Gone Astray: Chapter 4 – Broken

Oh man, oh man! Who’s that in my bedroom?! A… a small girl! Her wrists and ankles are bound in firm tape. Her shirt is a dirty pink, a match with the dirty flooring around her. Her whole body is battered. Black and blue bruises are painted on each of her limbs. One of her fingers… I almost puke. Her face is a wreck. She has two huge gashes on her forehead. Her left eye is puffed up so bad that I can barely see their whites through the black swelling. Her cheek is bleeding profusely along with the other two cuts. When I had entered the room she had started squealing through her gag and writhed on the floor like an injured caterpillar. The look of horror on her face almost makes me want to kill myself. What’s going on?! Where did she come from?! Is it some stupid prank? Are those bruises and cuts all over her body just some clever make-up? Who’s behind this? I crawl closer to her ever so slowly. The closer I get the more she struggles against her bonds. I finally pick her head up by the chin and I gasp in disbelief. Keisha?

Oh man, oh man! Who’s this in my bedroom?! A… a small girl! Her wrists and ankles are… Just joking, I know exactly who it is. I drop her head with a soft thud. She starts crying slightly as her head hits the floor. I give her a stern look and like magic, I stop hearing her voice. I think I’ve broken her spirit pretty good! It happens all the time. James would open the bedroom door, look at Keisha on the floor and be like Oh God what’s this girl doing in my house? What? That’s Keisha? Then he’ll get all worked up and sweaty and crazy. And in that moment, I break through his conscience and shove it to the back of our brain. I stand up and stretch my arms, yawning loudly. It was a long day. The police officers came for a second round of interrogation. James actually handled it pretty well. I should say he’s pretty good at it. The police went hard this time, and though he started freaking out, breaking all composure he had, he still didn’t spill the beans. How can he if he doesn’t know anything? Heh, good going James, you ignorant prick. Sometimes I look at James and wonder how someone like him is sharing a body with me. Though he’s super concerned about Keisha, he forgets every sighting of her. I’m not complaining, but it just seems really stupid. I look back at Keisha. She looks way thinner than before. Well it isn’t really my fault she isn’t eating. The smell of iron has become really boring. Everyday it’s the same blood over and over again, meh. She should really save up her strength for tonight, I think.

Something on the floor catches my eye. It’s a notebook. I pick it up and see a little pen clipped onto the binding of the pages. The front cover is that of a little cute cat and it stands out from the light pink of the background. I remember this. She had it tucked away in her jacket. One time I removed her bonds and she suddenly pulled it out leaving me really surprised. But I didn’t do anything. I thought it would be interesting to see what would be in it after a month or so. But it’s only been two weeks, and I cannot contain myself. I am so excited! It’s like opening a huge box wrapped up in gift wrap, who knows what would be inside! I pry the book open and inspect its contents. How beautiful! She’s written about every single day she’s been in this room! Oh how sad it all is, how depressing. Reading it just makes me want to read more and more. Certainly the best thing I’ve read in a long time. And her writing is so cute and simple, it can’t have been better. I read through every page and tear out every single one except those that are most gruesome. Happy memories Keisha! I throw her diary at her face and step out of the room.

Night has finally arrived. I open the room door and turn the lights on to find her sleeping in her bonds. I hope she’s been sleeping well ‘cause she isn’t going to get any sleep for the rest of the night. Wait a sec’, I’ve forgotten something. Ah stupid me! I scold myself for my neglection, run out the door and return with a screwdriver. Inflicting pain on her is so much fun. I’ve been doing this for the past two weeks with so many different kinds of objects, I’ve learned so much! I wonder what a screwdriver would do to her. I approach her with a little hop in my step. I wish for the night to be fun. I kneel down and rip the tape off her wrists. The blue it has left on her skin really goes well with her dirty pink shirt and black jacket. What happens after undoing her ankles is unprecedented. She suddenly rises up and butts her head straight into my face. I don’t even see it coming. I suddenly see stars and my head reels in pain as I collapse to the floor. I involuntarily drop the screwdriver and cover my mouth, feeling blood trickle from it steadily. Almost immediately I feel something sharp piercing my leg. I scream in anguish as I look below my waist. She has plunged the screwdriver into my thigh. Where did she suddenly get her strength from? I glance towards the door amidst my agony. She is limping towards it, trying to escape. No you ain’t goin’ anywhere! I leap towards her and with all my strength, I lift her above my head and slam her against the wall.

Oooooo that must’ve hurt like crazy! Haha! The noise that emanated when her head struck the wall, ouch! Well she deserves that though, the hell was she thinking trying to do what she did? She crumbles to the floor like a building on fire. Heheh, that analogy sounded pretty good in my head. I kneel over her still frame on the floor. She is breathing really faint, I can barely feel her exhaling on my finger. Ah that is enough, she’s alive at least. I look at the screwdriver still embedded in my thigh. I pluck it out with a gasp of pain. That’s going to take a while to heal. I turn towards her and spit the blood accumulating in my mouth. I am going to have to be more careful in the future. Well, at least not in the near future, I am done for the night. I turn to my bed. I’ve never felt so eager to fall asleep before. A really pungent, foul smell stops me in my tracks. I turn to Keisha slumped on the floor. Ah man, looks like her bladder couldn’t hold it in. But I can’t be bothered, right now the only thing I want is to crash on my filthy yet comfy bed. I just tape up her wrists and ankles again before jumping on my cot. At least let the amusement I didn’t receive tonight pop into my dreams.

– Tejas Harirajan