Helga couldn't believe her ears. Arnold, Arnold was there. He had come back, come back to find her! She couldn't believe it! For the first time in days she felt a shred of hope, she felt warm again as her love for Arnold coursed through her.
But her keeper. She could see he was furious. As soon as he ended the call he had been pacing like a mad man…well more of a mad man than usual. He hadn't looked at her, though she was watching him, waiting.
Surely what ever Arnold said had worried him, maybe they had an idea of where she was? Maybe they were coming to save her? No. Surely if this nut job had thought that he would be moving her somewhere else now, taking her to some other sort of dungeon to pose his torture on her. Or her would have just killed her.
The large angry figure paused, then quickly swivelled round to face Helga. He stared at her, a madness in his eyes she had never seen before. Pounding towards her he stuck his face right in hers. She wanted to turn away, flinch, just do something. But the drugs he had given her, though she still had some motor functions, still deemed most of her reflexes useless. All she could do was stare back at him. His eyes full of anger and bittnerness. So full of disgust.
"You whore. Have you been whoring around with him then?" he continued to stare at her, waiting for a response.
She tried, it was hard work, no real words formed. Just noises.
She could see the anger raging behind his eyes. Then he struck her, again and again. Helga felt the pound of his fist smash into her temples as he raged. His hands throttled her throat now, and he pressed down hard. She could do nothing, she was useless, helpless.
She thought of Arnold, his golden untamed hair, his warming smile. Those big green eyes. At least he was her last thought, he would be her heaven.
She breathed, he had removed his hands from her.
Gasping for air she looked to her attacker, confused. His eyes were no longer full of rage, suddenly it was as though a switch had been flicked and his usual doting look of pure love and adoration had returned.
"My darling, what have I done?" He seemed genuinely distressed at his actions.
His hands flew to her shackles, freeing both her wrists and her ankles. He grabbed her into his arms. She lay there limp, he stroked her hair tenderly. She wanted to retch.
"My beauty, I'm so sorry. I know you are pure, I know you are good. He's just realised how good you are, a good girl, a perfect girl". His eyes closed as he held her, rocking her slowly.
"But he wont get you, don't you worry. You're mine now."
Helga suddenly felt her hand twitch.
The dark man continued to hold on to her, his face buried in her chest as he rocked her.
Helga could clench her fist.
He was sobbing now. Repeating her name over and over as he did.
She could move her toes.
Helga had to be careful, do this just right. She was so weak compared to him, she couldn't weigh more than 90lbs now. But she had to try.
The burly man continued to hold Helga close as her eyes darted the room, weighing up her options. Where to run, what to use.
Better now than ever.
Hoping her newfound movements included her entire body, Helga threw what little weight and strength she had into his chest, pushing him back to the floor. She watched the brief second as the back his head smacked against the cold tiled floor.
His eyes had closed.
Adrenaline surging through her Helga forced her weak legs to carry her to the seemingly invisible door and into the 'shower room' beyond it. The door was heavy, Helga willed her body to work, willed her body to be strong.
She had only been in this room once, and even then she saw no exit. There seemed to be no edge to the room as she glanced around, all the walls seemed encased in a darkness she had never seen before, as though the only thing beyond the few flickering strip lights was an oblivion of blackness.
Holding her hands in front of her Helga tried to feel for the wall. Finding it in the she moved around the room, her breathing hard. She knew time was limited, knew he would probably wake soon, why the hell didn't she tie him up or something? She cursed her hindsight.
She couldn't find a door, she found nothing.
"HEEEEEEELLLLLLGGGAAAAAAA!" a voice bellowed, full of anger.
She panicked; she couldn't find a way out, couldn't do anything. He was going to get her again.
Her eyes fell to the ground as she whimpered, following it's seemingly natural slope to the centre of the room. There was a grate.
Helga heard him fumble, as if he fell as he tried to reach the door, tried to reach her. He must have hit his head hard.
Thinking fast, she threw her self at the grate, fingering its edges and begging it to pry open.
"please, please, open…"
She felt as though her fingers were going to snap as she finally lifted up the large iron grate from the floor. Lifting it just enough, she slid it to the side and without hesitation she jumped in.
Helga gasped as her body smacked against the concrete flooring beneath her. Despite the pain, she sprung up and reached for the grate, carefully gripping it in her fingers as she slid it back into place.
A second later he pounded into the room. She held her breath.
"WHERE ARE YOU!? DON'T YOU DO THIS TO ME! NOT NOW!" he screamed, the sound of his pacing echoed about the room, searching for her insanely.
She stayed frozen on the spot, not sure if she was unable to move out of inability or for fear of being heard.
He stopped, there was silence.
"Oh I know where you are my sweet. Don't worry. It'll all be over soon".
She saw his hands grab at the grate, she screamed.