"Dont let them take me; Adam.."
"Just hold on, Jo..they're coming for us."
But no one did, no one ever did...
The room was cold, dark and hollow. Adam Carter sat on the hard wooden floor, leaning against the cold brick wall. His dusky hair was longer and unkempt, his facial hair was longer and matted and he was noticeably thinner. He was bruised , bloody and weak, though he had exercised as much as he could the past few months, though he knew not how many they had been there. He looked across the room towards a noise. It was a soft sobbing coming from a darkened corner. He couldn't see the person, but he knew well who it was. He stood and crossed the room.
Adam crouched down in front of Jo Portman. Her once short, blonde hair was now shoulder length, she was dirty, bruised, bloody and desperately skinny. Her ribs and hipbones were visible, and her face, that had once been slightly chubby and cute, was now hollow and skeletal, her high cheekbones grotesquely defined and her eyes sunken. Her normally flat stomach was swollen, and she was drained.
Adam put his hands on her cheeks and brought her to face him. "Jo...what's wrong?" She didn't answer. Adam expected as much; Jo hadn't spoken in months. He wiped her tears with his thumbs. "Are you in pain? Are you ill?" Jo nodded slightly at the first question, and again at the second
Adam noticed that Jo had one hand on her stomach and she was making almost a whimper sound in the sobs. He sighed and stroked her hair; "I need you to talk, Jo...I need you to tell me how long you've been in pain for." He emphasized how important this was. But Jo just looked at him. He wondered if she could still talk; he wondered if she even understood what was happening .
The door of the room was opened; Adam stayed where he was and Jo went still, very still. It was a roulette. Who would they take? What would they do? Adam shut his eyes and thought of his son. Jo suppressed a groan of pain.
Their captor looked at Adam then left the room after being spoken to via an ear peace.
Adam went back to Jo and took her hand. He had told her he would not let them hurt her, but they had, they had hurt her badly. Their captors had beaten her, they had even used electrodes. It was that what had frightened Adam. Not the electrodes; but what they had done to Jo. She had never been the same since.
Jo had stopped speaking, she ceased to communicate at all. She was apathetic towards anything and anyone. It was as if things weren't registering. Adam had been beaten in front of her, and she hadn't reacted to it at all. She herself had been beaten, and apart from crying out as it happened, she didn't react afterwards. Her blue eyes were glazed and she seemed lost in her own world.
The day wore on, and Jo's moans became more frequent, she was now taking long, deep breaths. Adam went to her again, and put his hand on her lower back, rubbing gently. A tear ran down his cheek as a thought ran through his mind. They were in a cell, with no help. Jo was so malnourished, and so ill. The situation was bleak.
Adam sat with Jo leant against him; she was exhausted. Her agonised screams had alerted their captors, and they were now aware of their captive's situation. She had been pregnant, any number of men could have been the father. Their captive had put paid to that though, earlier in the day as they pinned her to a table, and aborted her baby. Now she was bleeding, and running a temperature. Adam was giving up hope. He thought back to the first time he had been here, he had held Jo like this, cradling her in his arms as she went limp. That day she killed her attacker...and from that day she was punished daily for it.
He stroked her hair as her breathing shallowed, and tears ran down his cheeks. "I'm sorry Jo...I am so sorry.." He thought of what she had asked him all those months before, and he put one hand under her chin.
The door opened and Adam looked round sharply, as Jo was silent and still...
… The walls were pure white and the large lights on the ceiling were almost too bright. The floor too was white, and shiny. Adam ran a rough and scarred hand over his smooth chin as he followed the blue line on the floor. He stood at the reception desk as a large set woman with brown eyes and a up-turned nose took his details. The woman, her name badge said 'Shirley' got up and left the desk for a few moments, then sat back down. "Dr. Klein would like to have a word with you." She told him, motioning to a row of seats.
Adam left Dr. Klein's office, and followed her down the seemingly endless corridors before she stopped at a set of thick double doors and punched in a code. Adam and Dr. Klein continued down the hallway, Adam swallowed as he heard a woman screaming and crying, throwing something against a wall. They passed that room and Adam was thankful.
Within a few moments; Dr. Klein knocked on an open door, then ushered Adam inside. He stepped into the room. It was small, there was a single bed against the north wall, and a small plastic rounded edge cabinet beside the bed. On the south wall there was a set of drawers. Bar that, the room was empty, well, almost.
Adam looked round and saw a familiar face. She was staring, wide eyed at the snow-fall that lay on the ground, and the small footprints left by a passing cat. Watching every little detail such as a falling leaf. On the table was a note-pad, it looked used and well thumbed.
Dr. Klein nodded and left the room.
Adam took a breath.; "Jo?" he said, a hint of hesitation as he spoke. He really didn't know what to expect.
Jo slowly looked round, then stood, adjusting her jumper. She walked slowly, almost tentatively, towards him. It was almost as if he was a stranger. Then Jo stopped. She looked at Adam with a slight head tilt, then threw her arms round her friend.
Adam smiled and pulled her close, holding her to him. He grinned broadly though, when Jo pulled back from their embrace; "Hello; Adam."
