Rising Within

Punching Bag

POV Dionne

Trigger Warning- The following content may distress some readers. s****l/ physical abuse themes implied

Ahh, oww!

My head throbbed, and my mouth filled with cool saliva as nausea took hold. The putrid chemical stung my nose, and I was afraid to open my eyes for the fear of the damage they might receive from the toxins. The last thing I remembered was those jerks ransacking my workplace. I did everything they asked of me, so why didn’t they just take the goods and run?

I convinced myself to slowly open my eyes to take in my surroundings. My head wouldn’t stop. Reaching to rub my temples in an attempt to sooth the aching pulse, I realised I was curled into the fetal position on the cold concrete floor.

My limbs felt heavy and my back started to ache0. I was shackled to four anchors restraining me with little room to move except onto all fours. When I attempted just that, I felt a warm huff on the back of my exposed neck.

Everything inside me told me not to make any sudden movements. Then warmth was replaced with something wet. A tongue? A nose? I wasn’t sure, but IT nudged me forcefully and let out a low growl. Moving over me, the thing completely encapsulated my form, possessively nipping at the sides of my neck, its teeth grazing against my sensitive skin.

F**k! What the f**k!

I vibrated with shock and of the million thoughts that collided through my mind, I could not make out even one of them. There was nowhere to go, nothing I could do, no one to call, except to wait for whatever was to happen pass and accept my fate. My rigid body now began to uncontrollably shake, and my forehead felt damp with perspiration. I don’t ever get scared. I think that maybe I was traumatised at some point in my life, so stiff with fear that I vowed to never let that feeling be part of me again and control me. I have to destroy it before it manifests further.

I calmed myself, taking big breaths in, and slowly exhaling over and over again. I pictured my happy place: a small, secluded field that I stumbled upon on a bushwalk with some of my friends. The purple and yellow dancing flowers did the small lagoon. I imagined the water cooling my sweaty skin, and purifying me and slowly, my erratic heart eased, swallowing all my fear.

I was so lost in my calm that I failed to feel limbs gathering me tightly to a furry body. Bravely, I nudged my head slightly to take a peek at what had me captive.

A wolf?

My face contorted, trying to piece the puzzle together. They must have had large guard dogs roaming the warehouse. No, it wasn’t a dog. It was definitely a bloody huge, black wolf!

F**K! Where did it come from? I let that realisation sink in as I felt my blood pressure drop, feeling the colour drain from my skin.

I slowly tried to raise my head to take in the rest of the room while the wolf seemed preoccupied sniffing and pulling me closer. But I couldn’t contain the whimper that escaped my mouth when my eyes locked onto Lisa. She was tied down to a heavy steel chair and her head lolled limply to her right side; her cheeks swollen, painted in different hues of purple and blue, and her bottom lip split; the vermillion stain down her chin did not pick up any light, and I audibly gulped down the fear of not knowing how long we had been here or what they had done to her…to us!

The black work blouse she wore was untucked and ripped open at the buttons. I could see that she had been inappropriately handled, and I could just make out a bite mark on top of her left breast where her n****e had been poking out of the top of her bra. Lisa’s black work skirt that was usually just past her knees, was shimmied up higher, with her legs slightly flopped open. If the sight before me was anything to worry about, I wondered if I had already had my “turn” or if it was yet to come.

I’m going to get us out of here, I silently promised my friend. Wishing that she was both awake and telepathic.

Suddenly, I remembered EIias. I wondered what he was thinking. The thought of him managed to both sooth and sadden me. I barely knew him, but for some reason all of me was screaming for him, secretly hoping he’d come for me. As my thoughts trailed off, my rude awakening came as another large wolf entered the room. It circled me and the wolf holding me possessively, stopping back in front of me. Its coat was a bluish black and its light blue eyes demanded my attention, so I peered at it, putting all my fight into that stare.

But I was not prepared for its eyes to darken almost to black within seconds. I sucked in my breath so hard when its hairy form began to morph into a hardened, chiseled and naked god crouched before me. His eyes never left mine. They pushed at me as if he was sending me a message. I didn’t want to look anywhere else, so I kept his gaze for most of the time, except for when he pushed his dark blonde hair out of his face. I lowered my gaze as my cheeks blazed red. I nearly choked.

Beautiful or not, I was not prepared to be their punching bag!