CONSUME

07.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Rain scattered onto the car windows and the forest was a blur. It smelled like wet pavement and moss as she leaned her head and listened to the low hum of the radio. They had been on the road for almost an hour and Esther wanted nothing more then to never let the engine come to a stop.

He never left her mind.

When she closed her eyes she saw him, she could feel his hands around her throat and his menacing stare puncturing her heart and turning her soul into a frail nothingness.

She had woken to her phone, he had sent her more then a dozen of messages and when she thought it finally stopped, he began calling.

The number was unknown and the rage behind the messages made her reality so terrifyingly real that for a pure moment she felt so surrealistic that she began to question her existence.

"You are mine"

"Make Seth leave"

"You belong to me, I will not take lightly to another man sleeping near you"

"I will kill him"

"You want his blood on your hands?"

"Are you intentionally trying to hurt me, because that will not end well"

"I'm going to punish you"

"Answer your phone or I'll come in there and rip their fucking guts."

She couldn't think straight and without hesitation she had been too scared of the consequences to be strong. Her mind was cowardly as she locked herself in the bathroom and answered as he called.

She listened to his heavy breathing.

"You need to stop," She spoke, "The flowers and the letters, you need to stop." Her heart sunk with the silence that followed.

"Your voice is so sweet." The man hummed." So sweet that it would be a pity to hear you scream." His voice was commanding. It was dripping with underlaying threat and she had never before in her life been so intimidated simply by a tone.

She couldn't tell if it was his voice, her own breathing so hard she could barely get a word out.

"Please stop." She mumbled, her voice failing her as it withered into fright.

"You belong to me. I own you." He hissed, "And yet you invite that boy into your home!" His seething tone was as venom and the anger was strong enough to make it hard to recognize.

"At least he got a invitation!" She huffed. "He doesn't stalk and hide in the dark while I'm sleeping."

The silence was deafening and she knew that she had struck a nerve.

"I will gut him, I will gut them both." He threatened. "Then I'll come in and take what is mine. I know you want me." The truth in his threat was a harrowing realization.

She wondered if he was so deep in his fixation that he had convinced himself that she wanted him. He had to be insane for that, she had showed no sign of wanting anyone.

"You have a key." She breathed. "You never broke the lock, you have a fucking key." She spat out. 

"You are mine. It's simply my right." His tone was now humorous, mocking her helplessness.