by Kim Faulks
He smiled at her, nodding as she pleaded and begged to be released. It was the first time she had spoken the words inside her mind and as soon as she did, she was filled with regret. It was one thing for these thoughts to be in her head, but it was something else to speak them, to give them substance and now that they had been voiced, they smothered her in her own hell.
He pointed at her and spoke. She tried to focus on him, but it was hopeless and finally she shook her head.
"I don't understand," she said to him. He shook his head and pointed again, his message was lost on her, his words were muffled and made no sense, not even to her. Nothing but the sound of her voice that let her know that she was still alive.
He pointed again, this time his eyes burned brighter with a fierce determination to give her a message. Why was he pointing at her body? She looked down, maybe a spider sat on her skin that she hadn't noticed. She could hardly see past her waist, the darkness cloaking the rest of her body from her own eyes. There was nothing. She followed his finger, it didn't just point at her body; it pointed to her heart. Then she watched him point to himself, then back to her, back to him, then back to her.
"I love you, too," she whispered, witnessing the last tender moments that she had left in her life.
She felt so very tired, and unbearably cold. It was all she could do to hold her head up. Her tears fell as she closed her eyes and Malik was lost to her once more. She hadn't dreamed since she had been taken, why would she? She was living her own private nightmare. So when she felt herself float above her body and look down she thought she was dreaming.
Her fingers moved, caressing her own hand, needing the feeling of contact, even if it was her own. She looked so pitiful and it broke her heart to see her body like this. Her heart, there was something Malik was trying to tell her about her heart.
The closer she moved the quicker she was sucked back into her own body, her skin riding a ripple that coursed over her body. A flicker of movement snatched her gaze towards the corner. The white flowing outline grew more solid as he moved towards her.
"What do you want with me?"
The questions were almost automatic now, her voice slurring in her ears. "Who are you?" As she expected there was no answer...she snapped her eyes open and stared at the man before her. His garb was different to those who had come in before. The long pale dress and turban was what she would expect in Egypt. Is that where she was? Back in Egypt sounded plausible and if so that meant Steve was behind this, she was sure of it. "Murderous, motherfucking bastard!"
He stared at her, his gaze secretive and filled with as much contempt as she had ever seen. "Fuck you," she mumbled, feeling the weight of her exhaustion...
She was alone in the darkness. It was the only constant presence as she waited in limbo, caught between living and dying. She stood, pushing up with her legs and worked her hands into fists that drove agony to ride her body once again. Scream bitch! The words where whispered, but the cold rage was unmistakable. She whipped her head around, searching the darkness as her heart thundered in her chest. But, there were only shadows that smothered her and as far as she knew, they wished her no harm. She turned back, seeing the man with the turban standing in front of her. Beside him another form flickered, lightening the gloom and an outline materialized in front of her. Whatever was happening it continued, as another, then another form was born out of the shadows, standing before her.
They regarded her with cold contempt and she forced herself to concentrate, and found her eyes drawn back to the one who stood in front of her. He gravitated closer towards her and she whimpered, pulling on the chains to get further away. But he never wavered, stepping closer as the stain around his stomach grew, covering his entire stomach. It's blood, she realized. Was this a ghost? Do you not remember him Natalie? Was their life so insignificant that you wouldn't remember them? Look at them...
She didn't want to, and she found herself closing her eyes, whispering the spell that she knew in her gut wouldn't work, please go away, please go away. But the images still remained when she opened her eyes, they demanded her attention with their unwavering presence. Her body sagged, no longer fighting with the restraints. She knew who they were, she knew what they wanted.
They wanted their pound of flesh, ready to take their fill of her fragile existence and take her to the hell that waited for her, the other hell that is. "Yeah well, get in fucking line."
The apparitions in front of her were the remnants of not only her own survival, but those that were weaker, those that wouldn't have stood a chance in the line of gunfire. Would she have done it different now that she knew that her demons waited for her? Would she have turned away from that tiny hut, from that young boy and his mother if she knew what she knew now? She looked at the ghost that stood in front of her, watching his hand grasp the saber’s hilt.
She thought of the mother and her child, huddling in the corner of that hut, her hands tucking his face into her own body, shielding his eyes from the carnage around her, as Natalie slashed her way through those that meant them harm. Would she change even a second of that fateful day? The answer was simple...Hell no.
The apparition moved, her answer releasing him from his limbo. He screamed and raised a sword, his battle cry ferocious as he leapt forward, slashing down her body from one side to the other, carving her into two. She didn't even have time to cry out, only the cold empty feeling as she felt herself go as death took its greedy hold over her.
"Natalie...Natalie!"
Her body jolted and she opened her eyes slightly at the sound of his voice. She moaned, feeling the excruciating pain in her hands and pushed up with her legs, relieving the pressure for the moment at least. The memory of her death caused her eyes to widen, searching the gloom for those who meant her harm once again.
"Natalie, can you hear me? It is me, Alexander."
"Alexander?"
She expected to see the bloody workings of her own organs spill out into the air around her. But there was nothing, not a scratch, nothing but an unhinged feeling that threatened to break and send her into the darkness of her mind that waited for her.
"We've found you Natalie, and we're on our way to get you out."
The sound that echoed from her sounded pathetic, but she didn't care. She was getting out of here and second-by-second she pulled herself together. "Hurry, please Alexander!"
"We're almost there my love, hang on."
His voice was like a miracle and it bought forth a surge of hope that filled her, warming her from her very core. Her heart almost burst with the love she had for her immortal men, dangerous and vindictive she knew they would leave no one behind. No one would escape their wrath.
She could hear them now, the sound was only faint, but if she focused she could just hear them. Then the screaming started. The sweet torturous sound filling her ears and she couldn't help but cheer Malik and Alexander on, screaming into the darkness. "Kill them all. Kill them for me!"
She could sense them, moving like lightning speed as they burned and tore their way through the animals that kept her captive. The acrid stench of burning flesh drifted to her and she couldn't help but smile. Not long now, she whispered, listening to their footsteps echo along the hall. They were going to get her out.
"We're almost there my love, get ready, we're getting you out of here. You will be forever safe with us. I swear to protect you for all eternity."
And that sounded just perfect to her. Her thoughts were filled with that, the passionate hunger of her men loving her, enveloping her in a constant state of bliss. She could see them living in Sydney, Alexander's house was more than big enough for them, well for her and Alexander at least. She didn't think Malik would go so far as to share a house as well as herself with the vampire. Would they be content to share her? She hadn't thought that far ahead. Even if they weren't she had the rest of her natural life to change their minds.
She could almost smell the fresh salted afternoon air that blew across t
he Harbor and the high cerulean Australian sky that seemed to stretch on forever. She hadn't let herself think about home. She didn't think she would ever see her home again. But now hope bought forth these thoughts, carrying her away with the rush. The thought of returning home to Australia filled her with a surge of desire that she had never experienced before. She would kiss the ground when she touched down, she would hug the massive steel footings of the Harbor Bridge and she wouldn't care if she never left her home again.
Footsteps echoed louder, making their way along the hall towards her. The tap, tap, grew in a crescendo until the door was hurled open. She feebly pulled on her restraints, eager to rid herself of this darkness and step into the light once more. "Hurry," she pleaded, focusing on the two outlines that moved towards her.
"Shut your fucking mouth bitch!"
"Alexander? Malik?" she whispered, unable to understand what was going on.
She heard a snort, then water splashed her face, drowning her as it ran into her mouth. She opened wider, swallowing the moisture as it hit her tongue. She could hear one them lean forward and sniff at her. "More water, she still stinks."
She lost herself in that instant, felt herself floating around somewhere inside herself. She had lost her tether, her grip on reality had slipped, leaving her floating between one delirium and another. All she knew was the cold water that splashed against her, one wake after another. She opened her mouth and swallowed as the water hit her, her throat clenching wildly. Her body took over, the basic needs pushing aside the fact that her mind had been broken. Hands groped her, tugging at what little clothing she wore. She screamed and kicked, throwing her body away from their reach and ignoring the tearing of her flesh. She would rather die fighting, than let this happen.
"Stop it," a voice growled at her as he tugged at her bra, flicking open the clasp and her letting her breasts fall. One grabbed her breast, his massive hand kneading and rolling her nipple between his fingers. "Keep fighting bitch. Cause I'd love the opportunity to sink my teeth into those tits."
She froze, her kick stopping in mid-air at not just the threat of rape, but because she was doing more damage to herself trying to get away. "Easy now, we're going to lower your arms okay?"
Her mouth trembled as a part of her said that this was it, this was her end, she had known it was going to come to this eventually and prayed that her next life would be better.
She only had one thing left to do and as she closed her eyes she lifted her mental shields one last time. Find me again Alexander, I love you, she whispered inside her mind.
Natalie. NATALIE!... his pain screamed inside her head, but she could only assume it was the trick of her mind once again. She didn't know if she could ever recover from what was happening, but she knew she would not survive her mind conjuring him again. The lies of her fantasy would be the death of her so she lowered her shields, cutting him off from this life for the final time.
The metal cut deep into her wrists, before releasing their bite and her arms dropped to her body. Each movement was agony as her arms still felt the restraints that were no longer there.
"Walk," he said, pushing her ahead. She stumbled, falling into watery slime that could only have been the remnants of her own filth. Her stomach retched and she pulled herself quickly up, stumbling her way in the darkness until she hit a wall.
"Wait here," he said as his movements carried him somewhere to her left. Her hands felt along the walls, the surface too straight and porous to be anything but man made and that meant she had to be in some kind of bunker or cellar. The bolt slid quietly, the click of the lock barely distinguishable as the door swung open blinding her, even in the dimly lit hallway.
She squinted, trying to force her eyes to adjust to the brightness of the hallway. Her sense of vulnerability was overwhelming as it was and there was no way she was going to go to her death. The light grew brighter as she walked naked along the hall followed by her captors. She knew they could see her clearly now, could feel their gaze on her skin. But she could do nothing about her modesty; the only thing she was focused on was trying to stay alive. Her broken mind she would try to mend later.
Chapter 3
Red light blinded her, forcing her to shield her eyes with her hands. At first she thought it to be a torch they held to her eyes, a cruel torment after so many days kept in the dark, but as she neared the outside of the cement structure she realized that it was the sun.
It burned blood red as it dipped low in the sky, a ruptured eye glaring at her as she stumbled towards her death.
"Faster," one of the men said, pushing her hard in the middle of her back, propelling her forward. She moved automatically, her anger unbridled as she spat out, "Fuck you." Another part of her floated away and pushed aside by the delusions of her mind as she tried to cling on to the solid thoughts she had left.
She was sure that she was still shackled in the darkness and this was just another torment. She looked back, along the hall from where she had come, trying to see past the concrete and light, to reveal her true surroundings. This was not real, this was not happening.
She was grabbed from behind, her body jerked backwards as hands pulled her hair. The pain was real. Hot stinging pain blurred her vision with moisture she couldn't spare and that was the anchor to her disbelief. This was happening; this would not fade away and reveal the trickery of her mind. She was lifted by her hair and bent backwards, her muscles burning as a scream tore from her throat as she stared into the eyes of her captors for the first time.
Captors, that's what they were, that was the only word she had, for they were not human. Wide round eyes stared down at her along a thick boned face. He looked more like a bull than anything else, but stood on his hind legs and walked like a human... a Minotaur? "Fuck me?" he asked, his eyes glistening. "Well, we will see what we can work out."
Had she said that? She had thought it yes, but she didn't think she had spoken the words. Maybe there was more of her spirit left than she had thought.
He shoved her forward, and she fell, sprawling out in the dirt before them as the sound of footsteps milled around her. She lay on the ground, not wanting to move. Rocks dug into her body, her flesh scraped and bleeding from the fall and she pulled her legs towards her body in a ball.
"Tie her up."
The command was spoken softly, belying the unfeeling tone. Natalie couldn't stop herself; she didn't want to see that face again. But she forced her fears aside and lifted her head, meeting the cold, detached gaze of the vampire who had taken her.
The Minotaur pulled her upwards, wrapping a leather collar around her neck, leashing her like a dog to whoever pulled on the chain. "Come," he said, jerking harshly with a chuckle.
She stood on shaking legs that barely held her weight, unable to do anything but comply as she was hauled towards a stone chair and the reason she was here. This was the first time she was able to see where she had been taken and the hopelessness of her situation weighed heavily on her. She was in the middle of nowhere.
The plain stretched out for miles, lying flat. A blanket of cracked earth sat like a brown mosaic field before her. There was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Even if she could escape, in her condition she wouldn't get very far. Whatever happened...whether she lived or died would be up to them.
A breeze picked up, blowing across her skin as her captor bent down tying her to a metal spike driven into the earth and she shuddered. She had never thought she would feel the breeze on her face again, let along the setting of the sun and the arrival of the moon. The others worked around her, carrying piles of wood to build a fire.
Her captors were not human, a mixture of animal and man, like nothing she had seen before. Most looked like humans but watched her warily, licking their lips if she met their gaze. She looked away quickly, seeking out the others, unable to stop herself from searching their eyes for any sign of weakness or kindness.
Stone faces and hungry eyes stared at her as they went about setting a f
ire. She looked over to the stone chair and found the woman vampire staring back. She cast her gaze again over those that worked around her as she watched Natalie and realized with a cold fear, that apart from this cold bitch, that she was the only other woman there.
"Enjoying the view?"
She couldn't help but meet her eyes, the glint of amusement plain to see. She remembered the moment in the darkness when she knew she would die at the hands of this creature, that second of her life where the cord of her existence felt so fragile that for the first time in her life, she truly felt she would die. Guilt filled her for a moment, thinking that Makkah was the one that held her captive, the one that watched her from the darkness. But until the moment that she was assured that Makkah wasn't behind this, she kept her guilt at bay.
She had been a soldier, trained for combat in some of the harshest of environments and placed in the firing line more times than she could count, but she always thought she would make it, always dreamed of the day she would come home and start her life. But that hadn't happened, she found herself unable to leave that tin hut in the middle of a war. That is where she had remained, forever killing the terrorists that came to kill her and the family. She had realized that, she had always been fighting a war either in her relationships, her work, or her life in general.
She looked away, focusing on the barren land that lay before her, trying her best to find something that she could hold on to.
"Run. I dare you."
The taunt was issued with a hint of desire that caused her to break out in shivers and broke her gaze from the moors that surrounded them. The scent of meat filled the air as they placed the body of a pig over the already roaring flames of the fire. Deep pangs of hunger stabbed inside of her.
