The First Day (Continued)

"Hello Kate."

Ethan locked eyes with Kate as he came through the door. She climbed to her feet as quickly as she could manage and eyed Ethan with caution. Her thoughts raced and her heart continued to pound. She was so scared she even felt like it was suddenly difficult to breathe. He stayed standing just inside the doorway watching her intently.

"Are you going to kill me?" Kate broke the silence hesitantly.

She knew who Ethan was. She had heard of him and could remember seeing him around the beach a few times, but she had never met him. She knew he had killed one of the survivors, and threatened to kill the rest of them and now he had her tied up across the room from him.

For a split second Kate thought he was going to laugh but instead a grin came across his face and he shook his head. "No, I'm not going to kill you." He replied. Then the smile was gone as quickly as it had come.

"Then why...?" Kate didn't even finish the question. Her eyebrows creased as a look of confusion came across her face.

"Jack has set up a group of your people to come out here and try to track me down. Now that I have you Jack is going to have to rethink his plans and he'll be just that little bit more desperate to find me."

"They're only coming to get you because you killed Scott." Kate argued. Her fear was slowing being replaced with frustration and anger.

"Scott." Ethan thought for a moment. "Scott wasn't a good person."

Ethan turned around suddenly. Kate wasn't sure what had distracted him, but she knew she had to use this chance while she had it. While Ethan still had his back turned to her, Kate made a break for the door.

She pushed past Ethan, but it took him only a second to realize what she was trying to do. He looped his arms around her waist and dragged Kate kicking and cursing back into the room. Heshoved her face first against the wall.

Kate tried to push back off wall but having her wrists tied made it difficult. Ethan countered Kate by leaning against her, pinning her against the wall with all his weight.

Kate could feel every inch of him pressed up against her back and his breath against her ear. To make things worse Kate was again made aware of how cold she felt compared to his dry clothes and body warmth.

"Get off of me." Kate demanded through clenched teeth.

He slid his arms from her waist, grabbing her by the shoulders instead and spinning her around so that she was still pinned to the wall but now facing him.

Ethan's face still held no expression, but Kate's was now full of hate. She slid her arms up between them, her hands balled up into fists, aiming to strike him however she could. Ethan dodged, pushing her arms away with his left hand and quickly gripping her by the throat with his right.

Kate's eyes went wide as his grip tightened and he lifted her off the ground, holding her against the wall. Kate kicked her feet but found only air. She lifted her arms again and with both hands she desperately grabbed the wrist of the arm that held her.

She could feel herself getting weaker by the second. The courage and anger that had built up quickly dissolved back into fear as Ethan just stared back at her calm and collected as she choked. She tried to speak but nothing came out but gasps and choked sounds.

Ethan released her before she lost consciousness and Kate collapsed to her knees on the floor, gasping and coughing as air was allowed to fill her lungs again. He knelt down beside her, grabbed her arms roughly and untied her wrists.

Kate was so shaken that she didn't realize that Ethan had left the room briefly. When she regained her breath, she climbed shakily to her feet for a second time and found him standing over near the door again. Good. Distance is good. She thought.

"Take off your clothes." His voice sounded calm but there was no mistake that he was demanding.

"Wh-what?" Kate stammered, taken off guard by the order.

"Your clothes." He replied. "Take them off."

Kate started to back up, shaking her head in shock. When Kate's eyes met his, she no longer glared, she was back to being wide eyed and afraid.

"If you do not take them off, I will come over there and I will take them off for you." He took a step forward. "You will not like the way I take them off, Kate."

This isn't happening. Kate continued to shake her head. "Please, don't make me do this."

Ethan started across the room towards her. "No! Stop!" Kate yelled in a panic, trying to keep the distance between them, she backed herself into the nearest corner but after that she had nowhere to go.

When Ethan kept advancing Kate's hands automatically went to the bottom of her singlet. "Wait!" She sobbed. "I'll do it. Just stop. I'll do it." Tears welled in her eyes as she started to pull her singlet up over her head.

He stopped where he was the moment she complied and watched in silence.

Kate had removed her singlet, shoes and pants when Ethan had suddenly told her to stop. She now stood shivering in her underwear. She crossed her arms over herself and didn't dare to speak or move.

The entire time she was undressing, Ethan had looked her directly in the face, but standing like this in front of him Kate was struggling to look him in the eye.

He crossed the room, closing the distance between them until he was standing close enough to make Kate tremble. They stood like this for a full minute before Kate had the courage to look up. Ethan just stared down at her.

Kate was feeling more and more uncomfortable with each second that passed but before she could say anything Ethan suddenly thrust a folded blanket against her chest.

She flinched and grabbed the blanket. The moment she took it, he turned around, took her damp clothes off the floor and left the room, shutting her alone inside once more.

Kate clutched the blanket to herself and sliding down the wall she let out a shaky breath as she sunk to her knees. She felt scared, exposed and humiliated. Kate covered her face with her hands and let herself bursts into tears.

That night she sat huddled in the corner, wrapped in the rough blanket. She kept her eyes on the door, too afraid to let herself go to sleep. But so far Ethan had not come back.

She was exhausted and the more she fought not to sleep the harder she found it to keep her eyes open. She lied down on the floor, telling herself that she'd only rest for a few minutes.