Trapped

chapter three

It was once the car of my attacker began speeding away from civilisation that the realisation struck me. I sank down in my seat as huge sobs racked my body and my hands shook as I began my assault on the windows, door handle and the metal slatted divider that separated me and him, desperately searching for a way to escape my impending doom. If I could have gotten near him I would have killed him there and then.

Not once did he try and stop me, and that alone scared me more than anything else. It meant that there was nobody around who could possibly hear my screams.

We drove for what seemed like eternity, I eventually grew tired and curled up in my seat, my hands blistered and sore. I was pretty sure that I might have broken several fingers on my left hand and I cradled them to me as the tears continued to stream down my face and onto the leather seat which was cooling my throbbing forehead.

I closed my eyes and wished to be someplace else, anywhere. If only I hadn’t stormed off earlier. Earlier, I was so hysterical I could have almost laughed at that, it seemed like a life time ago, maybe more. I wanted to go home and tell my mum and Jessie and Will how much I loved them, I wanted to go and visit my father’s grave and bring him some of his favourite flowers but most of all I just wanted to say sorry for all of the times that I had messed up. If I died because of this man then the last memory my mother would have of me was me telling her that she didn’t even care about me and storming off. Oh god, there was no way in hell that I was going to let that happen.

My eyes shot open as the car jolted to a stop. I pushed myself up despite the rush of nausea that hit me, just before the man grabbed my arm and yanked me violently from the vehicle. I fell to the floor and cowered there, too terrified to look upwards. He kicked me in the side making me grunt as pain shot up my chest.

“Stand up.” He kicked me again and I curled up tighter, gasping for breath. He reached down, clutching my shoulders and lifting me off the floor and placing on my feet. “Next time, do as I say.” He snarled before punching me in the stomach. I doubled over in pain, taking several steps backwards, due to the force of the blow, until I was pressed up against the cool metal of the car. He leant an arm above my head and leaned in, his face just inches from my own. “Don’t you dare try anything; I can do much worse than that.”

Obediently, I was lead away from the safety of the car. I was too petrified to try and rebel against him. As we walked I caught my first glimpse of a small cottage which sat alongside a trickling stream. It was almost surreal, such a beautiful, picturesque place with such a dark inhabitant. It was in the middle of a large wood, all I could see in every direction was trees and more trees, their leaves blocking out most sunlight.  

As we headed towards the door to the cottage the adrenaline sunk in and I kicked away from him. I was mere steps away from him before I was on the ground once again with the man towering over me. I gulped down the sob that rose in my throat and lashed out at him as he lifted me up, slung me over his shoulder and carried me into the house, despite my struggle. I guess I had always known that I was no match for him, he was at least a foot taller than me and large muscles protruded from his biceps.  Why had I even ever believed that I would be able to escape him?

He threw me to the floor and I heard a large clunk as my head met with concrete, I gritted my teeth and forced myself up onto hands and knees, ignoring my spinning vision and crawling away from him. I looked around frantically, attempting to make out my surroundings but all nothing came into focus. I could hear muted voices but they seemed distant as though they were being carried to be on the wind. My shoulder connected with something hard and I was forced to stop and take deep breaths, squeezing my eyes tight shut, trying my hardest to prevent my head from spinning.

I screamed as a hand touched my shoulder from behind, flinching away from whoever was there.

“Shhh calm down,” it was a woman’s voice, she sounded soft and gentle, like she actually cared about my welfare, such a contrast from that last voice that I had heard which was harsh and cutting. “Calm down, look at me,” I swallowed back a sob and slowly prised my eyes open. A girl crouched in front of me, her long golden hair falling down over her face which was etched with worry. “Hey, it’s ok, don’t be scared, try and take some deep breaths for me ok?” I couldn’t put her to place, she didn’t suit being with somebody so cruel and menacing. “I’m Callie,” She said, smiling sadly “Do you think you can stand up?” I nodded slowly, pain shooting up my spine with every slight movement that I made.

Callie helped me to stand up, steadying me against her. I could see several other girls peering at me from the doorway behind her, they were all clutching at each other and looked almost as terrified as I felt.

“Melanie, can you go and put on a drink for out new friend here?” Callie asked as she lead me through another room and over to a small sofa, sitting me down and perching next to me. It was as I sat there staring up into the faces of three other girls that I began to cry. “Hey, don’t cry, it’s all going to be ok.” I didn’t believe her, there was no way that things were ok when you were sat in the house of a kidnapper. “I know you must be terrified right now but you need to try and calm down.” I realised as she said this that I was hyperventilating. I gulped down air, attempting to steady my breathing.

“What am I doing here?” I asked when I was eventually able to speak. Callie sighed and shook her head.

“The man who brought you here, that’s our master, and you need to do what he says, if you don’t...” She didn’t need to finish the sentence; I could do it for her. “We look after him and take care of him and... fulfil his needs.” I leapt up at that, making a dash for the door which Callie had lead me through just minutes before. I reached the front door just as a younger girl, with a similar complexion to Callie stepped in front of me, blocking my exit. I dodged around her but she grabbed onto my waist, holding me back. I pulled against her, managing to reach out for the door handle and turn it. The door was locked. What had I expected though? For the door of the house that I had been kidnapped and brought to to just be left wide open?

I gave up eventually and collapsed onto the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. I felt someone lift me up and guide me backing into the living room but I was completely numb and everything that was happening seemed so far away, like it was happening to somebody else not me. It should have been, things like this just didn’t happen to people like me. I felt somebody engulf me in their arms and I leant against them as tears streamed down my cheeks.