The One I Knew

Chapter 11

*Rose's Point of View* 

Even before I opened my eyes, I knew I wasn't in a good situation. My cheek stung and I winced as I turned my head. I moved my hand to my cheek and to my surprise I could move it. My back was pressed against something cold and hard, which meant I wasn't in my old bed anymore. I tried to move my legs, but cried out as I shifted my injured ankle.

"Good, you're awake," Eric said. With my eyes closed, I could still sense the smile on his face.

"Go to hell," I whispered, mustering up all the strength I could. Pain jolted down my jaw as I spoke and I suddenly remembered the video and how I had seen him come at me then everything went black. I sighed in relief as I remembered that now Michael knew where I was and they were coming after me. I opened my eyes and found Eric leaning right over me, giving me a full view of his face. He had black hair that gave midnight a run for its money and a pair of full lips that were now pressed into a thin line. Not to mention his dark eyes that now I could see were just a rich, dark brown.

"Sweetie," he said, grabbing my chin between his finger and thumb, "I'm already there and you're here with me." I cringed away from him as he pressed a kiss to my cheek, narrowly missing my lips. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment," he sighed, roughly letting go of me. He turned his back to me, his shirt gripping tightly to his back. It gave me a full idea of just how strong he really was. If he wanted to, he could just break me in half like a twig, but no. This man was insane. He would take his time and make my last moments torturous.

"They know where I am, Michael will find me and you won't win!" I yelled at him. He whirled around and glared at me, but a smile was on his lips.

"They will not find you, especially not your little Michael. If you look around, I'm sure you'll recognize just where we are," he said, waving his hand around. I followed his hand and held back a gasp. I recognized the storage boxes and old punching bag stuffed in the far corner, years worth of dust piled on it.

"How did you get me here?" I asked, bewildered.

"I have my ways," he said, proud of himself.

"Where's Kathryn?" I questioned.

"She's more worried about that liability than herself," he chuckled more to himself than me. "Oh Rose, you should be more worried about my plans for you. But if you must know, she is safe and completely unconscious," he smirked. He turned his back away from me once more and I heard metal clanging together. I felt my body shake in spite of itself.

"What exactly are your plans?" I said, my voice scaring me at how calm and even it was.

"Oh, it has to be a surprise. But know it will be long and you will suffer for running away all those years ago," he sneered, "I told you before, I don't appreciate disobedience." He turned around to face me, his lips pressed into a cold smile that closely resembled The Joker's. As he neared me, I finally noticed the dagger in his clenched fist. It looked just like the dagger we had found in the duffel bag in the river.

"This will be so much fun," he smiled, leaning down on the table. He slid the dagger in his back pocket and reached across me. The sound of metal reached my ears and I felt something hard and cold clasp around my wrist. Looking up, I saw him quickly handcuffing my other wrist. The other sides of the handcuffs were nailed to the table corners. He trailed his hand from my wrist, to the elbow, and down to my waist. Disgust raged through me as he moved down my leg to my ankles which he then proceeded to do the same thing as my wrists. I involuntarily let out a scream as the metal clasped tight against my injured ankle.

"That's right, scream," he cheered, his eyes full of hunger. He gripped my ankle hard in his fist and I clenched my mouth closed. He growled inhumanely and twisted his fist. This time I couldn't hold back the scream as it escaped through my lips. A dark smile formed on his face as he reached behind him and pulled the dagger out. He dragged it gently down my arm, trailing in different designs. Suddenly I felt him press harder and cried out as the blade pierced through the skin, blood sliding down my arm and onto the table.