Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
BLAIR
I’m leaving my economics class when an uneasy feeling settles in my stomach. Trying to ignore it, I pull my phone out of my pocket and click on my message thread with Emmett . He hasn’t texted me back and he wasn't in class today. It's not like him to ignore me or miss out on an opportunity to watch me, even if from the shadows. Maybe the feeling in my gut has to do with Emmett not answering?
I nibble on my lip while I stare at the phone, manifesting for a text to come through from him. My eyes are laser-focused on the small screen in front of me and I'm not paying much attention to my surroundings as I walk back home. Suddenly , alarm shoots through me as the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
I reach for my mace when the feeling of a sharp sting hits my neck and a large hand abruptly covers my mouth. I’m pulled against a hard body as I try to scream behind the hand but it feels like my voice is gone, the only screaming happening is in my head.
I try to jerk from their hold, hoping I can break free. But I’m in a nightmare I can't wake up from. My limbs quickly give out and my vision begins to darken as I will my body to fight off whatever was just injected into my bloodstream.
Unfortunately , I lose the fight to the chemicals and my world goes black.
My eyes start to flutter open as my surroundings begin to come into focus. The pounding in my head feels like an entire marching band is playing every single instrument at once. The room is dark, but I’m able to make out certain shapes.
I remain as still as possible and take in the place to gauge where I could possibly be. I don't know where my kidnappers are but I don't want to alert them that I'm awake. I'm on a mattress that smells like copper and piss.
My hands are tied in front of me with rope and my ankles are bound together just as tight. Tears begin to form in my eyes, but I blink them back when I hear heavy footsteps coming toward the room.
The door swings open, drowning the room in light. I’m momentarily blinded until my eyes adjust to the change and I’m able to survey the room for an escape route. Two men walk inside, both in their fifties based on the wrinkles that line their skin.
“ Time to wake up Ms . Stirling .” One of them speaks in a low, guttural tone. “ Your new home awaits you. ”
I quickly sit up on the disgusting mattress and pull my feet to my chest. If they want me to move they have to drag me out of here kicking and screaming.
They step closer and my heart rate accelerates. The one who spoke reaches out to grab me and immediately I begin thrashing my body. My bound fists fly up and connect with a nose. One of the men stumbles back but the other one is on top of me in a second. He holds me down while the first man gathers himself. I thrash and buck under his grasp, but it’s no use, I’m fucking stuck.
I begin screaming at the top of my lungs when I feel a sharp pain spread throughout my scalp and my body begins sliding backward. I’m being dragged by my fucking hair. Looking around at the dirty walls and blood-streaked floor my heart falls to my feet. I’m not in an alley under a car. I’m not somewhere that I can quickly be found.
I can’t call Emmett this time.
He can’t save me.
As we enter another room, cast in bright light from the overhead fixture, the grip on my hair loosens as it’s released from the fist it was clenched in. It’s plain white and smells like antiseptic and rubber gloves, similar to a doctor’s office. My tears have threatened to fall but I have managed to keep them from spilling over just yet. In the room, a single examination chair sits in the center and there's a small table attached with an array of tools. I search for answers, despite knowing they won’t help me.
“ What the fuck is going on?!” I shout. “ Who are you people?”
A weathered, disgusting man walks out from a white door that nearly blends in with the wall. He steps close and peers down at me before tossing a gown in my direction. “ I'm Dr . Fitzgerald . Change . We need to do an examination.”
The gown almost slips through my grip, but I manage to save it from falling. I hold the thin material to my chest. Looking over at the doctor, I put as much strength into my voice as I’m currently capable of, “ I am not putting this on and you are not examining me. No way. You disgusting, fucking per-”
My head twists to the side as the pain registers to my face. My cheek grows where he just slapped me. One of the men who had dragged me in here is staring down at me with an evil grin. “ Put the gown on, or I can do it for you.” Grabbing his junk, he continues, “ And trust me, I'd enjoy that.'' He smiles, his grin full of yellowed and missing teeth. My stomach turns.
“ You’re crazy. There's no way I'm letting you touch me. You’re most likely not even a real doctor!” I'm shouting at this point but I don't care. Every fiber of my being is screaming at me to fight back. “ Let me fucking go!” I'm about to keep yelling when the barrel of a gun is pointed an inch away from my face.
“ Listen here, you little fucking bitch. Mommy is all alone in that house in New York , isn't she? You know how easy it would be to just go through that side door and put a bullet in her skull?” He spits, his face turning red with the force of his words.
His threat sends a chill so deep throughout my body, I feel it in my bones. I didn’t realize truly how dangerous the people that I'm with were, until this moment. I can’t let anything happen to her, she's all I have left. “ Is there somewhere I can change?” I whisper out, my head lowering, refusing to meet their prying gazes.
“ Right fucking here, you brat.” He waves his gun, motioning to where I'm currently sitting. I suck in a big breath and brace myself for what I'm about to do. Discomfort courses through me and I want to cry, but I refuse to give them my fear right now.
“ Can you untie me then, please?” I ask, fear and frustration filling my voice.
“ Don’t even think about running, bitch.” The guard snarls, looking at his accomplice and nodding in approval. He undoes the ropes at my hands and ankles, then steps back.
Grabbing the bottom of my shirt, I pull it up and off. The cold room sends a chill down my spine, as do the beady eyes of the men staring at me. My gut churns and I have to swallow down the vomit threatening to come up. I pull the gown over my head before pulling off my pants, trying to preserve my privacy as long as I can.
In the back of my mind, I knew where this was going. I may be getting a full exam, but something in my gut knows this will be stealing a piece of my privacy. They will violate me in a way no one has.
As the doctor starts making his way towards me, my eyes glance over to the men who brought me here. They're off in the corner, no longer paying attention. They’re lighting up a cigarette and I am instantly hit with a wave of sadness at the reminder of Emmett . I can’t think about him right now though. Glancing back to the doctor, I notice the exit door behind him.
The last minute decision may have been idiotic but I would beat myself up about it if I didn't at least try. I'm up and sprinting to wards the door before the doctor is able to reach me. My bare feet slap against the tile floor. The pounding of my heart fills my ears. I faintly hear one of the men shout after me, “ You shouldn’t have done that, fucking bitch.”
I don't dare look back, this is my chance at freedom and I’m taking it. I will my legs to go faster but my fantasies are quickly crushed when my hair is wrapped around their knuckles and I'm being thrown to the floor. Landing on my knees the pain radiates through my legs, causing a whimper to fall from my lips. “ Fuck !”
“ You had a chance for us to do this the nice way, you only have yourself to thank for this.” One of the men spits, the two of them grab me by my arms and start dragging me over to the examination table. I kick my legs and scream as loud as I can as they throw me on top. I’m trying to buck them off as one of them holds me down and the other starts taking my limbs and securing them to the table.
I'm strapped down to the cold metal by my wrists and ankles. Deciding to preserve my energy for what's to come, I urge my heart to slow down and relax. I exerted a lot of energy attempting to escape, especially with the drugs still coursing in my veins and the pounding in my head. I need to assess what’s going on. The only way I make it out of here is by making smart decisions, I can't be rash right now.
“ Now that you’re more compliant , I'm going to draw some blood and run some tests. Then we’ll physically examine you.” He gruffly says. He sounds bored, but that doesn't change the utter discomfort I'm feeling. I look as he rolls over a table filled with needles and vials, making my stomach churn. As he picks up a needle, I squeeze my eyes shut. The harsh prick against my skin makes me wince, clearly, he doesn’t give a fuck about trying to not cause me any pain.
When I feel the sharp instrument leave my skin, I open my eyes once again. He doesn't tell me what he's doing, he just places his hands on my abdomen and starts pressing. He does the same along my sides, arms, and practically my whole body.
I bite my tongue to keep from yelling at him. He hasn't touched me in a way that's out of line from a typical exam so my nerves start to slightly calm. That is, until he directs the two other men in the room to spread my legs.
With the restraints on my wrists and ankles, I can't kick or use my hands, but I do my best to buck my lower half, twisting my body and trying to keep him away from me. “ No , no, no!” I frantically chant. One of the men harshly opens my legs, as the other pushes down on my abdomen to keep me from moving my hips.
“ No , no, please! Please don't do this, please!” I'm shaking my head back and forth while looking down at him between my legs. Trying to pull them closed but it’s useless against the strength of the one holding them open. His eyes reflect nothing back at me. They’re empty. He feels nothing for what he’s about to do and I don't know why I thought I could convince him otherwise.
He looks away from me and at my exposed privates. I throw my head back and squeeze my eyes shut. Begging right now is useless. If I want to survive this, I need to figure out a way to brace myself for what’s to come.
Just then I feel a latexted finger enter me. The rough material burns against me as he presses on my insides. He performs the test I've had many times before, the only difference is, those had my consent.
A single tear rolls down my cheek as he pulls his gloved finger out of me. Standing , he walks away to where vials of my blood are lying. The fear starts to wrap around my heart as I realize that was probably the lesser evil of what awaits me in this hell. I’m fucked. I lost my one chance to escape.
He packages the vials in a plastic bag and exits the room. The two men return to their place at the door and leave me be. Hours pass by before the doctor returns with his clipboard.
The doctor clears his throat and looks at the paper that I assume is housing my results, then back at me. He looks at the other men in the room who brought me here and reads them off.
“ She is not a virgin. She is clean of any diseases. Everything seems to be in good health. One minor inconvenience though, she is pregnant.”
My world stops. The air is stolen from my lungs as the word rings through the air. I'm pregnant. How the hell am I pregnant? My thoughts drift back to the night Emmett rambled on about switching my birth control. Oh my fucking god, he wasn't joking, Anger starts to form deep in my gut but along with it is a wave of protection and conservation.
I'm angry with Emmett but the feeling of connection that surges through me is greater than anything I've ever felt. Emmett and I have a little piece of us growing inside me, something entirely ours. I won't let them take that from me. They can take whatever they want, but not this. I need this.
“ That won't be an issue.” The one with half his teeth missing says. My eyes dart to him and my blood runs cold. I yank my arm and try to wrap it protectively around my midsection, but my arms are still strapped down to the table, not to mention numb. I don’t care what was done to make this happen. Right now, there is more than just me I need to protect and that is my main priority.
“ Fuck . You .” My voice drops as I spit out the words. “ You won’t fucking touch me.”
The men stalk over to the examination table as the doctor storms out of the room. They release my arms and legs but keep them in their grip. They’ve learned not to trust me. They know I will fight until death comes.
“ No !” I’m screaming at the top of my lungs, thrashing my body as much as I can to try and disarm from their grip. “ Somebody help me! PLEASE !”
I'm back to the room I was in earlier. The guy uses his hold on my arm to throw me down to the cold cement ground. The impact hurts but I'm quickly pushing myself to my knees and then to stand. Unfortunately , I wasn't fast and the feeling of his boot in my ribs pushes me back down. The wind is knocked out of me as a searing pain spreads through my lungs and I try to draw in a breath.
“ St -op.” I try to push out while regaining control of my lungs. Placing my hands flat on the ground, determined to get myself back up, I let out a loud shriek as the crunch of my fingers reverberates under his boot. He lifts his foot up, allowing me to pull back my hand. “ Fuck !” I curse, tears start forming in my eyes. My hand isn't broken but god did that fucking hurt!
“ Maybe I'll take my turn with you before you get sold. Got anything to say to that, little bitch?” One of the men hisses. He grabs my fa ce while unbuckling his belt and pulling down his pants. Fuck . No . His dick is pulled out as he tries to shove it in my face. Before I can change my mind, I open my mouth and slam my teeth down, biting into the flesh of his dick.
I feel the flesh squish and split beneath my teeth. The taste of cooper floods my mouth. He screams as he backhands me, causing me to fall backward while releasing his bleeding appendage. “ You fucking bitch!” He shouts. “ Grab her!” I’m lifting myself to go run when I'm grabbed from behind. With their arms wrapped around my own, it leaves them locked, my only form of protection for my stomach trapped.
Fear like never before skirts down my spine.
I start bucking trying to release myself from his grip. “ No ! Let me fucking go, you fucking-”
My words die in my mouth as a forceful punch to my gut knocks the wind out of me and I fall forward, bending over.
Trying to regain my breath, the guy holding me drops me to the ground and I fall with a loud thud. As if that wasn’t enough, he kicks me in my side. I have no time to protect myself from the bludger of their fists and boots. One blow after another, I feel the fight slowly leaving my body as I become weaker. I don’t know how much pain the human body can withstand, but surely, not much more than this.
Each hit sends waves of agony throughout my body. Pleas leave my mouth with every kick and punch, praying to some higher power that they’ll stop. Their laughter rings out around me much like the ringing in my ears. I curl in on myself, still trying to protect my belly. I feel the tears leaking from my eyes as the feeling of loss washes over me.
I know that I lost the baby. If it wasn't for the multiple kicks to the stomach and ribs or the sharp pain in my lower abdomen, it would be from the feeling of my heart falling out of my chest. With one final kick to my stomach, the man spits on me and leaves me with his parting words, “ Have a life of misery, whore.”
Minutes pass but they feel like hours. My throat burns from holding in my cries. Finally gaining the strength, I wince as I push up onto my hands. Spotting the mattress in the corner, it doesn’t look as bad as it did when I first arrived.
I drag myself over to the flimsy bed littered with stains and pull myself onto it. I curl into a ball and hold my center as the pain laces through every part of my body. I try to separate my mind from the abuse I just endured and think of something else, something that wasn’t a painful reminder of everything I have lost.
Anything to keep my mind away from the thoughts of whether or not the stains on this mattress are for the same reason the material is darkening to a crimson red underneath me, or if it was something else entirely.
Going to a remote state in my mind, I stay there. I craft a place where they can't find me. A place that’s safe from the evil and pain I'm going to endure here. The pain I am currently enduring. It's the only way I'll survive, the only thing they can't take from me. I see my father and mother, the restaurant, and we’re all together again. My dad is here and I wonder whether or not I’m still alive. He looks so real, so alive. I want to reach out and touch him but don’t for the fear of disappointment being the sole feeling that follows.
My mind flickers to thoughts of Emmett . Obsessive , psychotic, but loving Emmett . I think about not knowing where we cou ld have ended up. I wonder what our life would have been like. How he would have reacted when he learned of his child.
Our child.
It was something he mentioned more than once. My heart begins to ache with the thought that he will never know about our baby.
It isn't until a door slams that I'm pulled from my haven. “ Get up, it's showtime.” The man comes alone this time. The sustaining injury on his buddy must have knocked him out of service. Good .
I want to fight, I want to push back but right now I feel so weak. I’ve lost a lot of blood and I'm stumbling in his hold, as he takes me out of the room. I vow to myself to fight back when my energy is restored. I will make it out of here.
We come up to a door and the man opens it, then violently shoves me into the room. I fall to my knees against the cold, hard floor, as a pained gasp falls from my mouth. The door shuts loudly behind me and I'm blanketed in pure darkness.
Before my eyes can adjust, a spotlight turns on, shining directly on me, blinding me. “ Hello ?!” I shout. My hoarse voice echoes off the walls and back at me.
A screen on the wall flickers to life with a line of zeros. There’s a small box in the corner of the screen that moves with me. I squint my eyes and I realize the movement in the corner is a reflection of me. There’s a camera recording me and the video is displayed on the screen. The static of a speaker starts to echo in the concrete room.
“ What the fuck is this?! Someone help me!” I shout, my voice cracki ng from my pleas. I go to scream again when I'm cut off by a loud masculine voice.
“ Gentleman , welcome to the bidding. Tonight's merchandise is twenty-year-old Blair Stirling . Her status is non-virgin, no diseases, and healthy. Ms . Stirling was with child, but as of tonight, that is no longer an issue. The bidding starts at one million, you may begin.”
My blood runs cold. My fight and determination to survive enters my bloodstream. I will not let these sick fucks just bid me off like I’m a piece of property.
“ Fuck you!” I scream. “ I’m not going anywhere with you sick, twisted, vile fucks! I’ll spend every day trying to kill you, let me out of here!” My rage is the only thing keeping me from breaking down.
Rage for myself.
Rage for my unborn child.
Rage for vengeance.
The male voice booms through the room again as the numbers change on the screen. “ Alrighty , we’ve got two million,” then another, “ Three million from the gentleman in room ten, thank you.”
My anger rises. “ You fucking pigs!” I continue to shout and curse, no longer caring about the blood leaking down my legs. I feel dizzy and the pain is agonizing but the suffering in my body is nothing compared to the pain in my heart.
The man speaks once again over the speaker, “ She’s a feisty one, makes them more fun to break. Ah , five million from the gentleman in room thirteen.”
With every new bid, my body grows weaker, the drops of blood starting to pool under me. No longer able to stand, I lower my bo dy to the floor. I hate myself for getting tired, for not putting up more of a fight, but sleep is calling my name. I hate myself for allowing them to take my child. I hate myself for not being more aware of my surroundings.
Next time, I’ll fight. Next time, I won’t get tired, I promise myself. The numbers continue until they’ve reached ten million. I fight with my own body to keep my eyes open. Unfortunately , sleep wins this battle. I don’t know what happens after that because the second I lay my head down on the cold, sticky cement, my world once again goes black.
EMMETT
My knuckles are split open and my blood is dripping all over the floor. My jaw is bruised and the back of my head no doubt has a lump forming from whatever hit me, but none of the physical pain compares to the way my heart is shredding itself to pieces right now.
Looking through the one-way mirror, I see my little obsession. The same mantra that beat through my head when I first laid eyes on her starts pounding against my skull.
Mine .
Mine .
MINE .
My wrists are raw and the skin has ripped from yanking on the ropes that have me tied to this chair. Behind me, the barrel of what I assume is a gun is nestled against my skull. It's funny they think that would stop me, though. “ Keep your eyes open, son. Watch as I make millions off of the distraction I told you to get rid of.” James growls while pushing the gun harder against my skull.
A loud voice reverberates through the speakers, causing my head to snap towards the glass in the front of the room. A bright spotlight shines down. “ Gentleman , welcome to the bidding. Tonight's merchandise is twenty-year-old Blair Stirling . Her status is non-virgin, no diseases, and healthy. Ms . Stirling was with child, but as of now, that is no longer an issue. The bidding starts at one million, you may begin.”
The blood stops pumping in my veins and it feels as if all the air has been sucked from my lungs. I immediately see red.
She was pregnant. The blood dripping down her bruised skin is from our unborn child. A child they have taken away from me, from her, from us.
“ FUCK !” I shout, not caring that there’s a gun to the back of my head.
I would rather die trying to get to her than to spare my life. I've wished for death before, if anyone paid attention to me during my younger years, they would have known that. My vision has long since turned red and I continue to thrash against the ropes binding me to the chair.
My piece of shit father is going to die, and I'm going to kill him. Every worthless sick fuck in this building is going to die by my hands if it’s the last thing I do. I’m long past rage, there is no word in any direction that can express the way the darkness leaks out of its cage and completely takes over my being.
My wrists have started to bleed as I continue twisting and yanking on the ropes, the lubrication making it almost possible for me to slip my hands out. I grit my teeth and keep going, I feel nothing besides an intense need thrumming through me to escape and f ind Blair . James must be too wrapped up in the sickening scene as he pays no mind to my twisting wrists.
Her voice screams through the speakers in the viewing room, begging for someone to help her. Her curses and insults fill my ears and the beating organ in my chest continues to chip away with every plea that falls from her lips. I'm going to save her, I have to.
They have what's mine. They’ve taken something from me and I intend to get it back. My little obsession. I will get her back even if it means my skin is coated in blood and my soul is clouded with death. I would do whatever it took to save her.
MINE .
My wrist slips free and I'm out of the chair and tackling my father before he can even blink. Stupid fuck didn’t think to tie my ankles. He loses his grip on the gun as we fall to the ground and it clatters onto the floor. I grab it quickly before he can. My already bloody fists meet James’s face and the satisfying crunch of his bones fills my ears.
But that's not enough. The need to snuff the life out of him consumes me.
He did this. He took her.
My . Obsession .
But I can't yet, I'll need answers. “ Nighty night,” I grunt while slamming the butt of the gun against his temple, knocking him out. I turn back around at the sounds of Blair calling them pigs. I watch as she starts to lose her fight, her curses slow down while she begins to lower her head onto the cement.
“ Don't worry, Blair . I'm coming for you, my little obsession. Just hold on okay? Hold on a little longer.” I whisper to myself, hopi ng in some world it makes its way to her. She is my soul, and without her I am nothing. An empty vessel. I cannot exist in a world without her. Taking away someone's purpose and leaving them with nothing is asking for a war, and a war they will get.
I look around noticing the room has been cleared out of all bidders. My gaze searches for something to tie him with but I only come up with the bloodied rope. The sound of the announcer fills the space again. “ That concludes the bidding ceremony for Blair Stirling , twenty million from the gentleman in room thirteen. Your prize will be delivered to your home by the end of today.”
My blood starts pumping faster and the only thing I hear is the thumping of my pulse. I glance once more at Blair as they wrap up announcements, I need to find her. Along with the only word I hear when I think of her, a new mantra sounds in my head.
Kill .
Kill .
KILL .
Exiting the room, I’m met with a bulky and bald motherfucker heading towards me. “ Hey , what're you doing?” He questions while beelining toward me. Any ounce of a pure heart I had, left when I saw Blair , beaten and bloodied on that screen. Without blinking, I lift the gun and aim for his head.
KILL .
The sound of the gun firing fills the hall as blood explodes around the bullet hole, spraying all over the walls. His lifeless eyes are still on mine as he drops.
Good . Fucking . Riddance .
These people should have known better. Blair is mine . My little obsession. And something they must have forgotten to consider about obsessions is that they consume you. They flood your being until your senses are filled with them, until there's nothing beyond the utter need for it.
You lose control. The chemicals in your brain are altered. The obsession becomes the only purpose one has. It’s sad they didn’t take this into consideration, because without my little obsession? The only thing coursing through my veins is pure and absolute destruction. Fury . There isn't a single person I won't kill, a single move I won’t make, a single line I won't cross, for my obsession.
Kill .
Mine .
Kill .