The Ties That Bind
She was trapped in both mind and body. But her heart was in the hands of a monster.
Chapter 2. Trapped
"I don't understand, where is this place? Why am I not in the hospital? Where is-" Tulip stopped, thinking of her assailant and his terrible wrath. "Oh my God, is he still out there? Have you called the police? Please, you have to help me!"
The woman reached out to her and placed her hands on Tulip's shoulders. "Now, now, don't you worry about that. He was a bad boy, and needed to be put in his place. Gave my Jack quite a hard time, he did."
"Ma'am, please-"
"You'll call me Mama." she corrected.
Tears began to well up in her eyes. "But Laura's gone! She's gone and I have to find her-"
Mama drew back her hand and struck Tulip across the face, hard. "Quit your wailing, little girl! You don't need her anymore! You have us now, we are all you'll ever need in this life, so pull yourself together!"
Tulip was stunned, her cheek now hot and stinging. Who the hell was this woman? Her savior or her captor? She meant to keep her there, she realized, like some backwoods horror movie psycho. Her eyes widened in fear at the thought of being the prisoner of a woman who had no qualms in hitting her.
"I...I'm so sorry...Mama." She said breathlessly.
The quick apology clearly pleased her, and she place a cool hand on Tulip's cheek in an attempt to soothe it. "You must be hungry. You've been asleep for quite a while. Two whole days in fact."
"I'd really like some water. I'm practically spitting cotton over here."
Mama smiled. "I'll get you a glass. Go back to your room and lie down."
"Can't I come with you?"
Mama's eyes flashed in anger, and Tulip regretted asking. "I said git back in your room!" she hissed.
Oh shit, shut up Tulip!
Tulip stumbled back into the little room, keen to avoid getting hit again. "Yes Mama, I'll go."
Once she was back under the covers, Mama turned and left through the other door and shut it. Tulip listened carefully as she heard the door lock and Mama's footsteps fade away.
A shadow suddenly moved over the room and Tulip sat up with a start. On the other side of the window was a small figure, shrouded by the flimsy curtains and still as stone. Tulip pulled away the bed sheets and walked slowly to the window. She lingered for a moment, steeling herself for what may watching her from the other side. With both hands, she threw open the curtains, only to find that there was nothing there.
She let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in. The sound of footsteps alerted her to Mama's return and she quickly returned to bed. Mama entered the little bedroom, glass of water in hand.
"Thank you." she said, genuinely grateful not to die of dehydration. Tulip accepted the glass and greedily gulped down the contents. Once empty, she returned it to Mama.
"Is there someone else here? I thought I saw someone at the window."
"There's the rest of the family, of course. Jack and Mia, and my boy Lucas. Eveline is especially excited to have a new sister."
Tulip swallowed. Four others. Were they all as temperamental as Mama? Would they be worse? The uncertainty made her queasy. "When will I meet them?"
"Oh you'll meet everyone at suppertime."
At least they intended to feed her. "Could I clean up first? If I've been here this long, then I must look like a bum. Or at least smell like one." Tulip looked up at Mama pleadingly. "I'd hate to make a bad first impression."
Kiss her ass. Kiss her ass every chance you get if you want to earn their trust.
Evidently, the sad puppy look was successful, and Mama agreed to take her to the bathroom to wash up. Following her closely, Tulip tried to take in everything she could on their way to the bathroom, hoping to find a means of escape. Until she knew exactly where she was going, there was no point in running.
The bathroom was sizeable, but absolutely filthy. The once white tiles were dingy and badly cracked, and the bathtub was grimey and filled with a dark, foul-smelling substance Tulip could not identify.
"Give me your clothes." Mama commanded.
Tulip hesitantly peeled off her clothes and gave them to Mama. "Don't take too long," she said. "Supper will be ready soon and I ain't got time to stand around all day and wait for you."
Tulip only nodded in agreement. Mama turned on the water for her, so she stepped under the shower head and began to scrub up. She had not been given any soap or shampoo, but the water was warm, and watching the filth slide off her body and rinse down the drain soothed her nerves.
Mama had said Matt needed to be "put in his place". Did that mean he was being held somewhere in the house as well? Did they know what he had done to her? To Laura? Was Laura's body still out there?
Tulip then felt Mama's eyes boring into the back of her skull. She turned to her, hesitantly. "Is something wrong?"
Mama just shook her head in disgust. "I can't see how you can stand to ruin your body like that, pretty girl like you."
Tulip was stunned at first, before she realized she must have been referring to her many tattoos. "Oh, you uh, you don't like flowers?" she said half-jokingly.
"Well of course i like flowers you idiot! That's enough now, you're plenty clean, Miss Priss."
Tulip dried off with a ratty towel and followed Mama back to her room where she quickly changed back into her clothes. Apparently laundry was out of the question, and she dare not ask for another favor, lest she earn another well-placed slap.
"Now you wait here. I'll come fetch you when supper is ready." Mama said, turning to leave. This time, she shut the door to Tulip's room and locked it behind her.
Who knew how long that would even be? The light in the window had grown much darker in the few minutes she had been in the shower. How long had it been since Matt attacked her and Laura? Had anyone noticed they were missing yet, or started looking for them, she wondered.
Several minutes passed as her mind endlessly churned at all the possible fates she could endure. Mama clearly had no intention of letting her leave, and who knew what the others were like. She needed a plan, she decided. A plan, an escape route, and a weapon.
Or turn something into a weapon. Scissors, a letter opener, a sharpened toothbrush, even something heavy would do.
She pulled the cord of the bedside lamp, which lit up but flickered badly, nearing the end of its life. Tulip could tell this little room was once a cozy haven, the antique furniture worn out by decades of use, and well-loved rocking chair indicating an older occupant, likely a grandmother.
Knitting needles! All grandmas knit, right? A needle would be easy to hide and were already pretty stabby to begin with. Tulip began rifling through any drawer and cabinet that was not locked, only to be disappointed. She could use the clothes iron as a blunt instrument, but that was too clunky to hide, and she preferred a stealthier approach.
"Dammit, Grandma, so fucking useless!" Tulip groaned, and gracelessly flopped down on the bed.
Then, when the room was deathly silent, somebody giggled. Tulip bolted upright, gasping. Once again, there was no one there. She had definitely heard it- the distinct sound of a child's laughter. Someone or something had laughed right in her ear, there was no mistaking it. A terrible thought sent a shiver down her spine. What if she wasn't alone in the room after all? What if someone was... under the bed?
Nope, no, you stop that shit. Stop scaring yourself, you need to stay focused. Now Breathe.
She lay sprawled on her back and stared at the ceiling. Minutes ticked by and her eyes grew heavy. Maybe she had a concussion. Maybe she would fall asleep and never wake up , and then she wouldn't have to deal with this anymore.
"Stop being lazy." she whispered aloud.
Before she knew it, the sun had set and the crickets outside had begun to sing.
She started to followed Mama, but paid no attention to her go on and on about how special tonight's dinner would be, and how excited everyone was to meet her.
Tulip tried to memorize the layout of the house. It was truly enormous, and was once a beautiful place, but nearly every corner was painted in a thick, black mold, and everything was in a state of severe disrepair. Mama led her to a large, metal door that was completely out of place with the rest of the house. It looked like belonged in a bank vault instead of someone's home
.
The other side was also jarringly different from the grand hall. While it still had the grimey, derelict qualities, it was far more familial and suburban. Finally they arrived in the kitchen, where three others were waiting on them.
Before her was a scene that vividly reminded her of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. There was a table crowded with large dishes piled high with steaming lumps of slimy, gray flesh. The sight was certainly sickening, but the smell was the true horror here. The stench of rot and mold filled her nostrils as she inched further into the kitchen, wishing she could disappear into the woodwork.
"You'll sit down there." Mama said pointing a wooden spoon at the far end of the table.
Tulip didn't move. She could only stand there with her arms wrapped around herself, digging her nails into her her skin.
"Now!" Mama hissed, and whacked Tulip on the behind with the spoon.
Tulip whimpered in pain, and scurried to her assigned chair, her backside smarting as she reluctantly sat. There was an older man, balding, and bespectacled sitting at the head of the table, his skin the same sallow gray color as Mama. To his left was a hooded man and a young, dark haired girl, about Tulip's age.
Across from her, the older man held his arms out to Tulip in greeting. "Welcome to the family, Tulip." he said in a heavy southern drawl. "We've been wonderin' when you'd come down to meet us."
"You know my name?" Tulip said, trying not to gag at the smell of the vile feast of innards.
"When Lucas here found you with your head all busted up, we took the liberty of looking through your things. Thought it might be a good way to get to know you ahead of time." Daddy said gesturing to the hooded man beside him . "There was quite a bit of candy in that bag of yours."
Tulip peered at the face of the hooded man. A new wave of horror washed up her spine, rendering her motionless as she finally recognized his cold, blue eyes.
"...Lucas Baker?"
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