For Ukaske's soul.
After several moments of weighing her options, Esmeralda allowed herself to be led upstairs. The basement was a harsh comparison to the comforts the ground floor offered. The cabin was rustic under the swathe of warm goldens and brown with deer antlers and bear skins. It was warm with a hearty fire place lit under a chandelier made of antler bones.
Phoebus gave her a moment to take in the scene.
It was small, providing one with what they only needed a nothing more. But cozy, nonetheless. The mantle was made entirely of stone and it followed the face of the wall before disappearing into the ceiling to continue its path outside.
The warmth encompassed her and she rose her arms to wrap them around her, capturing the heat. She felt him brush her shoulder as he stepped closer to her. He wanted intimacy, she knew this. Jealousy, pride, and rejection had drove him to this point and claiming her was his only option.
If she played the game, maybe she could survive long enough to escape.
Phoebus led her to the bathroom where he took it upon himself to draw the bath water. Every so often, he checked the temperature with his hand until the water blushed his finger tips. He stood from the edge of the tub and regarded her. She was by the window, leaning on the seal and staring out into the winter evening. He approached her and she flinched when he took the hem of her hoodie and began lifting the fabric up. She stood reluctantly, stepping away from the window and raising her arms.
He smiled as he peeled the top away, but was quick to hid his accomplishment by the time it reached over her head. His hands came to her hips and she used his shoulders to steady herself as she stepped out of her sweats. She discarded her socks on her own until she stood in nothing by a bra and panties.
The roaring sound of water filled the bathroom as the two stilled.
His own heart was beating rapidly. He could only imagine what she was feeling. She retracted her hands from his shoulders and wrapped the around her own. He could see the chills that prickled her tiny frame. He reached up and touched her bruised cheek, watching as she winced from him.
"It's okay," he whispered, perhaps too softly. He watched as she turned her head away, severing his gentle touch. She wouldn't look him in the eyes.
It wouldn't happen today, maybe, not tomorrow or weeks from now.
But he would gain her trust, and thus, her love.
Eventually… He had all the time in the world.
The bathtub was now mixture of blood and dirt, clouding the once clear water to a murky substance, but she felt tremendously better to have the soot washed clean. She hadn't eaten in days, it seemed, but the fear propelled her through the night and kept the hunger staved off until now. And finally, her belly growled and grumbled.
Phoebus had the decency to allow the time to herself as she cleaned, leaving a fresh towel upon the counter. She was just now crawling out of the tub and reaching for it when the pounding footfalls of Phoebus made way towards the bathroom.
She snatched up the towel and quickly wrapped it around herself as the door flew open with such force, it collided into the wall, bounced back, and vibrated on its hinges. He loomed in with deep scowl and jutted an arm forward at her.
Out of reaction, she scrambled back, nearly sprawling back into the draining tub. Her eyes darted to the object he held; her phone.
And it was ringing.
The gentle disposition that once graced his countenance had long vanished. Something else had taken hearth and she could hear the heavy breathes, flaring from his nostrils above pinched lips. His face was flushed red.
It took little time to recognize the number, although she hadn't saved it in her phone.
Claude was calling.
Between Phoebus and the ringing phone, her eyes darted. Unsure she was, if he wanted an explanation, or for her to answer the call. With the shrill song of the phone splintering the silence, Esmeralda decided to reach for it, only for him to slap her hand away, causing her to yelp in surprise.
She stumbled back until the frame of the tub bumped into her back legs as he answered the call.
The tub had emptied in time for a heavy silence to befall them. Her ears strained for his voice, for even Phoebus to say something while panic and a sliver of hope begun to brew in her gut.
After struggling for a voice, his voice, it was finally Phoebus who spoke. She could see the contortion on his face whether or not he should have answer, reddening by the second.
"Do not call this number anymore." He seethed with evident anger scratching his parlance as he stared into Esmeralda.
He was about to hang up, she realized. Hope was on the other end of the line. How many days had passed? It didn't matter. Claude knew something was awry. But what were her options? She couldn't ask to speak to him. Phoebus would surely deny her.
So she screamed.
She screamed his name until her voice broke under the strain, and Phoebus reacted almost immediately. He threw the phone, shattering the mirror of the bathroom as it collided against it.
He lunged and she moved. Ducking as he went to grab her, Esmeralda raced out of the bathroom. The cabin wasn't too small, but she had passed the front door on her way from up from the basement. She knew where to find it. Hurling down the short hallway, Esmeralda whipped around the corner, towel-cladded, hair wet, and went for the door. She burst forth, throwing the door from her path while one hand clutched the folds of the towel close.
Fear had engorged her veins with adrenaline which numbed her from the cold as she broke out into the winter night. Phoebus hot on her heels. She dug her feet into the earth, springing lithely over anything that came into her path. But her efforts were short lived as Phoebus had leaped forward, spearing her in the back with his shoulder. They both fell and she lost purchase of the earth beneath her feetl, hitting the cold ground as they tumbled.
When their moment came to a halt, Phoebus was atop of her. His hands were wrapped firmly around her neck and he was squeezing.
She couldn't breathe.
The cold was biting into her.
A break in the overcast gave her a glimpse of twilight, but it was fading.
Blood had flooded her vision.
His face.
His hands so tight around her neck.
This monster.
This infection….
Was going to kill her.