Sanctity

Chapter 20

I started relentlessly casting for ideas as to how to get out of the situation. I instinctively knew that there was something more to Victor than I was capable of dealing with and quickly discarded every momentary option I considered. I decided it was better not to take any chances until it was absolutely necessary since I had no idea how dangerous Victor's intentions truly were.

After a short time had passed I found that the area we were driving in was familiar to me. I felt like Victor was driving me to Aunt Margaret's.

"Humph," Victor snorted, "Aunt Margaret's. She is no aunt of yours."

I turned my head to face him, "Please Victor, she is old and helpless and I'm sure she has never done anything to hurt you. Please leave her out of this!" My eyes stung with unshed tears as I worried over Victor's plans.

"You'd be surprised how cruel she can be."

"No, she's never done anything unkind, not to anyone, I know it!" I was tempted to reach out and grab the steering wheel and deliberately cause us to crash.

Before I could act though Victor struck me with a ferocious backhand, "None of that," he said. I could taste the blood as it flooded my mouth and trickled from the corner of my lips. Victor took a finger and crudely wiped it as it dribbled towards my chin, "Mmm," he sighed as he wrapped his mouth around his bloody finger, "now I can taste why Michael loves you so much. I'm tempted to take you now but I've waited a long time for this moment and it will be so much better once we're all together."

"Michael?" I thought to myself. "I don't know anyone named Michael," I blurted out loud.

"Of course you do, it's right there," he violently poked his finger between my eyes. "In fact, he's everywhere on you, I can practically smell him in your hair, on your skin, in your breath. How much did he give you? What did he do to you and how is it that you are still alive and so distinctly his?

I was not completely clear as to what Victor was saying but I felt the need to defend myself for the lie he seemed to believe of me. "You're wrong. I've only known one man; there is only one man that I have ever loved."

This declaration brought on a fit of laughter when Victor heard it, "Michael will be very disappointed to know that. I'm sure he has been beside himself with grief sharing you with Charlie all these years. Now to find out that you never really loved him. I couldn't have placed the cherry more artfully on top."

I could no longer hold back the tears that were swimming in my eyes, "Charlie, Margaret, oh, please don't let him hurt them," I whispered the prayer in my head.

"God, stop sniveling; it's disgusting, so human, so weak. You're all pathetic you know that!" I shrunk back as he hollered at me afraid he would hit me again.

I tried to quiet my tears and turned myself away from looking at him. We were pulling into Margaret's driveway before too long. As he brought the car to a stop I bolted from the passenger's seat and raced toward the front door screaming for Margaret to lock us out. Victor reached the porch before I did and grabbed hold of me by the throat as I stumbled up the stairs. Before he could recompose himself the front door swung wide and Kaley lunged for him knocking Victor off balance. As he stumbled he released his grip on me and was forced to deal with the brutal attack Kaley was unleashing on him.

I ushered Margaret inside and as I bolted the door behind us I heard Kaley give a hideous yelp and I knew that she had died in her effort to defend me from Victor. I broke for the kitchen and clumsily gathered up the phone. I tried to punch 911 into the dial pad but my hands were shaking so badly that I kept pushing the wrong buttons.