Save Me From My Nightmare

‘There you are,’ someone whispered from behind me, the sound of footsteps surrounding me as I just lay motionless on the chair. I didn’t want to open my eyes, that would mean having to face him and it was too soon. There was a gasp as the footsteps stopped dead, obviously in front of me as they took in my appearance. I allowed my eyes to flutter open, meeting the crystal emeralds that looked down on me from the sky. A tear slipped from my eye, sliding down my cheek slowly and down onto my shirt that fell loosely over my body. ‘Keeley, tell me now, what the fuck happened?’ Zacky exclaimed, cupping my cheeks in his warm hands and allowing another tear to slip onto his skin and dribble over his fingers like a horse of trotting poles.

Whispering that I couldn’t tell him, I turned away and looked at the pool that glimmered to my right. Moonlight was beginning to glower down on us, though his hands never tore away from my body. They merely slid slowly down to my forearm with one hand sliding down to encase the bandaged fingers that had fallen limply to my lap. ‘You need to leave, Zacky. He’ll hurt you.’ The words fell softly from my lips, like cat’s paws padding through a snowy scene. Green eyes filled with worry looked up at me, holding my blue orbs captive again any of his actions. I couldn’t look away; I couldn’t let this moment escape me for a single second.

‘I’m not leaving. Not without you,’ Zacky said, leaning forwards to hold my cheek again as he kneeled down. A car’s engine on the driveway made me jump from the chair, grabbing Zacky’s hand with my good fingers and running away to the kitchen as if to pretend he was borrowing my laptop. ‘I’ll have this fixed for you tomorrow morning, Keeley. You just pop round and grab it; I’ll be in most of the day.’ Zacky’s voice was an octave louder than necessary, but at least it was believable. A kiss was pressed onto my good hand before walking through the house towards the living room as a drunken Iain stumbled through the den and collapsed on the sofa.

I followed after Zacky to the hallway, letting him gently kiss my lips as he whispered that he’d come get me in the morning after Iain was at work and disappeared into the night to collect Holly from her friend’s house. I knew his promise was true, but I didn’t know what to do about it. Iain was out for the count on the sofa, snoring as I turned him onto his back so he would choke on his own sick. Payback for burning my hand. Yeah, I normally fight back when he can’t. Sighing, I ran up the stairs and grabbed a suitcase to begin throwing everything I owned into it. I was finally getting away. My knight in shining armour had finally heard my pleas for rescuing. There was just the case of getting passed the evil dragon snoring on my sofa.

My eyes fluttered open, not remembering when I went to sleep but finding myself with a disgusting headache that hammered into my brain with each passing breath. My hands were tied up behind my back with what seemed like rope, the material rubbing my skin with the friction causing my flesh to burn. He was stood in front of me, smirking as he held a belt between his fingers. I gulped, pushing myself further against the wall he’d propped me against whilst I was knocked out – no doubt drugged beyond remembering my own name. ‘Trying to run away, were we?’ he sneered, whipping the belt over my bare legs with a blood curdling slap.

‘I’ll give you three fucking guesses as to why,’ I snapped in return, earning another slap with the belt. I winced, smirking at him from below as I knew he hated. He liked his women submissive and not strong enough to fight back at him when they needed to do so. ‘Is this some kinda bondage thing? Coz, if it is, I’m not into it that rough. Especially not with the dumb Scottish accent.’ Another slap echoed through the room and another wince creased up my eyebrows. ‘Oh, harder, baby.’ I had finally lost it, laughing like a Mad Hatter as he growled and spat on me as he whipped me harder. ‘Aren’t you meant to spank my butt when I’m naughty, not my legs.’ That made him snap. I could see it in his eyes, the brown orbs turning red around the tinges as he pulled the gun on my forehead.

‘Go on, big boy.’ I smiled again. ‘Do it.’ My last two words echoed through the room slowly, burning my ears as I stared at him as he stared back. Our eyes locked again, both of them fuelled by hatred. His breathing was hard to control, like a panting dog in the heat as he stared me down and pressed the barrel a little more forcefully onto my forehead. ‘You’re scared, aren’t you? With abuse you only get a few years, with murder… it could be life or the death penalty. Ohhh… crunch time. Go on. Make the decision you stupid-arssed prick.’ My seething only made him angrier, knowing that I was speaking nothing but the truth as he stared me down.

‘Shut up, whore. Just shut the fuck up or the bullet will get lodged in your fucking brain and you’ll never see your stupid lover boy again,’ Iain screamed, standing up suddenly and throwing his gun down on the floor as he turned away from me. His hands knotted within his hair as he walked around in circles for a moment. ‘Just… let me think for a moment.’ I watched him curiously, I’d never seen him so worked up and it made me smile to know that it was me making him this way. Finally, Iain leaned down so he was in my face again. ‘I’ll let you go as long as you promise me you won’t leave. If you ever try to leave again, I have you chained to the bed and I’ll burn this house to the foundations without a second thought.

I had a choice now. See another day or die at the hands of Iain.