Love Lies Dying (44 page)

The collar moved slightly on his neck. He readied himself to walk. But the movement stopped and he stood there, dumb, waiting for his next command.

She’s won.

Then the leash was tugged to the left.

He followed her lead.

A few steps more.

Where am I now? Do I have any idea?

A stronger tug pulled on the collar. He walked forward.

By the fire? No, I’m facing the other way, I think. Am I?

He didn’t know.

Another few steps forward, then a pause, then a few more steps before the toes on his left foot kicked something hard. He toppled, the weight of his body propelling him forward. He lifted his arms, trying to put out his hands to balance himself, but the handcuffs made it almost impossible as they bit into his wrists.

But she was there again, her hands on his chest, stopping him from falling and straightening him back up.

She tugged on the leash again.

He lifted his foot, and stepped onto whatever it was in front of him.

Then he followed with his right foot.

Another step up? Where am I?

It wasn’t until he’d taken a few more steps, that he realised there was gravel and dirt under his feet.

I’m outside?

He could feel the cold night air around his body.

Yes! I am! She’s taken me outside!

He smiled to himself under the hood.

She can’t trick me.

Yeah, great victory, Sherlock!

I told you to shut up!

And look where it got you…

And then he wondered exactly where she was taking him.

The Jeep?

Am I going to meet Fox?

Why? Why do that? What’s really going on here?

Panic began to build, but he quashed it. He couldn’t believe that she would be taking him to Fox. There was no reason to. She hated Fox as much as he did. They would work together to get Fox just as soon as she finished her little game.

This is no game,
he told himself as he was led further forward, walking off the gravel now, the cold dew from the grass under his feet.

The leash led him blindly on.

Sometimes he would stumble. On other occasions sticks and prickles would get under his feet, digging in and hurting, making him jump or stagger. Tree branches and shrubs would brush against his bare chest or legs, but Zoe pulled him forward without stopping.

She didn’t come to help.

Only the pulling of the leash kept him on track.

It was a slow process and the night air felt cold and made his wounds itch.

And it felt as if they walked for miles.

But he was powerless to do anything about it.

The leash pulled him on and on.

He tried to concentrate on the ground under his feet. It was mostly wet, slippery grass. But on more than one occasion, the grass gave way to gravel and then something that felt like brick. Eventually, he walked onto another surface he couldn’t work out. It was soft and smooth, and felt spongy. It wasn’t as cold as the grass had been, and there was very little dew on the surface. He couldn’t work out what it was.

He didn’t have time.

He was pulled onwards by the leash.

Where is she taking me?

His breathing increased as their pace picked up. He could hear his heartbeat rushing in his head.

He walked faster as the leash forced him to.

He took a few more steps on the flat surface and then cannoned into Zoe’s arms. She held him tight.

What? What’s happening?

His head swivelled around by instinct, even though he couldn’t see anything.

Her hands went to his chest, and she pushed him back slowly.

He took two steps backwards before the collar tightened on his neck.

He stood still then, waiting for the next command.

Slowly, the leash tugged on him.

He moved forward carefully.

His right foot hit the first step.

He lifted it and placed it on top of the step. Then he repeated the process again with his left foot. He did the same thing for the next step, and the next. He repeated his actions until all the steps were climbed.

He continued walking forward, realizing the ground under his feet was flat and dry. There was no dew here and the coldness was gone too.

Her hands touched his chest again and stopped him walking forward.

He stood still.

And waited.

He shook his head as he thought back now.

You should’ve tried. You should’ve tried anything!
he thought
.  To run while she left you standing there. That was your chance! Maybe your
last
chance!

But he didn’t know that at the time.

He didn’t know what was to come.

If he had known, he would’ve fought. He would’ve struggled. He would’ve tried to escape.

Instead, he just stood there, and waited.

And that’s when Zoe lost it completely.

Forty-one

John had no idea what she was doing, he couldn’t see or hear her movements, but when she had unlocked the handcuffs and set his hands free, he thought that finally the game was at an end.

But he had been wrong.

As the cold steel of the cuffs slipped away from his wrists, he rubbed both of them, feeling the chaffed skin and the imprint that the teeth had made.

Now that his hands were free, he was able to run them up his arms, trying to warm himself from the cold night air. Although, he was still careful not to touch the wound in his left arm.

Maybe this is it,
he thought.
The game
is
finally over.

She touched his chest, pushing him back two steps.

The middle of his back hit something hard and cold.

John leaned forward in shock, the wadding in his mouth muffling his yell.

But her hand was on his chest still, pushing him backwards again.

He relented and felt his body tip slightly backwards.

He rested against the cold wood and he thought it strange that the wood didn’t cover his whole back. The wood was only in the middle of his back, with two arms stretching below and above; like some huge X-design.

Her hand reached to his forehead and pushed him backwards. He leaned his head back, and found a padded cushion to rest on.

It’s not over,
he thought.

Then run.

I can’t see!

Grab her, force her to let you go.

I can’t see where she is!

Something tugged at his left thigh, pulling him backwards against one of the legs of the X. He touched cold wood as a leather strap wrapped around his thigh. He could feel her hands moving over his leg now, buckling him into the leather strap.

He wanted to tell her to stop, but he knew his voice wouldn’t escape the wadding in his mouth.

He was powerless.

She moved further down, inching his leg out slightly, buckling another strap by his knee, and one lower down by his ankle.

John’s hopes for an early end to her game were quashed.

It’s not over yet.

There was nothing he could do.

He just stood there, and let her continue.

After buckling his right leg in the same manner, Zoe lifted his right arm above his head and to the side.

He knew what was coming.

He didn’t flinch as he felt the cold heavy metal chain wrap around his wrist. The chain bit tightly into the skin, pulling his wrist and arm against the cold surface of the X. He waited as she did the same to his left arm, hoping that it wouldn’t affect the stitches that kept his wound closed.

She wouldn’t’ve gone to all that trouble to stitch you up only to let it all unravel now,
he thought.

He should’ve been in pain as he stood there, mirroring the wooden X he was tied to, but the cold night air was biting hard and he wondered if that was the reason he could feel no pain.

Or am I just used to it now?
he wondered.
Is it easier to submit than fight?

He tried to move his arms and legs, tried to see if he had any flexibility in his bindings, but he didn’t.

He moved his head from side to side, as if looking for Zoe. But the blindfolds gave nothing away and the earplugs made sure the silence was total.

Only his thoughts accompanied him.

He waited for a long time, or so it seemed to him. He stood tied there, leaning back on the X, waiting for Zoe’s next move. But it didn’t come.

After a while, he started to wonder if she was still there.

The cold night settled on his shoulders. He could feel the dew in the air and on his skin.

But she didn’t touch him again.

His hands and arms started to go numb, and with his feet splayed apart, his heels and ankles began to lose all feeling as well.

“Now
this
is a good look,” he heard Richard say in his head.

Shut up!

“No, I mean it. All tied up and nowhere to go!”

Very funny.

“Oh, this isn’t funny, John. This is serious stuff. She’s got you and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

I know that.

“You’re going to have to follow this through, play it out to the end with her, if you want her to help you.”

I know that too.

“It could be dangerous.”

Do I have a choice?

“No, doesn’t look like you do,” Richard agreed.

I shouldn’t’ve yelled at her Saturday night. I got her mad. That’s what got me into this mess.

“It certainly looks that way.”

If I had kept calm, maybe Helen would still be alive and we would be home by now, everything back to normal.

“That’s possible.”

I just shouldn’t’ve said what I said. Or acted the way I did towards her.

“Always shooting off at the mouth before thinking,” Richard chuckled. “You don’t change, John. It got you into trouble when we were young, and now it’s still getting you into trouble.”

Huh?

“You’ve got to learn, pal. You’ve got to think of consequences. Things you do, they can come back to haunt you down the track.”

I don’t know what you mean.

“I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time to work it out. You’re not going anywhere for a while, it seems.”

Tell me, please?

“Pal, you’ve got to find this out for yourself. So many lies can build up in a lifetime. Some you put there on purpose, while others accidentally appear. In the end, you start to believe the lies too.”

I don’t understand.

“I know, that’s part of the problem.” Richard replied. “But you will.”

Huh?

“Just think about it. I mean,
really
think about it. You’re believing
everything
Zoe is telling you!”

Yeah, of course!

“Why?”

Why shouldn’t I? I have no reason not to.

“No reason? Come on, you’ve even had some doubts yourself! What about the car keys?” Richard reminded him. “She said she didn’t have them, but then you found them. The gun? She said it was in the Jeep but it wasn’t.”

John stayed silent, leaning against the X.

“Now she says Helen is dead. Do you really believe her?”

John was stunned by the thought.

Huh?

“Do you really believe her?”

John’s chest burned with hope.

Helen could still be alive?

“Isn’t that a possibility?”

Helen! It could be true! But why would she lie to me?

“Why not? She wants to have sex with you, she wants to do all this stuff to you. She couldn’t get you to do it while Helen was still around, so she tries something else. If you think Helen is dead, maybe it will be easier to get you to agree.”

Yeah.

“And, Jesus, it looks like it worked, huh?”

But she has the gold pendant!

“Come on, think about it! You can buy them just about anywhere for peanuts.”

That makes a lot of sense.

“Of course it does! Remember, pal? They’ll screw you and…”

..and then they’ll
screw
you.

“Exactly. It’s all a game!”

A game… So, where’s Helen?

“I don’t know.”

But you just said she was alive!

Richard chuckled, “Did I? That’s my whole point, buddy. Once you start weaving your lies, you can’t tell what’s truth and what’s fiction any more. You can’t tell them apart.”

But I don’t understand. Now you’re saying she
isn’t
lying?

“I’m not saying anything. I’m just reminding you that the facts as you see them may not actually be the facts at all.”

Damn you, stop playing with me.

“Remember, it could all be an elaborate game, full of half-truths and lies.”

You’re playing with my mind, stop it!

“You should know all about that, John.”

Shut up.

“Seems you’ve started to believe your own lies too.”

Huh?

“Why don’t you be honest with her, and maybe she’ll be honest with you.”

I don’t understand!

“Oh, I think you do…”

And then Richard was gone from his mind.

The silence returned.

Fuck you!

But Richard didn’t reply.

Fuck you, you bastard! Stop trying to fuck with me! FUCK YOU!

John’s hands turned to fists and he pulled on the chains above him.

If you were here now I’d –

But he didn’t get time to finish his thought.

A hand touched his groin.

John’s mind froze and his breathing stopped.

The hand was soft and warm, and began massaging his limp cock.

Zoe!

He breathed a sigh of relief.

It’s Zoe!

He had no idea how long she had left him alone, but it seemed like forever.

But now she was back.

Are you sure it’s her?

Huh?

How do you know it’s Zoe?

It
has
to be!

But you don’t know for sure.

No…but –

Then you better hope it
is
her!

Fear started to grow in John’s chest.

Of course it’s her. Who else would it be out here?

Who else…?

Despite the situation, her hand felt so good on him, so warm.

He began to grow again.

Within seconds his cock was hard and pulsing.

Then he felt her mouth around him, hot and wet.

So good.

Her hand continued to massage his balls as her lips engulfed him and sucked deeply.

John tried to relax on the X, but it was difficult to do so with the angle he was on and the cold of the night. His thoughts returned to the idea that maybe it wasn’t Zoe standing there massaging his cock.

Who then? Who could it be?

Still, his breathing quickened and after a few minutes he began to reach climax. His body tensed and readied for the moment.

And then her mouth left him.

He was hard and ready, but she was gone. His cock was wet and pulsing, and left to the cold night air. His balls ached deeply. His orgasm denied.

Why?

It was then he found out.

At first he thought it was some kind of soft cloth or cotton. He could feel it as it was placed around his groin. It started above his erection and then spread to the side and below. He felt it around his balls and back towards his anus. But he couldn’t work out exactly what it was.

Zoe’s arms knocked against the insides of his legs as she applied it to him, and as it sat there heavy on him, it began to slowly slide towards the ground.

What the hell is it? What is she doing to me now?

And then he felt the cold steel against his hip.

His body tensed as the image came into his mind.

One of her hands rested on his stomach. She patted him softly, as if trying to reassure him.

Very slowly, he released his tension and tried to relax.

The hand stopped patting him, and the blade made its way from his hip to his groin.

He held his breath.

And Zoe began to shave him.

He didn’t dare move. He tried not to breathe. His erection quickly subsided.

What had she said to him in the bathroom?

“There’s something about a man pissing. It’s so masculine and yet it’s coming from such a small roll of skin. Just hanging from your body. Out there in the open and so…exposed…so dangerously unprotected.”

Unprotected!