Surviving Him

Blood Flows

A lone bolt of lightning struck down in the space that separated the sisters and myself. When it hit the ground it sent a wave of smoke out of itself that put the fire out and somehow made the sisters vanish.

I was drenched in blood and my feet were aching. I dropped to my knees and put my head in my hands. 'Wake up.' i muttered to myself. 'Wake up, wake up, wake up!' A loud roll of thunder shakes the ground beneath me and the burnt space where the lightning struck opens up. I stare in shock as the ground cracks and busts apart. I stand to my feet and am just about to run in the opposite direction when the ground beneath me caves.

I'm falling.

It's even darker now than before and my stomach feels more and more queasy with every foot that i drop. I'm falling backwards, almost as if i had been laying down. I can see the sky above me come to life as the sun comes out. I scream and scream, begging to be saved, begging to be spared, begging to wake up. But no one comes, and nothing happens.

My voice finally tires out after i have been falling for what seems like forever. I dare sneak a glance over my shoulder just to see how close the ground is and to prepare myself for impact. My body flips over and now i am falling face first. I can finally see the ground come into focus and as i grow closer, i squeeze my eyes shut. But just as i am about to meet my end, i stop. I'm no longer falling but standing up on my own two feet at the bottom of the pit.

"Hello?" i call out, not that i expect anyone to answer. I can see just a little bit from the sun that blares down from the opening. I hear a strange gurgling sound coming from behind me and i spin around. I search with my eyes but am only met with darkness. "Nothing. There's nothing there." i mutter to myself. I hear it again from my left and i turn to face the noise. Again i see nothing, and again the sound comes. This time from my right, then my right again, then behind me, then my right, my left, behind me. Again and again this sound comes from the shadows.

"Stop it.." i whisper, the sound is slowly driving me crazy. It's coming from every side now and all at the same time and i am spinning in circles, getting dizzy. "Stop it!" I say again but this time instead of whispering like a coward i scream it, and it does stop. But not for the reason I'd like. From every corner of the pit comes a different kind of monster. Some with scales and tails and horns. Some with fangs and claws and spikes protruding from every inch of their body. But all of them have the same glowing red eyes. They stalk towards me, glaring at me, creating and trapping me within a circle.

"No, please....someone help me.." My voice is barely a whisper now. I know that no one will come. "This is a dream." i say mostly to myself, squeezing my eyes shut tight. "THIS IS A DREAM" and as i scream it this bright light explodes from my body and destroys the monsters, making them shriek as they explode. I open my eyes and find myself staring into Emerald green. I blink as i realize that they belong to Emanuel. "It really was a dream...." i whisper.

His eyebrows are furrowed in what i can only assume is confusion. His eyes are wide as he stares at me. "It was a dream." he whispers softly to me. "It was only a dream." But even as he reassures me, the look of concern doesn't leave his face.

"I'm sorry.." I whisper, although I'm not sure what I was apologizing for. Maybe I had been freaking out while I was sleeping because of the dream? "No, there's nothing to be sorry about. I'm the one who should apologize. I should've noticed that you were drinking a bit too much." He said, his eyes glancing down at my neck and then away from me completely. He rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. "And I'm sorry for that, I didn't mean to lose control."

I stared at him for a moment and then slowly brought my hand up to my neck. When I pulled it away my fingers were drenched in blood. It was only then that I realized I was covered in it. The beautiful gown that he had gotten for me was ruined. My eyes widen and my mouth opens and closes like a fish. I was at a loss. I looked up at him.

"You hit your head when you went to lay back down and there was just so much blood and it smelt so....and you tasted so..." his brows furrow in confusion. "Different. Your blood is so different. Like nothing I've ever had before."

As much as I'm sure that was supposed to be a compliment, all I can think about is that I've been here for one day and after all his talk about wanting companionship he bites me the second I'm unconscious. I stumble to my feet and back away from him. He stands with me and takes a step towards me, reaching out.

"Don't touch me.." I whisper softly and I know he heard me but he takes another step anyway. "DON'T FUCKING COME NEAR ME, DON'T YOU TOUCH ME YOU MONSTER."

The servants who were clearing the table and my unfinished food stopped. Everyone was still, everything was quiet. My eyes widened at what I had just done. Emanuel's head was bowed so I couldn't see his face yet. My heart sped up and a sinking feeling in my gut made me want to throw up. What the hell had I just done? What was he gonna do now?

He raised his head and I saw fire and hatred behind his eyes. "Cassandra!" He shouts. The woman I met earlier scurries to his side. "Yes master?"

"Prepare this slave a bath." He spit the word 'slave' out like it was tainting his mouth, like it was the dirtiest word he could think to call me. Like he wanted nothing more than to cause me further pain. And it worked. "After she has bathed I want her tied to my bed, and make sure the ropes are tight."

"Yes master." Cassandra bows obediently and runs off to do as she was told. Emanuel turns to me next. "Follow her. Bathe quickly and be prepared for me to ravish you when I come to bed."

Tears well up in my eyes. "Emanuel please, I-"

"You will call me master and you will do as you are told, slave." He spat with such venom my heart felt poisoned.

I closed my eyes and let  alone tear streak down my face. "Yes master." I whisper.

"THEN FUCKING GO!" He screams at me. I run after Cassandra, stumbling up the steps and tripping as I go.