Saving Melanie Deen

Chapter 31

"Why are her hands untied?!" I pretended to be asleep as Mark viciously barked at George. I must've fallen asleep. That would explain why my arms were still free. George probably didn't want to bother me while I slept. After my exhausting breakdown earlier, I wouldn't question him.

He was an angel among demons.

"Boss, just listen to me" George started, breathing heavily."I just thought that they were starting to look a little too blue...so I figured I would untie them for a while. It's only been a short while, I promise. Besides, they looked sickening. I was afraid they'd fall off" He acted grossed out, trying to reason with him. But I think both George and I knew, that reasoning with this crazy man was a waste of time.

"Who fucking cares?!" Mark's roared, making me tense up. He obviously noticed, judging by how close he was standing."Is this fucking bitch awake?" He kicked my chair, making it fly backward along with my limp body. I hissed loudly as my head connected with the hard cement. That might leave a nasty gash. Although, at that point, it didn't really matter anymore.

"Shit" Mark muttered, picking me up. I felt a warm wet sensation on the back of my head as he straightened my chair to stand still. One of the legs was starting to get wobbly.

Mark pressed his hand to the back of my head and I winced. He stared at his bloody hand, a menacing look in his eyes."Do you see that, Deen?" He bored into my eyes, sending a wave of goosebumps through my body.

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" I asked, doing my best to seem as uninterested and unbothered as humanly possible. He slapped me across the face with his bloodied hand. My head snapped to the side and tears raced to my eyes immediately.

"No, bitch" He spat in my face, grabbing my chin and pulling me forward."You're supposed to be terrified" He sneered as he stroked my blood-soaked hair.

"You can't scare me. I've seen worse" I gritted my teeth, feeling the blood from my head trickle onto the back of my neck. I could only imagine what I looked like after all these days here. I could feel dried and fresh blood all over my body. There were countless bruises everywhere, in every stage a bruise could be in. Pink, red, blue, purple, yellow, green, brown...

You name it, I had it. To top it all off, I was dressed in the bar's night shift clothes. So I probably look like a pathetic hooker.

"Melanie, why do we have to keep doing this?" Mark kneeled on one knee, making me look into his monstrous eyes. I noticed the fabric of his trouser in a pool of my blood, so I smiled. Hopefully, someone would catch the little fucker wearing that nice shade of Melanie Deen blood.

"You tell me" I looked into his eyes, showing him that I wasn't afraid of him. He laughed, snatching my hair in his hand. I hissed at the excruciating pain in the back of my head.

"Listen here, you little bitch" He spat the words out, his hot breath hitting the side of my head."It takes one move to end your pathetic life. So stop fucking testing me" He finally let go of my hair and my head fell limp for a second.

"So, do it" I dared, lifting my head. If there was anything I learned from the days I spent in the warehouse, it was that Mark was terrified of whatever it was that Ethan was hiding. So he desperately tried to find out. It was like his life was on the line.

He stepped forward, a rope in his hand. As he tied my arms behind my back, I looked at George. He had a sad look in his eyes. He looked like he really wanted to help me, but simply couldn't. And I couldn't even blame him for it."If I'm going to do it, I need your boyfriend here for the show" Mark whispered in my ear as he tightened the rope. I cried out in pain, looking up at the ceiling."I'll give him front row tickets" He added. I watched him stand back, as his eyes traveled over my helpless frame. He was admiring his job.

He smirked, menacingly."Oh, don't be so frightened" He cooed, kneeling again. I notice how he slyly moved his hand to his pocket."You have George here, to make it all feel a little better" He added before pulling out a gun and aiming it at George. I wanted to scream. But no noise came out of my mouth. Or maybe the sound of the gunshot just deafened me for a while. Maybe the sight in front of me paralyzed my brain for a while.

The bullet went right through the back of George's head. He fell to the floor, like a ragdoll. I felt hot tears run down my cheeks as I stared at his lifeless body."Oopsies" Mark frowned, slipping the gun back into his pocket."I guess you don't have him anymore" He shrugged, kicking George onto his back.

He cocked his head to the side, staring down at the lifeless young boy in front of him. I wanted to throw up. I wanted to lunge at him and rip his head off. I was shaking with rage.

"That's what happens..." Mark began, turning to his other two minions. They stared at him, like emotionless brainwashed soldiers. "when you don't do your fucking job!" He finished, chuckling in the most evil way possible."As for you..." He made his way back to me. I looked away, trying my best not to provoke him by spitting in his disgusting face.

"...you're going to suffer, like never before" He winked.

With that, he told one of the minions to take George away and the other to be on 'Torture duty' for today. They both solemnly obeyed and Mark exited the warehouse. I cried again as George's body was dragged by the legs, out of the warehouse.

For the while that I was left completely alone, I started crying over George's unnecessary death. Then, I cried for Nathan and his unnecessary death. Then, I cried for Louis and how his death ruined Megan's life. And finally, I cried for my father and how his life choices not only took away his life...but also mine.

"Quit howling" The minion groaned,  shoving a rag into my mouth. I stared into his eyes, looking for at least a speck of humanity. But all I found was emptiness."I don't want my body to be tied to boulders and dumped in a lake, so sorry" He added before grabbing a chair and pulling out all of his tools. He laid them out, neatly."Shall we start with something light?" He smiled, holding up a dagger. I looked away.

He stomped his boots right up to my chair, pressing the dagger to my cheek."I asked you a question, whore" He seethed to display his power over me. He must've been really dumb if he thought I could answer him with a rag stuffed in my mouth.

"I said..." He pulled the knife away from my cheek."Answer the question!" He roared in my face, as the dagger ripped right into my thigh. I cried out, despite the rag in my mouth. My entire body shook with shock and pain, as my tears burned the corners of my eyes.

"See, you can make noises" He chuckled, leaving the dagger in my thigh. I looked down at it, my vision blurring. Blood was slowly seeping out from around the dagger and my leg was shaking uncontrollably.

"Oh no," The minion gasped as he took a seat."How did that ever happen?" He eyed my bleeding thigh. I watched as he picked up a pocket knife. So I shut my eyes, concentrating on humming a song. I had no idea what song it was. I didn't even know if it was an actual song. I didn't care if it was or not.

"Shut the fuck up," He said, standing up. I kept my eyes shut, trembling more and more with every step he took towards me. I continued humming the tune, concentrating solely on that."Listen, whore" He let out a breath of air onto my face. His breath stank of cheap beer, making me turn my head away.  Suddenly, I felt the cold blade of his pocket knife on my neck.

"I'm not playing around with your whore ass" He spoke again and I stopped humming only because the stench of his breath was so unbearable. He pushed the blade ever so slightly against the thin skin on my neck. I opened my eyes, to see his calm ones watching the knife cut through my skin."So, do you want to talk now?" He stopped the knife and looked up at me.

I nodded. He quickly took the rag out of my mouth and stared at me expectantly.

I smiled at the accomplishment on his face, feeling an indescribable fire burn inside me as I prepared to speak.

"Go fuck yourself"