Chapter 3. The Damsel

Tanesha Ashton huddled in the corner of the room that had been her prison for days, her arms wrapped around her knees, scared shitless. She couldn’t tell how many days she had been in that room. There was no window so it was difficult to tell. She’d kept hoping it was merely a nightmare but now she knew it wasn’t. No nightmare could drag that long. In a way, she was getting used to the routine. They fed her once a day and gave her two bottles of water every day. There was one particular scary-looking man who came to escort her to the washroom three times a day. And he would stand and watch her whilst she attended to her business. 

It was humiliating but there was nothing she could do about it. They allowed her a bath once in a while and that was killing her because she was so used to taking showers twice a day. Apart from some shoves and a few slaps, she had been left alone. Tanesha knew she could have avoided getting those slaps if she had kept her mouth shut. But that wasn’t her. She’d always been outspoken and feisty and didn’t plan on changing who she was simply because some idiots decided to kidnap her.

She remembered that day she’d been taken as clearly as though it had happened mere hours ago. She’d been on her way to the law firm where she was to start her internship. She’d parked her sleek Mercedes Benz CLK convertible in the underground parking lot and gotten out to realize she was the only person in the lot. She’d ignored the shiver of dread that flashed down her spine and walked briskly towards the elevator, her high heels clicking loudly in the quiet parking lot. That was what happened when you watched too many movies, Tanesha chastised herself. Why would anyone want to harm her? She tried to reassure herself but the feeling of dread wouldn’t go away. In hindsight, she should have probably listened to her instincts and gotten back into her car and driven off. Too late now, she thought bitterly.

Before she got to the elevator, she’d seen two suspicious-looking characters walking towards her. She’d instinctively known they were trouble and reached into her bag for her pepper spray. Immediately she’d gone past them, she turned her head slightly and saw both men turn towards her. She’d reflexively raised her hand and let her spray burst forth. But just as one of the men screamed, the other had slapped the spray from her hand with a gun and pointed the deadly weapon at her head.

“Don’t fucking move.” He growled at her and then turned to look at his whimpering colleague. “Oh stop your whining, Polks.” Gun Man snapped. “Someone might hear you.”

“I’m going to kill the bitch.” Polks Pepper Spray growled.

“Listen, you can take all the money in my purse, I…” Tanesha started to say but got cut off by the gunman.

“Shut up bitch. Who said anything about money?” He whispered harshly. “Polks, so help me God, if you don’t stop acting like a girl and bring that hankie…”

Polks was up in a flash and pressing a white handkerchief against Tanesha’s nose. She struggled but felt herself go slack as the world went black. 

She’d woken up in the room she sat in that very moment and screamed till her voice had gotten hoarse. She’d promised whoever was listening, how she was going to sue their arses and later added that she was going to slit their throats. The first guy who had dared come close to her had gotten deep scratch marks on his cheeks to show for his foolishness. Of course, she’d gotten two hard slaps for her trouble. But that hadn’t stopped her from giving the second idiot who had not only come close but had also squeezed her boob, a solid kick in the groin. They’d tied her up then and called her a psycho bitch.

Tanesha wasn’t fighting much now and was being left alone. But she couldn’t help the renewed fear that was whirling within her. She’d heard whispers and talks and she was terrified. Even the guys who were watching her seemed excited and yet scared. There was talk of a contest between some people. The name Skull kept coming up. It looked like her captors wanted the Skull person to win because he was badass, whatever that meant. The idiot who had been at the receiving end of her pepper spray, and who seemed to hate her with a passion due to his eyes still being sore, had a great time telling her what was coming.

“For you, I’m hoping Skull comes out victorious, bitch.” He spat. “Warlord will also be great but I want the wicked Skull to win.” He laughed. “You silly rich kids think you’re untouchable. Wait till Skull gets here. And thank your stars we’ve been asked to hold on with your torture till the winner gets here. I would have torn that pussy up.”

Another guy who they called Shark, laughed at that. “Looking at that fine black body, that pussy is going to be tight, hot, and fucking juicy, Polks.” He said leering at Tanesha. “You know…she reminds me of that porn chic. Bethany Benz.”

“You’re right, Shark.” Polks’ eyes widened in surprise. “I thought she looked familiar. Shit! They look so fucking alike. Maybe they’re related.”

Tanesha fumed. How dare these idiots discuss her as though she weren’t even there? How rude! And to think she actually reminded them of a porn star. She wished she could slap the leers off their faces.

“Same face, better body, Polks.” Shark groaned. “Look at that arse and boobs.” He moaned, licking his lips. “Bethany’s got nothing on her. Skull’s gonna rape your pussy till it’s dripping blood.” He grinned devilishly. “Then we’ll all have a go at you. Fuck, I can’t wait.”

“I know right.” Polks, who Tanesha preferred to call Pepper Spray, responded. “I hear Skull loves tearing it up. Let’s hope he’s not a selfish user. I can’t wait to have my turn after he’s done.”

“I want that arse.” Shark licked his lips lustfully. “Maybe we can have a threesome after Skull is done with her, Polks. What do you say?”

“Hell yeah.” Polks responded as they slapped their palms against each other’s and laughed. “Hey Jess, will you join us for a foursome?” He called to the idiot who still had her nail marks on his cheeks, as he entered the room. “I get the pussy, Shark gets the arse and you get the mouth.”

“So the bitch can bite off my dick?” Scar face growled, making the others laugh. “I’m rooting for Skull to win, simply because I hear he likes cutting up their body parts bits by bits to quicken things up when he’s negotiating. That’s the part I’m looking forward to.” He moved closer to Tanesha. “Can’t wait to give you some major permanent scars, darling. I’m going to enjoy taking you apart piece by piece, you bitch.” He spat, his hatred for Tanesha darkening his eyes to almost black. 

Who the fuck were these people, Tanesha couldn’t help but wonder. Why were they so wicked? Were they not human beings? Why would a human being treat another with such wickedness, she asked herself for the umpteenth time. She thought such people were only in movies but obviously, there were real-life ones. Tanesha had never prayed like she did that day. She prayed that Skull would lose whatever contest her captors were talking about. It looked like her survival depended on Skull losing. Warlord and Fat or whatever they called the third person sounded like angels compared to the Skull guy for sure.

Tanesha had been terrified since that little chat between her captors. Whenever she heard loud voices or any commotion outside her prison, she literally trembled, thinking Skull had won. But no new face came. Tanesha wished that by some miracle, the people would let her go or she would be rescued. She missed her parents and her brothers so much. She knew her mother would be going crazy by then. Tanesha also knew her father would do everything in his power to ensure that she got free. Why it was taking so long, she couldn’t understand. Whatever her father was planning, he’d better act fast before Skull showed up to rape and maim her, Tanesha thought frantically. 

She knew that whatever ransom money these people wanted, her father would be able to raise it. Tanesha could however not help but wonder whether her captors wanted something other than money. Why else was her rescue taking so long? Her captors were obviously not after money. Did they want to kill her? Maybe to punish her father for something he’d done? Tanesha furiously wiped at the tears that slid down her cheeks. All she wanted was to go home and have her mother’s arms around her. Was that too much to ask? 

Giving in to the soft sobs, Tanesha cried herself to sleep.