Chapter 5
Emily
“I hate that you’re fighting again.”
“I know…me too.”
“Has he ever done this before? Made you fight three nights in a row?”
“No.”
“Why do you think he’s doing it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Luke.”
“I know, Em.” He pulls me into his arms, holding me against his bare chest.
“I don’t like this…it doesn’t feel right.”
“None of this has ever felt right.”
“Yeah…but this just feels…different.”
“I’ll beat whoever they throw at me. I won’t let him hurt you, Em.”
“But you’re still hurting! Your ribs—”
“I’m fine; I’ll be fine.”
“BOY! Let’s go!”
“Luke…”
“I’ll be back before you know it.”
He leans down and kisses me on the cheek before going upstairs. I stand in the middle of the basement, only letting out the breath I was holding when I hear the locks re-engage after the door closes. I’m no longer as freaked out as I was the first night Luke left me to go fight. But I still don’t let my guard completely down when he’s gone either.
I have no idea how long I’ve been down here. I don’t know how long it’s been since I saw my dad last. I miss him terribly…I’d even take him yelling at me for walking home from Stacey’s if it meant seeing him again. It was always just the two of us… we had the best father-daughter relationship out of all my friends. Now, I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again.
Luke doesn’t understand why I ask, but he still answers my questions anyway. I tried to determine how long I’ve been here based on the seasons. But as he pointed out, without knowing where exactly we are, that’s not really helpful. He’s blindfolded before he even leaves the house, so he can’t look for any clues to determine where we are or even what month it is. His best guess is we’re somewhere down south because he says it’s never really cold outside and he doesn’t believe it has ever snowed.
The best we can figure is I’ve probably been down here for at least three months…That’s three months since I’ve seen my dad. Three months since I’ve been outside. Three months since I spoke to anyone other than Luke. Three months since my worst nightmare became my new reality.
We’ve been trying to come up with a plan to get away, but no matter what we come up with, the risk is always too great. It never fails, every time we go upstairs to the gym he always has a knife waiting. The knife that slashed my bra open, the one that he held to my stomach and threatened to cut me open with if Luke didn’t swear he would win the next fight. It should be easy to gang up on him since there are two of us, but he’s much bigger and stronger than we are.
“NO!!!”
Luke’s scream has me instantly running to the stairs, taking them faster than I ever have before, to find out what’s going on. Panic instantly hits me when I hear voices from the other side of the door—voices I don’t recognize. I quietly test the doorknob, but of course, the locks are still engaged, so it doesn’t open. Luke’s voice is muffled, but I can still, just barely, make it out. Suddenly he screams out in obvious pain.
“LUKE!” I call out, not caring about the consequences.
“Shut up, GIRL!”
“Please…let him go!” I sob.
“SHUT THE FUCK UP, OR YOU’LL BE NEXT!”
“Please…”
“You want to take his place? Because if that’s what you want, I have some friends who would love to get their hands on you! So tell me, girl, are you willing to take his place?”
Shit…
“No, she stays down there!” Luke answers before I can.
“Luke…” I sob even though I know he can’t hear me.
“That’s what I thought.” He chuckles. “Keep your trap shut or I’ll have to find another way to keep you quiet, girl.”
I slide down the wall, sitting on the step near the door wishing I was strong enough to do something. I don’t hear Luke anymore, but judging from the other sounds, it’s obvious what’s happening to him. I run downstairs, just barely making it to the toilet before I throw up. I sit on the cold, dirty floor sobbing, wishing like hell I was a stronger person.
I need to do something!
But of course, there’s nothing I can do. If I go back up there and demand they stop, they’re going to take me next. There’s no way to get out of here and to try to find help to stop what’s happening. There’s absolutely nothing I can do to help him.
I don’t know how long I sit there, but eventually the voices from above me quiet down. I quickly wash up and brush my teeth before grabbing the first aid kit from under the steps. Obviously it won’t help with what they… but he’ll probably have bruises and cuts from the fight that need to be cleaned again.
When the locks disengage, I immediately panic. I want to believe it’s Luke coming down the steps, but what if it’s not? What if he’s coming to drag me upstairs? What if he’s decided to call his other friends after all? What if—
The locks engaging cut my thoughts off—he wouldn’t be locking the door if he were coming down here for me. I listen to Luke’s soft, but hurried steps down the stairs. He doesn’t say anything as he rushes past me, heading directly to the toilet where it’s his turn to empty his stomach. My heart breaks hearing him, but I don’t know what to do or say.
“Luke?” I call out when he turns off the sink water several minutes later.
“Not now,” he snaps and walks away.
I hear the clanking of the shower pipes at the same time as the front door upstairs slams shut. I can’t make out what they’re saying, but it sounds like several people are leaving. I sit down on the mattress, not sure what else to do. I want so badly to go to Luke, but what do I say? We’ve gotten sort of spoiled: he had been turning on the light after the fights so I could take of Luke’s injuries. Tonight, though, the light never turns on. I hate not being able to see him; his stormy blue eyes always giveaway how much pain he’s in and how bad the fight was.
When I hear a sob from across the basement, I’m walking toward the shower before I even realize what I’m doing. Of course, I can’t see him, but I know he’s in the shower since the water is still running. I call out his name several times, but he doesn’t respond. His breathing is heavy, almost like he’s panting, which nearly kills me.
“NO!” he screams and moves away the moment I reach out and touch him.
“Luke…it’s just me,” I softly say.
“Em?” it’s almost as if he doesn’t believe it’s me.
“Yeah.”
“Don’t…sneak up…on me…”
“I’m sorry, I tried calling your name but I guess you didn’t hear me.”
“What are you doing in here?” he asks after a few minutes of silence.
“I wanted to make sure you’re…”
“I’m fine.”
“Luke.”
“Let it go, Em.”
He’s right in front of me, but I still can’t see much more than his shadow. I need to see him. I need to know he’s…I won’t say okay, because God knows you can’t be okay after something like that. But I need to know that…he’s still here. I need to do something…
I slowly reach out, hoping not to startle him again since he can’t see me. When I feel his hand, I take it in mine and step closer. He doesn’t say anything but doesn’t push me away either. I slowly slide my hands up his arms until they meet at his neck. Silently, I step even closer to him, until there’s no space between us. I rest my head on his shoulder and simply hug him. He’s tense against me, probably not sure what to make of my gesture, but I don’t waiver. Eventually, his arms wrap around my waist and he buries his face in my long hair. I can only hope that I’m providing him at least the smallest amount of comfort like he provides me when he holds me after one of my nightmares.
He must have washed up already because he smells of soap and something else that is just Luke. I can’t tell you how long we stand there like that, but the warm water from earlier quickly disappears. Even then, neither of us are in a hurry to get out. I’ll stay in here as long as Luke needs me to. The tension has slowly left him, but I still wouldn’t say he’s relaxed against me.
“I’m so sorry,” I softly kiss his neck. “So sorry.”
“Em…”
“I wanted to do something, but I couldn’t.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not!”
“There wasn’t anything you could have done,” he tries to assure me.
I lean back slightly, cupping his face in my hands so I can see him. Even though it’s dark, I can just make out the shine in his brown eyes. His hands are firm on my hips, keeping me close to him.
“I’m sorry.” I lean in and kiss him gently on the lips.
Over the past…well, however long I’ve been here, things have changed between us. Spending day in and day out with someone will do that, I guess. When I have a nightmare, Luke is always quick to hold me, letting me cry against him. Before he leaves to fight, he always kisses me on the cheek. I’m closer to him than I’ve ever been to someone before. He’s not very talkative about his past other than to say he was in foster care before he ended up here. But he probably knows everything about me.
“Thanks,” he whispers.
“I…”
“Let’s get you out of this cold water.”
“Leave your shorts, I’ll wash them with my underwear and hang them up.”
“I can—”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“I…”
“What’s wrong?”
“I didn’t take them off before I came in here. I don’t have anything else to wear.”
“Neither do I,” I shrug.
“I can always—”
“I’ll wash and hang them up. The medical kit is on the bed if you need it…from the fight I mean.”
“Nah, the fight was over quick. He didn’t have a chance to do much.”
“Wait…you won?”
“Yeah.”
“But…why…?”
“I don’t know…” he admits. “He kept saying they were celebrating…”
“Luke.”
“I’ll leave the shorts by the sink.”
Without saying another word he steps out of the shower, leaving me behind stunned. I thought he was being punished for losing the fight…Just how fucking sick is the man who took us?
I quickly wash my hair under the cold water before stepping out of the shower area. The small hand towel waits for me nearby, courtesy of Luke. The towel is really a joke, it isn’t big enough to dry my body let alone my hair but I make do. It certainly doesn’t fit around me.
Walking over to the sink, I slip off my panties and soak everything with extra soap. I sit next to Luke on the mattress, easily forgetting that we’re both naked, while I wait. I still have no idea what I should do or say to comfort him. I don’t know if he senses my struggle, but he takes my hand in his a few minutes later without saying another word.