A Fresh Ending

Chapter 2

I didn't know how long I had been in this cell. I lost count of how many meals I ate that were delivered by Steve. I didn't know if it was day or night. I wasn't sure I wanted to know how long I'd been here. I felt grateful that Steve had put his focus on the Noa girl, barely showing me any mind.

I kept to myself when Steve brought me food. Making sure to never look at him, and for the most part, he didn't say a word back. Sometimes, Steve would comment about me being too quiet or express how happy he was that I decided to eat the food provided. He left me things I might need, but nothing was said between us, since the day he brought me here.

The beep of the lock on my cell made my eyes dart to the wall before Steve entered. He walked into my cell, hands in his pockets, and just stared at me from afar. He sighed, walking further into my space, taking a moment to just look me over. With my peripheral vision, I noticed he was dressed rather nicely. Black slacks, a black shirt, and an expensive jacket covered his body. I guess you can afford all that when you're a doctor.

I tried not to react as he knelt beside me, pushing a small piece of hair from my face. Probably the sweetest thing he had done since bringing me here. He sighed, running his hand up and down my arm before leaning forward, and placing a kiss on my temple.

"My sweet, Y/N," he whispered against my skin, before rising to his feet, leaving me alone to comprehend what just happened.

I didn't understand what he meant by his words and actions toward me. The last time he was even remotely sweet to me was the night of our last date, which landed me here. I hadn't spoken a word since. Part of me wondered if he was worried about me, wondering if I was losing touch with reality. There were moments I felt like I might, but I did my best to stay focused on the now.

My thoughts were interrupted by another beep of another cell. I closed my eyes, knowing that Steve went to see his favorite girl. I didn't know why I felt a bit jealous. I know I didn't want his attention, but I didn't want her to have it either.

"Hi," Steve's voice echoed from the vent across my cell.

"Hi," Noa answered back. She didn't seem as upset with him as she had been before. I wondered if maybe she had given up her ploy of trying to escape, because the way I saw it, there was no way to get away from this man.

The two remained silent for a while. I heard Noa grunting a bit. I wondered if she was trying to move around her cell. It had to be difficult with just having surgery done on her ass.

"Do you need anything?" he asked, sighing.

"No, thank you," she answered rather politely.

I guess getting on his good side was better than losing another part of your body. It was part of the reason why I just remained quiet. He couldn't get upset with me if I didn't speak to him. I prayed my silence didn't cause him to become angry.

"Okay," he expressed, smacking his lips.

"What does it taste like?" Noa questioned, causing me to listen closer.

I wondered the same as her, thinking there had to be a reason why Steve decided on this lifestyle. It's not something someone just stubbles upon, or I hope not.

Due to the silence that followed Noa's question, I'm sure Steve was contemplating how to answer her question. I was intrigued by what he might say, not sure if anything I heard would change my opinion of him. My curiosity waited for the man to speak, to shed a bit of light on this chaotic life.

"Well..." Steve began, hearing my shuffle across the cell. "It depends on where it comes from and how it's prepared." It makes sense for all food, so I guess I understood that part of what he expressed. "But...if it's done right, it fucking exquisite," he said. "It's like nothing you've ever had before."

I could hear just how much he enjoyed his world through his words. As nasty as all this was, we all have that passion in our lives that means everything to us. I could understand a bit why he loved this part of life, and why it consumed his time.

Noa responded to his answer with a quiet, barely audible, "Hmm," but never really said anything else. Silence took over the basement for a bit before Steve finally responded a bit irritated. "That's it?" he questioned.

When met with silence, Steve sighed, leaving Noa alone. I listened for a bit to the sound of his shoes, shuffling past my cell and slowly taking the stairs. Stillness took over the large basement, allowing me to relax enough to get some sleep.

Sometime later, I heard some shuffling past my cell. My guess is Steve was returning for some reason. I completely skipped my cell, shuffling further down the hall. I listened carefully, concluding that he was heading to another girl's cell.

I waited to hear a girl scream. The girls always put up a fight. Who wouldn't when they knew what their fate was? But there was no screaming, no crying, just silence. What was that crazy man doing?

Soon, Noa's cell door opened, and Steve spoke immediately to the woman, "So...why did you ask me what it tasted like?"

"Um," Noa spoke, grunting, meaning she was probably trying to move. "I don't know. I guess I was...curious."

I couldn't blame her for being curious. Being down here long enough, you begin to wonder why people do what they do. In this case, why did Steve like human flesh over animals?

"You were curious?" Steve asked. "You expect me to believe that?"

I chuckled to myself, understanding why the man was a bit skeptical. He literally just took this woman's ass, now she was curious about his choice of lifestyle.

"You can believe what you want," Noa commented.

"Okay," Steve sighed, shuffling through Noa's cell, a plastic bag rustling a bit as he moved. "Let's have dinner and we'll see how curious you are. I brought you some stuff. Figured you might wanna change."

I'm sure that was not what Noa had in mind. I'm not sure I would be able to have dinner with that man if he was serving me human flesh. I felt my dinner, which I ate earlier, turn in my stomach. I prayed with everything in me that it stayed down till Steve was gone.

A sigh of relief fell over me upon hearing Steve's shoes click against the floor in the hall. I held my breath when he stopped in front of my cell. I'm not sure how long he stayed, but I remained still till he was gone.

I lay there in the dark, wondering if I would ever agree to have dinner with a man that took me against my will. That thought was replaced with the fact I probably would have a choice in the matter. I sighed, pushing away all thoughts of Steve, focusing on just trying to sleep. I needed to sleep if I was going to keep my mind safe through all of this unknown.