Love Lies Dying

by Steve Gerlach

  John hadn’t been listening. He was concentrating on trying to work out a way to get to the red key.

  The red key of freedom.

  He was sure now that it unlocked the handcuffs. And he was willing to risk everything to find out if he was right.

  Gotta get out of this.

  Fox.

  I have to get away from Zoe.

  Fox! She’s the only one who can lead you to him!

  “Well?” she asked as she tugged on his leash, pulling him forward. “Will you?”

  John had no idea what she was talking about.

  Gotta get that key somehow!

  “Well?” she tugged again.

  “Anything,” John replied, smiling at her. “For you, Zoe. I’ll do anything.”

  She had smiled and walked towards him then. Her stiletto heels gave her enough height now that she was almost as tall as him. She kissed him hard on the lips.

  “It’ll be worth it, Johnny,” she said. “As I always knew it would be.”

  She let the extra coils of leash drop between them as she walked behind him, running her hand across the wounds on his chest, down to his hip and around up his back.

  “Squat,” she ordered.

  John stared at the charred and cold embers in the fireplace.

  Dead.

  It’ll be getting cold in here soon now night is here. She should build another fire.

  The leash tugged violently at his collar, cutting through the skin of his throat. He started to topple backwards, but quickly regained his balance.

  “I said, squat,” she said again, firmer now, from behind him.

  John bent his knees and squatted on the ground.

  The leash is long enough. What if I make a run for it and grab the keys on the lectern?

  But it’s no use.

  I can unlock the handcuffs before she reaches me!

  But then she won’t help you find Fox! If you do anything wrong, she’ll refuse to help and then you’re screwed!

  Aren’t I screwed now?

  You’re screwed either way!

  “They’ll screw you and then they’ll screw you,” that’s what Richard used to say.

  Maybe he was right.

  John wished he could discuss it all with Richard now. But Richard wasn’t there. He tried to call him into his mind, but he wouldn’t come.

  He was concentrating too hard on the red key.

  Too hard on escaping.

  And then darkness engulfed him.

  Before he realised what was happening, Zoe had placed a blindfold over his eyes and tied it off at the back of his head. He brought his hands up to his face, felt the material, and tried to pull it off. But he couldn’t, it was tied too tightly and his hands refused to work properly as the handcuffs bit into his wrists once more.

  “Don’t struggle, Johnny,” she said from behind him. “You told me you’d do this.”

  This is crazy!

  He almost said it, but he held back.

  “Do you trust me, Johnny?” she whispered by his ear.

  He nodded.

  “Really?”

  He nodded again.

  “You know I’d never hurt you, don’t you?”

  Do I?

  He nodded once more.

  “You trust me enough to know I’d do anything for you?”

  “Yes,” he whispered.

  He felt her cheek by his. Her hair brushed against his ear and he felt her arms around him.

  She hugged him tight.

  “I know you do,” she said. “After all this time, it will be worth it.”

  “I know,” he replied.

  I’m crazy.

  “I’m only doing what’s good for you.”

  He nodded.

  “For us.”

  “Okay,” he whispered.

  I’m going crazy!

  Fear and anger wrestled for control inside his body.

  “I like you naked,” she said then. “I like you squatting too.”

  John didn’t reply.

  “You deserve the best love a man can have,” she continued. “Leather is thicker than blood, Johnny. Don’t you forget that.”

  He nodded yet again.

  “I’m going to make you fly, my love,” she whispered as she stopped hugging him. “We’ll fly together. You and me. And you’ll never be the same.”

  He remained in the squatting position as Zoe left him. He heard her footsteps recede along the floor, echoing into the darkness.

  His thighs were starting to strain, and his legs began to shake. But he didn’t dare move.

  Go now, run!

  Run? Run where? I’m blindfolded!

  It’s still worth the risk.

  It’s not worth anything! I’m staying where I am!

  Her heels clanged against the metal of the spiral staircase.

  Play it cool and calm, he told himself. She thinks she loves you. Hell, maybe she does! She isn’t going to hurt you.

  John almost chuckled as he thought back to those events now.

  How wrong could I be?

  He had no idea. Just as he had no idea how long he had been standing, tied the way he now was.

  Hours? Minutes? Days?

  His legs were beginning to go numb once more, and his arms ached. His body was sagging badly but there was little he could do about it. His arms and legs ached too much when he moved them. He hoped the stitches in his left arm would survive the strain.

  He felt a breeze gently caress his body. His eyes moved from side to side, trying to see, even though he knew he couldn’t. The silence was total, apart from his rushing heartbeat.

  You had your chance, he thought. You didn’t take it. Now look where you are!

  He could feel the cold settle on him. He knew he was only going to get colder. He would freeze, he was sure of it.

  And he cast his mind back once more. Watched as his mind replayed the events in every detail.

  She had returned to him after opening the access hatch again. His ears painted the picture that his eyes couldn’t see.

  “Love doesn’t get any more pure than this, Johnny,” she said. “I’ve wanted to do this for so long now. I’m glad we finally have the chance.”

  There were other sounds he couldn’t work out, strange metallic noises and plastic rustling.

  “Trust me, my love, no matter what happens. You have to learn to trust me.”

  They were the last words he heard her speak.

  She had walked to his side, placed one hand on his head, and used the other to push the soft earplug into his ear.

  John didn’t know what was happening, but as the plug expanded in his ear and his hearing disappeared from his left side, he knew what was to come.

  She moved around his body, running a hand across his neck as she did so. He listened intently with his right ear, grabbing every sound he could before she inserted another plug.

  She pushed it in.

  And there was total silence.

  She’s gone mad!

  Don’t lose it now. She said she’d help you if you did this. Don’t ruin your best chance!

  He felt her fingers on his face.

  Now that his sight and hearing were gone, her touch became so important to him. Her soft hands moved lightly across his cheeks and stopped at his mouth.

  Her fingers opened his lips, touched his gums and teeth. And pried open his jaw.

  He thought about resisting, but knew it was useless.

  Play the game…

  He opened his mouth.

  And she pushed the gag inside.

  Its foul vinegar taste stung his tongue and the inside of his mouth. Saliva poured down the back of his throat, trying to remove the taste, but it was too overpowering.

  He wanted to resist, wanted to stop her, but slowly he found his resolve crumbling. He was squatting in the church, handcuffed and leashed like a dog, but he wasn’t able to resist her.

  She’s won, he thought. I can’t stop her now.

 
Then the hood was placed over his head.

  His submission was complete.

  She’s won, he thought again.

  It made no difference to his eyesight, he couldn’t see anything anyway, but with the material over his whole face, he could now feel his breathing. She tied the hood tightly around his neck, and his breathing soon made the hood hot and claustrophobic.

  Totally cut off.

  He could see and hear nothing.

  He couldn’t talk.

  Only the floorboards under his feet kept him in touch with the outside world.

  He was too stunned to think straight. His anger had vanished. So had his will to escape.

  He squatted, empty and numb. Not even the pain affected him now.

  Nothing…

  His leash was tugged upwards. He unbalanced slightly as he stood up. But from out of nowhere, her soft hand touched his chest and helped him straighten.

  She’s in front of me, he thought.

  The leash was tugged again. He walked forward slowly, not wanting to stumble into anything.

  She pulled to the right and he took some steps in that direction. Then she tugged on the leash to stop him and they stood still for a moment or two. John’s ears reached out, trying hard to pick up any sound. But he heard nothing other than his breathing.

  The collar moved slightly on his neck. He readied himself to walk. But the movement stopped and he stood there, dumb, waiting for his next command.

  She’s won.

  Then the leash was tugged to the left.

  He followed her lead.

  A few steps more.

  Where am I now? Do I have any idea?

  A stronger tug pulled on the collar. He walked forward.

  By the fire? No, I’m facing the other way, I think. Am I?

  He didn’t know.

  Another few steps forward, then a pause, then a few more steps before the toes on his left foot kicked something hard. He toppled, the weight of his body propelling him forward. He lifted his arms, trying to put out his hands to balance himself, but the handcuffs made it almost impossible as they bit into his wrists.

  But she was there again, her hands on his chest, stopping him from falling and straightening him back up.

  She tugged on the leash again.

  He lifted his foot, and stepped onto whatever it was in front of him.

  Then he followed with his right foot.

  Another step up? Where am I?

  It wasn’t until he’d taken a few more steps, that he realised there was gravel and dirt under his feet.

  I’m outside?

  He could feel the cold night air around his body.

  Yes! I am! She’s taken me outside!

  He smiled to himself under the hood.

  She can’t trick me.

  Yeah, great victory, Sherlock!

  I told you to shut up!

  And look where it got you…

  And then he wondered exactly where she was taking him.

  The Jeep?

  Am I going to meet Fox?

  Why? Why do that? What’s really going on here?

  Panic began to build, but he quashed it. He couldn’t believe that she would be taking him to Fox. There was no reason to. She hated Fox as much as he did. They would work together to get Fox just as soon as she finished her little game.

  This is no game, he told himself as he was led further forward, walking off the gravel now, the cold dew from the grass under his feet.

  The leash led him blindly on.

  Sometimes he would stumble. On other occasions sticks and prickles would get under his feet, digging in and hurting, making him jump or stagger. Tree branches and shrubs would brush against his bare chest or legs, but Zoe pulled him forward without stopping.

  She didn’t come to help.

  Only the pulling of the leash kept him on track.

  It was a slow process and the night air felt cold and made his wounds itch.

  And it felt as if they walked for miles.

  But he was powerless to do anything about it.

  The leash pulled him on and on.

  He tried to concentrate on the ground under his feet. It was mostly wet, slippery grass. But on more than one occasion, the grass gave way to gravel and then something that felt like brick. Eventually, he walked onto another surface he couldn’t work out. It was soft and smooth, and felt spongy. It wasn’t as cold as the grass had been, and there was very little dew on the surface. He couldn’t work out what it was.

  He didn’t have time.

  He was pulled onwards by the leash.

  Where is she taking me?

  His breathing increased as their pace picked up. He could hear his heartbeat rushing in his head.

  He walked faster as the leash forced him to.

  He took a few more steps on the flat surface and then cannoned into Zoe’s arms. She held him tight.

  What? What’s happening?

  His head swivelled around by instinct, even though he couldn’t see anything.

  Her hands went to his chest, and she pushed him back slowly.

  He took two steps backwards before the collar tightened on his neck.

  He stood still then, waiting for the next command.

  Slowly, the leash tugged on him.

  He moved forward carefully.

  His right foot hit the first step.

  He lifted it and placed it on top of the step. Then he repeated the process again with his left foot. He did the same thing for the next step, and the next. He repeated his actions until all the steps were climbed.

  He continued walking forward, realizing the ground under his feet was flat and dry. There was no dew here and the coldness was gone too.

  Her hands touched his chest again and stopped him walking forward.

  He stood still.

  And waited.

  He shook his head as he thought back now.

  You should’ve tried. You should’ve tried anything! he thought. To run while she left you standing there. That was your chance! Maybe your last chance!

  But he didn’t know that at the time.

  He didn’t know what was to come.

  If he had known, he would’ve fought. He would’ve struggled. He would’ve tried to escape.

  Instead, he just stood there, and waited.

  And that’s when Zoe lost it completely.

  Forty-one

  John had no idea what she was doing, he couldn’t see or hear her movements, but when she had unlocked the handcuffs and set his hands free, he thought that finally the game was at an end.

  But he had been wrong.

  As the cold steel of the cuffs slipped away from his wrists, he rubbed both of them, feeling the chaffed skin and the imprint that the teeth had made.

  Now that his hands were free, he was able to run them up his arms, trying to warm himself from the cold night air. Although, he was still careful not to touch the wound in his left arm.

  Maybe this is it, he thought. The game is finally over.

  She touched his chest, pushing him back two steps.

  The middle of his back hit something hard and cold.

  John leaned forward in shock, the wadding in his mouth muffling his yell.

  But her hand was on his chest still, pushing him backwards again.

  He relented and felt his body tip slightly backwards.

  He rested against the cold wood and he thought it strange that the wood didn’t cover his whole back. The wood was only in the middle of his back, with two arms stretching below and above; like some huge X-design.

  Her hand reached to his forehead and pushed him backwards. He leaned his head back, and found a padded cushion to rest on.

  It’s not over, he thought.

  Then run.

  I can’t see!

  Grab her, force her to let you go.

  I can’t see where she is!

  Something tugged at his left thigh, pulling him backwards against one of the legs of the X. He touched cold
wood as a leather strap wrapped around his thigh. He could feel her hands moving over his leg now, buckling him into the leather strap.

  He wanted to tell her to stop, but he knew his voice wouldn’t escape the wadding in his mouth.

  He was powerless.

  She moved further down, inching his leg out slightly, buckling another strap by his knee, and one lower down by his ankle.

  John’s hopes for an early end to her game were quashed.

  It’s not over yet.

  There was nothing he could do.

  He just stood there, and let her continue.

  After buckling his right leg in the same manner, Zoe lifted his right arm above his head and to the side.

  He knew what was coming.

  He didn’t flinch as he felt the cold heavy metal chain wrap around his wrist. The chain bit tightly into the skin, pulling his wrist and arm against the cold surface of the X. He waited as she did the same to his left arm, hoping that it wouldn’t affect the stitches that kept his wound closed.

  She wouldn’t’ve gone to all that trouble to stitch you up only to let it all unravel now, he thought.

  He should’ve been in pain as he stood there, mirroring the wooden X he was tied to, but the cold night air was biting hard and he wondered if that was the reason he could feel no pain.

  Or am I just used to it now? he wondered. Is it easier to submit than fight?

  He tried to move his arms and legs, tried to see if he had any flexibility in his bindings, but he didn’t.

  He moved his head from side to side, as if looking for Zoe. But the blindfolds gave nothing away and the earplugs made sure the silence was total.

  Only his thoughts accompanied him.

  He waited for a long time, or so it seemed to him. He stood tied there, leaning back on the X, waiting for Zoe’s next move. But it didn’t come.

  After a while, he started to wonder if she was still there.

  The cold night settled on his shoulders. He could feel the dew in the air and on his skin.

  But she didn’t touch him again.

  His hands and arms started to go numb, and with his feet splayed apart, his heels and ankles began to lose all feeling as well.

  “Now this is a good look,” he heard Richard say in his head.

  Shut up!

  “No, I mean it. All tied up and nowhere to go!”

  Very funny.

  “Oh, this isn’t funny, John. This is serious stuff. She’s got you and there’s nothing you can do about it.”