The door squeaks on rusted hinges when a woman prowls in. When our eyes meet, I forget how to breathe. I’d recognize that blonde, slicked-back bun and ice blue eyes anywhere. Her eyes are as cold as her black heart.
“Hello, dear.” She greets in that velvety voice that’s as sharp as steel. She’s the most deceptive and cruel person I’ve known.
“I’m Lilith, but you already know that. Don’t you?” She asks as she pulls a rolling stool out and gracefully sits whilesmoothing down her knee-length pencil skirt. I eye her with a hate-filled scowl.
“It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen you. You were such abeautifullittle girl.” She says, although she damn near gags on the word beautiful. Fuck her.
“Fourteen years,” I respond groggily, my throat feeling much drier with her in the room. As if she sucks the life out of the space she unfortunately occupies. Such a waste of precious space.
She smiles widely, in a failed attempt to appear poignant, but all I see is the rotting monster beneath this facade. “We have much to catch up on. Do you need anything?”
“No.”
“Surely you’re parched after such a long rest.”
“Rest? You call being beaten unconscious rest?”
She gives a half-grin, trying to conceal her true self. Her mask is slipping, more like melting. The heat from the Devil lurking beneath, melting it away like wax, except it might as well be poison.
“We’ll correct that snarkiness in due time. Fetch her some water.” She commands one of her guards standing behind her. She pats his hand that’s resting on her shoulder. I narrow my eyes at the exchange and follow his every move. Grabbing a clear plastic cup, he holds it under the faucet. He shifts to the side, blocking my view. He pivots on his feet and walks the cup over to Lilith, who glances into the cup before smiling.
“Drink.” She holds the water out to me, but I lift myhand and jingle the chains in her face. I can’t grab the cup when I’m on a two-inch leash, bitch.
“Given your current disrespect, I can’t have you unleashed and trying to escape again.” She says condescendingly. “Stub, make sure she drinks every drop.” Passing the cup to Stub, she stands abruptly, straightening her skirt and blouse, then walks out without another word.
Stub is an older man with silver-streaked dark brown hair and a beer belly. His white button-up is tattered and stained, but he keeps it tucked into his weathered khakis. He doesn’t hold himself the way the others do, which leads me to believe he is low on their totem pole. You can clearly tell who holds power here and who doesn’t.
He hobbles over to the edge of the hospital bed and silently offers the water. I eye him curiously, trying to get a good read on him. He stands there staring right back, but doesn’t so much as utter a word. I can see the exhaustion in his grey eyes, the bags that must have formed over years of wretched living.
“I can’t drink lying flat like this. Want me to choke and die? Surely, Lilith wouldn’t be happy with you.”
He grumbles before pressing a button on the side of the bed to incline me. When I’m finally in a better position, I look into the cup. I don’t see any obvious signs of it being drugged, but I’m not naive. I take a tiny sip to test it. When I don’t taste anything unusual, I gulp it down, because, contrary to what I told Lilith, I am absolutely dying of thirst. I haven’t had anything to drink since the morning I was abducted.
“Can I have more?”
Ignoring my request, he limps out of the room and slams the door shut behind him. I huff out a sigh of resentment and plop my head back on the raised bed. I need to start plotting my way out of here, but now that all four limbs are chained to the bed with no wiggle room, I don’t see how that’s going to happen. The overpowering, sterile smell of the room mixed with bleach is intensifying this migraine of mine. I can’t tell if it’s the noxious chemicals or the drugs they most likely roofied my water with that’s making my head spin.
I want to give in to the sensation, but my bladder is about to burst, and I know damn well they don’t expect me to sit here in my own urine. I want to scream, but my throat feels incredibly sore and bruised. Besides, what I managed to say to Lilith was only sheer luck. My voice was barely audible. It doesn’t stop me from attempting to grab somebody’s attention. Maybe Stub is lingering right outside the door.
“H-help.” I try shouting hoarsely.
“I n-need to p-pee!”
When nobody comes to my aid, I begin thrashing and clanking the chains, trying to make as much noise as possible. The bed squeaks beneath me. It sounds like it’s going to collapse at any second. Wouldn’t that be great? Then maybe I could run out of this place, or at least hide away until I could break out.
“What in God’s name are you doing in here, causing all this ruckus?” Stub says hobbling back in. He’s clearlyirritated with my outburst, but I’m not sitting here in my bodily fluids for who knows how long.
“I need to pee.”
He grumbles as he walks to the bedside toilet, pulling the plastic bin out of it.
“Lift your bum.” He says with a deep sigh. I lift myself as far as I can, which isn’t far thanks to these restraints. He slides it under me, and I focus hard to relieve myself.
“Can you look away? I have stage fright.” In my defense, he was staring at me like a dirty old creep. He huffs, but ultimately complies with my request. He never offers to wipe me afterwards—rude. He leaves, and I’m left alone with my own thoughts once again.
This terrible silence is driving me fucking insane. I can’t take it anymore! I throw my head back and stare at the ceiling. Oh, how I wish I were anywhere but here. I was so close to escaping, but no, that damn root took me down. If only I hadn’t been blinded by my stupid self-pity tears. It’s all my fault. My eyes burn with the need to cry, but what good would it even do?
The sound of metal clanking has me awakening from an unexpected nap. I fight to hold my eyes open and focus on the person before me, but it’s all a blur, and I can’t tell if I’m seeing double or if there really are two people.
