Chris

“C? C!” 

Something gripped my shoulder tightly and shook me.

“C… please… “, Danielle said nervously. She pressed her ear to my chest and sighed in relief at my heartbeat, still trying to shake me.

“C! Wake up!”

“Am… wh… I… Danielle?” 

“Yes, C, it’s me. You passed out about an hour ago and now I’m hungry.”

I looked around. We were still at the house. I scrambled to my feet, almost stumbling back down, but Danielle caught me in time. 

“C… are you okay?” 

“I’m fine… just… memories, you know. Let’s go, before this place kills me.” 

Danielle nodded and grabbed my hand. 

The walk was pretty quiet up until we reached the main road. The whole time my head was hurting from all the resurfacing memories. That witch’s face. Danielle’s disappearance. The way she looked at me when I found her in the woods. The wolf. The basement. The blood. The pain. The endless nights spent in silent torment, demons trying to claw their way out of me. 

Once we reached the cement road, finally out of those woods, I stopped abruptly and wrapped my arms around Danielle, my head on her chest. I could hear her heart. 

Ba-boom. Ba-boom. Ba-boom.

Her heart was so… calm. It didn’t skip any beats or sound as if it would explode. Not like mine did. Her heart was still pure, carefree, happy. Mine wasn’t. It couldn’t be. It was tainted with sin and blackened by my coldness. Not to mention what horrible deeds I’d done that nobody knew of yet. Except me and maybe that wolf.

Danielle squeezed me tightly, a soothing comfort. 

After a couple minutes, I pulled myself away from the safety of her arms and the calming sound of her heartbeat and said, “Let’s go get you something to eat.” 

Danielle

It was dark. Not so dark where I couldn’t see anything but still dark enough to scare me. After the basement, I didn’t think I’d ever trust the dark again. My whole body was sore. My genitals stung with every sudden movement. God, it’s bad enough to go through that once. Now I understood rape victims and their suffering. But me… I was raped… 12 times. In a matter of days. By the same man. In the same room. No sleep or any kind of recovery in between.

You never know what it feels like to go through something like that. You hear about it, read about it, see it, you know people who’ve gone through it, but you never really know. You always think ‘well I can protect myself. That would never happen to me’ but then it does and it leaves you broken… dirty… helpless… used. 

Last thing I remembered was C barging in. Then the woman and the man beating him up. Then she knelt down and whispered some things into his ear, no of which I heard. But unlike the other dream, I didn’t fall unconscious. This time I stayed awake, crying, shouting for C to keep fighting. 

But once he couldn’t fight anymore, he gave in. Just sat there. And the woman talked to him for a minute or two, then kissed his forehead. I caught a single tear slip down his cheek before he wiped it away and headed over to me and said those words. 

Yet I knew they meant nothing. He only broke up with me for our safety. Now I understood. It was the only way. And the man had knocked me unconscious once more. God only knows what he did after that. Until I woke up here. Wherever here is. 

The middle of the woods. I looked around. God, I was still naked. Covered in blood. The wolves would be after me in no time. But no, I didn’t care. Now I knew the truth. 

I lie down on the soggy Earth and prayed that I would die there. Painlessly, just let me fall asleep and let this be done with. 

But then, “Danielle!” I heard. It was C.

God, just let me die here, please. Why couldn’t he give it up? There was no escape now. 

Suddenly he was next to me, holding me in his arms, “Danielle, I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry, I never meant for this. I will make it up to you… I will find a way… we’ll be okay, Danielle, I promise! Baby, I love you!” 

And he was torn away from me in an instant. The woman and man had followed. Erick had grabbed C and had him in a headlock. The woman picked me up, well, sat me on my knees, holding a blade to my throat. 

“You never learn do you? Well, this is your last chance. Do anything other than nod and her life is mine.”

“Just take it. I’m done here.” I choked out before laughing a little. Until it ended with a gag.

C was crying, still. 

The woman let me go and I fell limp to the ground. I adjusted my head just a wee bit so I could watch what was happening, though I was too weak to do anything now. The woman made the man let C go and she pulled him to his feet by his shirt.

“Kiss me, or she dies.” 

He gulped, biting his lips before reluctantly giving in. His expression… so disgusted by what was flickering inside his mouth. Who’s lips were syncing with his. Who’s teeth were biting him. Who’s tongue was tasting him. 

Finally she pulled away, grinning, “Now.” 

C looked as if he was about to puke. He looked at me, his eyes filled with pain, regret, emptiness, pleading for my understanding, “Danielle… we’re done.” He muttered, “again.” 

The woman laughed and took his hand, “Let’s go. We need not waste any more time with this filth. It’s going to die, don’t you see? Thank goodness.” 

But C kept firmly planted, not 5 feet from me, biting his lip to keep from crying further. 

“Just one thing. Or… two. And I’ll be yours eternally.”

“And that is?”

He let a couple tears go, “Assure me her safety. Let me bring her back to our best friend’s house so that she can be treated and healed. And I swear, if you let her die here, I will find a way to kill you, Amber.”

I sucked in a deep breath, instantly regretting it. It stung my throat and it took me a few deep breaths to relax, slow down my racing heart and calm down again.

“You okay, Danielle?” C asked beside me, his head on his hand, propped up by his arm on a tree root.

“I’m… fine.”

He gave me that ‘are you serious’ look and said, “Okay, what did you dream about?” 

He sat upright, legs crossed, facing me. 

“Well. It was a continuation of the one where I was in chains and you came in… and they beat you. I woke up in the woods… and then you came… and y-“

“Shh.” He said, index finger now pressed against my lips, “I know how this story ends.” 

He looked at me for a moment, his eyes guilty and scared. He buried his face in his hands and I ran my fingers through his hair until he finally looked up at me with watery eyes. They looked like shiny jaspers the way the light reflected off them. 

“You, on your own, have figured out most of the story. But you never knew my part. You understood what happened and why, but… you don’t really understand. What I went through. Why and how we’re still alive… why we’re here now.”

“Then explain it to me.”

“I can’t. Not until you remember everything clearly… shouldn’t be too long now.”

He stood. I peered up at him.

“You coming? To get breakfast?”

I nod, “I just.” I finally stand, with his help, “Just… thanks. For everything you’ve done this past month.” 

He gives me a quizzical look, “I’ve done nothing.”

“You’ve protected me, fed me, cared for me, given me someone to trust, someone to talk to… you’ve given me a purpose. Without you, I would’ve ended myself long ago.”

“You tried.”

“But you stopped me from trying again. Because after the first time, you know what you can survive and you know what to do to actually finish it the second time. You made me happy, you gave me the desire to live again.”

“Quit talking like this, Danielle.” He said, a hint of fear in his eyes.

I laughed it off, “Sorry. I’m just trying to make a point and say you mean everything to me and that you’ve done a ton for me. Happy Valentine’s day.”

His expression went blank, “Its… V-Valentines Day?”

I nod.

“But I didn’t get you anything!”

“Well I didn’t get you anything either.”

He sighed, “Well… this’ll do for both of us.” He grabbed me and his lips crashed into mine. They synced almost automatically. Like some kind of magnets. He wrapped his arms around my waist like always, with me wrapping mine around his neck. 

I wouldn’t let him pull away after a couple minutes like he always would, I kept it going. Both of us were breathing hard and my heart was pounding quicker and harder against my chest by the second. I wanted him… there and then. It was that simple. Yet not simple at all. How would you explain such a feeling?

This time I pulled away and he trailed kisses down my neck, to my collarbone. He had me pressed against the tree. Poor tree.

He took the edge of my shirt in his teeth and tugged on it the tiniest bit, looking up at with hungry eyes through a wall of messy bangs. It sent a shiver through me that only made me want him more. His kisses found their way back to my neck, where he sucked a little until a little moan escaped my lips. 

He finally pulled away, a triumphant smile across his face, “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Chris

We were in the gas station, looking for something small to steal for breakfast. Maybe some chips, or candy or a can of soup. Along with a bottle of soda or water we could steal from the open truck delivering water and soda bottles. The man who was supposed to be unloading was fast asleep in the drivers’ seat of the truck. It was just a regular day, a week after Valentine’s Day. We didn’t anticipate what would happen next though.

A man in a ski mask walked in, pistol in hand. First, he pointed it at the cashier, “Put all the money in this bag.” He threw a small brown sack on the counter. The cashier, a fat man with short brown hair and glasses, nodded and scrambled to get the keys and unlock the register.

Then the man in the ski mask pointed his gun at each of us, the four customers in the store, “Everybody get down.”

We all shot to the ground, Danielle beside me. The man turned and went to the other customers, as a second man in a ski mask walked inside, found the first man, and ran to him.

“Come on, Danielle.” I whispered, quietly climbing to my feet. I pulled Danielle up with me and we ran for the door.

“Hey!” The man in the ski mask shouted.

An unbearable stinging shot through my thigh, followed by intense burning. Danielle screamed next to me and I groaned in pain. 

“I said get the fuck down!” the man shouted again, gesturing for us to lie down.

Danielle pulled me to the floor slowly so she wouldn’t hurt me. Only on the floor did I look down and actually see the blood pouring from my thigh. I felt dizzy, weak and nauseous. 

“Damnit, James! You said we weren’t going to shoot anybody!”

“I said you weren’t going to. Now let’s get the fuck out of here!” 

He took the now full sack from the cashier and both of the men disappeared out the door. At first, we heard the screeching of tires as the cashier called the police.

“Yes!... Yes!... There’s been a robbery! A man was shot! We need an ambulance here fast!”

“C.. C… don’t… C! Stay with me!” Danielle said, crouching beside me. Her cheeks were damp with tears.

I tried to fight the darkness overcoming me, but it was too much. I gave in and everything faded black before me.