Every Breath She Takes [CURRENTLY ON HOLD]

Chapter 9: Hope

The baby fascinated me. I could see it growing, and making my belly bigger. Soon, it was noticeable to all, and I began to notice that the men were treating me less harshly. I knew that it was because my kidnapper had talked to them, and I knew why. There was no point in me miscarrying, given the high chance that I would die, when he could let me keep the baby full-term, and take it from me later. That way, he would still be getting money. The months passed, and my baby began to move more confidently. My stomach would ripple at random times, causing me to freeze, and then touch it, hoping for a connection. Duchess and I never spoke of that day in the garden. I didn’t think any of the other girls knew, and I kept her secret. They were careful around me as I grew bigger, and I started to realise that it had been a long time since anyone had actually given birth. Duchess was the only one who didn’t seem worried, and it was from her that I finally found out how long it had been. We were in the garden as usual, and I was sitting down. Lately, I’d found that standing for too long was beginning to hurt. She came over to me, and sat down beside me.

“How far along are you?” she asked bluntly. I shrugged.

“I have no idea,” I replied. “It could have been anyone.”

She nodded, frowning as she studied me. Then she reached out, pausing slightly in question. I nodded, and she gently placed her hand on my stomach. She stayed there for a few moments, and then pulled back.

“I thought so,” she murmured, and looked at me. “I think you’re about seven months,” she said slowly. “I’m not completely sure, though.”

I stared at her. “How do you know that?”

She made to answer, but was called away. Groaning slightly, I rose to my feet, knowing that I would soon be returned to my room.

The next morning, I could barely move. I felt terrible. My head was throbbing, almost as if it was threatening to split with every beat of my heart, and I was shaking with cold.  I curled up, trying desperately to get warm again, but it didn’t work. I heard the door open, and even that sound was too much for me. I moaned softly, which caused me to start coughing uncontrollably, and caught the attention of my kidnapper. He came into the room and stood over me. He stayed there for a while, and then he left, quickly coming back with Duchess. I kept my eyes shut tight the whole time, not sure if opening them would benefit me or not. A cool rag was soon on the back of my neck, and heavy blankets on my body. The voices were a little distant, but I could understand them.

“It’s pneumonia, sir,” she murmured. “The baby has weakened her. She could easily die from it.”

There was only silence after that, and I imagined that he was gazing at me angrily, trying to work out what to do. At last, I heard him sigh.

“Keep her alive as long as you can,” he ordered. “I’ll take care of the issue later.”

“Yes, sir. But I need to be with her all the time.”

He huffed, and I could sense the anger simmering. “Fine. Just this once.”

There was no response from Duchess, and soon the door was locked behind him. I opened my eyes a crack. Duchess was there, wringing out another cloth. She turned, and saw me watching her.

“You may be lucky,” she said quietly. “I’ve bought you some time. He’ll probably sell you to that man.”

I frowned, not understanding.

“Remember? The one who offered to buy you a few months ago. He’s been back since, trying to convince him to let him buy you. Don’t know if it’s worked yet, but you can hope.” The cloth gently wiped my face, cleaning the sweat off me.

“What…” I tried to speak, and found my throat was so sore that I couldn’t speak. I coughed again, feeling the pain in my chest. She quietened me gently.

“Don’t talk,” she ordered. “It will only make it worse. You need to understand that you could die from this. You, and the baby too. You have to listen to me.”

Scared, I nodded, and abruptly stopped. Nodding made the throbbing in my head worse.

“Good. Drink this.” A cup was pressed to my lips, and I obediently drank, making a slight face at the taste. We were used to it, though. The water he gave us often tasted funny, and this was no different.

“Good,” she repeated. “Now sleep. You’ll feel better.”

I closed my eyes, not expecting to sleep, and found that I drifted off almost straight away.

When I woke next, Duchess was still in the room with me. She bent over me, pressing another cup to my lips, and I drank obediently, not bothering to make a face. I looked at her questionably, and she shrugged.

“It’s nearly midnight,” she said. “Nothing’s changed.”

I sighed, moving restlessly. The baby was restless too, making my stomach ripple with every movement. I also needed to go to the bathroom. She seemed to realise that, for she helped me up, and then helped me back into bed.

“Sleep,” she ordered. “It will help. I promise.”

I looked at her, my head throbbing still. Then, my eyes closed of their own accord, and I slept again.

I woke slowly, knowing I wasn’t alone. When I opened my eyes, I found that Duchess also wasn’t alone. The gentle man was with her, talking softly. I stirred slightly, alerting her, and she came over. She placed her hand on my forehead gently, her eyes filled with worry.

“Still fevered,” she murmured, and looked up as the man came over. “Are you sure it will work?”

He nodded. “It has to,” he replied. His voice sent something I couldn’t define through me, and I shivered, coughing. Duchess noticed, and pulled the heavy blankets up further, trying to keep me warm.

“Alright then,” she said quietly. “Take care of her.” She walked to the door, and slipped out. I looked at him, wondering.

He smiled slightly at me. “You’re going to be safe,” he said softly. “Just…trust me, alright?”

I curled up, ignoring him. I couldn’t trust anyone – only Duchess. I heard him sigh, and then I felt his hand rest lightly on my hair for a moment before it was gone. The door opened, then closed, and I let myself relax. I didn’t know what to think of him. He still scared me a little, but he also sent shivers through me, a feeling that I couldn’t define.

The man opened the door, and stepped inside. He watched as she stirred at the sound, and her moan of pain reached his ears. Hurting slightly, he bound her wrists together tightly, and then blindfolded her. She stiffened, but he was thankful that she didn’t try to fight. He suspected that she didn’t have the strength, anyway. He picked her up, marvelling at how light she was. It wasn’t right, not with her being pregnant. Carefully, he carried her to his car, thankful that he had waited until midnight before he’d come to pick her up.  His wallet was now much lighter, but he knew – hoped – that it was all worth it. As he made to go out the front door, the woman who’d been tending to his Smoky stepped out of the shadows. He paused, looking at her. She bowed her head slightly.

“Tell her…tell her we know,” she whispered.

He frowned. It didn’t make sense at all. She saw it, and gently touched the girl he was carrying.

“She will know,” she murmured, and vanished into the shadows again. Still frowning, he went out to his car, and laid her carefully in the back, on the seat. He covered her with the heavy blankets, seeing with surprise that she’d fallen asleep again. He closed the door and got into the driver’s seat, starting the car, and driving her away from that hellhouse of fear. When he was a few blocks away, he stopped, and leant back to release her wrists and remove her blindfold. He had no doubt from the way she’d reacted that she had been taken in much the same way, and he had no wish to repeat that experience for her. When he was satisfied, he continued on his way.