Turn for the Worst

Chapter 54

Just a warning to readers, this chapter is a bit intense and might even creep you out a little. You have been warned.

"Well, well, well," Arthur says, standing in front of the helpless figure of Emma. "You've been a very bad girl haven't you, Emma?" He talks to her as if she's a dog or a little child who's done something bad.

Emma's heart is in her throat. She's trying to be as brave as possible, but there is no way she can talk herself out of this one. She doesn't know how much Arthur saw, but surely it was enough. She couldn't explain it away or lie that she didn't say anything for her friends and family to save her. She fights back any tears she has. She presses against the broken window, the cold air causing her to shiver even more.

Arthur has removed the hunting knife from his belt and the blade is reflecting Emma's frightened green eyes. The end shines in the moonlight and it swings back and forth like a pendant.

"Very bad..." Arthur says. He takes another step closer, past the mess of the phone, inching closer to her.

Emma is trying to find words, but they're caught in her throat. Arthur kneels and forces Emma's shoulder against the wall. She can smell alcohol on his breath as he breathes heavily into her face. He brings the blade up to her neck and slowly puts the end at the base of her neck. Tears are now slowly falling down her face and she's shaking slightly.

With the blade in hand, Arthur lifts Emma's chin, forcing her entire neck to be exposed. He can vaguely see the bruises from their last encounter.

"Such a pretty little neck," he hisses. "It's been through a lot in the past little, while hasn't it?"

Emma says nothing. She's petrified, afraid that he's going to slit her throat. She's almost preparing herself for it. Her mind is racing, trying to find a way to fight him. This is not how she wants to die, she wants to go out fighting, but fear is stronger now and leaving her feeling helpless to do anything. Arthur brings the point of the blade to the center of her neck and pokes at it.

"I always thought the body was like art. It can be could a canvas for something new. Your neck is a work of art. It would look really pretty if I let red blood flow down right about here." He indicates with the knife. "It would provide some nice contrast next to the blue bruises and the pale skin."

Emma lets out a strangled gasp as the cold piece of metal dances at her throat.

"Of course there is the risk of puncturing the carotid arteries. That would just make everything messy and ruin the work of art. But... then again there is much to be said to when something bleeds. An open wound can flow almost like a waterfall, with grace and elegance, dripping down to the pool below. In this case, the waterfall would be very fast and would not last long, but it would be an amazing sight to see how ever so brief."

"Y-You wouldn't d-dare..." Emma finally manages to say.

Arthur grins, showing her his yellowing teeth. "Let's not discuss what I would or would not do. There are many things that I thought I would never do and yet... here we are."

"You s-said s-o yourself, I am pregnant and you can't hurt me..."

"That is partially true..." Arthur says. "I cannot hurt you the way I have been, but there is another way..."

He slowly reaches down and begins to unbutton Emma's shirt. She tries to squirm, but she can feel the knife being pressed against her neck and she cries out in distress.

"NO!" she yells, through tears. "I'm already giving you a baby, what more do you want?"

Arthur simply leans forward and kisses Emma's neck, next to where the tip of the blade is.

"Such a work of art," he mutters, pulling Emma towards him and kissing her neck more.

...

Again, she is helpless... so very helpless. Vulnerable and weak. Emma is handcuffed to the bed, naked and vulnerable. Arthur had his way with her once more and she shakes in fear and from the cold. For once, she actually wished that she had been drugged, that way she wouldn't be forced to be awake for it all. He had left handprints on her arms and legs and bruises on her neck. Her wrists were sore as she was forced to fight against the handcuffs, trying desperately to get away. Her body was weak and cold and ached in every way imaginable. She felt like an empty shell all over again. She was having flashbacks to being in the basement, but this felt so much worse.

Arthur sat up next to her and he stroked her blonde hair out of her face. She tried to move away, but there wasn't any place that she could go. All she could do was cry. She curled up into a ball and wished that she was dead or anywhere else. She would rather be on the streets again, ripping pages from an old book to keep her trash can fire going. Or in that group home where the kids pushed her around and often left her crying and feeling worse about herself. Or even sleeping in her car, in a back alley with no real future ahead of her. She'd much rather be in any of those situations but this one.

"Hush now Emma, there's no need to cry," Arthur whispers. "You should be happy; your punishment is over."

A punishment that doesn't fit the crime. She snarls in her head before letting another round of tears stain her face.

Emma shuts her eyes tightly and ignores him. She tries to picture her son and her friends... at home somewhere. How worried they must be... if she ever gets out of this alive, they might not want her back. She was a damaged woman, far more than she ever anticipated. She was carrying her captor's baby, it made everything worse. It made her weaker now that she had to fight not just for her life, but another's as well. She couldn't imagine what this baby's life might be like. Would she be able to keep it? Or would she only be reminded of the horrors she's been enduring every time she looked at it?

It feels like hours before Arthur finally leaves Emma alone. He covers her shivering body with a blanket and locks the door behind him. Her tears have soaked her pillow almost completely and the cold autumn breeze coming in from the broken window. Her body is numb with the bitter cold. She tries to regret breaking it, but she fought him and... that was something. She could not just give up. She also managed to contact her family, hear her son's voice, hear Killian's. It was a sliver of happiness in such a dark place. Despite her so-called "punishment", she gave David and August something to work with. They would not stop searching for her. She was so happy that her friends had not lost hope. They were looking for her and they had come together because they loved her. She loved them too and they were the reason she would keep fighting. Despite everything that she's been through, Emma knows she has to keep hope because, at the moment, it's all she had.

Here's another chapter. Hope you enjoy it. I love that there are now over 200 comments. It really makes my day. Thank you so much.