Later that day, you woke up feeling rather fuzzy. Your head was pounding insistently, and you had trouble remembering what had happened before you landed in bed. You vaguely recalled the ginger coming home late at some point and possibly cuddling with you but it was still a blur. You glanced at the other side of the bed. He wasn't there.
Your stomach was burning intensely, there was a sharp sting the moment you awoke. You tore the blanket from your body and lifted up your thin pajama top with trembling fingers, wincing from the persistent throbbing sensation. After you rolled it up enough, you froze up in horror the second you saw something carved across your stomach.
Jerome.
Terror rises in your mind, heart hammering frantically in your chest, and with twitching fingers you brushed them against the wound of the name printed on your skin. Your eyes were wide, wider as they glanced over the dried drips of blood surrounding each letter. This couldn't be happening. No, it couldn't be. You jumped up from the bed in alarm.
"No, no, no no-"
Tension coiled in your stomach, and you stumbled backwards once your hands dropped from your top. You cupped your hands over your nose and mouth, chest heaving with every panting breath, another wave of panic washing over you. You fell back against the wall, shaking like a leaf caught in a storm. You whimpered half-words that morphed into snarls of frustration, strained gasps falling from your lips as hot tears streaked your cheeks.
Your face was pressed firmly in your hands as you sunk against the wall, eyes clamped shut, though the tears poured freely over the grimace hidden behind your hands. Wordless, your thoughts tore you from the inside out and you pressed your knees into your chest as the open space compressed you into something so small, so helpless. Slow, forceful, steady, you forced your desperate lungs to draw in air so slowly you thought you might pass out. You felt dizzy, and your stomach gave a wretched lurch as nausea tickled the back of your throat. A choked sob escaped you as your heart thudded in your ears. You didn't want this. You didn't want any of this. How could you be so naive? To think it wouldn't reach this point? Your quickening breath was all that could be heard in the silence of the room. Every muscle in your body taut and hard, you were cowering, closing your eyes and then snapping them open again in hopes that this was all a dream.
It wasn't.
Minutes passed before you removed your face from your hands, breathing slowly returning to normal, only a small hitch every now and then. You stared at nothing in particular, leaning back against the wall.
You had to get out of here. You had to, while you still could. You should have known it would come to this. If you hurried, you could make it.
Rushing over to the window, you nearly stumbled before unlocking it with clumsy hands.
"Ah, ah, ah, where do you think you're going doll? Don't tell me you're having seconds thoughts about staying here."
The sound of that oh-so familiar voice stunned you for a moment. You slowly glanced over your shoulder, catching a glimpse of the predatory grin on his face, all sharp teeth and full of mockery. A shiver ran down your spine, but you figured it was better to run for it, rather than voice your protest, and just where you were about to climb out the window - a firm grip on your hair jerked you backwards, making you yelp and fall back on the bed.
"Aw what's the matter? I thought you liked it when I pulled your hair," he taunted with a laugh. He reached his hand out to stroke your face but you instantly smacked it away.
"You're so fucking sick, get away from me," you spat, a scowl on your face. "Don't you dare touch me," you warned.
You stood up and made an attempt to run for it again but then you felt a hand wrapped around your throat, backing you up into the wall, threatening to take away your air. "Oh now you don't want me anymore? Did I go overboard? You wanna run away now, back to Mommy and Daddy so they can protect you again?" he jeered, the words coming straight from his throat as a vile smile formed on his face that didn't reach his eyes.
You tried to speak but only a strained curse escaped under a heavy breath. You wiggled a little bit Jerome had you effectively pinned down with his weight.
"Oh boo hoo. Why the long face? You don't like it? You know, I don't think I've ever seen my name look so pretty before. The mess of the blood just adds to the beauty of it. Does it still burn?" he asked with a demented chuckle, his other hand wandering underneath the hem of your top, fingers brushing over the carving before he pressed down mercilessly, bursting out in a fit of laughter when he saw you screech and your stomach clench. "Looks like it still does, don't worry, it'll stop, eventually," he mocked.
"You motherfucker," you croaked, barely managing to get the words out.
"Huh? What was that?" he asked, his voice sounding as if he was genuinely curious, eyebrows creasing. "Speak up, you little bitch," he rasped, his demented rage erupting. He gripped your throat even tighter to emphasize his threat. You reached out to grab onto his wrists, desperately trying to push them away but to no avail.
"I-" you tried to speak, gasping for air. You saw nothing but his hatred pouring, ablaze, scorching into you from his now darkened eyes. It filled your vision, nothing but those two eyes, once crinkling with mirth and adoration, now only twisted into a terrified, horrific rage that inflamed him.
"I said, speak up, you were screaming like a little fucking whore just hours ago, where's your voice now, huh?" he seethed, his blood boiling. There were nails digging into your neck, burning pressure on your windpipe, no air getting past his crushing hold on your throat, red blossoming there. You were overwhelmingly dizzy, body thrashing helplessly under his hold. You clawed at his hands, but he only increased the pressure, your throat clamping down and darkness crept in. There was saliva trailing out of the corner of your lips, hair tangled up. Tongue loose, feels too thick, too big in your mouth.
"What were you trying to do huh? Play me for a fool?" he roared, words dripping with venomous hatred. "Saying, 'I'm yours, I'm yours, you can do anything to me and I want you, I want everything," he told you, mimicking the tone of your voice. "You fucking liar, if that was true, then why were you trying to leave? I don't do well with mixed signals, dollface," he rasped, eyes screaming with hatred.
Your legs kicked out, to fight for your life, fight for that quick breath of air that your lungs desperately needed. Your fingers searched for his neck, to strangle him back, to make him loosen up, to cut off his own flow or air. But there was no strength behind your fingers. Your hands barely grazed against his neck, falling limply to your sides.
You felt ice freeze up in your veins, you're cold inside, eyes drifting shut. When he realizes that you were about to pass out, his hands loosened and then let go of your neck. Your eyes snap open instantly, explosive coughs wrecked your body and you gasped when you fell to the floor with a thud, gulping down air. The sudden rush of oxygen was dizzying, your vision blackening and whitening, sparks flying across your eyes, stars blinkering. Muffled noises faded out, and returned tenfold.
"You're still that scared, helpless little girl, nothing's changed," he said as he knelt down on the floor above you, reaching his hand out to stroke your cheek, and you were far too weak to struggle. "Poor thing," he added, his tongue clicking in disapproval. "I had such high hopes for you, too."
"Fuck you," you answered in a whisper.
"Oh you'd love that, wouldn't you, even now," he replied in a dark tone, lifting your chin up with a finger to lock gazes with you.
"Don't touch me," you murmured, body trembling in terror and pain as you stared back at him with narrowed eyes.
"Oh don't play the victim, dollface, we both know you aren't one. You enjoy being with me, you love it, it's the excitement you've been craving in your life, and you know it. So don't pretend that you can't stand the sight of me," he told you, the gruffness of his voice making a chill run down your spine. "You knew exactly what I was up to, and that wasn't enough to scare you away, but this is?" he barked out, his hand snaking underneath your top, caressing each letter with his finger, making you shudder violently.
"You're insane, that's all you've ever been; insane," you quavered, your voice cracking.
He merely shook his head at your words, then spoke up, "You know, there's something I've been wanting to tell you, but I haven't yet, just because I didn't think you'd care much," he teased, pulling his hand back to stroke it through your disheveled hair.
"What, what is it?" you asked, your body tensing up and flinching as he continued touching you. You were still unable to push him away, just allowing yourself to rest for a moment.
"Not too long ago, I was going to blow up a bus full of feeble teenagers, from your school, Gotham High, you remember that school, right?" he asked, and you merely hung your head down, a grimace on your face as you averted his gaze. "Well anyway, they were going to burn to a crisp while you were just chilling in here, where you were supposed to be, isn't that comforting to know? That I would do that to them, but not to you? No, not you, I don't want to hurt you, doll," he said, sounding sickly fond of you.
Your eyes widened when he revealed that to you, your breath coming in shallow puffs before you were able to reply. "Y - You killed them? You killed my friends?"
You were devastated, this wasn't supposed to happen, it wasn't supposed to go this far. You were far too gullible to believe it wouldn't reach this point.
"No, unfortunately not, Jimbo showed up, so it was a bit of a shit show, but it wasn't a biggie because I found another headline, anyway," he admitted with a shrug. "It's actually a little embarrassing admitting that," he said, a mock-pout on his face. You breathed a sigh of relief at that. They were okay. "Besides, wouldn't have mattered, you're here with me now," he cooed, sounding somewhat gentle.
"Stop saying that. I'm not yours," you replied in a shaky voice. "I don't want anything to do with you."
"I had to ruin you dollface, that way everyone knows exactly who you belong to, so you don't go fornicating with anyone else, so no one dares to taint you," he snarled, letting go of your hair to brush the injured skin with feather-light touches that still had you whining in the back of your throat.
"That's what this is all about? You think you own me and can do whatever you want with me, now?" you snapped.
"You gave yourself to me, the second I took you back here, that's all you've ever been since, mine, only mine," he leaned in, whispering the words against your ear before placing a kiss there. "Thought I put it close to your heart so you don't ever forget it," he mocked with a laugh.
"It's over now, I came to my senses, I don't want anything to do with you," you piped, pulling up to your feet in a rush. You had to get out of here. "Go to hell, you sicko. I don't ever want to see you again."
He stood up with you the second you did, his grin somehow growing wider. "Aw, does this mean we're breaking up? I always imagined that we would be the kind who would have earth-shattering breakup sex," he cracked up, acting as if this situation was a practical joke.
You lurched forward and smacked him across his face with a hand, the impact of it making his head whip back, the suddenness making him far from prepared.
"Get over yourself you sick fuck," you hissed, fuming with a coldness that took over.
"Hit me again, do it, show me you're not scared," he demanded, and that mockery of a laugh did nothing but heighten your motions, stirred your anger until you burned up with it. You smacked him again and again while he guffawed, getting off on your misery. "Again, harder! Stop going easy on me!" he shouted, his cheeks reddening with each strike but he still encouraged you to keep going.
"Shut up!" you yelled, hot tears blurring your vision as you slapped him harder, mustering as much force as you could in each one. "This is not funny! I hate you!"
You hit him until your hand stung intensely, and he reveled in seeing you so enraged, so consumed with it. You scratched him across his cheek with your nails until you broke the skin and blood streaked down his face, pushing him back against the wall with a loud thud that rung across the room. He was still laughing, his eyes watering up in his merriment.
"Fuck you, Jerome! Fuck you!" you sobbed, tears pouring down your face, but you didn't care how pathetic you looked, all you cared about was hurting him like he hurt you. You could feel your heart ache, drum, thud, your blazing blood not cooling in the slightest.
He wiped the blood on his face with a hand as he stayed pressed against the wall, creating a smudge across his cheek. "Aw is that all you got? Tired already? You were always weak, doll. It's such a shame. I wish I could say I expected more from you, but I really didn't," he jested, leaning his head back as a sneer spread across his face, nothing but amusement in his laugh. "Go ahead. Run, run away, that's what you've been doing for your whole life, anyway," he jeered.
You shot him a glower before you stormed off, climbing out the window and rushing down the darkened streets.
"Be sure to say hi to Jimbo for me!" he called out, making sure he was loud enough for you to hear him.
You ran as fast as your legs could carry you, darting forward and thinking about how all you wanted was to come back home, to the safe arms of your mother and father, that was where you belonged. Not here. Anywhere but here. Your neck throbbed painfully from his ghosting hand crushing down on it. Your stomach flared up, tears slipping down your face, but you didn't care, none of it mattered, all that mattered was returning home. You didn't know your way back, but you were determined to find it. You glanced behind you frequently, only to see if the ginger was chasing you. He wasn't. That was a relief.
The lamp posts did little to illuminate the streets, but you were sure you could still make it. You stumbled in your haste, nearly falling to your knees on occasion but again it didn't matter. When you spotted a taxi, your eyes lit up and you took off like a shot. You waved at it frantically, calling out to the car. Everything was going to okay.
But then all of a sudden you felt a hand and a cloth clamping down on your mouth as you were pressed tight to the body it belonged to. An arm wrapped itself around your waist, holding you close, squeezing you and locking you in place. Thrashing about helplessly, you screamed against the hand, but it only tightened around your jaw. You faintly heard the voice behind you hushing you. You kicked and kicked, though it was futile. You inhaled the potent scent that was on the cloth, and you started to feel lightheaded only momentarily until you passed out and fell slack into their arms. The sound of a malicious laugh was the last thing you heard before everything turned to black.
"Don't you worry doll, we aren't done playing just yet, no. I'm not ready to say goodbye to you. There's still so much we have to do together!"