Page 18 of Senescence (Inferno World)

I could see the cogs turning in his brain. I knew he was thinking about the wonderful experience he had shared with me on my parent’s bed.

“We made love in my parent’s bed and you stole both my virginity and my heart,” I whispered, pressing my hands to my chest, hoping he could feel the passion I was spilling out into him.

Luke’s lip upturned, and I took a step closer. Maybe if he could feel the love growing inside of me, he would soften for us. I reached for his hand to try and rest it on my belly, but he pulled away.

“Get in the fucking truck,” Luke sneered, and I smiled.

“Yes, Luke,” I replied, heading towards the passenger seat.

“No. In the back. Where you belong.”

“But, Luk--,” I tried pleading. It was cold, and the warmth in the cab of the truck would have been much better for me and his child.

He grabbed my upper arm in a vice grip, silencing my mouth, before throwing me back into the bed of his truck and slamming it shut behind me.

If riding back here made him happy, I would do so without question. He was, afterall, the father to my child, and the love of my life, and he would always know what was best when it came to our well-being. The entire short journey, a smile plastered my face as I thought about all of the plans I had for our family. Bob Atler was a distant memory, and my life was about to begin.

A few minutes later, the truck came to a stop, and I couldn’t help the wide smile as it continued to splay across my face. We had finally made it home, and I would do anything in my power to be the best wife and mother I could be. Whatever Luke wanted, he would get. I would make sure of it. I was obsessed with him, and the thought of our future together, and I hoped that Luke would be too.

I heard the truck door slam and moments later the sun filtered through as he opened the hatch.

“Stay here, Lucy Marie, and don’t make a fucking sound.”

I nodded at him and rested my head back on my duffel bag.

***

I woke up with a start, my body shivering from the cold. There was no more sunlight peeking through the holes in the soft top, and I had no idea what time it was. Had Luke forgotten us here? Or worse yet, did he have another family inside the house that didn’t know about me? Why had he left me here by myself in the brutal cold?

Anger, confusion, and sadness welled up inside of me, and furious tears streamed down my face. I knew I would be a better wife than anyone he might currently have, and I knew, without a shadow of a doubt that our child would be far superior to those he might have inside.

There was no latch on the inside of the truck, so my exit was at Luke’s mercy. I didn’t know when he planned on letting me out, but I would wait patiently until he did. I took a deep breath and reminded myself that Luke knew what was best for us, and I had no reason to question it. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait much longer.

The hatch opened, revealing total blackness sprinkled with tiny bits of heavenly light. Being outside of our small city meant I could see the stars more clearly, and it was beautiful, just like my rescuer's face.

“Get out,” Luke commanded, his voice even and clear. It was quite a change from the way he had spoken to me earlier, and I guessed it was because he was coming around to the idea. Perhaps he just needed a few hours to wrap his head around the sudden shift in his life. Either way, I would be there for him to see him through.

“Luke, do you have-.” He held up his hands, halting me mid sentence.

“You talk when I tell you to talk, and under no circumstances are you to ask me anything. Is that understood?”

I nodded at him, bowing my head.

“We’ve got some things to talk about, but you smell like fucking trash,” he said, grabbing my arm and walking me away from the truck. Before we went inside, Luke pointed out a grate not far from where we stood and told me if I wasn’t good, that’s where I was going to go. I nodded letting him know I understood. There was no way I would ever not be good for him, so it didn’t bother me much that he felt the need to point it out.

After visiting the Oubliette, as he called it, he walked me towards the front door to his home. “Go upstairs and take a fucking shower. There is a change of clothes that should fit you. The bathroom is the only door that is open and it’s the only one you’re allowed in. Am I clear?”

I nodded again and went inside. Taking a few moments, I viewed my surroundings. I didn’t want to incur anymore of Luke’s anger so I headed up the stairs and found the singular open door. The toilet looked like heaven after pissing and shitting in the outdoors and wiping with whatever I could find. The overwhelming change in my situation brought tears to my eyes. I was home.

The water was hot and it felt good on my cold skin. I hadn’t had a shower in a few weeks, and this was the closest thing to heaven as I would ever get. I smiled brightly as I rinsed the dirt from my body, cradling my large mountain of my belly.

“We did it little one. We made it to Daddy’s house!”

For the next ten or so minutes, I washed, scrubbed, and cleaned every inch of my body and talked to my Baby Pater. I told him about my hopes, goals, and desires for him, and I told him about my love for him and his Daddy. When the water started to cool, I turned off the tap and stepped out.

The nightgown on the counter was white, and although it was fairly large, the middle section of the fabric was taut against my pregnant belly. For a brief moment I contemplated whose dressing gown this could be, but I was in such a good mood, and didn’t want to ruin it with ‘what if’s’. My mind told me that Luke had purchased it just for me, and that was what I was going to go with.

With a final glance in the mirror to make sure I looked presentable to my hopeful future husband, I opened the door and watched the steam roll out. Down both sides of the corridor were a myriad of other closed doors, and I wondered what was behind them. Luke had been very direct about me not going into the rooms, and while my curiosity was at its peak, I decided to follow his command and head back downstairs. I was already being a good and obedient wife and he didn’t even know it. I mentally pat myself on the back.

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