The Monster's Fury

CHAPTER FIVE

Adrienne POV

I bite on the nail of my thumb as I sit on my crappy twin-sized bed with my knees pulled up to my chest. The bright light and the bare white walls hurt my eyes and intensify my headache by at least 10. I stand up and walk to the small sink to splash some water on my face. As I raise my head, I hesitate whether or not I want to chance looking in the mirror above me. I’ve been avoiding it since I’ve been here. My grip on the sink tightens as I take a deep breath before lifting my head.

I barely recognize the girl looking back at me. My lips are cracked and my hair is disheveled. My flawless skin no longer has its natural glow. My eyes have bags under them and they are almost bloodshot from the lack of sleep. I know this look all too well. I thought I wouldn’t have to see myself this way again, but that was just a dream.

I turn away from the mirror disgusted, and start to pace around the room, being that it’s the only thing to do. I have nothing in here, nothing but four walls with no windows, a toilet, sink and a small springy mattress. I can’t shower, brush my teeth or take care of any hygiene for that matter. I feel low, like I’m nothing and that’s exactly what he wants.

I look up and notice the camera that has been following my every move since I got here. I roll my eyes, knowing that he is probably up there watching me. I know he’s doing this to weaken me-- to make me believe that he’s my only option. He’s waiting for me to crawl back to him, but what he hasn’t seemed to realize is that I’ll die before I give him that satisfaction. I stick up my middle finger at the camera, smiling to myself as I turn my back to it.

Soon after, I hear the locks on the door begin to open and I curse my stupid impulses, knowing they’re the reason Cole is probably about to walk in right now. The door begins to open and, just as I expected, Cole is standing before me with his sinister smile. Which only means one thing, I’m in for a long night.

“I see you’re all healed up now, little butterfly.” He stalks towards me. I stand my ground, my eyes never leave him. If there was one thing I learned from Hunter, it’s never let them see you sweat. Once they know they’re getting to you, the battle is already lost, and I have no intention of losing this battle. He lifts his nose and sniffs the air.

“Wow you really stink.” He sneers.

“I was going to let you rot for a few more days but having to smell this every time I come visit is just becoming torturous now.”

“Then don’t visit.” I mutter.

“What was that?”

“I said, Then. Don’t. Fucking.Visit.” I can see the anger in his eyes as he raises his hand to hit me. I brace for the impact but nothing comes. He lowers his hand and scoffs.

“You think you’re cute, huh? You think you have me all figured out? You think the only way I can hurt you is by beating you?” He laughs and before I can blink he has his hand tightly wrapped around my hair. He pulls my head back so hard that it feels like my neck is going to snap.

“Since this is the game you want to play, then prepare yourself to lose.” He snarls.

“Ryan!” He calls out as he throws me onto the floor. The impact hurt more than I expected. He looks at his hands and sucks his teeth.

“Disgusting.” He pulls a handkerchief out of his pocket and begins to remove the filth from his hands, his eyes were on me the whole time. I want to shrivel up in his intense stare, but I know I still need to be strong. I attempt to stand up but he pushes me back down with his shoe.

“Stay dow--”

“Did you need something Sir?” Ryan interrupts as he pushes the door open and walks into the room. Cole lifts his foot from my shoulder.

“Take Adrienne to Miranda to get cleaned up. When they’re done, have her come up to my office.” He bends down and cups my chin.

“Just remember, everything that happens from this point on is because of your actions.” He smiles and a shiver runs down my spine. I’m not sure what he means by that, but I know it’s not good. He lets go of my chin, stands up and walks out the door. Ryan walks closer to me and holds out his hand.

“Can you walk?”

“Yeah.” I’m reluctant to take his hand but I know I need his help getting up. I’m too weak to do it on my own. As I reach for it, I look into his eyes and for a second I see a hint of sympathy? I don’t get too excited about it. Even if Ryan wants to help me, I know he can’t. Cole has a really tight leash on all his men. I’m sure they all have something to lose that he knows about. He quickly avoids my gaze as he helps me to my feet.

“Follow me.” He clears his throat and walks out the door. I follow behind him.

As we walk down the hallway I make sure to walk slowly enough so I could memorize every nook and cranny we passed. I don’t know when’s the next time I’ll be able to leave my room, so I need to seize every opportunity to find a way to escape. There’s nothing but concrete walls, a few locked doors and cameras that are more than noticeable. He’s not hiding the fact that he’s watching my every move. We turn the corner of the long hallway and stop in front of a locked door with a keypad next to it. He glances at me and I put my head down, knowing that he wants me to look away so he can put the code in.

When I was a little girl I would try to memorize the tones of different keypads so that I could get the pin to my parents' credit card. Even though I never got to use this talent, I did get pretty good at it. I listen closely to the tones of the keypad-- 1..2..7..1..1. I start to repeat these numbers in my head to commit them to memory.

“Stay next to me. Don’t fall behind.” Ryan says to me as he pulls open the door. I nod.

There are two flights of stairs leading up to another door. I continue to repeat the numbers as we begin our ascent up the stairs. I can’t help but notice Ryan’s eyes lingering on me. There’s not much I can remember about Ryan. When I was with Cole he was always really quiet and just did what he was told. He’s never actually spoken to me besides relaying orders from Cole. The look of sympathy he gave me in the room was the first sign of humanity that I’ve ever seen him have.

“Do you always just stare at people without saying anything?” I ask him, hoping that he would at least humor me. Silence. I sigh knowing that’s all I’m going to get from him.

“Stop fighting.” I look up at him but he doesn’t return my gaze. His face is stoned. If I hadn’t heard him clear as day I wouldn’t have known he said anything at all.

“If I stop now, I might as well be dead. Once he has control over you, your life is no longer yours.” He doesn’t respond and his face doesn’t give anything away, but something in me is telling me I struck a nerve.

We reach the top of the stairs and there’s another door with a keypad next to it. I pray the code is the same as the one downstairs, but knowing Cole, that’s highly unlikely. I lower my head again so he can enter the code and listen closely-- 0..5..8..1..3. I repeat this code along with the other one over and over again in my head. I need them embedded into my memory.

As Ryan pushes the door open I can instantly feel the rays of the sun hitting my skin. I haven’t felt this in– I don’t know how long. We walk into an open room with big windows. There’s a huge chandelier hanging in the middle of the room. The sun glistens off of its crystal prisms. The furniture looks old-fashioned but you can tell that everything in this room is new and barely used. We walk to another door with another keypad and I have to roll my eyes.

“Are you guys serious with this security?”

“I told you, stop fighting.” Ryan looks at me and waits for me to lower my head again.

Remembering two codes is bad enough, but now three? I can feel the anxiety growing inside me, but I know this is my only way. I take a deep breath and lower my head. I focus on the tones from the keypad-- 1..1..3..2..0. Once again, I repeat this code along with the others over and over again. I use my fingers to match the numbers I’m saying in my head to make it easier to remember.

We come into a long hallway with shiny wood floors and candle chandeliers hanging throughout. As we walk, I study the pictures that are hanging on the brown walls. They’re all in gold frames, but there’s one that’s bigger than the rest. As we walk closer to it, the woman in the photo starts to look familiar. She’s really pretty. Her skin is beautiful and fair. Her cheeks have a natural rosy blush and her black wavy hair falls to her shoulders. The more I look at her, the more she looks like Cole...is this his mother? Maybe another sibling I don’t know about?

An awful feeling takes over me and I think it’s because of the picture, but when I turn my head I know that wasn’t the case. Miranda is standing at the end of the hallway waiting for me. I knew she was here but this was the first time I’ve actually seen her. Sometimes I hated her more than I did Cole. If I had to pinpoint a reason why I couldn’t escape Cole before, Miranda would be it.

“Ms. Santana, how are you today? How are your wounds?” She smiles.

“Cut the s**t Miranda. Let’s just get this over with.” I know her questions aren’t coming from a good place. She always loved playing mind games with me and I think that’s why Cole keeps her around-- that and the fact that no other woman would be able to stomach seeing another woman go through what I did.

“Now, now. You know how Mr. Sullivan feels about that kind of language. We wouldn’t want another lashing now, would we?” Her smile widens and she nods her head, letting Ryan know that he is good to leave us alone. He turns and walks away. Her cold dark eyes return to mine and I stand my ground. If I wasn’t going to let Cole intimidate me then Miranda is going to be no different.

She finally turns, breaking our eye contact and walks into the room behind her, holding the door open for me. I take my time walking in. There’s not much I can do to make her feel uncomfortable, so whenever an opportunity arises, I take it. Miranda is always so well-kept, not a single hair out of place. She kind of reminds me of those nuns that teach at Catholic schools and hit you with a ruler when you’re being bad.

“There are towels and washcloths in the bathroom and there’s a set of clothes already laid out for you on the bed. Try not to take too long, Mr. Sullivan is not a patient man. You should know that more than anyone.” She grins as she closes the door. I hear it lock behind her. As soon as I hear her footsteps walk away from the room, I start searching for a way out.

I pull open the curtains, hoping there’s a window, but it’s just a wall. I look up towards the vent to see if I can fit, even though I know it’s a long shot, but hey, it works on T.V sometimes, right? I pull up carpets and knock on walls for hidden passages. I even try to move the bed, but it’s way too heavy. Damn this old furniture. I groan when I accept the fact that there’s no way out, but it’s not like I didn’t already know it deep down.

I take a deep breath and try to relax. My hands are shaking and I’m not sure if it’s from hidden fear or because my body is so weak right now. I pick up my clothes from the bed, limp towards the bathroom and turn on the hot water. There’s a long mirror that takes up the top half of the wall where the sink is. I take off my shirt and I can instantly tell how much weight I’ve lost. I turn around to look at my back and I almost cry from the horrible sight.

I take a few deep breaths to calm my shaking body. This is the first time I’m able to look at my back since the first time Cole whipped me. The red lashes and dark bruises around them make me sick to my stomach, but I can’t let this discourage me. I turn away and step into the shower. As the hot water washes away my filth, it also washes away the tears I’ve been trying to hold in.

****

A shower works wonders. Not only do I feel clean again, but my mood is somewhat lifted too– well the most it can be in this situation. I’m glad he’s only making me wear a T-shirt and sweatpants. Anything more constricting would have just been a pain in the long run. I walk out of the bathroom and Miranda is already standing in the corner waiting for me.

“Do you ever take a break?” I sneer as I roll my eyes. She raises her eyebrow.

“My time management is none of your concern. Follow me.” She saunters out of the room and I follow behind her.

We walk back down the long hallway and stop in front of the door across from the big portrait I took notice of earlier. Miranda knocks on the door and waits until Cole tells her to come in. She opens the door and steps to the side while she holds out her hand, ushering me inside.

As I step inside, she closes the door behind me. My eyes jump from the sofas and coffee table in the middle of the room, to the TV hanging on the wall and finally landing on Cole sitting behind his desk. He looks over his computer and his eyes fall on me.

“That’s more like it.” He beams. He stands up and strides towards me, closing in the space between us. He pulls me into him, slamming my face onto his chest. I use my hand to push off of him but he just grabs it and holds me in a bear hug.

“When are you going to stop fighting me?”

“I already told you, you’re going to have to kill me.” I struggle trying to get out of his hold, but all of my efforts are futile, I’m too weak. He brings his nose down to my hair and inhales.

“Mmmm, vanilla. I miss this smell. I made sure to buy your favorite shampoo and conditioner. Do you remember how upset you used to get whenever I got the wrong one?” He chuckles, holding me closer to him.

“What do you want Cole?”

“I believe I asked you a question, Butterfly. I would very much like it answered. Do you remember?”

“No, I don’t.” His body tenses up and he takes a deep breath.

“Do. Not. Lie.” His grip on me is getting tighter and tighter, but I’m not going to let that get me.

“I’m not lying Cole. You were the one that liked how it smelled on me, you got mad whenever I tried a different one. I never liked vanilla and I still don’t.” I look up so that my eyes are staring into his.

“Is that honest enough for you?” I can feel the heat radiating off of him and it brings me joy knowing that I’m getting to him.

“You always have to ruin things, but if this is the way you want it, then fine. I’m done being nice.” He loosens his bear hug and grabs onto my arm, forcing me to sit on the sofa.

He walks to his desk and turns on the TV screen in front of me. He pulls out his phone and puts it on speaker. As the phone rings, I try to figure out what he’s up to. I know whatever it is, it’s not good.

“Yes Sir?” A familiar female voice answers the phone, but I can’t put my finger on who it is.

“It’s time for our test subject’s main event. Go live.” He hangs up the phone and slams it on the table. I flinch from the sudden noise.

“Now it’s time for a show!” He yells and claps his hands as he makes his way back to me. He looks like a maniac and that only scares me more.

“As you know, I’ve been keeping a very close eye on your cousin Taylor.” My eyes widened as soon as he said her name.

“What did you do to Taylor?!” He smirks as he raises his index finger and taps on his bottom lip.

“Do you mean in general, or what I’m about to do to her now? You know what? It doesn’t matter.” He shrugs.

“I’ll fill in the blanks for you. As you already know, the reason she’s in the hospital is because of me and that whole dog thing. I guess you could say that was my payback for her taking you away from me. What you don’t know is, since she’s been in the hospital, I’ve had someone on the inside the whole time feeding her a drug that-- let’s just say, gives your nightmares a little boost.”

I feel anger building up inside of me as I think back to the conversations I had with Taylor about her horrible nightmares. Finding out that it was him that was torturing her this whole time feels like an explosion lit off in my entire body.

“I can see you’re getting a little upset here, but we’ve only just bloody begun.”

“What else could you possibly do to her, you sick f**k!?” I scream, no longer able to keep my composure. I jump up from the sofa and run to attack him, but like a lion catching a mouse, he avoids my attack and grabs my neck. He runs his tongue from the base of my neck up to my earlobe and bites down hard.

“That’s what you’re about to find out.” He grunts in my ear. He tilts my head with his thumb so my eyes are looking into his.

“Seeing you like this right now is turning me on Little Butterfly. I must say this new fiery side to you is exciting.” He thrusts his pelvis into me so that I can feel his hard-on. I slam my eyes shut, not wanting to see his disgusting face.

An image of Taylor’s hospital room appears on the screen, distracting Cole from what he was about to do.

“Now the fun begins! You know your cousin’s nurse, Carmen? Well, you call her Jello Lady I guess.” As soon as he said her name, that voice on the phone became very clear to me and my heart sinks to my stomach.

“She works for me, and I must say, she’s really good at her job. Not only was she able to pose as a nurse, but she was also able to get close to Taylor and even start a romantic relationship. Hell, I think Taylor might even be in love with her.” He laughs.

“What’s the point of all of this?” My voice is hoarse.

“At first, it was just to get my revenge on her. Then she became my trump card to control you, but even after everything, you’re still putting up a fight. So I guess I don’t need her anymore.

“Oh no, Taylor.” I whimper.

“Oh yes! And you’re going to get front row seats and watch it all happen.”

I can’t stop trembling. I’m about to watch my cousin--my sister, die right in front of me and there’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t let this happen. If I lose Taylor, everything that’s happened will be for nothing.

“Do you know what happens when an air bubble enters an artery?” Cole maliciously asks as Carmen starts to make her way towards my sleeping cousin. She begins unplugging one of her machines and I can feel fear take over my heart and mind.

“I do! Neat little trick I learned from my dear old dad when he killed my grandfather. Instant heart attack and it can’t be traced.”

“You sick f**k! What- what do you want? I’ll do whatever you want, just leave her alone.” Tears start to prick the back of my eyes as I lower my head in defeat. If this is the way Taylor stays safe, I’ll do what I have to do.