Arachnophobia ⇒ Peter Parker

twelve: a visitor

     My back seethed with pain. I was pressed against the wood wall of my apartment; the chipped wallpaper cracked under the pressure of my back. Unaware of what to do, I bit the hand that covered my mouth. This caused my attacker to flinch, leaving me enough time to crush their abdomen beneath my swinging leg. They stumbled backward, gripping their chest. I threw a punch at their face, causing them to collapse. A loud thumping noise echoed through the room, bouncing off the poorly constructed walls. Finally, I pinned them down beneath my elbows and ripped off the mask that concealed the person.

     "Impressive," Isaac said as he raised his arm and changed our positions, laying on top of me, "but no one beats me."

     My heart dropped when his tone chilled through my spine. He grabbed the collar of my shirt and yanked me up by it. I stumbled at first, but Isaac quickly pushed me against the wall once more. This time, both his hands gripped my wrists, forcing them to my sides.

     My unsteady breathing was uncontrollable and loud, making it difficult to hear when Isaac's words as he said, "We need to talk."

     His words sent echoing chills down my spine and tears to my eyes. After he spent a moment smirking madly, he pulled away and walked over to the table across the room. Taking my signal, I walked over. A cough emerged through my dry throat. I shamefully bowed my head, weakness spreading over me. A trickle of blood ran down my forehead, but I was too preoccupied to wipe it away. I loathed the fact that my enemy had seen the weakest parts of me. What did this say about me? Too fearful to look Isaac straight in the eye, I peered down at my fingers that were fidgeting nervously.

     "You have been here a week, Amalia," he said, raising his voice slightly for the next line, "and what progress have you made?"

     I stared up at him, eyes wide, and timidly said, "We've spoken a-and, I've gone to his--"

     "That's right. You've done nothing."

     Anger boiled inside of me, and I seethed at the fact that he was accusing me of not doing anything. In the spur of the moment, I fiercely said, "If you would tell me the end goal then I might not be so lackadaisical about it all."

     For a moment, I looked straight into Isaac's eyes. He was completely silent. I knew that I had truly messed up, and I wanted to run into my room and slam the door shut. All that was audible were his heavy breaths and my drumming heartbeat. Isaac got up from his place and yanked me out of my chair. My hair was scrunched under his grip, and a burning sensation ripped across my skull as he yanked at it. Isaac forcefully pressed my back against the table and leaned forward, his lips almost graced my ear when he spoke his next sentence.

     "If you ever disrespect me again, I will make it my personal job of torturing and murdering you and everyone you love."

    Tears began to rapidly run down my cheeks. I bit my tongue, not allowing sobs to escape from my mouth. Everything ached, and I wanted nothing more than to become numb again. I couldn't, I had to be strong for everyone who mattered to me. I wondered what those I knew would think about the way I had handled this situation. Would they think I was weak? That I had no backbone? Was I just as evil as the man who was in my presence? Isaac slightly pulled away, enough to see my tear stained cheeks.

     He sighed, standing up straight, but trapping me in my spot with his muscular arms. He said, "I assume it's time that I fill you in on what I have planned."

     The man returned to his stationary position. I attempted to run the pain out of my aching back that had been contorted under Isaac's grasp. We were once more sitting across from each other. Except for this time, I had deeper cuts and swollen eyes. My fists were clenched beneath the table and my foot tapped impatiently. Isaac began to gradually open up about what actions I would be in charge of completing before my mission was over. The list was concise but would be difficult to complete.

     "We'll take it from there," Isaac said, "Do you understand?"

     "Yes," I said curtly, nodding my head. Ultimately, my gaze drifted downward. My head was buzzing with questions and I was having trouble retaining all that I had heard, but I was unwilling to spend any longer with this man. I shifted in my place and began to slowly get up. Isaac assessed my actions and took the opportunity to steadily walk to my apartment door. He opened it and left without a word. I glanced back at my apartment, disgusted with the way it appeared. Not only did my blood stains tarnish its walls and floors, but the sensation of Isaac's presence lingered. I wanted to rid the area of him, but I knew I couldn't. It wasn't the stains or presence that caused me to believe this, but the fact that the girl who lived inside would have the thought of him freshly printed in her mind.

     I ascended into my shower. This was a feeble attempt at cleansing myself from the touch of my oppressor. My hand gripped the stout and turned the handle to the hottest temperature. Ready to feel the scorching river flow down my bare skin, I shakily walked toward the stream of water. A biting sensation engulfed me and a scream escaped my mouth as I jumped back. I bitterly stared at the shower head. There was no warm water left. I proceeded forward and let the cold wither my hair into strands and cover my skin that was lined with goosebumps. A vigorous shaking began to emit from my body in an attempt to preserve my warmth. My subconscious didn't understand that I didn't want it to fight for me.

      Unaware of how long I had spent, I decided to step out. My reflection revealed the purple that stained my lips and the red that had washed over my skin. My hand shakily grasped at the towel in front of me, pulling it over my cold body. My arms reached forward and turned the faucet on and a room temperature liquid was pushed out. The warmth caused a pleasurable sensation to smooth through my nerves. I was barely able to put on nightwear and hobble over to the kitchen. I grabbed a cloth and dampening it. After walking over to the tile floor, I sunk down and pressed the towel against the crimson blood stain that tarnished it.

     I flinched as the pressure of my movements pulsated on my wrist. It was covered in a bracelet of bruises where Isaac had harshly grabbed me. I looked down at the injury and a prickling sensation gravitated to my eyes.

     Isaac's words rang in my head, if you ever disrespect me again, I will make it my personal job of torturing and murdering you and everyone you love. For the rest of the night, I lay scrubbing my own blood off the floor below me as his words repeated themselves over and over again in my mind.

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This scene was very intense. The ending of this book is slowly coming to me. No need to fear, it won't be coming any time soon! Thank you so much for 324 reads!! Did you enjoy this intense chapter? Please let me know by liking and commenting below. It would mean so much to me! Well, until next chapter...

Next Chapter: September 23, 2017

(9/10/17) Editing this weeks later, I can proudly say that I have written around 110 manuscript pages so far, and around ten more chapters after this one already written!