Red - Ch5

Caution:- This chapter contains potential triggers.

I was terrified. Only minutes earlier I had been riding the cloud of elation. How had things changed so quickly? I should have known Simon would look for me; that he wouldn't stop till he found me. I should have known it was a mistake to leave in the first place. Curse that stupid old woman for making me believe things could be different. Things could never be different. I had tried to make a change and it had failed spectacularly. As far as I could see, I was trapped and doomed to spend the rest of my life in hell with Simon. My ribs burned and throbbed and I fought to breathe. I was ready to admit defeat.

“It is not over. You will be free.”

My fear turned to anger. “Shut up! Leave me alone! This is all your fault!” I screamed silently at the voice speaking in my head.

“Have faith. All will be well. Just keep looking for the red.”

I ignored it. Angels. How could I have thought there were angles? I was on my own; always had been and always will be.

“You are never alone. Do not give up.”

“Argh! Go away! Look where listening to you has got me!”

“You are stronger than you once were.”

I paused. Was that true? It didn’t matter either way. The voice was gone and would offer no more help. Good riddance, I thought cynically.

Dale’s face appeared in my mind’s eye along with Jacqui, Jill and Ruby. I was about to lose them and any possible future I had with them. I couldn’t let that happen. The sharp realization came to me that suddenly, I had something worth fighting for; an experience I had never encountered. It gave me strength, strength I never would have found if I hadn’t escaped to the desert. I started thinking of how I could get away. The dark night would certainly play to my advantage but could I be quick enough? How far could I get while not being able to see? I shook my head, hoping the bandana would slip. It didn’t budge. Neither did the rope that bound my wrists. I strained and struggled until I was sure my wrists were bleeding. How long had we been driving for? Dale and I had returned to the Inn at around 11:00pm. I estimated it must have been around 11:30pm by now. Maybe the girls had called the police. Not that it would help because there was no way they could know where we were going. Simon was driving at breakneck speed, probably covering double the amount of kilometres one could travel if doing the speed limit. I managed to get myself up into a sitting position, hoping someone passing by on the road would see me. Simon must have had the same thought.

“Get back down,” he demanded. I did as I was told. There was no point in making him angrier by defying him. That would not serve me well.

Some time later I felt the car begin to slow and come to a stop. I heard the glovebox open then slam shut again as I waited for Simon to come and get me. I was still angry but the fear had also returned; an immense fear that Simon was going to kill me. I’d always wondered if people who were going to die got some type of premonition or sense of foreboding before their demise, something to let them know that their time was up. Now I knew. The Reaper bore down on me, his scythe ready to swipe. I could see him, his black hooded robe hanging as still as the grave, hiding a face too ghastly to look upon. No one knew where I was. My body wouldn’t be found for days out here in the middle of nowhere. The Reaper chuckled in anticipation, a hollow, ghostly sound that echoed through my head. Simon opened the door and hauled me out. I lost my balance and fell, wincing at the sharp pain in my ribs then wincing some more as I was pulled back up to my feet. The bandana was removed from my eyes and in the light from the moon I could see what Simon must have taken from the glovebox. I was staring straight down the barrel of a gun.

“Turn around,” Simon demanded.

Again, I did as I was told. He pressed the gun hard into my back. “Walk.”

I walked, my eyes darting back and forth. I don’t know what I was looking for, but at least it made me feel I was doing something constructive. As my eyes passed over the ground, I caught sight of the red flowers I had seen in my dream all those weeks ago. I stumbled and was rewarded with a sharp jab in the back from Simon’s gun. We walked until we came to what I guessed was The Olgas, another large rock formation about fifty or so kilometres from the Inn. Usually a tourist attraction, The Olgas displayed themselves for the public on a daily basis. Now, they lay silent and ominous against the midnight sky. I shivered. It wasn’t from the cold. I could feel the skeletal fingers of the Reaper softly caressing my skin. My time was almost up.

“Stop.” Simon demanded, grabbing me and pushing me down on my knees. Holding the gun to my head he unzipped his pants and dropped them. “Thought you could get out of it easy, did you?” He stroked himself, a malicious grin making him look like the embodiment of the devil. “You should have known better. You can never escape me. Lie back.”

I whimpered behind the duct tape. I knew what was coming and there was nothing I could do about it.

“I said, lie down!” Simon growled and kicked me in the chest. As soon as my back hit the ground, he was on me, sitting on my legs as he pulled my pants down. I struggled and bucked, trying to kick him off but I couldn’t move.

“Yes. Fight it. It turns me on.” Simon laughed. He breathed a deep sigh of satisfaction as he succeeded in removing my pants. Without warning he thrust himself inside me. Tears flooded into my eyes at the pain, a pain I remembered all too well and had hoped to never feel again. However, I did not cry out as I may have done in the past. I refused to give him that satisfaction.

“You will not enjoy this,” he whispered in my ear. “This is your duty and my right. I own you. You will never forget that again.”

I shut my eyes and tried to imagine I was somewhere else, anywhere else.

“God,” I prayed, “if you do truly exist, if you have truly sent angels to me, then please, help me now.”

Suddenly, I was the eagle again, soaring high up among the clouds, the red desert stretching out below me. I could feel the wind beneath my wings, ruffling my feathers.

“Erin.”

A magnificent bird of red and gold flew beside me. It seemed to shimmer and glow, shifting as though it were made of solid fire. “Follow me.”

I followed behind the beautiful creature as it dove down, the ground rushing up to meet us. As soon as the fire bird’s claws touched the earth it transformed into a man wearing brilliant white robes with large, soft feathered wings spreading out behind him. A golden haze emanated from his skin. I knew I was in the presence of something genuinely holy and I fell to my knees, forehead pressed against the red sand.

“Rise, daughter of Heaven.” Though it was louder and held more resonance, I recognized the voice of the young Aboriginal warrior.

I remained kneeling upon the ground. “I think you have me mistaken for someone else, Sir.”

“You called out to God and He has heard you, child. Be at peace.”

Slowly, I lifted my eyes. The angel held out a hand to me and helped me to my feet. I stared at him in awe. “Why did you come back? You left.”

“I left because you asked me to. Just now, you invited me back. In your cry for help, you granted God permission to return me to your aid.”

“But this isn’t real.” I began to panic. “This is only in my head! I’m being raped right now!”

“The time has come for you to be free. Open your eyes.”

I shook my head, sobbing uncontrollably. “No. No, I don’t want to. I want to stay here.”

The angel drew me into an embrace. I felt a slight buzzing sensation through my body, like I had touched a very mild electric fence. It warmed and calmed me.

“Have faith. Trust in the One you asked for help. Open your eyes. I will be waiting.”

I stepped back to protest further but the angel had vanished. I swallowed hard. I had two choices. I could remain here for as long as Simon was having his way, or I could take a leap of faith and open my eyes. Neither choice held much appeal. I wrapped my arms around my chest as another panic attack threatened to take hold. Even if I remained here, I was still being raped. If I opened my eyes, the angel had said I would be free. Before I could talk myself out of it, I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.

The weight of Simon was still on me. Immediately I regretted my choice and quickly shut my eyes, hoping to find myself back where I’d been with the angel. Nothing.

“Erin. I am here.”

Cautiously opening my eyes, I turned my head and saw him, back in the form of the Aboriginal warrior. As I watched, he transformed himself into a dingo. My eyes widened in surprise as the dingo ran towards us and latched its jaw onto Simon’s leg.

“OW!” Simon screamed. “WHAT THE FUCK?” The dingo let go and Simon quickly jumped to his feet. I was free. A gunshot reverberated through the stillness, causing my ears to ring. Simon and the dingo were standing about a metre apart, eying each other off, Simon with a look of sheer terror on his face. He let off another shot only to have the bullet pass straight through the dingo’s head as though he had shot nothing but air.

The dingo turned to look at me. “Run!”

As the dingo continued to hound Simon, I leapt up and ran. It didn’t matter where I ran, as long as it took me away from Simon.

“Remember. Follow the red.”

I silently thanked the angel and kept on running. Another shot was fired and this time, the bullet went whizzing past, mere inches from my head.

“YOU BITCH! DON’T YOU DARE LEAVE ME HERE! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!”

Another shot fired. I ducked but I didn’t stop, didn’t look back. It was imperative that I focus on getting far, far away from here. I could hear his screams and curses and the dingo’s growls as it continued its onslaught. I just needed to get back to the road, only I had no idea which way it was. A full moon shone down, providing enough light for me to spot a bush with those red flowers. Full moon? I could have sworn it had been darker than this when we first arrived here. No time to think about it now. The red flowers were on my right so I turned right, hoping I had interpreted that correctly. I stopped short when I came across the red flowers directly in my path. Taking that to mean keep going straight, I stayed running straight. I continued following the red flowers until, rather abruptly, I came out onto the road. With burning lungs, I bent over, putting my hands on shaking knees while inhaling great gulps or air. It was not that I had overexerted myself: the gym had kept me fit. Simon had required me to be in peak physical condition at all times. It would reflect poorly on him if he was seen with a fat, ugly wife and he couldn’t have that. Every afternoon when he got home from work, he would drive me to the gym for a two-hour session, watching me in case I attempted to talk to someone. Though I had not enjoyed it at the time, I found myself shockingly thankful for one of Simon’s rules. My heart raced and my chest felt as though it would break under the abuse. It was agony. I felt certain I’d sustained a broken rib, but I had to keep going, had to find someone. Walking the fifty kilometres back to the Inn would be pushing it, even for me, especially with no water. But I had no other choice. All I could hope was that I would come across some tourists in the morning. It was then I realized my state of undress. In my panic, I had forgotten to pick up my pants. I was mortified but there was nothing I could do about it. I set off at a steady jog, preparing myself for the long haul. Roughly two kilometres in, I spotted what could only be headlights speeding towards me. I couldn’t believe my luck. I began jumping up and down, waving my arms about like a mad woman. As the vehicle came closer, blue and red lights began flashing from the roof. The Police! Even better! I started laughing. It was finally over. The Police car came to a stop in front of me and two policemen stepped out.

“Miss? Are you Erin Whittaker?”

My head swam. I managed to answer in the affirmative before I met the ground with a solid thud.

*

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