RUSSIAN Drenched

"There is no key to happiness, the door is always open."

~Shannon

What would you do, when your life was just about to end and there's nothing you could do to stop it?

I used to say I would repent my sins and die a saved woman but at that moment, I didn't want to die. I wanted to fight, I still had a lot I hadn't achieved and dying young was not on my to do list.

Using my legs, Matthew pulled me back to his house. I tried to open my mouth and scream for help but it had gone completely numb.

A slap ensued once he shut the door behind him, but it wasn't from him. I squinted my eyes and realized it was Ian staring down at me.

How dare he?

"That's for daring to touch me." He threw me another slap. I didn't react, I couldn't give him the pleasure.

Matt pulled me further till I was on the living room rug. I was helpless, it was a terrible feeling. I clutched my tummy with all my might. It was painful beyond explanation.

"I want to teach you a good lesson, Shannon. It seems like you didn't understand me the first time, so I'll make you understand." As he spoke, his hands were working on taking off his belt.

I shook my head repeatedly, I didn't want to believe that he would whip me like a child. I shut my eyes and waited but it never came. His friends were awfully quiet, pushing me to open my eyes.

When my eyes landed on his naked body, from the waist down--- I cursed the day I met him. "No! No! No!" I tried to protest but my voice was barely above a whisper.

From my view, everything he did was in slow motion, I did not know if I was in denial but all I knew was I didn't deserve the animalistic things he was doing.

When he ripped my dress open and pulled at my underwear. My voice regained its use, I screamed like I had never before. I wasn't going down without a fight.

I lifted my working leg and kicked him in the balls, his face turned red and his hands gripped his groin as he doubled over in pain, before falling to his front in a heavy thud. A terrible wail followed.

His friends instantly gathered around him, trying to examine the damage or whatever it was they were doing. But I saw it as an opening, to save myself.

Since the front door was locked, I took advantage of the heat of the moment to spring to my feet and locked myself in Matt's bedroom.

Ignoring the shooting pain on my leg, I hastily pulled on my jean trouser and t-shirt as I dialed Kay's number. The call wasn't going through, it was then that I remembered how terrible network always was in the room.

I hopped on to the bed and tried to swing my phone from side to side but nothing I did helped the terrible network.

"Open this door now!" Matthew yelled from the other side, banging on it with all his might. The hinges shook, I was far from safe.

I rushed to the bathroom and climbed on the toilet seat. With my injured leg hanging in the air, I screamed my lungs open. "Heeeeeeelp! Heeeeeeelp."

On the other end, an outraged Matthew and his friends were focused on breaking the door down. A few more kicks and I heard a thud, a sign that the were just about to torture me.

I hoped, I prayed that somebody would hear me and call the police. I yelled louder, "Heeeelp! Please, somebody just help me." I sobbed, I was frightened. I had never experienced such a nightmare like kind of situation.

When the bathroom door dropped and somebody's hands wrapped around my waist to bring me down, I lost all my will to fight. I was surely going to be scarred for life.

" You bitch!" Matthew smacked my face as Ian held me in place, the weren't ready to risk my outburst again. Alan and Blake, I suddenly remembered their names. They stood alert at the door, just incase I took a dash for it.

Pathetic losers!

Matt opened his wardrobe and parted the line of clothes that were in a hanger--- to disclose a secret compartment I had never seen in the short time I had dated him. A safe box sat behind it and he went on to put the code before unlocking it. My eyes bulged open at the cash that stared back at me. Right next to it were a number of whitish powder in transparent bags.

Cocaine! Kayleigh was right, I should have believed her. If I had listened, maybe things wouldn't have been as bad.

"Since you're playing the tough girl card, I'm going to have to give you what you asked for." He walked back to me with a bible in his hand. I chuckled inwardly, was he going to preach to me? 

He stopped before me and opened it, a gun sat comfortably in the case that would pass for a bible. I realized that I was done for.

I had never seen a gun up close and it sent a shiver down my spine. Was he planning to kill and bury me in the woods in the middle of the night? Just the thought of it shook my entire body.

He corked the gun and placed it on my forehead. It was so surreal, as if death had suddenly come knocking, and wasn't going nowhere without me. I shouldn't have come here, I should have called him and dumped his toxic ass over the phone.

"Aren't you going to beg?" He snickered, pressing the gun harder.

Silence.

"I'm talking to you!" 

A persistent knock interrupted my reply. They looked at eachother then back to me as I opened my mouth to shout for help. Ian quickly covered my mouth and my yells became muffled.

"Open up, it's the police. If you don't open the door, we're going to have to break it down."

I sighed in relief, they were going to save me from Matthew. My prayers had been answered.

With gestures, Matt ordered the boys to duct tape me and make sure I was quiet as he went to answer the door.

Ian quickly covered my mouth while Alan worked on tying my hands behind me. Blake was lifting the bed to lie down on the side, earning a questioning look from me. He pressed on a button and the floor rearranged to a flight of stairs. I was stupified. Just who were these people?

With the help of Alan, Ian quickly hoisted me up amidst protests and successfully got us in to the secret hideout before Blake shut the opening and pulled the bed back in its place.

I tried to scream but a pen knife pressed through my trouser into my thigh, shutting me up immediately. Ian brought a finger to his lips, instructing me to shut up then directed his eyes to where he held the knife so close to my skin.

I had no choice but to obey. A few seconds passed before we heard footsteps and their voices echoed towards us.

"So it's just the two of you in here? You and your brother?" A voice asked, it was the police officer.

"Yes," Matthew answered, "Can you believe the neighbors reported that a woman was screaming for help in my house?" Such a good pretender!

"What? But I didn't hear a thing." Blake played along.

"There's nothing here." A foreign voice concluded, probably the first officer's partner.

"Alright, I better not get a call concerning you again."

"We're good boys, Sir." Matthew answered as their footsteps moved away.

No! They were leaving without me, I didn't want to imagine what would happen if they did.

My screams came out muffled and did little or nothing to help my dilema. The knife slicing into my skin made matters worse. I had to stop, the pain was too much to bear.

I don't know how long we sat there but when Matthew came for us, I knew I was dead.

                     * * *

"Miss, Miss." A voice rang in my head, I didn't have the energy to look back.

After whipping me like a baby and ordering me to stay in the bedroom, Matthew and his friends got dead drunk, giving me the opportunity to escape. They were stupid enough to leave the keys on the table.

"Miss?" Arrrgh! The caller was giving me a headache.

"What?" I snapped at nobody in particular. I couldn't see who was calling me.

My eyes were so heavy from crying, crying like a toddler who needed her mother. I did need my mother, she was the only one who could make me feel better. I wanted her to hug and tell me it was gonna be alright, that she was going to protect me. But, I didn't want her to see me like this.

Kayleigh, I had to call her. She would know what to do.

"Are you alright? Should I take you to the hospital?" A guy stood before me, concern laced his voice and I wondered if I should accept his help. But the thought of what a man like him did to me, had me backing away from him. I vowed to avoid men like a plague.

"Don't touch me!" I croaked, I could barely see him properly. Everything around me shook, a blurry vision of him was trying to reach out and touch me.

"I'm just trying to help you. You have to trust me." His voice echoed, I think my ears were damaged.

"Trust?" I let out what was supposed to be a humourless laugh, but it sounded more like a wounded animal.

"Alright, that's enough. You are hurt and can't even see the road, I'm taking you to the hospital. Give me a number, I have to call your sister or brother or anyone related to you." He took out his phone and put it in my hands.

I began dialling Kayleigh's number. I was only a few numbers left but I couldn't take the pain no more, the phone slipped from my fingers and hit the ground.

In slow motion, I felt the ground suck me in and the guy kept calling and calling but I couldn't respond. . .

                      * * *

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Where was I? I wondered.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Ah! I was in the hospital, I didn't die after all. I managed a smile, my vision was back to normal. I lifted my head and let out a growl. A blinding headache made a temporary home in my head.

"Shannon? Gosh! She's awake, she's awake." Kayleigh's voice rang in my ears.

A doctor was beside me in a minute, checking my vitals and asking questions that I only answered with constant light nods.

"I'm going to need you to tell me exactly where you feel the pain. Just incase we missed anything." He gave me a warm smile.

I tried to speak but a persistent cough wouldn't let me. I settled for pointing out every area that hurt. He scribbled away on a file before asking me to rest and exited the room.

"OMG! Shannon, what happened?" Kayleigh's face poped before me.

"Matthew." I managed to say, my voice so hoarse that it sounded like a man.

"Oh he did not!!" She hissed, "I even thought you got mugged or something. How dare he?"

"Wait, wait, who's Matthew?"

I ignored the headache and lifted my head to see the owner of the voice but didn't recognize him.

"That's my cousin, Lionel." Kay clarified. I had heard of him but never got the chance to meet him. I acknowledged him with a nod, it was embarrassing to meet him like this.

"He was the one who called me."

I looked from Kay to Lionel with raised eyebrows. Did I hear her right?

"I was at the gym and was on my way home whem you practically walked across the road like you were blind. Cars were passing by and you could have been hit. I asked for a relative's number and you dialled a few digits before you passed out. When I took my phone to call the number, I realized a few digits were missing but Kayleigh's name poped on the screen, a big percentage matched her number, only that they were not completed. Out of panic, I asked her to meet me here and voila." He stretched his arms forward, a smile adorning his face.

Before I could voice out my appreciation, Kay's phone rang. She picked it up then passed it to me, "It's for you, he says he's your father's friend."

I placed the phone on my working ear and said hello. "Don't hang up, I'm watching your mother cook." Matthew laughed.

With eyes wide open and a hand over my mouth, I shot up into a seating position and yelled, "What did you do to her?"

"Relax! I haven't done anything, yet. I'm only watching her from the window and if you want to keep it that way, you better keep your mouth shut. No visits to the police station, alright? Now be a good girl and pay me a visit when you recover. And oh, say hi to your two friends."

My lips trembled as he spoke and a tear slid down my cheek when he cut the call. I didn't believe him, he was lying.

"What's wrong?" Kay and Lionel both asked at the same time. I didn't say a word.

I instinctively dialed my mom's number and she answered immediately. "Where are you now?" I proceeded without greeting her.

"I'm in the kitchen, cooking. Is anything the matter?" She was oblivious of the danger she was in and my heart almost stopped beating.

I was doomed and no one, absolutely no one could save me.