Page 29 of A Storm of Nightmares

“I understand that, honey, but Jess and Kat are new. They just need time to adjust. Remember how hard it was for you to get through to me at first? Now, look at us, happier than I would have ever imagined, all thanks to you.” Betty is slowly walking closer, and her calm voice is working wonders on Rick’s temper. I can visibly see his anger leaving his body in waves. Betty is now at Rick’s side and tries to lean in for a kiss on his cheek, but he turns away from her at the last second.

I’m still in his grasp, and my sobbing is growing louder as the pain in my scalp intensifies. It feels like a fire spreading over my skin, and I don’t have any way to put it out. Rick looks down at me once more, and his eyes cloud over with a darkness I can only describe as pure evil. He throws me down to the floor so quickly that I don’t have time to catch myself. The last thing I hear is the sound of my head smacking the concrete floor, and then everything goes black.

Chapter 18

My eyelids flutter open, and I find myself back in my room. The lights are turned off, and there’s no light coming in through the small window on the door. It must be nighttime. I hear faint screams drifting down the hallway, and I close my eyes to try and block out the sounds. I can tell that it’s Betty. I don’t want to think about what’s happening to her.

If Rick was listening to us, then he heard everything Betty said. She was whispering, being careful for this exact reason, but I bet he got enough to know how she really feels about him. Now she’s suffering the consequences of her words.

Never in a million years would I have imagined a little geeky guy like Rick could be so abusive and oddly strong. Betty could never fight him off on her own. None of us could.

My freaking head hurts. I have a migraine, and my scalp is sore from the assault by Rick. I go to rub my head, looking for evidence of where it collided with the floor earlier, only to be stopped by cold, metal cuffs.Damn it. The stupid bastard cuffed me to the bed again.

I can’t see, I can’t move, and I can’t drown out Betty’s cries. I’m truly miserable. My life has hit an all-time low, and it doesn’t look like I’ll be catching a break anytime soon. I think, at this point, death would be a sweet relief.

My eyes water, but I bite my cheek to stop myself from full-on sobbing. Crying is what got us into trouble in the first place. I have no choice but to do as Betty says and make Rick think I’m warming up to him. If I even survive the night. Something tells me Rick isn’t the forgiving type.

Eventually, I drift back into sleep, and when I wake again, Rick is in my room. I gasp and start to sit up but stop when I remember I’m cuffed to the bedposts.

“Well, it’s about time you woke up. You’ve been in and out for just over two days. I would imagine your skull meeting with the concrete floor caused a minor concussion.” Rick shakes his head in disgust at me as he comes closer. “I thought you needed saving. I thought you were my sweet, sad angel, but that’s turning out to be a lie, isn’t it? You made a fool out of me, Katherine, and I won’t stand for that.”

“W-what do you mean?” I stammer nervously.

“What do you mean?” Rick repeats, mocking me viciously. “I mean, Katherine, you are causing more trouble than you’re worth. Bringing you here was a mistake. Now I have to figure out what to do with you, seeing as how I no longer want you.”

My bottom lip starts to tremble as I realize what he’s hinting at. I don’t dare speak a word. I won’t give him the pleasure of me breaking down and begging for my life. My eyes betray me, though, and a single tear rolls down my cheek, exposing my weakness.

Rick’s lips turn up in a sick, twisted smile as he moves even closer to me and leans down until our faces are only a couple of inches apart. “It’s such a shame you couldn’t behave. I would have had so much fun with you, Angel.” His filthy hand rests on my stomach for a moment, his fingers playing with the hem of my shirt. I squirm under his touch, but I can’t get away. Rick licks his lips and then closes the gap between us, forcing his mouth on mine. All the while, his hands wander up to my breasts, squeezing and cupping each one as if he has every right to my body.

I want to scream and fight him off, but I’m chained to this fucking bed, at his complete mercy. I feel bile rising up from my stomach, and my heart is racing faster than ever. I’m not sure whether it’s from fear or adrenaline, but I’m running with it.

In a final effort to protect myself, I take Rick’s bottom lip in between my teeth and bite down as hard as I can. I taste his blood as it runs into my mouth, and I know I hit my mark. Rick pulls back in a rush, his hand only leaving my body so he can assess the damage.

“You fucking bitch!” He spits before pulling his fist back and delivering a knock-out worthy punch to my face. I don’t react to his hand because I expected it, and that angers him even more. He wanted me to scream, to cry, anything besides taking the abuse silently. Rick grabs my shoulders and shakes me aggressively, intensifying the throbbing pain from my migraine, but I never look him in the eye.

“You know what, you little bitch? If you’re going to act like this, I have no reason to keep you. Tomorrow makes seven days since your arrival. A full week. It’s unfortunate that’s as long as you’ll last. You better enjoy the next few hours because they’re the last ones you’ll ever have.” With those parting words, Rick leaves my room and slams the door behind him.

I’m beyond crying now. Every emotion I once felt drained out of me at the threat of my impending death. All I can do is stare at the dirty wall in front of me and wait for my untimely end. I’m going to die tomorrow. A weird calm settles over me. This is what giving up must feel like. I have no hope left of getting out of here, and there’s no point in fighting anymore. All I can do is accept my fate.

I stare at the wall for who knows how long. My stomach growls, and I realize I haven’t eaten since before I got knocked out two days ago. Rick wants me to be weak.

My wrists are bloodied again from the cuffs and my head is pounding from my apparent concussion. I have experienced a lot in life, but never have I felt so low as I do at this moment. All I can do is count the minutes until Rick comes to kill me.

I don’t consider myself a religious person, but in this moment of utter despair, I find myself praying. Praying to whoever might be listening. I really don’t have a specific audience in mind, as long as my silent pleading is heard. I want Betty and Jess to survive and live long lives after my death. I want Rick to never lay a hand on either of them again.

Maybe somebody will find this place one day, and the girls can finally be free while Rick goes to jail and rots for the rest of his life. Or even better, he’ll die in a slow, excruciating way and think about all the damage he’s caused as he takes his last pathetic breath. I don’t think you’re supposed to pray about such gruesome things, but I’m desperate, and frankly, I just don’t care anymore.

Happy with my final prayers, and hoping they get answered soon, I’m able to fall asleep. Tomorrow is my last day on this Earth. I may as well get one last night of rest.

Chapter 19

My eyes fly open when I hear somebody come into my room.Oh god, it’s time.I swallow down my fear quickly. I will not let Rick break me. Even in my last moments, I need to look strong.

It’s dark, and I can hardly see Rick as he slowly gets closer to the bed. I guess he couldn’t wait for the sun to rise. I bet the fucker is excited to finally kill somebody. The day he brought me here, he told me he wasn’t a monster. He was insulted that I asked if he had killed Betty. But now, look at him. All too eager to bloody his hands.

I can’t even watch him approach me. My heart is hammering in my rib cage, and I feel my hands begin to shake. I close my eyes tightly and try to replay happy memories in my mind as a distraction. Please let this be quick.

“Kat?” I hear a deep voice call out to me. Not just any voice, but Keith’s voice. Great, I’m freaking hallucinating now. My mind is playing tricks on me, and I can’t stand it. I can’t think about the love of my life in my final moments; it’ll only remind me of everything that I will never get to experience with him. The life, kids, and all the laughter between the two of us that can never happen now. I shake my head without opening my eyes, trying to get Keith’s voice and all of those thoughts out of my head.

---