a known stranger

chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Ashley opened her eyes slowly, and tries to get up but is stopped by someone. She turns and her eyes meet the face that has been haunting her dreams the past week. Her eyes widened in terror and she tried to get away, but her head was hurting, she fell back moaning. The voice of her captor so deep but soft warned her not to move, but it proved not a deterrent but an encouragement. Angered and worried she found herself hitting out at him, her eyes struggling to keep open and to focus, he caught her hands in one swift grip and told her to stop before she hurt herself. That made her even angrier and she swung her legs kicking out in an effort to break free. Holding her hands above her head, he sat on the bed and straddled her legs effectively pinning her down. She was growing tired, and saw that he was holding a syringe; she shook her head mumbling, "No! Leave me alone," "see what you have driven me to do?" He says as he injected her. She cries out, "damn you," and loses consciousness. Ashley struggled to open her eyes, and tried to get up using her hands but found they were both tied to the bedpost, and her legs chained to the bed leg.

As she struggled, she heard her captor chuckling softly, "it's no use my dear, you're well and truly caught and you'd only make yourself tired by struggling." She watched him coming towards her, her eyes squinting as she tried to focus. She flinched away as she suddenly saw his hands very close to her face; he placed her spectacles carefully and bent low to meet her eyes. "Look well, and memorize this face, hmm?" he said mockingly. His eyes reminded her of the summer sky, they were so startlingly blue unlike her own dark midnight blue ones. His hair was jet black, left to grow past his collar. Her mousy hair had just been cropped short into a bob, with much protest from Sheila. "Coward!" she told him between clenched teeth. "Why have you tied me up? And what have you done to Sheila? What have I done to you to deserve this treatment, when I've never met you in my entire life?"

 "Any more questions?" he asked. "Firstly, I tied you up to prevent you from hurting yourself. Secondly, how do you know I'm a coward?"

"Because you attacked us when we were in a state of shock" she replied before he could continue.

"Thirdly, your dear friend is well and alive, I will let you speak to her soon, she cannot go to the police, because I threatened to kill you if she does, and fourth, are you sure you don't know me?"

"I had planned to kidnap you that night, luck was on my side, I guess" he said smiling. "You my dear are going to marry me, I'm not going to let you go," he said.

"No way! You might as well push me over a cliff or kill me now!" she cried in indignation. "Does the idea of marriage repel you?" he asked.

"No! You do!" She said. "You don't even know me, neither do I know you. You abduct me and then ask me to marry you?" she continued almost hysterical. "You must be crazy!" she continued.

"Would you rather I made you my sex slave and tortured you until you stopped fighting me?" he asked her, eyebrows raised, his eyes glinting with mockery.

She gasped, and just stared at him.

"Stumped you, have I? For you seemed loss for words. Which is surprising as you always seem to have something to say, which do you prefer?" he asked.

As she opened her mouth to retort, he placed his index finger on her lips and said, "Don't say anything you might regret later, I'll give you time to consider my proposal, I have plenty of it," he said and walked off.

"Damn you!" she cried. "What was that?" he asked turning to look at her his eyes flashing a warning. "Don't tempt me to start, you do not have any defenses against my charms," he said.

"Is that so? Well untie me, and we'll see," she flung the challenge at him.

He walked towards her and swiftly caught her face in his hands and he bends and kisses her lips. He kissed her like she had never been kissed before. It was possessive, brutal, gentle and persuasive all at the same time. Ashley had her fair share of kisses and she never ever felt like responding until now! Her initial shock and revulsion had melted away and her lips parted under this onslaught and a sound emitting deep in her throat. He pulled away fiercely... turned and quickly walked away.

Ashley closed her eyes in mortification. "Oh My God! What did I just do?", she thought to herself. She struggled a little while trying to free herself, stopping every so often, she had never felt this weak or lethargic, it must be the drug he had injected into her, she thought to herself.

His voice broke into her musings, "it is no use Ashley dear, I'll only untie you if you promise not to do anything stupid like fighting me or trying to escape because I only ask of you one month to stay with me and I'll decide whether to let you go after that one month if you still want to leave..."

She saw he was carrying a syringe, she gritted a teeth, "God! Please no!" she tried to move away. "I hate to do this Ashley, I know you hate syringes, but I don't trust you yet not to try anything stupid," he said as he held her arm and pressed the needle into her arm. The last vague memory she had was he was kissing her lightly at the place he had injected her.