A/N MASSIVE WARNING: I originally placed a warning at the beginning of this book. I wasn't going to place one on the chapter, but I now realize there's a few readers following the story that are under the age of fifteen on here. I warned of a rape, and now we've reached that part of the story that it happens. Sorry, it's something that happens to help progress the story. If you are a young reader or are a squeamish individual who is uncomfortable with such things, I recommend not reading this part and waiting for the following update.
"You're the one that I want" by Lo Fang
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Emily shuddered as she released a small gasp. Declan clicked the lock in place behind him before taking a long swig from the beer bottle in his right hand. His bronze colored hair was in a rather messy display as his black tie he wore at prom was now missing. The first three buttons of his white long-sleeved dress shirt was undone, giving him a rather unkempt appearance.
Emily could smell the liquor on him. That, along with his glazed red eyes were a clear indicator that he was drunk. She didn't dare make a move. For the last twelve seconds he hadn't bothered acknowledging her presence beside his one comment as a greeting. He began staring off into space, and it gave Emily the stupid idea that maybe if she didn't move a muscle, Declan wouldn't be able to see her.
It took her a nanosecond to realize that philosophy was stupid - he was drunk, not a T-Rex out of the Jurassic Park movies.
"I've never been dumped before...." Declan finally said, glaring at Emily with a hardened look in his eye. "Never in all my years...Who would wanna ditch me?"
Emily kept her comments to herself. About now she was feeling anyone with half a brain would dump him before they got to know him, but this wasn't the best thing to say given Declan was blocking her only exit. There was only a large bathroom attached to this room, otherwise no way out unless Emily wanted to give leaping out the tall second story of the house a try. She didn't.
"Little Emily Daz....Got every bloke wrapped around your finger, don't you?" Declan chuckled dryly, swigging once more from his bottle
.
Emily realized no one would be able to hear Declan's drunken rant given how loud the music was blaring downstairs. You could feel the vibrations pulsating through the walls. There was no need to worry about a noise complaint given the closest neighbors were roughly a mile away. The music was blaring louder than it had been even at prom.
"God...All I wanted to do was have us fuck for the first time, and instead you had to go and make me angry..." he slurred, laughing immaturely. "I mean, what's the matter with you?" Declan asked angrily, stepping closer.
Emily's green eyes widened as she subtly glanced around for a weapon of some sort. He was advancing and she needed something to defend herself. Emily just wasn't quick enough. Declan threw his empty bottle roughly causing her to duck quickly in order to avoid the sharp hit. In turn, she twisted her ankle while wearing her ridiculous tall shoes as she fell to the ground. Realizing she had the perfect resource to hit him, Emily ripped off her pump to use as a makeshift weapon. Again, she wasn't quick enough. Declan came to roughly kick her to the stomach with force. The action took her by surprise and caused Emily to intake a sharp gasp out of pain.
"Spoiled fucking bitch....I woulda given you everything...." he slurred, kicking her again. This one roughly enough to cause her to cry out in pain. Declan bent down and grabbed the side of her pretty curls to entangle his hand to knot around her hair. He yanked hard, causing Emily to take her shoe to whip at his face with force.
Declan's pink lip gently split open, only angering him enough to slam Emily down onto the floor. She landed awkwardly on the side of her body as her pointer finger bent a way it shouldn't.
Quickly, Declan got on top of Emily to straddle her waist. She squirmed and struggled underneath his heavier weight, causing Declan to smack her roughly across the face.
She wasn't going to be treated like this. This was abuse. Emily struggled under his strong grip, kneeing him to the groin and attempting to squirm away. She apparently didn't hit him as hard as she intended. Declan grabbed another empty beer bottle to launch at the back of her head. Emily fell down onto the floor once again, her head aching horribly upon the bottle making impact. Declan's intent was perfectly clear - he wanted to cause her extreme harm.
"HELP!!!!" She shrieked, determined to make it to the door. "SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!!" Emily screamed. It was as though she barely made a noise given how loud the music downstairs was blaring. She doubted anyone could even here her.
Declan had gotten up before he came and roughly delivered another sharp kick to her stomach. It was yet another hit, this one with enough force that it caused Emily to start an ugly coughing fit. Her ribs hurt her so very badly, it was such an unbearable pain Emily was beyond certain she had never experienced something so awful in all her life. She coughed some more, her ribs hurting her tremendously upon the simple action.
"HEL-"
Declan got on top of her again before taking her head to smack against the hard-wood floor. She could actually feel a cut form from her forehead roughly hitting the ground. He repeated this atrocious action, causing Emily to see tiny black dots before her eyes as she was certain the back of her head had begun to bleed. She could feel a warm stickiness dripping down the back of her head, slowly creeping down her skin. She was bleeding from two access points now - her forehead and the back of her skull.
Emily lay sprawled on the floor, and she couldn't help but recall her determined attitude on not going to prom tonight. She had a beyond bad feeling something terrible would happen if she did - she was right, she should've just stayed home. This time of night Emily would be snuggled in her nice warm bed instead of bleeding out with small shreds of glass sticking out of the back of her head.
She looked up at her attacker through bleary eyes, seeing Declan send her his cat-like grin. "You're not going to be saying no, tonight, are you...." he purred drunkenly, undoing his belt buckle.
Emily winced, trying desperately to find her voice. He was going to rape her. Declan already did a number on her - she felt more than certain she not only had a concussion but also a bruised or broken a rib or two. It was amazing how much pain she was in - even though she'd never had these type of injuries before, she just knew that Declan caused her enough pain to know she suffered from both a concussion and busted up ribs.
Just for good measure, Declan grasped her head with both hands before once again hitting her head against the floor. He wanted her as immobile as possible.
Third time was the charm - Emily stopped struggling and squirming beneath him, feeling on the verge of passing out from how many hits her head had taken. The black dots continued to dance across her eyes, causing her to slump her head against the floor.
As a loud banging erupted on the door, Declan rolled his eyes as he stood. He adjusted himself back inside his boxers before he and pulled his pants back up to buckle his belt. She wasn't raped, but if the person behind the door didn't help her, she was going to be.
Emily thanked her lucky stars for whoever was at the door. She felt too complacent - she knew she was on the verge of passing out. There was no more fight left in her. Emily couldn't even feel like making a sound she was in too much incredible pain. Her ankle hurt from falling on it and her ribs ached unpleasantly. The black dots still danced around her eyes given how terrible her head ached.
Declan slipped off the bedroom light as he answered the door, no doubt to hide the fact that Emily lay bleeding and broken on the floor behind him.
There was someone at the door, but Declan closed it immediately behind him to begin conversing with whoever was on the other side of it. A raised voice sounded before Emily specifically heard what sounded like a fist connecting with a face.
It made her hopeful that someone just hit Declan.
"Help" Emily squeaked, willing herself to make a louder sound. Raising her voice too high caused her ribs to hurt even more, prompting Emily to believe she really did break one or two. "Help" she called again, wincing as the pain was truly unbearable.
The door finally opened after what seemed like a very long two minutes, and Emily heard a blanketed grunt from somewhere in the dark as the door closed. Perhaps someone had assumed this pitch-black room was empty.
"Help" she called again, her eyes glossing with tears. She prayed Declan hadn't reentered the room.
"Help...." his British voice mocked, still sounding drunk. Gentle tears glossed Emily's eyes as she realized no one came to rescue her on that other side of the door. It had been naïve hope that someone would rescue her. She shouldn't have went upstairs to look for Jake. She should've told the police about the first few times Declan touched her. She never should've signed up for that stupid dating site.
Too many would've-could've-should've scenarios roared through Emily's head as she started to whimper on the floor. The lion came back to slaughter the lamb.
"Help...." he mocked again. "Who is it you believe will help you?" He asked quietly. "Certainly not any of your drunk peers.....They're too sloshed to even know which way is the exit. God, if only it wasn't for my stupid rules....Do you know how easy it would be to peel the skin off any one of them?"
Emily's breath hitched on the floor, fear of Declan raking over her entire body as she gently shook. She couldn't move. Her body was in far too much pain as her vision blurred. She had no idea what that odd comment was even supposed to mean. Peel the skin off?
"I suppose you don't....." he continued, sounding as though he took another drink of something from a bottle. Emily couldn't see him given the blinding darkness, but she could hear him fumbling around drunkenly.
"Now isn't this truly ironic....I've wanted to kill you from the very moment I became infatuated with you...." he mused in his velvety accent. "Right here and now, you're mine for the taking...It could just be something minor or dramatic...There's too many suspects for anyone to ever assume twas I. But.....Rules...rules....rules....I don't take innocents" he grunted, taking his beer bottle to smash against the opposing wall.
The glass bottle shattered. It created a loud crunching sound of glass connecting with something hard, but no one probably heard it. The music was so very loud, the walls were practically vibrating due to the heavy base from the sound speakers. Emily shuddered out of fear, holding her ribs in absolute pain as she tried to move. As he came to step closer to her, Emily prayed he would just pass out so she could make some type of getaway.
"How long have I tried to dig something up on you, Emily Daz..." he mused softy. "God, watching you causes me to feel there's almost hope for future generations....Eighteen, and you volunteer at soup kitchens and read to the old and wrinkled....Strangely, you do it without even gaining monetary value" he laughed darkly. "I can't find a God-damn thing that makes you a bad person. You're not spiteful, you don't function off of rage or selfishness......You're different then the rest of them...You're...pure..." he said, sounding transfixed by his own strange words.
Emily realized Declan was truly insane. Watching her and wanting to peel the skin off of classmates? Perhaps he was bipolar or suffered from a strange type of personality disorder. One side was the cruel yet charming Declan, the other was a sick weirdo who spoke in murderous riddles.
"I've wanted to snap your neck the very first day I saw you....." he continued. "Maybe it would provide some type of satisfaction getting rid of you....But....rules are rules.....I only take the cold, take the lowest of the low.....The people that no will truly miss given how fucking awful they've lived their bloody lives...." he mused softly, using a calloused finger to gently rub Emily's cheek.
She flinched under the touch - frightened beyond belief. Did he really just say he wanted to snap her neck the very first day he saw her? Emily shuddered. He really was insane.
"I can't do it...." he said quietly, sounding deeply agitated. "I watch you and I know I can't get rid of you....There's too much strange goodness in you....It's beyond sickening, really....What the bloody hell type of satisfaction does someone get for baking chocolate chip cookies for firefighters?" He grunted, swigging once more from his another bottle he popped open.
Emily couldn't see him given the blanketing darkness, but she still flinched in surprise. She baked chocolate chip cookies for the Austin fire department just last week. She dropped them off last Saturday before she drove to the hospital to pick her mother up for lunch. She's baked cookies for a fire department in every state she's ever lived in. Austin Texas was no exception. But, the memory of that afternoon frightened her. The only way Declan would know she did such a thing is if he followed her...
"You're f-following m-me..." Emily stuttered, shuddering. He was following her and also spoke of wanting to snap her neck. She was in way over her head. He was a psycho who wanted her dead.
"Observant, aren't you?" he snorted, swigging from his bottle once more. He sighed once he swallowed. "Ignore my attitude, love......I'm in a very bitter mood that I can't seem to shake. Do you know just how bloody exhausting it is not understanding why you don't want to kill someone?"
By this point, Emily had slowly sat up, a soft whimper escaping her as she clutched her ribs in pain. "HELP!" she shrieked, slowly crab crawling backwards.
He sighed as he threw his bottle down before gently grabbing ahold of Emily. She struggled, but he was stronger. With gentle force, he grabbed her and settled her between his legs as he sat on the bed, his strong arms held against hers. "Stop struggling, little one..." he whispered, his warm alcohol-filled breath fanning Emily's ear.
The pounding music still echoed throughout the large house, causing Emily to realize no one was going to be able to hear her. No one could hear her scream, no one was going to come to her rescue. She was trapped - alone with this psycho.
Emily took in shaky breaths as she arched her back in a bid to not have to touch her bare back against his chest. She struggled, only for him to hold her with a little more force to keep her in place.
"Don't move" he instructed thickly, his voice saturated with slight venom. "I want to see what this feels like" he said quietly.
It was pitch black in the dark room, making it impossible to see a thing. Emily shook gently, causing him to bring her in closer to him as if out of feeling her shaking was due to coldness and not just terrified fear.
"I've never done this before" he said quietly, his chin resting on Emily's bare shoulder. "I've never felt the warmth of a woman's flesh beneath my fingertips and actually....felt something..." he trailed off, bringing his head to lie down against Emily's.
"The thought of something actually happening to you makes me quite appalled....It's shocking, really" he mused, almost thoughtfully.
"You need help..." Emily whispered softly, a frightened tear dripping down her cheek.
He chuckled darkly, a soft musical noise that sounded almost lovely. "There is no help for me.....Not for what I am. I do what I do for an actual living, and there is no help for that."
Emily shuddered as he leaned in to press warm drunken lips on the back of her bare neck. "I don't feel anyone's ever frightened me more than you..." he recalled, kissing her neck once more. "I take lives, and I could really care less for doing so.....But you, God, you......I used to believe that the word love was an imaginary word used to express closeness when individuals needed a word to show affection.....I never thought it was actually real."
"If you love me, why do you keep hurting me..." Emily trailed off, flinching as she waited for the next hit.
It didn't come.
Emily could feel him shrug his muscled chest from behind her. "I don't know...." he answered quietly. "I've never wanted to keep someone even while knowing it was in my and their better interest to distance myself from them. I want to hate you Emily Daz, I really do. I want to look at you as if you were another worthless individual that doesn't deserve to live, but I can't. You're....priceless" he slurred lightly. "I can't kill you........Why can't I kill you?" he whispered, sounding as though this was an internal question he'd yet to solve.
"Why w-would you w-want to?" Emily stammered, fear causing her to nearly hyperventilate.
He chuckled, a dark noise that sent a strong tickle of fear up Emily's spine. "Because, little one....I usually kill all of my prey."
He suddenly stood, surprisingly Emily by taking her with him. Before she even knew what was happening, he turned her around and tangled his fingers in the back of her hair to bring his mouth roughly to hers.
Emily kept completely frozen, stiffening as she felt her bare back being laid down on the large bed. This was sudden proof Declan was the kisser from her sleep deprived dreams a few weeks back - she recognized the tantalizing rushed kisses pushing against her lips.
Emily waited until he was done to shake her head gently. "Please stop..."
"No" he said quietly, moving right back to kissing her with force. His hands moved to cup the different curves on he body as he multitasked of moving her farther into the pillows as his large hands worked to unzip the dress on her lower back. "Kiss me" he said drunkenly, gently biting onto her neck softly.
Emily shook her head, only causing him to move faster in trying to remove her beautiful dress. He started to suck on her neck before he brought his mouth up to kiss her lips yet again."This is the last night you'll ever see me again, kiss me" he urged quietly, pressing his lips against hers once more.
Emily was terrified. He admitted to killing people. He admitted to wanting to kill her the first time he ever saw her. He was beyond crazy - he was dangerous, and even homicidal.
Emily ignored common sense and his gentle groping as she kissed him back, hoping his crazy self would suddenly stop as she gave into the warm kiss. A few seconds of kissing made her realize this was a bad idea.
He didn't stop. Even as she pulled away, it didn't seem to matter to him. Her kiss just encouraged him to kiss her back harder than ever as he moaned against her mouth. His fingers were easily maneuvering in the darkness to fully remove Emily's dress. She struggled to remove herself from beneath him only for him to fully pull himself on top of her as he worked to remove his own clothes. Emily could barely see given the darkness, but she felt strongly her world was about to be enveloped in darkness as she felt the multiple head injuries she endured were finally taking its toll. Perhaps Emily thought, it was fear that was driving her unconscious.
She couldn't see given the darkness, but she could hear the heavy rustling of clothes to indicate Declan removed his pants, shirt, and even boxers. Tears started gently pooling behind her eyes as she felt his warm mouth pressing kisses to different body parts of hers. It was as her underwear was removed that she began to pray she fell unconscious soon so she didn't have to be alert for the rest of this horrible act against her.
She didn't fall unconscious fast enough - she felt his first slow yet painful thrust into her, and even the others that followed. It didn't matter how much she struggled, cried, or attempted to get away, he had the advantage over her of being bigger and stronger than her tiny and slender frame. Soon enough, she fell into the sweet relief of unconsciousness brought on by the rough beating she took earlier, but not before she heard the last of that velvety smooth voice.
"I love you, Emily.....Don't worry, I'll come back for you...."
Her world then went black.
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Emily's sleep stained eyes had trouble adjusting to the light that shined strongly through the room she was in. She had perhaps five seconds of internal peace before she was able to register the pain she was in.
It radiated strongly in different parts of her body. Her ankle was sprained. Her head pounded as what felt like tiny pricks of glass stuck in the back of her hair. Emily's ribs ached unpleasantly as well. She thought for barely a second perhaps she was home - warmly in her bed, awaiting to see what Sunday morning brought her. That wasn't the case. Emily slowly sat up, finding herself draped in forest green sheets and in a room she did not recognize as her own.
She remembered the events of the horrible night before as she felt a sharp pain between her legs. Emily slowly began to cry, bringing her bare legs to her sheet-covered chest as she got into a ball position.
There was a little voice in the back of Emily's head, a pitiful I-told-you-so ringing dimly that she shouldn't have went to prom. She really shouldn't have.
She was beat. She was raped. But, as absolutely terrified and broken as she felt, something repulsed and scared her even more. It was the sick realization that not only has Declan Carter killed before, there was a very strong part of him that wanted to see Emily dead.