Slow Dancing- Troy Otto

4

   Scarlett ignored every knock on her cabin door the next day still shaking and afraid as her body betrays her, she'd never consume another drop of alcohol again. No amount of water could scrub the stains of his grabby hands, thankfully he kept his bodily fluids wrapped tightly in rubber. Scarlett had cried all her tears out, staring at the tile reliving the nightmare over and over again.

  The banging on the front door causing her to panic when it becomes louder and aggressive, bringing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them like a shield as she rests her head on top. The door busts open making her squeeze her shaking body tighter, not daring to look up in case it's him.

  Troy waited at the hummer for thirty minutes before asking around to see if anyone had seen her this morning. Coming up short he grew angered that she slept in probably hungover, he marched to her cabin knocking for five minutes straight hoping to wake her up and scold her for making him wait, she'd begged to come on this mission after all. Troy couldn't contain his annoyance as he started banging harder and harder until he kicked the door open. Storming in seeing she wasn't in bed, her clothes were ripped and torn on the ground and a flower pot lay broken in the corner, sheets ruffled and pillows thrown around. The scene was strange.. he makes his way to her bathroom seeing the door wide open.

  Nothing could've prepared him for what he found, Scarlett's naked body sat bunched up and shaking in the corner between the bathtub and the wall. Blood was smeared in between her legs and blood handprints marked her arms. Troy couldn't understand what happened to the happy woman he witnessed last night.

"Scar?" Troy calls out his voice cracking slightly.

"Go away please." Her voice sounded foreign, quiet and hoarse. Like a scared little girl would sound.

"What happened?" Troy questions anyway.

"Troy please.. I can't- he'll come back if — just go." Scarlett says not lifting her head up to look at him.

"Who's 'he'? Tell me what happened and I'll fix it." Troy demands walking to crouch in front of her.

  He gently pulls her head up catching the black eye and bruising around her throat, dried tears and puffy lips indicate she cried, sore throat means she screamed. Troy tried putting together the facts to figure out what happened last night after everyone left. She didn't look all there, like a ghost.

"I'm going to go get your mom.." Troy says carefully standing but a small hand grips his wrist tightly.

"No please. Can you stay?" Her voice was full of fear, he didn't need to see her face to know she was terrified. But of what?

  Troy nods reaching to help her stand, Scarlett flinches but ultimately allows him to pick her up and place her in the tub keeping her knees to her chest to cover her body. She lets Troy turn on the water resting the side of her face on the top of her knees staring at him but through him at the same time. She wasn't really looking with her eyes, instead reliving what happened again and again. Troy watched as translucent red water tricked down the drain from her lower half, looking for any signs of injury and coming up short again. One idea strikes him, a place he obviously couldn't see. Anger bubbles inside him finally understanding what happened just not 'who'. Looking down at her catatonic state he shames himself for almost getting aggressive.

  Troy washed her hair gently, he used to do the same for his mom when she couldn't do it herself anymore. His father was always too busy with the ranch or drunk. He didn't mind taking care of the girl in front of him, it gave him one of the many things he strives to have, purpose and importance. Troy turned the water off scooping her into a towel and bringing her out to her bed then turning to the couch instead, feeling she shouldn't be where the incident occurred. He gently dressed her averting his eyes as much as he could when sensitive parts were forced in his view. He continued to put socks and boots on her feet tying the laces accordingly before throwing her over his shoulder and walking to the hummer. Scarlett couldn't be bothered to speak or move, to afraid of backlash if she did. She'd allowed him to place her in the passenger seat, buckling her in and telling her he'd be right back.