Run (#Wattys2016)

16

Aaron rolled off of me and flopped onto the bed beside me. Cuddling up he whispered, “I really wish you didn’t have to be punished tonight. We could’ve spent the night together.” I shuddered and tried to scoot away. But the chains made movement almost impossible. 

“But you wanna know what I can’t wait for?” he asked, “I can’t wait for the day where you’re too weak to fight. And we can finally just get rid of these chains.” He turned me away from him and hugged me around the waist. We laid like that for five minutes. Then ten. Then fifteen. Finally he sighed and rolled out of the bed. 

“Unfortunately,” he started, coming over to my side of the bed and unhooking the chains from the bedposts, “it’s time. You were a bad girl today, Lekia.” Before I could process anything, Aaron had thrown a hood over my head. There was a hard tug at my wrists and I landed on the hard floor with a thud. 

“Up,” Aaron demanded, tugging at the chains, “Up!” I staggered to my feet. “Forward.” There was a shove in the small of my back. I started to move my feet, stumbling along. My hands were out in front of me, trying to guide my movements. Aaron must’ve saw this. There was another yank and my hands were behind my back. 

“I think you can trust me,” Aaron said. We walked a little farther. But instead of telling me to stop, Aaron yanked the bottom chains. My feet flew out from under me. I braced myself for landing, but all that came was a hard jerk to my ankles and wrists. I stayed like that for a second or two, then I started to move downward again. At a slower pace this time. 

The second I hit the ground, I started to struggle. I rolled onto my back and kicked in the direction I thought Aaron was. He wouldn’t be able to do anything to stop me coming at him. But Aaron wasn’t there. The chain was pulled and my feet went away from my target and back to their natural position.  Then a weight was placed on my legs. It was Aaron. (I don’t think that weights have boxer shorts.) I could hear him doing something with the chains.

I swung my right arm to fling the chain. There was a pull and I couldn’t move my arm. I swung my left arm the same way. Miraculously, the end of the chain ended up right next to my right hand. I grabbed it and pulled with such force that my right arm could be moved again. With the chain came Aaron. The chain had gone around his neck. Right where I’d wanted it to go.

I grabbed the chain with one hand and went to take my hood off. Just as it was clearing my head, the door opened. Two goons strolled in. It took me a second to realize that they were coming after me. I rolled so that Aaron fell off of me and stood up. Holding Aaron on a chain leash like the dog he was. 

“Don’t come any closer!” I screamed at them. They kept coming. I pulled Aaron to his feet and pulled the chain tighter around his throat. “I’m warning you,” I growled. 

“Guys,” Aaron said calmly, “listen to what she says.” The goons stopped. But they were smiling weirdly. What was up with them? I found out a few seconds later. Aaron moved his hand in front of him. There was a tug at my feet. Next thing I knew, I was hitting the ground again. But I’d brought Aaron down with me. 

The goons were at his side almost immediately. They tried to slip the chain over his head, but I kept tightening it. 

“Her...back,” Aaron gasped. The goons got the message because a few seconds later, there was a foot in my back. And it kept coming. My grip loosened on the chain and Aaron managed to slip out from under it. The goon kept kicking my back. I was on the verge of screaming. The pain was causing my vision to go black. Every kick resulted in an intake of breath. The pain was so much. I think I was about to black out. 

“Okay, Smith.... We don’t.... want her to black.... out,” Aaron gasped. Finally the kicking stopped. I curled into a ball, gasped again, and rolled out of it. How in the world had I forgotten the chains on my feet? And my disadvantage in a fight? Dad would be so upset.