Detriment

19. Epilogue

"Charlie! Charlie wake up!"

My eyes snapped open, my body instantly throwing itself away from the voice and sending me falling over the side of the bed with a carpeted 'thud'. Still, I didn't bother to find out if there was pain, looking up at the bed fearful. My heart rate still hadn't calmed down from the nightmare that had decided to plague me tonight. It was worse when I realized how dark the room was and that I couldn't make anything out. Maybe I really hadn't woken out of it.

I panicked at the thought, trying to kick the blankets that were wrapped around my leg, restraining me.

"Charlie!"

The blanket wouldn't loosen and I couldn't stop the sob that ripped from my throat. I couldn't get free and it terrified me. The ghost pains of barbed wire stabbed through my legs and carpet soon turned to the dirty concrete of the basement's ground. Then, hands wrapped around my arms and it had sent me screaming and trying to push them away.

As soon as that happened, they moved away, causing relief. That was until I was pushed down, my back hitting the ground and my hands pinned above my head.

"Pl-pl-please." I begged with my eyes shut closed tightly. "Pl-please d-don't hurt m-.." I broke down, my body trembling underneath the other's. I tried to flex my wrist but they were tightly held.

"Listen to me okay." The voice said carefully, sounding almost scared. I nodded quickly.

"Who am I?"

"C-Cameron." I choked out in a sob, my wrist flexing to get away again. The room went quiet after that, except for my crying.

"Open your eyes Charlie." He said after a while, his thumb running along my palm softly in an attempt to get me to stop struggling. I was met with darkness again when my eyes were open as if I hadn't even opened them. Panicked, again, I wanted to shut them until I was able to make out the things in the room. The ground was indeed carpet, the blanket not barbed wire and it was Ayden that was slowly allowing my hands free to undo the blanket around my leg.

"The lights." I cried out, wanting nothing more than to be out of this darkness. Ayden shook his head at my request though.

"I can't. Power outage from the storm, it won't be fixed until tomorrow morning."

My leg was finally free and hurriedly, I stumbled up to see if what he was telling me was true. I flicked the switch up only for nothing to happen.

No...

"Ayden, I can't stay in this darkness!!" I screamed, gripping on the doorknob of the shut door to hold my balance. He pushed the blanket back on his bed, walking to me and took my hand.

"Why Charlie?"

"They'll get me!"

"Who?"

"Cameron!" I screamed at him, not understanding why he wasn't as worried as I was.

"Charlie, he won't get you. He's in jail.

My knees felt weak. " B-Bradley..."

"Dead."

I dropped my entire weight onto him and just cried.

What he had said was true. About a month after getting out of the hospital, Ayden had gone against my pleading and had reported Cameron of the abuse, my kidnappings, and playing a part with my near death. The news played for weeks on every channel and now the entire world knew what happened behind closed doors. I was angry at Ayden for a long time. I ignored his very presence even though we were under the same roof. I had refused to even talked to him, until I had snapped one day.