Chapter 9
Chapter 9
She pressed her back against the cold brickwork, unsettled, disoriented, but alert. Naomi had spent a terrifying night in total darkness, replaying the shocking events of her abduction, whilst imagining horrors yet to come. The water pipes groaned, insects scuttled past, and close by an invisible figure coughed, moaned and cried out in her sleep. Naomi had completely lost track of time, her phone and watch having been taken from her, and the night seemed endless. The minutes crept by, with no release, no relief, but now finally a dull light started to creep into the room, a sliver of illumination hugging the base of the hinged doors, its glow serving to give Naomi a murky view of her surroundings. It was such a tiny thing, but Naomi felt overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of light, confirming for her that the sun did still rise and fall, that the real world did still exist, that she hadn’t been transported to some kind of underworld hell.
Screwing up her eyes, Naomi strained to see through the gloom. She was in a cell of some kind, chained to the wall in a space that was claustrophobic, cold and damp. The tiny space was ten feet by ten feet, low-ceilinged and compact, with nothing in the way of decoration or furniture. A water pipe snaked down her corner of the room, but other than that it was empty. Her companion lay on the floor not five feet from her, her face turned from Naomi. She was blonde, tall and slim, her delicate frame visible even through her stained t-shirt, which hung on her, baggy and loose. Tired joggers and stained, threadbare socks completed her sorry outfit.
Energized by the modest improvement in visibility, Naomi cast around her. She was searching for some means of escape – a hole in the brickwork, a weak point in the ceiling – but finding nothing, she turned her attention to her bonds. The chain attached to her ankle was heavy and robust, fixed to a wall plate via a solid metal hoop, but Naomi yanked at it now with all her might, determined to rip it from its moorings.
‘Come on, come on …’ she gasped, straining every sinew. ‘Move, you little …’
She heaved and tugged for all she was worth, bellowing out her exertion, but her endeavour proved fruitless, the chain refusing to budge. Cursing, Naomi dropped it and made for the hinged doors instead. Could this be her route out? She launched herself towards the fake wall, determined to get some kind of purchase on it. But her captor had done his homework, the short length of the chain meaning she could touch the sealed doors with her fingertips, but not impact upon them. Exhausted, frustrated, Naomi rested her hands on her knees, fighting the sense of panic that was threatening to overwhelm her. She was determined to remain strong, defiant, but there was no escaping the bitter reality. This was her world now: four walls, a chain, and a mysterious companion.
Right on cue, the girl opposite started to cough; deep, racking coughs that made Naomi wince. They sounded brutal, painful, bloody, as if each eruption robbed her of a little more of her strength. Naomi had never heard anything like it before and it shook her to the core.
‘Hey, are you OK?’ Naomi asked instinctively, her voice rich with concern.
The coughing continued, but the girl didn’t move.
‘Is there anything I can do? Do you have any water down here or …?’
Now the girl managed to get a hold of herself, the coughing subsiding gradually, but still she didn’t respond.
‘My name’s Naomi by the way,’ she continued brightly. ‘And you’ve nothing to be afraid of, I don’t mean you any harm. Perhaps it would help if you sat up for a while—’
‘Don’t speak.’
Her companion hissed the words, terse and urgent. For a moment Naomi was speechless, stunned by her aggressive tone.
‘What do you mean?’ Naomi responded, finally finding her voice. ‘I was just asking if—’
‘He won’t like it,’ the girl interrupted firmly, ending the conversation.
Naomi stared at the girl, poleaxed. What on earth had this man done to her to make her so scared? So determined to avoid all conversation? Before she could ask, however, she saw the teenager move, rising from the floor urgently and moving swiftly to the opposite corner of the room. For a moment, Naomi was perplexed, but then she heard footsteps approaching, heavy purposeful footsteps. Their captor had returned.
Naomi retreated to her corner, only just making it there before the doors swung open. The effect was devastating, brilliant light flooding the interior, blinding Naomi and causing her to cry out. She kept her eyes clamped shut, waiting for her vision to acclimatize, but when she opened them once more, she found her abductor ranged above her.
‘Take off your clothes.’
‘Get lost,’ she hissed back.
‘Take off your clothes and jewellery and put this on,’ he continued, ignoring her protests as he tossed a dirty tracksuit at her feet.
Naomi’s body was rigid, her senses on full alert, as her abductor reached down, pulling her to her feet.
‘Get off me,’ she spat out, struggling.
‘Do as you’re told.’
‘Go to hell, you piece of shit.’
Without thinking, Naomi spat in his face. For a moment, her captor appeared taken aback by this open defiance, but Naomi’s punishment wasn’t long in coming, the back of his hand connecting sharply with her cheek, sending her crashing back into the dusty brickwork. Her legs threatened to give way, but her attacker pinned her to the wall, taking advantage of her temporary disorientation to remove her bracelet, her earrings, the necklace that spelt out her name. Now he was tugging at the eternity ring her mum had given to her last Christmas, but Naomi’s finger was too swollen for him to retrieve it and, cursing viciously, he gave up. Instead, he focused on her clothes, pulling off her hoodie and t-shirt, yanking down her jeans. Naomi tried to fend him off once more, but a brutal punch to her stomach robbed her of further resistance. Winded, Naomi slumped to the floor, letting him remove her Doc Marten boots and, having unchained her, pull off her trousers.
‘Now get dressed.’
Sweaty, breathless, he watched on sternly as Naomi angrily tugged on the tracksuit. It didn’t fit properly, it wasn’t clean, but at least it meant she wasn’t cowering beneath him in her underwear. Satisfied, he bent down and snapped the chain back onto her ankle, before rising and exiting the room.
Naomi lay on the floor, her heart pounding. What was he doing? Where was he taking her things? And what did he intend to do next? Once more, Naomi moved back to her corner, determined to resist any attack, any outrage, but to her surprise, when her captor returned, he was carrying two battered metal bowls.
‘Eat,’ he commanded, placing his offering on the floor in front of him, before turning to do the same with his other captive.
Greedily, Naomi snatched it up. Her stomach was howling with hunger, but as she peered down into the bowl her appetite evaporated. The contents were repulsive – cold, lumpy porridge rising into a stiff, solid peak – and worse still, the bowl wasn’t clean, the remnants of past meals mixed in with the grim, grey gloop. Sickened, Naomi pushed the bowl away, but looking up at her abductor accusingly, she was surprised to see him towering over her, intent on watching her consume it. But there was no way she could, not even if her life depended upon it.
‘I’m not eating this shit.’
She’d hardly finished the sentence before he was her in face once more.
‘You’ll eat it, you stupid bitch. I’ll make sure you do.’
As he spoke, he picked up the metal bowl, thrusting it into Naomi’s right hand. As he did so, he grabbed her other hand, his strong fingers sliding around her wrist, gripping it tightly. Then he twisted, wrenching her skin round with all his might. Naomi howled out in pain, shocked by this sudden attack.
‘Let go of me. Let go of me, you—’
She gasped, her words cut off, as he twisted still harder. It was agony, her wrist on fire, but her attacker didn’t relent, shoving his sweaty face into hers, as he rasped, ‘Now let’s try that again, shall we? Are you going to be a good girl, Naomi?’
He was so close that their noses were almost touching, his eyes boring into hers. The pain was intense, his determination to break her will crystal clear, but still Naomi resisted. She had been tricked, she had been abducted, she had been imprisoned, but she had not been beaten. There was no way she was going down without a fight.