Persephone’s Curse

by Sandra Bats

  “You can go in. Talk to her, and if she’s not ready, let me come inside before you check on any injuries,” I pleaded because I couldn’t bear the thought of Elin being fearful again.

  “Was she raped?” Jane directly asked. The word felt like it punched the air from my lungs.

  “No. Alex tried to, but no, thank god, no.”

  Jane slipped into the room while I moved over to Cam. All the other guys had returned too, all of them waiting.

  “Find me Alex and lock him away,” I instructed Cam.

  “Consider it done,” he responded. Before he had a chance to turn away I held my hand up to stop him briefly.

  “Thank you. Tell Josh as well. Without either of you … Fuck, I can’t even think of it.”

  Cam frowned grimly. “I wish I’d gotten there sooner,” he responded. He clapped a hand over my shoulder. “Go, take care of Elin. I’ll find Alex.”

  I ducked my head in response and rushed back to the door. Elin’s eyes instantly found me when I stepped inside. At least she was talking to Jane, sitting next to her. I stood by silently as Jane picked up the task of cleaning and bandaging Elin’s remaining injuries. Once Jane had finished and packed up her things, she addressed both of us. Her voice was softer than usual.

  “The injuries are rather light but there was quite a bit of dirt in them, so keep an eye out for infections. I injected some antibiotics earlier, but tomorrow another dose would be advisable. Come to me earlier if anything changes, any fever, nausea or swelling. Let me know if the pain gets too bad. I can bring over some painkillers. Or if you need anything else, something to help you sleep. Lots of rest.”

  When the door closed behind Jane, I crouched in front of Elin again. She gave me a weak smile, one that was definitely fake. I wanted to reassure her, but I wasn’t sure how. I was afraid to hug her too tight, afraid it’d make everything worse. I was scared of her flinching away from me. Instead I rested my hands on either side of her on the couch until she placed hers on mine.

  “Can you help me get into bed? And out of these clothes? I want to get out of them. I feel so weak and dirty. I was so stupid, I shouldn’t have been out there.”

  My heart shattered as she sobbed those words.

  “None of this is your fault. You weren’t stupid to be out there. He had no right to do this to you. You were brave, and you fought him. You’re not damaged, sweetheart, there is nothing wrong with you. You did everything right.”

  I tried to emphasize those words. She didn’t believe them, I saw it in her face. There would be no way to get her to understand that she’d done nothing to deserve what Alex had done. Not that night. But I wouldn’t stop telling her until she believed me. No matter how long it took.

  “Please, just help me out of the shirt.”

  “Come here,” I smiled softly, reaching a hand out to help her to her feet. She had a problem just reaching for the hem of her shirt. The knife had cut her right hand pretty bad. It would hurt her for a while.

  “Can I?” I whispered, indicating the hem of her shirt.

  She whispered a yes and I carefully dragged her shirt up. Already purple-outlined bruises took shape on her ribs. She shivered, and I hurried to get her back into fresh clothes. I asked whether it was ok to open her bra. She’d tried reaching for it herself but yelped in pain. She trembled, standing there in her torn pants like a picture of misery. I hurried to fetch her a clean shirt, but she stopped me.

  “Can I wear yours? I want your smell,” she pleaded.

  “Sure.”

  I was already slipping my shirt over my head. It dropped to mid-thigh on her. I helped her into new underwear. Bending over to put them on herself was out of the question with the condition of her ribs. As she sat on the bed she looked back up at me.

  “Can you toss them out? I never want to see them again.”

  I balled her clothes up and put them by the door. I’d dispose of them as soon as possible. Elin had curled up under the blanket, her wide eyes watching my every move. When I lay down and took her hand she scooted closer. Closer until her side was pressed up against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her. Very carefully. I wasn’t sure how to navigate those waters. Not sure what was ok and what wasn’t. What would scare her and what comfort she’d welcome.

  I held her until she fell asleep. When her breathing steadied and she started snoring, I carefully untangled myself from her. With a last glance at her sleeping form I snuck from the room.

  ◆◆◆

  I found Cam just down the hall. He was talking to Josh but the moment he saw me he walked up to me. Josh waved a greeting and disappeared.

  “How’s she doing?” Cam asked.

  “She’s asleep. I guess she’s doing as expected? I dunno. She’s scared. Seriously, so am I. I’m scared she’ll never feel safe here again.” I glanced down the hall towards the door to our room. Making sure he wasn’t going to come looking for her. I wasn’t taking any chances. “I want to kill him.”

  Cam grimaced sympathetically. “Yeah, about that; we couldn’t find Alex. He seems to have disappeared. Though, his stuff is still here, so I’m hoping he’ll come back. I just told Josh to go hide in the hallway. If Alex sneaks back tonight for his stuff, we’ll get him.”

  My shoulders sagged at the news. I’d hoped Cam had already found him. That Alex was already locked away somewhere he couldn’t get to Elin again.

  “I promised her she’s safe. How am I supposed to make sure of that if we don’t know where he is?”

  “I told all the guys to keep an eye out for him. If he’s anywhere on the compound or if he comes back, we’ll catch him. At least he didn’t get what he wanted,” Cam pointed out.

  I scoffed. “Right. Doesn’t feel like it makes much of a difference though. She’s still scared and hurt. I know it could’ve been worse but it’s not like she’s going to walk away from this unscathed.”

  “I know,” Cam agreed. “Come on. Go back to her. I know you’re eager to. We’ll find him. Once we do, I’ll let you know.”

  Elin was still sacked out when I snuck back inside. At least for the moment, she seemed peaceful, though worn-out. I dreaded waking her from her nightmares. I was afraid of seeing that scared look in her eyes.

  As I crawled back into bed, I softly put my lips against her forehead. She didn’t wake, just sighed in her sleep and cuddled closer. I drifted in and out of sleep for the next few hours until her breathing grew irregular. I hesitated for a moment. Sometimes she calmed herself down but she started whimpering. Careful not to hurt her, I brushed my fingers through her hair. Her forehead was covered in cold sweat. She started thrashing. She was going to only worsen her injuries.

  “Elin,” I whispered, gently shaking her. “Wake up. It’s not real. Wake up.”

  She woke, gasping for air. She tried to sit up immediately and I moved to help her. I was worried she’d hurt her ribs or get dizzy. I propped a pillow behind her back for support. I held her hand as she calmed down.

  “How’re you feeling?” I asked, and she leaned her head on my shoulder. She gave me a grim smile.

  “I’m ok. The cuts sting and my head’s hammering like crazy, but I’ve had worse. I’m fine.”

  “I meant emotionally,” I pointed out and she grimaced.

  “I don’t know. I … right now I can’t even say. I’ll be ok someday, I guess, I just feel kind of numb right now,” she whispered.

  “I’m in awe of you,” I muttered, and she gave me a questioning look. “Really, I am. You’re brave and you really gave him a fight.”

  Elin pressed her lips together. “That was just instinct. I’ve just gotten used to a normal life, I couldn’t let him take it away. But it didn’t do much good, did it? In the end, I was still completely useless — I could cry and scream as much as I wanted to, I was helpless.”

  Her voice broke on that last word. Helpless. Seemed to be the word of the day. I did the only thing I could think of. I put my arm around her shoulder, carefully watching her reac
tion. She leaned into me and cried against the fabric of my shirt. I whispered all those things I had on my mind. How I thought fighting him even when she’d felt helpless made her brave. How she’d successfully managed to buy time. That that success was hers alone. That it was something he’d never be able to take from her.

  ◆◆◆

  The next day came and went slowly. Once Elin was awake I helped her get cleaned up. Showering was out of the question because of her injuries. Seeing the full magnitude of her bruises in daylight was daunting. Purple and brown colored her ribs and jaw. Her lower lip was split and swollen. She had contusions and abrasions on her forearms from trying to escape his grasp. A cut on her hand and another one on her thigh. Another row of bruises on the insides of her thighs as well. She stood like a fighter, not the broken girl I’d expected to face.

  Despite that, she froze when we stepped in front of the showers. Her eyes were glued to the spot Alex had once stood in and taunted her.

  I gently turned her towards me instead and distracted her. I kept talking lightly as I wiped dirt and blood off her. I dried off her skin, then lent her a hand getting dressed again. Afterwards I sat with her. We took a break so she could gather some strength before walking back to our room.

  In the hallway people would be watching. They always did. Their intentions weren’t bad, actually they wore sympathy in their eyes and on their sleeves, but sometimes that hurt the most. Sometimes, it would be easier if they turned away in ignorance. Elin refused to be carried back to our room. Exhaustion made her weak and she leaned heavily onto me, but she walked on her own. We ate, sitting on our bed, side by side that day. I watched over her as she fell back asleep afterwards, emotionally and physically drained.

  I left our room to return our plates when a figure passed by the window. Alex crept past the side of the building, likely towards the doors. I rushed outside in a blind hurry.

  “Did you think you were going to get away with this?” I called out and he turned towards me.

  He had a long scratch across his cheek as well as a bruise. Elin had given him quite the fight. My chest swelled with pride.

  Alex didn’t seem sane when he looked at me. How had I let this go on as long as it had? A sinister grin deformed his face when he spoke. His words tasted like acid.

  “What, Jayden? Are you coming to punish me now? Is this when you finally follow through on your threats? Or are you just angry that I got my hands on your little girlfriend? Maybe she even liked it when I —”

  I tackled him, tossed him to the ground. I had no weapons on me, but I didn’t need them. My fists and my anger were enough as I unleashed punch after punch on him. I tasted blood when he tried defending himself. It wasn’t enough to stop me. All I could think of was him hurting Elin. Elin fighting for her life. I wanted to make him feel as terrified as she had felt. I wanted him to feel her pain, her fear. Then I wanted to make it even worse for him. Death would have been swift and merciful. I was going to unleash terror on him.

  By the time Cam made it outside and dragged me off him, Alex was bloodied, wheezing and struggled to push himself into an upright position.

  Cam blabbered about being better than Alex but his words didn’t make it to my brain. I would’ve kept going right back to punching him had he not grinned. It was an eerie sight with his bloodied face and then he spit words that seemed even more insane.

  “You’ll understand it someday, Jayden. Women like her are just gonna betray you. It’s what Mary did. That baby wasn’t mine!” For a moment I was sure he’d lost his mind. “She died for a baby that wasn’t even mine. She said she was raped, she kept telling me it wasn’t her fault. Then why did she make me promise to raise that bastard’s child? You know what I did? I suffocated it with a pillow. And your little, perfect Elin, she’s just like Mary. They spread their legs for everyone. Then they tell you they didn’t want it. That it was rape. But I know better. Women like Elin are just asking for it. She has a good temper, you know?”

  Camden had no chance of holding me back when I jumped forward. I landed a blow that sent Alex crashing to the ground. I bent down and grabbed his collar, pulling him up enough that his face was level with mine. He was insane, I was certain. His warped perception of Mary’s death had clearly driven him crazy. I wasn’t even going to acknowledge his craziness by killing him. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of staining my hands with his blood.

  “Leave! Even death is too kind for you. If I ever see you again, if you ever even cross paths with Elin or me again, I will make you beg for death! I will tear you apart limb by limb!”

  I spat in his face and shoved him back to the ground.

  “Make sure he leaves.” I stomped towards the door. I hadn’t taken two steps when I recognized Elin in the doorway. A rifle in her hand, she stared at the bloody body in front of her. Before I had a chance to react she and Cam both called out.

  “Down!”

  “Jayden!”

  I didn’t ask questions. I hit the ground flat on my stomach the moment two shots echoed in the air.

  My first glance went to Elin. She stood by the door, rifle raised now. I rolled onto my back. Cam was still where he’d stood all along, unarmed. My eyes fell to Alex. His blood stained the sand beneath him. A gun had fallen from his hand. There was a hole in his forehead.

  I looked at Cam for an explanation.

  “He aimed a gun at you. I couldn’t react, but Elin did.”

  I spun towards her. She was still by the door. Horror showed on her face as she clenched her rifle tightly.

  “Are you ok? You’re bleeding,” Cam asked.

  I waved him off and wiped the blood from my face. Most of it wasn’t even mine. I hurried towards Elin. I wanted to just pull her into my arms, but she looked so unaware of her surroundings. I didn’t want to startle her. I carefully pulled the gun out of her grip.

  “Is he dead?” Her voice was quiet and detached.

  “He’s dead.” I carefully grasped her shoulders.

  “He wanted to shoot you,” she tried to explain herself. Like she didn’t think I’d understand.

  “I know. It’s ok. Elin, are you ok?”

  Only then did her eyes snap away from the corpse. She opened her mouth to say something but then closed it again. Tears rose in her eyes. She shook her head for a second, then slumped against me. I caught her before she could drop to the ground.

  “Sweetheart, can you hear me?” She didn’t react, and her skin radiated heat. “Oh shit! She’s running a fever. I’ll get her to our room. Send Jane,” I instructed Cam, gently repositioning Elin in my arms. Surely Cam would take care of Alex’s body.

  She stirred a little and was regaining consciousness. I carried her inside and eased her onto our bed. Her eyes weakly rested on me as I pulled her shoes off and covered her with a blanket.

  “Hey. Your little stunt out there scared me,” I muttered and pulled her hand to my mouth to kiss her fingers.

  Jane entered the room quietly and then went about checking Elin’s temperature and injuries.

  “By the swelling of some of your cuts, I’d say you have a mild infection. Together with the exhaustion, it was just a bit much for your body. More rest, all right? And more antibiotics. I’d actually rather give them to you through an IV.”

  Elin grimaced but accepted that it was the best option.

  “Ok. I’ll be right back.” Jane pointed at my lip. “You want me to look at that, too?”

  “Nah, I’m good. I’ll just put some ice on it.”

  “I’ll make sure to bring a cool pack,” Jane told me and walked off.

  Jane hadn’t been joking about Elin being exhausted. She was already asleep. Jane also brought a cold cloth for Elin’s head and the promised cool pack.

  There was a long moment of silence before Jane sighed. “Cam told me what happened. Can’t say I’m sorry for Alex. I can’t believe he killed his kid.”

  I blew out a long breath. “Well, he seemed to believe it wasn’t
his. Remember the time Mary was mugged in town? I did the math, it fits the timeline,” I uttered.

  “Crazy. To think that that led to all of this. Well, he’s gone now.”

  She gave me a quick hug before she disappeared back to her office. I stretched out next to Elin, pressing the thermal pack to my lip.

  ◆◆◆

  Cam buried Alex next to Mary and the baby. We weren’t sure it was the right thing to do after what he’d confessed but they’d been his only family. What did it matter anymore, anyway? They were all dead. Very few people attended the funeral. Just some of the guys. The women had all refused to wish him farewell. A sentiment I understood after word of how he’d attacked Elin had spread. The ones who mourned him in earnest knew him before Mary’s death. Maybe his life would forever be divided by that. He’d always be two persons: Alex before and Alex after Mary’s death.

  I, too, went to his funeral. For old times’ sake. I stood off to the side.

  It wasn’t like we’d lost Alex that day. We’d lost him months ago when we failed to help him through Mary’s death. When we failed to notice how his son had died.

  Cam raised his voice when they’d lowered the corpse into the ground. Usually this was my job, but I was in no position to speak about Alex’s life. My words wouldn’t have done any good. Most of the guys hated him already. What he’d done to Elin had been unbelievable to them. It had come as a shock that even our home hadn’t been as safe as we’d thought.

  Cam’s eulogy was short, if you could call it a eulogy when there was almost nothing good to say about a person.

  “Alex was — not the nicest person in the world but there was a time, admittedly a long time ago, when he had our backs. We should remember that Alex. A guy who used to have our backs. A guy we lost to tragedy. It changed him, and we lost a friend. The Alex we’re burying today might not have been our friend, but we were friends with the guy he’d once been. Let’s remember him as that person.”

  In silence, they filled his grave with dirt. With him buried, so were my worries for Elin’s safety. Or so at least I could pretend.