Georgia Peach - Book One

Chapter 11 - Foul Play

He shakes his head from side to side, "No, my sweet Mariah, I am the only one who will take care of you."

He leans in, planting a wet kiss on my lips as I seal my lips together tightly, fearing that if he slipped his tongue in my mouth, I might yak all over myself. I'm already sitting in a blood-tinged piss puddle; I don't want to add vomit to the list of bodily fluids I'm covered in. A large collage of polaroid pictures are tacked to a corkboard on the wall I notice while scanning the room. I blink a few times to focus my eyes, and... Holy Shit! They are all pictures of me! He has pictures of me everywhere I've gone. He even has naked pictures of me having sex with Dylan. It's hard telling how he got those shots. Jesus, was there ever a time where he wasn't following me? I feel so violated!

Curiosity sets in, I begin to question him, "How did you know I was in an accident, Ethan?" I ask. 

He shrugs as if he hasn't a care in the world, "I followed you. I pulled you out of the car and put you into the backseat of my car. I brought you home to be with me, darling. This is our home. This is where we will live together."

I do my best to keep my temper at bay, but I'm seething with rage, "No, this is not my home Ethan!"

"Soon, you will see. Soon, you will know that we are meant to be. My love for you is eternal. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you, my darling Mariah."

I flop back onto the cot, accepting my fate when I hear my stomach growling. I turn to face him, "Ethan, I'm hungry. I need to eat something."

He nods his head in agreement, patting my stomach; I flinch, "Okay, I will make you some soup, sit tight, and then I'll give you a sponge bath," He replies as he moves his rough, calloused hands across my thigh. I clench my jaw, feeling disgusted and enraged.

As he lifts himself off the cot, he exits out the door. I lay there, listening to the sound of his footsteps as he trudges up the stairs. I sit up immediately, scanning the room for any possible escape route. There's a glass block window directly above me, which is my only window to the outside world. I sit in silence, overcome with sadness and despair. I am tied to an old dirty cot. I'm filthy, and I stink! God only knows how long I've been here! I watch as a giant rat scurries across the basement floor, squeaking as it disappears behind a box.

After a few moments, Ethan returns, carrying a bowl of soup and a bottle of water. He sits next to me on the cot, stirring the soup and gently blowing to cool it down as the steam rises from the bowl. He brings a spoonful up to my mouth for me to take a bite. Realizing that he's not going to untie me, I begin wailing. He drops the spoon back into the bowl and lightly pats my shoulder to console me, "Darling, please stop crying. I only want to take care of you."

"This is fucking disturbing, Ethan! This is not how you get someone to like you! I'm tied to a filthy cot while you are spoon-feeding me this foul-smelling soup! Do you think this will make me like you?! You are not right! Why are you speaking like that?!"

His cheeks flush three shades of red; his nostrils flare, "You will soon realize that the only way you will survive is to learn to love me."

"Noooo!!!"

He swallows hard before clearing his throat, "Shh! Darling. Please eat. I will bathe you afterward."

My stomach grumbles loudly from hunger, so I reluctantly open my mouth, allowing him to spoon-feed me. While he feeds me, I study his facial features and notice huge flakes of dandruff all over his hair. He's so unkempt; his face is greasy, covered in blackheads and cyst-like acne. As he leans into me to wipe the soup off my chin, the stench of his foul breath invades my nostrils, making it difficult to choke down the horrible tasting soup I'm eating.