Retribution

Chapter Twenty

Paige

They play in my head like children at the park.

It's where my demons and devils live.

Smiling at me, inviting me to join them. They look so happy, so content.

But I have to die to join them. I have to die to be happy.

I can feel the pull getting stronger every day, it's like a black shadow hand pulling me towards the other side.

I grab hold of the hand and hold on for dear life.

But it dissipates like smoke in front of me.

I scream, I scream for them to take me. Take me away from this pain.

"Paige! Wake up!" I hear a voice screaming at me. It's pulling me back to the real world. I don't want to, I don't want to go. I can't face it.

The black hand emerges again, forming its bony fingers.

I hold on with both hands and it pulls me towards the black shadows.

But I don't move, it feels like I'm stuck in one spot yet the hand is moving away from me. I can feel its fingers loosening.

I scream.

I cry.

I yell.

Make it stop, please.

Rico

I was fast asleep on the couch when I heard her scream. It was such a horrific scream, such a painful scream. I ran into the bedroom and she was curled up holding onto the pillow for dear life. She was just screaming. I tried to wake her up but it was no use, she just flinched away from my touch and screamed more. God, I hate to know what she's gone through. Whatever they did to her she doesn't want to come back to the real world, she doesn't want to face what happened to her. She eventually cried herself back to sleep. She started muttering words that worried me. She wants to die. But I won't let that happen. She's precious, she's my broken bird. I'll bring her back. I lay down next to her in the bed and push hair back from her face. She doesn't move away this time. She looks horrible though. The bruises are slowly going away but they still look painful. She's all sweaty and pale. I know she doesn't have an infection because I've been watching her wounds carefully. But I'm starting to think they really broke her. That's what they do though, they break them till there's nothing left, so they have no fight. They break them into submission. Most girls that I've seen in there are like robots. The buyers just want a body to do whatever they want to it. They don't care what happens to the girl, they just care about using them for their pleasure. Their dolls in a sense. Once their holes have been used and abused, they move on to the next.

I look at her and see how hurt she is, how much she just wants to leave this world. I know that feeling all too well.

Daxton

We're about ten minutes out from landing and I look out to see the Amalfi coast with its sheer cliffs and rugged shoreline dotted with small beaches. I just want to see Paige already. After a twenty-three-hour flight, I'm getting restless. Clay managed to knock out so he's snoring his head off. We also have no idea what we're walking into when we arrive, all we know is Rico will be picking us up, but other than that nothing. We could find anything out about this place or who else could be there.

Clayton

"Clay, wake up. We're here" Dax says as he nudges me. I just respond with a grunt and open my eyes. Good thing I took my sleeping pills otherwise I would have been a mess on that flight. We go through the process of getting off the plane and make it to the front of the airport. Rico is standing next a black Jeep with tinted windows. He waves at us and we make our way over.

"Any surprises waiting for us Rico?" I ask still feeling groggy.

"No surprises Clay, we're just going to drive straight to the house"

"Better not be anybody else there" I mumble under my breath as we get into the car. Dax takes the front seat per usual and I take the backseat. At least I can fit a another nap in.

"How is she?" Dax asks. Rico doesn't answer straight away and instead shakes his head. It's bad. Real bad.

"She's not good Dax, she's really not good" he says looking out to the road absently. He doesn't elaborate any further and we drive in silence for the remainder of the trip. Rico is usually super chatty but whatever is happening with Paige is fucking with him.

Paige

"Princess, we're here. Your okay now" I hear from somewhere. But I can't seem to respond, I can't seem to recognise the voice either. Princess? Who calls me that?

I watch the demons play together, they smile and laugh. They look so happy. I want to be happy.

"What the fuck happened to her Rico! Look at her!" I hear the voice yell this time.

No, no go away.

I feel hands on my face.

Stop touching me, please.

I yell and scream. Make it stop.

"Baby, I need you to wake up for me! Please, Paige, come back to us" the voice yells again. The voice sounds sad though, like their hurt as well.

"Come on Paige wake up". That's my name, they know me. That's a different voice as well. Three voices? But who the fuck are they?

I drown out the voices and focus on my devil and demons, it's where I should be. I deserve to be there.