Always next to you

Chapter Twenty-Five

NICOLE

"Hey stop moving," someone whispered. "He's coming back,"

I immediately recognised the voice. He had been with me for a long time now. The room was still freezing, and I felt something tickle my nostrils. I couldn't sneeze.

If he knew I was awake, he would come back to harass me. Why was I back in this dark room again? I shifted a little in the corner where I was squatting, but my foot mistakenly kicked a steel container.

It fell down with a clang that echoed through the space. I quickly took my hand to my mouth in fear, knowing I was in trouble.

"I told you to stay quiet!" the boy snared.

The sound of rattling chains filled our ears, followed by familiar footsteps. He sounded like he was wearing really heavy boots. Nicole tried to remember what it felt like on her skin when he stepped on her. He was coming for her and she couldn't escape.

The man opened the door and let out a little moonlight into the space that held them. My breath increased as he came closer. I wish I could do something, but I couldn't do anything trapped inside this small body.

I couldn't see his face, but I knew he wore a scowl from how he walked. How was I supposed to know the can was there? I was just trying to get comfortable. As he walked towards me, I tried crawling to the bay I was staying with.

It was difficult to move because the man had tied my hands and feet as punishment for disobeying him.

"Are you two having a party here?" he asked. "Little girl, I told you to be quiet,"

My hands were still clasped against my mouth as I tried to stifle my small sobs. My throat hurt from the screaming and crying and I could still feel the ache on my back and tummy from where he stepped on me last.

"Fucking piece of trash! Get over here!" he yelled, but I only continued to move away.

He took quick strides towards me, groaning in anger in each step. Even though he was a big shadow in view, I could hear his loud breathing got closer. The man dragged my dress, but the boy pulled my leg to support me.

"You want a piece of me too?" He said to the boy. "I've got plenty for you,"

He picked up a wooden plank and dragged it to the floor. We could both barely see, but we knew where he was coming from.

"Leave her alone!" the boy yelled as he got closer.

"Shut Up!" the man yelled in response.

He was walking a lot slower now, cursing with every step. When he reached us, he went down slightly, allowing us to notice the cast on his left leg. He was injured.

"Little girl, I saw your daddy today. I'm sure he'll never walk again, so you're mine now,"

"Liar," I cried.

"Me? Are you calling me a liar?" he laughed. "Ungrateful bitch,"

The man raised the wood and brightened it down to hit me, but the boy turned me under and knelt over me. The man kept hitting and hitting, but the boy took all the pain while I cried under him.

"No one is coming for you! You're both mine now!" he screamed as he continued the beating.

I gasped and sat up in bed. The first thing I did was look around. I tried to remember where I was and how I got here, but the memory from my nightmare was still fresh in my mind. Like any other nightmare, I never seem to forget them.

When I was dreaming, it felt real. Too real. With everything that's happening, maybe it was time for me to see a therapist before it got worse. I tried to remember more from my dream, but Mia walked inside the room.