Page 9 of Redemption

She shakes her head, so as I walk toward the door, I say, “Just call out if you change your mind.”

I then disappear through the doorway, making sure to leave it open and stand with my back pressed against the wall on the other side and listen into her room. As requested, Kay has come to help clean up, and just at that moment, he appears beside me with a bottle of water.

“How is she?” he mouths.

“Bad,” I respond and anger licks at the corner of his features. He nods and disappears. I’m sure he’s off to show some disrespect to the dead he’s gathered in the lounge. They’ll be dog food before the end of the day if we have our way. Mind you, that would be cruelty to dogs!

I open the bottle and drink while listening in on what is happening in the room. Eventually, I hear the bed creak and shortly after Megan’s head peeps around the corner. I‘m guessing the door has never been left open before.

“You sure you don’t want a drink?” I hold the bottle out to her.

“Where is he?”

“Who?” I play nonchalant.

“M”

“I’ve told you I don’t know him, but you insist I do. I’m afraid we have a big pile of bodies in the lounge. I’ve never seen a picture of M, though, so I couldn’t tell you which one he is. You’ll have to tell me.”

“Why are you doing this?” Megan brings a bit more of her body out of the room, and it’s then I notice the scars littering her skin as well as how painfully thin she is.

“I told you. I’m here to save you. If you don’t believe me, go back in the room and stay there. I’m going to go do my job.” Without looking back, I stride off down the hallway and around the corner. I pause a moment, listening for footsteps. Eventually, I hear them and continue into the lounge. Kay has the bodies lined up and is on the phone for a clean-up crew. He looks behind me when Megan appears around the corner, and she freezes to the spot.

“They’re dead.”

“Yes.” I turn around to face her. There’s a blanket on a nearby chair. I reach out for it and hold it out to her. She looks at me and then at the blanket.

“What is that for?” The question is simple and childlike. She has no idea why I’m offering her something to shield her nakedness from Kay’s and my view. Her mind has been trained in such a way that it doesn’t occur to her to worry about her body being on display. It concerns me that she may be too far gone to be returned to normality. I approach her again, slowly, and she doesn’t flinch this time. Her eyes follow my every step, though. I unfold the blanket and wrap it over her shoulders. She squirms as if it’s uncomfortable.

“It’s cold outside. I don’t want you to get a chill,” I tell her.

She looks at me strangely…a simple act of kindness, confusing her. I can tell from the flashes of concern I can see in her eyes she’s weighing up what it will cost her. She eventually settles and pulls the blanket a little farther around her but keeps fidgeting all the time. I wonder if the feeling of the blanket around her is an odd sensation after being naked for so long, and if it’s prickling at her delicate flesh. An overwhelming urge to bring her into my arms and tell her everything will be all right hits me in the chest. It takes my breath away, for a moment, and I stand rooted to the spot when she walks past me toward the bodies. Kay has covered their faces with sacks.

“I need to see him.”

Megan turns back to me, and my breath rushes back a stuttered response,“I-I-don’t know.”

Kay quirks an eyebrow at me. I’m never normally flustered, but something about Megan has left me spinning.

I cough and center myself.

“Some of the wounds aren’t pretty.”

Megan lowers the blanket a little, giving us a view of the scars and bite marks on her body, once again. Kay looks away. I know my friend well…his thoughts will be with his pregnant fiancée, Evelyn, and how he would feel if this were her.

“I think nothing hidden under those bags can affect me now.”

“Ok.” I nod to Kay to unveil the identity of all the dead bodies. I stand back and watch Megan as she takes them all in. I see recollection as she looks upon a few of the faces, but there’s nothing to show that her tormentor has been revealed. The sack is pulled off the face of the last man, and Megan stumbles back. I push toward her, in an instant, because her expression isn’t that of someone coming face to face with the man who’s abused them. Her look is one of fear because that man isn’t laying amongst the dead in front of her.

“He’s not here?” Her breath quickens. “It’s a game. You’re playing with me.” She looks around the room waiting for M to appear.

“No.” Against my own better judgement, I grab hold of her arms. “I promise you I’m not part of any game.” I think quickly. She’s ready to fly back into her room, and any trust I’ve built with her will be gone. “Kay, get Arthur on the phone, now!” I order, and he does exactly as I ask. I’m still holding tightly to Megan despite the fact she’s struggling in my arms. Fearing what is about to happen to her, tears begin to fall down her cheeks.

“Kay?” Arthur answers, and my friend pushes the phone nearer to me, so I can speak into it. Megan stops and stares at the device between us in horror.

“We’ve got a problem. The head-honcho isn’t here.”

“What?” Arthur shouts down the phone, and Megan starts to struggle again, but I have her gripped tightly. “What the hell happened?”

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