Chapter 17 #2
“I thought you’d like to see her, no?” Ricky says, putting the breaks down on the wheelchair as if the woman sitting in it will magically roll herself away.
I’ve never seen anything like it in my life, and I’ve seen my fair share whilst living in this hell hole.
I want to scream and cry and puke, all at the same time.
My lower lip trembles at the image before me and I quickly grab the blistered flesh between my teeth to stop myself from crying in front of these bastards. They’ve taken enough from me and I refuse to give anymore.
I’m struggling to recognise the woman sitting in front of me now, her once radiant skin is now gray and dull like cobblestone, it’s also begun to peel and flake around the corners of her parted mouth, resembling old paint.
Her orange hair is still bright but I know it’s not natural, it’s too shiny, much like a plastic wig.
“Isn’t she beautiful?” Ricky says as he runs his finger down the side of her doll-like face before poking one of her eyes, it wiggles in the socket and my stomach rolls.
Are they glass eyes?
I remember the way her eyes shined so brightly whenever she laughed and now, they’re just dead, soulless caverns staring back at me.
“What.. what did you do to her?”
“Isn’t it obvious? She’s a taxidermied dog now, well human but you understand where I’m going.” He says like we’re talking about the weather and not a woman who’s been stuffed and sewn back together.
Words seem to fail me at my husband’s cruel and disgusting act, and I fear if I stare too long at Ellie, I’ll vomit. The sight is truly horrifying and even though she betrayed me, she never deserved this.
Nico stands guard at the door and I know his eyes are burning holes into me through his black shades. He’s probably pissed that I bit his tongue off but it serves him right so I choose to keep my gaze away from him.
“You make me sick.” I mumble, keeping my eyes locked on Ricky’s evil face. He sniggers at my words and tucks a strand of Ellie’s fake hair behind her rotting ear, the flesh slowly turning a sour green shade.
“You weren’t saying that a couple of weeks ago when I made you come all over my fingers now where you?”
Shame hits me with force and I immediately drop my gaze, sending it straight to my filthy feet. There was no way I could stop my body’s natural reaction and it makes me sick, that I allowed him to do that to me, that I’ve allowed everything he’s done to me.
“Speaking of pussies, how’s your charred one?” He quips and I involuntarily pull my legs closer to myself, hiding the mess he’s made of my most intimate area. “I bet Deany boy won’t want that mess of a cunt now will he?”
The sound of Dean’s name spilling out of Ricky’s toxic mouth sends a wave of anger the size of a tsunami through my bloodstream, flooding my system like never before and on a flood of adrenaline I rise to my feet, feeling almost superhuman and rake my already splintered nails down his face.
He doesn’t even have the chance to stop me, I’ve fallen into a frenzy of hatred, blood boiling like volcanic lava.
We both fall heavily to the floor, limbs clambering together, nails splitting skin open in a chaotic mess. I don’t stop, I can’t, not even when Ricky shoves his hands into my chest to push me off, or Nico grappling at my waist, all I see is red. Pure, blazing hot redness clouding my vision.
“You.. fucking.. bitch!”
Ricky’s words vibrate through my ears, his hateful slurs bashing around in my brain but I continue my attack, ripping the flesh from his cheeks, feeling it gather under my nails like wet dirt. I scream and cry and thrash around in his hold.
“I fucking hate you!”
Claw.
“You’ve ruined my life!”
Scrape.
“I’ll kill you!”
The attack feels like it’s going on for hours and the adrenaline I once had quickly begins to wear off and Nico uses that chance to pull me off of Ricky, throwing me into the corner where I hit the cold floor with a hard thud, effectively knocking the wind out of my lungs.
I cough from the shock and a sharp pain stabs through my chest where I bring my bloodied hand to ease the ache.
Ricky quickly clambers to his feet, his once pristine white shirt is now caked in blood, staining it in a crimson mess.
His chest rises and falls in quick succession and I know I’ll pay with great pain at what I’ve done to him but I couldn’t stop, something switched inside of me and I let it take over, willingly handed over the reins and it felt good.
“You’re fucking dead for this!” Ricky bellows in my face as he grabs me by the throat and drags me to my feet.
Immediately my hands fly up to his wrists in an attempt to allow even a slither of oxygen into my lungs, my toes barely scraping the dirty floor.
My lungs scream for precious air and I can feel a white haze clouding at the corner of my vision.
“I’ll tear your fucking insides out and decorate this room with your intestines, you hear me? !”
His words are muffled in my ears as he continues to squeeze my throat and I can feel myself slipping away, the soft caress of death’s hands coasting over my skin.
Maybe this is my time, but I don’t want it to be.
I thought I did but maybe I was wrong. I can already hear the haunting screams that will leave Dean’s mouth if he finds me dead.
He’d never be able to live with himself, he already carries so much guilt from his previous job and I can’t put this on him too.
I need to stay alive. For him, for me and for us.
Fighting with everything I have, I will the milky haze away and use the last strength I have to bring my knee up to Ricky’s balls, the blow sends us both to the floor in a heap.
He wails in pain and vomit quickly rises up my throat as oxygen fires straight into my lungs, the rush sends me dizzy and I fall onto my back, heaving in heavy breaths.
Everything’s a haze, so much so that I don’t even notice Nico pulling Ricky to his feet, or the moment he pulls him out of the room, leaving me alone with my stuffed best friend.
“Please.. find me.” I whisper to the room, hoping that Dean can hear me wherever he is.