Unfound

27

I woke up as we pulled into a brightly lit parking lot. It was some kind of motel. I don't even remember drifting off or any of the ride here, all I knew was that we were going far away from my campus and my home. My parents would never know what happened to me, just that they had lost me again. I didn't know what they were going to do without me. Both were so sweet and gentle, I was their fighting bull. My dad couldn't go through that kind of loss again. He was completely different when I found him the first time, he couldn't lose me forever. I had to be there for him.

The bright red sign of the Motel was glaring, forcing me to squint to make out the name. Its red letters marked a new kind of hell. I sat up and looked at Braden. He was no longer smiling. He seemed pissed, face red and steam practically flowing from his ears. When he noticed that I had woken up, his expression changed, softened, "Have a nice nap, Kara? You really needed it." I just nodded and looked back out the window at the concierge office as he pulled into a spot. "You're going to wait right here for a minute. No yelling or anything. I'm still the one with the weapon. " I nodded, still not saying a word. The car door slammed behind him. When he walked through he automatic doors, I tried juggling the door handle. Locked. I huffed and sat back in my seat.

I glanced out the rearview mirror just in time to catch a glimpse of a police car driving down the street. The red and blue lights on the top marked a haven that I was craving, but the lights weren't flashing. I pressed my forehead against the glass as my heart skipped a beat. It was from the county of my college. They had followed us all the way here. I looked back up to see Braden coming back to the car, taking only a minute as he had promised. I tried to straighten out my face, hiding anything that I could. Not wanting to ruin the surprise.

He went to the trunk first, grabbing a small black bag before coming to my door. "We have a room for the night. Two beds, so I can make sure you won't try anything." He was going to tie me to the goddamn bed post. I just nodded. The police were here. All I had to do was get through one more miserable night. Hoping the cops knew exactly where we were. He grabbed me by the elbow, not pausing to take off my restraints and rushed me to a corner room. He tossed me in, my own feet nearly letting me fall to the floor.

I stood up and faced him. He approached me and slapped me hard across the face. I stumbled back, looking at him in shock. His eyes grew dark as he approached me again. He grabbed me by the arm, holding me inches from his own face. "You! You did this to yourself. You ungrateful bitch couldn't even last a month!" He chuckled, this time successfully throwing me to the floor. I tried to scramble away from him, but my bounds tripped me up and I was unable to move. "You had me fooled, Kara. Playing your little games. pretending to care," he looked genuinely hurt, but only for a second. Any other emotion besides anger was washed from his face, "You forced me to leave my home, again! Abandon everything, for you, and you don't even want it. You forced me to change my plans. I had a good plan! That was my house! We were going to live there happily forever." He was in front of me in seconds, hands holding my face steady.

He stared at me and I glared back. I couldn't use my words, but I didn't need them. "You ungrateful piece of..." He stopped himself, putting his energy into his action rather than words. His fist collided with the side of my face, forcing me to turn from him. I tried to hold my face off of the ground, but then his foot came. His shoe punched deep into my stomach, making be double over. I was curled up into a ball on the ground. I couldn't breath. He punched me one more time in the face. I tasted the blood on my lip, my tongue surely split as well as my head as it collided with the floor once more. I had bitten into it when he kicked me. I managed to look up at him, one of my eyes already puffy. I spit some of the blood onto the ugly patterned carpet.

I smiled up at him, the gag falling loose from my mouth. I found my voice, "That's your downfall, Braden. I could never love you. No one could. And it wasn't because you were ugly on the outside. My wrists are now as scarred as your face, but I assure you, Liam will still love me. Want to know my secret?" His anger was growing, but I didn't care. I couldn't care, "I'm not a monster. That's why." I wiped the blood from my mouth, "I may not survive tonight, but you won't either. Or, if you do, you'll wish you were dead. An ugly, loveless piece of actual human trash." I let out a slight laugh, it sounded more like a gasp as the pain in my stomach converged.

"Your father was smart to leave you. No wonder he wanted someone like me instead. I have actual human feelings," I laughed as his face reddened, "You know what? I don't think you're actually human. I think someone brought you back to life that night. You should have died. Now you live as a zombie. No real emotions. No nothing. You're worthless." I spat on the ground, I was done with him. He could do whatever he wanted with me, he couldn't hurt me any more than he already had.

Bradens face was strewn with anger. He pulled the gun from his belt and pointed it straight at my head. I closed my eyes, still smiling and waited for the bullet. I thought of Liam. I pictured him with me, holding my hand. I knew this would be the best way to go. My suffering would end and Liam wouldn't have to look for me anymore. No one would have to know what I've been through and the police were close enough to to catch Braden. It was over.

Bang