Strange Love 39 The Great Escape

The phone line fell quiet. Blood dripped from the cold gla.s.s screen. Dried blood clung to various areas of Dante's face where deep claw marks had already healed. He let his phone drop to the floor as he struggled to secure the hands that kept las.h.i.+ng out at him. "You're a feisty little devil, I'll give you that." Dante huffed. He had Sh.e.l.ly's body pinned to the ground with the weight of his body on top of her, but she was still fighting tooth and nail to get free of him.

She kicked and punched blindly as she squeezed her eyes as tightly shut as possible, refusing to give the monster on top of her the opportunity to control her mind again. An influx of texts earlier had snapped her out of his control, unfortunately, her best efforts couldn't hide her regaining of consciousness. Sh.e.l.ly fought against the memories of the repulsive things he had done... the way he had grabbed her... Kissed her lips... and... and... 'I'm hungry for something tonight, get on your knees...' His horrible words reverberated in her ears. When she hesitated, he had known right away that he no longer had control over her. {How many other times had he given that same command... and how many times had I obeyed without hesitation...} Tears streamed down her cheeks as she fought against the beast of a man on top of her.

To her surprise one of her blind blows made contact with his jaw, sending pain radiating through her hand and down her wrist. When he lost his center of balance, she quickly bucked against him hard causing him to topple over. Sh.e.l.ly rolled to her side and struggled to her feet. When his hand shot out toward her ankle she quickly turned and landed a kick into his sternum, before turning back around and heading toward the open balcony doors on the other side of the small kitchenette. As she rounded the table she grabbed her phone and clamped it tightly against her chest.

Dante could only release a heavy grunt as the air left his lungs. Not waiting for the air to return, he pushed his self up off the floor. "You little b.i.t.c.h." He huffed, "You'll pay for this... Oh, will you pay for this!"

He recovered quickly and was soon rounding the table on Sh.e.l.ly who had just made to the oven. She quickly glanced around her as he came charging at her. She back up against the oven, phone still clutched tightly in one hand as the other felt around frantically behind her back. Her hand finally came in contact with its target as Dante closed the distance between their bodies. Just as his outstretched fingers brushed her skin, she s.h.i.+fted her weight and swung the large iron skillet with all her power. It made a sickening crack as it made contact with his temple. She quickly stepped past him as his body crumpled to the floor where he stood. She didn't hesitate for a second as she charged throw the balcony doors and flung herself over the rails. She braced herself for a rough landing as she fell the short distance, praying she had jumped far enough out to avoid hitting the 3 lower balconies.

Her breath pushed forcefully past her lips as she hit the ground hard with a clumsy roll. She forced her trembling legs to hold her weight as she fought to stand. She staggered several feet, clinging to the phone like a lifeline as she tried to find something familiar around her. Once the North Pier came into focus she pushed her battered body harder, into a sprint toward the well-lit beacon of hope towering over the sands and water.

She stumbled over the uneven ground, broken sh.e.l.ls jabbed painfully into her bare feet, but she couldn't slow down... wouldn't slow down. As soon as the pier stood only 100 feet away she slowed to a jog and quickly looked down at the lit screen of the phone. {Who had the lifesaving texts been from?} The name Rin stood out from the many words on the screen. {Oh thank the G.o.ds!} She quickly hit the b.u.t.ton at the top of the message box to dial the number. The phone rang only once before it was answered.

"Sh.e.l.ly? Sh.e.l.ly! Are... " Rin's voice called over the phone but was interrupted by Sh.e.l.ly.

"Rin, the North Pier! HURRY!" Sh.e.l.ly clung to the phone tightly as she once again sprinted toward the pier. Her heart pounded in her chest, a loud BA b.u.mP, BA b.u.mP beating in her ears.

A familiar figure materialized on the high walkway of the pier as her exhausted body crumpled against one of the tall pilings.

"Sh.e.l.ly?!" Rin called out as he leaped over the side of the railing. He landed elegantly on the ground beside her. He reached out a hand to steady her as her body began to slide down the piling toward the sand. "Sh.e.l.ly, what happened to you?"

Anxiety-ridden eyes met his eyes, as she clamped her small fingers around his extended arm. "No time... we gotta leave..." She panted.

He nodded his head in understanding and pulled her trembling body against his. Within seconds they materialized inside the small apartment he shared with Niru.

Rin quickly guided her toward his room and sat her on his bed. He then moved to the closet and began rummaging through the bottom of it. He quickly dumped the content of a large gym bag onto the floor and flung it beside her on the bed. He leaned back into the closet again and this time came out with a small box. He stood and walked over to the bed and gently sat it into the bag before turning toward the dresser and flinging open the drawers one by one, grabbing handfuls of clothing from each. He glanced over at Sh.e.l.ly, Her clothes were tattered and torn in several places. There was more skin visible than covered. He turned back to the current drawer he had opened and grabbed a s.h.i.+rt and a pair of short then handed them over to her. "Here, change into these. I... have to get a few things from the bathroom anyhow." He grabbed the bag before taking several large strides to the door. He looked back at her over his shoulder. Her hands were trembling, bearly able to hold the clothes he had given her. He shook his head. {What in the h.e.l.l happened to her in the past few weeks?!} He forced himself to turn away from her and close the door. He didn't waste any time getting to the bathroom and filling the bag with essential toiletries.

He tapped lightly on the bedroom door, but when there was no response he cracked the door and glanced inside to see her still holding the clothes with trembling hands. His heart sank at the sight of the crumbled remains of the once strong, happy-go-lucky girl he had known for so long. He let out a heavy sigh as he dropped the bag to the floor and slowly sank down into a squat in front of her. He gently took the items from her hands and smiled tenderly down into her unfocused blue eyes. "Here let me help you." He helped her up into a standing position then leaned slowly toward her. "Is this ok?" he asked as he reached around her to pull what was left of the tie on her dress.

Sh.e.l.ly nodded not breaking eye contact with him.

He gave the bow a light tug then, stood back upright.

When the thin strap began to slide down her fragile shoulders, she whimpered and began shaking more and crossed her arms in front of her still clinging to the phone in her hand for dear life.

He closed the s.p.a.ce between them as he pulled her against him, "Shhhh. It's ok, you're safe now. I'm not going to hurt you. We need to get you changed so we can leave." When he felt the slight nod of her head, he gently pushed her away from him. He took the phone from her tight grip and placed it on the nightstand. "You have to leave this here. It can be traced."

She nodded her head once again and this time let the dress sink too the floor.

Rin didn't waste any time sliding the tee s.h.i.+rt over her head and dropping into a low squat to give her support while she stepped into the short he held out for her. Once they were on he took hold of her hand and walked over to retrieve the gym bag. He glanced out at the things that he'd poured out of the bag earlier, then leaned out to get a pair of shower sandals. He placed them in front of her feet before looking up at her, "Here they aren't much but at least they'll protect your feet some." Once she had slid her feet into both shoes he stood and threw the strap of the bag over his shoulder and pulled her tightly against him once again as he teleported them once again.

Sh.e.l.ly staggered as they reappeared. Rin pulled her tighter against him to steady her. She clung to his s.h.i.+rt as her eyes adjusted to the bright afternoon sun that reflected merrily off the gleaming golden pillars lining the room they stood in. "Wh... Where are we?" She stammered as her eyes fought to adjust to the bright lighting and vivid colors.

Rin dropped the bag and loosened his hold her. He let his hand glide down to the small of her back, as he began to walk forward toward a wall of multicolored curtains. "My home..." Rin answered as he pushed back the curtains and guided her to a stop beside him. He watched her reaction as she took in the view of the city he had grown up in.

Her eyes widen as her mouth dropped into a wide gape. "Oh wow!" She quickly turned from the sight to him and back again. "This! This... is..."

He smiled, "Yes this is India." He removed his hand from her back and took both her hands in his before saying, " I don't know what happened or who did this to you, but you're safe now. I will protect you with my life if I have to."

Tears began to flood her eyes as she pulled her hands free of his grip and quickly flung them tightly around his neck. "Rin..." She tried to speak through the tears of joy that flowed freely down her cheeks, "Thank you so much..."

The words were m.u.f.fled by her sobs, but they squeezed at his heart all the same. He wrapped his arms around her small waist and pulled her into a tight embrace.

Her arms slowly loosened and her body began to lean more heavily into his as fatigues set in. She rested her forehead against his shoulder and let her arms slide down to rest against his chest. She could feel the rapid but soothing beat of his heart. "Rin?"

"Yes?" He answered as he gazed out over the home he once hated.

She glanced up at him, her head still against his shoulder, "I'm... I'm... Tired..." Her legs gave out beneath her as if on cue.

He quickly lifted her and carried her back into the room. He walked through another wall of colorful curtains, this time into a room unmistakenly meant for sleep and relaxation. There were pillows of deep crimsons and royal blues, varying shades of purples and oranges all lavishly embroidered with golden patterns. He came down onto one knee on the mattress before gently setting her down onto the bright red silk sheets buried beneath the dozens and dozens of pillows. "It's so pretty." she whispered softly as she slid her hands over the fine silks. She looked back up at Rin questioningly, "Rin, how is it that I've known you all this time and still had no idea you lived in such a place?"

Rin sank down beside her as he ran his hand through his hair. "It's not as grand as you may think." He looked down into her tired but curious eyes. He brushed a dirty strand of hair out of her face before whispering, "Get some sleep, we can talk more when you wake up."

She yawned a tiny sigh slipping out as she did, "Ummm... Ok." She cuddled into a ball among the pillows and silks.

Rin watched as her eyes slowly closed. Her breathing began to slow and her body relax. He sighed heavily before pus.h.i.+ng himself up. He had only just stood when he felt a light tug on the hem of his tee s.h.i.+rt. He turned around slightly and looked down into the large terror-filled eyes s.h.i.+mmering up at him.

"Please... don't leave..." Her cheeks colored as she asked in a quieter voice, "Please stay here while I sleep."

Rin's heart broke into a million pieces at the silent plea in her shaky voice. {What did they do to you?} He smiled down at her trying to hide the sadness that darkened his soul, "Yes, of course." He spread himself out on the mattress before opening his arms wide for her to crawl into. When she slowly obeyed, he pulled her more snuggly against his side and began running his free hand over her dirty tangled hair rhythmically until she fell asleep. He scanned over the bits of her body he could see. There were bruises and cuts of various lengths and depths, both new and old. There were several puncture holes along her throat, wrists, and ankles... {No doubt a closer inspection would reveal more 'bites'.} Anger caused Rin's blood to boil as he began painting the picture in his mind of how these past several weeks had been for her.