LJ Idol Season 7: Week 26; Grip
Imagine a world devoid of all hope, where nothing has ever been any different than it is right now except in the pages of a book.
Bethany was in the middle of reading one of the few books she owned. The pages were yellowed and tattered long before the book ever entered her hands. Her bookmark was the same slip of paper that she’d found inside it. The only thing on it was a number that made no sense to her: 5/21/2011. It felt wrong to tear the original slip of paper from the book in which it came with, so she never let the two part.
Emma was her favorite of all the books she’d discovered. It painted pictures of a world filled with lush scenery that seemed so alien to her and talked about a life she couldn’t begin to imagine. But while she was caught up in the books, she could escape from the barren life that surrounded her and envision what it must like to be a girl in a time where one could choose your own husband for love instead of having to marry for safety and protection,
She didn’t hear Victor entering her room, but somehow he’d managed to sneak up on her as she read.
“Bethany?”
She jumped at the mention of her name, startled. She wasn’t sure if she was comfortable with him alone in her room, regardless of their current situation. Her father may be making her marry him, but she still was unnerved at the thought of anything remotely intimate with this man who was little more than a stranger.
“Yes, Victor? Umm why don’t I meet you outside instead? I can be right out...” She made a movement to get out of bed, but before she could understand what was happening, he was on top of her.
“Get off me!” She pounded her fists into his back and tried forcing him off her with the strength of her kicks, but it was no use. Her father chose this man for her due to his sheer strength and ability to protect her...He never thought that it could be turned against his own daughter.
“Is that any way to treat your fiance’?”
“I won’t marry you. I don’t care what my father says...I’m in love with somebody else.” She said with as much hatred as she could muster.
Victor may have felt her hatred, but he chose to ignore it.
“Your lover is weak, he would never be able to protect you in the world we live in. Your silly little books keep filling your head with all these romantic notions. Sweetheart, you need to face reality. Our world ain’t nothin’ like that anymore. It’s an ugly place out there. A dangerous place. You need a man like me to keep a pretty little thing like you safe...Or else you may just end up like your mother.” He chuckled to himself knowing the pain it would be bring her. Her father said her mom had dreams, had hope and was even in love with him. And those things led to her death. Bethany’s father never got through the grief and guilt about not being strong enough to save her.
“I would rather die than have anything to do with you. I will never be yours...” She spat in his face, still struggling against his weight. Her tiny frame was no match for his but she wouldn’t let this go down without a fight.
“Oh you won’t? Well it doesn’t seem like you have much choice in the matter, my dear...” He smiled down upon her. “And where’s your weak little lover at now? Hmm? Your father and I both know he could never protect you from what lurks about out there. You’re mine to protect. And to do with as I please.”
He pressed his lips down onto hers, sliding his tongue into her mouth so her cries could no longer be heard. With one hand, he pulled her hands above her head and pinned them down. His other hand lingered over parts of her that had never known a man’s touch.
He may have been her fiance’ but it wasn’t a choice she had made...Yet as with everything else in the world they lived in, she had no choice in the matter and no way to defend herself.
ooo000ooo
Sean strolled through the ruin of the once great city. The ancient broken and burned out husks of enormous buildings flanked him as he made his way to his destination. His footsteps seemed to be the only sound, the world around him seemed to be silent, waiting, watching. He couldn’t see them but knew that eyes peered at him from the busted out holes that once contained windows. He could see dark clouds gathering in the distance. He had a task to do, one of which he knew he might not live through. But it was for her. She was completely worth it.
She tried to not tell him what had happened, but he knew her too well for her to be able to hide it from him. He saw the pain in her eyes all too clearly, saw the blood on her sheets and knew something terrible had been done to her that day. He never could have imagined the horror she endured, and he fully intended to bring down the man who’d used her, who’d caused her that much pain.
The world was an ugly and violent place, sure, but he loved Bethany with everything he had in him. He loved her so much, he was willing to die to protect her. No one believed he had it in him, but they didn’t see the passion he had inside him for her. They didn’t see the fierce loyalty that coursed through his veins. They didn’t understand that while he may not be big or strong or openly violent, he was a fighter and would always fight for those he loved and for what he felt was the right thing to do.
Today, the right thing to do was kill the man who hurt the woman he loved, even if that meant dying himself.
He walked along the empty road, staring down at the broken asphalt below his feet. Perhaps at one time this was a bustling city, but today it was nothing more than ruins. Weeds sprouted up between the cracks of the sidewalk, the empty shells of buildings surrounded him. Even in the middle of the day, no one wandered the roads that didn’t need to. It was too dangerous to be out in the open. You could be killed for the slice of bread you carried in your pocket. It had gotten that bleak, that desperate...People would kill for the basic necessities of life. That was their world.
Sean wasn’t worried though. He carried a knife hidden carefully on him and he was already on a dangerous mission as it was...The people hiding in nooks and holes throughout the city, watching him carefully were the least of his concerns right now.
He made it to his destination and slipped inside a massive hole in the wall in which may a window may have been at one time, but there was nothing left but a shell these days. Victor, as to be expected, was not home. Most people went out for their foraging during the daylight hours if they had to. He was a big, strong man and was probably hunting for his next meal in the woods or perhaps killing someone for the stores of food they had. With the sun quickly setting, even Victor wouldn’t stay out for long. No one cared to wander the streets at night. Nothing was worth that danger.
As to be expected, before the sun set, Victor made his way into his makeshift shelter that he called home. Sean heard his footsteps shuffling in through the same hole he had climbed in, and he walked through the room carrying some fresh meat behind him. Distracted with his preparations, and arrogantly assuming no one would dare enter his home, he continued slicing through the raw flesh that could have been deer, dog or human for all Sean could tell. People didn’t differentiate that much between the three after all.
As Victor sliced through the flesh, Sean slowly slid up behind him and gripped his neck in the crook of his elbow.
Without a moment’s hesitation, and with one swift movement, Victors neck cracked under the pressure. The larger man’s body went limp, almost knocking Sean to the ground under the weight.
If only his job were done, Sean would have thought that maybe this was all just a little too easy. He knew better than all that though. He pulled out the knife and started on the rest of his work.
ooo000ooo
Bethany was sitting with her father, not bothering to speak since it was futile to make conversation with him anyway. He had somehow brought home fresh meat, of which Bethany didn’t bother to question the origin. She stared down at the food before her, thankful for it being there, but still unable to summon an appetite to eat it.
Her father was happily gobbling down his food, unaware of the inner turmoil her daughter was facing and everything that she had gone through.
“Mr. Foster?”
A voice came from outside their home which caused her father to reach for his weapon and Bethany’s eyes to go wide. It was after dark, and not a time when people would mingle out on the streets. Who would be so brave?
Her father quickly peered outside before ushering the boy in.
“What on Earth are you doing outside at night?” He quickly looked over the boy’s bloody clothing, trying to conjure up an idea as to what he could have gotten himself into.
“I have something for you...: He quickly glanced at the girl he loved across the table and managed to bring forth a smile, which quickly made her smile back at him.
“What could be so important this time of night?”
“I wanted to show you that yes, I am capable of protecting your daughter...More than you might imagine even...” He turned his attention back to the man in front of him, trying to appear confident. “So I have brought you a gift.”
“Son, what kind of gift would prove something like that?”
Sean pulled something out of his bag, away from Bethany’s eyes so she wouldn’t have to see for herself as he dropped it on the floor in front of her father with a loud clunk.
“How about the head of the man who raped her?”
Bethany was in the middle of reading one of the few books she owned. The pages were yellowed and tattered long before the book ever entered her hands. Her bookmark was the same slip of paper that she’d found inside it. The only thing on it was a number that made no sense to her: 5/21/2011. It felt wrong to tear the original slip of paper from the book in which it came with, so she never let the two part.
Emma was her favorite of all the books she’d discovered. It painted pictures of a world filled with lush scenery that seemed so alien to her and talked about a life she couldn’t begin to imagine. But while she was caught up in the books, she could escape from the barren life that surrounded her and envision what it must like to be a girl in a time where one could choose your own husband for love instead of having to marry for safety and protection,
She didn’t hear Victor entering her room, but somehow he’d managed to sneak up on her as she read.
“Bethany?”
She jumped at the mention of her name, startled. She wasn’t sure if she was comfortable with him alone in her room, regardless of their current situation. Her father may be making her marry him, but she still was unnerved at the thought of anything remotely intimate with this man who was little more than a stranger.
“Yes, Victor? Umm why don’t I meet you outside instead? I can be right out...” She made a movement to get out of bed, but before she could understand what was happening, he was on top of her.
“Get off me!” She pounded her fists into his back and tried forcing him off her with the strength of her kicks, but it was no use. Her father chose this man for her due to his sheer strength and ability to protect her...He never thought that it could be turned against his own daughter.
“Is that any way to treat your fiance’?”
“I won’t marry you. I don’t care what my father says...I’m in love with somebody else.” She said with as much hatred as she could muster.
Victor may have felt her hatred, but he chose to ignore it.
“Your lover is weak, he would never be able to protect you in the world we live in. Your silly little books keep filling your head with all these romantic notions. Sweetheart, you need to face reality. Our world ain’t nothin’ like that anymore. It’s an ugly place out there. A dangerous place. You need a man like me to keep a pretty little thing like you safe...Or else you may just end up like your mother.” He chuckled to himself knowing the pain it would be bring her. Her father said her mom had dreams, had hope and was even in love with him. And those things led to her death. Bethany’s father never got through the grief and guilt about not being strong enough to save her.
“I would rather die than have anything to do with you. I will never be yours...” She spat in his face, still struggling against his weight. Her tiny frame was no match for his but she wouldn’t let this go down without a fight.
“Oh you won’t? Well it doesn’t seem like you have much choice in the matter, my dear...” He smiled down upon her. “And where’s your weak little lover at now? Hmm? Your father and I both know he could never protect you from what lurks about out there. You’re mine to protect. And to do with as I please.”
He pressed his lips down onto hers, sliding his tongue into her mouth so her cries could no longer be heard. With one hand, he pulled her hands above her head and pinned them down. His other hand lingered over parts of her that had never known a man’s touch.
He may have been her fiance’ but it wasn’t a choice she had made...Yet as with everything else in the world they lived in, she had no choice in the matter and no way to defend herself.
Sean strolled through the ruin of the once great city. The ancient broken and burned out husks of enormous buildings flanked him as he made his way to his destination. His footsteps seemed to be the only sound, the world around him seemed to be silent, waiting, watching. He couldn’t see them but knew that eyes peered at him from the busted out holes that once contained windows. He could see dark clouds gathering in the distance. He had a task to do, one of which he knew he might not live through. But it was for her. She was completely worth it.
She tried to not tell him what had happened, but he knew her too well for her to be able to hide it from him. He saw the pain in her eyes all too clearly, saw the blood on her sheets and knew something terrible had been done to her that day. He never could have imagined the horror she endured, and he fully intended to bring down the man who’d used her, who’d caused her that much pain.
The world was an ugly and violent place, sure, but he loved Bethany with everything he had in him. He loved her so much, he was willing to die to protect her. No one believed he had it in him, but they didn’t see the passion he had inside him for her. They didn’t see the fierce loyalty that coursed through his veins. They didn’t understand that while he may not be big or strong or openly violent, he was a fighter and would always fight for those he loved and for what he felt was the right thing to do.
Today, the right thing to do was kill the man who hurt the woman he loved, even if that meant dying himself.
He walked along the empty road, staring down at the broken asphalt below his feet. Perhaps at one time this was a bustling city, but today it was nothing more than ruins. Weeds sprouted up between the cracks of the sidewalk, the empty shells of buildings surrounded him. Even in the middle of the day, no one wandered the roads that didn’t need to. It was too dangerous to be out in the open. You could be killed for the slice of bread you carried in your pocket. It had gotten that bleak, that desperate...People would kill for the basic necessities of life. That was their world.
Sean wasn’t worried though. He carried a knife hidden carefully on him and he was already on a dangerous mission as it was...The people hiding in nooks and holes throughout the city, watching him carefully were the least of his concerns right now.
He made it to his destination and slipped inside a massive hole in the wall in which may a window may have been at one time, but there was nothing left but a shell these days. Victor, as to be expected, was not home. Most people went out for their foraging during the daylight hours if they had to. He was a big, strong man and was probably hunting for his next meal in the woods or perhaps killing someone for the stores of food they had. With the sun quickly setting, even Victor wouldn’t stay out for long. No one cared to wander the streets at night. Nothing was worth that danger.
As to be expected, before the sun set, Victor made his way into his makeshift shelter that he called home. Sean heard his footsteps shuffling in through the same hole he had climbed in, and he walked through the room carrying some fresh meat behind him. Distracted with his preparations, and arrogantly assuming no one would dare enter his home, he continued slicing through the raw flesh that could have been deer, dog or human for all Sean could tell. People didn’t differentiate that much between the three after all.
As Victor sliced through the flesh, Sean slowly slid up behind him and gripped his neck in the crook of his elbow.
Without a moment’s hesitation, and with one swift movement, Victors neck cracked under the pressure. The larger man’s body went limp, almost knocking Sean to the ground under the weight.
If only his job were done, Sean would have thought that maybe this was all just a little too easy. He knew better than all that though. He pulled out the knife and started on the rest of his work.
Bethany was sitting with her father, not bothering to speak since it was futile to make conversation with him anyway. He had somehow brought home fresh meat, of which Bethany didn’t bother to question the origin. She stared down at the food before her, thankful for it being there, but still unable to summon an appetite to eat it.
Her father was happily gobbling down his food, unaware of the inner turmoil her daughter was facing and everything that she had gone through.
“Mr. Foster?”
A voice came from outside their home which caused her father to reach for his weapon and Bethany’s eyes to go wide. It was after dark, and not a time when people would mingle out on the streets. Who would be so brave?
Her father quickly peered outside before ushering the boy in.
“What on Earth are you doing outside at night?” He quickly looked over the boy’s bloody clothing, trying to conjure up an idea as to what he could have gotten himself into.
“I have something for you...: He quickly glanced at the girl he loved across the table and managed to bring forth a smile, which quickly made her smile back at him.
“What could be so important this time of night?”
“I wanted to show you that yes, I am capable of protecting your daughter...More than you might imagine even...” He turned his attention back to the man in front of him, trying to appear confident. “So I have brought you a gift.”
“Son, what kind of gift would prove something like that?”
Sean pulled something out of his bag, away from Bethany’s eyes so she wouldn’t have to see for herself as he dropped it on the floor in front of her father with a loud clunk.
“How about the head of the man who raped her?”