The Cure

Chapter 20: Numb

There is a lot of bad language and violence in this, just a warning!

I don't know how long we have been driving, since there is no screen displaying the time and my phone was taken from me, but it feels like hours, and all I can do is hope and pray that Nathan has a plan, a good plan that could work, that could get him the cure and maybe, as a bonus, get me out of here.
As the skies get darker, we start to drive through the trees, the scenery turning green and brown, the sky no longer blue. Then, after a longer amount of time, swerving in and out of those woods, we stop, quite abruptly outside a building, hidden by ivy and weeds.
"Get out," James says, pointing to the door. I obey, exiting the car, my legs wobbly form the lack of movement.
I am just about to turn around and ask where we are, when a fist comes into contact with my face. I spin and fall to the ground, regaining my balanced slowly, the pain erupting in my face.
"No James! Not yet! I told you!" Luke says but I am beyond angry, how dare he, not again.
"What the fuck? You said we could beat her," James says and I feel sick about how eager he is to hurt me. I stand up, wiping the blood from my nose, and march over to James. Standing tall, when he looks at me, I thrust my fist into his jaw, making him swing around and fall on his face. The only difference is that he recovers a lot faster than me.
"You fucking slut," he starts but Luke slams his arm in front of him, knocking him back.
"You deserved that, get inside now," he orders and James obeys, spitting on the floor before stomping inside. Then, Luke makes his way over to me, a tissue in his hand as he wiped the blood from my nose.
"Why are you helping me?" I ask and he smiles, wiping the blood a little more.
"Believe it or not Lily, but I don't want to hurt you, this is just business for me, I have no choice, I'm not the boss." I weirdly believe him, just by the look in his eyes.
"Everyone has a choice, people just chose the wrong one," I say and he smiles.
"You're smart Lily, and your wise, but your strong as well, I'm sorry for what I have to do," he says and even though he is a complete arsehole for what he has done, I'm torn between forgiving him and not.
"I have to take you in now," he says and as gently as he can, he pushes me in the direction of the building, staying behind me the entire time. I walked, step by step, my mind wandering to Nathan, I wonder if he is looking for me, I wonder of he has found anything. I wonder if I helped at all.
I am ushered up two steps, then through a wooden door, creaking from age. As I enter the house, I see men, some dressed in black and grey, others in suits of blue and silver, all in the room, playing cards and drinking beers.
"Hey! Look who's back! And look at the prize he bought," the tallest, most rugged of them says, looking at me as if I am a meal rather than a prisoner.
"She's pretty, such a waste," one snickers, smiling at me.
"Back off, all of you, she's not yours," Luke says, holding my shoulder and directing me across the room, through the old fashioned furnishings and wooden walls to the corridor, doors lining the sides. He stops in the first room and walks me inside, shutting the door behind us.
The room is dark, a single bulb illuminating only the centre of the room, no windows, no vents, just darkness and in the middle, like in a movie, there is a chair, which I am told to sit on.
My initial reaction should be to be scared, but instead I am apprehensive, nervous and a little worried. But not scared. Why should I be scared? What rational reason do I have to be scared when I was the one that decided to give myself this fate?
"Okay Lily, I will lock this door and no matter what happens, to make sure those guys out there don't hurt you, do not open it, okay? This is for your safety, so please trust me," he says and so I nod, actually trusting him.
Then, just like that, he leaves, nodding to me before I hear the clicks of the lock. That's when I panic. When I am left alone with my thoughts, to dwell and cry and wonder what hell I will be put through.

"Well hello there darling, how are you?" A man with a thick black beard, matching eyebrows and moustache asks, his voice sickly.
"Get away from me," I snarl and and watch as he becomes amused. After sitting in here for what feels like days, my patience has run thin and any attempt to frighten me is pointless.
"It's starting," is all he says before the door opens revealing another unidentifiable man, and the first punch is thrown. My head is slapped to the right, my face stinging as the pain shoots threw my nose and jaw. I want to fight back, but my hands, tied to the chair, are unable to do so. My feet are just as incapable, and so I am forced to just sit and take it.
Then, another blow, this time to my stomach, and it's a kick, the pain as large as a footprint, shooting through my torso, making breathing a struggle. Not only that but I can feel the pain even more in my stomach, it's just hurts so much.
"Not so cocky, now eh? Lucky boyfriend is watching," he says, spitting on me as he circles me.
"Get the fuck away from me you arsehole," I say and watch him squint with anger and hate. "I can still be cocky," I mock as he lands another punch, a much stronger one, in my jaw, knocking it causing serious pain through my entire right side of my face.
Then, my hair, it's length now a disadvantage, is used as the rope to pull my chair, with body sat on it, closer to the monster. He then smiles evilly before tugging on the hair one more time throwing me to the floor.
"FUCK YOU!" I scream as the searing pain erupts in my legs as the weight of my own body, and the man who is beating me's rests on them. Then he leans down and whispers so gently in my ear,"you might just do that." I feel vile and disgusting and so sick that I can't even bear to think about it. Where are you Nathan?