Saved from Master

Chapter 35: Just Hold On For A Little Longer

--Allison's POV--

      However long I thought I was in the basement tied up to the wooden X was nothing compared to how long I've been here since Master's last...visit.

      It's cold, freezing cold, and all of my clothes were shredded to pieces from my refresher. Any warmth that could be coming from outside is blocked by steel blocks over the small windows near the ceiling. I'm now realizing that I should've ate before I left because I'm starving and there is no way I'm going to be eating anytime soo-

      "Allison...hey, wake up..." I hear a whisper coming from right in front of me. I raise my heavy eyelids and am met with Dustin.

      Why is he here? He betrayed me...he hurt James by hurting me. I can never forgive him...maybe I could if he only hurt me, but he hurt James too. How can I forgive him for hurting the only person I've ever truly loved?

      "I know I'm probably the last person you want to see right now, but I'm supposed to be cleaning some of these...cuts." He pauses when his eyes finally make their way down my body.

      He can see every single thing that Master did to me and it visibly scares him. They are still bleeding I think, but honestly the pain is one of the least of my worries. I'm more worried about my next meal, maybe getting hypothermia from the freezing basement, or even getting an infection. I guess that's why Dustin is here.

      "How many times did he...you know...hit you?"

      "35." I say bluntly, noticing the lack of emotion in my voice.

      I have none left. Master took my emotions away, leaving me as a shell of a person just as he did before. Before James...before my life changed for the better. Dustin just looks at me in almost a horror because of what I said. 35, I guess that is a lot? I have no clue at this point, nothing really makes sense anymore.

      "Umm...okay," Dustin replies after awhile, taking in the mess I am in front of him, "Andrew told me to only clean your arms and legs but those look really bad Allison..." He says, pointing to my stomach.

      Does he think I don't know that? I just nod and he looks at me with a look of regret, "This is going to hurt...like a lot."

      "Trust me, I know what pain feels like. I'll be fine." I say, again with absolutely no emotion.

      I should feel bad for talking to another human being like this, but I don't even feel that. I don't feel bad for being rude. That's something I always felt bad about and all of a sudden that part of me is gone...how could Master so easily take such an important part of my personality away?

      Because he's him. He holds way too much power over me. And he always will.

      "How did you not flinch once? I'm already done with one arm and you didn't move once...I'm using basically pure rubbing alcohol on deep cuts and you haven't moved?"

      "You started?" I ask as I look down and see my left arm has been disinfected and while the 5 cuts are still bleeding, I can see my skin again. It had been covered by blood but now I can see it again. I feel the corners of my lips turn up noticing that I can't see my arm bone like I could before I met James. I went from being the most unhealthy person in the world to having some, as James liked to say, "meat on my bones". I hope he feeds me enough to keep me looking like this.

      "Yeah, do you not feel this?"

      "No..I mean it tingles a little now that I'm paying attention but if I wasn't I definitely wouldn't feel it." I explain to Dustin, him seeming concerned.