THEA

Chapter Thirty-Seven

*Warning of abuse*

I follow the streets signs on the quiet and dark roads until the bright green sign with the writing Holland St. written on it appears. I turn right, looking at all the numbers on mailboxes, signs, and even the buildings. An old concrete warehouse-factory looking building comes into view with the numbers 174 written on it. Turning into its abandon parking lot, I shut of my bike and tuck the keys away in my jacket pocket, my phone resting inside of it. I let out a breath before marching towards the door of the warehouse.

As I put my hand on the door handle and pull the stench of musk, blood, and dirt fill my senses and I resist the urge to gag. Pushing all emotions and feelings from myself, I walk in confidently, being aware of my surroundings. I take in small things that I can remember for when I leave, if I do. Following the twists and turns of warehouse I'm met with a large open area, an abandon chair in the center of it.

I look around for Sam, but when there's no sign of him I slam my fist on the nearest thing and growl in frustration, this better not be a trap. The sound of a door unlocking makes my body snap towards it. The large metal door swings open with a loud creak and I see a worn down looking Sam being pushed by Mark. I growl in anger, making them both snap up to see me. Marks face has a large smile on it while Sam's has shock on it.

"Thea? What are you doing here?" Sam says in a soft worn down voice.

"I'm getting you out of here. Now Mark, I'm here, let him go."

Mark pushes Sam over towards me, making him fall on the ground. I race to him, picking up his under arms and pulling his body up to mine. I grab my bike keys and set them in his hand before closing his finger around it. I whisper in his ear, hoping he will listen to me.

"Take my bike, and get out of here. Don't come back for me. Go to my house, there's a slip of paper with my address on it in my bike bag. Go, now." I say sharply, and he gets himself steady and leaves as fast as possible. Thank the Lord he listened to me for once. Mark and I are now in the room, alone, making me nervous.

"Where's your partner?" Mark's sinister smirk grows and his eyes flick behind me. I don't have anytime to react when I feel pressure in my neck, as if someone injects something into me.

"Behind you," Frank's voice whispers in my ear as I fall into his arms. I want to cry because they will probably hurt and take advantage of me while I'm knocked out, but nothing comes out of me as my world is over taken by darkness.

——

My sense of smell comes back first and I smell the rancid stench of the warehouse, reminding me of where I am. My hearing and sight come next, and I sit up straight so I'm able to see into the now brighter warehouse. The sun floods through the broken windows and I go to move when I realize I am in the chair that was laid out, tied down by metal wires. Every time I tried to move, the metal digs into my wrist, making blood start to cover my hands.

The same creaking of the metal door fills my ears and I see Mark walk in, pretending as if I'm not here. I don't say anything which makes him look at me with a glare.

"What? No screaming or yelling at me? My, Thea, you have changed."

*Warning*

"I'm not saying anything because I expected this to happen. Can't fight with the inevitable, now can we?" He growls in frustration before grabbing a random tool of a wooden table he was near. My jacket sprawls across the table of tools and I realize they wanted more skin showing so they could ruin more of it. He walks over with a sinister smile as he digs the rusty metal into my exposed arms. Pain surrounds the area he's attacking, but I make no noise, I just look away, my teeth clenching as he drags it down my forearm.

Blood falls around the wound and onto the floor, making him grin like a Cheshire Cat. I spit at him, it landing right on his face. He just laughs as he wipes it off, before making another wound on my other forearm. I only grunt in pain, even though my body is screaming internally.

"What a shame, I wanted to hear some screams. Maybe Frank can do a better job than me. Frank!" He yells, and Frank walks leisurely out of the room Mark came from earlier. I want to yell in anger, but there is no use. They will just hurt me more and I'll be wasting precious energy. Frank comes in with his signature smirk, and flashbacks of my past flash in my mind. Frank grabs a thin whip from the table of tools and my mind screams at my in panic, but my expressions and body stay still and stoic.

He walks over to me, and breaks off the back of the wooden chair with a swift kick. My back is exposed to him now and I gulp, but stay silent, keeping my head down. Mark uses the bloodied tool and cuts my shirt to pieces, leaving me in a sports bra, my body exposed and dirty from my own blood. I close my eyes as I hear the whip being slashed in the air to tease me. I'm not ready when the searing pain hits my back, and my body involuntarily arches my back as Frank does so.

"We're getting there, she didn't move at all when I tortured her." Mark says with a smile as he stands and watches his daughter be slashed with whip by his friend.

Another slash hits my back and I can feel my skin breaking open, blood pouring from the fresh wounds. I can't control my screams and I let out a loud one as Frank does a third lash to my back. My wails echo through the walls and I hold back tears, not wanting to give them the satisfaction they want. A fourth lash hits my back, the leather tearing my flesh apart. Screams escape my lips and resonate around the room, giving the two men satisfaction. But that's not enough for them, so they continue until I can no longer feel my body, and fall unconscious to their tortures.

*End of Warning*