We're All Mad Here

Nuisance

It seems I'm always sleeping these days. And if I'm not sleeping, then my eyes are closed at least. Being chained to a bed 24/7 leaves you no other choice, you either stare at the wall or you live through your dreams- and sometimes your nightmares too.
The healing process is slow and my body pains me often, as if it is trying to keep me on my toes and stimulate my mind so my brain doesn't turn into mush. A tear travels down my cheek, though I don't know why. My emotions are mixed. I'm being nursed back to health by the same guy who almost killed me with his bare hands, yet I'd rather be here in his personal space, than out there amongst the dogs that work for him. I laugh at the thought of  Vaas leading a troop of dogs, pruning their fur and training them to beg. I imagine him running around an arena, getting them to jump over obstacles and crawl through tunnels.

I think I'm losing my mind.

A noise like the jingling of bells distracts me from my thoughts, and I open my eyes to find Vaas stretched over me. I follow his eye-line and see that he has a key ring brimming with keys of all shapes and sizes in his hand. One fits perfectly into the handcuff holding my hand to the head of the bed. He twists it and I feel a freeing gravity in my arm; I watch as it glides out of the metal and falls to rest by my side.

"What are you doing?" I say softly, still looking at my arm, unsure of whether I am talking to it or to myself or to Vaas or to no one at all.

Vaas is the only one to reply, "I'm taking you back to the cages."

An alarm sounds in my mind briefly, though there's no real point in being upset, I'm a captive no matter where he places me, "Why? I'm not even half-healed yet."

He places the handcuff on the bedside table and squats to my eye level, "Because I want my privacy back, Elena."

"Privacy!" I blurt out and descend into a fit of giggles as Vaas watches me as if I'm mad, "YOU want privacy! After you stripped ME of every ounce of privacy I ever had. After you threw me in a bamboo cage for all to see, tied me to a rail with my hands over my head and asked me about my sex life, stripped me down to my underwear and took pictures of me for your customers. YOU want privacy!" I'm not sure whether I'm laughing or crying anymore.

"Listen, Elena, you're not dying or anything, so stop overreacting. You don't need to be in here anymore. You think I enjoy looking after you? You think I want the responsibility of giving you food and meds? You think I want to take you to the bathroom and watch you piss? If I wanted to have a baby I would fuck you and make one. You're on your own now."

Pure hatred burns in my eyes, "If you didn't want to look after me then why did you? Why didn't you just leave me to die?... Answer me!"

Without warning, he grabs my wrist and pulls me from the bed, so hard I expect my arm to come out of its socket. My legs are like jelly, having barely walked minus a few steps for days. The sudden pressure in my head feels like it's about to explode, my ears ring and my stomach lurches.

"Vaas-", I say between gasps, "I have a concussion, remember, I can't just get up like this."

He continues as if he doesn't hear me, or doesn't want to hear me. Until I halt at the door like a spooked horse unwilling to take its rider any further. "Elena, just cooperate. Please."

I shake my head, "Vaas, don't do this. Don't put me back out there with those animals!"

He begins to pull me towards the door again and I attempt to shake my wrist free of his grasp, "Let go of me coño!"

Having reached the end of his tether, Vaas whips around and slaps me. I feel the scab on my lower lip burst open again, fresh blood trickling down my chin. Tired of fighting back, I become submissive and allow him to open the door.