by M. C. Vann
“That’s for me to know and you to find out,” he said with that eerie tone. Henry laughed, turning to face me. “But just so you know … this is exactly what I wanted.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“Marrying me was what you wanted? A person you don’t even love?” I replied, choking on my own words.
He didn’t love me. He never did.
“People don’t always marry for love,” Henry spoke. He emphasized the words with a disgusted inflection.
“Then why did you marry me? There has to be a reason. Tell me.”
He was silent again, turning back to look out the window once more. I knew he wasn’t going to tell me his answer. It had to be something. He had to have married for something. Whether I wanted to know the reason or not, I needed to know.
Deep in my thoughts, I hadn’t noticed that Henry was now walking toward me. Every step he took closer to me still made me nervous. But this wasn’t the same feeling I felt before. It was a nervousness filled with an unpleasant feeling of fear and despair of what was to ensue.
“I married you ... because. Just because,” he answered.
“I know that’s not true. I can see it in your eyes. Every time you look at me now, I know what you want to do to me. What do you have against me?”
“You will understand. Not now, but one day, you will.”
I scoffed at his response.
“Get up now,” he urged with a strict tone. The softness he spoke with before disappeared without a trace. “I have something for you to do and once we’re outside, don’t you even think about running.”
“What if I do?” I challenged. Inside I knew I shouldn’t have said those words, but sometimes my lips worked faster than my mind.
“Try me,” Henry dared. A malicious smirk developed on his face. He stared at me with a cold indifference as he took my arm and walked me over to the door. “Ladies first.”
It was quite difficult going down the stairs when someone was forcibly pulling you along with him. Every step I took, I feared Henry was purposely trying to make me fall down the flight of stairs. We walked out of the house into the plain yard surrounded by pine trees. When we came to a stop, I pulled my arm out of his grasp.
I noticed the gravel driveway was lined with buckets filled with tulips of all colors — red, yellow, orange, and my favorite, purple. I couldn’t count them all, but there had to be hundreds of them.
When did Henry order these? What was he up to?
“Since tulips are your favorite flowers, you wouldn’t mind planting these around my house, would you?” Henry asked, quite amused. “I need these planted by today.”
My eyes darted from him to the buckets and back to him. “Are you crazy? This is a whole week’s worth of work!”
“No water and food until it’s done,” he added. I gave him an absurd look which he returned with another annoying smirk. He found it entertaining to play around with me.
“Are you serious?” I asked. “I can’t do this by myself. Tell me you’re lying.”
“I’m not. I can, and I will make you do it. The time is ticking. If I don’t have all these tulips planted by today, don’t regret what I will do to you next.”
Threatening me again. I was starting to hate it when he used that tone against me.
I watched him walk over to sit under the gazebo nearby. He continued to study me, wondering what my next move was going to be. I didn’t want to make things any worse than they already were.
I took the gardening supplies that laid on the driveway and started at the corner of the lawn. Using a small cultivator, I paced off at least two feet of the ground from the house. It would have been easier if I had a mechanical one to dig into the deep roots of the grass, but knowing Henry, at least this Henry, he probably wanted me to suffer the most. I didn’t remember how long it took to get a small section plowed before I could even start digging the holes for planting.
The hot weather didn’t help me either. Sweat brewed at the sides of my face as I walked back and forth from the lawn to the driveway, heaving the buckets. I began to feel lightheaded, and my body began to shake from dehydration, but I wasn’t going to let this stop me.
I couldn’t lose to Henry.
I took a moment to glance at my battered and fatigued hands. The dirt now burrowed deep into my fingernails. I turned around to steal a glimpse at Henry who sat comfortably in the cool shade of the gazebo. He appeared to be busy on his laptop, but I could still feel his attention on me. I went back to my garden work, wondering if I’d be able to finish this today. I looked at the remaining buckets of tulips that still needed to be planted and realized I only completed a fourth of them.
The sun descended lower and started to disappear from the horizon. I began to feel agitated and frustrated that I wasn’t near finished as I thought I’d be earlier. Soon the world darkened, and it became hard to see what I was doing.
“It’s late now. Let’s go inside,” Henry spoke out of nowhere, shocking me. I was too focused on my work to hear him approach from behind me.
“No. I need to finish this,” I insisted, even though the exhaustion was evident in my dry voice and joints.
“Stop being stubborn. I knew you weren’t going to finish by today.”
I ignored him and continued planting the tulips as if he wasn’t there. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him reach for my wrist. Though I tried to avoid him, he was too quick. He lifted me onto my feet and let me go. But once he did, I knelt back down onto my knees and began digging another hole.
He scoffed loudly and ran a hand through his hair with frustration before he seized me a second time. “I said let’s go now!”
“Didn’t you say I needed to finish this today?!” I cried. “Let me be! I’m not going anywhere until this work is done!”
But Henry didn’t listen. He threw me over his shoulders and hauled me back inside the house. My hands pounded at his back, causing his white t-shirt to be covered with dirt, but I didn’t care and nor did he.
As we reached the bedroom, Henry dropped me violently onto the couch next to the door. I scrambled to the bathroom and closed the door, but not before Henry caught it. Both of us resisted with our body weight, pushing the door from opposite directions, but he was stronger than me. He shoved the door open with an easy victory as I was already drained from the day. The force of his push was enough to make me stumble to the quartz flooring.
“I hate you!” I told him, but I didn’t really mean it. I hated myself for that. I only uttered those words in spite of him.
“Good, I was starting to think you were never going to hate me.”
“You’re sick.”
“I might be.”
“Relishing in other people’s hatred. Are you even human?”
Henry tilted his head as he bent down my level. “Oh, Ally … What does that mean? To be human?”
With a fogged mind and a mentally and physically exhausted body, I was unable to come up with a response.
“You need to shower,” he told me. “You haven’t bathed in days, and you look pathetic.”
I couldn’t agree more with Henry on his point. My hair was grossly untidy and unbrushed. My feet and hands were sore and dirty, and I smelled like a dead carcass. I did really need to shower. But for him to bring it up made me even more upset. And the way he called me pathetic hurt me more than I wanted.
“Am I that repulsive to you?” I asked.
“You always were.”
Those words twisted my heart. I was caught between my love and my newly-found hatred for this man who was now a complete stranger to me.
“I’m not going to shower until you tell me why you’re doing this to me?” I demanded again.
His right hand landed on the nape of my neck and he pulled me closer to him.
“You don’t get it. Do you?” he muttered. His hand slowly clamped tighter on me. I felt his fingers curling around the strands of my hair. T
he painful grip caused my head to fall back slightly. “If there’s one thing you know about me, it’s that I don’t like to give away my surprises. Now ... are you going to go take a shower or do you want me to do it for you?”
A creepy grin grew on Henry’s lips, and I had a sudden surge of adrenaline to release myself from his grasp, but to no success. He grabbed my arms and pushed me back into the spacious shower. I stepped away as far as I could until he trapped me into a corner. There was no escape.
My right hand balled into a fist and I lunged at him swinging my fist out at the same time, but Henry easily dodged it.
“Don’t waste all your energy like that,” he playfully advised, but in a sick manner.
“Henry, please,” I pleaded with a pitiful voice.
“Begging isn’t going to help you,” he replied callously.
Henry scanned me up and down with a sneering look before turning on the water. He seized my top and started tearing it away from my body as my hands tried to defend myself uselessly. The top buttons of my shirt gave way revealing my bra. Then Henry’s hands seized my head and he pressed his lips against mine, kissing me vigorously. The water poured down on both of us as his lips never stopped contact with mine.
My jabs at him grew weak. I didn’t know any other way to stop him, so I bit his lip and fortunately, he backed off. He took a second to feel the wound between his fingers. His eyes furiously darted to mine once he tasted the blood on his lips. Rage built up in him by the second as I stood there, petrified and speechless.
He lunged at me again with his lips more fierce than ever, the taste of blood now on both of our tongues. His hands wrapped around my back, pressing my weak body to him. His lips moved from my lips to my cheek down to my neck.
No! This wasn’t happening to me. It was just a nightmare, one which I couldn’t wake up from.
“Chris, help me!” I screamed desperately for my older brother, the one who would always come to my rescue whenever I was in trouble. “Chris!”
Henry stopped abruptly. I continued to cry until I noticed his gaze had softened slightly. His jaw clenched as if I had said something that struck a nerve in him. I felt his hands release me as he slowly retreated a few steps back. He turned around and angrily slammed the shower door behind him, not glancing back once.
As my tears mixed with the cascading water, I tried to keep up with my rapid and sharp breaths. I wiped at my lips with one hand and then the other, hoping to erase the touch of Henry’s atrocious kiss. But it was useless. No matter how hard I tried to erase his touch, it wouldn’t go away.
I looked at my wedding ring, picturing the moment Henry slipped it on me. That day ... wasn’t too long ago. That time ... I thought he loved me. I thought he cared for me. I thought he would never do anything to hurt me or pressure me to do anything. But I was terribly mistaken.
This was the second time now. What was going to happen during the third time?
I covered my mouth with my trembling hands to hide the roaring cries longing to break out of me. I slowly fell into the shower’s corner, powerless and defeated, with the water still running on me.
As I stepped out of the bathroom, a warm meal had been placed on the nightstand. On the tray was a scoop of mashed potatoes and a seasoned pork chop with a side of broccoli. Hungry and tired, I slowly ate the meal, remembering the times when Henry cooked for me at his grandfather’s vacation house.
The food tasted delicious like before, but something was different now. It was bland. There was no feeling. I didn’t feel a thing. No care. No love. I grabbed a spoon of mashed potatoes as the tears that I couldn’t hold back fell.
What was I doing here? Why was he holding me as a captive in this house? The more I thought I about it, the more I wanted to escape this place.
But how? Henry always kept the door locked, so I’d never be able to get out. I couldn’t believe I’d ever be in a situation like this. It was like those scenes in the horror movies and now … I was living it.
The next day Henry didn’t bother me at all which was unusual. It was probably a good thing anyway. I was tired of him ordering and dragging me around.
Then I heard a car engine spur to life and as I peered out the window, his car pulled from the driveway. It turned into the gravel road and disappeared behind the pine trees. I didn’t want to know why he was leaving — I could care less about it. The further he was from me, the better … at least while he was in this state. This was my chance to escape.
Putting my plan into action, which I concocted last night, I grabbed the lamp next to my bed and walked over to the window. With closed eyes, I crashed the metal surface of the lamp against the glass. It took a couple of tries to break the window open, but when it did, I smiled with victory. I quickly fumbled for the rope I made last night out of the bedsheets. I tied one end to the leg of the bed securely to make sure it would hold my weight. Then I started my climb down the wooden wall of the cabin, a little higher from the ground than I expected. Once my foot made contact with the grass, I sprinted as fast as I could into the woods without looking back.
After running for what seemed like forever, I stopped to catch my breath. I examined my surroundings, but in every direction was the same scene — trees upon trees. It was scary to be alone in the middle of a dark and unknown forest where creatures like bears could attack me.
But when I thought about it, I’d rather be here than suffering back in that house with him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Winds rushed past me. The strands of my hair flew through the air while I ran as fast as I could through the trees. My heart pounded in my ears as my pace slowed, my legs growing heavy from all the running. I stopped to rest by one of the trees to catch my breath.
Where was I? Ever since we got here, the location was always in the air. It was already December so there should be snow outside, but there wasn’t one snowflake here. We had to be somewhere south.
I thought about my twin-sized bed, the fluffy pillows, and the warm duvet. I thought about my cozy apartment back in Chicago and how Lily and Adam were home to pester me with their endless questions. I thought about my family. Nancy. Eason. Alexis. Eve. Chris. Each one of their faces flashed through my mind.
If they knew what was happening to me, what would they think of me?
I didn’t know how long it had been since I escaped. Out here, time felt lost. I had no way of communication. No money. No phone. No shoes. I kept on walking with my sore and bare feet, searching for a safe haven, but there was no sign of civilization anywhere. Not even another road. Everything out here was secluded and quiet with only the sounds of nature.
I took another rest to save some of my energy. I hadn’t eaten anything all day and the running had taken its toll on me. I fell to the ground, wincing in pain as I massaged my dirt-covered feet. There were a few slashes on them from the sticks and stones I had stepped on.
“Ally ...”
Every hair on the back of my neck stood tall as I registered the person behind that spine-chilling voice. My heart lodged in my throat as I hastily got to my feet. My balance faltered when I reached my full height.
I spun around to face him and my eyes immediately darted to the item in his hands. What was he going to do with that?
His face contorted to fit that wicked smirk. “Running won’t save you, my dear.”
“No …” I whispered to myself.
How the fuck did he find me?
Without saying a word to Henry, I whipped around and sprinted. I ran and I ran. I dared not look back to see if he was following me. But before I could get far, he caught up and tackled me to the ground. I wiggled and yelled from underneath him. I cried for help, but there was no point. I knew my cries were useless in this deserted area, but it was all I could do. I thought maybe someone passing by would hear my screams and help me, but no one came.
It was only him and me.
And without food and water, I was weak. My feet
were swollen, and my stomach was hurting from going so long without food. Henry managed to lock both of my wrists behind me in one of his large hands, tying my wrists together using the rope he carried with him. After securing my hands together, he went for my feet. I kicked around to give him a hard time and as I flailed, my foot managed to strike him right in the jaw. I watched as his head flew to the side, his hand moving up to the injured area. He shifted his jaw, making sure it was fine, and he laughed while he kept his gaze on the ground. Why he was laughing, I didn’t know.
“Feisty,” he uttered softly. “I like a challenge.”
His hands swiftly grabbed for my feet, clenching my legs together as he wrapped the thick rope around my battered ankles. Unable to move as my hands and feet were tied up, he was free to do anything he wanted with me.
“Didn’t I tell you not to run?” he asked me in a creepy tone. He brushed a finger across my cheek and I moved my face away from his vile touch. “You just never learn, do you?”
Disgusted with his spasmodic behavior, I glared at him in silence.
“Don’t look at me like that, Ally. You’re hurting my feelings. You know, I could hurt you more.”
“Bastard,” I finally spat, trembling from how much I … how much I …
The broken window I smashed earlier greeted me as I woke. I placed a hand over my head to appease my throbbing headache, only to realize they were untied and so were my feet. However, they were not without trauma. The rope had left dark, red marks on my skin.
Just as I thought about him, the devil walked into the room.
“Get up,” he ordered. “We’re leaving now.”
“I’m not going anywhere with—”
“You don’t want to go home?”
“Home?” I muttered, surprised by his question. The word felt so foreign on my lips.
“Get up before I change my mind,” he replied flatly.
We were going back to Chicago? It was too good to be true. But I shouldn’t fall for his tricks. What if he was taking me to a different place? A place even worse than this. But why do I get the feeling Henry was telling the truth.