Solo Ruby in the Raven's lair | Taennie ff

17

NIGHTMARE

A figure lay tangled in the bedsheets, sweat glistening on their forehead, body trembling as they were gripped by a terrible nightmare.

In the nightmare, a small, dark room emerged from the shadows, its corners barely visible. The air was thick with despair, and in the middle of it, a little girl, no older than 8 or 9, sat huddled against the wall. Her knees were pulled tightly to her chest, her small frame shivering with fear. Her eyes, once bright with innocence, now looked dead, hollowed out by the horrors she had endured.

The girl had been trapped here for a week, a week that felt like an eternity. Her clothes were tattered, her body bruised and battered. Blood dripped from her split lips, and she seemed too exhausted to even wipe it away. Her once silky hair hung in tangled, greasy strands around her pale face, and every breath she took was labored, filled with pain and terror.

Suddenly, the door creaked open, its rusty hinges echoing ominously in the silent room. The girl’s body tensed, her heart racing in her chest. A tall figure stepped into the room, his shadow casting a menacing form over the child. He was the man she feared most in the world, the one who had brought her to this hellish place.

The man approached slowly, a cruel smirk twisting his lips. "How are you doing, candy?" he sneered, his voice dripping with malice. The nickname made her skin crawl, a twisted mockery of the endearments she had once known.

He crouched down beside her, reaching out to touch her face. The girl flinched violently, her body instinctively recoiling from his touch. This reaction only seemed to amuse him further, and he let out a chilling laugh that echoed in the small room, making the girl shrink further into herself.

The man’s laughter echoed off the walls of the small, dark room, each cruel sound driving a deeper chill into the little girl’s bones. His hand, rough and cold, moved from her face down to her trembling shoulders. The girl’s breath quickened, her eyes widening in horror as she realized what was coming next.

“Don’t worry, candy,” the man sneered, his voice low and menacing. “This will only hurt a little… at first.”

He pushed her down roughly, the force of his hand sending her small body sprawling onto the cold, hard floor. The girl tried to crawl away, her tiny hands clawing at the ground, but the man’s grip was too strong. He easily overpowered her, pinning her down with his weight. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she fought to escape, but her strength was nothing compared to his.

The man leaned in closer, his breath hot and foul against her ear. “I’m going to record this,” he whispered, pulling out a small camera from his pocket. “And then I’m going to send it to your daddy. Let him see what happens when he crosses me.”

The girl’s heart pounded in her chest, terror clawing at her insides. She was too scared to scream, too weak to fight back. All she could do was cry, silent tears of despair streaming down her face as the man positioned the camera, a twisted grin on his face.

“Smile for the camera, candy,” he hissed, his hands moving to tear at her already tattered clothes.

----

The man’s twisted grin grew wider as he positioned the camera, making sure to capture every moment of the girl’s fear and suffering. He leaned in closer, his fingers cruelly digging into her small, fragile shoulders as he whispered, "You’ll make a beautiful little star in my collection."

The girl’s breath hitched, her tears flowing freely now as she struggled beneath him, her tiny body writhing in panic. She could feel the weight of his intentions pressing down on her, the darkness of the room closing in like a suffocating blanket. The walls, once cold and silent, now seemed to pulse with the horror of what was about to happen.