The first thing I notice when I try to open my eyes is the darkness that hinders my vision. The room is void of all light and I cannot make anything of the shadows that surround me.
The room stenches of soil and damp mildew, which gives me the feeling that I am somewhere underground. The room is silent except for the paced inhales and exhales of my breath. I move and wince, pain from my injuries in the recent fight and the stiffness in my muscles due to disuse are brought to my attention.
I now take notice of the thick, solid chains that secure my arms behind my back and bind me to a metallic pole in the room. Due to the lack of rust on the chains, I assume that they are new. He must have learned his lesson from my escape the first time.
I clear my throat and lean my head back against the pole. Memories of the recent events play in the back of my mind over and over on repeat. I just hope that my friends and family will be safe. The evidence that I left for them will hopefully lead them to stop their search for me. I can't bare to see any of them get hurt because of me, that's why I had to return to my kidnapper in the first place.
The sound of a latch clicking into place somewhere across the room draws me away from my thoughts.
Speaking of the devil, my kidnapper must be entering the room now.
I shift my head so that it's facing down and hidden from plain sight. I close my eyes as if I were still asleep.
I hear the sound of footsteps entering the room as the latch is undone. The sound of a light switch clicking on echoes in the room.
His footsteps continue to echo in the room as he gets nearer. They stop suddenly and I can practically sense him in front of me.
He exhales loudly and his hand lifts my chin to face him. My eyes open and for a moment I am blinded by the light.
"You're awake, my dearest."
He comes into view, my eyes adjusting to the light. He looks just as creepy as the first time he ripped me away from the world.
His hand traces the side of my face before he runs his fingers through my hair. I tense and clench my jaw, fear settling over the areas of skin he traced.
He kneels in front of me and smiles when our eyes lock.
"I would ask you what you've been up to since our last time together, but I already know. "
He must be referring to Lucas, Jason and all of my training.
He pauses, " It's okay though, everything is in the past. We have a whole future together, my dearest."
I try not to cringe when he mentions a future. I have gotten myself into a big mess this time. If my family and friends are okay in the end, then whatever pain or fear I face will be worth it. I just hope that they will be alright.
He grins, his eyes scanning my face for emotion. It was as if those dark eyes of his hoped to find fear within my own. His hand cups the side of my face when he speaks once more.
"Say something Celeste." He pauses. "Let me hear your voice."
His eyes seem to darken when his words are followed by my silence. His jaw clenches and his hand drifts towards the back of my head subtly. His hand tightens on a fistful of my hair and he yanks my head to the side in a matter of seconds.
"I SAID SPEAK TO ME!"
He screams inches away from my face and his free hand digs into my thigh. I scream in pain and fright for nearly a second before regaining my composure.
He smirks evilly and releases his grip on my thigh. I can feel the formation of a bruise forming when he releases the pressure. His hand loosens in my hair and he laughs softly.
"Oh how I've missed that sound."
He turns away from me in an abrupt motion and walks across the room. Now that the lights are on and the scenery is visible I'm able to confirm my suspicions. The room seems to be underground with concrete floors and walls. There is one entrance / exit and the door seems to be made of a heavy steel material. The latch itself is sturdy looking.
My eyes fall back on him and my eyes widen. He seems to have a work bench and table filled with knives of all sorts. Thick silver colored chains sway near the table.
He is a psychotic freak.
He turns and faces me, an excited glint in his eye. A shiver of fear runs down my spine and my confidence act fails. I'm petrified of him.
He is what makes up my nightmares and my every fear. He is the one who enjoys my pain and suffering. He is worse than the monsters that parents tell their children about when they are young. He thinks that I belong to him.
With every step he gets closer to me. Fear runs rampant through every part of me now.
It has consumed me and I am nothing but fear.
He smiles and fumbles with the chains behind me. They loosen and he collects them in his hands.
" You've brought this upon yourself, my dearest, you will learn. If you obey me, I will free you from pain. If you disobey me, well, you will see for yourself what happens."
He laughs while dragging me across the cold cement. He pulls me off of the ground to attach the chains to the ceiling near the table.
The table sparkles with sharpened metallic edges and knives. He runs his hand over the blades as if looking for his favorite. He selects a simple sharp tipped blade and faces me.
Faces of loved ones shoot across my mind when he rakes the knife down my side. My attempts to hold back my screams of agony are worthless and I fight to push the faces of my loved ones out of my head.
I'm doing this for them, for their safety and happiness. If he harms me, he will be too busy to harm them. Thinking of them only hurts worse, I must face this alone.
The knife scatters across the table with the other knives and my kidnapper turns towards me. His hand is stained crimson with my blood and he glances down at it with a smile. My hip stings where the new gash was placed amongst the seven old gashes that I had from the first time that he had taken me.
"I've missed the sound of your beautiful screams so much, my dearest."
He traces the side of my face with the bloodied hand, leaving a trail across it. His finger stops on my lip and he grins.
"Next time I'm sure that you will speak."
He grins, "I could always go after your precious friends and family if you would like."
He laughs happily.
I tense with fear and he smiles again. His hand falls from my face and his eyes lock with mine.
"Smile Celeste."
His eyes flick towards the knives and back to my eyes again. I manage a fearful smile and he grins.
"Perfect."
His hands reach above me to remove the clasp that hold my chains to the ceiling. I sink to the ground and he takes ahold of the chains. He drags me back towards the pole in the center and reattaches the chains, careful to make sure that they are secure. He probably fears that I'll escape again. I know that I can't, he has me defeated. If I run, he would find me again and again. If he couldn't reach me, he would go after everyone I cared about.
I've lost my fight to him, I blink in realization.
He has won.
He grins and kisses my forehead.
"I'll be back soon, my dearest. I can't wait to spend more time together!"
His psychotic laughter echoes in the room as he heads towards the door.
The lights cut off and the door slams shut. The sound of the latch sliding in place reminds me that I am stuck here.
I can't escape my fate.
-
Hey readers!!!
I'm so sorry for the long delay in updating chapters! I graduated from high school, worked full time this summer and I'm moving into college soon. It has been a crazy and wonderful year, and I didn't mean to neglect updating this story, the time just seemed to move so quickly...
Anyways, the song that I've pared up with this chapter is sung by the band Famous Last Words and I really feel that the kidnapper in the music video portrays celeste's kidnapper and his psychotic personality. If you have an extra second, take a look at the video and let me know if you agree.
Thank you so much for reading, I'm sorry for the delay. More chapters are on the way soon! :)