CHAPTERTWO
TRISTAN
Thunder booms, shaking the very concrete floor I lay on. The sound startles me from unconsciousness. I’m not sure of when I blacked out but the jolt of suddenly coming isn't the way I normally come out of it. Most of the time it's Dimitri coming to toy with me again before going out to do his business for the day.
I’ve lost track of all time. I don’t know how long it’s been since Dimitri and his torment started. Each day it’s been the same, that is until the past several days. He’s been worse and where I thought I wished for death before, it's more than that now. Dimitri takes time every day to gloat about how he got one over on my siblings and how they’re not looking for me . . . that they think I’m dead. While he talks and ensures he inflicts enough pain using either his fist, a belt, a whip, sometimes even a knife or some other tool. Once he finishes hurting me one way or another, he violates me. Never does he leave without doing so and I swear he enjoys it.
If it weren’t for one of his men bringing me food and taking care of my wounds, I’d have died by now. The guy does all of this, doesn't speak, unless he thinks I’m out of it, but I’ve heard him talk slowly a few times. Telling me he’s sorry and that he wished he could get me out of there. This guy’s also the only one who has never joined in on tormenting and raping me alongside Dimitri.
Another booming sound vibrates the floor and I slowly do my best to lift myself off the hard surface. Both my wrists give out and my cheek slams back down on the cool floor. Panting from the agony that radiates throughout my body, I roll to my back, the clanking of the chains on both wrists is the only noise filling the room besides my breathing.
The sounds of yelling and commotion from somewhere on the other side of the door hit my ears and I’m surprised. Not about the yelling but the commotion itself. It’s not normal. Or the fighting I usually hear.
I struggle to move the slightest amount to turn in the direction of the door . . . wincing in utter agony at the pain shooting throughout my body. I need to be able to see the attack coming if and when it does. I might not be able to fight back. I never am, but I don’t like to go through shit without embracing it.
Dimitri’s men have been known to come and kick at me whenever they feel like it, though if they’re caught without permission, they get their asses handed to them. Still, it didn’t stop those assholes. They enjoyed tormenting me almost as much as the sadistic narcissist himself, though they never took it to the extreme like he does.
The air seems to smell different around me. I sniff tilting my head to the side slightly and realize somethings burning.
Thunder outside rumbles even louder as the storm rages outside.
I straighten my head and stare up at the dark ceiling. I don’t know how many times I’ve focused on the high beams of the building Dimitri and his good squad keep me in . . . probably more times than I like to think about.
Shouts and screams resonate from somewhere inside the building and I question myself as to what’s going on. The sounds are different, and they seem to become panicked.
The walls of the building shake and the resounding noises of an explosion pierce my ears.
I roll to my side, then slowly to my stomach. I brace my hands against the concrete flooring. With the chains hanging loose for the time being, I’m able to sit up, though it’s a struggle. I ignore the throbbing pain shooting through my system and scoot back to sit against the closest beam that holds me captive.
Sweat beads against my skin and I’m not sure if it's from the effort in moving, the heat of the building, or something else.
Sudden exhaustion takes hold of me, and I give into it not caring if the world around me burns down as I have a feeling it's doing now. The last thing I hear before the ever-welcome bleak darkness overtakes me is more shouting and screams. I can only hope whatever’s happening those who fucked with me are finally getting what they deserve.
* * *
“Holy shit. I got into a situation here.”
I hear someone close by shout over the sounds of something else. From the smell and the sudden heat surrounding me I can only conclude the buildings on fire.
“Need cutters in here now.”
“What’s going on in there?”
“Got a live one in here though barely.” The voice shouts again as something touches my neck. “Don’t worry, Sir, we’ll get you out of here.”
“Oh shit.” Another voice joins the first.
The sound of metal being snapped hits my ears and I’m jerked off the floor and situated between two men who start moving.
With the sudden movement, I scream in protest.
“It’s okay, we’re gonna get you out of here,” one of the men says to me.
“We need to have that bus ready to go,” the other one reports.
“Ready and waiting.”
I struggle to lift my head and to help them as they carry me out of the inferno raging around us but my body refuses to allow it. I’m weak and barely able to open my eyes let alone hold my head up.
“Just leave me,” I manage to croak out, finding it harder than normal to breathe.
“Not happening,” one of them mutters. “We’re getting you out of here.”
Heat of the fire licks at my skin and I find it ironic that when the bastard Dimitri got the jump on me. He used fire to make my family believe I was dead. He told me about it. How after taking pictures of my lifeless . . . unconscious . . . body as he stated, his men switched out mine with another and burned it in my car.
Now I’m being pulled from a fire and alive, yet only in body. I died a while ago and no matter what these men think they're doing, they’re not saving me. Life will never be the same and I don’t think I could face it even if I tried.
Dimitri made sure of that when he decided to take me and do what he did in tormenting me to the point there’s nothing worth living for.