Dream Catch Me (Student/Teacher)

Dream Catch Me - Chapter Forty Four

I woke up, or so I thought I did. I could tell my eyes were open as I blinked rapidly trying to focus on anything. Yet the pitch black made me question my sanity as I tried to feel my surroundings. I had been laying on something soft, but once I realised it was a mattress I shot up and refused to touch it any more than I had to. Who knew what it had been used for?

Strangely, in the pitch dark I wasn't scared. I couldn't see anything that could've made me scared and somehow it was comforting. There was no sound surrounding me and not a peep of light. I decided to shuffle around on my hands and knees on the ground, to try find anything that might give me a way out or a way of finding out exactly where I was. I dropped slowly to my knees and groaned as grazes and cuts touched the ground.

I went to place my hands on the ground, but a shooting pain went up my arm and immobilised me. I clasped it tightly to my chest as the pain spread like hot fire from my wrist. I could remember most of what happened last night, and remembered once I had leaned on my wrist it had been hurt.

Remembering last night just made me angry, not scared or upset. But angry. I was so close to shaking him off not once or twice but three times. But I was too slow, or too weak to push his off me and run towards the shop. I felt like I had watched helplessly as my battered body was thrown into the car boot, like I couldn't have tried to stop it.

As soon as I saw his black eyes glinting in the darkness, with the crowbar raised above his head, I knew that I was in a bit of a pickle. A big pickle. I berated myself over the decisions I had made, as I now saw his plan laid out in front of my eyes. Figuratively, as I still couldn't see a thing. Lewis had made sure I would think he had backed off from me, only leaving that threatening note in my locker; "I'll have you." Now that I thought back to it, the week I had trouble with Joe was the week where he did nothing. He treated me like everyone else in the class, like just another student.

He had waited until I was vulnerable and alone to take me. I cursed myself for going out at night onto a street that wasn't busy and badly lit. Lewis had used it to his advantage though. He used it as a mask, disguising his kidnapping.

I should've known that something drastic was going to happen, but I was too wound up in my own little world to notice anyone else. Good one Jane. You always promised yourself you wouldn't become self-centered and conceited, yet you were too busy to notice anyone that wasn't you. I felt like punishing myself at that point, but I also felt like sitting in the dark in God knows where with no way out was enough punishment.

I got down on my hands and knees again, but this time cradling my wrist to my chest as I shuffled along the ground. It was a cold concrete that felt like a sheet of ice beneath my knees. Small stones and debris dug into my grazed knees as I shuffled along the ground. It didn't matter how much I blinked my eyes, the pitch black didn't fade, or turn into light. I shuffled along the ground again, but somehow sensed there was something in front of me. I sat back on my heels and and reached my good arm out in front of me to feel around.

I felt a fool when my arm took a swipe left and there was nothing but air, but as I cautiously swiped my arm to the right it made contact with a hard surface. I sucked in a breath at the sudden contact and rubbed my arm against my leg to rid the already fading pain away. I reached out again, still cradling my bad arm to my chest and felt around for what my arm had made contact with.

Unlike the cold ground, this surface was warmer and I knew it was wood as I felt a splinter catch itself under my nail. It was the least of my problems, I reminded myself. My hand became more desperate and adventurous as I felt around for what I discovered would be my way out. My hand went high and higher, following the skeleton of the staircase. I wondered how many stars there were, and I tried to count as I felt around again. I was slowly crawling my up the stairs on my knees with my arm out in front of me, a warning system for anything unexpected in my way.

I was trying to be as quiet as I could, trying to stay under the radar of Lewis who was probably standing right outside the door, but sometimes my knees would slip down a stair and I'd land on the step beneath me with a loud thunk. I cringed each time I made a loud noise, but didn't ponder over it too much, just trying to stay focused on the next step.

It seemed like conquering Everest, each step a grueling hike. I reached the summit as my hand reached out for the next step and made contact with a large wooden panel in front of me. I stood up higher on my knees, but still squatting on the stairs and I reached up with my hand searching for a door handle. I don't know what I expected when I fumbled with the handle and twisted the cold knob. I had hoped that he had left it unlocked, but I realised how stupid that was when the doorknob stayed in placed as my hand slipped around the locked handle.

It was then, even after first realising I was stuck in this pit of darkness, that I first contemplated crying. It definitely wouldn't help the situation, but finding a locked door made me feel defeated and my eyes started to burn with tears. I sunk down on the top stair and slumped agains the railing. There was a small strip of light coming in from the bottom of the door, but it was dark. I went closer and peered under the door to look between the small gap.

I couldn't make out anything with the dark light of the night, but fuzzy shapes allowed my brainto fill in the gaps. I could see a laundry from across a small hallway, and the outline of a washing machine. It didn't give me any source of hope, no front door or people in sight. I slumped back down on the step.

'Well,' I told myself. 'What now?' I sat in that step for a long time running possibilities through my head. I needed to get out, but how? The door was locked. Were there windows? Could I pick the lock? Should I wait for him to come down and take my opportunity? I crossed each one off until I was left with no possibilities. Once I got out where would I got, I had no idea where the front door was or where I was in town.

I sighed again but cut it off as I heard footsteps above me head. The floors was creaking and the steps were quite loud, getting louder. Stairs, I thought. I held my breath in hope and slowly made my way down the stairs, one at a time. It was hard with only three limbs in use and I only got down a couple of stairs before the door swing open. The large figure loomed in the doorway and glared down at me menacingly.

"Oh Petal, I always knew you were a fighter. This is going to be fun!" he spoke gleefully and clapped his hands once in delight. I tried to scurry down the stairs quicker, skipping the occasional stair and trying to get away from my attacker. Mr Lewis stepped down the stairs, one at a time at a slow and menacing pace that made my heart race in fear. I knew I had reached the bottom when the cold concrete made contact with my body. It sent a shiver down my spine, chilling me to the bone.

"I saw the outline of Lewis as he reached up and pulled a string that was connected to the roof. After a loud 'click' that bounced around the dank space, a light burned my eyes. It was only a small bulb attached to the roof, but the lack of light had made my eyes sensitive and I found myself cowering from the light. "Don't cover your face," he demanded as I reached up with my arm to shield my eyes from the light. I ignored him, and kept my arm there.

That was my first mistake. Covering my eyes meant I disobeyed him, and it also meant I couldn't see what was coming my way. Sure enough a slap was imprinted into the side of my face, no doubt leaving a bright red hand print. I yelped in pain and grabbed my cheek with my good arm. I stared at him in shock and then anger.

"Don't ignore me Petal." he hissed through his teeth. He raised his arm again threateningly and I cowered away from him. He chuckled like it was all a sick game to him, bringing his arm back down to his side. "Good," he stated. "Now you know not to disobey me. Each time you do you can expect this," quick as a flash. At lightening speed he had flicked an object from his pocket and came at me, giving me no time to respond. At that point I couldn't tell what it was, but as it slashed my skin on my forearm, immediately spurting blood I knew it was a knife he had produced.

Once again I yelped in pain, except this time with the blood, it made me scream. Lewis chuckled again, a deep belly chuckle. I grasped my arm as the blood slowly poured out, and I tried to stem the blood flow. Already, I'd been here less than a couple of hours (at my guess) and he'd already hit me and cut me. If this was what was in store, I feared that I would never see real day light again. That I'd be stuck in this dark and damp pit of a madman's house for as long as I willed to live.

-

Lewis eventually left, after explaining why I was stuck in the basement of his house. "You're mine now, no one else's." he had simply said, followed by, "You will love me, and of you don't you know what to expect." I had gulped at that point. Even if I tried to fake love him, my trembling fear would always be a giveaway, and it was a given that I could never love Lewis. Ever.

Before he left, Lewis had produced a small muesli bar from his pocket and thrown it on the mattress which I could see clearly under the basement light. It had a large dark brown stain in the centre, as if someone had held on it. I refused to sit on it, let alone lie on it. I also refused to eat his food, maybe by starving myself I'd die faster. Or not, but all I knew was that I was never going to eat what he gave me, nor enjoy it either.

After he threw the bar onto the mattress he had taken one step towards me without warning and given my shoulder a large shove towards the mattress. "Get some sleep," he ordered. "You'll need it." I saw the intent in his eyes and I refused to allow that to happen. There was no way, at all, that he would truly have me how he wanted, even though he was desperate. I would fight him until I had given up all hope and there was nothing left of me but a bag of bones in a basement. 

He could steal my freedoms and comforts, but he couldn't steal my dignity.

-

That night, I refused to do what he ordered, and I remained crouching on the cold concrete with my eyes snapped wide open, sure that if I fell asleep something bad would happen. I ignored the pain in my muscles and tried to block out the throbbing of my wrists. It was bent slightly at a wrong angle, and I knew that something was probably broken.

There were times during that night, that combined with the darkness made me delirious. I found my imagination running wild of how I would get out. Would I have to kill Lewis? Would someone come and save me? All night my brain never stopped thinking, but the one thing that was constant was my imagination picturing Joe bursting open the basement door from a hefty kick and taking the steps two at a time until he would be in front of me.

Then he would sweep me into his arms and carry me out of the pit, all the while declaring his love for me. When that happened, I had to shake my head and try to rid my mind of what would most likely not happen. At this stage, I would be down here for days, weeks, months or even years until I whittled away to nothing. 

At one point in the night, I heard a faint creaking sound and dull footsteps across the floor. I assumed Lewis was on his way to the bathroom and back again. Other than that, all I could hear was the sound of my breath and the blood rushing in my ears. 

I found my eyes drooping at points, but ordered myself to stay awake. I could tell it was getting nearer the morning, the faint chirping of birds making me more aware of my surroundings from my sleepless night. It may have been sleepless, but it wasn't dreamless.

Creaking upstairs had me on alert and I stood up and cowered away from the stair case. I held my breath to listen for any other sounds. Unexpectedly, the door flung open again, flooding the stairs and surroundings around me with a bright yellow as I saw sunlight stream in from a window and straight down into the pit of hell.

It was ironic really, like he sunlight made everything feel better, yet there I was still stuck under Lewis' house. "Morning Petal!" He greeted cheerfully. I remained quiet and cowered further away from him. "Morning Petal," he hissed, trying to get a response from me. I mumbled something that didn't even resemble a full word, yet he accepted it and moved closer to me.

"Sleep well? Good." He came closer still until he had me cornered into the back of the pit. I looked around in fear, looking for an esacpe route. There was nothiing in the basement except the matress, and the ratty old staircase. 

I glanced around again, past the open door and against the other three walls. It was a cold and dirty stone that would be found in dungeons, and had an awful damp smell that I realised after being pressed up against it. I sivered as my bare back still in the dress I wore to the party made contact withthe stone as I was pressed further by Lewis.

I was darting my eyes back and forth, looking for anything that would help me. Yet all i could conjure up were the small shelves attached to the wall and the windows... Windows! My eart jumped, as I saw the possible escape route. They had been papered over and blocked the sun from the basement. 

My attention was brought back to Lewis as he lifted his hand in front of my face and stroked from base of my ear down to the base of my throat. I gulped as he travelled further down. All I wanted was to be somewhere else, where I wasn't being touched or felt cold and dirty. I wanted a shower, I wanted food, sleep and I wanted Joe. 

Where was he? Was anyone looking for me?