Bates

13

*TRIGGER WARNING*

   Norma wiped the vomit from her lips.

   The figure moved, and she fought the urge to run. The girl's eyes blinked rapidly. Her chest rose and fell, but it's movements were slow and painful-looking.

   She looked dead, but she was, most definitely, alive.

   "Hello, um-- I'm Norma...do you speak English? Can you tell me who trapped you here?"

   The girl shot up from her spot, shaking. She grabbed Norma's shoulders tightly. "He come for me," she told her. 

   "Who? Who's coming for you?"

   "He come for me, he come for me!"

   "Who, who's coming for you?!?" Norma found herself getting quickly frustrated and tense. The hair on the back of her neck was standing up; she was afraid that with all this racket, they might be found here by the wrong person.

   She reached inside her coat pocket, hoping that her fingers would fold around her phone.

   No such luck.

   "Oh no."

   She glanced back at the girl, who seemed to have taken stock of the situation, yet was getting louder by the minute. Upon closer inspection, she was chained to a pole that was planted firmly through the floor of the shack and into the ground. With every movement, the chains sliced through her wrists, and Norma fought the urge to gag.

   "Listen to me. I'm going to get you out of here, and then we're going to get help," she said, searching for a way to unchain the captive. "My friend is the Sheriff--"

   The door of the shack creaked behind them. The girl started to visibly shake again, and this time screamed. Tears threatened Norma's gaze when she saw the man at the door.

   Keith.

   She folded herself into the nearest corner, with no luck. "I can see you trying to hide, Norma Bates. What are you doing here?"

   "You're a scumbag, Keith Summers."

   "Excuse me?"

   "I said, you're a freaking dirtbag, Keith Summers!"

   The Chinese girl seemed shocked that Norma talked that way to Keith, but he only laughed and stepped closer to the two. "You think you're so big and bad now that you're sleeping with the Sheriff, and you don't even have the balls to come out and face me."

   Norma's brow furrowed as she narrowed her eyes at him.

   "Come on, then. Face me, you whore."

   She stood. In her right hand was the flashlight she had used to trek through the woods.

   "Go on, then. If I'm such a scumbag, why don't you bash my brains in with that stupid flashlight? You don't have the guts or the balls."

   She launched herself at him, screaming, brandishing a flashlight that flickered dramatically against the dark backdrop. At first, she though she might actually get lucky. Be able to put a dent in this jerk's head. That is, until she felt a quick, sharp pain in her side.

   He dropped her. Her head lulled to the side, her gaze averted to directly below her right breast. A syringe was sticking out of her. Fear engulfed her for a second, and her vision went black.

   ~                                                                                                                                                                                              ~

   "Alex, will you cut it out. I'm trying to get some sleep here," she groaned, rolling over. Alex was banging against the door, calling her name like he thought she might disappear. "Alex, please, I'm tryna--"

   She blinked. Her vision was dancing, and for a second, she thought she was going to barf, right here in--

   Right here in the--

   Right here in the shack?!?

   "I'm busting down the door."

   It was quite literally the only warning he gave before he burst through the door, firearm in one hand, flashlight in the other.

   Flashlight. She'd tried to hit Keith with a flashlight.

   "Alex!" she called, crawling towards him in the dark. Once he realized that Keith wasn't there, he dropped the gun and cradled his love's head.

   "I thought you were dead," he admitted, rocking with her. He pulled away for a moment, noticing the girl on the ground before them. "He was keeping her here."

   Norma followed his gaze. A mix between a gasp and a sob escaped her mouth. There was a bullet hole in the Chinese girl's head.

   "Alex--" she broke off, feeling lost. Realizing that, at any moment, Keith could've put that gun to her head.

   "It's okay," he told her, although he had a terrible feeling that it would never really be okay.

   "He hurt me, Alex."

   He pulled away from her for a moment, but only to look at her broken face. Her deep, blue eyes were terrified and pleading and hurting all at the same time. "A long time ago, about a month, maybe two months after I'd lived here...he came into the motel room that I was cleaning.

   I was just doing my job, like I always did. The boys were with Mr. Decody...I'm so thankful they didn't have to see it. He came in, and at first he just made small talk, like always. It wasn't unusual for him to be there, but this time, Joyce had left him alone with me. I don't think she knew. She's too good to know. If she knew, it would break her heart.

   He came in and asked me how my day was going. I told him it was good. I should've known by his stance that something was up-- that smile of his was so charming, more so than usual, but when I look back, I should've been able to tell that he was hiding something behind his back. He ripped it out, and started threatening me. Talking about how he was taking what was rightfully his. I don't know if he meant me...I don't think he did. He was so angry and so violent-- and he just did it like it was nothing. Like there was no mind or soul inside of him, just body. He ripped my clothes off. Put tape over my mouth, I guess so no one could hear me scream.

   He threatened my boys, Alex. And, to be honest, I'm really more worried about them than myself. Alex? Alex, where are the boys?"

   "They're with Joyce."

   Norma breathed a sigh of relief. "What about Keith?" she asked.

   "Keith..." he directed his gaze to the door, then back to Norma. "Norma, I'm gonna take you back to the motel, let you get the boys from Joyce. Then, I'm going to drive you home. When you get there, I want you to lock all the doors. Keep the boys in the bathroom, near the first aid kit. You can sit in there with them or outside the door, but whatever you do, make sure you load the shotgun that's in my closet. You know how to do that?"

   "Alex, I don't know what you're saying---"

   "What I'm saying is that I want you to go home, board up, stay with the boys while I handle this, okay?"

   "Alex--"

   "Norma, I'm not arguing with you. I just need you to trust me."

   She nodded. "Okay."

   He kissed her forehead. "It's gonna be okay, I promise. We're gonna get this thing sorted out. Right now, though, we need to focus on getting home. You still got that flashlight?"

   She looked around for the flashlight, and let out a wretched sob when she found it in the Chinese girl's hand.