But… I know… I know what I saw…
I sit on the hard cement with my head between my knees, drawing circles on the floor with my finger. I’m cold… so unbelievably cold. I’ve stopped fighting it. I’ve let the cool air run freely down my spine, bringing a sharp sting into my throat that I can only guess is the start of an infection.
I pray that the illness takes me out faster than these monsters. I often hear people screaming outside these walls, waking me up from when I give my eyes a rest in the dark. I don’t know what’s out there, but I’m not at all interested in finding out.
A man’s voice closes in, and it takes everything in me to lift my head and push myself farther into the wall behind me. The metaldoor at the other end of the room creaks, and a light flashes in my face. My eyes burn and a throbbing headache sets into the back of my skull.
Big combat boots walk inside, their owner stopping and crouching next to me.
“Look at you, poor thing. You’re freezing,” the man says, his voice low and not at all endearing. A shiver runs along my nerve endings, and this time I know it’s not from the cool air. Whoever this is, he doesn’t give a damn about how cold I am.
Please…I plead with my eyes, knowing full well it won’t matter to him. ThatIdon’t matter.
His hand goes to my hair, then to my chin, forcing my face up to look at him. My whole body shakes with quiet sobs. I try to get a look at him, but my eyes snap to the door that opens again. Another man comes in, bringing a wooden chair and dropping it close by.
“Have fun,” he laughs, shaking his head in amusement. The door barely closes in his wake, letting a trail of dim light from the hallway seep into the room. I look back at the man touching my face, seeing him smile. The lines under his eyes and the sagging skin covering his cheeks tell me he’s older than the rest. He smells like burned hair and gasoline, and it makes me gag instantly. A knot twists in my stomach, and I push myself deeper into the wall until there’s no more space in between.
“Now, now,” he says. “That’s not how it’s going to be. I’ll give you a few seconds to pull yourself together. And then I want you on my knee, right—” He gets up, only to take a seat on the chair in front of me. Patting his leg, he continues, “—here.”
He’s going to put his hands on me. He’s going to rape me, right here, right now.
Tears drip down my cheeks as I choke on another sob.
“K-Kill you,” I whisper, shaking my head. “Rowan will kill you.”
His voice comes out ragged as he laughs, throwing his head back.
“I take it you haven’t watched the news in a while, have you?”
What the hell does that mean?
“Out there, he couldn’t protect you. But in here… I can. I can keep you warm. Fed. Rested. Maybe even move you into my bed upstairs. All you have to do is sit on this knee.” He leans back in the chair, parting his knees as he looks down at my trembling figure. “I’ll give you three more seconds to decide, and then we can do it the hard way if you prefer.”
I hear him and the threat registers, but my thoughts go back to what he said before this.What did he mean about watching the news?My mind conjures up the most horrific situations I can think of, and all of them result in Rowan being dead.
I shake my head, not willing to accept it. He’s messing with me. He has to be.
“Three…” He starts counting down, pulling me back into the present. My heart thrashes in my chest, and desperation spreads through me like lightning.
I could run, and maybe I could make it far enough to scream so the others can hear me. If what Cole said is true… if they reallyarecelibate, then this shouldn’t be happening. This man shouldn’t be allowed to touch me.
My eyes land on the cracked door, and the decision is settled.
“Two.”
I get up, a wave of dizziness washing over me.
I walk toward him, the chains around my ankles dragging across the concrete.
“Come on, pretty girl.”
Breath shallow and knees buckling, I inch toward him, keeping my face down so my eyes can watch the doorstep. And then… I bolt toward it.
The chain keeps my legs from spreading wide, so I make tiny rapid steps until my palms push against the metal frame, and I bask in the golden light waiting on the other side. I open my mouth to scream, gasping violently when my hair is pulled back. Pain ripples through me, and a hand comes over my lips, keeping them shut.
“Come here, little bitch,” he sings in my ear. My eyes throb with tears I can’t control.
I mumble into his hand as he pulls me back, back into the darkness, sitting me down on his damned knee.
