Sweet Tragedy

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Samuel paused in mid motion. What if he WAS in there? He asked himself. Richard would have the advantage. He would hear Samuel coming. The door clearly would not be silent, judging on how heavy it appeared.  Samuel wished he had thought about bringing his Remington. At least he would have surprise on his side.

He contemplated going back to his home for it. But seeming as Richard lived in town and Samuel did not, it was time he could not waste.

So instead he found an abandoned iron axle that was lying on the ground near a broken wagon. He picked up swiftly and headed back for the secret door. The door that led to the unknown and hopefully to am unharmed Rebecca.

Pulling on the rope, he eased the door open as quietly as possibly. Samuel surprised himself with a strength he did not realize her processed. He went onto the dark pit that was a stairwell, slowly closing the door behind him, so not to let Richard hear his presence.  

Once the heavy door was closed, Samuel was engulfed in pitch blackness. He could not even see a hand out in front of him. Cautiously he descended the stairs, keeping the axel raised with his right hand and his left was helping guide him down the unlit pathway.

The stairs winded around and around, making Samuel slightly dizzy. HE was not sure how much farther they would go down. The dark abyss smelled like mold and dampness. His nostrils flared to the poignant smell. All of his senses had heightened to the point where he could smell and hear every minuscule little thing.

Finally a small dim light came into view as he took his last steps from the winding stairs. Looking around quickly, he saw a tiny room to the right of the stairs. Inside only held canned food and barrels, possibly water. This was clearly a storm cellar of sorts, as it was about 10 feet underground.

With the iron axle held tightly in his hands, (much like one would hold a baseball bat) he entered the other half of the cellar. The candle light was getting brighter as he stepped closer. Samuel hesitated when he saw a large bed in the center of this other room.

Stepping closer, his heart stopped. There on the bed was Rebecca face down, with arms and feet tied tightly to the posts. Long black messy curls had broken free of their restraints and cascaded around her body in which was covered from head to toe in blood.

Samuel’s heart broke in a million pieces. He wanted to desperately to run to her. He wanted to save her and take her in his arms. The fact that she was not moving and her breathing looked shallow worried him beyond belief.

He had to ensure Richard was not somewhere hiding and about to attack. He slowly crept into the room to where Rebecca lye. Checking all possible hiding spots while controlling the urge to run to her, was easy feat. Finally after determining Richard was not here, he ran to her side.

“Rebecca!” Running to her, he first untied her hands and then moved quickly to her feet. “Rebecca, Honey, please be ok. Please wake up. It’s me, Sam” Tears fell down his cheeks at the sight of her bloody body laying there unconscious. He slowly flipped her over to reveal bruises and cuts on her face. Her eyes and lips were all swollen from the severe blows to the face.

Samuel cradled Rebecca in his arms gently, trying not to disturb her open wounds on her back and prayed that she would wake up.

“Come on Angel; show me your beautiful eyes. Please wake up.” Samuel could not control the sobs that had taken over him. He stroked her bloodied hair away from her face. Samuel kissed the top of her head ever so gently while still rocking. “Rebecca, I have you now. No one will ever hurt you again. I am sorry this happened. I love you. Please wake up. I need you to WAKE UP! REBECCA!” Samuel’s emotion had no control. He was angry, sad, terrified, anxious, worried all at once.