Sunday, September 19, 2010

in the dark

Ka-Rad gasped for air as if he had been at the bottom of the pool for a very long time. But that was just a dream.

"Lucy." Her name was on his tongue, but he couldn't say it. He jerked himself up. Where was he? There was Spencer sleeping by his side, naked. Ka-Rad was too. His throat was so dry. He needed water. As soon as he put his foot on the icky carpet he touched the cold sticky used condom. Ka-Rad winced. He crawled into Spencer's pants and went to the fridge for some water.

Lucy came back to his mind. He couldn't stop thinking about how pathetic she'd been. He knew it was the wine. That wasn't like her at all. She was OK. He kept telling himself. But he didn't believe it. He drank some cold water from the fridge then and reached for a grape or two to nibble on.

He'd have to go see about her. He just would. It was well after 3 in the morning, but he didn't care. He'd go barefooted. He knew the way. It wouldn't take long, just to check on her. Probably asleep. He hoped. He pushed his fingers through his messy hair and left Spence's, to take off running up the street to Lucy's. He was a bit out of shape, but not by much. Just a little out of breath. Her front door was unlocked. Just as he expected. He ran to her room, but she wasn't there.

Ka-Rad didn't understand it. Where was she? He checked the bathroom as she wasn't there, either. He shook his head. What the fuck had happened? He looked in her father's room, but it was piled with newspapers and tools. Finally, he thought of the basement. He went downstairs then. There she was all tied up by the washing machine.

"Jesus! What the fuck is going on?" The place hadn't been ransacked. The rope was around her throat so many times and her wrists as well. The more she pulled, she choked. Ka-Rad shook his head as he looked at her, horribly aghast just in a gown. He went to find a butcher knife and started to cut his way through the rope.

Finally, he undid the rope around her neck and hands.

"Are you all right?" He put his arms around her. She was still gasping and shaking. It was so frightening. "Who did this to you?"

She kept shaking her head as if she wasn't suppose to say.

"Its OK, tell me? Let me call 911." He squinted hard.

She shook her head, more.

"Lucy? Did Cory do this?" He wondered.

Lucy wouldn't say. He thought water might help so he got her upstairs for a drink. He could see in the kitchen light that she'd clearly been beat up and left in the basement to die. Ka-Rad could hardly believe it. She cried on his shoulder then.

"Just hold me, will you." She managed finally.

"OK." He didn't know what to make of her bruised face. How could someone do this to her? He couldn't imagine someone punching Lucy. He sat there for sometime in the floor of the kitchen, letting her sit in his lap.

"I thought you were mad at me." She could hardly talk.

"I'm not mad at you, honestly." Even so, it was hard to look at her two black eyes. Her legs where so bruised. Arms too. He combed his fingers through her hair.

"Would you do that thing, you did before?" She softly said to him.

"What thing?" He didn't want her to remember. "You must have been dreaming."

Lucy shook her head, no.

"You look like shit, you know." He told her. "You look like you've been with a shit, already. You don't need-"

But she begged to differ. Her lips found his, and they kissed for the longest while. It was the saddest kiss he knew and yet, it swelled into something entirely different than he anticipated. Maybe this was really where he wanted to be. After all.

7 comments:

molly said...

I can imagine him worried about her. And to run there from Spencer's house. The suspense. Finding her tied up. What a scene. Didn't see that coming.

Em [The Writer] said...

The first sentence was very powerful, it just drew me in, and maybe it's because I was just watching Skins but I could picture them all with British accents so I think I might've read that wrong. Hah, about the story you will get a vivid flashback of what happened when Ali sleeps. It'll be a recurring dream for her I think. But thank you for reading. It means a lot.

ellie said...

I wonder if Lucy knew he'd be back?

Unknown said...

Wow, this was a shock. I can't help but like him.

Cafe Fashionista said...

Wow! That's a bit frightening! :/

Sara said...

wow this is really geeting crazy, it seems like they need each other though. I hope he finds out who did this to her.

holly O said...

What a disconcerting time.