Damaged Souls

Chapter 5 Beatings

March 23rd, 1975
I woke up to the sound of the basement door opening, and I lifted my head to see Jack walk down the stairs holding a tray of breakfast. "Wake up sunshine!" He said cheerfully, and placed the tray down in front of me. Looking at it, I felt my mouth water and my stomach grumble. On the tray was a stack of pancakes, some bacon, eggs, and a cup of tea. I hadn't seen such amazing looking food since before my mom died. I suddenly remembered the man in front of me had raped me and was holding me captive in his home. "What do you want..." I scowled, and he simply smiled. "Now now Caroline, don't give me that look" Jack said as he crossed his arms, staring down at me. "One wrong move could lead you to have many holes put through you" he grinned. "I don't have to like you, at al- Wait, DID YOU SAY HOLES!?" I yelled, and he chuckled. "Behave yourself," he stared, and his face went to a heartless scowl, "because tonight is gonna be far more painful..."

His cheery smile returned. "Now, eat up!" He said as he turned for the stairs and door. My hands were chained up behind my back to the pole, I couldn't move them at all. "How do you expect me to eat with no hands?" I questioned, and he smiled at me. "That's the spirit!" He turned and slammed the door behind him. He wasn't trying to feed me. He was taunting me. He knew I was starving and he put food in front of me knowing I couldn't eat it. He was showing me just how powerless I was. "Son of a bitch..." I whimpered.

As the hours passed, all I could do was sit there and stare at the wall and the ceiling. "Get me out of here..." I sighed, tearing up. I tried to yell for help, get out of my binds, get up, but all I could do was yell in slight pain as the metal of my chains cut my skin. Through the small window at the very top of the wall I could hear children laughing and playing, but they couldn't hear me. In my mind I pleaded for help, for someone to rescue me, anyone. By evening I simply just stared at the wall, counting the seconds, the minutes, and the hours. I felt like my muscles were being melted as I sat completely still, my long black hair barely covering my nudity.

Jack opened the door and slowly walked down, a black leather whip at his side. He grinned at me with that malicious smile. My eyes widened upon seeing the whip, and I desperately tried to move. "D-don't come near me!!!" I pleaded, and he laughed. "I did tell you tonight would be more painful, now didn't I?" He smirked, and raised the whip to hurt- DING. The doorbell rang at a rather convenient time. Scowling, Jack ran out of the room and up the stairs, putting the whip on the kitchen table. I didn't know what was happening, so I stayed quiet. Jack opened the door, and standing there were two police officers. "U-um, hello, officers..." he stuttered.

The one whose name tag said Austin Steel stepped forward. "Good evening sir, don't mean to bother you, but we got a missing child report and we're coming around asking everyone if they've seen her." The cop behind Austin had a sorrowful look on his face. Austin handed Jack a piece of paper with my face, name, and information. Jack was a pathological liar. He knew all the lies in the book; he knew how to get around the cops in a cinch. "Oh dear, I'm awfully sorry about that, that poor girl must be so cold and scared, I haven't seen her myself, but I sure hope you find her officers..." he lied right through his little pitiful smile.

Austin and the other cop nodded with understanding. They didn't suspect him of child abduction at all, he was a seemingly ordinary man with a seemingly ordinary life. All they knew of him was that he was a young bachelor that had a talent in the arts, as he often entered his sketch works of animals into the town talent festival. "Well, thank you for your time sir.." said the other cop, who seemed sadder. Upon hearing the cops, I had to get their attention. Next thing I knew, I was screaming at the top of my lungs. Austin looked down to the floor, furrowing his brow. "You uh, have a child at home sir...?" Austin asked, looking back at Jack. Austin was suspicious now, knowing that this man wasn't married, and never had children at his home. Jack looked like he was gonna blow a casket, and quickly took a breath. "Um, yes, her name is, er, Violet..." he fibbed, and Austin nodded. "Would you mind bringing her up here? Maybe she knows the missing girl..." Austin suggested.

Jack took a deep breath, trying not to punch them, and nodded with a smile. "Of course! I'll go get her" Jack spoke, and quickly came back down the stairs. Upon entering the basement, Jack unchained me hastily and tossed me my underwear and an old fashioned black dress he had in a box at the back of the room. "Get dressed" he ordered. I gave him a weird look and did as I was told, turning so he didn't have to see my naked body more than he already had. As I dressed, Jack came up behind me with a knife, and before I could scream, he sliced...

I watched in horror as my long black locks fell to the floor, and put a hand to my shorn hair in utter shock.

"DID YOU JUST CUT MY HAIR!?" I yelled, and he just gently took me by my shoulders and brought me upstairs. My hair that was formerly hip length was now down to just my shoulders, and was ragged and cut horribly. Upon seeing the cops I wanted to jump for joy and tell them everything, but behind my back Jack held my tiny wrist in such a way that he could break it with one small snap. "This is my recently adopted daughter, Violet!" Jack exclaimed with a fake smile. "I have to lie..." I mourned in my mind, and looked at the cops. "I'm sorry officers, I haven't seen the poor girl..." I mumbled. "But I'M that poor girl!" I thought.

The other cop, whose name tag I couldn't read because it was obscured by his bag strap, he looked at me closely for a moment, almost as if the gears in his mind were clicking together. "Alright sir and young miss, thank you for your time" Austin said with a smile, and motioned for the other cop to follow him. After they drove off and were out of sight, Jack looked at me with the most menacing glare I had ever seen. "Get downstairs, now..." he said lowly, and I ran down to the basement steps for dear life. Jack grabbed the whip and came after me. I had almost made it downstairs, when I tripped on the third last step, causing me to fall. I crashed to the basement floor, my side roaring with pain. I attempted to stand, but Jack planted his foot on my back to hold me still, and he repeatedly whipped my back.

Every scream of pain and agony I let out fueled his anger, his eyes burning with it as he lashed all of his fury onto me. Even after the whip started to become wet with my blood, he didn't stop. I cried so hard, my tears soaking my shorn hair. Finally, after all I could do was whimper, he stopped, breathing heavily. Jack walked to the other side of me, and gently lifted my face in his hand. I couldn't stand up, I couldn't even move. "Please..." I begged. "Just let me go, I won't tell anyone what you've done..." I sobbed. Jack harshly slapped my face and glared at me. "You're not leaving Caroline..." he growled.

Jack undressed me, and chained me back up. I glared up at him and scowled. "Just know, I hope you get crushed by a tree and die a disfigured freak, you sick fuck..." I spat, and he willed himself not to choke me right then and there. "Goodnight, Caroline..." he muttered, and left, slamming the basement door. I once again cried myself to sleep, praying someone would save me from this awful world of nightmares and horrors.