I Love Him

Cause a thousand words called out through the ages
They'll fly to you even though I can see
They're reaching you suspended on silver wings
Those thousand words, a thousand embraces
Will cradle you, making all of your weariness
Seem far away, they'll hold you forever
"1000 Words" by Sweetbox

Daley looked up and out from where she was. In the cage about twenty feet from her own was Jackson's. She smiled to herself, thinking, "If there was any person I'd want to be kidnapped with... he's the one."

That sudden happy thought was disturbed when a man twice Jackson's size dressed in a torn faded yellow shirt, dark tattered blue jeans, and old abused tennis shoes with dirty blonde hair and what seemed to be a broken nose, pulled Jackson out of his large cage and threw him against Daley's.

Daley jumped to her feet as the man shouted, "Tell me you love him." With that he punched Jackson hard in the face.

"What are you doing?" Daley asked as the man continued to beat in Jackson's face. "Stop it!" she demanded, tears starting to well in her blue eyes as she wrapped her arms around Jackson, craddleing his head.

"Say you love him!" the man continued to yell in a fury as he kept punching Jackson, his hand stained in Jackson's innocent blood.

"STOP IT" Daley's hurtful cries were heard throughout the island, feeling the blood in between her fingers and on her arms as Jackson sat there helplessly against her cage.

"SAY IT!" he shouted as he punch Jackson once again.

"I LOVE HIM!" Daley screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I love him," she sobbed, her cheek pressed against the side of his face as her tears mixed with his blood.

The man, satisfied, walked away, leaving Jackson in his lover's arms. "Oh Jackson..." she sighed, running her hand through his hair and kissed his blood consumed lips. He titled his head away from her, afraid she'd choke on the blood that eased through her lips. "Jackson..." she started as he stood up shakily and then collapsed to the ground. "JACKSON!" she cried out in alarm.

"I'm fine, Dale," he assured harshly, slowly getting to his feet and then stumbled back into his cage. Clinging to the bars of her cage, she watched him clean himself up with the sponge he dipped in and out of the bucket of water they gave him to clean himself with several hours ago.