The Year of Maybe

Chapter Ten

My eyes open to an eternal black. I put my hand in front of my face but am stopped by a cuff connected to my wrist. It clangs across what feels to be a concrete floor.

What happened...? I was at the store... Eli. He had threatened me with a gun and made me walk away perfectly calm and collected. Where was Ricky? Why didn't he save me? He was off trying to find stuff for the burgers. And then Eli took me; now I'm here.

My head pounds with a pain like no other. The same rhythmic thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump beating against my skull. Hunger gnaws at my stomach. The baby is probably starving. "H-help me! Please!" As the last words came out of my mouth I see a little splash of light about ten feet in front of me.

Frantically I sob, "Help me! Somebody! Please!" The light came to life once again. I recognized the sequence of little lights coming from the object. It must be a baby monitor... He's listening to me.

Footsteps pound from above me and dust rains down. My pulse speeds up as I try to free myself from the chains. The rattling increases the intensity of my headache and suddenly I hear the creak of a door open and close once again. "Let me go! Please just let me-" The sting of a hand cracks across my cheek.

"How could you? I'm not the monster here," growled Eli.

"How could I what? You've already beaten me up, please just get this over with." I bow my head down ready for his next move. I jump at the soft touch of his hand on my face.

"When I saw you with him, I knew you were unhappy. There is no way that I could leave you in a situation like that, right babe? It's my job to keep you safe and happy. Right?" The silence is almost as deafening as the blackness is blinding. He rubs his thumb around in little circles on my jaw. "Awe baby... Don't give me the silent treatment. I just want to protect you..."

"Don't touch me!" I try to slap his hand away but the cuffs dig into my wrists and I let out a small yelp.

"Awe... Now is that anyway to talk to your boyfriend? Now once you start behaving, I will turn on the light and free you of your chains. You will still be locked down here, mind you, but that's just temporary until I can trust you. And if that little friend of yours comes to the rescue... You'll both be sorry."

You. Are. NOT. My. Boyfriend. I want to spit in his face. I want to scream and cry and fight until my knuckles start to bleed. Instead, I just sit here in an eternal silence and rub my hand over my belly. I'll get us out of here, I thought to my baby girl. Either me or Ricky. I will never forgive myself if you end up being born here. If you get sick... I just can't handle that. I love you...

I can feel Eli right in front of me. His soft breath smells of beer and stale crackers and before I realize it, his lips are on mine, his hands on my hips drawing me to him. No! Quinn! Don't let him do this! I kiss him back for the sake of the baby. Maybe he'll let us out of this darkness if I pretend to still be in love with him. Eli's knee digs into my stomach as he tries to lift up my shirt.

The words are out of my mouth before I could stop them, "Be careful of the baby."

Eli backs off of me and I can feel his gaze slice through the space between us. "Baby?"

I seal my mouth shut and lean my head back. Are you kidding me... He's never gonna let you go now... He's crazy. "Baby... So the rumors are true? You are pregnant? If it's by that skunk you've been hangin-"

"Eli it's yours!" I yell at him and throw my fists down. "It's not Ricky's baby! It's yours! I'm about seven or eight months in. It's definitely yours. Please... please don't hurt her." I feel tears streaming down my face falling to the concrete floor.

"Her? I see..." I hear Eli stand up and start shuffling away from me. A soft click echoes throughout the room and three awkward yellow light bulbs flicker to life. He turned on the light... He said if I behaved that he would turn on the light... What did I do?

Eli is clothed in a dirty blue flannel and a pair of gray sweatpants; I notice I am in a completely different outfit as well... A tan sweater is draped loosely around my body flashing my shoulders and he's got me in some kind of really short shorts, so short I can see the line of my underwear.

About ten or fifteen feet ahead of me is an old torn up couch and a coffee table. On the coffee table is a box of assorted boxes and a jar filled with what looked like water. I stand up and hurry over the table before the chains stop me short. You have to be kidding me. I turn around and realize that the chains are tied to a bedpost and it only gave me about a four foot radius to move around. The cuffs are starting to create little bruises all over my wrists from struggling.

"Eli?" I clang the cuffs on the bedpost. "Can I please get some food? I'm really hungry..."

No answer.

"Hello! Is anyone there?" I wouldn't be surprised if people could hear my stomach growling from Brazil. "Could you at least uncuff me please?"

No answer.

I sigh and curl up on the bed. The only sounds emanating through the whole house (if this is even a house) are the awkward grumbles from my stomach and an ensemble of loud voices... A tv maybe...?

My eyes become heavy but I know what is to come won't be sleep; only nightmares. But I guess a fake nightmare is better than living in this one.