Page 53 of Embracing My Nightmare
I did trust him, and if he said to trust Devlin, then I would give him enough time to get away from Cameron. After that . . .
“I love you, Chuck.”
“I love you, sweet girl. I know you’re scared, but you can do this.”
The sounds of kicking and moaning trickled in from the other room and I gripped the knife in my hand. Turning, I went to step away when Chuck spoke from behind the boards, his voice disconnected from the reality I was about to walk into.
“It’s better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.”
I nodded, remembering all the lessons from the garage, and I turned look around the filthy room that I once called home. This was my safe place in the house of horrors I lived in, surrounded by vile and filthy people doing nasty and horrible things.
Devlin had taken me away from all of this and I needed to focus on that and not the countless beatings I had received, just for being a kid. Taking the knife, I slipped it into the back of my pants, the cool blade pressing against my spine. I made sure my shirt covered the handle before I walked out of the prison I was raised in, and straight into my nightmare.
Silently, I snuck out of the room, moving closer to the wall and peeking around the corner. I saw a bleeding Devlin on the floor, his hands secured behind him. Cameron was sitting on a crate in front of him, a gun pointed toward the center of his chest.
“You know, her pussy is almost as sweet as her mom’s. Too bad I had to wreck it before you got here,” Cameron taunted Devlin and I gagged thinking about him touching me like that. I pulled my torn blouse closed in front of me and pushed the memory of him away. I needed to focus on getting away, not his twisted games. “And I made sure to tell Penny all about your sick little obsession with her. She knows everything.”
He had told me enough, but somehow, I knew that it wasn’t the whole story. I doubted much of it was the truth, since I had a very real memory of my mother slapping me just for asking about food. He had a false recollection of her devotion to me. I deserved to know the truth, and the only person who could give it to me just noticed that I was in the room. I needed to distract Cameron and figure out how to get the gun away from him, or somehow disable him.
“Elise.” Devlin’s voice calmed me, but I knew I was about to play a game with Cameron, making him think that I believed him.
Channeling the very real anger that coursed through me, I spoke. “My name’s not Elise. It’s Penny. But you knew that, didn’t you? How could you do that to me?”
I wasn’t Penny. I was Elise Thompson, daughter to Chuck and Blaire. I would play Cameron’s game and pray that Devlin and I came out of this alive. Cameron needed to think I was a scared little girl who had been beaten into submission andnotthe strong woman his brother had raised.
Offering me his hand, I walked to him, fighting the tremors as I linked my fingers with his. Devlin looked on and I wanted nothing more than to be in his arms. That couldn’t happen until I knew the truth, but first it was time to get us out of here.
“Let me explain, lamb.” Devlin tried to reason with me, but I shook my head, tears falling from my eyes.
“I’m not your lamb, you sick freak.” My heart broke for the devastation that showed on his face and I wanted to kiss his pain away.
No matter what, Devlin had saved me from the nightmare of this house, and I would forever be grateful to him. Cameron laughed, and he released my hand, stepping in front of Devlin. With a swift kick, he leveled Devlin to the ground and stood over him with the gun pointed at his head.
I had to do something, or he would kill him. I reached behind me and slowly pulled the large knife from my pants, gripping the handle firmly behind my back. The paracord that wrapped the handle gave me friction despite the sweat on my palms as I moved closer.
Cameron squatted down in front of Devlin and pressed the barrel to his forehead. “How’s it feel to know that when this is over, I’m going to fuck her before I kill her?” He spat on Devlin and something inside of me snapped.
With silent footsteps, I walked up behind Cameron, glancing down at Devlin briefly. Cameron was so focused on Devlin, he had forgotten that I was behind him. He must’ve thought I wasn’t a threat to him, but his brother had taught me how to killif necessary. I felt horrible about what I was about to do to my father, but Cameron needed to die.
Threading my hand into the back of his hair, I wrenched his head backward and plunged the knife into the side of his neck. I pulled it out quickly and held it toward him in defense as he dropped the gun on the floor and grasped the side of his neck. Blood sprayed from the wound, a fine mist covering the wall and cascading over Devlin with each pump of his heart.
Cameron’s mouth dropped open and a wet gurgling sound rose from his throat as he tried to stop the bleeding. He looked at me with terror in his eyes and I watched his soul leave his body as he fell into a heap on top of Devlin.
My hands were covered in wet blood and my vision was becoming a pinpoint as the reality of what I had just done began to sink in. The sound of loud motorcycles echoed through the falling down house and I fell to my knees, staring at my hands, fighting to keep my breathing under control.
“Elise? Are you okay?” Devlin’s voice sounded through the thick fog I was trapped in and a commotion from my side had me turning the knife from Cameron and toward the gaping hole in the wall.
Chuck crawled through the hole as the motorcycle noises grew to deafening proportions. He looked at me, then to a dead Cameron laying over Devlin. His eyes grew watery as he moved toward me on his knees. He softly held my wrist and removed the knife from my shaking hand, tossing it to the floor behind me. Pulling me into a deep hug, he whispered that it was going to be okay.
“Can you help me?” a muffled Devlin asked from under Cameron, and Chuck sat me down and gripped my shoulders firmly.
He locked his eyes with mine and I found my strength returning. “Elise, crawl outside. I’ll be right behind you.”
I nodded and looked anywhere but at the man I had just killed as I slowly crawled through the garbage. Just as I was about to enter the sunlight, I heardhimcall out.
“Lamb?”
“Not now, Devlin. Let’s get her out of here,” Chuck replied and I felt the gravel and sand digging into my palms as I exited the house on my hands and knees.
