A Life in Hell

I woke up feeling something I hadn't in a while. Clothed. I looked down at my body and saw that someone had dressed me. I don't know how I felt about it. Someone taking off my clothes can be sexual, or abusive, as I've discovered. But someone putting my clothes on for me? It seems...intimate. Too personal. And whoever did it nailed my style. Black Jeans, black long sleeve tee (made out of the soft material), and black boots. The only part of the outfit that I wouldn't wear on my own was the thick leather collar still locked around my neck.

I walked around the room I was in. Obviously, I tried the door, but it was locked. There was a bathroom attached, and a closet. I opened up the closet to see what was in there, and discovered a lot more clothes, all in my style. "This is weird," I murmured. It was almost like whoever I was with had been watching me, before this nightmare started. I shrugged it off and wandered into the bathroom. The light was strong, and my red hair almost shone against my pale white skin and black clothes. I'd always liked how the red made my eyes look, now it was even better.

I heard footsteps outside the room, and the sound of a key turning in a lock. With the clothes on, I felt strangely more confident in myself. I felt more like myself than that poor pathetic soul who was kidnapped not so long ago. I hid behind the door, and prepared to pounce on the person who opened it. I expected to see the man with the tattoos. The man who belonged to the voice I had heard not so long ago, on one of the worst nights of my life.

The door swung open, and I jumped around it, ready to grab him, but I stopped short. The person at the door wasn't him. It was a young woman, dressed in a long, oddly conservative brown dress. She kept picking at it, and looked awkward walking in it, like she wasn't used to the length. Her eyes were bright blue, so blue that they pierced your soul. Her black hair only accentuated it.

"The Master will see you now."

"No he won't."
I was feeling braver than ever. I was going to leave that night and find my way home to Mikey. He must be so worried.

"You must."

"He can come see me. He 'owns' me, after all."

"As you wish."

She closed the door, and I sat back on the bed with relief. I was surprised that I managed to stand up to her. Even though she clearly wasn't the "Master of the House," my heart was beating. Hard. After I calmed down a little, I realized I hadn't heard her lock the door.

I tested the knob, and sure enough it was unlocked. I snuck downstairs, following what I presumed was the most logical path to the exit. I saw a light peek out from underneath one door, and went in the opposite direction. Everything was locked, until I found a door leaned shut at the end of the hall. Taking my chances, I walked in.

The room was pitch black, except for the light emitting from where the door was still cracked open. I tentatively stepped further away from the light, hugging the wall. I heard a whimper, and when I found the light switch, I turned it on. There, in the center of the room hanging by her wrists, was the girl from earlier. Her brown dress lay in tatters on the ground, and blood dripped from her back and stomach. Worst of all was her eyes. The bright blue was tinged red from the tears, and she looked more in pain than anyone I had ever seen before.

As I was focused on her, I didn't notice the door close quietly. I didn't realize that someone had walked up behind me and was preparing to strike. I didn't decipher the look in the girl's eyes being beyond personal fear and pain.

Nothing clicked until the moment he grabbed me. He held my wrists in one hand and a cloth over my mouth and nose with the other.

He growled into my ear, "I'm so glad the guest of honor finally joined us," as I passed out in his arms.

Notes