Kiss Me in the Dark Anthology - Monica James Page 0,170

anymore, please!”

Chuckles ring out around the small room as the men laugh at my hysterics.

I heard the crack of the whip before I felt it. It slashed my back horizontally and the screech of agony that flew out of my mouth was piercing, even to my own ears. Another vicious lash slices my back in the same spot and white-hot pain radiates throughout the wound; spreading along my back like wildfire. I don’t hear anything except the sound of my pain—my screams, eating up the space inside my body, bleeding out of my ears. I choke on a cry and the sound gets clogged in my throat. The blood trickles down my spine in a slow path, the warm liquid tingles as it trails down my already battered skin.

I tense my body, waiting for the next blow, and when it comes, it hurtles my body into a world of excruciating pain. I shriek out again at the top of my lungs and try loosening their grip on me. My voice is raw and scratchy from my wails of agony. A vicious lash hits my upper thighs, while another, slithers past my face and onto my shoulder, then landing on my back again. I can feel my skin separating with each of the brutal strokes. The pain spreads along my body, like I’m being branded with fire. Tears clog my throat as I hang my head and sob face down into the floor.

“I think you enjoy the pain, pet.” Danish grates out harshly in my ear. It only makes my tears come harder and faster.

With my cheek laying against the cool floor I stop fighting and fall into that blissful numbness that’s calling my name. I let it consume me. The energy dissolves from my body seamlessly, and I don’t have the power to hold myself up any longer. I feel nothing but the incessant throbbing radiating from my back. Hiccupping sobs escape my lips, and tears fall freely from my eyes. I lay motionless on the cool concrete, wishing it can swallow me whole. The whip finally stops, and I whimper in relief. Searing heat flays along my back, making it feel like raw, bloodied meat.

My hair is gripped tightly, and my head is yanked back toward a pair of the vilest eyes I’ve ever seen.

“You will learn to obey, eahira,” Danish sneers viciously.

I muster up all my strength and spit into his face. My mouth is dry, and I don’t manage to spit out as much saliva as I would’ve liked, but the fighter in me sees it’s more than enough. His eyes blaze and his nostrils flare.

“Remember this lesson, whore.”

My hair is released, and my face cruelly smacks the concrete floor with a thud. A sharp pang shoots throughout my cheekbone and tears cloud my vision. I clench my eyes shut, staving off the pain. The faint thudding of boots in the room gets closer.

Summoning all my strength, I peel my eyes open only to catch the tail end of a heavy boot flying toward my face. My skull is branded with fire when the boot makes contact. I try to block myself, but the blows come from every which way, uncaring where they land. The pain is insufferable, but after a while, my arms drop, and I make no move to protect myself. I no longer have the strength nor the power to do so.

I can’t feel anything.

I don’t want to feel anything.

The last thing I remember is closing my eyes and letting the darkness devour my last breath.

PAST

“Well, hello brother dearest. Long time no talk,” I chastise through the phone. It’s been three weeks since I last heard from my older brother, Garrett. He works out of state, and his job requires long hours of endless work.

Doing what? I have no idea.

Garrett sighs into the phone. “Sorry Soph. Work’s been crazy lately and my boss has been up my ass. Just wanted to check in and see how you were.”

“I’m doing okay. I’m going to the banquet tonight for mom and dad. I really wish you could be here with me tonight, Gar. You know how hard this is.”

I sit back in my chair and blow out a deep breath, fiddling with the stack of hot pink Post-it notes on my desk.

After my parents’ death, my mom’s best friend threw a banquet in their honor. My father was in the service for as long as I can remember, and my mother was the dutiful service wife.