Page 4 of When It Rains He Pours

Twisting me on my heels, a dark shadow covered his face as he walked me backwards. My feet clung to the ground, trying desperately to stay in that place. I didn't want to be guided away, further and further into the depths of my gallery. Further and further away from the outside world and the safety I could hear passing by like thunder in a cloud.

There were so many people outside, but none of them were aware of what was happening in here, hidden behind the walls.

“Please, just let me go.” The hard wall slammed into my shoulder blades, forcing all the air out of my lungs.

“You're not going anywhere, not until I'm finished.” The white of his eyes glowed against the black silhouette. “Not until we're seeing eye to eye.”

“Don't do this, you don't have to do this.” Holding up my arms, palms facing out, I hoped whatever humanity he had left inside would make its voice heard.

I needed him to recognize that this wasn't right, that this would hurt us both. Because darkness wasn't a single layer, it was an endless hole. And if he kept going, it would only trap us both.

I'd be left burning inside myself with nightmares and scattered emotions I'd never tame. And this man, he'd have to live with the memory of what he had done.

Leave me alone!

I won't let you do this!

“That's not up to me.” Dropping his arms to his sides, they hung stiff. “I don't make the rules, I just follow them.”

Is this guy fucking crazy?

What rules?

The man took a step forward, his shoulders pressing back, head clicking shoulder to shoulder like he was stretching his neck. We were inches apart, almost touching chest to chest.

I didn't want him that close, I wanted him to get the hell out and leave me alone. Glancing at the floor to my side, I spotted my purse. It was arms length away, so close I could feel the phone inside.

“If you don't get the fuck out of here, I'm calling the cops!” Jerking my body to the side, I lunged for my purse on the floor.

The man snapped forward, forcing my muscles into overdrive. Slamming my knees on the ground, a gust of air swept past my face as he tried to grab me. He missed.

Crawling on my hands and knees, I scrambled to my bag. It seemed so much further away than I thought, as if my eyes had played a cruel trick, and it hadn't been close to begin with.

“Get back here!” he barked, stomping with heavy feet. His boots hit with force, each step a needless drive to regain control.

The light off the street caught my eye, slithering over the floor in bright beams of safety. All I had to do was get there, all I needed to do was get up and run out that door.

Go Glory! Go!

Pushing my hands into the ground, I climbed to my feet and ran. My heels crunched over broken glass and splintered remnants of my life.

Everything I had was gone, and I wasn't about to let this creature take one more thing from me.

The man growled like a wild animal, his grunt filled with anger and rage. But I didn't look back to see where he was, I was too close, the door was right there, all I had to do was take a few more steps.

Tripping over the broken paintings, I lost my footing and fell onto my knees. Short bursts of air filled my lungs as the tips of his shoes crept into my line of sight. He was standing over me, his presence weighing down on my shoulders and holding me still.

And just like that, the safety was gone, ripped out from beneath my feet like a rug.

“Why are you doing this to me!?” I screamed, keeping my eyes on the floor. I didn't want to look up, I couldn't. Just feeling the fear of the unknown was enough to keep me stagnant. “What the hell do you want from me?”

“You should know,” he said, the words tearing off his tongue through clenched teeth. “You should know exactly what I want from you, I shouldn't have to explain myself.”

Breathing in slowly through my nose, I curled the tips of my fingers into the floor. My nails raked the small divots in the hard surface as desperation and need overwhelmed me.

You can't have it! I'm not yours to take!

Shaking my head, I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying so damn hard to keep my composure. There had to be something else I could offer him, something that wasn't forced use of my body.

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