by E L DuBois
“You folks doing ok?”
Beauty nodded as Knight answered for them.
“Yes, Sir. We are better now that y’all are here.”
He then gave the officer a quick run-down of the situation. The officer was an older man but still in decent shape. He hooked his beefy thumbs on either side of his gun belt and listened. He would occasionally nod or look toward the Beast’s vehicle, each movement causing the setting sun to glint off the metal on his uniform. Beauty quietly watched the exchange, a churning of anxiety growing in her empty belly. The first signs of nausea starting. She could feel her skin growing clammier with each passing minute. When Knight was done, the officer looked between him and Beauty, as if taking their measure and concluding something only he knew. After a long pause, he nodded and patted the top of the car.
“Alright then, let me go talk to the other officer. You folks wait here.”
Beauty turned and watched the man walk toward the other officer and began talking. She could feel the Beast’s glare boring a hole into her soul. Even though he was some distance away, she could make out the scowl on his face. His piercing blue eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. He was clenching and unclenching his hands on the steering wheel. The movement so fierce she could see his knuckles go white with each flex of his fingers. A gentle touch of Knight’s hand to her chin brought Beauty’s attention to his handsome face. A reassuring smile played on his lips.
“We are ok, baby. He can’t touch you anymore.”
Beauty wanted to believe Knight with every piece of her being, but she could not shake the traitorous, niggling sense of doubt gnawing at her insides like a parasite.
As she stared into Knight’s unflinching gaze of love, the officer returned and knocked on the roof of the car. This broke the connection between her and Knight. He turned to look at the officer and smiled. The officer nodded, his voice clipped and efficient.
“Looks like you are all good to go. We have instructed him not to try and contact either of you in any way. He has also been told to stay away from both of you.”
Knight placed his hand out the window and the officer shook it.
“Thank you, Sir.”
With a nod, the officer walked back to his cruiser. Both officers waited until the Beast pulled away and sped past them. Beauty watched as his tail lights disappeared into the distance.
Knight turned to her, a smile on his lips. “See, baby, it’s like I said. You are safe now. The hardest part is over.”
Beauty felt the fear and anxiety clawing at her already raw nerves. She knew the Beast. This was far from over.
Chapter 35
No peace for the wicked…
BEAUTY HAD BEEN right in her prediction that this fight was not over. No, it was just beginning, and the Beast was going to use every dirty trick in his bag of crazy.
The Beast took none of the officer’s warnings to heart. Instead, the very night of all the chaos, he began his stalking. It started with phone calls. Beauty’s phone would ring, and the caller ID would show it was her mother calling. When she answered, it would be the Beast. Beauty would hang up and the phone would immediately start ringing again. This time it would show her father was calling. She would answer, and it would be the Beast. This continued with every family member or contact she had until she could no longer take it and turned the phone off.
Next, he started with social media. The Beast befriended all of Beauty’s and Knight’s friends. Then, he wrote a scathing and degrading message releasing it for all of them to see. His social media attacks extended to sending her message after message, covering all spectrums of crazy. One message would be begging that they work it out and he forgave her. The next message would be full of threats and hate. The Beast was clearly losing his ever-loving shit and with each unstable action, Beauty’s fear grew.
Knight stayed by her side twenty-four seven, but Beauty knew that he would not be able to do this forever. Knight had obligations to the military and would have to be gone for a weekend each month. His weekend was quickly approaching, and Beauty was worried about what the Beast might do. The monster had taken to sitting outside the apartment and her job. He would turn up anywhere she went. Knight was always with her, so the Beast never approached and always parked his car just far enough away to look like he was just going to a store near wherever Beauty was at.
Beauty contacted the police and tried to get a protective order, but since there had not been an act of violence in the previous thirty days, the courts would not give her one. The authorities told her that if she wanted a restraining order, she would need to retain a lawyer and pay for one, since those were considered a civil matter.
Beauty could not afford a lawyer and she was not going to pass on the problem to Knight. If he spent any money on Beauty that could be traced, the Troll would use it against him in their divorce. It was a hot mess of a situation on all fronts and the Beast was taking full advantage.
Beauty became very guarded and aware of her surroundings always. Even sitting in her office, she felt like she was being watched. When she was home, she felt uneasy and jumpy. Her life had morphed into one where she was always looking over her shoulder. The thought of living like this forever was taxing. The stress and anxiety were starting to affect her physical and mental health. Beauty stopped eating because she could not keep food down. She barely slept and when she was able to fall asleep, it was restless because she was plagued by nightmares.
Knight was a rock for Beauty through the whole ordeal. He was always reassuring her and protecting her. The Princess was under constant guard as well. A male family member was with her always. Beauty knew the Beast would use anyone or anything to get to her, even the Princess.
The torment had been going on for weeks when it finally happened. It was a typical weekday night and Beauty had been exhausted from all the stress and had managed to fall asleep. Knight was in bed next to her, out like a light. He could sleep through a tornado. The man was literally dead to the world once he was out. The Princess was the same way. She had always been a sound sleeper. With everything that was going on, Beauty had Knight move the Princess’s bed into their room. She wanted her daughter close.
Beauty was a light sleeper and so it was no surprise if she woke up to a noise, especially with how on edge she was. The room was completely dark when Beauty groggily opened her eyes. Everything in the room was blurs of dark shadows. Had that been a click of a lock and a door creaking? She lay there completely still, mentally clocking every sound. The deep even breathing of Knight. The Princess’s soft, little purring snores. Everything seemed ok. Nothing seemed out of place.
After a few moments, she chalked it up to nerves and closed her eyes. That was when a rough hand that smelled of tobacco and motor grease closed over her mouth. Beauty’s eyes shot open. The Beast’s face was mere inches from her own. The clouds outside must have shifted, letting in eerie shards of moonlight through the blinds. The soft, glowing light illuminated his hard-scowling face and glinted off something metal in his other hand. A gun! Terror rose up inside of Beauty, but she lay completely still. She recognized the all too familiar insanity cloaking the monster before her. A myriad of fears ran through her brain in those seconds she stared into his cold eyes. What did he plan to do? Was he going to kill them all? Please God, don’t let him hurt Knight or the baby. They were her whole life and she wanted nothing more than for them to be safe. A single tear slid from each corner of Beauty’s eyes. The Beast sneered down and motioned with the hand carrying the gun. He placed the gun barrel over his lips in a shushing motion and slowly removed his hand from Beauty’s mouth. Her eyes darted around the room, but she stayed silent. She did not know what to do. If she woke Knight, the Beast would shoot him. So, Beauty did the only thing she could do. She slid quietly from the bed and stood before the Beast. He gripped her upper arm and turned her toward the door. Placing the gun barrel at the small of her back, he silently marched her from the room and across the apartment. The apartment w
as eerily dark, but he navigated them around the furniture with ease. Beauty realized two things in that moment. He was taking her to the guest bathroom which was the farthest room from the bedroom where Knight and the baby slept. And he knew the layout of the apartment, which meant he had been in it at some point.
He led her inside the bathroom and shut the door behind them. That old familiar numbness began to settle in. Beauty would suffer. She knew this without a doubt, but she would do it if it meant he would get what he came for and leave. Beauty knew the Beast planned to rape her. She had known it the minute he started leading her toward the bathroom. He was an animal with animalistic needs to claim what he believed was his.
He flicked the light on and turned her around to face him. She squinted at the sudden light and tried to shield her face. As her eyes adjusted, she began to really see the Beast. He was thinner, with almost a gaunt appearance, but the rage bubbling just beneath the surface still made him menacing. His clothing hung from his frame like tattered rags. Nothing matched, and he had an unkempt beard on his face. The pupils of his eyes were dilated to tiny points. He was clearly strung out. He looked dirty and smelled as if he had not showered in all the weeks since she had left him. Her stomach lurched at the thought of what he was about to do to her. Part of her brain screamed at her to fight back, but it was overruled by the scared girl who had suffered so much at the hands of this monster.
Beauty eyed his gun for a split second. The Beast smirked and placed it on her temple. His voice was like a thousand tiny razors slicing her skin.
“Lie down on the floor!”
Beauty moved like a zombie as she did what she was told. She turned her head to the side and felt herself detach from the situation. Her mind was starting to shield her from what was to come. She barely registered as he unbuckled his belt, and his pants made a clinking sound as they hit the floor. Next came the rip of her underwear, now mere shreds of lace discarded. He lifted her oversized sleep shirt to bare her intimate parts and breasts. The tile was hard and cold against her bare skin. His body felt heavy and clammy as he lay atop her, spreading her legs wide with his hips. He used one hand to grip her hip. His voice was raspy and his breath foul.
“Put your arms above your head.”
With robotic movements, Beauty did as she was told, and he gripped both her wrists with his other powerful hand.
Beauty wanted to cry out, but she was paralyzed in a state of total numbness. She lay there limply as he entered her and invaded the most intimate part of her body. His thrusts were hard and rough, the grip he held on her thigh and wrists so tight it was bruising. He was hurting her in so many ways. Taking from her and breaking her. Silent tears spilled from the corners of her tightly clinched eyes. Everything became singular in those moments. The only sounds she heard were his hot breaths in her ear and one word repeated over and over... MINE.
The only thing she could feel was the pain. She tried to block it out and go to another place, but she stayed too present in those moments and she felt it all. When he finally finished with one brutal thrust and she felt his hot seed flood into her, there was no relief it was over. There was only nothingness. Beauty wanted to curl into a ball and cry until she had no tears left, but she stayed motionless as he got up. She cracked open one eyelid and watched as he redressed and picked up what was left of her lace underwear. He scowled down at her with a look of disgust and pleasure.
“Get up. You made a mess. Clean it up.”
Beauty slowly sat up and pulled down her shirt. She looked at the blood mixed with his seed coating her legs and the floor. With those same robotic movements, she stood and grabbed a dirty towel from the hamper. Her arms and legs were shaky as she bent to clean the mess from the once pristine white tile. Within moments, the floor was clean, and it looked as if nothing had happened there. Beauty looked at the Beast, wondering what his next move would be. He took a step toward her and she reflexively stepped back. The small bathroom grew smaller as he advanced.
She eyed the gun tucked into the waist of his jeans. He smirked at her and shook one finger.
“Ah, Ah, Ah, my Beauty. I’m not done with you yet. Be a good girl and I will let that fucker live. I shouldn’t since he dared to try and take what is mine, but I am feeling generous.”
Beauty watched in horror as the Beast pulled a length of cord from his back pocket.
“Give more those wrists.”
Beauty stared blankly as if she had not heard him. Her mind racing as she tried to find an escape. The beast jerked one of her already sore and bruising wrists and started to wrap the cord around it. She was still standing there like a robot, trying to figure out what to do, when he grasped her other wrist and began tying it up as well. Panic started rising and she opened her mouth to scream. But before she got anything out, the Beast had stuffed her lace underwear into her mouth and was securing another cord between her lips. She thrashed for a moment and the Beast gripped her hard, whispering into her ear.
“If you wake up the Knight in Shining Armor, he will die tonight. You wouldn’t want our little Princess to see that, would you?”
This statement stilled Beauty, all the fight immediately leaving her body.
“Good girl.”
He started walking through the dark apartment. Beauty’s mind was reeling with possibilities. Did he plan to kill her? Where was he taking her? Oh God, she would never see the Princess or Knight again. What if they thought she left them? Oh God, what about her poor little girl?
Beauty’s last thought was answered as she caught sight of the open front door. A short pudgy silhouette stood with its back to her. It was only an outline at first, but as Beauty was dragged closer, she made out who stood there. It was the vilest woman on the planet. The Drama Queen. Beauty felt bile rise in her throat and did her best to choke it back down. It was then the evil bitch stepped into the dim porch light and Beauty’s heart stopped. She almost lost her footing and fell as she caught sight of her worst nightmare. The vile creature was holding something. Not something. Someone. A beautiful little face was sleeping soundly on the evil bitch’s shoulder, the rest of her body cradled in beefy arms. A cascade of soft, honey golden curls falling down the Drama Queen’s arm and back, and the sweet face of the Princess mostly hidden behind them. That evil bitch had her baby.
The Beast pushed Beauty out the door right as his evil sister looked back. “Got everything you wanted?”
“Yup”
“Me too,” was her response as she rubbed circles on the Princess’s back.
Beauty began to fight then, hoping anyone would hear. She did not care about anything but getting the Princess away from these monsters.
The Beast growled and moved quickly. Beauty didn’t see the gun or his hand, but she felt the impact. Pain shot through her head and a warm sticky substance began to flow into her left eye. The Beast threw her limp body over one shoulder and began to carry her. Beauty felt dizziness and pain assail her as she bounced. Her head was too heavy to lift and felt like it weighed five hundred pounds. She tried to kick and flail her arms, but her limbs would not cooperate. There was a rushing sound in her ears and her vision began to blur. Her last fleeting thought before the darkness took her was, “Not my baby. Please, let this be a nightmare.”
Chapter 36
A Knight’s Tale…
EARLY MORNING RAYS of sunlight peeked through the cheap blinds of the apartment window. I had slept like the dead and was too groggy to wake. Out of instinct, I rolled over and reached out to pull my Beauty closer to me. I loved wrapping my strong arms around her tiny frame and hearing her sigh of contentment. I had never felt a love like this. Her and our daughter, yes, our daughter, were my entire world. I did not care about my little Princess’s DNA, because that little girl was mine in every way that really mattered. I would die for my girls and protect them with my life.
As I patted the bed where my Beauty should have been, I realized it was empty. I sat up and looked around. The room was silent, and th
e bedding was turned down on her side. Maybe she was in the kitchen? She had not been sleeping well and was usually up before me. I strained to listen for sounds from the other rooms, but I heard nothing. There was no low hum of a television. No clattering in the kitchen, and no sweet female voices filling this tiny home. Worry filled me as I jumped out of bed and checked to see if the Princess was still sleeping, but I found her bed empty too. In a rush, I ran through the apartment, checking every room. The only thing that was out of place was the guest bathroom light being on. I ran to the front door and found it unlocked. The fear inside me increased as I swung it open and peered outside. Beauty’s car was gone. They were gone. Where were my girls?
I stood staring at the spot where her car had been, rubbing my chin as I tried to puzzle out what was going on. A growing sense of something horribly wrong was filling me with panic. I headed back into the bedroom to find my phone. I will call Beauty and she’ll assure me they’re fine. Maybe they just ran to the store or got breakfast. It was not like her to leave without me, but maybe the baby was hungry. I kept telling myself... they are fine. They’re coming back. My mantra repeated over and over only heightened the worry as I tore the room apart searching for my cell phone. I damn near leapt for joy when I found it under the bed. Please don’t let the battery be dead. Yes, ten percent and blinking green with a text message. I quickly opened the message app and smiled to see it was from Beauty. Relief flooded me until I opened the message.
Beauty: I don’t love you. I never did. We’re going to live with the Beast. We’re going to be a family. Leave us alone and NEVER contact me again.
My knees gave out as I slumped to the bed. My chest tightened with unshed tears. This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be real. I dialed Beauty’s number and it went straight to voicemail. I tried again and got the same results. After the third time, I threw my phone down on the bed and hung my head. Cradling it with my hands, I felt a pain so deep my soul began to fracture. My girls were gone. Two pieces of my heart were gone. How am I supposed to live without those missing pieces?
