Days of Decay

Chapter Thirty Two

The rest of dinner went by, but Asha didn't manage to retain its memory. She could only remember being carried back to her room because her legs refused to work properly. Jude took it upon himself to make her comfortable, which only added to the confusion and upset that she was feeling.

Once she was in bed and tied back up, she fell asleep surprisingly quickly. It was deep and she felt a little lost in it. She didn't dream.

When she woke up, he was there, waiting. She wasn't sure how long he'd been sat there, but the light coming from behind him told her it was morning and that she'd survived another night in the hands of the Samaritans.

"Do you remember yesterday when I said I'd make up for lost time?" Jude asked her, his voice starting her day off bitterly.

"I remember," she whispered, catching her breath from her sleep.

"Good. You're a good girl," he smirked, pulling out his multi-coloured pinwheel.

She shuddered at his words. "You don't get to call me that."

"I get to do whatever I want with you. Time to play."

Dread flooded her and the memories of the last run-in she had with his special game came back with a vengeance. Her heart started to stutter, knowing what was going to happen. He moved it to her fingers and waited until she weakly spun the wheel. She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath.

"A green one!" He announced.

Green meant it was going in just above her knee cap. It was more painful than going in the arm because sometimes when he did it, it scraped the bone.

His fingers pressed firmly on her leg and she stayed deathly still, knowing that if she didn't, she'd pay for it. He was quick to shove the needle through her skin and she winced, keeping her scream in. He'd managed to make it not so bad, which she was thankful for. But he didn't seem satisfied with how much pain she was in. It didn't fuel him enough.

"Again," he ordered, holding the pinwheel in her reach.

She complied and lay there waiting for him to make his selection. When he stopped it, his face lit up and a flash of anticipation graced his face. Asha looked to his fingers and to what colour he had chosen. It was a black headed pin. She hurriedly scanned the rest of the pinwheel, there weren't any more of them, there was only one, and he was holding it.

"Unluckily for you, this one's my favourite. It's a treat and I get a little more excited because it's rare. I need to turn you on your stomach," he explained, setting down the pinwheel.

"What does the black one mean? Where are you putting it?" Asha frantically asked, shuffling away from his strong hands as they started to untie her.

"You'll find out soon enough. Why ruin the surprise?" Jude replied, his voice like caramel, sickly and suffocating.

Panic built like a rocket in her. As soon as her hand was free of her restraint, she instinctively swung it at the blue-eyed man. Her fist connected with his chin with a pop and he threw his head back, but he was silent. Asha stilled and stared at Jude who seemed to be containing his rage. She breathed heavily, her brows turned up.

"You touch me again, little girl, and your boyfriend will die. That I can promise you," he whispered, soothing his face with his hand before glaring down at her.

Finn. She slumped back into the bed, defeated.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Asha apologized, hating every moment of it. She'd become a joke.

"Now. I'm going to untie you and tie you back up, on your front. Do you understand me?" He spoke with increasing power.

"Yes!" Asha cried, feeling completely useless.