The Key to My Hart

Chapter 26

Trigger Warning: Assault, Sexual Assault, Torture

"Revelation 19:20, 'And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.' Look at her fingers. She bares the mark. Satan has sent the Antichrist into our presence, but God has given me the tools to save our people."

I tried to stand, but all I managed to do was throw myself to the floor. Marty and another man I hadn't met roughly grabbed my shoulders and hauled me to my feet. The room swam. I felt so weak and angry. I had protected those children and through their own ignorance, they had betrayed me. Or at least the boy had. So much for trying to be a hero.

Josh jumped from his seat and stood before me. He was breathing heavy and his fists were clenched. "You killed my father." He hissed. "You could have saved him, but you killed him."

I shook my head, making the room spin. "No, Josh. There was no saving your dad." I wasn't even going to get into the logistics of how he even knew what had happened. There was no sense in arguing with the child who had already made up his mind.

"Now, my brothers and sisters, don't be alarmed. I have her subdued. The Antichrist will be taken to a secure location. She will be given the opportunity to admit to her sins and claim God as her Lord and Savior." Father Peter projected his voice to the restless crowd. "Marty and Tom will escort the witch away. Come and let us bask in His Gloriousness!"

The sounds of the congregation faded into background noise as I was dragged outside and further away from the church. The contents in my stomach rolled and bubbled, attempting to make their way back up. Not that I had much to eat today anyways.

Does too much iron really make a person this weak? Or had that imposter done something else to me? Wherever I was being dragged to seemed to take hours to get there. My limbs didn't want to work right, and neither of the men seemed inclined to help more than just yanking me around.

My vision was blurry, but we seemed to have finally reached a building. Maybe it was a house. I couldn't tell. All I could hope for was the chance for the excess iron to wear off so that I could make my escape. That bastard couldn't possibly have enough to keep me contained forever, right?

The sound of a motor and metal on metal sharpened my mind for just a moment. It was a garage door opening. My shoes scraped against the cement floor as I was drug towards the middle of the garage. Both men let go of me and I collapsed to the ground. Rope was being wrapped around my arms and feet.

Then they were gone. It was cold and dark in the garage. I tried twisting in my bonds, but lacked the strength to do more than rub my wrists raw. Eventually, I gave in to the overwhelming fatigue.

When I woke again, I was no longer lying on the garage floor. Instead, I was strapped to a gurney that was tilted into an almost standing position. There were leather straps at my wrists and above my elbows as well as around my ankles and above my knees. Worst of all... I was completely naked.

Panic choked me, a scream getting caught in my throat. Flashbacks of my childhood raced to the forefront of my mind. I started thrashing and bucking. One scream after another ripped from my throat. Still, no one came. Salty tears stung my cheek.

Darkness edged my vision as I fought against my own terror. Tremors of panic vibrated to the core of my body. The leather straps bit into my skin as I tugged my arms and legs over and over. The metallic smell of blood tinged the air as my skin ripped open.

"Seems as if you've already started the party on your own." A voice cackled from the stairway leading out of the basement.

My breaths were coming out in short bursts. "Fuck you." I rasped out.