The Rise of Athena (An Arrow: Season 1 Fanfiction)

Chapter 6: Кошмары (Nightmares)

(Flashback: five years ago) 

On the 'Queen's Gambit'...

'1, 2, 3. It's getting closer,' Sara Lance said. 

'That's not very scientific,' a younger Oliver argued. 

'And what would you know about science, Mr. Ivy League dropout?' 

'I happen to know a lot about science,' he said pridefully. 'I know about fermentation. I know biology.' He kissed her. 

'Laurel's gonna kill me. Oh, she's so gonna kill me,' Sara complained. 

'Your sister will never know,' he replied with a devilish smile. 'Come here.' He threw her on the bed. She started to laugh. 

'Ok, that one was really close.' 

'Sara, we're gonna be fine.' He kissed her again. Suddenly, the boat cabin flipped, sending the two young adults to opposite sides of the room. He regained his balance, only to see Sara being swept away by the ocean. She screamed. 

'Sara?' he asked. She screamed as she was being harshly dragged away by the undertow. 'Sara!' Now he was in the water, flapping about, yelling Sarah's name. 

'Oliver!' someone shouted. 'Oliver!' Looking over, he saw the life-raft and swam towards it. 

'Gus,' Oliver said, as two pairs of hands, his dad's and another guy, pulled him in. Oliver started to cough, then tried to go back out to the ocean, to search for her. 

'No, no!' Robert said, pulling him back. 

'No, Dad! She's out there!' 

'She's not there!' 

'Sara!' he yelled again. 

'She's gone.'

In present day... 

Moira attempted to wake Oliver. Suddenly, without warning, his icy blue eyes flashed open and he pinned her to the ground, rain soaking his body, hand to her throat. 

'Oliver? Wake up. Oliver!' 

'Oliver!' Walter shouted. He looked down at his mother, then up at Walter. Once he realised what he'd done, he backed away, horrified. The rain poured down, covering his body in wet sheets, as he had been sleeping on the floor. The thunder and lightning cracked loudly as the rain fell down in thick, heavy showers. Moira sat back and looked at her son as he recoiled from her, still horrified at what he'd done. 

'I'm sorry. I'm so, I'm so sorry,' he said softly. Walter helped Moira up. 

'Oh, it's okay, Oliver. It's alright, sweetheart. You're home. You're home.' Just then, there was another scream from the bedroom next to his. He jumped up with a realisation of pain in his eyes. 

'Evelyn,' he said, then raced out of the room. 

In Evelyn's room...

(flashback; in Russia; five years ago) 
(warning: rape trigger)

I cried out as his hand slapped me on the face. 

'Stay still, princess.' His legs were trapping mine to the bedroom floor. I fought him, but it was no use. His ugly fingers teased every vulnerable part of my body; touching, tasting. It was all too much. I let out a moan, trying to get away from him, but he wouldn't let up. 'Don't cry, darling. Just do exactly as I say. Got it?' 

'Y-yes,' I said between moans of pain. A tear flowed down my face and as I kept crying, he brought a knife to bear on my body, holding it to the near inside of my bare thigh and sliced. I cried out, more tears flowing down my body. He kept going, placing himself inside of me and continuing to hurt me on the inside while hurting me on the outside, touching and slicing every possible place he could without actually killing me. 'Wh-why are you doing this? Please stop. Just stop.' 

'Tell me to keep going,' he growled. 'You're mine, you hear? You're mine.' 

'Please stop.' He sliced my upper arm, making me cry out. 

'Ask me to keep going.' 

'Just -'

'Ask me.' Tears flowed down my face. 

'P-please -'

'Ask. Me,' he demanded. 

'Keep going.' He brought the knife to bear on my collarbone and sliced. 

With one final scream, I jerked out of the dream, only to find I was screaming in real life. I was curled up on the bed in the foetal position, the sheets messed up. The door was thrown open, and Oliver ran in to me. He got on the bed and tried to touch me, but I curled further up and shrunk away from him. 

'No, no, no. No, no. Please stop. Please stop. Please - I can't. Just stop.' He collected me in his arms gently. 

'It's okay,' he said. 'I've got you. I've got you, Ellie. You're safe. You're safe.' I saw Mom and Walter come into the room. I started to cry at this and clutching onto Oliver's shirt, buried myself deeper into his arms. He rubbed my back soothingly. 'It's okay, Ellie. It really is. You're home. He's not gonna hurt you ever again.' My back and shoulders shook as my body erupted into blubbering sobs of pain and desperation, my breath catching in my throat every so often. 

This was going to be a long night.