Chapter 21

<Victoria Grayson>

Things have gotten progressively worse since my ray of sunshine this morning. The door to the basement torture chamber is soundproof so I have been left alone with my own fear for God only knows how long. The soft whisper of my own breathing, mixed with the silence of the empty space is driving me absolutely insane. The constant rubbing of the handcuffs against my wrists has caused a bright red ring of irritation on my skin, which is painful to the touch.

My mother had come down some time ago to collect the untouched tray and glower at me some more. I thought maybe I'd be left alone after that but then Talon, flanked by two henchmen, decided to pay me a visit and I knew that wouldn't end well. They stand above me, sneering, for what has to be at least five minutes. They don't say anything which makes me grateful because I know the minute they start running their mouths, a new reign of torture will begin. 

I hold my breath in the silence as the sneering and evil chuckling continues. My throat is tight from the thoughts of what happened last night and my stomach is doing somersaults at the prospect of what could be coming. Just hold onto your faith; they can only break you if you let them...

"How's the dungeon treating you?" Talon asks without really expecting an answer.

"Better than hell's going to be treating you soon enough," I respond smoothly, knowing full-well the effect my words are having on him.

"Apparently my lesson last night didn't do the trick." Talon glides slowly towards me.

"I'd give it an A for effort." I retort sarcastically, doing my best to mask the fear in my voice.

I swallow a lump in my throat as his face peers directly down at me. His beady, soulless eyes glare into mine and his thick breath fans my cheeks. I gulp, my hands suddenly shaking with terror. He chuckles when he notices this fact and then backs up.

"Oh boys," Talon gives his henchmen a look before pointing at me. "I'll try not to interrupt you this time."

His henchmen walk hungrily towards me while a look of horror spreads across my face. I squirm around and tears spring in my eyes as I realize I have nowhere to run to. The men corner me and slam my body into the wall. One of them grabs my hair so my head will stay still as he begins to bite my bruised neck. I scream and writhe around in my restraints but it's a fruitless effort. The men continue to run their hands all over my exposed body and the larger one actually manages to unhook my bra.

"Talon, please don't let them do this to me. Please." I beg, my cheeks burning as I realize what Talon is trying to do. He's breaking me; he's making me grovel at his feet. Well, in this situation what choice do I really have? Let this assault continue further to prove to Talon that he can't break me or give in and get these disgusting vermin away from me?

"Please make it stop, I'm begging you." I wail as one man continues biting my neck while the other grips my hips tightly, his hands alarmingly close to my lace underwear.

I said the magic words apparently because the next moment, Talon drags the men off of me by the scruffs of their necks. He throws them against the pole and then turns back to me with a menacing smile. I brush the tears off my face and hook my bra back together with a feeling of humiliation going strong in my gut. My eyes burn again as I look at Talon who is waiting expectantly for something.

"How could you? How could you just stand there and let them assault me, your own flesh and blood? You're sick; a sick, disgusting excuse for a human being. I hope you burn in hell for eternity." I mutter in a shaky voice as I touch my neck which is now bleeding due to the new bites it received.

Talon doesn't even look fazed by my words; they seem to have no ill effect on him much to my dismay. I spit on the ground and then fold my arms across my body, a weak attempt to try and protect it.

"Let's play a game..." He grins and pulls out some knives from his pocket.

My eyes widen considerably and then Talon sends his henchmen back towards me, who still seem wildly obsessed my boobs. They kick my ankles so my legs spread apart and then the larger one pulls out a roll of duct tape to restrain my hands and feet to the wall. My shoulders slump a little and then, terrified by what's to come, I stare back at Talon who is handing out knives to the two henchmen. My fists clench and then look up to the ceiling. God, I hope you're listening. I really need a miracle right now. Please let me survive this. I don't want to die; not when I have so much left to live for. Please protect me.

I hear a whoosh and then something glinting and definitely metallic hits the  hardened dirt wall right next to my head. I shudder as Talon lines up his shot. His grazes my hip bone before lodging itself deeply in the wall next to me. The three of them continue to throw the knives at me and purposefully miss most of the shots. They're only doing this to scare me, to watch me flinch. I'm strong, much stronger than them; I will survive. The closest I'd come to losing a limb was when one of Talon's knives cut my pinky finger while he was trying to get the knife near my wrist.

After a few more heart-pounding moments, Talon and his henchmen come close to me to collect their knives. The larger one, the one who unhooked my bra, whispers an obscene phrase in my ear before smirking and moving away. My mouth is agape with horror as Talon tears my duct tape restraints off and throws my hair over my shoulder. I'm frozen in my spot as I think about all the possibilities of what he's about to do. I feel metal on my skin and then I scream out as Talon drags the knife down my shoulder blade.

"Day 1." He murmurs thickly in my ear, his disgusting voice lingering on my neck.

I wince as he moves away from me. My legs drop out from beneath me and then I'm once again clutching my knees to my chest. I don't look up until I hear Talon and his henchmen's footsteps on the marble floor of the kitchen upstairs. The door slams, the lock clicks shut and then I'm left alone once again.

~~~~~

Once night has fallen, I hear the door open again and someone comes down into my empty and twisted sanctuary. However, it's not my mother's glower that greets me but the regretful eyes of someone I loathe.

"Carter, why are you coming down here? Are you gonna ridicule me, throw some knives at me, assault me?" I lay my chain clad arms in my lap and glare at him.

He sets a food tray down in front of me but this time it has real food on it instead of the bread and water my mother served me earlier. There's what resembles a sandwich, a glass of clear water and then a small shot glass filled with some amber colored liquid. I look up at him with distrust.

"How do I know you didn't poison the food?" My glare deepens and I feel a crease appearing in my forehead.

"I'll try it." Carter frowns and takes a bite of the sandwich.

After living through the sandwich, he takes a swig of the water and then sips the amber colored liquid.

"See, I'm still alive." He shrugs and slides the food towards me.

Still skeptical but now extremely starving, I wolf down the food on the tray. The grumbling in my stomach subsides a bit and I don't look up at Carter until I've finished the sandwich and the water. He's sitting down in front of me, biting his lip and staring intently at the ground. I lean back against the solid dirt wall with the shot glass in my hand.

"Carter, why are you doing this? Giving me real food...You're on Talon's side, remember?" I tilt the glass back and drink the whole thing, a little shudder escaping me as I set the glass on the ground.

"Victoria, I know I've been nothing but an ass to you but I swear I'm not on his side, not anymore at least." Carter meets my gaze, still biting his lip. "I haven't been on his side since you left New York."

"How did you jump loyalties so fast?" I narrow my eyes and tuck a piece of hair behind my ear.

"I was only loyal to him for the drugs and I was forced to work for him as a debt for not turning me into the cops. Now that I look back on it, turning myself into the cops would've been the better option. I might be better off now." Carter's voice trails off as he pulls on a thread near the hem of his t-shirt.

"Yeah, anything to get away from Talon would be the better option." I roll my eyes and look down at my lap. "How do you justify everything you did to me?"

I stare at Carter and watch as his mouth tries to formulate a sentence.

"I don't really have a good reason. Talon knew about my drug trouble and he exploited that. He played my weakness and used me like his puppet. I was a screwed-up, drug-addicted, alcoholic who was hard on his luck and needed to repay a debt. He drugged me and then made me do his bidding. I know that's not really a good enough reason for all the hell I put you through but it's all I've got." Carter grabs the tray of my food and stands up.

"You're still screwed-up but if it makes you feel any better, Talon uses everybody like a puppet." I retort and brush some dirt off of my knees.

Carter's eyes lock with mine and waves of odd understanding pass between us. He holds eye contact with me, silently, for a few more seconds before speaking.

"I won't let him kill you, Victoria." Carter says seriously, not a trace of insincerity on his face.

"Thanks, I really hope he won't." I respond, running my tongue over my lips in the process.

"I mean it. I owe it to you, after everything that I did." He whispers and then walks up the stairs without looking back.

I hope he actually decides to keep this promise...

I crane my neck to look at the barred window. I hear the distant song of some birds outside and then I shiver, my body still not adjusted to the cold of the basement. I rub my shoulders in a feeble attempt to warm my half-naked body but it does nothing. I lean my head against the dirt wall and set my freezing hands in my lap. My lungs expand and contract as I try to take in deep breaths; my bruises still paining me with every movement.

The birds continue to sing outside, loud and clear into the night. The noise is comforting and it distracts me for a few minutes. I close my eyes and let their haunting notes fill me. I begin to whistle along with them, the sound distant and hollow in my ears. The quiet night coupled with the birds' songs, reminds me of the nights when Gavin and I used to sit out on Jeffrey's porch and talk for hours. I have to look at those memories differently now; now that I know Jeffrey was selling us out the whole time we thought he was just being a good friend. Gosh, I wish I could tell Blaze what his brother is up to...

I stand up on my tiptoes and get a glimpse of the tall grass that's growing in Talon's yard and obscuring my view of everything else. I hear the birds continuing with their singing and then I begin to sing the only lullaby I can remember from my childhood, something soft and sweet to keep me sane.

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these broken wings and learn to fly, all your life. You were only waiting for this moment to arise." I sing in a quiet voice, the whistling of the birds still ringing in my ears. "Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these sunken eyes and learn to see, all your life. You were only waiting for this moment to arise."

I sink back onto the dirt ground, the words of the song still whispering on my lips. I pat the dirt next to me and then lay down, my arms serving as a pillow. I draw my legs up towards my torso and then allow my eyes to droop closed. I'm plunged into a dreamless sleep that I hope will last until someone comes to rescue me. Of course that's a thought only too good to be true.