Arron and Trexx

Chapter 50

Third person pov

She was in their pool again, being held down by several strong arms as she struggled for air. She clawed for the surface, black seeping into her vision like spilled coffee seeped into a napkin. Her brain was becoming fuzzy. Sounds around her were warped. The deafening sound of her warbled screams and splashing. The laughter of the three, drunk men. The ghost of a sob, stuck in the back of her throat. Was she crying? She couldn't tell.

And then suddenly, she wasn't being held down anymore. No, now she was drifting. Sinking deeper and deeper into an ocean of blue. Her heart raced, and her body trembled as salty water filled her lungs. Oddly enough, she didn't struggle for air like she had when she was being held under. She felt as though she didn't need to breathe at all.

A few feet away from her, something crashed into the water with a loud splash that soon faded into the deepness of the ocean they were in. A woman Arron recognized only vaguely. She watched numbly as the woman's red dress billowed in the shifting water, matching the blood seeping from her slit throat. Her eyes were wide open, frozen in permanent terror. Arron watched numbly as the woman sank, her heart slowing down. She felt like she was crying, but being submerged in the water, she really couldn't tell. She could only watch the woman, another slave she'd known when she was first sold, sink.

Fear gripped her when shadows began to rise from the ground. They snaked up like hungry eels, beginning to wrap around her like chains. "Arron." A familiar voice purred, a pair of eyes she'd hoped never to see again appearing before her in the inky blackness. Terror gripped her tighter as she jerked towards them. She was being dragged down. "Don't cry. You know you enjoy it, you little slu-"

Arron awoke with a gasp, lips parted in a silent scream. Trexx loomed over her bed worriedly as tears poured from her eyes. Arron, almost unconsciously, looked around for Shikamaru. Her head swiveled back and forth like a fan on rotate, her breathing labored and her mind frazzled by the nightmare. The realization that Shikamaru wasn't there, and instead stuck in some deadly forest, prompted her panic to grow.

"No cry." Trexx turned on the lamp by Shikamaru's bed. He didn't even think about eating it, which is saying something. It showed how concerned the creature was. "Arron safe. Shikamaru proud."

Arron's breath halted in its rapid increase of pace, and she stared at her shaking hands. That was right. She was meant to make Shikamaru proud. That was the point of this all, wasn't it? It make him proud? She took a deep breath, clenching her fists in an attempt to get her trembling under control. She was safe. She was fine. She would be an independent person. She would get better, not just for Shikamaru, but for herself too.

The clock read six AM. Shikaku was probably already up, getting ready for work. She knew she wouldn't be getting back to bed, so she thought. She could do this, right? She had this in the bag. She wiped at her eyes, raking a hand harshly through her hair. She grit her teeth. There was nothing to be scared of, she reminded herself. It was over. She'd been saved. Shikaku'd been the one to carry her here, in fact.

She got up, rushing out the door. She stopped herself from checking for enemies. There were no enemies. She was determined to teach her brain that it didn't need to be on high alert always. That things could be fine sometimes. As in right now. Trexx could sense danger. It was in his nature. It was why he was here. To protect. 

She made it to the kitchen, which was empty and silent. She flicked on the lights and got started. She racked her brain for the many recipes she'd learned, deciding omelets were best. She'd always been better with stove-top meals. She'd... never been a fan of ovens. They were metal boxes that got hot on all sides. She didn't like sticking her hand inside to get what was cooking out. She was afraid the door would slam shut on her. The burns on her forearm told the story as to why.