Page 71 of Cedarwood Cabin

The last thing I hear is the brothers laughing in the distance.

Opening my eyes, they feel heavy. My arms are numb; I try to move my right arm, but it won’t budge. I tilt my head up and notice a metal cuff securing my wrist. The cuff is attached to a chain. I shake at the chain and it makes a metallic clicking that echoes throughout the room.

The bedroom door creaks open. Lyka and Dax enter the room, their expressions unreadable.

“You drugged me? I croak.

They stand at the end of the bed with their arms crossed, staring at me with no emotion.

“So you’re gonna keep me chained up like this!” I demand.

Lyka’s face darkens. He moves towards me, grabbing my cheeks and squeezing them with his painful grip.

“You said you wanted to stay here forever,” he says maliciously.

Tears begin to spill from my eyes.

“From the moment we brought you to this cabin, you were ours, flower,” Dax says with a glint in his eyes.

The room is spinning and I try to focus on their faces. “Fine! Keep me chained up. But I’ll never let you touch me again!”

They both laugh darkly. “It's cute that you think you have a choice,” Lyka taunts as he releases my cheeks.

“She’ll break sooner or later,” Dax whispers.

I turn my head away, trying to create a distance without looking at them.

“The closest neighbor is miles away. Don’t think you can escape,” Dax warns.

Lyka smirks. “If you try escaping…there will be punishment.”

“You…You…wouldn't hurt me.” I tremble.

“Are you sure about that?” Lyka asks, raising his eyebrow.

Dax tries to swipe his finger under my chin. “Flora, we’ve been gentle so far. But don’t mistake our kindness for weakness.”

Lyka's presence looms over me. “We saved you when you had no one. We’re offering you something better. But if you don’t appreciate it, there will be consequences.”

I pull at the chain, but it only tightens the cuffs against my skin. “This isn't better. This is control,” I spit out.

“You’ll see in time we did this for your own good. If you don’t…let's just say we have ways of making you understand,” Dax states.

I feel like I am in a nightmare. I look up at them and realize I have no idea who I am talking to anymore; these aren’t the same brothers who nursed me back to health, got me back into painting, cared for me during love-making, empathetic in our shared losses. Their true implications are clear now and I’m at their mercy. No one was going to save me, only myself.

“You will come to accept this. It's just a matter of time, flower,” Dax leans down and whispers determinedly, brushing the hair out of my face. “You’re ours, Flora. Now we get to keep you forever.” Dax and Lyka look down at me, pride and excitement filling them like they’re children looking at their new favorite toy.

They both turn and leave the room, closing and locking the door behind them. The moment the door closes I burst into tears.

I am now captive in their fucked up prison.

EIGHTEEN

FLORA

I glare up at Dax as he unlocks the chain from the bed. All night, I have been thinking of ways to escape.

“All the doors and windows are locked. So don’t try anything stupid,” he mumbles with his deep morning voice.

---