19. Lourdes
19
LOURDES
‘Styx’
Something is very wrong. Did I get hurt at the Class A fire? I don’t remember if I did. But wait, Stash and I were together and then… what is wrong with my head? I try to grab my head with my hands, and I can’t move them. My God, my hands are tied to something above my head. When I shift, I can feel some kind of mattress under me. Oh shit, I’m fucked. Why me, and where did they take me? My eyes feel like they are glued together. So a massive headache, which probably is why my eyes are sticky, the blood is drying or dried across my face. As I struggle to open my eyes, I feel a breeze over my body at the exact same time I realize I’m not in my gear, which means someone took it off of me. Immediately, I try to take a minute to see if I am hurt anywhere else. My feet are also tied, though not to whatever my hands are, my feet are bound together. First mistake. My eyes finally open and I see I’m in the dark. It’s dank and damp, so probably in a basement. It feels like I’m lying down on some kind of bed with something, maybe a metal headboard, to tie my hands to. I’m trying not to think about what I’m lying on or what’s on it because if I concentrate on that I’ll drive myself batshit crazy.
It smells like a basement that has probably flooded because it smells musty and moldy. Don’t see any light, so either a room in the basement or no windows in this area. The air is chilly, as basements are. Out of the blue, my mind seems to open up and a memory comes to the forefront. Oh my God, Stash. They beat the ever-lovin’ fuck out of him. He was not moving, if I remember correctly. I take a second to send a prayer out to the universe that my fire brother pulls through. My next thought is, what the hell am I going to do? At that moment, it dawns on me that I should have been true and real with Jeremiah. Fuck, if I don’t make it out of this, he’ll never know what he means to me. I love him. And I stupidly didn’t share how much he’s done for me during our time together. Thank God we got the girls out of here. Though with the thoughts of Jeremiah and the girls I feel my eyes filling up, though I fight to keep it under control. Never let the enemy see your weaknesses.
I must have dozed off because the sudden loud noises above me startle me. I can hear voices talking loudly and what sounds like chairs being moved. I stretch my body and try to move my hands and feet, so if I get the chance, they aren’t numb and useless. As I’m moving, that’s when my bladder makes itself known. Shit, I have to pee, but I’m going to try and ignore it for now because I sure the fuck don’t want to be lying in my own pee. I can feel my anxiety rising as my heart is starting to beat faster and faster. I close my eyes and imagine I’m in Jeremiah’s arms in our bed. The way he would spoon me made me feel safe, and I’d kill to feel that way right now. Knowing that until everyone can find me, I have to depend on myself and my skills. Breathe in, hold, then slowly let it out. I have no clue how long I do the breathing thing, but it helps to calm me down enough so I can be present and take in my surroundings. I’m straining my ears to try and make out all their sounds coming down to me. When I hear the voices getting closer to me, panic jumps right into my chest. Fuck, now what? Do I fake sleep or try and stare down whoever walks through the door? I have no idea, so I’m back to trying to keep myself from losing it. When I hear a lock turn, it dawns on me, this is it. Whoever walks in has to be my stalker. That thought scares the fuck out of me because that means I’ll be coming face-to-face with a person who hates me. The why doesn’t matter anymore because they have the upper hand at the moment.
The door swings open and I’m blinded by the sudden bright light. I close my eyes for a quick second then blink to try and get accustomed to the light. By the time I can focus, I can see at least two people standing right inside of the open door. One looks to be a larger person, while the other is either a woman, kid, or small guy. When they start to walk toward me, I feel the hair on the back of my neck standing up. Oh no…no way…it can’t be. But as they get closer, I can see that, yeah, it is them. It’s Doug and some teenager, though I don’t recognize him. The family of the woman we lost in a questionable fire a couple of years ago. Doug blamed me specifically because his wife, Amber, was trapped in the back bedroom which was blocked with the beam from the ceiling. I couldn’t lift it by myself, so by the time Lil Man, Stash, and Danny made their way to me and we moved the beam and broke down the door, Amber was unconscious on the floor with a towel over her face. We think she succumbed to smoke inhalation. She survived for almost a week then passed. Doug blamed Engine 23 for her death. He sued the fire department and when that failed, he turned around and tried to sue me. Not just me, but also Lil Man, Stash, and Danny. He told me to my face that women should not be allowed in this profession and because of me trying to prove myself, I killed his wife. Everyone at the firehouse supported me and testified on my behalf. In the end, Doug lost and he promised, no threatened, me that one day I’d pay. Well, guess the day has arrived.
“Awe, look, Junior, the fire bitch is awake. Now the fun can start, son.”
My eyes shift to Junior and his face tells me everything. This isn’t his gig and his dad has dragged him into it. Poor kid, but I have to keep my mind clear because this guy is totally deranged and crazy.
“Surprised to see me, Styx? Gotta say, that is a stupid name, especially for a woman. So guess you didn’t expect to see me, did you? Thought I’d forget and let it go? Well, not happening. When Amber died so did my free ride and broodmare. She was the one who worked, cleaned the house, shopped, and cooked. Not to mention she took care of my needs, no matter what. Even if it included making sure my friends were happy. We were working on having another kid, so you ruined my entire life. Now I’m here for my payback. My son is here so he can see how to really treat a woman. None of this modern equal rights bullshit. A real man doesn’t believe in that crap. He needs to learn now so when he’s looking to find his own broodmare, I mean wife, he gets the best out there. Oh, someone else is here, but she’s cleaning up; I got her a little dirty.”
That demented laugh of his sends chills down my spine. I’m totally fucked. This man is messed up in the head and nothing I say is going to change it. And that poor kid will be scarred for life, if he isn’t already. Besides being scared and confused. Poor Junior, not a way to grow up, for sure. So deep in thought, I scream when someone cracks me across the face.
“Untie her, son, now. And you, bitch, pay attention. I don’t want to kill you too fast, but won’t hesitate if I have to. Now once Junior removes the ropes, sit nicely on the side of the bed. Just so you know my plans, you will be staying with me for a bit, not here, we’re moving soon. Once I’ve had my fill, got a friend who is going to take you off my hands for a pretty price, as long as I don’t mangle your face up. Also, I will be reaching out to that rich prick you’ve been fucking for ransom. Yeah, that’s right, I’m double-dipping. He won’t miss a few million, will he? And where you’re going and after your new ‘daddy’ is done with you, the only thing you’ll wish for is death, not to come back to your fuck buddy. That I can promise. So we are gonna get started right away. Junior, once you untie her, leave us for about a half hour, then come on back in.”
Now I’m fucking petrified. I can’t be left alone with him because his intentions are all over his face. As the kid is untying me, the asshole is unbuckling his belt. I mean, if he was going to beat me with it okay, but guessing he’s going down another road. And if he puts his hands on me, I’ll kill myself because I could never face Jeremiah ever again. I look to Junior to see his hands shaking, but he shifts so the old man can’t see his face. He looks directly at me and mouths, “We got you.”
Not sure who we is, and don’t know the plan, but don’t have a choice so I mouth, “Please be careful.”
When the door opens again, my head jerks to see who it is, and a girl probably around Junior’s age walks in, head facing down. She’s in a cotton T-shirt dress that has seen better days and is barefoot. Her arms look to have burns up and down them, not sure, can’t see but might be like cigarette burns.
“Awe, lookee here, my baby girl finally made her way down. Why so sad, sweetie, you’ll always be Daddy’s little girl, you know that. She’s gotta pay for what she did to Amber.”
I hear an intake of breath then to my utter shock, a soft voice replies, “Daddy, she didn’t kill Amber, you did. Remember, you started the fire and piled all that stuff in the way to her bedroom. Right, Junior? You told all of us kids that she was useless because she was fat and probably infertile, so you wanted her gone. Why are you blaming that woman and more importantly, why is she here?”
Before anyone can say a single word, Doug flies toward the door, grabbing the girl by the hair, swinging her around, and throwing her to the ground. Her dress shifts and I can see that she has no underwear on. Worse, I can see recent bite marks up and down her thighs. I feel something dark and when I look up, Junior is staring at the bite marks.
“Dad, you touched her again, didn’t you? With all the whores, junkies, and hitchhikers you put in that shack in the back, why do you need to put your hands on her?”
Doug shifts and the evil coming out of his eyes has me take a deep breath. Even Junior shifts, which Doug sees and smirks.
“Son, she ain’t yours, remember that. I brought her to us, and I’ll do whatever the goddamn hell I want with her. If I want to snap her scrawny neck, I will. I’ve told you this time and time again. Don’t fall for the first whore who puts your dick in their mouth. They are all evil, never forget that.”
Doug walks toward the bed and Junior moves to the young woman on the floor. When he helps her up and pushes her hair behind her ears, I can’t believe my eyes. One side of her face is stunning while the other side is brutally disfigured. Her eyes find mine and she stares right at me, no, through me. I can feel her pain just from that look. Junior puts his fingers on her chin and shifts her to look at him.
“You okay, Genie?”
She doesn’t speak but tries to lower her head, but he won’t let her.
“Need your words.”
“Yeah, Junior, I’m fine. Thank you.”
Doug stops before he reaches me and turns toward the two kids.
“Awe, ain’t that sweet? Enough of that shit, both of you wait outside. NOW.”
My body is going into shock, I can feel it. Can’t let this man touch me. All I can do is pray that when I try to protect myself he either kills me instantly, or I’m unconscious. I wait ’til he’s closer, then I lean back and flip my feet up and into his ball sack as hard as I can. The noise he makes sounds like an injured animal, but I don’t take time to care. Jumping up the pins and needles in my legs cause me alarm, but I push through it. Jumping on his chest, using my numb hands, I start to wail on his head. Every couple of seconds I reach behind me and squeeze his junk. When I feel something poke me in the back of the head I stop, breathing heavily. Turning, it’s the girl Genie with a gun in her hands, eyes dead.
“Get off of him. Come on, move, we don’t have a lot of time.”
I shift and fall next to Doug on the concrete floor, my eyes staying on Genie. She hacks up something and spits it at him. He’s trying to shake off my beating, but when she puts her bare foot between his legs he starts screaming threats at her.
“Better think twice, girl, because you do it, you’ll be in the box for a month with only water and bread. Even that asshole over there won’t be able to save you this time ’cause he’ll be planted in the ground. Conspiring against me, you two dimwitted kids. Believe me, there have been a lot smarter bastards who thought they could take me down. Even Amber, that’s why I started the fire. She wanted a divorce, couldn’t stand for me to touch her anymore. So I told her I wouldn’t, but then I had my friends come by and take care of her in front of me. She begged me to stop; that she was sorry. I don’t care ’cause after they got their filthy hands on her, I sure the fuck didn’t want her back especially in my bed.”
My mind is split, I can’t keep up. Why then is he blaming me when he wanted her dead? Guess you can’t figure out crazy. I see Genie look at me then she turned back to Junior with a sad smile. Knowing something was about to happen, I try to get up, but my legs are still mostly asleep so I fall back on my ass. Genie raises the gun at Doug.
“You need to hear this before I do this. I never liked your hands, mouth, or limp dick anywhere near me, old man. I put up with it because you left the other kids alone. You turn my stomach, the stench of you, the fumbling when your dick won’t get hard or stay hard. The pills you were taking for that. I’ve watched you hurt, rape, and torture little kids, Doug, and couldn’t do a thing. Well, I’ve waited and watched for any opportunity and I have it now. Don’t snivel, won’t work on me. You taught me well on how to control my emotions and not let what I see bother me or show on my face. That is what you liked, that no matter what you did to me I didn’t cry or show it hurt. Even when you did this.”
She’s pointing at her face and I look at the monster sitting next to me on the floor. My God, what makes someone like him such a horrible human being? My head is turned, looking at him, and his eyes get huge right before I hear a loud bang that has my ears ringing. Doug goes completely white before he starts to literally howl. I know what I’m going to see before I look, though I can’t stop my head from turning. His hands are covering his junk while blood is pouring out between his fingers. Looking up, Genie is holding the gun in her tiny shaking hands. Well, until Junior walks up behind her and takes it away from her.
“Miss, you might want to move.”
This is what Junior says to me. Oh shit, no, can’t let them ruin their lives on this piece of shit.
“Hey, look at me. Don’t do something that is going to mess up the rest of your lives. He isn’t worth it. I promise that I’ll help both of you. My boyfriend will too. I’m not lying.”
“Yeah, we know, Styx, both of us have been watching you with Doug. Your man seems really nice, and I could see how much he loves you,” Genie says that in an awed whisper.
Junior bends to her, whispering in her ear. Her cheeks turn a pretty pink, even the scarred side, and she leans into him for a brief minute. When he lifts up, she moves around him and comes toward me, her hand held out to help me up. I grab it and between the two of us I get up on my feet, wobbling a bit. As soon as I’m up though, a second loud bang rings out and I put my hands over my ears, feeling something wet. Shit, think one or both of my eardrums shattered.
When it hits me what the noise was, I look down to see Doug doesn’t have a face any longer. Junior bends down going through Doug’s pockets, then stands up, handing me a cell phone.
“Styx, call your man. Neither of us are going anywhere, we need to get help for the rest of the kids on the farm. And in this neighborhood gunshots mean nothing. Let’s go upstairs, away from this shit.”
He reaches for my hand at the same time Genie starts to shake. She moves closer to Doug and starts screaming, swearing, and sobbing while kicking his dead body. Junior tries to calm her down, but she pushes away from him and continues kicking and swearing. I reach for her and one of her hands swings and hits my face. Instantly, she stops and looks at me, shock on her face.
“Oh my God, Styx, did I hurt you?”
She’s not only in shock but her mind is trying to process the end of this traumatic situation. I nod while pulling her close. She wraps her arms around me and lets it all out. She gives me so much of her weight, I lean back right into Junior. The three of us stand like this for what seems hours but is probably just minutes. When Junior pulls back, he waves the phone in my face.
“Call Jeremiah, Lourdes. It’s over for all of us. Genie and I will pay for our part in it, but you are free.”
With those words I start to bawl, when I can feel the weight of everything start to lift from my shoulders. Taking the phone, I look at the number pad, realizing I don’t have Jeremiah’s number memorized it’s in my cell phone. Racking my brain, one number keeps coming to the forefront so I push in the digits and wait, hoping he picks up.
“Hello.”
“Lil Man, it’s Styx, please come get me. I want to go home.”