Iniquity (An Inferno World Novella)

by LeeAnn, Emery

  The last time that he came around, he had tried to stick his cock in my mouth, and then, when I bit him, he slapped me so hard that he knocked me unconscious. I didn't mean to bite him, but my mouth was just too small. Thankfully my mom took that off the table from there on out. I guess she was the only one allowed to knock me around.

  Sitting in here brought back every depraved act that I had suffered at the hands of my mother. I could remember each of their faces, each act, how gross I felt, how my mother would moan and writhe. I never let anyone else know about these memories. Not even Luke. It didn't matter since she was already dead.

  Eventually, I dozed off. I was not sure for how long, but a scraping sound startled me awake. I could not see anything, but I knew it was something inside the metal bucket. I hated not being able to see what I was sticking my hand inside. If I dumped the bucket, whatever was in there could run out and bite me. I would rather grab it and kill it. The problem was that if I reached into the bucket, and it has its mouth open, because of course, I expect it to be a rat with ten-inch teeth, well, here goes to losing a hand.

  I swallowed my trepidation and reached in, quickly running my hand around to find the culprit. Once I had my hand around it, I chuckled as I squeezed it and heard the shell crack as something gooey squished through my fingers. It was a beetle or some kind of hard-shelled bug. Well now, at least I could take a piss without it biting my ass.

  My stomach growled, and its rumbling was loud. I thought about the bug carcass, but decided that I was not there yet. Who knew for how long I would be in here. I needed to try to focus my thoughts today, if it was day, on how to make it better with Luke. As much as the thought of giving up my friendship with Mercy hurt me, he would always be my first priority. It really was too bad. I think if he would get to know her, he would like her. She had the kind of personality that you could not help but be attracted to and feel an urge to protect.

  Although, I suppose if she did meet him, and he did form a bond with her, he may prefer her to me. That would break my heart on so many levels.

  I tried to do exercises to make the time go by, but with the lack of food and water, my body was worn out. I used the bucket one last time, thankful that I always wore two shirts so that I could use one to wipe, and then laid my head down to go back to sleep.

  I woke up with a fierce hunger. I stood up and became dizzy. Was he ever going to let me out or was I going to die in here? I could not tell how long I had even been in here. And I had to wonder if he even planned to let me out. I guess if it was time for me to go, I was ok with it. I mean, I was not suicidal, but if I happened to die, it would not be a tragedy. I just wished that I could do it with food in my belly. For some reason that made me giggle to myself.

  Then the thought occurred to me, spiraling around my mind in a maddening arc. I had plenty of food. My body was covered in meat. It was not as if I had issues with cutting myself, and it was not as if I had issue with eating raw meat. I did it all the time with the animals that I found in the woods. I felt around for my knife. I could not see, so I had to do this by memory.

  I found it.

  I picked it up and placed the blade against my arm, took a deep breath, and then pointed the tip down and sliced across until a strip of skin was hanging off. Carefully, by touching the end of the strip, I cut it off. The endorphins ran through me, but I was too weak to enjoy it. I hoped that it would not bleed too much. I could already feel blood streaming down my arm.

  I tentatively touched the meat to my lips. As I started to put it in my mouth, my eyes glazed over. With barely a taste of my flesh on my tongue, I felt myself sliding down to the ground.

  Then darkness swallowed me whole.

  Chapter Six:

  Mercy

  When Eve left, I was not sure if I was more scared of her or the idea of being alone and defenseless again. In my mind, all I could think of was that she was a total badass, but in reality, she was a cold-blooded killer.

  I could not be mad at her. She did just defend me and probably saved my life. He would have made my life miserable; there was no doubt about it. I also think that I have seen him pimp girls out before. Sleep was not going to come to me tonight, or any night soon. So I thought, until I dozed off. I woke up as someone dropped a warm blanket over me. Startled, I backed away from the older woman who was covering me up with a concerned look on her face.

  “It’s alright. I just wanted to check on you.” She spoke softly. “I told your friend that I would keep an eye on you.” Smiling kindly, she reminded me of what a normal grandmother must look like. Not that I knew what normal was. She shuffled out of the room as I snuggled up into the blanket. My nether region was sore and achy. What if he had gotten me pregnant? What if I got some kind of STD? What if this was always going to be my existence, and I was never going to have a conventional sex life now that he had desecrated me? So many questions overloaded my mind, but no answers accompanied them.

  The sun was shining in the window of my room when I woke up the next morning. Thankfully, Eve had grabbed my bag and belongings from the other building, so I didn't need to go out today at all. I had water and some cereal bars that she had given me. Hopefully, she wouldn’t worry about me, I just didn’t have it in me to leave the confines of this safe place, and to be honest, I didn’t have it in me to face her today. I loved her for taking care of the threat, but the fact remained that she scared the ever-living fuck out of me.

  I slept most of the day away, and my body seemed to crave the rest. Utter exhaustion took me over clear into the next day. I was stiff when I finally stood up but thankful that I hadn't been bothered. I stepped outside to a dreary sky. It was overcast, and there were storm clouds on the horizon. Taking a deep breath, I smiled, loving the smell of this kind of weather. Storms always fascinated me. The electricity, the power, the sensation of being swept away. I knew most people thought I loved a dreary life, but I was thankful each morning that I woke up and had survived another day. I never took life for granted.

  I wanted to go see Eve. I felt guilty that I hadn't properly thanked her. She must have thought that I was angry with her, having stayed away for the day. She was truly the only friend I had ever had. She knew everything about me, admittedly, but I knew next to nothing about her home life. That was all right, I guess. She was not comfortable sharing about her family. I could understand that.

  It was quiet when I walked to our spot in the woods, until the first raindrops started to fall. It was like the soft beating of a drum, tapping on the leaves. Smiling, I sat down on a log, and waited. She never showed. I would try again tomorrow.

  And the next day, and the next day, but she never showed.

  Something was wrong. I knew the rule; I was never to go to her place. Her daddy was very ill, and it made him very angry to have anyone there. I got it. I would not like having strangers gawk at me when I was ill either. I didn't want to get her in trouble, but I was worried about her. I made my way through the woods to the outermost edge. Not exactly sure which house was hers, the one on the farthest left had a minivan with a lot of baby equipment in the open garage. The one on the far right looked abandoned. My guess would be the one on the right. It was foreboding. Just like Eve.

  Timidly, I walked over, seeing a car in the driveway, and knocked on the door. The person who answered the door was not what I expected. He was a young man, very handsome, and yet had an air of darkness about him. Even when he smiled, it just felt wrong.

  “May I help you?” he drawled.

  “Hi.” I was stumped and trying to come up with something quick. “My name is Mercy. I am a friend of Eve’s. I just wanted to check on her.” I stood there looking stupid as I gawked at him, trying to hide the fact that I was shaking.

  “Mercy,” he repeated, his brows furrowing. “Eve has told me a lot about you.” His words flowed smoothly, like molasses pouring over bread. “Please come in while I get her.”

  Oh, well, ok, if she had told him about me, then it must be ok
. She had never mentioned tall, dark, and dangerously yummy to me, but I planned to drill her on that later.

  Smiling, still slightly unsure, I stepped inside. He pointed to a chair at the table, handed me a cup of tea, and walked into another room.

  Happy to sit down, and realizing how intensely thirsty I was, I drank half the cup of tea in one swallow. I chuckled to myself. Oh, good going, Mercy, it’s probably poisonous tea, just as my eyes started to swim and my head hit the table.

  Chapter Seven:

  Eve

  Waking up on a floor was never a pleasant experience. Especially when you were covered in your own blood and urine. Apparently, when I passed out, my bladder decided it wanted to let loose. Good times were had by all. Shaking my head, I squinted at the bright light. Wait. Bright light? The door was open. There was a bottle of water beside me. I took the cap off and then opened my mouth. I tilted the bottle up, draining half of its contents because my throat was a baked wasteland.

  I sat up slowly to make sure I stayed steady, and then I put my hands on the cold, stone wall to brace myself as I stood up. My knees were shaky, but so far so good. Slowly, I walked out of the cellar and into the blinding light.

  I stood there until my eyes adjusted. I didn't hear any sounds. I could not decide if I needed to eat or get myself cleaned up first. My arm looked really bad, maybe even infected, but I was starving. I decided to go to the kitchen. There was a note on the table.

  Do not leave this house. Get cleaned up, and I will be home for supper. We have a special guest joining us. Tonight we are having a BBQ in your honor, so I can remind you how special you are to me.

  Love, Luke

  He said I was special to him. I was not sure about the special guest thing, but who the fuck cared? Luke still wanted me and loved me. I was so happy that I almost fell. A wave of dizziness washed over me. I steadied myself and then went to the refrigerator. I pulled out the grape jelly. The peanut butter was in the cupboard, beckoning me. My belly rumbled in anticipation. I slapped some of both on two pieces of bread and wolfed it down. The cold jelly felt so good on my throat. It was just what I needed. It also gave me enough energy to get myself cleaned up and put on something special for him tonight.

  Taking a shower was painful, the water sliced through all the cuts and abrasions. My arm was definitely infected. There was green pus coming from it. I would need to put some antibiotic ointment on it. In the meantime, I would wear a long sleeved shirt so as not to anger Luke.

  In the next few days, I needed to find Mercy, and end all ties with her so that she would be safe. I had money saved away. I would give her a chunk of cash so she could start over fresh somewhere else. She deserved that. She was a good kid who just happened to have been dealt a shit hand in life.

  Chapter Eight:

  Mercy

  Waking up in a cage was the worst feeling that I supposed anyone could ever feel. Since this was not my first time being in one, it ranked right up there for me. I was actually sitting there wondering if the rape was worse than being trapped in this cage. Sadly, the rape was not as traumatic.

  When my eyes opened, and I realized what I was inside of, and who probably put me here, since he was the last person I had seen, I tried to scream. That was when the realization hit me like a smack in the face that my mouth was taped shut with duct tape. But not just that. Tape I could probably wiggle my lips around and get out of, there was something more. I tried to open my mouth, without avail, but was able to open my teeth a little, ran my tongue outside. Some kind of wire. A thick wire stuck to the tape. Holy fuck. He sewed my mouth shut. How long was I out?

  The cage was small; my knees were up around my bowed head. I tried to wriggle my hands free from under me, thinking that the weight of my body kept them trapped, and that the constraints of the cage kept me from freeing them. It was worse than that, though. He had tied my wrists with chicken wire to the bottom of the cage, and that was the reason why I could not move them.

  This was why I had become a runaway. My mother and father had kept me in a cage because they never wanted children and could not be bothered to take care of one. They would throw dog food in the cage for me to eat. I would have to drink from a hose that they slipped through each night, which was what they also had used to clean me. The water had been ice-cold, but it was the only way to get the urine and feces off me until I mastered how to go without getting it all over myself in the cage. When I was eleven years old, I had finally broken free, running as far as I could, as fast as I could, I and never looked back. I learned how to live on the streets. Now, six years later, I was back in a fucking cage.

  I didn't know who this psychopath was, or how he knew that this was my biggest fear, but when Eve found me here, she would set me free. I had faith in that.

  My heart was constricting. I didn't know if it was day or night. There was a cover or some type of tarp thrown over the cage. I felt as if I were suffocating as the tears streamed down my face, desperately choking down every gasp of moist air that I could. I swore to myself that I would not let him break me, but a part of me wondered if it was too late. I could feel my nose running all over my face. That was my pet peeve. Funny, out of all the shit happening, that was what I focused on, but my mind was a danger zone right now and if I didn't focus on something so mundane, I felt like I may check out for good.

  I decided to pray for the first time in years. Maybe this was my penance for not keeping up on it. I prayed the night that I got away and thanked God with all my heart for letting me get away safely. I swore that I would never ask for anything or do anything wrong. And I had not. I had never stolen a thing, done anything immoral, lied or cheated. I would go without first.

  Now, here I was, praying with all my might, begging him to save me from this place of torment. You had to be tough when you lived on the street. I kept up that façade until the assault. This was like a ripple effect. He started my ruination and this was ending it. Was this all that my life was going to amount to, really? She was not going to come rescue me. If she were, she would have already been here.

  My hope was demolished. This man, whose name I didn't even know, had broken me.

  Chapter Nine:

  Eve

  Have you ever had one of those clarifying moments in your life? You know the type, where you knew that you were being taught a lesson, but your mind rebelled against it. The one thing that I had been taught since coming to live here was that family always came first. That shit could be tattooed all over my body. I would tell you that without hesitation. Who was my family? Luke was. He was my family. The one person who would always come first no matter what. But, sometimes, that was a bitch of a pill to swallow.

  Luke came home very happy. He was smiling from ear to ear, asking me how I was feeling, telling me if the cookout went well. He told me that I would end up in his room tonight and not the cellar. I didn't want to be back in that fucking cellar. No matter what happened tonight, I would make sure he was satisfied.

  “Can I help you?” My eyes lit up hopefully. I wanted to show him that I had learned my lesson.

  “Not yet, Eve. Do you remember the forbidden fruit?”

  I furrowed my brow vaguely remembering that reference. “Ummm, yes.”

  “Tonight we will see if you will eat from it.” His smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

  Not knowing exactly what he meant, I said, “I will do whatever you wish me to do. I want you to see how sorry I am that I disappointed you.” I lowered my eyes to the ground submissively.

  He grunted, turning away. Pouring myself a cup of tea, I sat at the table to wait for him to tell me what he wanted from me. I also wondered what time our guest would show up. Surprised that he would even invite anyone; he was always so adamant about not having anyone come to our home.

  He handed me carrots, lettuce, and tomatoes to cut. So I had salad duty. I could handle that. I started humming while I was chopping. I looked up to see him staring at me. He was smiling, so I smiled back. He sai
d, “You look nice, Eve. Thank you.”

  Moisture filled my eyes. It had been so long since he complimented me. “I love you, Luke.”

  He nodded his head, still smiling. Then he turned and walked out the door. Smiling broader now, I finished chopping the salad with more enthusiasm, drank my tea, and waited for more instructions.

  He was building a fire pit when I peered out the window. I wish he would let me help, but I supposed that because I was in this dress, he didn't want it ruined. I loved the way his muscles rippled. Those strong arms had aroused me and abused me so many times, and I could not wait for the next one hundred thousand times. I didn't care if it was beating or fucking, I just needed to feel his touch. He unknowingly kept me grounded. I would probably be dead right now, or worse, a junkie, if it were not for him kidnapping me.

  He turned around to see me staring; I swear the man had a sixth sense. He winked, and I blushed. You would think after all this time he would not have that effect, but he did.

  I decided that I better relieve myself in the bathroom and check my arm so it didn't bleed out on my dress. Putting a clean bandage on, peeing, and then brushing my hair one last time, I walked into the kitchen as he was calling for me, beckoning me to come out. I looked at the table for the salad but it was gone. He must have already came and got it.

  I walked outside with a huge smile stretched across my face, shielding my eyes from the sun. I looked up at the pyre he built, and then stopped dead in my tracks. Horror washed over me. My mouth dropped open as I saw Mercy tied to the wood like a sacrifice. “W-what? I don't understand,” I stammered.