First ever story based entirely on fiction. Hope you like! Rate, review, whatever you need to do =]
It was raining. The dead of night seemed to press upon her as her watchful eyes scanned her unseen surroundings. She had a fair idea of where she was, but she wasn't at all aware of how to get out. She'd only visited this place once before, on her yearly trip out of The Dungeons. At the time everything had seemed so beautiful to her, so dream-like...Now it was a nightmare. Oh, she thought, I was so stupid. Thinking I could fully escape the confines of Marco's clutches. But she'd made it this far, she had succeeded. She moved swiftly, twitching at every little noise made in the night, the rustling leaves that brushed gently over the ground, the creaking of the street light, the cracking of twigs made by scurrying hedgehogs who were keen to find whatever scraps of food that were left. Somehow she was not crying. It was peculiar, she was the only person in the whole group who had cried, whimpered at the sound of rusty chains scraping against the concrete floor. But not now. Not now she knew there was a way out of that place. Oh, that place...The others had been there too long. Too long had they witnessed the evil wrongdoings inside the castle and not uttered a sound, for fear of being punished. Suffered greatly for their foolhardy mistakes, they had built inside them a wall of steel, breaking only for those who promised not to hurt them. But not Cady. She just couldn't help it, no matter what they did, she couldn't hold in the frantic sobs and screams that were forced out of her by mere sounds. She had gone crazy in there. Absolutely crazy. She had to get away. There was no choice but for her to leave. And so she ran. By sheer luck she had managed to weave through all the obstacles upholding her imprisonment, among so many others, who had sneered at her plan of escape. Now she was frozen to the bone, miles and miles away from the nearest police station or hospital. Here was the middle of nowhere, exactly where Marco had brung her to "enjoy the rare pleasure of freedom". To her, and by many others I am sure, being constantly watched on as a vulture does to its pray while she walked shakily through the forest was not freedom. Her stomach gave an unnecessary growl. Oh God, she was so hungry. The last thing she remembered eating was a bread crust thrown to her by one of Them. They had laughed at her desperate desire for food, had jeered and pointed at her savouring the mouldy remains of it, watching her. That was three days ago. She shivered violently, giving in to the chills that were threatening to shake her entire body to dust. She cupped her hands to her mouth, blowing insistently into them, but somehow warmth did not yield. She just wanted to go somewhere safe. Somewhere...she spotted a car making its way slowly up the distant hill, its headlights momentarily blinding her as she gazed at it, petrified. It could be him, she thought, it could be him, come looking for me...But out of instinct, out of a moment of desperation, she ran out onto the road, flailing her arms and screaming for help, the car coming ever closer. It gradually pulled to a stop, Cady still wailing in front of it. The driver opened his door, got out of his car, and peered at her in the darkness. Her wailing ceased, she sniffed and whimpered. "Are you alright?" he asked, kneeling down in front of her to talk. She gulped, looking into his face. He had kind eyes, deep brown, like the kind of dark chocolate you buy at a candy store,and wild brown hair, carefully groomed. "What's happened?" he whispered, putting a hand gently on her shoulder. "I-I..." she started off, but could not finish, her mouth didn't seem to want to move.
"Ok, alright, it's ok...what's your name?" he asked.
"C-C-Cady." she replied, shivering in the freezing air.
"Ok Cady, here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna put you in my car, and take you to the hospital, alright? You certainly look like that's where you need to be, so that's where I'm taking you." And she did look like she needed a hospital; her hair was matted and wet, her clothes hung like rags off of her skin, she wore no trousers, but bore white underpants that were stained with blood made by the cuts in her thighs, which were bleeding profusely. She nodded, tears sliding down her cheeks. "Ok sweetheart, jump in, and we'll get you there pronto." She followed him at a quick pace, sobbing quietly into her hands. "Now, if I could just get a towel or something...ah..." And he pulled from the back seat of the car, a white towel. "Just in case, you know..." he grinned shyly, unfolding it. "Ok honey, I need you to put this between your legs to help stop that bleeding, alright?" She nodded again, reaching for the towel with shaking hands, fumbling with it. "Here, sweetheart, let me help you with that." She started, not knowing whether to trust this man or not, he could be a sexual predator, someone set up by Marco to capture her and bring her back to The Dungeons...But he wrapped the towel gently around her legs and helped her into the back seat, carefully putting the seatbelt around her. As soon as she got into the car, warmth enveloped her, she sighed, gave a shivery breath of relief. "There we are, honey," said the man, shutting the door and climbing into the front seat of the car. "My name is Joseph," he looked in the rear-view mirror at her, noting her steadily drooping eyes and her shivering frame. "Cady, I'm taking you to Wiltshire Hospital, that's on 73rd Street, ok? We should make it in about an hour." The car started, and they drove off towards their destination. He glanced in the mirror again. Now her eyes were wide open, and she was staring at him. "Are you one of Marco's henchman?" she asked, her voice unnaturally high.
"What?" Joseph replied, completely confused. "Who's Marco?"
"Please!" she shouted, scared to the bone. "Please, I don't wanna go back there!"
"Back where, honey? I don't understand. We're off to the hospital, who's Marco? What are you talking about? What....?" He racked his brains. Marco, Marco.....that name was not familiar to him at all. Her sobs were audible now, she was scrunched up in a tight ball, hands covering her mouth. "Hey, hey, hey.....Cady, it's alright....nothing's gonna hurt you baby, come on, shhhh.....just relax, baby, it's ok you just need to sleep." He turned on the radio, and tuned it to some classical music. "There we are, that better?"
"Please..." she sobbed into her hands, "please..." She drooped onto the seat, finally asleep, her breathing deep and slow. Who is she? wondered Joseph, crossing an intersection, why was she out here in the middle of the night, with hardly any clothes on? And why, why in the hell, does she have deep cuts on her thighs?
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TBC.....