Don't Confuse It, You'll Always Just Be His Prey

"R-Ronnie, I-I'm f-fine." I said. For the past two days, he hasn't let me out of his sight. I haven't been allowed to do anything on my own. Hell, I wasn't even allowed to walk without him knowing where!

"You aren't fine, Max." He sighed.

"B-Bit, I-I'm per-perfectly c-c-cap-capable of wa-walking to the k-kit-kitchen b-by my-myself." I explained.

"The doctor said to stay off your feet." He replied.

I glared at him slightly. "R-Ronnie, I've ha-had m-much wo-worse b-beatings th-than th-this, and I-I as al-allowed to wa-walk."

He carefully swooped me of my feet and walked me in the kitchen. I rolled my eye at. The other one was still swollen, not as bad, but still bad enough.

Once he set me down, he had a different look in his eye. One that said he wanted to ask me something but didn't know how. "Wh-What is it?" I asked him.

"I think we need to talk about what happened, Max." He replied.

I shook my head. "N-No."

"Max, you wake up from nightmares at least twice every night. Every time you see someone walk by the house you get shivers. You don't turn on the TV because the people on their remind you of Tulip and Mortis. You need to talk about it, so you can get over it. Please, Max, just try, please." He pleaded.

I looked him in the eye and sighed. He wasn't going to give up on this fact. I knew that, but I also knew I didn't want to relive those horrible days, those memories that I already have to relive every night. "Wh-What d-do you ex-expect m-me to say?" I asked him.

"I don't expect anything. I just want to know what happened." He replied. Somehow he grabbed my hand. I didn't see when it happened, but I wasn't objecting.

"Well, M-Mortis was th-there at th-the p-park. Wh-When you left, he c-came be-behind me and kn-knocked me out. I w-woke up in th-that warehouse ya-you f-found me in. M-Mortis c-came in and eventually s-so d-did T-T-Tu-Tulip. Sh-She asked wh-why h-he was t-touching f-f-filthy s-s-sc-scum, and he r-replied th-that sh-she got to h-have ya-you wh-why couldn't h-he h-have m-me-me." I took a shaky breath and continued. "Sh-She k-kicked me and told me th-that no one w-would l-love me and th-that I was wo-worthless. I-I d-didn't kn-know wh-when a day ended, b-but every once and a wh-while M-Mortis would c-come in and t-t-touch m-me. Th-Then Tulip c-came and k-kicked me and t-told me it would be eas-easier to d-die." I wiped the tears coming from my eyes now. "B-By the t-time you came, I-I was r-ready to g-give up, b-but you were there. I-I thought you were th-there to save me; b-but you said th-those g-g-god awful th-things. Th-There was so much p-pain and so m-much darkness." Sobs cut me off.

"Oh, Max." Ronnie said. He engulfed me into a hug. My sobbing was muffled by his shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean any of those things I said, but I had to say them in order to save you. Can you ever forgive me?" He asked. I nodded my head, still trying to calm down.

After a few minutes of me just sobbing into his shoulder, I calmed down enough to let go of him. "Are you okay?" He asked me.

I nodded. "Wh-What's g-going to happen to th-them?" I asked.

"Well, Tulip is going into solitary confinement at an insane asylum, and Mortis is in trial right now. If he loses, he'll be tried as a human and be tortured for the next ten years before being killed." He explained.

"And if h-he wi-wins?" I asked.

"He won't, sweet heart." Ronnie replied. "He couldn't win in a million years. Even without your testimony, they have enough evidence of stalking and kidnapping to convict."

"M-My te-testimony?" I asked confused. i didn't remember hearing anything about that.

He nodded after a second. "A lawyer came by the other day while you were sleeping. He asked if you were willing to testify. I told him you were asleep, but I doubted you would want to do it. I promised I would ask you when you were well enough."

"Th-They want m-me to g-go to his tr-trial?" I asked, nerves pricking at the back of my mind.

He nodded again. "But, you don't have to, okay? The only thing you need to worry about is getting better."

"I-I want t-to do it." I said.

"What?" he asked.

"I-I want t-to." I said again.

He sighed. "I'm not going to stop you, but are you sure you can do this?"

I nodded my head.

"Fine, I'll call the lawyer."