The Bedrock Series

Chapter One-2

“It’s the drugs that make you feel like that,” he said. “Well, that and fear…”

Suspended in the air, n***d, bleeding, and weak, all she could think about was closing her eyes and pretending to be in her backyard with her children, the sun on her face. So, that’s what she did. She needed to remain positive, to think of anything that would help her escape this hell. Addison forced herself to count. She was afraid she was going to lose consciousness and she’d heard his warning about sleep. He wanted her awake and now she understood why. She listened as he toyed with his whips and spikes, his tools of the trade. That was the thing about losing your senses. Everything else became more acute. This was a form of intimidation, she knew. But how? How did she know this?

But how? How did she know this?“I know you’re probably thirsty. Hungry. But since you haven’t yet learned to follow the rules, you get nothing.”

After a bit of tinkering, she heard him turn and once again walked up the dark stairs without a word. It may have been hours or mere minutes. She couldn’t be sure. There was no concept of time. She had no idea what day of the week it was, how long she’d been there, or whether it was even day or night. It was with this thought that the tears came again. Only Addison didn’t sob this time. She was too weak. Instead, silent tears ran down her cheeks, falling onto her bare breasts. She tried her best to fight off sleep and when she caught herself dozing off, she’d play games with herself, recalling a memory of her boys, and then she’d replay it over and over in her mind in order to keep herself awake. She knew she had to get through this and to do that she’d have to stay alert, if she wanted to get out alive. But then, she had to get out alive. There was no other option. Her family needed her. Her children needed her.

Throughout the time that the man was away, Addison dozed off and on despite her best attempts. But it was fitful sleep at best. When she allowed herself to close her eyes, she made sure her sleep was light, not so different from the early days, when her boys were first born and she’d force herself to stay awake to check on them, to make sure they were still breathing.

Eventually, she heard the door creak and her eyes snapped open. Her heart raced as she listened to his footsteps fall on the stairs. Her stomach churned, unsure of what to expect. When he saw that she was awake, he chuckled. As he walked towards her, Addison’s pulse raced. The closer he got, the more she squirmed. She didn’t want to have this reaction, but it was innate. Her brain screamed for her to be still and to remain calm and yet the rest of her body betrayed her, giving away her fear.

She felt him remove the gag. She trembled at his proximity. “There, there. Easy does it,” he whispered, trailing his cold hand down her cheek. “Don’t bother screaming. No one will hear you.”

Addison tensed as he moved his hand away. When she felt it on her skin again, he was holding a straw to her lips. “If we don’t get some water in you, I’ll have gone to all this trouble for nothing,” he warned. “Now, be a good girl and take a drink.”

She did as he said, taking a small sip at first, but then she couldn’t stop. She kept drinking until she choked, and he pulled the straw away. “Ok, I think that’s enough,” he said pulling the glass away and then replacing her gag. She held her breath as he took a step back and walked around the back of her. It made her uneasy when she couldn’t get a sense of where he was or what he was doing—but then, she was just as uneasy as when she could. “You look so beautiful,” he murmured. “In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen anything more beautiful in my life.”

After several moments, he walked back around and stopped just in front of her. He removed the blindfold and then he stood there for a moment as her eyes adjusted, considering her. He tinkered with her chains, and when he seemed satisfied with how she was displayed, he stepped back and closed the door to the cage. She watched as he sat in a metal folding chair just outside the cage. He unbuckled his belt and removed it, laying it at his feet. Her pulse quickened and she couldn’t help but look away. “Look at me, damn it,” he ordered and she did as she was told. Hot, wet tears fell onto her cheeks as she met his gaze. His eyes tracked south as did hers and she could see that he was erect. “It’s my turn to give you a show,” he said as he began stroking himself. It took everything she had not to look away. Swallowing hard against the gag, she felt bile rise in her throat and she wondered what would happen if she were to be sick. He will kill you. She held her breath. She couldn’t help herself. It seemed to go on forever, and she grew dizzy as the man stared a hole through her.

He will kill youWhen he was finished, he stood, picked up his belt and unlocked the door to the cage. The hairs on the back of her neck stood as he walked around her, just as he had the time before. He circled slowly a few times and then finally paused behind her, once again out of eyesight. He replaced the blindfold and then the gag. When he’d finished, she heard him raise the belt as she braced herself for the blow she knew was coming. The belt struck across her rear, forcing all the air from her lungs. Addison gasped; she moaned and tried to say her pleas against the gag. He struck her once, twice, three times until she lost count, each blow worse than the last. Eventually, unable to take any more, long after her silent pleas ran out, as did her cries, she hung her head.

“You’re a bad girl, watching me like that. You should be ashamed,” he told her as he exited the cage. She listened as he placed the lock on the door. Her head felt too heavy to lift and she’d already come to her decision: if he killed her, he killed her. She could hear him dressing. She could hear his footsteps as he walked towards the dark corner. She flinched when she heard the cranking sound. It almost forced her to look up. Almost. Her body stiffened which only worsened the pain. She was being lowered and every inch felt like a mile. Slowly, she descended towards the cold concrete beneath her. When her body hit bottom, she’d expected it to hurt. Instead, she sighed at how good it felt against her wounded backside. She wept long after she heard the man turn and walk up the stairs. He could be anyone, she thought. But he knew her, and he wanted her to suffer.

Almost.He could be anyone, she thought. But he knew her, and he wanted her to suffer.As Addison lay there on the cold, hard floor, wounded and bleeding, she began to think back, trying to recall how she could have possibly ended up here. She began drifting, unaware of whether she was dreaming or awake. The images were crystal clear as they came. Piece by piece the inner-workings of her life appeared vividly before her eyes. Everything was there, every bit of it and was so colorful, so vibrant, that she wondered if she was dying. Isn’t that what everyone said happened before you die? Still, she watched, mesmerized, all the while praying the answers she needed would come— something—anything that would set her free and not death, as she feared.

Isn’t that what everyone said happened before you die? anything