Katerina awakened, and her face shrivelled with agony. Outside it was still dark; the air was biting and cold. Did she get any sleep at all? What time was it? With her fist she rubbed her eyes that were still wet with tears, wincing at the excruciating pain in her foot. Once she moved her face she stiffened to the stinging pain in her cheek. Day one and she was already battered and scored – going great.
Vaas was still lounging on his bed – one arm slung over his eyes and the other hanging off the edge of the bed, with his fingertips grazing the wooden floorboards. Katerina glared at him for a while, watching for any brash movements that he might randomly make. But Vaas was still, like the calm water, breathing slowly and heavily against his arm.
Katerina moved her eyes away from him and scanned the room anxiously. For a while she glared at the table, behind the treacherous stream of glass, her eyes scanning back at forth, from Vaas and to the table and then back at Vaas again. Digging her nails into her palm, she held her breath and burrowed her fists into the floorboards, squeezing her eyes shut as she slowly rose from the floor. She balanced on her heels and yelped silently, clawing at the wall as she whimpered in pain – tears trickling down her cheek and falling to her breast. She took one step, delicately treading onto the rough wood, but even stepping lightly caused the excruciating pain to claw callously at her flesh, making her muscles ache and her skin burn. She yelped, falling to her stomach, catching herself roughly by her arms.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Vaas groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose and rubbing his face with his rough hand.
Katerina sat up, wincing and clenching her teeth together as she hissed through her teeth, pain filling her body as she moved. With her shaken hand she brushed the hair from her face and looked up at Vaas with fretful eyes that swelled from tears and shined like silver. He sat up, growling as he brushed his fingertips through his hair, exhaling deeply as he glared at the nails in the floorboard.
"Are you going to fucking answer me?" he snarled, standing up and glaring at her from above.
"I wasn't d…doing anything," she stammered, her lip trembling as she lifted her head to look at her capturer, "I was seeing if I could stand."
"Why?" His voice was serious, it was a bark – a vicious scold that frightened her. His severe low tone sent a chilling, abysmal shiver through her body. "I asked you why," he barked again, growing impatient; snapping his head to her direction.
"I..I… I just wanted to see how badly my wounds were."
"Liar."
"I'm not…"
"No, no, no, no!" he barked, crouching down besides Katerina, who stumbled backwards onto her elbows, quivering to the warm gust of Vaas' breath against her skin. "Don't you know not to lie? It's a stupid fucking thing to do. Gets you into all kinds of trouble that you don't want to fuckin' be in." "Plus, have I ever told you that I'm not a great morning person?"
"Well, I haven't been here for very long." She stammered her voice dry and shaken.
Vaas chuckled, snatching a strand of her hair and twisting it in her fingers, "are you suggesting that you want to stay for a while? Eh? Are you enjoying my company?"
"I…I… no."
"No?"
"No."
He chuckled again, standing up and studying her like a painting – something that pleased but also amused him. His hand rushed to his head, and he slowly traced it down his face, stretching his skin and rubbing his eyes with his fingers. "Stand up." He ordered in a severe monotone.
She looked at him and gulped, digging her fists into the ground and pushing herself up by her arms.
"Come on, stand the fuck up." He barked, tapping his foot impatiently.
Finally Katerina was to her feet, her body trembling and her eyes swelling with tears. She bit her lip anxiously as she peered up at Vaas, clenching her fists together as she stood awkwardly on her aching feet.
"Can you walk?"
Katerina winced, "I don't know," she muttered, nerves creeping into her voice, making it quake.
"Try."
Katerina barred her lips together, moving her feet reluctantly. She took one small step and yelped, falling forwards towards the floor. She opened her eyes, expecting her face to be buried into the ground, but she did not hit the floor. Vaas had quickly caught her and held her in his arms, turning her body around so that she looked up at him. He locked her in his arms for a moment, glaring into her wide hazel orbs that shimmered with tears.
Flashing his eyes away he abruptly dropped her, releasing his protecting grasp and allowing her to collapse harshly onto the wooden floor. She squealed as her back crashed bitterly against the hard surface with a loud thud. He perched over her – a predator observing prey – as she lay still on the floor, gnawing on her inner cheek expecting Vaas to tumble on top of her like some monster in a horror film. Instead, he reached for his boots, plunging his feet into them and quickly tying the black laces together. Katerina watched him leave, her eyes glued to the red metal door that slammed shut, taking away with it any light that had previously filled the room.
What on earth is happening? Katerina thought as she slowly sat up, resting her back against the warm wood of Vaas' bed, why the many questions? Why the slow, heavy movements? Why the small unanticipated acts of humanity? Why the tiredness and the unease? What drove him to become this different when he was confined to this shack alone? Did I miss something? Had something horrific happened, but for some unsettling reason I cannot recall it? What was going to become of me? What was going on?
Katerina waited, stroking the blue, blood-stained fabric swathed around her feet with her fingertips. The weird thing was, was that she didn't even know what she was waiting for. Perhaps she was waiting for an insight, something to guide her away from this prison. Or maybe she was waiting for someone to rescue her, a saviour that would take her pain and fear away, and let it get lost in the wind. Someone who would protect her and keep her from harm. She chuckled at her ridiculous hopes. Of course that wasn't going to happen. No one was going to liberate her from her torment and no one was going to shield her from harm. She no longer was her own person. She was property, controlled by fear - owned by a vicious, brutal and terrifying pirate lord. Here, in this place, she felt powerless and felt that there was nothing, and none one, that could save her from the agony she was bearing.
Though the thought of escaping again did wander in her mind. Try a different route and hope for the best. But, there was no guarantee that, that could work. She was badly beaten and her whole body throbbed with pain that burned like fire against her delicate skin, which meant that even if she could escape, where would she go? How would she even get there? How would she even bear the strength to clamber up to window, and slink through bushes and behind rocks and barrels? It was not possible. She sighed, bowing her head to her chest and shutting her eyes. Her recent thoughts left her wandering, why didn't Vaas lock the window? What was he trying to prove?
"Wake up!"
Katerina jumped to the sudden boisterous sound of Vaas' dulcet call - that abnormally bounced with jest. Golden light glowed into the shack from the open door and the small window. When did Katerina fall asleep? How long was she asleep for? Had Vaas been away all this time?
"Well, good afternoon!" he smiled, a gun in his hand, "been asleep all this time have you? Lazy. You are very lazy Kat, tut tut." He laughed, brushing the tip of his pistol across his head, "pleasant dreams? Eh? No?" he grinned, lips dripping with a callous venom, "or was you dreaming about me? Can you not get enough of me? Enjoyed my fiery kiss last night, eh?"
Katerina shook her head, wrapping her fingers tightly around her arms and drawing her knees up to her chest.
"No? Why?" Vaas growled, marching over to her slowly, his foot treading on the glass that shattered beneath his boot. He chuckled, crouching beside her, "what? Did you want more? Was it not enough for you sweetheart?" Vaas grinned, sticking his pink tongue out between his teeth as a malice snicker echoed from his mouth. Katerina glared up at him with wide wary eyes - her body as hard as marble. "I think you should tell me the truth," his voice was a whisper, he continued, taking hold of her by the arms, "I know you yearn for more of it, the taste of it. I am correct, no?"
Katerina flashed her eyes away from Vaas' face and glared at the floor, studying the small rusted nails embedded in the wood. A deep chuckle erupted from Vaas' lips and he pushed back a strand of Katerina's long hair behind her ear. "Your hair is no longer wet I see," he chuckled, cupping her face in his palms, but still her eyes looked away, "though, still damp…" he sighed, brushing his fingertips across the deep wound on her cheek, "you look pale Chica."
He erupted into more chilling roguish cackles, standing up and looking down at her like a predator – hunger building in his cold eyes. His tongue raced across his lips, and Katerina peered up - a silent dry cough exploding from her lips. Her lip trembled as she opened them, "Vaas, can I have some water please?"
He chuckled again, brushing his fingertips through his Mohawk and glaring up at the ceiling as he snickered, "water! Yes, I could do with some water. The sweet, cold refreshing fluid rushing down my dry throat. Thanks Chica!"
With a callous grin he spun around rapidly, bouncing with amusement. Katerina watched, her throat so dry that each tiny breath clawed at the back of her skin, making it itch and burn. She coughed quietly again, concealing her lips with the back of her hand. Vaas swirled around with hilarity, clutching onto a small plastic carton, half-filled with precious clear liquid. Saliva filled her mouth, as she glared eagerly, tracing her tongue across her dry lips. Vaas chuckled at her pitiful desperation, drawing the carton to his lips and taking a long swig of the cold water. Katerina watched restlessly as water droplets escaped from the corners of his lips, trickling down his chin, down his steaming neck and onto his hard chest. It was tempting for her to swiftly scurry over to him like a ravenous animal and lick every droplet of water from his skin. She gnawed at the inside of her cheek as she studied his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed the vital fluid. Her eyes began to swell as she watched the volume of water decrease and decrease some more. She glanced away with grief, reluctant to witness the last droplets of water being slurped up by the cruel savage. Vaas brought the carton away from his wet lips with a chuckle.
"Here, there's a little left for you." he chuckled with a wicked sneer as he tossed Katerina the carton. She was too weak to even attempt to catch it. Before she could move her arms an inch or stretch out her fingers, the plastic carton smashed against her arm and collided against the floor beside her ankles. Her eyes widened to the sight and she quickly rushed over to reach for it, quickly and clumsily unscrewing the top to get to the few drops of precious, life-saving liquid that she desperately needed.
Only a few drops splashed onto her dry tongue. Anger boiled up in her tired body, and she was ready to explode like a kettle set to boil. Though she knew portraying her anger would only make matters worse - how would the psychopath react to it? He was unpredictable. He could laugh, scream, attack or shoot, or even just ignore it. It was just the look of the draw. So instead, she scrunched up her nose and lobbed the empty carton beside he feet. Her head bowed to the floor in which her matted hair hung over her face and brushed against the floorboards, hanging over her head like a net.
"You seem disappointed." Vaas exclaimed with a raised eyebrow and folded arms, "was you expecting the whole carton? You greedy you."
Katerina lifted her head and snarled, flicking the thick tangled mess of hair from her face. "I was expecting a little more than a few drops, yes."
"Some get nothing sweetheart."
Katerina only shook her head, not bearing the strength to banter with the cruel savage. Her lip trembled as she gnawed down on it - wincing to the pain in her chest and stomach, as if her rib cage was collapsing on her and he stomach was shriveling up into a ball of dust. Please, she prayed in her thoughts, grasping tightly onto her stomach as she studied the cracks in the floorboards, I know my body can barely cope with this, but I will not die yet. I refuse to be defeated by hunger and dehydration. Can this be hell? If a hell even exists.
"You could persuade me..."
"What?"
"Persuade me. How desperately do you need a drink? Hmm?"
"Fuck off Vaas."
He chuckled, a deep chilling cackle, and ambled over to Katerina, striding over to her with an unsettling predacious manner. He crouched beside her, grasping onto her chin and hauling her head to his direction. His body snaked closer to her, and Katerina grimaced and yanked her head away, crumpling her nose irately and sealing her lips tightly shut. She tried to free her head from his harsh clutch but Vaas' hold was tight and secure, and Katerina was too weak; too frail to struggle now. She studied the small water droplets that were speckled on his lips. The sight of any water made her mouth moist, and her throat burn. She needed water to survive, and she wasn't getting any. What would that lead to?
His tongue traced the borders of his lips, snapping off any remaining water droplets that clung to his skin, with his head bowing closer to her. Katerina squeezed her eyes shut, listening to the quickening beat of her heart. The strong scent of liquor flooded her nose, and for a moment made her dizzy. She suddenly felt warm, the pleasing, tranquil feeling you get when you cradle into a ball beside a roaring fire. She was roused from that by a rough, sensual force against her lips, and gasped, opening her eyes to discover that her capturer's lips had collided brusquely against hers and that his body had concaved onto her small frame, pinning her down like an animal as his lips lavished her lips, trapping her in his embrace.