Repulsion

48.

She was not in her room, when I went there with coffee for both us. I frowned, but I knew where she might be.
I went to the balcony on our floor, and I sighed in relief smiling as well, when I saw her sitting on the floor staring at the moon.

I don't want to bribe her into telling everything by a coffee. Not that she would fall in my trap.

I sit beside her, "Erica! I have made some coffee for us..."
I keep the mugs in the little space left between us.

When I don't hear a reply from her, I look up to see her still in the same position, glancing at the moon.

As much as I hate to admit, I don't like her attention anywhere but on me, at least when I am with her.

She was eerily silent and for some reason that looked like gloom.

"Erica...!", No response.

I kept the mugs aside and shifted closer to her, "Erica!?", I said a bit louder this time.

She snapped her head in my direction clearly taken aback. Her eyes were troubled, and face showed she's in misery.

"What's wrong? You were not here?"
She shook her head, "I was just thinking about something....", she trailed off and looked away.

"Take this coffee!", I gave it to her and we sat in silence till she could wrap the idea of telling me around her head.
But it felt like she needed support and some force from my side to say something.

When we finished the coffees, I kept the mugs away, and a wrapped my hand around her shoulder. She was not very petite, and so my hand surrounded her well.
I used my other hand to hold her face and make me read her eyes.

She was miserable!

"Tell me Erica? Once you tell me, all your pain will go away. Like mine did when I told you about Evelyn!"
She nodded meekly and cleared her throat.

"Eric I...I got these marks...", Her words were betraying her I could see that.

She lifted her hand from her lap, and started unbuttoning her shirt.
My eyes widened when I realized what she's doing.
"Erica..."

"Every mark has a story Eric!", My heart broke at how empty her eyes were.
She didn't remove her shirt completely but enough to let me see the now faded marks.

"I...I got the beating of my life!", She chuckled darkly, "....when I tried to run away from there."

I wanted to ask where, but I didn't want to interrupt her.

"Six!", My head snapped back at her, "They were six men, and I was alone lying broken in the centre with my dress torn."

My heart stopped at what she said!
Six fucking men!

She smiled sadly, "It was my 15th birthday Eric...and I thought I would run away...but they caught me......!"

"There were total 162 slashes I received!", I gulped the lump in my throat.
No! God no!

"They made me count it.... And whenever I forgot the counting, they would start all over again....", Her voice broke at the end and I tightened my hold on her.

"They......they....tore apart my dr..... dress!", Her breathing became rapid, and I knew she was about to burst into sobs.

My blood was already boiling, and I was losing it.
"Erica did they.... did they....!?", I couldn't stand the thought of those men touching her.

"I was not of a...age....Eric!", She hiccuped.

We went silent for I while, but her breathing was uneven.
"Eric! They....al...almost killed me! It was not th....that painful when m..my ki....kidney was re... removed!"