It's time to move on

Chapter 10

I don’t recall for how long we were driving when Charles pulled over at a warehouse. He opens the door and inside I see a steel cage in the middle of the floor.

“Get in.” Charles smiles. I sigh and get into the cage.

“Good girl.” He says and locks the cage with a padlock.

“So Charles, what’s your plan?” I ask, throwing my arms up in the air.

“You need to learn your place so you can come back to me.”

“That’s never going to happen.”

“Baby, don’t make me angry.”

“I’m not scared of you anymore.”

“You stupid b***h! You don’t get to f*****g speak to me like that. Don’t make me come in there and teach you a lesson.”

“You’re a coward, leave the gun out there and see if you can take me on one on one.” I say hoping his ego will get the better of him.

He smiles and puts the gun on the floor. He takes out the keys and once he steps inside the cage he locks us both in and puts the keys in his back pocket.

I kick my shoes off as he walks my way. I stand my ground. He swings at me but I block him with my arm. He chuckles and comes at me again. I kick him in the knee hard as he sinks down on his injured knee in pain. I don’t know where my sudden personality change has come from but I’m not going to stand for his abuse anymore. I deserve better than him.

“You’ll pay for that.” He spits.

“You’re not so tough.” I mock him.

He gets up and swings at me. I block him again and kick him in the same knee. I try to decide on the best way to knock him out so I can take the keys and get out of here. Just as I’m about to make my move he pulls out another gun strapped to his ankle.

I put my hands up.

“Yeah, I got you now.” He grins and gets up keeping the gun pointed at me.

“You said you’d leave the gun.”

I don’t want to die yet I’ve just started living again and I could even be in love for the first time.

“I lied.” He laughs. “So how about you take your clothes off and we have some fun.”

I back up a little, “No.” I say calmly.

“I’ll break you.” He says taking out the keys from his pocket.

“No you won’t.” Not again. Charles disappears from the warehouse. I’m left wondering how he sees his plan working.

I tire of walking around in the cage so I sit down in the middle of it. Charles comes back; I don’t recall how long he’s been gone. I see him dragging a hose before I can ask what he is planning on doing with it and he starts spraying me with cold water. It’s starting to burn my skin but I refuse to make a sound. After a while he gives up and leaves again.

It’s getting dark outside and I’m shivering. I get up to stretch my legs. My clothes are damp and sticking to me.

I turn around when I hear the cage door open. “Got you some food.”

It smells amazing and I’m starving but I wait until he disappears before I start eating.

It’s completely dark all around me; a sudden flood of light hits me in the face. It takes a while for my eyes to adjust. I am able to see as long as I don’t look directly into the light.

I hope Jason is okay, he got hurt because of me and I hate that. Charles is out of control. I don’t understand what his plan is.

“Are you ready to be with me again?” Charles asks.

“I really hope that you don’t actually believe that locking me up in a cage and drenching me with water is going to make me want to be with you?” I yell.

“I love you.” He says.

“Are you insane?” I yell as the rage takes me over, “You don’t do this to someone you love.” I say waving my arms around.

“You don’t understand! I tried moving on but I couldn’t!” He screams and slams both his hands onto the cage. I jump. It was unexpected. I used to be his punching bag. I don’t feel sorry for him. He is not a good man. I do not speak any further to him. He leaves me alone not speaking any further to me. I can no longer tell the time or how long I’ve been in the cage. Charles gave me a bucket to use as a toilet and a single blanket. When I try to sleep the spotlight gets shined in my eyes or I get drenched with water. I don’t know how long I’ve been without food now. The hunger pains come and go.

“Are you ready to be with me again?” Charles asks. I look around trying to see him. My throat is dry as are my lips and my joints hurt.

“No.” I manage.

“Just stop being so f*****g stubborn.”

“Let me go.” I croak.

“You are never leaving me again. You are f*****g mine get that into your f*****g head!”

“I’d rather die.” I whisper. Although my body is weak I will not give into him.

Charles stomps off and I lay back down on the hard floor of the cage.

 ***

“Baby I want you back. Please come back to me.” Charles whispers beside me.

My eyes spring open. I’m terrified. I don’t think I’m strong enough to fight him if he comes into the cage again.

“Locking me up will not change my mind.” I tell him without lifting my head.

“If I let you go, you have to promise me that you are not going to try and leave me again.”

“Yeah sure.” I lie.

Can’t believe this is going to work. He unlocks the cage and I walk out. He has two guns that I know of. I need to think this through.

“I started working on this before I came to see you.” He smirks as I follow him down a hall.

Has he always been this psychotic?

There is definitely something very wrong with him.

“On what?” I am frightened of the answer.

Charles stops in front of a door, “This.” He opens it and switches on the light. There is everything from a kitchen to a bedroom in this space. I feel a chill run down my spine.

“Come in.” Charles says.

“What do you think is going to happen here, Charles?”

“Just come in, dammit!” He yells, grabbing my arm and pulling me into the room. I yank my arm back and try to run but Charles grabs hold of my hair and yanks me inside shutting the door behind us.

“Charles, let me go. Please.” I plead.

He hits me across the face with the back of his hand. I hold my cheek and stand still.

“So this is our kitchen…” Charles says pointing out the obvious continuing like he did not just smack me across my face. “There is our living room and the dining room is just behind there.” He turns to his left, “There is the bathroom and next to it is the bedroom. Do you want to see it?” He smirks then winks at me.

“No Charles, I don’t want to see it. I want to go home.”

“This is home.”

“No it is not.”

Charles gives me another slap across the face. I hit him back when I bring my hand up again he grabs my wrist and pushes me back; I land on the floor on my back. I scramble back up and move away from him only stopping when my back hits the wall.

“You are such an ungrateful little b***h w***e! After I do all this for you? You don’t even appreciate it!”

Charles makes his way over to me. I’m trapped with no way of escaping.

“Well?” Charles says getting closer. “Aren’t you going to apologize?”

“For what? I did nothing wrong.” I face him.

Charles is now in front of me. He lifts his hand. I know what’s coming next. As if in slow motion I see his hand come down. I lift my forearm in front of my face when I feel the pain. I throw a punch with my right fist hitting him in the jaw then with my left fist I punch him in the gut then with my right again, I kick him in the knee and as he sinks down I run for the door. I throw the door open and run; Charles chases me and manages to grab hold of my shoulder; he then slams into the wall. He takes me by both of my shoulders and yanks me backwards into the other side of the hall. I throw my elbow up and hit him in the stomach. I turn around hitting him in the throat as he bends. I put my hands on his shoulders and pulled him forward while lifting my one knee up, hitting him in the stomach again. I clasp my hands over each side of his face and slam them into his ears. Charles staggers back and I take off running. I make it to the warehouse door and pull and push on it willing it to open with all my strength. A shot goes off and I turn around, Charles is aiming straight at me.

“Get back in the cage!” He yells.

I walk back to the cage and get in. Charles gets in with me and locks us in after putting the gun down on the floor outside.

“It’s time for your lesson.” Charles says coldly.

“Just let me go. I don’t want to be with you.”

“So full of fire. Too bad I’m going to have to knock some sense into you.” He says licking his lips.

“You can try.”

Charles pulls out his belt. It brings back terrifying memories.

I’m frozen for a few seconds but that is all he needed. He swings the belt at me hitting me on

the arm and hip. It stings but I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me in pain.

He walks around me and then swings again hitting me on my lower back. He grabs hold of my neck hitting me on the arms and legs and back with his belt. He pulls me closer and then sticks something into my neck. I start to feel dizzy.

Everything starts to blur.