavenging through to find your wallet, making sure he saw that you had no intention of disobeying his orders meaning he wouldn't have to hurt you. The man snatched your wallet from your hands the moment you began to retreat it.
He said your name after pulling out your ID. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Killua. Now, listen to me. I have no intention of hurting you, just stay in line and do what I tell you to, alright?"
Killua? You've heard that name before—that's right. He's a Zoldyck. But what was someone of such status like him doing with someone like you and why would he tell you his name? You've only heard the name from your friend who was a major fan of that family, constantly searching up videos of theories about them.
This was bound to happen at some point. Working second shift as a waitress only to leave basically at midnight to your parked car at the back of the deserted building. A perfect recipe for someone to catch you off guard getting in your car or locking the door.
It was when he spun you around against the wall, resulting in a light yelp from you as your back made contact with the hard stone did you finally come back to your senses. "Hey, do you understand?"
"...Yes." You finally said for the first time since the situation went underway. Not only that, but you also got a good look at his face. He was surprisingly beautiful. His eyes were a dull blue, reflecting the calmest of waters, his silver hair tickling your forehead from the proximity.
He wore a smokey gray hoodie with a slit in the middle of the hoodie as well as knee-length shorts.
"Good." He replied before returning to digging in your wallet, a scowl forming on his face upon seeing the amount of money you had. "...Is this seriously all you have?"
Shaking your head in response, he took your wallet into his pocket before issuing his next order. "Now, give me your phone."
Again, you stuck your hand in your purse, feeling for the rectangular object, pulling it slowly out once you found it just for him to take it.
Since you had one of the newer model phones that required face ID to unlock it, he simply shoved it in your face for it to open. From the reflection of his eyes, it looked like he was scrolling through something.
"If you didn't return home, is there anyone that would notice immediately?"
Didn't return home?
Despite how...well kind probably isn't the right word...but he seemed willing to reassure you that he wouldn't hurt you as long you cooperated. Anyways, despite how reassuring he was, you cursed yourself for actually feeding into the bullshit fantasy of getting a chance to return to your normal life once this was all over.
You did, though, suspect that somehow, some way, you'd be subjected to some unexpected turn of events. Including possibly being kidnapped, never seeing your friends, family, or the light of day again.
Struggling to keep your tears at bay at the thought, you sniffled and brought your hand to your cheek to wipe them away.
"The hell? Don't start crying, answer the question!" He hissed, getting aggravated. "I said I wouldn't hurt you if you played your part."
You looked down to see the cause of the sharp object he held against you gaining pressure, only to find out it wasn't a knife or a dagger, it was his nails. They were so long and pointed—much more than that of a regular person.
"N-no. I live... I live alone." You said between sniffles.
"Any immediate family or friends that regularly check up on you?"
"I...I don't talk to my family often and I only have a few friends I talk to at work. Nothing more."
He pocketed your phone before looking around the vicinity, probably checking if anyone was around before he retracted his claws. "Might have to send a text to explain why you won't be going back home tonight."
Okay. You could live with this. You just won't be home for tonight. Just tonight. One single night with him then you're free—free to go home and relax in your room. This was your new motivation. Do whatever he says and it'll all be over.
Killua scanned the parking lot once more, stopping once he found something to focus on. You matched his gaze, he was eyeing a car—the only car in the parking lot which happened to be owned by your boss.
He took your wrist in his hand, a tight—almost threatening—grip, and started walking towards the car, forcing you to walk with him.
After dragging you, he stood in front of the car, inspecting it to see if he'd be able to work with it. "Alright, this is what we're going to do," he started, holding your shoulders and forcing you to look at him. "I'm going to hotwire this car. You're going to drive me to where I tell you and I'm sure you can guess what'll happen if you can't follow through with that."
You nodded in affirmation, easing up once his grip on your shoulders loosened.
"Good job." He grabbed your wrist again, leading you to the back door of the restaurant you worked at, stopping at the door. "Unlock the door, go inside, and get me a screwdriver. I'll be able to tell if you pull a fast one and try to escape or contact someone. Do either of those things, I'll kill you."
There was venom in his words and you didn't know for sure if he was bluffing or not about being able to tell if you step out of line. As you told yourself, do what he says and you can go home after this, so just suck it up for now.
You took the keys out of your purse, unlocked the door, and headed to the back room, in search of a screwdriver.
The lights turned on, but you were nowhere near the switch. You immediately looked up like a deer in headlights to see who was responsible.
"Hey, what're you still doing here?"
It was your boss.
"I just need a screwdriver," You answered, trying to sound as normal as possible and trying to hide the fact that you were crying. "C-can I get one please?"
"Sure...are you okay?" She asked, obviously taking your abnormal attitude into account. How did she pick up on it so quickly?
"Yes, I'm fine. Please, can you give it to me?" You were desperate at this point, afraid of what he'll do to you if you took too long.
Your boss returned to her desk, digging in her drawers until she finally pulled the tool out. "Here you-"
"Thank you." You spoke, eagerly rushing out the back door where you came from.
As soon as you opened it, though, Killua was impatiently standing in front of the back door. "Who in the hell were you talking to?"
"My boss, she's still here. I didn't tell her anything though, I was just asking for the screwdriver. I swear."
He hummed in response, taking it out of your hands and walking back towards the car.
This was it. He didn't grab you to take you along with him. He just left you there, probably expecting you to follow. You, quite literally, could run away right now. You could call for help—get him arrested, get him what he deserves for taking your things, so why didn't you?
Standing there contemplating, you finally brought yourself to the conclusion that you couldn't bring yourself to do it. Was it in fear of what he could do to you? Was it because-
"Hey, let's go!" His voice called out to you.
You hadn't realized that the car was already running, the driver's window broken with some glass on the ground in front of it. Still, you wasted no time getting in.
Oh, God. You buckled your seatbelt and immediately drove off, tires screeching from the impact. You made a hard turn out of the lot and into the main street. You just committed a felony.
Never let your kidnapper take you to a second location. That was what you heard in those "survival tips" videos. You were already screwed. Still, you didn't want to die, not yet at least, but you still clung to the one thing keeping you going:
Surviving and getting home, even if you had to bend over backward to do so.
"Merge onto the highway. Exit only when I tell you to." His arm was pressed against the door and he was looking out of the window.
You complied, increasing your speed as you entered. Now that the situation has died down, you couldn't help but feel so pathetic and weak. How many times had this stranger instructed you to do something for you to just submit to him without protest?
Even if you didn't do what he said and he killed you, at least you'd send yourself off with your pride.
There wasn't much you could do now, though.
The silence grew between the two of you, the sound of the car engine on loop was enough to clear your mind. What relaxed you even more was seeing out of the corner of your eye, Killua vulnerably reclined his seat back, legs propped up on the dashboard.
Maybe you could try to talk to him now that he wasn't as tense. "Um, could I ask you something?"
"Hm?"
"You could've just driven off and left me there once you got the car started, but you didn't. Why?"
He turned his head away sheepishly. "I, uh, can’t drive yet."
That's surely something to be embarrassed about, robbing someone and being able to hotwire a car, but not knowing how to drive it.
You couldn't blame him entirely. By the way he approached you, he was likely on the run from something or someone. If it were authorities, he'd probably want to draw as little attention to himself as possible, and swerving recklessly in the middle of the road is not the way to do that.
"Oh, okay."
Again, the only thing audible was the sound coming from the car. You did spot a few others on the road too, but the amount seemed to decrease as time went by.
Trying your best to bring a sense of normalcy to the situation, you again, spoke. "You're a Zoldyck, right?"
There was a brief moment where he paused to look at you before answering. "Yeah. How'd you know?"
"I have a friend that knows a bit about your family. Plus, I occasionally see things about you guys on the news." You said.
"Oh, yeah? They talk about me?"
"Sometimes. You do have pretty hefty bounties on your heads."
You said the last part without really thinking. Hopefully, he hadn't thought you were after that bounty. You surely didn't want to convey that you thought you could capture him. It was clear to both him and you that you were outmatched.
Thankfully, though, he didn't seem too upset about it. If anything, your comment served to boost his ego. "Hm. Probably thanks to my old man, maybe my older brothers too."
"I see. You talk to them?"
He didn't answer immediately, worry swelling in you at that fact. "Why're you so interested?"
"Dunno. Just trying to fill some silence, I guess." You spoke, lifting your hand from the steering wheel.
"You going after that bounty?" He asked.
You gave him a look of complete confusion and disgust before saying "...Uh, no?"
He huffed at your response, seeming to have succeeded in communicating that such a thought hadn't crossed your mind. "I gotta ask, though," He continued. "My people aren't saints, but good deeds aren't lost on them. So if they offered to give you something in return for helping me out, what would you want?"
Pondering the question for a moment, you answered. "I guess... I'd want to return home."
"You wouldn't want money or some shit?"
"I mean, that's not what first came to my mind-"
He cut you off before you could finish your sentence. "That's bull. You make minimum wage at a chain restaurant, of all places. Wouldn't you want the funds for a guaranteed life of comfort and stability? They could make that happen." He said, closing his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest.
"Okay, okay. Let me rephrase that. I'd, of course, take the cash if offered, who wouldn't? But, that's not my priority in this moment. I'm not trying to be like the kinds of people who take every chance they get trying to get some bank, you know? It literally sounds miserable."
You were relieved that the atmosphere seemed to have opened up a bit, considering you were being held hostage. You felt better about the whole situation—more confident.
He lightly chuckled. “Hm, I like you.”
That was a good sign, right? He had a liking towards you, he was holding up a conversation with you. Maybe you were worrying over nothing.
Killua continued. “I've met bastards like that, doing some insane stuff just for money. I never really struggled in that category growing up, so part of me doesn’t understand that feeling of greed."
"Ah, I can imagine. Why'd you need some measly pocket money from me then?"
Side eyeing you, he answered. "...Kinda ran into some trouble and lost my card. You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. As I said, I'm not gonna hurt you if I don't need to. With all those nasty people in the world, killing them just got boring, so I quit that business."
So much for those threats. Still, him as a character, the fact that he comes from a family of assassins, yeah you weren’t taking your chances. He’s still more than scary.
Humming in response, you glanced at the stereo, seeing the time. It was one in the morning, pretty late but you could get through this.
Just as you were about to take the conversation even further, Killua beat you to the punch. "Up ahead." He pointed to the sign you went under. "Take the exit coming up in four miles."
Suddenly, the air was tense again. The previous confidence you possessed had decreased exponentially, it was like he remembered you were a hostage again.
Four miles later, you approached the exit, Killua saying "Here." ensuring you didn't miss it.
You did as you were told, taking a slight right off of the highway.
"You're doing good, just take a left on the next street and stop and the next set of lights." He pointed up ahead.
Silently, you followed his directions, passing by a few opened stores. "Where are we going?"
Your question had earned a glare from Killua that you could sense, even focusing on the road in front of you. Immediately regretting asking, you mumbled a sheepish "Sorry." which you made sure was audible to him. Seemed like you'd gotten too comfortable.
After him directing you through the streets and passing multiple shops, he finally told you to pull into a parking lot of a hotel, only this one wasn't empty.
It was filled with a few cars and illuminated by lights, meaning it was open. "Park somewhere in the back, in between cars," Killua told you, you obeying without question.
Once you were parked, you awaited further instructions before he continued. "I'll know if you try to signal out to anyone in there for any reason and you're smart enough to know what'll happen to you if you do."
As soon as you nodded in affirmation, he exited the car and you did the same, leaving the car running. You had to admit, you weren’t quite sure what the situation was going to be with the car, as it was now tampered beyond the point of being able to turn off anymore. Your poor boss.
The two of you entered the main lobby, Killua tucking his hair back into his hoodie and looking down as he walked passed the woman at the desk who was completely distracted by the task on her computer. If you were to try and get her to realize what position you were in with Killua, that mission would be an utter failure.
Pressing the elevator button, the doors opened. The elevator had started to ascend once he pressed the top floor button. Had he planned this? Did he really go as far as to book a room on the top floor so you couldn't jump out the window and escape?
You did contemplate if he planned this specifically for you but quickly shook that thought away once you remembered your previous conversation with him. It was just a shitty moment for you to be there. He'd probably have gone after anyone who was that vulnerable and you, being a woman, were an easy target—alone in a dark, deserted parking lot, especially since he was in a hurry as well.
You were pulled back to reality when the elevator door opened. "Let's go." Killua started walking out, you accompanying him close behind.
Both of you walked to the end of the hallway, to the last room—room 405.
You watched closely to see how he'd unlock the door, as it needed a specified keycard, but somehow missed it as the door just seemed to open by him standing in front of it.
After he stepped in, you saw that the keycard-insert lock on the door was burnt—fried to a crisp—probably having no chance of being able to work again.
Not being familiar with the use of nen, you had no way of knowing that it was Killua's ability that allowed him to completely melt the circuits of the lock. Only someone accustomed to focusing life energy in the eyes would be able to see how he accomplished this feat.
Letting the door close behind you after entering the room, you took in your surroundings, only being able to because Killua turned the light on. There was only one bed and another door—likely a bathroom along with a wardrobe in front of the feet of the bed, with a modern flat-screen television propped on top of it.
You stood in front of the door, unsure of what he wanted you to do. He paced back and forth on one side of the bed, fingers on his chin, seemingly contemplating what to do himself.
Finally making his mind up, he returned you, grabbing your arm and leading you to sit down on the bed in front of him. "Okay," He started, looking down at you. "I'm going to step out for a few. If someone knocks on the door or tries to talk to you through the door, don't answer."
He then started digging in his pockets, pulling out what looked like metal. You only found out they were handcuffs when he wrapped one around your wrist and secured it by wrapping the other around the rod of the headboard of the bed.
"Just stay there and be quiet, I'll be back soon." With that, he left the room, footsteps becoming fainter as he continued down the hallway.
You were alone—alone with only your thoughts present. Experimentally, you tugged your hand forward, but the cuff remained strong on both your hand and the rod. You definitely needed a key or some other tool to get them open.
Settling yourself down on the bed, you let out a shaky sigh and tried to make yourself comfortable—to make yourself feel like you're at home, in bed, but it just wasn't the same.
You should be home right now, you should've been showered and fed—long in the land of dreams—not here. Not in this unfamiliar bed. Not clamped in these bruising pieces of metal.
He took it all away from you. It was your day off and while you had no particular plans tomorrow, you still had sleep to catch up on, you still had a life to resume, but you couldn't. You couldn't because of him, and now you can't even say with certainty that you'll return tomorrow to do said things.
Would you even make it back home by tomorrow?
Yeah, he said you might not be home tonight, but that didn't necessarily mean that you'll be back tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that.
The urge to cry only became stronger as tears pricked your eyes. There was no one there to stop you now and you needed an outlet for the sudden stress weighing on your shoulders. But he told you to be quiet.
So, you buried your head into the pillow and let out all the emotion you had been holding onto, not even just from the situation you were in, but just in general—everything that was bothering you.
The piece of fabric coated on the fluff helped muffle the sounds of your cry. You dug your hands into the sheets and stayed like that for a while. You were unsure of how long you stayed in this position, but it was most definitely long enough for you to cry yourself to exhaustion as you dozed off.
You weren't sure how you were able to cry yourself to sleep, but you figured it wasn't that long as you woke up jerking your head to the door upon hearing it open.
"Hm, that's weird. Someone broke the lock-"
A woman walked in. She had on uniform—a housekeeping uniform. You only stared at her, maybe in hopes that she'd go away.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I thought this room was checked out already." She quickly left the room just as she entered.
Still watching the door, the realization of how Killua would react dawned on you. Even though you didn't answer or speak to her, just as he told you, you still felt as though you had broken a rule.
Then, it hit you.
The reason Killua burnt the lock. He never checked into this room, he just walked in. Not that it surprised you, considering the amount of crimes he committed that you witnessed. Had he known it was empty or had he just hoped for the best and luck worked out in his favor?
"I thought you said they checked out already. There was still someone in there." The housekeeper spoke to her co-worker, who was busy across the room you resided in at the moment.
"They should have?" The other yelled from the bathroom. "Go ask that girl at the front desk, I forgot her name."
"Me too, to be honest." She responded before heading to the elevator and descending to the lobby.
Sauntering in the direction of the front desk, the housekeeper took notice of the single person standing outside of the automatic door, separating her from him. He had a hoodie on, but she was just barely able to make out his abnormal silver locks, dangling across his forehead.
She turned her attention toward the busy woman at the desk before speaking. "Hey, thought you said room 405 was checked out, the one on the top floor."
"Hold on." The woman spoke harshly, waving her finger in front of the housekeeper which in turn, caused the housekeeper to roll her eyes. After a few moments of clicking through her computer screen did she finally answer, though. "Let's see... room 405."
The housekeeper rested her head on her arm on the work surface, taking another look outside, to see if the man's position had updated and to her surprise, it did.
There was another with him, another person he was speaking to. This other one was taller—his lengthy, slick raven hair extending down to his legs. Still, everything seemed to have been fine as nothing unusual was going on between the two.
"Yeah, 405 is checked out. Why?"
Both women turned their attention towards the opening automatic door, where the man whom the housekeeper was previously fixated on walked through.
Although there were initially two, only one of them—the pale-haired one—was the person to emerge from the door before making his way towards the elevator, entering it.
It was when it closed and he had pressed the floor button did the housekeeper see what floor he went on as it was visible above the elevator door.
He was going to the top floor.
"Then why was someone in there when I went to go clean it?"
"That can't be, I just spoke with the couple that left yesterday. They were lovely, I tell you."
"Look, just come see for yourself." The housekeeper had a faint suspicion that the man who had passed them could be the culprit, or at least involved in the situation.
The woman seated at her desk shifted a bit, her eyebrows furrowing at the idea. "What if someone comes in?"
"It'll just be for a few minutes, no one is going to come at this time."
Sighing in defeat, she lifted from her seat, following the housekeeper as they both went to pursue the strange male.
You, on the other hand, had managed to fall back asleep after previously being interrupted. You had only become aware of that fact as your eyes slowly fluttered open to the gruff voice of your captor telling you to "wake up."
It had gotten lighter outside—just by a little bit, which made it slightly harder to adjust your focus on the set of cerulean eyes staring back down at you.
Groggily rubbing your eyes, you sat up on the bed, facing him. From what you could see, he was in a better mood. His seemingly permanent scowl was all but nonexistent as his face was relaxed, almost content.
It didn't last long, however, as your failure to sit up earned an impatient stare, which subsided as you slowly lifted from your comfortable position.
"We'll be going in a few," He started as he leaned down to unlock the cuffs, pulling you up afterward. For some reason, he was smirking a bit. Over what, you had no clue.
With a firm grip around your wrist, he pulled you towards the singular window next to the bed, opening it as the chilly, dawn breeze swept across your face.
It was when he began to climb out of it did you step back in uncertainty. "Uh..."
He held a hand out for you expectingly as he knelt on the window sill. "Something wrong?"
"You're going to jump out of the window...?"
"Yeah?"
"...Of the room on the top floor?"
"Yeah..."
"With me holding your hand?"
"For fucks sake, yes. It's not like we have any other option, now come on!" He responded, rolling his eyes.
Any other option? You hesitantly extending your arm, squeezing your eyes shut as you felt a sudden burst of wind whip against your face. You opened your eyes to the sound of a slap against the concrete only to find yourself on the ground.
Why wouldn't he have any other option? Was he being pursued and couldn't go through the main entrance? What exactly had gone on while you were asleep?
When you looked up, you saw how high of a jump it actually was from the top row of windows. Normally, you wouldn't be able to pinpoint which window it was exactly since all of them were closed, which was odd, but you thought back to how the room you temporarily resided in was at the end of the hall. How did he close the window so fast and when did he even get a chance? Just how skilled is Killua…?
And most importantly, did he do it purposefully?
Two women stood outside of the hotel room numbered 405. "See? The lock is broken—and when I went in, there was a girl inside, lying on the bed."
"Okay, let's see then." The unconvinced office woman responded.
Slowly pushing the door open, the housekeeper switched on the light expecting to find the same hump under a mountain of sheets, but was taken aback upon seeing that the girl once positioned comfortably in them was nowhere to be found—at least not in plain sight.
An idea came to mind as the housekeeper went further into the room, thinking she might've gone to the separate bathroom, but her brows furrowed in confusion as the bathroom lights were also turned off.
Still, she knocked on the door twice before twisting the knob—there was no one to be found.
"But...someone was just here, I swear..." The housekeeper muttered, frantically scanning around the room for any signs of someone's presence. "Maybe she escaped through the window?"
Unimpressed, the lady from the front desk answered. "So, you found some random 'girl' lying down on a bed, in a room that the last family just checked out of, but now she jumped out of a four-story building and managed to close the window behind her?"
The housekeeper was silent, knowing that her attempt to prove what she had seen was futile.
"Don't waste my time again, please." Her voice faded, indicating she was leaving the scene.
"But what about the lock? Are you going to call someone to repair it?"
There was no answer.
You stood in front of Killua across the street from the hotel you had previously been staying at—now at the back of a deserted gas station.
He was silently on a phone, which you could only presume was yours as you shifted your weight back and forth on your feet.
When he finished whatever it was that he was doing by putting the phone back in his pocket, he stared at you, which you were able to make out through the singular streetlight above the both of you. The sun hadn’t risen yet, but it was still a bit light. You couldn't say if it was because he was thinking or not, but it was still more than unsettling.
Though, you chose not to say anything about it, instead waiting for him to speak first.
"We're probably gonna be out here for a few days."
"Days?" You responded.
"Mhm. We need to lay low for a little bit." He continued. "Everything's been planned out."
You weren't liking how he was throwing around the term "we" so casually.
"Do you still need me for something...?"
"You don't need to be worrying about that." He said. "Just keep doing what I tell you to."
The sudden harshness of his voice had you obediently nodding, not wanting to deal with another one of his mood swings. You'd rather avoid them completely if possible.
He went back to staring at you, you fidgeting under his gaze anxiously. As much as you wanted to ask him why you both were standing outside or if he was maybe waiting for someone, you suppressed that urge as you reminded yourself of his instruction on not speaking unless he said otherwise.
"You don't strike me as the type to fight back." He suddenly spoke.
"Did...you want me to?" You quickly answered back.
"No, but this whole thing has been easier than I was expecting." He continued, smirking. "Are you really just going to do what I say without a second thought?"
He was right and you were previously beating yourself up about being so submissive. "Well," You started. "you're a lot stronger than me. I'd rather get this over with and go home."
"I'm not gonna hurt ya."
With the tension dying down and him not being as hostile as usual, you found your voice. "K-Killua?"
"Hm?"
"After all of this, can I...can I go home?"
Killua looked at you, a smirk still evident on his face—almost as if he was getting amusement out of your helpless and desperate attempt to escape him alive.
"Maybe."
That was the only answer he gave, and you figured out that the sly grin plastered on his face was because he liked seeing the distress on your face upon hearing his incredibly vague and cryptic answer. That pushing through everything, doing all that he's told you to do, his words told you that there was a chance you might not be able to go home;
or, perhaps, make it out alive.
As if on cue, though, he said "Stop worrying. I said I won't hurt you."
You remembered how he used his nails as a weapon and how he, so easily, was able to bypass an advanced hotel door lock, which sent a shiver down your spine.
But, he said he wasn't going to hurt you.
So, he'd just do what he needed to do, keep you here for a few days, then you could go home. Boom. Simple as that, right? And the aftermath wouldn't be that bad. You would be able to resume your life from where it left off, for the most part. Sure, you might need some therapy, but that's about it.
But, when you looked back up at Killua's face, the way he stood against the wall behind him, blue eyes piercing into yours—something very subtle about his demeanor told you that it wouldn't be that easy to convince him to let you go.
And the nagging feeling buried deep down in the trenches of your stomach told you that he wouldn't let you go at all.
Thinking positively, you disregarded it. Hoping, begging, praying to whatever God was out there that the feeling you had was wrong.