Chapter 3 #4
I flinched away as he came closer. I wanted to scream for help, but my voice couldn’t do more than a whisper. It was like trying to scream in a nightmare, but no sound would come out. This was a nightmare.
Grayson slid the shower door open and pushed me in. My back connected with the wall, and I sank to the floor, curling into a ball. He turned the tap and cold water blasted over me.
My scream echoed off the bathroom walls, the ice-cold water feeling like needles on my bare skin. I tried to move away from it, holding my hands up, trying to shield my body as the shock of the cold sent tremors through me.
He picked up a bar of soap and threw it at me. “Do you know how to use it, or would you like my help?” he sneered.
I shook my head fast. “No… I can do it.”
He looked down at me where I was huddled in the corner, annoyance in his eyes.
He stepped into the shower and crouched in front of me, grabbing me by the jaw and forced my head up.
His face was inches from mine. The cold water ran down his shoulder, soaking his black t-shirt, but he didn’t even flinch. Was he even human?
“You should know how much I loathe you right now. For your own good don’t fuck with me,” he said through gritted teeth, his fingers trembling around my jaw. “Next time, I won’t be so polite. So, be a good girl and do as you’re told.”
He stood and walked out. The door to my room slammed shut. I reached for the tap and opened the hot water. The sobs were racking through my body. I held myself and watched the streams of water run over the white tiles and down the drain—brown from all the dirt that was caked on me.
I had to go tonight. There was no way I could survive another minute with that man. That monster. He was cruel to the core. There was no humanity, no compassion, behind those eyes. I was going to end up just like that woman in the photo if I couldn’t get free.
After cleaning myself and washing all the dirt from my hair, I made my way to the dresser.
On top were some cargo pants and two long sleeved shirts in the pile of clothes.
There was no jacket or shoes, which made sense.
Whatever they could do to keep me stuck here.
So, I pulled both shirts on, hoping it would suffice against the cold at night.
The sleeve dragged over the cut on my upper arm, making me flinch.
It was still bleeding. It needed stitches.
But it was the least of my worries at the moment.
The sandals would have to do, although there were already blisters on my feet from the hike here.
It was better than nothing. I tossed the rest of the clothing into the drawers and climbed into bed.
I should have eaten the sandwich, but I couldn’t stomach it.
I would stuff it in my pocket when I made my escape.
I laid in bed for what felt like hours, listening intently for movements in the cabin. Preparing for my escape. There was nothing I could bring with me, except the map. Did I really want to brave the woods at night? An eerie screech, very close this time, drifted through the window in answer.
My lips pursed together in defiance. I had to.
There were footsteps in the hall again. The door opened and I closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep.
Those footsteps were already familiar. They moved around the bed to where I laid.
My eyes snapped open as he stopped. It was unbearable not knowing what he was doing.
Or what he was about to do. Grayson placed a glass of water on the nightstand with a white capsule.
He gestured with his head, “Take it.”
I shook my head. No. “What is it?”
“A sleeping tablet.”
My throat bobbed. Why does he want me to take that?
“Take it,” he repeated flatly.
I stared at it. My heart sank. There was no chance of escape if I took that. Yet… did I want to be awake for whatever he had planned for me? Maybe he was doing me a favour by putting me to sleep. Maybe it was for the best.
My head shook vehemently, my mind made up. No. I wasn’t going to take it. I was going to run. I needed to be awake so I could run.
Grayson sighed. “Haven’t you learned your lesson yet?”
Like lightning, he moved, my jaw suddenly clamped in his hand.
He pressed hard on my cheeks, until it felt like my teeth would break, trying to force my jaw open.
I clawed at his hand, tried to reach his face, but nothing deterred him.
My legs were twisted up in the blankets from the struggle.
The pressure was too much, it felt like my jaw was breaking, so I opened my mouth with a scream of defiance.
He dropped the capsule into my mouth and clamped it shut with his other hand.
He had his hand over my mouth and nose, cutting off my air supply.
My head was firmly pressed into the mattress, making it impossible for me to even move an inch.
“Better swallow fast, cupcake. Either way, you’re going to sleep.”
My body was in complete panic, convulsing as it tried to suck air into my burning lungs, unsuccessfully.
I swallowed the pill, my ears popping painfully and watched a satisfied smirk spread across his face as he saw my throat bob. He hooked two fingers into my lower teeth and pushed it down as I gulped for air, seeing if the pill was gone.
“Good girl.” My body went slack and my vision blurry from the sudden oxygen. Grayson tied my wrists together with a scratchy rope. I couldn’t fight him as he lifted my limp arms over my head and secured them to the bedpost.
Gods, why would you let this happen to me? I prayed to Lilith, to Hekate, to anyone who would listen, but no one answered.
“Let me go,” I rasped. My throat was on fire. He didn’t answer me, just backed away and sat on the windowsill, watching me, exploring me. His arms were folded over his large chest.
When his gaze brought nausea up my throat, I clamped my eyes shut. “Why are you doing this? You don’t have to do this.” The tremor in my voice almost swallowed up my words.
Grayson stood, looked at his watch and walked over to sit down on the bed next to me. He gently caressed the side of my face. “Everything will be okay in a minute.” I tried to twist my head away from his touch. The tears were running into my ears and down my neck.
“I’m begging y…” My speech was slurring. A fog lowered onto my mind. It couldn’t be the sleeping tablet. It doesn’t work that fast.
“What pill…” I felt myself slip away.
“Shhhh, sleep now,” was the last thing I heard before darkness took me.