And there was darkness, a lot of it. My mind was full of images I would rather forget. I reminded myself that nobody knew what I did. My secret was safe.
I dozed off almost instantly.
Mal smirked. “Be a good girl and get on your knees on the bed for me.”
I walked further into the room. The only sound was the heels of my Louboutins on the light wood floor. They were the only thing I had on.
“Have you been a good girl?”
“Never,” I hissed through gritted teeth. My need for this man outweighed all reason. I wanted to feel his hands on my skin, his lips devouring me.
This was a game. I knew this wasn’t real. It never was. I wasn’t scared, though. It was just the place between reality and the darkness. A place where we pretended everything was as it used to be.
I got onto the bed on my knees, wiggling my ass playfully, earning me a hard swat. He started running his fingers down my bare spine, tracing the contours of my ass, and then everything changed.
I was no longer in the same room. It was darker in this one. I couldn’t see anything clearly. The floor was icy on my bare feet, and looking down, I realized I was naked. Screams were coming from every corner of the room. I wasn’t sure if it was from speakers or actual people. Then their hands started grabbing me. I screamed for help, but no sound left my lips.
And just when I thought they’d kill me, light flooded the room. I was momentarily blinded. When my eyes refocused, I saw Malcolm. I ran toward him but slammed into a glass wall.
I pounded on it with my palms, silently shouting for him. He stood there grinning like the Cheshire cat. Something wet pooled under my feet, and looking down, I gasped as the room was filling with crimson liquid.
The metallic smell made me realize it was blood. I backed away from the glass wall where Malcolm stood, watching me, my eyes searching the room for an exit, but it was clear there was none. I was trapped in here.
The blood kept filling the room and was up to my waist now. I walked back to the glass wall and started banging on it harder, trying to get him to do something.
“Help me,” I yelled, to be met with a grimace.
Liquid continued to cover me, and I was going under.
I was sinking fast.
Struggling, I gasped for air.
The bell announcing dinner woke me, and I sucked in all the air I could manage. Sweat coated my skin, making the thin cotton shirt stick to me. It felt like it coated every inch of my body. I reminded myself it was just a nightmare. Those happened often.
Pulling on a sweater from my closet, I opened my door slowly. It was usually left open at this time of day. I walked down the passage, knowing there were cameras everywhere. We’re never alone in here.
Passing a guard who eyed me lewdly, I entered the dining room, wrapping my flimsy jersey closer to me. All eyes were on me as I walked over to the serving counter and got my meal. Even the cook behind the counter hated me, making sure to throw my food onto my plate. I made my way through the crowd of onlookers and found a table closest to the door, so I could make it out before everyone else. I ate the bland excuse for food—a slice of bread and a cup of chunky soup—with no complaint, keeping my head down at all times. Thankfully, nobody bothered me most of the time.
The high-security section in this facility was rough. These were hard-core criminals who’d also lost their fucking minds. Do the math. Some patients formed alliances, and I knew the groups, the bullies, the bashers, the unity-in-numbers believers. I didn’t want to be a part of any of that. Being a loner wasn’t the worse part, nor was not being allowed outside. The worst thing about this place was hearing the agony at night, those screams and wails followed me into my dreams, and it made me wonder how long until those cries would be mine.
It was no secret some of the staff and guards sometimes got physical with patients, and there had been reports of inappropriate behavior and abuse.
I was not scared of the world.
Nothing frightened me anymore.
My fears lived only in my nightmares.
ChapterThree
Luke
“You’re quiet tonight,” Audrey’s voice snapped me out of my reverie. I didn’t know how long I’d been zoned out, but from the irritated undertone in her voice and the look on her face, it had probably been a while. “You barely spoke through dinner. Is everything all right?”
“Yeah, sorry, I just have a lot of work stuff on my mind,” I admitted, not wanting to elaborate. It wasn’t simply that what I was working on was confidential, it had more to do with the growing distance between us. My wife and I had long since outgrown the stage of wanting to share things with each other. Where we once talked each other’s heads off was mostly replaced by obligatory small talk or silence.
She nodded, sighing, and we settled back into our uncomfortable silence. We were in the family room after dinner, the television on with the volume turned down. She’d curled up on her end of the loveseat reading something, and I was in my armchair, closest to the lamp, which made for a perfect reading spot.
