Helpless

Chapter Five

Chapter Five-Annissa

We woke up in each others arms around lunch time the same day. I looked around trying to remember my surroundings. I layed back down with my head against his chest waiting for him to wake up.

"Hey. What time is it?" Enzo asked while slowly waking up.

I looked over at the clock hanging above the door in the shed, "Noon."

"Well that was a good nap but I have to go." He said getting up.

"Where?"

"To get a job, I am running low on money." He was looking at me now.

I felt terrible, Enzo has used up so much of his money on me and I was selfish not to even think about the cost of that.

"I'll go with you. Maybe I can get a job too." I told him.

"You don't have to do that." He told me.

"I want to, but before we go I really need to take a shower." I said timidly.

"I was wondering when you were going to say something." He smiled.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I playfully asked.

"You smell." He chuckled.

"Why didn't you say something?"

"That would have been weird." Enzo grabbed my hand and lead me to where he takes his showers.

It was a wooden building smaller than the shed.

"I built this a while ago slowly collecting the pieces. It isn't anything fancy, just functional. I have a small amount of soap and it does have hot water."

We walked in through the doorway that had a curtain instead of an actual door. It was a wooden room with a shower head on the shortest wall. There was a shelf on one of the longer walls and it had a bottle of men's body wash sitting on it. The only other thing on the shelf was a towel neatly folded with a washcloth right next to the towel.

Enzo looked at me, "Sorry there is only one towel."

"It's fine, I can buy one once I get some money." I replied sheepishly.

He closed the curtain on the way out, I could hear him walking back to the shed and I started the water. Enzo was right, it did have hot water. I took down the men's body wash and opened up the bottle. I started to pour some of the liquid in my hands.

My mind immediately flashed back to when I would take showers when I was being held captive. I fell to the ground as I remembered how they would strip me of my clothes, chain my hands together and put me in an empty, bright white room. I started crying as I thought about the strong water that would fall from the ceiling. Then the soap that would be splashed onto me, if I didn't close my eyes it would burn like fire. Depending on the person that was with me, some would purposely make sure soap went into my eyes. I then would be taken out of the room and placed in a small, closet size compartment that would blow air around to dry me off. The worst part was when someone would have to put my clothes back on for me. Some of the women would stare at my body with their face scrunched up, judging the way I looked. Some of the men would not take their eyes off me and take their sweet time helping me put my clothes back on. They were all terribly disgusting people.

I heard the curtain being thrown open, "Annissa!"

Enzo ran over to me and a towel was wrapped around my naked body. He stood me up but I leaned towards him, my head pounding.

"I-I." I tried to speak but couldn't form the words.

"It's alright." He picked me up and carried me back to the shed.

Enzo laid me down on my sleeping bag, "Just relax."

I was freezing in just a towel but my clothes were back by the shower room. I felt so vulnerable without my clothes, but I couldn't move. I couldn't get rid of the images in my mind. I know I must have freaked Enzo out. It was weird though because he wasn't coming near me, he stayed across the room. I sat up slightly so I could see him. Enzo's face was worried, he was looking at me but he didn't speak.

Finally after a while he took a deep breath, "Lay back down. I will get your clothes for you."

He walked out of the shed and I could hear his footsteps become quieter as he became closer to the shower. I laid my head down on my sleeping bag using the towel as a blanket. There was a sharp pain by my forehead and it was slowly getting worse. I tried closing my eyes but all I could see was myself standing in the bright white shower room. I started to cry and couldn't stop, tears just poured down my face. My eyelids started to feel heavy with each tear. Eventually they closed.