Stranded Ch. 02

"You should be grateful you are allowed to wear clothes at all. Some wives go naked their few months of marriage."

.

"Thank you, it's beautiful." He smirked at how easily I changed my attitude and began digging around for clothes of his own, settling on a pair of jeans and a light blue button up T-Shirt. I looked away as he pulled some boxers from his dresser and discarded the towel.

"You're pretty modest, I admire that quality in a woman. But it is not necessary here." I could hear him zip his jeans and buckle his belt before I felt his hand on my shoulder. I jumped a little and he crooked his finger as he made his way down the stairs. My legs felt shaky as I followed in step behind him, afraid that at any moment they would give out. My nerves were on edge, unsure when 'Sam' would strike me again. I wasn't even sure it still was Sam. He had spoken as though he was someone else, but that couldn't be possible, right? If anything, the thought made me even more terrified. How long before the other Sam came back? Would the other Sam come back? Did he even exist? Or had it all been some ruse?

When I got to the bottom of the stairs I glanced at the front door; the doorknob right within my grasp. But where would I go? I felt numb, frozen in place, realization dawning upon me.

"The mudslide and flood aren't even real, are they?" I asked as I met gazes with him all the way in the kitchen. I had simply taken his word for it; there was no way I could have proven otherwise and at the time I had honestly thought he was trying to help me; a simple good samaritan

"I was trying to give Sammy some time to make the right choice. But he's too soft for his own good; so I had to step in." I didn't know what exactly I expected from a complete stranger; his charming personality had disarmed me. More and more pieces began clicking together, my stomach knotting in dread.

"And my cell phone? You dropped it on purpose, didn't you?" I glanced at the front door again.

"If you try to run you are in for a world of hurt young lady. Now, promise me you're not going to run." I glanced at the door one more time before sighing, shoulders slumping in defeat.

"I promise," I muttered as I took a deep breath and forced myself to walk past the front door and closer to 'Sam'. He gave me a warm smile and led me out the back door. I moved like a zombie, nearly dragging my feet. In the middle of the firepit beside the back patio was all of my belongings in one great big pile. On the table was a box of matches and a bottle of lighter fluid.

"You cannot burn all of my stuff," I objected, pulling my hand free. He grabbed the lighter fluid from the patio table.

"I'm not, you are. These things represent your old life. You cannot fully move on as long as it is here to remind you." As he spoke he walked around the small pit, soaking all my things with the flammable liquid.

"This isn't necessary, burning my stuff won't make me forget who I am or where I'm from." His smile turned devious and the confidence in my statement dropped. He motioned to the spot he wanted me to stand. At first my feet didn't want to move, then I found I couldn't. A few fugitive tears rolled down my face and I hugged myself tighter.

"I am not a very patient man." he cautioned. I was knew I had to submit, but my body was fighting me every step of the way.

I finally managed to get my feet moving, closing the distance between us; he handed me the box of matches and I knew immediately what he wanted me to do.

"I won't." I protested. He moved to stand behind me, his hand gripping the back of my neck until I cried out in pain and he pointed to the fire pit with a wordless command. I shook my head and his grip tightened fingers curling into the soft flesh until I cried out.

"You are not going to like what I do next if you continue to disobey me."

My hands trembled as I pulled out a match nearly spilling them all as I did. When I didn't move fast enough he wrapped his arms around me from behind, placing his hands over mine, forcing me to strike the match. I gripped the tiny stick and for a few seconds when he tried to get me to throw it, I refused to release it; until he pressed this thumb into my wrist, forcing me to. I watched as the match fell and everything I owned went up in roaring flames. I jerked myself free from 'Sam's' grip.

"You can't do this!" I screamed. It wasn't just about my stuff, I knew they were all things I could eventually replace. But as I watched the fire consume my belongings, the flames licking away, it felt as though my very identity was being burned away too. I could tell he had known exactly how it would effect me. He pulled me back to him, hugging me close to his body, pressing my back against his chest as he nuzzled my neck.

"I can do whatever I please, Kitty Kat, and nothing you say or do is going to change that." His arms wrapped around my biceps, and I headbutted him hard enough he let go. I lurched forward, grabbing the discarded rake resting against the side of the house. Not wasting a single second, I turned and slammed the handle into his gut. 'Sam' doubled over and I swung again, knocking him upside the head with a loud crack. He fell, knocked out cold and I dropped the rake, moving quickly. I checked his pockets for keys; his truck being my only hope of getting out unscathed.

I found them empty, not even a wallet and I cursed, giving him a good kick to the ribs for good measure before running towards his garage, ignoring the barking hounds. As I entered, I kicked aside the sprawled out car parts; with a sick twist in my stomach I realized that he had probably lied about my car too. How dumb could I really be? With the quick press of a button, the trunk opened and I pulled out my gym shoes relieved they were still there. Slipping them on I tied them quickly before heading towards the road. I found 'Sam' already sitting up, Hank covering him in kisses, avoiding the bleeding from a small wound in his temple, but he was still on the ground looking disoriented.

"This is a big mistake," he announced but I didn't stop to hear the rest, instead I took off towards the woods near the main road. I just needed to get a good head start, if I stayed close to the road, then eventually I'd get back to town. Branches snagged at my hair and clothes, I had to focus on the ground beneath my feet but I didn't dare stop or slow down. Then the howls rang out and I cursed as I realized he'd released the dogs. I hadn't even considered that he would send his vicious canines after me, didn't he want me alive? My heart felt like it was literally pounding against my rib cage as I struggled to remain on my feet. I couldn't let the overwhelming fear consume me. I knew I had to stay ahead, hopefully finding help before they found me. But the biggest question running around in my head is what his dogs were going to do to me once they caught up. I listened for running water between the baying of the hounds, not even sure if I would even find any. I had seen in a movie once that dogs couldn't track through water, I had to hope it was true. The roar of a dirt bike could be heard and I struggled to hold it together. I hadn't thought this out, I had just wanted to get away and now I wasn't sure I was going to make it. I had thought I could outrun him, I hadn't realized he had a dirt bike or that he'd send his dogs. Maybe I could turn myself in, I thought, but quickly shook the thought away.

The revving seemed to be getting louder and when I finally risked a glance backwards, the cruelty of fate reached out bitch slapped me. I twisted my ankle and rolled down a small embankment, through bushes and past a few trees, landing in a creek, cool rivulets of water ran over the small pebbles, soaking my front. I sputtered and coughed as I tried to stand, wincing as I placed tentative weight down on my right ankle. Had I sprained it? Maybe it was broke. Sharp pain shot up my leg with even the slightest bit of weight and I struggled to balance on the good one. When I finally looked up I found myself cornered by two of his hounds, both of them snarling and snapping their jaws the closer they approached. They kept their distance but stood their ground; they were keeping me in place while 'Sam' caught up. I glanced to my right and tried to limp towards the small embankment, only to feel sharp teeth sink into my leg, pulling me back, the pain overwhelming. I screamed as I fell back into the creek, kicking out with my other leg, rewarding me with a yelp as I made contact with the dogs face. It let go but stayed close, snarling and howling as I rested backwards on my arms. I could see puncture marks in my calf, blood pouring from the wounds. He had said I would regret running away, and now I was sure that his dogs were sent to punish me. I had just begun to wonder where the second dog had gone when I felt its teeth sink into my right shoulder, my vision swimming with colored spots. I reached behind me and dug my fingers into whatever soft flesh I could find until it let go. The pain was excruciating, raw screams ripped their way from my throat. I began feeling lightheaded, I was going to bleed out in the middle of nowhere.

He parked his bike and shut it off, letting out a sharp pitched whistle.

"Odin, Freya, halt." The hounds sat down and looked to him with rapt attention. How long had it taken him to train them so efficiently? He took his time as he closed the distance between us, oblivious to the water soaking his boots and jeans. Blood ran down the side of his head, the gash in his head already swelling and bruising.

"The Lord doesn't like liars darlin'; and frankly, neither do I." I trembled in the freezing water as I watched him approach, utterly helpless and hating it. I could barely put weight on my ankle so I remained sitting in the shallow creek and it sank in that I wasn't going anywhere period; at least not anytime soon.

"Please, I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have run," I apologized. As he neared I could see the rage clear on his face, distorting his features, making him look almost demonic. When he was finally within arms reach, he cocked his fist back and punched me so hard I fell backwards into the water, pain blossoming across my face. He straddled my waist, grabbing the front of my dress as I tried to scramble backwards; but I didn't make it far. My right arm was useless, fresh waves of pain paralyzing me with every move. We wrestled for a few minutes, and I tried to use my good leg to kick him away while trying to pry his hands free but my limbs were numb, I couldn't be sure if it was from the cold or the damage. He dug his fingers into the wound in my shoulder as he managed to roll me onto my stomach, resting his weight on my back with a knee. He grabbed a handful of my hair and held me under the cold current. I tried to push up with my one good arm, bt he was too heavy, my body panicking at the thought of drowning. I couldn't die, not like this! I reached behind me, dragging my nails down his arms as my lungs felt close to bursting. He pressed his knee into my spine, and I screamed, instatnly inhaling a mouthful of water. My body fought, chest begging to burst as it tried to expel the water only to inhale more in the process. There was a slight calming release and then there was nothing but darkness.