Whipping Girl by L. Jacobs
Chapter 10 – Ally - 5 years ago
“Oh, honey.” Dr. Rachel says as she looks at my back, it’s been 15 days since the whipping, it barely hurts anymore unless I move wrong but the lashes are scabbed over and itchy. “These are definitely going to scar, there is nothing we can do about that.” I don’t really care if they scar, it doesn't bother me because I know that Alexander has scars on his back and now I know firsthand where the long silvery marks had come from.
I had just gotten out of the shower when she had knocked, she’s been tending to me in mine and Alexander’s room since he had to leave and I’m so grateful to her, for listening and lending an ear. I haven’t been allowed to leave the room at all, I suppose they want to hide me away from the other girls and I have been thankful for the solitude. I know I didn’t do anything wrong but I still feel ashamed and confused all the same. I can’t believe that all of this has happened. Alexander and I didn’t talk much over the two days that he stayed with me, anger and resentment clouded out most of what he had said anyway. He was with someone else, another girl, the knowledge is like a hot poker straight through my heart and it’s far more painful than the whipping that I had received. I’m still unsure of why I was dragged into that room and lashed in front of all of those men, I just know that it didn’t have anything to do with me.
“Listen to me, Allyanna because we don’t have a lot of time.” She turns me to face her. “I need you to go put on your clothes, I’m going to get you out of this place.”
I furrow my brow, unsure what she’s talking about. I can’t leave.
“But Alexander-”
“Alexander sent me, Sweetheart. He’s waiting for you outside of this building and he’s going to get you out of here.” She whispers urgently, looking over her shoulder to make sure we are alone in the room. I’ve haven't been out of this building since I’ve been here, why am I leaving now? Would Alexander really send someone else to get me out here? I can’t imagine him trusting anyone enough to put my safety in their hands.
“Why wouldn’t he come himself?” I eye her warily, unsure if she’s telling me the truth. Is this some sort of test?
“Because The Guard doesn’t know that he’s back, he wants to get you to safety first.”
“But-”
“Allyanna.. he told me to tell you to ‘let down your hair’ those were his words, he said you would understand.” I do, it means that he’s trying to save me. I smile despite our problems, picturing him having to say those words out loud to her. I now know it was him, it had to have been Alexander who gave her the order to get me out, nobody else would know what those words meant for us.
“Okay. Just give me two minutes.” She smiles back at me then walks out of the bathroom so I can dress. I quickly put on my clothes, my shaky fingers making it take longer than normal.
Are we going to make a run for it? Why now? Because I was whipped or is there some other reason? Where will we go? Are we going to be safe? All of these questions are still running through my mind as we walk through the white hallways toward the clinic. Dr. Rachel uses her badge to open the door but we’re stopped when John walks around the corner.
“Hey! Why is she out of the room?” The big blonde man asks, looking threatening. “I was told she couldn’t be let out.” Dr. Rachel freezes but smiles at him, her voice holding not even an ounce of the nervousness that I know she must be feeling.
“I need to see to her back, I had forgotten my ointment so I figured it would be easier to bring her back here. We don’t want her to scar too badly, do we?” She loses her smile, sending him a glare as if it was his fault that this happened. I see shame cross his face briefly, maybe unused to people confronting him about such things but he quickly masks it then nods for us to continue. Dr. Rachel lets out a quiet breath when he continues down the hall, then with a hand on my back she quickly ushers me into the room, closing the door behind us. “I have a private elevator up to the ground floor, when we get up there we need to be quick but inconspicuous. Don’t look around nervously, just follow me and try to act confident that you know where we are going.”
“Okay, I think I can do that.” I hope I can do that. I’m still so scared, I’m physically shaking with it, but the promise of seeing Alexander helps me to keep my focus. We ride the elevator to the ground floor then causally walk out, walking down more white halls and passing unknown doors. This place must be a lot bigger than I had believed, I don’t even remember them bringing me in here so I had no idea what to expect. There are several people but luckily I don’t recognize any of them and they seem to pay us no attention as we walk past, I keep my eyes straight ahead, not wanting to draw any kind of suspicion to us. We walk through several doors, Dr. Rachel opens each of them with her key card but she presses her face to a panel on the next one, a red light shining into her eye, I’m wondering why this door needs to scan her eye, confused until she opens it. I shrink back in surprise. Daylight. I’m going outside for the first time in 9 years and I’m hesitating. Why am I hesitating? My heart feels like it’s trying to beat out of my chest and I start sweating with my nerves. What’s wrong with me? I should be pushing out those doors like the building is on fire but yet I just stand there like I’m frozen.
“It’s alright to be scared, Allyanna but you have to go.” She says softly but I hear the undertone of urgency. I just stare at her, unable to move. “Alexander is out there, honey.” That snaps me out of my frozen state, I take a deep breath, pushing away all of my doubts as I pass over the threshold and into the sun soaked area beyond. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust while I scan the area but then I see him.
“Alexander.” I whisper too quietly for him to hear as I start running toward him, he had been leaning up against a black car until he saw me but he straightens immediately when his eyes lock onto mine. He looks so beautiful, a small smile lighting his face as I sprint toward him, he opens his arms when I’m close then engulfs me in his strength when I slam into his hard chest. I start sobbing immediately both with relief that we haven’t been caught and being able to feel him against me for the first time in over two weeks. I hate having to spend any time away from him, but it’s also given me a lot of time to think about things.
“Shh… I’m right here. I’m going to get you out of here, alright?” He pulls my face from his chest, cupping my cheeks and wiping the tears that continue to keep streaming.
“John saw us entering the clinic.” Dr. Rachel says from behind me, making me remember that we are not alone.
“You can still come with us, Rachel. If he saw you…” Alexander says, warning in his tone. He pulls me to stand behind him, keeping a hand on my hip to keep me in place.
“No. Did Zeke cut the cameras?” She asks.
“Yes, but they are still going to question you.” He cautions.
“I know. If you want to change the way things are done, it’s not going to happen overnight, Alex… you’re going to need someone on the inside that can help you.” I see Alexander nod but I sense his reluctance in agreeing, hoping she’ll change her mind.
“Thank you for getting her to me, Rachel. I owe you one. If they question you about-”
“I have my story, Alexander, I just need you to help me make it believable.” I can’t see her anymore but I hear Alexander sigh. “You have to hurry and get her out of here. Just do it.” I don’t know what she’s talking about but Alexander reaches behind him, making me gasp when he lifts the back of his shirt to grab a gun that is tucked into the back of his pants.
“Don’t shoot her!” I whisper yell. Trying to get around him but he pushes me back, holding me with one strong arm.
“I’m not going to shoot her. Turn around Ally and face the car.” He looks over his shoulder at me, his face stern. Normally I wouldn’t hesitate to do as he asked but I don’t want him to hurt her, she’s helping us! “I’m only going to make it look like I forced her to do this, alright?” I release the breath that I had been holding, I don’t know what to expect but I trust him enough to turn around to face the car. I feel him shift and I cover my ears after what I assume was him punching her, I still manage to hear a muffled metallic clang against something softer and it brings bile up my throat. I swallow several times and breathe through the nausea, hoping that I don’t throw up but soon the door beside me is opened and I’m practically thrown into the passenger seat when an alarm starts blaring, it’s so loud that it hurts my ears. My panic triples with Alexander’s quiet curse, he shuts the door behind me then runs around the car to the driver’s seat, jumping in then throwing the car into drive. I sink down into the seat, not wanting to see Dr. Rachel most likely laying on the ground. I’m so confused right now, I have no idea what is happening or where we are going. I have no idea what our future holds. I look over at Alexander to ask my questions but then I shut my mouth at what I see. He looks calm, controlled even. He steadily drives the car with a confidence that he seems to own, he’s used to this, I realize, he’s been in these kind of situations before. I’m a sweaty, nervous mess right now and he looks as though we are just going for a leisurely drive, not a drop of sweat or a nervous tick to be seen.
Who is this man?
“W-why do you have a gun?” I stammer after a few heartbeats. I’m not afraid of him, he would never physically hurt me but the gun makes me nervous anyway.
“To protect you.” He keeps his eyes straight ahead but looks in the review mirror every few seconds, making me nervous. I sit up in my seat, turning to look out the back window, I see what can only be described as a large, concrete compound. Several buildings are surrounded by a tall, thick concrete wall that goes around the entire thing from what I can see, only the open gate to allow traffic in and out of it. I don’t think that gate was supposed to be open for us. There is grass and plants inside the compound but everything outside of it is desert lands that seem to go on forever. Where heck are we?
“To protect me from what?” I ask, apprehension coating my words. I turn back around in my seat and he reaches across me to pull my seatbelt over my lap, the metallic click ringing in the air conditioned car.
“Everything.” He looks to the review mirror again but this time his face goes hard. I know what I would find if I looked behind us… they’re coming for us. I can’t look. I don’t want to see how many people are going to try to kill us.
He grabs a phone from the cup holder, pushing a button he holds it to his ear. “They’re coming, Zeke. Are you guys ready?” Guys? “ETA 3 minutes. Alright, see you soon.” He hangs up then speaks to me. “I need you to listen to me carefully.” He reaches behind my seat and grabs a large, heavy looking black blanket, he hands it to me. “This is bullet proof, I want you to slouch down and completely cover yourself with it. I don’t want you to pull it off for any reason, no matter what you hear or feel, alright?”
“What about you?” I ask, scared of living through something that he might not.
“The car is bulletproof as well, I’m just not taking any chances with you. Tell me you understand.”
“I understand.” I breathe. I can’t believe this is happening.
“Good girl. Do it now.” I do as he asks, slouching into my seat and completely covering my head and body. I’ve never been so frightened in my life, I have no idea what or why all of this is happening but I trust Alexander with my life. He turns on some music, playing it so loudly that I can barely hear the roar of the car engine.
Time seems to go on forever in my blackened cocoon. The music that he played for me is being drowned out by the blood that is now thrumming though my eardrums, making me practically deaf as well as blind to what is happening. My adrenaline spikes when I’m jerked from side to side, I hit my head on the car door but I barely feel any pain, I realize that we are purposely being rammed from the side but I follow Alexander’s orders and keep myself covered, too scared of what I might see if I remove it.
I’m terrified, I don’t know if we are even going to survive this but instead of screaming and crying, I focus solely on prayer. I think I had pretty much forgotten how to until this moment but suddenly I’m asking God to get us through this, to allow us to grow old together and die warm in our beds when we are in our nineties. I never wanted much from life, I’ve always only needed one thing to make me happy… Alexander. I ask God for our lives together and then I pray that if something does happen to him that I am taken as well, because a life without him in it wouldn’t be worth living.
Suddenly there’s an explosion, the blast has Alexander swearing loudly as the car tips on its side, the blanket that I am covered with is ripped away as we are tossed into the air then flipped upside down. The car rolls two or three times before we come to a screeching halt, a loud noise ringing through the air.
“We’re alright! We’re alright, Angel, stop screaming!” I hadn’t realized that I was until he said something so I stop, looking around in shock, I notice that we are upside down.
“Wha.. What happened?”
“We crashed. Are you okay? Anything hurt?” I barely register his questions, I’m still looking around us trying to figure out why everything is upside down. “Look at me, Baby!” I turn my wide eyes to him, my breath coming too quickly. “Are you hurt?” I test myself, flexing my muscles and moving my limbs. I don’t feel anything but I think I could be missing a limb at this point and not feel it.
“N-no.”
“Alright. I’m going to get you free. Listen to my voice, stay with me. Put your arms out, brace them against the ceiling so you don’t fall on your head.” I nod quickly, doing as he asks. He releases my seatbelt and I’m immediately dumped onto the ceiling of the car, crashing down but avoiding injury to my face and head because of his suggestion. He does the same then crawls out the shattered window. I see cuts all over his arms when he offers them to me, pulling me out of the wreckage but keeping me lifted enough so he takes the brunt of the glass. When I’m standing in front of him, he cups my face, looking into my eyes he speaks meaningfully. “We don’t have enough time for me to say everything that I want to say, they will be sending more reinforcements shortly so I need you to listen to me, Angel.”
“I’m listening.” I choke out. The tears starting to flow once again when my shock starts to dissipate slightly.
“You’re going to go with Zeke now-”
“NO! No, I won’t go anywhere without you, Alexander! We have to stay together!” I cut him off, refusing to even think about leaving him. I won’t do it.
“Shh… we’ll be together again, I’ll be back for you.” He kisses the crown of my head over and over as he speaks. “I’ve made contact with your parents, they’re going to take care of you until I can be with you again, alright?” His voice breaks, showing emotion even as he tries to remain firm and strong for me.
“Please, please don’t leave me.” I beg, shaking my head in denial. I’m crying as I throw myself into him, I bury my face into his shirt as I wrap my arms around him to keep him with me. “I love you, please don’t leave me. Don’t send me away! Come with me, we can run!” I pour all of my pain into my words, unable to bear how much this hurts. I feel like I’m being ripped apart.
“I have to do this, Angel. It will take some time but I have to do this if we want any kind of future together.” He kisses my head again, then pulls my face from his shirt and kisses my tears away. His dark eyes show me the pain that he’s feeling even though he’s trying his hardest to hide it from me. Finally he places his mouth on mine, a long, lingering kiss that nearly breaks me with its sweetness. “I will be back for you.” He promises. “Wait for me, Ally, do you understand what I’m saying?” He places his forehead to mine searching my eyes as he waits for confirmation. I know that he’s not just talking about me waiting around for him, he wants me to tell him that I’m his.
“I’m only yours, Alexander. I’ll wait for you.” I promise. I know I can’t fight or argue if he’s already made up his mind. That would get me nowhere and I want to leave him on a good note. I don’t want his worry over me to cause him any more distress than he is probably already feeling. His expression is tortured when he takes a step back.
“Listen to your parents, Ally, I’ve given them some rules for you to follow, I expect you to be a good girl and listen, alright?” He narrows his eyes then pulls his head back a bit, a frown line appearing on his forehead. I can’t speak because of the tears clogging my throat so I just nod my answer. I always follow his rules, he doesn’t have to worry about that. He pulls me to him and holds me almost too tightly, I can barely breath but I don’t care, I need him more than I need the oxygen for my lungs. I can’t believe this is happening, the fact that I am outside for the first time since I was six years old means nothing compared to losing this man, he’s been everything to me since I was taken.
“How will I know if something happens?” I can barely get the words out, the thought alone cutting too deeply.
“If the worst happens, I’ll have someone contact you discreetly. I don’t want you to worry about that, live your life, Angel, and know that I am doing everything I can to get back to you.” He presses his face into my hair and inhales long and slow, savoring. I hold onto him tightly until he grabs my arms and pulls them away from his body, bringing them between us, he kisses both of my hands then my cheeks and finally another slow press of his lips on mine, I close my eyes tightly to relish the moment but it’s over too quickly. I watch as the mask comes over his face, hiding his emotions from the rest of the world as he turns toward a group of men that I am just now noticing. Zeke walks over, handing something to Alexander, I don’t get to see what it is but I feel a small poke in my neck when he brings his hand up. The last thing I see is my boy mouthing “I love you” before the world goes black.