Surrender Benson
Olivia let her feet drag as she walked around the corner of the hallway. The grocery bag's obnoxious crinkling did nothing to distract her from her thoughts. William Lewis was a free man - again. She shook her head. The things he'd done to that poor old lady should have landed him in prison for life. Instead, he'd caught another break.
The captain had ordered her to take two days off in the wake of the case's dismissal. She planned to spend them plowing through his files, trying to find anything they could challenge him with. Her hair fell in front of her eyes as she unlocked the door to her apartment.
The darkness of the apartment made her mind switch gears. Brian wasn't there. They'd talked about spending some much-needed time together that night. Looked like it wouldn't be happening. She carefully emptied the contents of her grocery bag on the counter. As she set the eggs down, a small sound - from her bedroom? - caught her attention. Was Brian there?
"Hello?" She said quietly, hoping she'd find him.
Before she finished her next "hello," she was staring past a revolver into the face of William Lewis. Her heart stopped. She froze solid.
"Welcome home, Detective Benson." He smiled.
The crime scene photos were flashing in her head. She was next. She should have seen it coming. Of course he'd choose her. The fiery relationship they'd had the past week should have made her predict his next move.
Her breathing became labored as he pushed the gun to her neck. Her eyes begged him not to do whatever he was going to. Still smiling, he grabbed her and pinned her body against the wall outside her bedroom. Olivia was stunned by the sudden movement. His strength was far superior to hers as she tried to push him off of her. When he put his hand between her legs, something snapped within her. He'd chosen the wrong woman to mess with. Her leg caught him in the shin, losing leverage on Olivia. She headed to the kitchen where her phone still sat.
Would he shoot? Not before taking what he wanted.
Her hands trembled violently as she fumbled for the device. Lewis recovered quickly, slamming his body into hers before the phone's screen ever lit up. She hit the side of the sink with force, bending over it as he used his weight against her. With him at her back, she lifted her foot, going for his groin. She almost hit him too, but he spun her around too rapidly.
"Good one." He punched her, fist smashing her nose.
The blow surprised her and hurt her even more. Her eyes blurred as her hand flew up to cover her injury. Lewis, teeth still gritted, grabbed her by the hair. Olivia felt the gun on her as she walked backwards with him.
"What do you want?" She asked desperately. It was hard to fight when the fight wasn't fair.
He stopped when they stood in the living room. Has face was so close to hers.
"I think you've got an idea." He paused. "And I know you'll be able to handle me. I get kind of tired of those frail ones."
Silence again. Olivia couldn't breathe.
"We're going to have a lot of fun."
Olivia felt his lips close to hers and reacted, swinging her arm, catching him in the back of the neck. She went for her gun this time, diving for it as it lay on the counter. She didn't even get that far. He kicked her in the back of the knees.
Oh god, she was thinking. He's too strong. There was no way she could fight him and win. He hit so much harder than she ever could.
Her hands tried to grab the counter as her legs collapsed beneath her, but they missed. Her body hit the floor. Lewis wound up and kicked again, hitting her in the eye. Olivia cried out as pain shot through her face, making the world tilt unevenly. When he buried his foot twice in her ribs, she found she was unable to make a sound. The air dissipated from her lungs. Coughing desperately, she struggled to her hands and knees, hoping to replenish het oxygen.
"You try anything again - I'll shoot you right here and go find someone else." His words were forceful. He was livid.
Her mind spun. She would make it out alive. Then they would have the case against him they needed. She would be his last. Olivia complied with a nod. He forced her up, tearing her jacket off when she made it to her feet. She kept her eyes angrily on his.
"Grab that chair -" he motioned to the object "- and take a seat."
Every instinct she had was fighting as she did what he said. Olivia had to comply. She had to survive. She sat down in the chair in the middle of the living room. The swallow she took was difficult to keep down. Lewis used her own cuffs to restrain her, tying her feet to the legs of the chair. Olivia couldn't stop how hard her heart pumped. She was vulnerable, about to take the pain Alice Parker had.
Lewis smiled down at her, her nose bleeding, eye quickly bruising.
"So." He tucked his gun into his back waist band. "What do we do first?"
He looked around. Then he left the living room altogether. Once in the kitchen he turned on the first burner of the stove. Olivia's heart picked up its speed again. She moved her hands behind her. She wanted to escape the pain that was sure to come. The sound of metal dropping into the pan gave Olivia horrible shivers. The smell of the heated burner wafted to where she sat, her nose trickling blood, eye throbbing. Her body didn't have much fight left, and she knew she had a long battle ahead.
Lewis was smiling when he approached her with the pan in his hands. "You seem like a woman who likes fire. How about we get you to simmer down a bit?"
He slapped duct tape onto her mouth. Olivia moved, giving a sound of terrified anticipation. She couldn't hide her fear from him. She struggled against her bindings as he held the key near her chest. The heat already filtered to her skin as she trembled. Then it seared the flesh covering her collarbone. Olivia cried out from behind the tape as she moved to get away. She could feel every fiber in her being scorched, split apart.
The smell was dehumanizing. Burnt, smoking flesh met her nose in smokey waves. She looked away, but it didn't help. The pain hit its terrible peak and then dulled strangely. The smell was so foul she had to fight to keep her stomach from throwing its contents into the barrier over her mouth. Then the burn disappeared, replaced by a steady throb. Her forehead was glowing with sweat as she looked back at him. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as the discomfort lingered. He was only just starting. She knew there was so much to come. She couldn't do anything about it. She was helpless, her worst nightmare.
"Again?" He asked like she had a choice.
Olivia closed her eyes and waited for the next pain.
"Open your eyes." His face was right in front of hers when she did. The pan next to him held its heat, in it the second key. Lewis held her gaze for a moment before grabbing the key and pressing it to Olivia's opposite collarbone.
Her muted scream had the power to rip the tape off her mouth. He held it longer than the last. The edges of the world got blurry just as he removed it.
"Not losing you yet, am I? We've got a lot more to do." Lewis' smirk only increased the deep helplessness Olivia was sinking into. He had her. He could - and was - doing what he wanted to, and she couldn't do a thing to stop it.
The knife flashed in her eyes as he taunted her with her oncoming agony. Someone had to know she was in trouble, that she needed help. The blade made its first mark on her skin as she glanced to her window. The pain coaxed yet another shout from deep within her. It left a bleeding cut on the back of her upper arm, bound behind her.
"Your blood is so much better - better than that old lady's for sure." He wiped his finger on it, bringing the crimson stain to his mouth.
Olivia felt so repulsed, but she held a steady gaze. Her eyes were those displaying great determination. It fired him up even more. He held the blade to her left forearm, behind her back. He pressed it down slowly, steadily. Her skin caved in beneath the pressure before it split, yielding her blood. Her cries wouldn't let themselves be contained as she struggled to remain still.
Lewis delightedly pushed down as the knife's wound widened and deepened. Olivia couldn't see the location where the pain emanated from, but she could feel it. It moved down her arm, creating a searing burn during which she couldn't hold still. Without a sound, she moved in her chair.
Lewis enjoyed it. He took his knife from her and replaced it with his hand. Olivia's eyes rolled back as he squeezed the fresh injuries. Her breathing was uneven, her forehead giving way to more beads of sweat. It was so easy to wish he would kill her, but she knew she had to fight to keep her life. He'd gotten away with too much already. She had to live to make sure he didn't catch another break - not this time. She let a sound of great discomfort come from her throat when he squeezed harder.
Lewis smiled, holding the knife up to her when he let go. "How does it feel, Olivia?"
He whispered to her. "Becoming a victim?"
Olivia felt everything fall around her when he said it. A victim. She shut her eyes and turned away from him, taking with her the pleasure he'd had watching her eyes.
"Look at me." He demanded. She refused in silence.
"Hey." Lewis grew angry with her defiance and grabbed her mangled arm.
His blade caught her again. Olivia kept her face to the side until his hand forced her to stare back at him.
"You tell me -" he reached for the tape on her mouth "- you tell me what you want."
The tape came off her mouth painfully, and Olivia immediately did the thing she realized she'd failed to during the initial struggle. A scream so sharp that it hurt her own ears ripped from her lungs. Someone had to hear her. She wasn't going down without a fight.
William Lewis felt a moment of panic, but only a moment. Her cry came to an abrupt end when Lewis' gun struck the side of her head. Her world went dark before returning, blurry. She was awake, barely. Every sound was muted.
Lewis slapped the tape back on her mouth as she battled her sleep. She could smell that it was alcohol raining down upon her when he stood up. The struggle she had against her bindings was enough to tip her chair over, taking her with it. The contact her head made with the ground was just enough to launch her into unconsciousness. Darkness took her prisoner, strangely enough freeing her from the pain.
I promise you the next chapter is not violent like this one was. I'll have it posted soon. Also, if you have any scenes you'd like to see that were left out of the saga, let me know. Thanks for reading!