by Mercy Cortez
I opened my mouth to plead for him to stop and to ask why he was doing this, what the hell he wanted but only screams came out. I screamed for my sister, for my mother and finally for the man watching the show, for Draco but nothing happened. I was bruised and broken and I let myself be prepared for what I knew was coming next. I wasn't a virgin, but I had only had sex with one guy and I was petrified. I knew he was going to rape me, I knew that he would have raped my sister. He pulled down his black trousers and ripped off his white shirt, he had himself ready to enter my bone dry privates and I cried the same word over and over.
"Please."
He ignored my pleas and shoved a finger hard inside me, burning me inside from the friction. I tried to move but he overpowered me.
"Don't pretend you aren't enjoying this, you little whore."
Suddenly I felt more alone than I ever had. I was here with this man who was hurting me down to my soul and all I could do was pray to a god I could no longer believe in that maybe he would take me and bring me to my family and make it all end.
As I resigned to the fact that this man was going to rape me and hurt me immeasurably, my body felt numb and I let my consciousness waver in and out as my mind tried to deal with my current situation.
I heard a thump and a yell. I listened harder, trying to stay conscious and coherent. I opened my eyes that I had squeezed tight and saw him, Draco. He had Rahul on the ground off of me and was punching him over and over in the face. I didn't understand what had just happened but I watched it unfold before me.
"She is mine, I told you that! You don't fucking touch her!" He kept punching and all I could see was blood on his hands. I was sure he would kill him but then I looked at the dark skinned man on the ground and he was taking it, he wasn't fighting. Then he pushed Draco off of him.
"You forget son, what's yours is mine. You were fuck all when I met you, don't bite the hand that feeds you or I swear to God, Draco, next time I won’t stop when you come in, I will make her mine!" the dark-skinned man left and slammed the door. I watched with one swollen eye as Draco came over to me. His eyes looked sad and apologetic and he held me in his arms.
"Jesus Christ, look at you. I know you won’t believe me but I didn't think this would happen. I wouldn't have gone out; I wouldn't have left you alone with him. I promised her I’d protect you." He could barely look at me and I had never been more confused.
I opened my mouth to speak but choked on the blood in my throat. He pulled me close into his chest and lifted me off of the ground. I felt my head tip back as my eyes fell to sleep away the pain. As he reached the door I lost consciousness.
Chapter Fourteen - Draco
I held her as close as I could, and watched as my white tank top turned red from her blood. I was glad Rahul had left; there is no way he would have allowed this. I shouldn't have left her, and if I had been any later she would have been another girl raped by him. I took her down the darkened corridor that was bare except wooden floors. I got to the bathroom and stepped inside; like the prison she had been kept in, this was all white; white tiles everywhere. It was very clean and fresh. I laid her on the tiled floor while I walked to the white tub and set about drawing her a bath. I looked over at her and felt a burn in my chest, she had been so feisty and strong, but now, just like this building, she would be a shell. She had blood all over her face, her nose looked almost broken and her eyes were both bruised and swollen. We needed to sell her and his decision to beat her senseless really didn’t seem logical to me. I looked at her thighs and saw the cruel bruises I had made and saw how they paled in comparison to the many bruises and bites now marring her body. I turned the silver bath taps off and held her again to lower her into the tub. I watched as a single tear escaped her closed eyes.
I washed her body of blood, trying to be gentle and only dab her fragile skin. Her eyes fluttered open as I washed around her bloody and bitten nipple; she looked at me completely distant, like she wasn't in there anymore. She didn't speak for a few minutes and I began washing her hair but couldn't get the right angle, I stroked her cheek lightly and felt a few tears wet my hand.
"I can’t wash your hair like this, I know this is the last thing you want but can I come in? I’ll stay dressed and just get wet and I’ll only wash your hair" she just looked at me not saying a word and then she scooted forward a bit and I pulled off my trainers off and white socks, I rolled up my jeans to my knees and slowly entered the bath just behind her, she immediately fell back, exhaustion making her rely on my body. I rubbed the shampoo into her hair and felt as my fingertips pressed into the dried blood on her scalp.
"Why me… why us?" she mumbled, still dazed, but I was content she had even managed to speak.
"You were there, the why isn't important," I continued to stroke her hair with shampoo.
"What's going to happen to me, Draco?" I heard her voice break as she said my name. I hated that I couldn't tell her everything, but at least while Rahul was gone I could show her a little kindness.
"I don't know. Right now you're having a bath and right now... I just want you to know that what he did, I swear to you I wouldn't have left if I had known he would do that."
She moaned a little as I pushed a little harder into her scalp.
"Draco, please just be honest with me" I stayed silent for a few minutes washing her beautiful brunette locks, savoring this moment, because I knew that once I answered, she would only hurt worse.
"We... you are going to be sold, Aimee," I said, slowly but flippantly.
"Sold? To who, Why? I ... why did you kill her? My Erin, my beautiful Erin…" she sobbed hard and I pulled my arms around her stomach and weary of her bruises I held her as close as I could to comfort her. I knew she wanted to tell me to leave her alone, to leave her because I was just a murderer to her, just a man who beat her for not eating and left her here to be crushed and hurt so badly by Rahul. It was cruel to confuse her, I should be the Draco she knows and despises, but no, instead I'm in a bath holding her while she sobs because I saved her sister from a life worse than death.
"Sold to the highest bidder, you're a slave for whatever they want, sex, beatings, rape, captivity... You will be sold in a few weeks... A little longer now Rahul has beaten you so fucking severely. As for your sister, because I... I want to lie to you, to tell you it was because I'm a soul-less pig but..." I pulled her closer so I could whisper in her ear "... I tried to save her from becoming worse than you right now. Tell me, if you watched this happen to your sister, would you rather spare her that or have her die with dignity and purity?" I tried to be honest and hoped that she understood that, understood why I did it.
"You know what I would have liked? I would have liked if you left us alone, you never saw us, and that right now I was with my sister on a plane home, and that I wasn't in this fucking bath, cut and bruised and having my scalp massaged by her god damn murderer."
I laughed, I didn't mean to, it came out completely irrational and inconsiderate but she was back, she was Aimee again, honest to a fault and brutal. That's how I knew she was going to be okay. She was strong and if she needed to hate me and want vengeance for her sister’s death to do it then I guess that was okay.
"One day you'll understand. I have something for you, wait here." I got out the bath and hoped she wouldn't do anything stupid, I walked to the bathroom door, my clothes all wet. I punched the code in and left her in the bathroom as I walked up the corridor to my room. Inside it was painted cream with one wall in red, the bed lining was red silk and Egyptian cotton, the drapes were cream and the wardrobe across from the bed was pine. I pulled my top and jeans off and threw them in a bag to throw away. I heard footsteps and my brows furrowed as I saw a very naked Aimee in my door way.
"Oh - Sorry, I... You left the door open a little so I... You think you could cover - that – up," she said, pointing to my length.
"Well it wouldn't be there if you didn't walk around butt naked, you really should stay in the bathroom. But since
you never seem to do as I say, come here" I commanded and expected her to ignore me. She didn't, and moved into the room.
"You've seen me naked; I really have no reason to be coy anymore, especially since I’ll be a sex slave in a few weeks, which is apparently my life now. I should be shocked; but I think I ran out of that emotion a long time ago" She moved inside and ran her fingers over my bed lining and turned away from me. I picked up the silver chain and locket from my trouser pant pocket in my wardrobe and turned around, her back was to me, I touched her back lightly and she flinched; she had so many bruises on her skin. She didn't seem scared which surprised me. I pulled the chain around her neck and clasped it to her throat. She turned and held the locket in her hand and looked from it into my eyes.
"Where… how come you have this?" her eyes pricked with tears as she opened the locket clasp and stroked a finger over the photo of her angelic sister and I watched a tear roll down her cheek.
"I took it, I was going to give it to you but ... well there you go" I watched her smile for the first time, her lips rose and it made her face bright, she looked beautiful, even with her face battered.
"I have to take you back, Aimee."
Her eyes ripped into me, pleading with me.
"Let me go, Draco. Please. I know you aren't like Rahul, please." She looked so desperate, and as much as I wanted to protect her, nice time was over.
"No, Aimee, you are a product to me, you need to stay. You will be sold, and you will be a slave. That is your future. Do not get confused about that." I stared into her eyes as I said it.
"Fuck you," she muttered.
"Oh you will." I took her by the hand, both of us still naked as I pressed my finger into the fingerprint scanner to her room and pushed her hard inside while she sobbed.
Chapter Fifteen - Aimee
He pushed me into my cell; his part of this place was all Egyptian cotton while I didn't even have a bed. My head felt like I had been run over by a truck and my whole body ached. I leant against a wall as he left briefly. He had been different today, not nice but different. I still hated the murderer, but for some fucked up reason I was also grateful that he looked after me, even if it was his fault in the long run. I knew that this rope I was walking on was unsafe but maybe he would see something in me and maybe he would decide I was good enough to let go and not be sold. Maybe I was just delusional.
I trust Draco. I shouldn't, at all, but I do. I was scared before, but something about him, in his eyes tells me this isn't him, maybe I’m becoming psychotic or just wishful thinking but I wonder if he doesn't want to hurt me. In the deep pit of his soul if this is a job much like anything else. The butcher may not want the pig to die, but he’ll still hang its corpse up and cut the meat to sell it; it is a job and maybe that is all this is to a man like Draco.
I heard the door open and he walked through carrying a portable metal framed bed, he laid it down and I saw the covers from his bed on this new one.
"Yours, but only until you heal enough, or until you're good enough that you deserve it"
He then just walked out of the room and left me, I should have asked more, asked how I got there and how long for but then having a minor concussion will do that. Once my head was screwed on right and I was out of this mess I knew the words I said to him just before I ended up here would ring true; he would pay.
I wondered how long it would be until I was sold and who I would be sold to. If I couldn’t find a way out somehow I had to think of the other options I had, which at this point, were minimal. I was alone and I was waiting to be whatever they wanted. I asked a stupid question before; I had asked why they picked me, but I knew why, because I'm alone, I lived my life alone; the only thing I had was Erin and therefore I was an easy target. No one would look for me extensively, no one would care. I was easy pickings. I had no father who cared; my mother was dead, no caring friends or boyfriends, no aunts or uncles, my grandparents died before I was born and I barely even spoke to my neighbors, so I knew, I knew that the police would stop looking, that my face wouldn’t be all over the papers and I knew in a matter of months my case of disappearance would be closed and no one would ever think of me again. Erin was a little different, she had Joanne and school but she had barely been attending her classes but there was not much Joanne could do to help anyone; she is fifteen and barely able to look after her-self; so you see, I am all alone. I am easy prey.
Thinking about the man that tried to rape me made my skin crawl. I was terrified of him and I had no idea what I would do if I ever had to be near him again. I thought of Erin, he said he wanted her, the images in my head of what he would have done to my little auburn-haired and bright-smiled sister made me glad she was with our mother. When he was on top of me, all I could think was how lucky she was that he killed her, and then I felt such sharp guilt that I could ever want my sister dead, and worse that I was jealous it was her instead of me.
I had this locket now, this was all I had of my life and it meant more to me than anything. I needed a plan, I needed to survive, I needed to get out of here and live for my sister. Do everything that was stolen from her. I would do it; one day I would make it all right again and I would do it for Erin.
**
I woke up in the bed that Draco had left there. I was set on my new plan. I knew what it would take and I knew it would be worth it. I found a smile in my expression as I woke, ready to do what I needed. I got up and had no clothes at all, but considering both men had seen me plenty naked I guess it no longer mattered. I wondered if I was going crazy. I had a dream, or nightmare, I don't know, that I was in Dracos bed, and he was watching me by the door. It only lasted a second but it made my stomach knot. I hated this room, this was hell; a hell of spinning thoughts and echoes of silence. I stood in the middle of the room waiting for Draco. It felt like all I ever did was wait. For him. For a punishment. For a glimpse of hope. I hated knowing that they were watching me now, watching everything. I heard the scanner buzz and he came in through the white metal door. He looked tired, he had bags under his eyes and his hair was poking out everywhere, his eyes shone in this room, the lights brought out the blue. He was shirtless and had what looked like swimming shorts on, but he wasn't wet. He had in his hand the bowl of food I had to eat. I was so hungry. My stomach wretched at me, but I smelt the food and I needed to eat. He held it to my mouth and I looked down; it had maggots in it now, small ones wriggling inside the bowl and the contents were no longer white, they were brown and black. He handed me my plastic spoon.
"Eat," he said, like he had said every single time he came in here with this rotten food.
I scooped some up on my spoon and watched a maggot crawl inside it. I stared at it. I brought it to my lips, smelling the decay of it, it made me want to vomit.
"You can do it, come on," he prompted me, and I looked up momentarily to a grin. I opened my mouth and looked into his eyes as I let the food slip onto my tongue. I felt a need to spit it back out but I was too hungry, I needed to eat it. I swallowed it and felt as a tear dripped from the corner of my eye, then I promised myself, no more tears, not unless it’s a really good reason.
"Good girl. See, wasn't so hard, was it?" he took his thumb and brought it to my bottom lip, I stilled and my heart rate increased, he smiled at me.
"You missed a bit." He took his thumb and stroked it inside my mouth, I felt myself smile as I drew my teeth and bit down hard onto his thumb, I tasted his blood in my mouth and it felt like a little victory. This wasn't part of the plan, but when it’s given to you on a silver platter you don't turn it down, do you? He shouted obscenities and went to pull his thumb out of my mouth and I squeezed it harder with my teeth. His finger was wedged between my canines and I loved feeling them pierce his skin. I felt as a finger pushed into one of the deep cuts on my thigh, I let him go immediately and howled out in pain.
"Fuck! You could have taken my fucking thumb off, what the fuck was that for?!" he shouted at me with a look of pure innocence.
He grabbed me by my hair with his good hand and brought me close to him. He breathed hard and fast and looked into my eyes with passion and fury; I stared back hoping I mirrored his hatred. Then, as I looked at him, something took over. I pushed my lips onto his and kissed him; tasting his lips and moaning onto his mouth, making him taste the contents of the meal I had just endured. Despite this, he cradled my body as we kissed and his bloody thumb was pressed against my back. He brought a hand down to my arse and squeezed hard at my bare arse cheek; I was now aware of what I was doing and I smiled in my head. My plan would work.
Chapter Sixteen - Draco
I felt her eager for this; she pulled herself closer to me. She had just bitten my thumb, I wasn't about to risk my tongue, too. I could taste the rotten food in her mouth but focused on the force of the kiss. I had no idea why she was kissing me, but at this point, I found it hard to care. She began groaning; somehow I managed to pull away. I noticed her grin and a glint in her eye; either she enjoyed it or she was going insane and based on my talks with her previously, I was fairly certain it was the latter option.