Stranded Ch. 12

"I don't want to kill you, mostly because I would hate to miss the look on Sammy's face when he finds out I fucked his wife. But I will if you make me, so don't make this any harder than it has to be." My head pounded as the blood rushed back, I struggled to stay calm, the more upset I got, the harder it was to breathe through all the snot and tears. Even if I had been able to keep the scissors, would I have had the courage to stab him? The strength? What good was fighting if I didn't have what it takes to win? And if I had stabbed him? I doubted the conclave would have given a damn that it was in self defense, women didn't get to make those choices for themselves in this family. He pushed my legs apart with his knees, using his free hand to bend my legs so that my ass was up, presenting him with my holes. The smell of gasoline was strong, but I noticed all of the windows were open; Ephraim had created enough airflow to prevent us from being overwhelmed by the fumes. How long he had planned this? Taking into consideration what their family practiced, I wasn't all that surprised by the amount of forethought.

Ephraim didn't waste any time as his rigid cock prodded against me, searching for its cherished destination. He sank himself in with a groan, holding there for a moment before setting a grueling pace. His hips pounded against my ass with loud slapping noises, my face dragging against the rug as I struggled to keep the position. When I slid too far forward, he used the belt to pull me back, forcing my cunt to squeeze tighter and him to nearly spill himself inside me. My legs quivered with the effort of staving off another orgasm. I didn't want to cum, I didn't want him to know he had that power over my body. But the more I resisted, the hotter the need seemed to burn until I found my hips bouncing backwards with a mind of their own; desperately seeking the climax his body promised me.

My body's reactions only encouraged him; his hand came down, the sharp bite as his flesh assaulting mine was enough to send me over the edge. I screamed my pleasure into the duct tape, fresh tears pouring onto the carpet. Ephraim paid no attention as he flipped me onto my back, my arms pinned beneath me, putting my hips at a slight angle as he gripped my ankles, spreading my legs so wide it hurt with the effort to keep them there. I was being stretched beyond my limit, but the pain only added fuel to the fire as he began to pump himself at a frenzied pace. Eventually he released my legs, hands gripping my breasts instead. He squeezed as if he was trying to crush them, fingers digging into the soft flesh, pulling them, twisting them. I tried to focus my eyes on anything else, but whenever I looked away he slapped me until I looked back into his cruel, pale blue eyes.

They were cold and filled with a hunger I could barely comprehend. He let out a loud groan as he came, his head thrown back, eyes closed in ecstasy as he shot his load inside me, pumping his hips until he was utterly drained. He collapsed, his face buried in the crook of my neck as he worked to catch his breath. Or at least I thought that's what he was doing until I felt him sink his teeth in. I screamed, the duct tape holding strong. The more I struggled, the harder he bit down. When he finally stopped, I was certain he'd broken the skin. He rolled over beside me, eyes staring up to the ceiling as he reached over and clumsily tore off the duct tape, his other hand clamping down to prevent a sound. He pulled his belt free and tossed it aside.

"Keep in mind, it's not too late for me to still set this room ablaze," he warned before carefully lifting his hand. I couldn't have screamed if I wanted to, the last one, despite being trapped by duct tape, left my throat feeling raw.

"You can leave now."

"Oh, you think I'm finished with you; how quaint." Ephraim sat up, turning so that he could lean his back against the bedroom door, bringing one knee up to rest his arm on. His jeans were still wide open, belt discarded beside him. Another breeze swept through the room, taking the toxic fumes with it. I shivered as the endorphins began to fade, my fingers were feeling tingly and numb. Nipples hard and aching from the temperature drop. He reached into his jacket that hung off the back of the desk chair and pulled out a pack of smokes. I watched as he pulled one out, resting it between his lips while he began digging through his jeans pockets, letting out a triumphant cry when he pulled out his zippo. He flicked the metal wheel a few times before it finally produced a flame. I risked a glance at Zeke, the long johns had slid down from his face and he avoided my gaze.

"Don't forget, you tattle on me, and you're gonna have to tattle on yourself Zeke." Ephraim was careful to flick his ash far away from the flammable liquid, but it did nothing to ease my concerns. It only took a small spark and burning alive wasn't the way I wanted to go. I never missed Sam more, he wasn't arbitrary. It was simple, I just have to follow the rules. With the rest of his family, it seemed simply existing was reason enough for them to hurt me.

"Bullying the Gifted, what a fucking tough guy!" Ephraim moved fast, hovering over me, the cherry of his cigarette only inches from my face.

"We are all convinced Sam has been neglecting his husbandly duties, and now im convinced. Why else would you still think it's acceptable to speak to men with such an offensive tongue? Father would never tolerate such blatant disrespect if you were his wife. You're actually quite lucky, that stunt at dinner would have gotten any one of us a beating. I think he finds you amusing." I could feel the heat from the ember of his cigarette as he took another drag, exhaling it in my face, throwing me into a coughing fit.

"Roll back over." Despite my aching shoulders I obeyed and was relieved when he began unraveling the duct tape around my wrists.

He was nearing the end when Zeke tackled him to the floor. Ephraim crushed the lit cigarette in his hand as he went down, his other fist swinging and connecting with Zeke's face. I rolled, tearing the last bit of resistance away. Zeke was red with anger, duct tape hung from his wrists and ankles as he sat on top of his Uncle. His fists were like giant clubs and he brought them down in a fury of punches.

When Ephraim stopped swinging I thought for sure Zeke would stop too, but not even when blood began to pour from his Uncle's nose and mouth did he slow down

"Zeke, you're going to kill him!" I warned as I climbed to my feet. He ignored me, and it was only when Ephraim began gurgling and choking on his own blood did I try to intervene. I grabbed Zeke's shoulder, trying to stop one of his arms but he swung backwards, throwing me against his desk where I hit my head. A sharp pain radiating through my skull and when I reached up to touch it, my fingers came back painted red. I looked up, blood staining the corner of the wood, staining my torn nightgown as it ran down my neck and shoulder. Nausea swept through me as my mind leapt to the worst and I pressed my hand against the wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. How hard had I hit it? Had I punctured my skull?

"Zeke, please!" It didn't matter how much I hated them, I didn't want anyone else to die. Rot in prison? Yes, for the rest of their miserable lives! If he killed Ephraim I knew they would find a way to blame me for it. With the nightmares that plagued me now, I couldn't handle adding more to that.

Zeke's eyes were icy and distant. My legs wobbled a bit, my vision fading in and out as I stood. Just how hard had I hit my head? Despite holding my hand against the wound, blood simply gushed around my fingers, running down my arm and dripping onto the floor. I wasn't sure whose door belonged to whom, the last thing I wanted was to wake up one of the children to the sight of Zeke beating one of them to a bloody pulp. My throat was too raw to scream so I was left with little choice but to call out as loud as my voice allowed.

"Dale!" My voice cracked a little, but I padded my way down the hall, calling his name as I leaned against the wall. Won't do much good if he's asleep in the other house. Even if he didn't answer me, maybe someone who was big enough and strong enough would. I made it a few doors down before I heard him. He was rubbing his bloodshot eyes, his 5oclock shadow resembling more of a ten o'clock shadow, he wore nothing but jeans. I suddenly remembered the back of my nightgown was still cut wide open, and I moved so that my back was against the wall, wondering just how much blood I'd lost. I looked down, some of it already began to puddle.

"What the hell are you doing up...where's Zeke!?" His eyes were open wide now, searching for the hallway behind me.

"Ephraim...Zeke won't stop." I didn't need to offer any more explanation.

"Bethany, fetch Emily." A door, the one I assumed had been previously holding Dale, opened and Bethany ran down the hall in search of Emily. A couple more doors opened, eyes peered out into the darkened hallway; but most of them took one look at me and quickly shut their doors again. I followed Dale as the hammering in my head grew worse. He instantly wrapped his arms around Zeke's torso, pinning his arms to his side as Dale ripped him off Ephraim.

Zeke let out a banshee scream as he thrashed violently, trying to break free.

"No! He needs to be punished." Zeke shouted.

"Enough!" Dale shouted, but Zeke was too enraged to listen. He shook his head, straining beneath Dale's grip. He was a big guy, but Dale was stronger. Zeke slipped one arm free and elbowed Dale in the face. He grabbed Ezekiel's wrist, thumb digging into the flesh while pinning his arm to his chest. Dale used his legs to hold his grandson still. When he had Ezekiel restrained as best as he was able, he began to sing, rocking back and forth as he held Zeke to his chest. His voice was low, but smooth and I could tell instantly this wasn't the first time he'd done this.

"He's got the whole world in his hands

He's got the rivers and the mountains, in his hands

He's got the ocean and the sea, in his hands

He's got the whole world in his hands."

Zeke's muscles started to relax as though Dale flipped a switch, his fury turned to instant tears. Blood stained his knuckles, some of them already bruising. Ephraim was still breathing, although his face had been beaten to a bloody pulp and his eyes remained closed. He had seemed so arrogant up until the point Zeke broke free. Dale sang a few more verses, and I leaned against the wall, sliding myself to the floor. The adrenaline was draining and all the events were finally catching up with me.

"What happened here?!" Dale demanded.

"I-I I don't know." If Ephraim had managed to do all this without waking up the whole house, than there was no telling what he was capable of once he realized I'd told on him.

"I have a hard time believing that." he scoffed. Emily's eyes shot wide open as she took a look around, her face trying to remain blank but failing, her eyes sad as she turned to me. I had known just by looking Ephraim was her son, did she feel responsible?

"Check the girl first." She knelt beside me, opening up a big black medicine bag. It resembled Sam's, only where his had rusted and worn down, hers still looked relatively new. His had the initials CG, after his father, hers were EG..

Had it been a gift? How much medical school had she managed to finish before being dragged back to her crazy family? Emily gripped my chin, pulling a flashlight out and making me follow it with her eyes. She pulled my hand away to inspect the still slightly bleeding wound, grabbing a bit of gauze and instructing me to hold it to the wound.

"Minor concussion, I need to clean her up before I can inspect it further. May I check him now?" Dale nodded, he had stopped singing but he was still humming and Zeke had finally calmed, though he stayed curled up. Emily's face was calm and collected as she began inspecting her son's face. She pressed in a few places, rewarding her with a few strangled cries. Ephraim was in and out of consciousness, lumps and bruises sprouting across his swollen face. I closed my eyes, feeling drowsy now that the adrenaline had washed away. Emily reached into her bag handed Dale a syringe, he turned and stabbed Zeke with it, his eyelids fluttered, but he was otherwise catatonic.

"I'll need some of the boys to move him to his room; he needs ice and rest for now." Dale nodded; while Zeke had gone limp, Dale never loosened his grip. While Emily fetched some of the older boys, Dale turned back towards me.

"You will tell me what happened here," he announced. I didn't bother to open my eyes, my head hurt less with them closed. I stayed curled in my spot by the door, the torn parts of my nightgown held in place by the wall behind me and I found myself missing Sam. Had that been the point of all this? To remind me how good I had it? How much easier it was to deal with the devil I knew rather than the horde of demons I didn't? My eyes remained closed when Emily and a few boys returned, they carried Ephraim out while Emily returned to me.

"Some butterfly stitches ought to be enough. May I escort her to the infirmary?" Dale narrowed his eyes but nodded.

"I'll catch up, please send in Bethany." Emily helped me stand, wrapping a small blanket around me, hiding my exposed backside. She guided me down the hall, near the opposite end and into what looked like a nurses office from school.

"You tried to stop him yourself, didn't you?" I nodded, wincing. She sighed as she handed me a towel, pulling me closer to the sink where she instructed me to lean over so she could use the spray nozzle and wash my hair.

"Rule number one, never interfere." I held a fist to my mouth, biting down when it hit a tender spot.

"Is it bad?"

"Head wounds always bleed a lot, I'll know once I get a better look." We fell into silence as she finished cleaning, the warm water stung a little as it reached the open wound but I grit my teeth and endured it. When the water started to run clear, she carefully wrapped my hair up and helped me sit down. The wound was on the left side, just a little behind my ear. She used a washcloth to clean the blood from my neck and shoulders. Handing me one for my arm. There was a light knock at the door and Emily leaned in close.

"When he asks, you need to tell him exactly what happened. And you'll need to tell him everything, even if you think it's not important. Whatever trouble you think you'll be in, it is always worse if you lie. And omitting the truth is considered lying in this family. Do you understand?" I nodded, winching again. She opened the door to reveal Dale, who had managed to find a shirt on his way down..

"Zeke's finally out."

"I put enough in there to keep him out until lunch." Dale sighed, rubbing his tired face with his hands.

"Good. That gives me some time to figure this all out. How's the girl?"

"I was just about to get a better look, please come in."

"Is she coherent enough for me to ask questions?"

"Yes, just don't be too upset if some of her thoughts are a little fuzzy at the moment." Dale sat down at the desk in the corner. Emily set about her task, turning my head sideways as she brushed the short strands of my hair aside.

"A little deeper than I thought." she announced with a frown. She shuffled through her cupboards and I glanced at Dale. He looked like a man running on fumes, beyond exhausted.

"Start from the beginning, what happened?"

"I'm-I'm not sure." His hand clenched into a fist, but Emily rested her hand on his shoulder.

"Remember, she has a slight concussion dear. You can always ask again in the morning if she can't remember now." His hand relaxed and he tried again.

"Tell me what you do remember." I looked up at Emily who nodded slightly in encouragement.

"I was in the closet sleeping, I think-I think I smelled it first...maybe I felt it."

"Felt what?"

"Gasoline, he was pouring it in the opening of the closet. My feet were getting wet, I think that's what woke me." Emily's eyes opened wide in disbelief, before shamefully looking away. She poured a blue gel onto a bandage and pressed it against my wound.

"Hold this."

"Where was Ezekiel?"

"In bed, I thought. But when the door opened, he was already bound on the floor."

"Why were you in the closet?" My first instinct was to lie, but the grave look on Emily's face had me second guessing.

"Ezekiel said I'd be safer in there, gave me the key once it was locked."

"So you gave Ephraim the key to let you out?"

"He was threatening to light me on fire, the fumes were burning my lungs; I wasn't given much of a choice."

"That explains why all the windows are open," Dale muttered as he rubbed his temples. Emily ran her hands through his hair, using her nails to massage his scalp and he leaned his head back into it. If I hadn't known the circumstances, it almost would have been cute. I watched as the stress melted from his shoulders.

"Did he...did he have his way with you?" I looked away and that seemed to be answer enough because he didn't ask a second time.

"How did Ezekiel get free?"

"Not sure. One minute he was bound, the next thing I knew he was pounding his fists into Emphraim's face."

"And your head? What happened there?"

"I-I tried to stop Zeke, he threw me back against the desk and then I went looking for you."

"You tried to stop him? Why?" It was the same why he had given me in the barn, there was a look of disbelief and bewilderment, like he couldn't figure me out. It was the same look he had given me when asking why I screamed for help when Noah was beating the shit out of Zeke.

"I know, really ruins my whole 'wicked heathen' image, doesn't it?" Then Dale did something that took me completely by surprise, he laughed. It was a deep chuckle, my words had genuinely amused him. Even Emily seemed taken aback by the noise and when he was finally able to settle himself, he leaned his head against Emily, bringing her hand down for a kiss. It was oddly affectionate, and I watched as she melted a little, her body leaning into him, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Part of her loved him, whether she had been brainwashed that way or it had happened naturally, there was no way of knowing.

"Get her fixed her up, she'll sleep in my room tonight. See if we can't figure something out for tomorrow."

"And the gasoline?" Emily asked softly.

"Boys are ripping the rug up as we speak, I'm gonna have to replace it, I don't want to take any chances. He must of siphoned it from one of the trucks or maybe even one of the tractors. He watered it down, so I'm not sure he ever intended to actually light the house on fire; just wanted you to think he would."

"I don't understand what is wrong with that boy." Emily exclaimed, a few stray tears slid down her face. When he looked up and noticed them, he stood. It was as if I disappeared completely, he pulled her against him, his hand rubbing the small of her back as he tried to soothe her. He spoke in a low whisper but I was only sitting a few feet away, so I heard everything.

"Sometimes, there's just a few rotten apples in the bunch. All we can do is show them God's path, it is their choice whether they walk down it or not. Ephraim is a man now, and he must learn to behave as such. I will set him straight, once his face heals up a bit." He held her face, wiping her tears free and planting a kiss on her forehead.

"You let me worry about him, alright?" She looked up and nodded, lifting herself on her tiptoes to kiss him. Her hands wrapped around the back of his neck as she pulled him down to meet her. Their lips locked and a small groan escaped him, they nearly stumbled backwards causing Emily to giggle and Dale took a step back, hands out to steady her.