Page 46 of Twisted Salvation
“That’s right,” he says. He snaps the whip and laughs when I flinch. “You are replaceable. Say it.”
“I am replaceable,” I say, trying to focus on breathing. Walter and Alvin chuckle when I drop my head.
“Move, and she’s next,” Walter says before snapping the whip across my lower back. The gown does nothing to protect me from the hit. I scream in pain but try not to move. After a few more hits, I put my hands on the wall in front of me to keep myself from falling.
I am sobbing hysterically, but I can’t move. I won’t let them hurt her. I can feel the gown starting to shred and blood trickling down my body. I’ve lost count of the number of times I have been hit now. When I hear them walk up the stairs, I drop to the floor crying. Rose rushes to my side and wraps her arms around me, hugging me tightly.
I cannot pull myself out of this enough to protect her. I should be comforting her, not the other way around. I hate my life so fuckingmuch, but I can’t give up now. I thought Dominic was the only one who could pull me out of this, but it’s Rose. She is counting on me, and I cannot let her down again. I have to get her back to her parents. I focus on three. Three sounds, three items, and take three deep breaths.
“I’m okay. I’m fine,” I say as I sniff back my tears and sit up. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but you are not okay,” she says. “You are bleeding.”
“I’m okay,” I say again. “No one hurt you?”
“Will you stop?” Rose snaps. “God… We really are alike. You are so hardheaded. I know I’m a kid, but it’s not a big deal to admit that you aren’t okay. Stop lying to me.”
“Okay,” I say softly. “I’m sorry… I’m not okay. I just want to protect you. I’ve already let you down enough. If I don’t get you back to your parents safe… I’ll never forgive myself.”
“You are my mom,” she says. “I’ve known all my life that you didn’t want to give me up. I knew that someone hurt you when you were a little girl, and that’s how I was born. Paul and Megan told me that when you took me to the fire station, you were crying and begging them to take care of your daughter. They made sure I understood that you wanted me, but that you needed to do what you did. You weren’t even a teenager. What would you have done, taken me to middle school and hoped I didn’t need a bottle in the middle of gym class? I have always known that one day you would be ready to be my mom, but I think you always were. You protected me fromthe start and never hesitated to do it again the moment you saw me in that van. Stop saying you aren’t my mom unless you want to tell me that you don’t want me to be your daughter.”
“You’re so sassy,” I remark, making her smile. “I do want you to be my daughter, Rosey, but I don’t want you to abandon everything you know for someone you don’t.”
“I love Paul and Megan. They are amazing and have been the best parental figures ever. It’s you that they call their daughter, though. They have always called me their granddaughter. Always. I introduce them as my grandparents, and when people ask about my mom, I tell the truth. I say that my mom was hurt when she was eleven, and that’s how I was born. I tell them that you weren’t ready to be a mom yet because you were still being hurt. I say that one day you’d be free, and I’d finally get to meet my mom. And you know what?”
“What?” I sniffle.
“No one has ever judged that. I told my therapist that, and they told me that one day you’d know that it was safe enough for me to be in your life,” she says.
“When we get out of here, I want us to get to know each other,” I say, wiping my face.
“Does that make Dominic my stepdad?” she asks.
“You might make him cry if you call him Dad,” I laugh. “He doesn’t look like it, but he’s a big softy.”
“He and Matt both are,” she says.
We both abruptly jump up when we hear the basement door again. I push her toward her corner while I back myself into the opposing corner. Alvin has a bat in his hands, and he looks angry. Walter isn’t with him this time.
“Where is Walter?” I ask. When he grins at me, I realize that Walter doesn’t know he is down here. That’s bad.
“Don’t look so scared, Myra,” he says, stepping closer to me.
“Dad,” I yell out.
“You shouldn’t have done that, Myra,” he says. Dad comes stomping down the stairs.
“What the fuck are you doing, Alvin?” Walter snaps. Alvin is still looking at me with an evil grin on his face. “I told you neither of them is dying. Are you fucking listening to me?”
Walter grabs Alvin’s arm, and everything unfolds so quickly. Rose and I both scream when Alvin suddenly turns and swings the bat, hitting Walter directly in the face. Walter drops to the ground with a thud, and Alvin continues to wail on him until his body is limp and his head is crushed. Blood and brain matter are all over the floor now, and I am in complete shock. When he turns to me, I know what he’s about to do. I drop to the floor and curl myself up to try to protect my head.
“Stop!” Rose screams. “Don’t hurt her!”
Shit…
I panic when Alvin steps away from me and turns to Rose. I immediately jump up, but he’s got her backed into a corner. That’s when I see it. Walter came down here with the whip, thinking he was going to have to punish me again. I snatch it up and hit Alvin as hard as I can across his back. Instead of hitting Rose, he turns on me. I swing the whip again, and it slices across his face, making him scream and drop to his knees. The bat is dropped in the process, and Rose grabs it. Alvin launches himself at her. When he catches her ankle and screams as she is pulled to the ground.
Something breaks inside of me, and rage pours out. Everything is coming in flashes as I hit Alvin. He screams so loudly it’s deafening. I don’t stop because he might go after her again. I can still hear her screaming. Why is everyone screaming?
