The Cellar (snippet)

The cellar

My face lay against the cold damp stone ground, in hopes of easing the swelling on the left side of my face. The tight silver cuff weighed down on my bloody and scraped ankle making it unbearable to move. My good eye that wasn't marred by ugly purple, blue and green angry marks slowly glanced around the room.

The white lines I carved into the grey stone glared back at me. Eighty four groups of five surrounded me as I let out a low sigh. Hope was non-existent at this point it was replaced by the razor sharp claws of fear. Fear had me gripped tightly in its grasp and it wasn't letting go. Just like he wouldn't let me go. My ears tuned into the irritating sound of the little water droplets crashing against the floor. I was left alone huddled on the floor with my violent thoughts, trying to hold on to the last shred of sanity that I had left.

My body curled in on itself in search of warmth. I was past the point of crying out in pain as I moved since I was accustomed to the feeling. My heart dropped when I heard the creak of the hidden stairway that lead to the steel door that kept me prisoner. His heavy footsteps echoed as he got closer, I tried making myself smaller while closing my eyes pretending to sleep. The sound of metal groaning against each other made my ears itch, I wasn't use to loud noises anymore since I was down here alone most of the time. The screams of the door scared me from the anticipation of what he possibly might do to me, I whimpered quietly pleading that he didn't hear me. He approached me slowly and I had to stop myself from shaking. His tall stature downcasted a shadow over my feeble body.

"Jane." He whispered crouching down towards me. My name struck fear in me when they tumbled from his lips. I once loved my name, it was short and simple, but I grew to hate it because of his fondness to it.

"I know you're awake Jane!" His tone vicious making my eyes pop open as best as they could. He was growing angry, nothing good ever happened when he was angry.

"I'm sorry," I whispered my dry scratchy voice made him frown before he handed me a bottle of water. My weak bony fingers wrapped around the cap but I was unable to open it. Snapping the bottle out of my hand he unscrewed the top.

"You're useless! You know that don't you Jane?" He snarled throwing the bottle at me. I gasped grabbing the bottle tears teased my eyes seeing the wasted water.

I chugged down the small bit of water that was left before meeting his dark sinister gaze. "What are you Jane? Use your words?" He roared. I groaned feeling a burning pain blossom across my abdomen where his foot had lodged itself moments ago.

"I'm useless." I whined out in pain. My vision blurred as I looked up at him in his black attire, the only other colour he wore peaked out from underneath his collar, it was the purest colour of them all. He wore white, crisp white. This was a man I once trusted, the whole town still trusted him because they didn't know what he was guilty of. If only they knew the sadistic thoughts that ran through his head and which ones he used on me.

He bent down sliding the key into the cuff and turned it releasing me from its death grip. He scooped me up into his strong arms walking out of the metal doors before turning right entering a hidden tunnel that was attached to the basement in his house.

I glanced around the room to see if I could notice anything new. The couch sat in the middle of the room with a coffee table, the  TV was in front of it, further into the house there was a small sized kitchen with a round table perched in the middle of it that sat four people. Two closed doors sat side by side, one was the bedroom and the other a bathroom. Nothing seemed out of place.

I had to earn my time in this room by being on my best behavior. This room had been set up months before he took me. He sat me down on the closed lid of the toilet before turning the faucet on, neither of us said a word letting the silence surround us. Minutes went by before the bath was full, I was so dazed by looking at the beautiful clear water I hadn't seen him approach me. His hand moved to the bottom of my shirt before I grabbed them quickly trying to stop them.