Page 46 of Shattered Silence Duet

I nod as best I can in his grasp. He lets me go and switches the water off. I cough and spit out more water, gasping for breath. After a minute, I’m finally able to take in full lungfuls of air, despite my burning throat.

He tosses a towel at me. I quickly grab it, wrapping it around myself instantly.

“Dry off, then meet me in the bedroom across the hall.”

He gives me one last glare, as if warning me not to disobey, then leaves, walking across the hall and leaving both doors open. I stare after him, taking deep breaths.

I’ve decided I hate showers and never want another one in my life. I’ll be happy to continue bathing in the sink for the rest of my life.

My eyes don’t move from the door way he entered. How am I supposed to just walk across the hall to him, like a lamb to the slaughter?I can’t.I know what he said, but wouldn’t it be worse if I didn’t resist at all? How could I live with myself if I just lay backand let him rape me? Because I’m sure that’s what’s coming. Even if I deserve this, I have to do everything I can to evade it, even if it ends in the worst beating of my life. Even if he kills me for it.

I wrap the towel around myself and tuck in the end so it stays up under my arms on its own. I have no plan, no real way of escaping, but the longer I stand here, the more I start freaking out.

“Little pet, I’m waiting,” he calls out impatiently. The sound of his voice spurs me into action… and I run.

He must be waiting near the bedroom door, just out of sight, because I don’t even make it to the top of the stairs before he tackles me. The impact pushes me into a door of one of the other bedrooms, making a huge bang as we hit it, and it hits the wall. We fall to the floor in a heap and I squirm, trying to get out from underneath him, but he stands up, easily dragging me with him, his chest pressed against my back.

I reach up blindly behind me, trying to use my nails to hurt him. They make contact, and he yells, “Fuck, you stupid little bitch!” I’m thrown against a dresser. It hits me in the side, and I think I hear something crack before I fall to the floor, winded and clutching my side in pain as I gasp for air.

He moves to stand over me as I pant heavily from exertion and pain. “I told you what would happen if you disobeyed. I guess we’re gonna have some fun now.” He smiles, reaching down to grab one of my ankles and dragging me out of the room.

I kick with my other foot, but he just grabs that ankle, too. I try to find something to grab onto, but there’s nothing within reach. I want to scream, Itryto scream, but nothing comes out. I struggle against his grip, squirming and grabbing onto furniture and the doorway as he drags me, trying to make it as hard as possible for him to take me to where he wants me.

“Fuck, when did you get so scrappy, little pet?” He laughs like he’s enjoying this. Then I remember—he does love it. It’s the reason I stopped reacting to him.

I stopped fighting him years ago, and it broke me. I feel like I’ve been broken for years, but now—now I don’t want to bebroken anymore. I see something better, seven somethingsbetter. And I want to grab that feeling and hold it close. I don’t want this, even if I do deserve it.

I manage to pull one leg free and immediately drive it into his crotch as hard as I can. “Shit!” He bends over, releasing my ankle to clutch himself, and I use the opportunity to kick him in the face. I don’t think I do much damage—I’m not strong, and I’m in a bad position—but it’s enough to let me scramble backwards.

He looks up and glares at me. “You’re gonna pay for that, you fucking bitch!” He starts to stand up, taking a step toward me, when we hear the doorbell ring. We freeze, staring at each other. My eyes are wide with terror, and he looks angry, frustrated, and… worried.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. Whoever’s at the door seems anxious to get in. Maybe a neighbor heard our fight? A seed of hope blooms in my chest at that chance of being rescued. I hear the door being opened downstairs as I try to control my breathing, taking a big, deep breath, wishing more than ever that I had a voice to scream for help with.

Simon looks at me and slowly smiles, realizing I have no way to yell for help.

“Good evening, ma’am. We’re from Ultra Power. Sorry to bug you, but there’s been a power flux in the area, and we see you’ve been affected. If you can just give us access to your fuse box, we can get you up and running in no time.”

As I glance around, I notice, for the first time, that there are no lights on up here. I hadn’t noticed they’d gone out until now. I glance at the hall and see it’s indeed dark out there.

“Alright, but I’m awfully busy. If you could be quick?” my mother replies in a huff.

“Of course, just point the way.”

I can’t help but notice how much the voice sounds like Dom’s. But it’s not quite the same. Fuck, I wish he was here right now. I wipe my eyes, trying to clear away the tears so I can see clearly, afraid any moment Simon will grab me again.

“This way,” my mother’s voice rings out.

We hear the noise of a few doors and footsteps, then what sounds like someone running upstairs. Simon finally moves to the door, away from me, and I crawl backward so my back is against the wall in the bedroom. I hear my mother in the hall. “They’re in the basement, you need to get out of here, now. Nobody can see you here,” she whisper-yells at him.

He glances over at me. “See you later, pet,” he smiles and gives me a wink, then I hear him run down the stairs and out the door.

My mother steps into the room and sees me cowering against the wall. “Useless piece of trash,” she sighs and shakes her head. “Stay here and be quiet, and I’ll send you downstairs with food and a fresh change of clothes.” I nod quickly. It’s the best offer I’ve ever received from her, and I’m not sure why she’s offering it.

She leaves and goes back downstairs and I stay where I am with my arms wrapped around my knees. Eventually, I see the lights flick back on, then hear footsteps coming back up to the main floor.

“Alright, you’re all set, ma’am. You want us to make sure all your power is restored properly? We could check the power in each room?” he asks.

“No, you’ve done quite enough interrupting my evening with your power outage. Please leave me to my movie now,” she tells them in frustration.