Flightless Bird

Door Knobs

Today is Thursday. I had made it this far into the week, I'm sure I can make it through. It's just after the lunch hour, and I still sat at my desk, trying to finish the heaping mountain of paperwork I had to complete before today's meeting.

At three o'clock Mr. Shreve and his representatives will be returning to work again on the merger. I was dreading the meeting, recalling the crude actions of the man before and throughout the last one. I'm thankful that Mr. Knightly hadn't been in the room, as I felt so dirty and disgusting after it happened, and the blush did not leave my face in his presence for the rest of the day.

I sighed and rolled my head back, feeling as if my soul was being sucked out of my body by the monotonous work and constant overwhelming stress that I wouldn't make it to tomorrow, or that someone would call my bluff. To top it off, Samuel had come home last night and had his way, and now I had another headache pulsing at my temples. The coughing fits always made my head throb worse.

Unfortunately, they were more frequent now than ever before.

I have been feeling fairly depressed this week, though I was still thankful for this job. I can't help but feel lost, wondering where my life was headed now. I had made it this far, but what for? What point is there to this endless game of cat and mouse? Why do I even bother to pretend?

I shook my head violently to rid myself of these thoughts, and forced my attention back to my work.

——————

The meeting finally ended, Mr. Knightly growing bored and leaving the room first after it commenced. He seems so...distracted today. I hope he is okay...

I was brought out of my thoughts by a voice clearing from behind me, and I placed the file I was holding on the table before facing the person.

It was Mr. Shreve, his oily face a mere six inches from mine. I froze, petrified in fear of what he might do next, when he reached forward and backed me into the table. I winced at the pain as it hit my bruised back, his grasp painfully tight on my arm as his fingers wrapped all the way around my thin flesh.

I was abnormally frail, and hated it.

He shoved me backwards again, turning me into the wall as he knocked over a chair on the way. I stumbled, trying to fight his grip as I pushed with all my might. He didn't budge, and he laughed sinisterly in my face.

"Going somewhere, sweetheart?" He chuckled, happy that the room was empty and the door to the conference room was shut. I assumed he must have locked it too, as his bold actions were a major risk to his precious merger. I began to shake, scared out of my mind.

Samuel may abuse me, but I was able to refuse him sexual gratification this long by taking the hits instead, and I was terrified that this man might not be so easy to deny.

I tried to call out as I fought him, wriggling as best as I could while he grunted and tried to hold me down and kiss my face. He slapped a hand over my mouth, gagging me as he moved it to my throat.

I was now choking, growing more and more limp as I suffocated, his hands groping their way up my skirt. I could feel the doorknob of the closet digging into my side, his hands bruising my body more with every squeeze.

Tears poured down my face.

If he took away the one last pure thing I had in this world, I could not live with myself. I could not go on.

Suddenly, a banging came from the door, and I felt his hand loosen on my neck. I tried to kick or knee him in his panic, but he growled and threw me down onto the floor. Mr. Shreve's head swiveled around as we heard Mr. Knightly shouting from the other side, jiggling the door knob to try and break in. I was struggling to catch my breath when I felt my body being dragged up by my neck again, by now I could barely see for fear and lack of oxygen.

"Listen here you little bitch, you better not fight me now, you're mine! You-" he was hitting me as he went on, but was interrupted by a body crashing through the door. I hit the ground in record time, head smacking into the wall as Mr. Shreve was tackled to the ground by Alexander.

Security had to pull him off of Mr. Shreve, as he was throwing fist after fist at him until he was hardly conscious.

When they finally got him off and began to drag Mr. Shreve from the room, Mr. Knightly then turned to me, worry across his features.

"Scarlett!" He dropped to his knees, helping me to sit up as I shook on the ground. I could only imagine the blood on my face right now, mixed with terror and my gasping breaths. I could not stop flinching from his touch as he held me up, and I was trembling in fear from what just happened, tears falling as I fought to breathe.

"Scarlett look at me, please!"

I could feel my eyes swiveling in my eye sockets as they tried to find him, and once they did I saw his panic. "S-s-sorry, s-sir. I t-tried to f-fight him-m-"

"Shh, calm down, please, just breathe. Can you do that for me?" He tried to soothe me. I couldn't stop the shaking, my lungs and throat feeling as if I had been running miles in freezing air, burning.

I kept stammering out 'sorry' as I panted, and though he tried to rub my back, each touch stung my skin. What happened next was nearly unavoidable, the first cough coming out lightly.

I sounded like a dying animal, my coughs causing my whole body to convulse while they intensified, fresh blood spattering from my mouth and onto my hands. I rolled over and tried to reach for a tissue from my blazer pocket, but two hands held me from moving. I tried to squirm but all of the motion at once brought darkness into my vision, and the last thing I heard before I lost consciousness was my name from an angelic voice, somewhere far away.