Defending Deanna

Chapter 6

Deanna

I come to and I’m chained to a wall in a dingy room. I look around, but I can't tell where I am. I try to remember how I got here but it's all a blur. My head is kind of fuzzy.

I pull on my chains to try and escape. But they are hooked into the wall good. I try to pull my hand out of the cuff. I’ve always had small hands, maybe I have a chance of squeezing my hand out. Unfortunately, that doesn't work either. All it does is scrape my hand a bit and make my hand hurt.

There is a keyhole in the cuff. Maybe I can find something to pick it with. I try to stand but I’m too fuzzy. I crawl around looking for anything that I can use to pick the lock. I only have a few feet of freedom and it’s not enough. There isn’t anything around that I can use. There's a door on the other side of the room but I can't reach it. So that’s out. There are some stairs as well but again I can’t reach them.

I startle as a door upstairs opens. I crawl back to the spot where I woke up. I don’t know what’s happening exactly but my gut is telling me that I don’t want to be caught looking around.

A man comes down the stairs and when I see him, I suddenly remember what happened. He was missing his daughter and I was helping him look. And then he put something over my mouth and kidnapped me.

It becomes clear to me now. He never had a daughter. I was so stupid. How did I fall for such a stupid line? My gut had been trying to warn me, but I ignored it and followed my kidnapper right to his freaking car. I am an i***t.

"You're awake. I may have overestimated the drug I used but I wanted to make sure you were out until I could get you here. I'm relieved you're ok."

“I'm not ok I'm kidnapped."

He laughs. “You're ok don't worry. You're going to have fun here. If you are nice to me, you will really enjoy your stay. But if you're a little brat I can make your life hard."

The malice in his voice freezes me in place. He's not going to make this fun at all. Not that I believed him anyway but now I know he is going to hurt me.

“Please I want to go home."

“This is your home now. Nobody will look for you. You're mine now. We are going to have fun."

I whimper softly. I just want to go home. I was so stupid to follow him outside. How many times had Maddox told me to be careful and the first chance I get I walk right into the kidnappers’ trap? My brother would totally be telling me he told me so if he was here right now. You never walk away with a stranger, and you never leave a crowd with one. That way if they do anything wrong there are people there to help.

"What is your name?"

I don’t say anything. I should probably cooperate but that’s the last thing I want to do. I don’t want to give in to him, but I also don’t want to give him any extra information. He doesn’t deserve to know my name.

"What is your name?” He asks again with more force.

I bite my lip but don't answer. I can’t decide what I should do. Do I give him what he wants and risk giving him information he doesn’t have already, or do I keep my mouth shut and risk making him lash out at me?

"Tell me your name now or I'm going to have to get mean.”

I’m terrified but I’m also scared to tell him my name. Names have power and I don't want to give him any more power than he already has.

Quickly he slaps me across the face and pushes my head against the wall hard. My eyes water and my cheek is tingling from his slap.

He gets up in my face. "What is your name?” He asks once more through gritted teeth.

I’m tempted to lie outright or even fib and say something like Anna, but I hope against hope my family will be looking for me and if they say my name on the news, he will know I lied so finally I decide to give him what he wants.

“Dee... Deanna”

He smiles down at me. “See now that wasn't so hard, was it? And to show you that good behavior deserves rewards I will give you something.”

He walks a bit away and puts in a combination on a lock on the wall and my chains loosen more so I have more space to walk in the room.

“Now I will let you have freedom to walk about this room and you can reach the bathroom over there.” He points to the door that I saw earlier.

“And if you're a good girl I'll keep letting you, have it. But if you are naughty, I will steal back all that space and you will be stuck against the wall. Understand?"

I hesitate. I don’t know what to say to that. He acts like he’s being so sweet and magnanimous, but it scares me that he’s in complete control of my life now. Doesn’t he understand that I know he’s not actually a nice guy?

“Deanna. Do. You. Understand. Me."

His harsh voice scares me. It’s like when he asked me my name before he lashed out. "Yes...Yes I understand.”

He pulls a chair near me and sits on it. "Now be a good girl and come sit on my lap."

I very much don't want to do that at all. I hesitate again.

"Deanna I will be a bit more understanding today since it's been a hard day but by tomorrow you better learn to do what I tell you the first time I tell you or I'm going to have to get mean. Now come sit on my lap."

I don't want to listen to him, but my face and head still hurt from where he punished me before, so I get up and walk over, and sit on his lap.

He leans in and whispers. "What a good girl. We are gonna have a lot of fun together my sweet Deanna."

I’m jerked from my sleep because I’m being shaken. I feel arms on me holding me down with the dream still fresh in my mind, I’m sure it’s my monster. I scream and kick out. I won’t let him have me again. I rush off the bed and stand against my wall ready to fight him off.

I hear an expletive from my attacker and then.

“Deanna geez it's me Ryker you were having a dream."

It finally breaks through my dream haze, and I relax against the wall and sink to the ground. I’m not back in that basement; it was a dream. Well, actually a memory of my first night in that monster’s lair.

I wrap my arms around my knees and hug them to my chest. I’m shaking and hoping it'll help calm me down.

"I'm sorry Ryker I didn't mean to kick you."

He slowly walks over and sits next to me.

"Come on De, I've had worse. But I'm glad to see the self-defense Maddox dragged you to was helpful."

I smile slightly then. "I really am sorry."

He sighs. "It's ok. Do you wanna tell me about your dream?"

I shake my head quickly. "No, not really.”

He sighs again. “I wouldn't mind if you did."

I avoid his eyes. "I'm ok don't worry. It wasn't even one of the worst ones."

"You were crying and begging him to stop and that wasn't even one of the worst ones? What happens when it gets worse?"

I cringe. I probably shouldn't have said that. It didn’t come out the way I meant it to. I was trying to reassure him but all I did was admit that I had worse dreams.

"Really Ryker it's fine.” I force myself to get up and look at the clock. It's 2 am I cringe. I hate the middle-of-the-night wakeups from dreams. I’m not going to be getting any more sleep tonight. "Well, it's late and I should be getting back to sleep. You can go to bed now. I shouldn't need rescuing again tonight."

"I can stay."

"No! I mean don't worry I'm fine.”

I smile at him and hope he'll leave so I can be alone to wallow in peace.

He hesitates but eventually leaves.

I sit on my bed. I feel a chill in my body from the dream. It's been a bit since I’ve had one so life-like and real. It felt like I was back in that basement. Maybe it's because he's out and I know I’m gonna have to face him that brought my dreams back.

I shake my head to clear it. I don't want to think about that anymore.

If I can't sleep, I might as well work and distract myself. My main working desk is in the living room but I have my laptop in here, so I pull that out and get to work.