Blackout. [COMPLETED]

Escape.

"Come, wash the blood out of your hair," David hissed at me, passing me a small bowl of warm water. I observed the hair that was hanging over my face and saw that it was stuck together in sticky dreadlocks.

"What the hell?" I said, feeling the hair in my fingers. I cupped some of the water in my hands and attempted to wash my hair, but there was far too much blood and far too little water. A gust of wind blew sand into the hut and it stuck to my damp, bloody hands and sodden hair.

"Eugh," I groaned, wiping them on the rug next to me.

"You did a terrible job," David said.

"Sorry, David," I mumbled. He didn't respond. "David?" He looked round at me as if he hadn't heard me.

"Oh, right, yeah. That's me."

"Right," I muttered.

"Can you do something for me?" he asked through gritted teeth. I nodded.

"Not now. Later. Do you promise?"

"It depends what it is."

His raspy voice changed to one of anger. "You owe me, so you better do it, bitch."

"Okay," I said quickly, eager not to infuriate him. I didn't ask why I owed him. I didn't want to know.

"Promise?" he insisted.

"Promise." I swallowed reluctantly and took a deep breath.

"Go outside," he grumbled, leaning over a large box that he was attempting to hide with his cloak.

"But it's really windy," I responded.

"I don't care," he hissed. I stood up and reluctantly stepped out of the small hut. The barren landscape around me was endless, and it turned my stomach into knots. I could feel the hot sand between my toes, and I took slow, careful steps away from the hut. The breeze was surprisingly cool in the hot sun.

I twirled around and watched the skirt of my dress lift up from my knees and undulate in floral waves around me. The flowers on my dress looked beautiful, compared to the endless dirt and sand around me. I skipped and twirled in the dust, raising my arms in the breeze. I looked up at the clear blue sky as I spun around and stumbled onto the sand, laughing."What the hell do you think you're doing?" David yelled. I glanced up and noticed that I'd travelled quite far from the hut.

"Sorry, I'm just coming," I replied, but he was already storming towards me. I leant backwards in fear as he wrapped his spidery fingers around my wrist and dragged me back to the hut. I tripped over a rock and fell onto my knees, wincing.

"You can stay out here, and don't move," David spat at me. His teeth were bared like an animal, and I looked away quickly, crossing my legs in the dirt and picking up a handful of the sand, letting it fall between my fingers like a child would. I felt like a child; vulnerable and weak.

He walked back into the hut, and left me outside for hours. Hours. I could feel my skin stinging intensely from sunburn, which wasn't soothed when I tried to stay in the little shade that the hut provided.

When it became dark, the temperature dropped dramatically and I was shaking uncontrollably. I crawled around to the entrance and saw David with his hands wrapped around a long, thin cylinder of metal.

"What is that?" I asked. His head whipped around and revealed a large shotgun. I widened my eyes and edged backwards.

"Oh my god," I muttered as he grabbed the gun.

"Get out, you bitch! When did I say you could come inside?" he screamed at me. I scrambled onto my feet and ran. I ran into the distance, into the darkness. My shoulders pounded with pain from the sun and the rest of me was trembling in the cold. I ran until I couldn't breathe, and then I ran some more. I ran for as long as I possibly could, before collapsing onto the sand and curling up into a ball, wheezing and choking on the cold air. The sand was cool between my fingers now, and I could hear movements and noises, probably from animals, but I couldn't care less. I looked down at my hand. David loves you. Really? He has a great way of showing it.