I can’t think, I can’t feel, all I can do is lay there, my body motionless, my heart pounding, everything else inside me numb. All I want is for the world to open right up and swallow me, taking me into the dark abyss. At least then I won’t have to feel the things I’m feeling right now, I won’t have to live another moment though this nightmare.
“Now, while I’ll enjoy kissing you, I’m tired and I’m not going to make you do anything against your will tonight. Think yourself lucky, Willow. If I wasn’t tired, I can’t be certain I’d let you get away with it. You will stay with me, though, and warm my bed. I might just change my mind by morning. I’m going to shower, don’t bother trying to get out, one step out this door and it’ll be the end of you.”
He slides from the bed and relief swarms me, for the minute, anyway. I watch him walk into the bathroom and I sit up quickly, glancing around the room for anything I can find that might help. My eyes go to the bedside table, and I almost scream with delight when I see his phone. I crawl across the bed quickly and pick it up, praying with everything inside that it isn’t locked. It isn’t, and I almost cry as I drop to the floor beside the bed. I can hear the shower running, and I know I’ve only got a matter of minutes.
I dial Jagger’s number.
“Hello?”
Jagger’s voice is a relief, it’s pure gold in my ears.
“Jagger, it’s me.” I whisper.
“Willow? Fuck Willow...where are you? Are you okay? Are you hurt? Fuck me.”
“I’m with Mick,” I peer over the bed, shower’s still going. “He took me. I’m on the island. I don’t know how long I have, but I wanted to talk to you, to tell you I’m okay.”
Jagger’s voice is tight and rough when he speaks. “I’m coming for you, do you hear me?”
“Jagger...”
“Are you hurt? If he fucking lays a hand on you, I’ll gut him.”
“I’m okay, I just...”
“I know you don’t want to, but you have to do as he says. You don’t understand what he’ll do to you if you don’t. I need you to buy some time, so I can get there. Do you understand?”
“Jagger, please, just listen...you can’t...”
The phone is suddenly snatched from my hand, and I’m sent tumbling backwards as Mick backhands me so hard I nearly black out. He slams the phone down as he stalks over to me, towel wrapped around his waist, his eyes as dark as the night as he leans down and hauls me to my feet. Head spinning, I try to gather my footing as fear grips my chest.
“You made a big mistake, Willow.”
He drags me out of the room and down a hall, towards a dark area of the house. He is striding with a purpose that scares me, and he doesn’t even pause when I stumble. He just drags me along, not once losing his step. When we go down a set of stairs, and come to a dark, moldy smelling area, I know I’m in trouble. Mick drags me over to a corner and shoves me against a wall, chaining my hands above my head.
This is bad.
This is really bad.
“I just wanted him to know I was ok,” I try, my voice weak.
“Shut up!” he roars, slapping my face so hard my head spins to the side.
Pain radiates through my cheek and tears burn under my eyelids as I clamp them shut, not wanting to see his face for a second longer.
I keep my mouth closed, not wanting to anger him any further.
“You’ll spend the night here and believe me when I say you will wish to God you didn’t use that phone.”
Then he spins and leaves, and I’m left in darkness.
Alone.
15
Hell doesn’t begin to cover this place. I have a creature of every sort climb over me that night. Rats, spiders, and fuck knows what else. I scream, oh do I scream, but eventually my voice fades out and I can’t even manage that much. One thing I don’t deal with in this world, is rats and bugs. I am deathly terrified of spiders, and as I feel some of them crawling over my skin, I think I black out. Fear like this comes on a whole different level. I scream until the world goes dark and when I open my eyes the sun is up and I’m alone once more.
All the hellish creatures are gone.
I’m heaving, even though I’ve just woken from slumber. My heart is racing, sweat trickles down my face and for the first time, I regret picking up that phone. I truly regret thinking it was a good idea. Part of me wonders if Mick left that phone on purpose, maybe he wanted me to call Jagger and let him know where I was, to ensure he came. The more I think about that, the more sense it makes. I want to scream, I wanted to tell Jagger not to come, but now I can’t even do that.