Evasion

Chapter 13

Aleena

The taxi pulled up outside the cottage and Aleena paid her fair. Slamming the door, she made her way through the gate and down the flower decorated, crazy-paved pathway to the door. Punching in the key code to the safe lock to retrieve the key, she noticed that the key was not where she assumed she had left it. Thinking she had possibly been a little careless, she tried the door handle to find that it had been left unlocked. Pushing on through, she noticed that she could see a light had been left on in the lounge. Aleena hung her jacket, removed her boots and headed for the kitchen. Making herself a drink and grabbing a packet of crisps, she entered the lounge. She hadn't remembered leaving the lamp on but she did not give it much thought. As she sat down, a part of her wanted to reach for her mobile and yet again her mind was telling her to leave it alone. The evening had been enjoyable and she felt at ease. Reaching into her jean's pocket she pulled out Robin's number, it had been wrote on a cardboard, drinks mat. Aleena went to the hall to put it in the side-board in the hall, alongside her mobile. She would put the number into the phone, she thought, when she was ready to switch it on.

As the night wound down and Aleena was beginning to feel tired, she flicked off all the lights and made her way to her temporary bedroom. Slowly, peeling her clothes off, piece by piece, she pulled out a large t-shirt and threw it over her under-wear, ready to hit the bed. Flicking the light out she made her way back to her bed. The room was pitch black and she walked holding her hands out to reach for the bed. Aleena felt a hand grab her back by the shirt and another quickly was squeezed over her mouth. Her mind went dizzy, she could feel adrenaline rise in her as panic coursed through her veins. She was being pulled with a force that she could not fight and felt heavy breathing around her neck in the dead of the night. Her bare feet were dragged across the hallway as she tried to scream and lash out. They were strong hands and she felt useless and unable to defend herself. Her feet were now in the air and she could tell she was being carried, hurriedly down the stairs. Still dark, her back banged hard on the floor. Aleena tried to scramble on her knees, now on all fours to race away. A shoe hit her in the head and she felt her head rush with the pain it dispensed. Again, clambering up she was pushed once more and she fell back onto the floor. Wetness filled her cheeks but she was beginning to feel numb. Reaching around in the dark, Aleena could tell that she was in the first floor hall by the side-board. Managing to pull herself up she reached for a glass vase and smashed it over the shadow figure of a man she could see before her. As it shattered on the perpetrators head she heard a voice that she recognised scream with anger; "You fucking bitch!", It was Adam. "Did you think I would not find you? You fucking dared to walk out on me and switch off your fucking phone". She could tell that he was getting angrier and filled with more rage and she ran now towards the kitchen. Following her fast, he grabbed again at her shirt and pulled her back with force. Again, she was on the floor and was now feeling harsh blows hit her face on either side. Aleena felt sick and helpless. Screaming for help with each hit and begging him to stop, she rolled over into a cocoon-like shape. The blows stopped and she could hear his footsteps now pacing. He flicked on a light. "Get up Aleena" he shouted, in a deep, menacing voice. Feeling like she could barely move, she remained where she was. "I said, get the fuck up!". Adam pulled her up by her shoulders and forced her to the lounge. Her face was sore and she could feel it pounding, throbbing in pain. Slumped in the chair, she lifted her eyes to see Adam. He was wearing a light blue jogging suit with blood splatters across the shoulder and upon the front of it. Blood was coming from somewhere in his pile of messed up, dark hair. Adam looked furious. Aleena scanned around the room for her laptop, realising that her mobile was too far and away in a drawer, switched off. "You have cut my head you devil, can't you see, I am fucking bleeding you bitch" He kept touching his head and looking at his hand. He started to walk closer to her now. Bending forwards over her, he grabbed her face with one hand by both cheeks and forced her face to look at him. "Look at the state on you now. Two hours I have sat here, waiting for you, two whole fucking hours. Two fucking nights you have left me and here you are in a country cottage, swanning around and getting tarted up to go to a fucking pub, you whore! You are coming home with me. You are packing that case back up and coming home, do you hear me?". Adam dropped her face and exited the room. Sobs began to fill inside her and her breathing became heavy. Anger was now raging inside of Aleena. listening carefully for where his footsteps were headed, she sat perched waiting to make a move. Water could be heard coming from the kitchen tap and so she sat and waited a little more patiently. Adam's footsteps could now be heard ascending the stairs that he had dragged her down. Quietly, she stood up, in her torn shirt and tip-toed gently across the lounge. Standing in the doorway she peered around but there was no sight of him. Glass was scattered across the hallway floor and she walked gently, trying to avoid shards of glass. She could hear movement, things being thrashed and banged about from the bedroom and she slid open the drawer, reached in for her mobile and grabbed the beer mat that she had placed next to it earlier. Aleena ran for the front door but it was locked and there was no key in the lock. "Help me" she whispered under to her breath, to whom she did not even know. Quickly she trod over the glass and entered the kitchen. Reaching the external door, phone in hand, she could hear Adam's footsteps pounding once again, descending the stairs to her level.