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What other options do I have?
Should I take her to my home? But what if she tries to attack me again?
I shake my head. Can’t let that happen.
Guess I’ll have to figure something out.
I turn around and walk off again. She screeches from all the way down in the pit, demanding to know where I’m going and when I’m going to let her out. She’s probably anxious, but there’s no need. Now that I’ve decided it’d be stupid to kill such a fine young woman, I’m dedicated to keeping her safe.
I had my doubts first, because she was so violent, but now I understand why. She was probably scared, and I get that.
Hell, I’m violent too, and that never made me think twice.
She’ll fit right in.
I go back to my wooden crate where I keep my stash of tools and fetch the rope ladder that I made for climbing the tough terrains. If she’s calm, I’ll lower it into her pit. If not … well, we’ll have to wait until she is. I don’t like a lot of noise. I prefer things quiet. But I guess that’s going to change now that there are two of us.
I march back toward the pit, and I can hear her voice before I get halfway there. She’s shouting all kinds of things, probably cursing me, but I don’t even know half the words she’s using.
My feet are dangerously close to the pit, but I never fall in. I know this thing all too well. I know it won’t collapse under my weight … because I built the damn thing.
With a smirk on my face, I stare at that pretty little face down below, wondering what she’s thinking. She keeps looking at me with those big, scared eyes as if she’s wondering whether I’m going to hurt her.
I’m not dangerous.
At least not when I don’t want to be. And I definitely don’t want to be with her.
Because the more I look at her … the more something starts to change inside me.
Looking at her fills me with a need I haven’t felt before, and I don’t know what to do with it. All I know is that I have this urge to keep her. So I will.
I go to my knees and cut the rope holding the bars together, then I lift it up. She gets up from the ground and walks closer to me. Now that the bars are gone, I can finally take a good look at her. She’s even prettier than I thought. Thin and frail … but very pretty. And tempting.
“Are you gonna behave?” I ask, my voice low and rigid.
I don’t want to give her the idea that she actually has a choice.
She doesn’t.
She puts her hands on her hips and snaps back. “Fuck you for putting me in here in the first place. How dare you?”
I shrug and grab the bars again, but the moment I start to lower them again, she speaks.
“No, no, wait!” She holds up her hand. “Don’t.”
I pause and listen.
“Fine, okay. I’ll behave. Now let me out.”
I narrow my eyes, not sure if I can trust her words or not.
She’s angry with me even though I haven’t done anything but keep us both safe from harm.
“Please?” she adds softly.
Fuck.
The sound of her voice when she begs me …
It sets off all my senses.
Ignites a fire in my heart.
I want to hear it again.
“Please, let me out. I’ll do anything,” she says with tears in her eyes. “I just want to get out of this pit.”
How am I supposed to say no to those beautiful, glistening eyes? I can’t. No one could.
“You won’t run?” I growl, hoping she won’t make this any more difficult than it already is.
She nods.
I let out a deep sigh and drop the bars again, then I roll out the handmade ladder and hold it close to the edge of the pit.
Accompanying Song: “Sapir Whorf” by Johann Johannson
Juliet
He looks at the ladder and then nods at me as if he wants me to climb up that thing. But it looks unsteady … and unsafe.
Still, it’s my only way out of here. And I know I have to grasp this chance before he takes it away again.
So I walk to it and hold on tight as I step up the ladder. It’s shaky, and the bristles of the woven rope scratch my skin, but I ignore every sensation right now in favor of survival.
If I can avoid dying here, wherever here is, I’ll try.
However, the moment I come face to face with my captor, my heart starts beating in my throat and I can barely stay steady on the ladder.
When he grabs my wrist and pulls me up easily, as if I’m some ragdoll he can throw around, adrenaline rushes through my body.
