— Is there anyone here?
There is only silence to answer my call.
— DOES ANYONE HEAR ME?
My voice comes out higher than I wanted, but whatever. In the next room, a chair squeaks on the tile and the sound of footsteps approaching speed up my pulse. When the ajar door opens, I cannot believe my eyes.
— Leon???
His smile has something unhealthy and disturbing. It is however no different from usual. It is probably due to the incredible situation I face.
— You're finally awake, I didn't realize I had forced the dose a little too much. Do you have a migraine? Nausea?
It's really a surreal situation. I am chained to a bed and my kidnapper worries about my health after he has drugged me? Because that is what he did, if I understand well.
— Why am I here? Why did you tie me up?
He sits on the edge of the bed and by reflex I move away from him, which makes him sigh.
— Would you have stayed with me if I had asked you kindly?
No, definitely not. I'm trying to slow down my heart rate while he keeps justifying himself.
— We are made for each other Mal. I knew that as soon as I saw you for the first time.
— You were with Lilas. You were good together.
He plays with the strands of my hair and I cannot run away. I cannot stretch my arm any more, and my wrist hurts from being pulled like that.
— She wasn't meant for me. All she thinks about is having fun and fucking. I’m looking for something more serious. I knew right away that you were a passionate and incredibly romantic person. You are my ideal woman.
I try to reason with him.
— I am not the one for you, I am not constant. I am unable to commit myself.
— You don't want to work, which suits me very well since I want you to stay at home. With me. Remember, I work from home. We'll be together all the time. I make enough for both. We're going to be very happy.
He leans over my face, lips forward, and I spit in his face to make him go back. He grunts, wiping himself with the back of his sleeve.
— You will come to your senses. You’ll be mine. Forever.
— Never Leon. NEVER.
Then he sits on top of me squeezing my stomach and I gasp under his weight. I am afraid he wants to rape me, so I start screaming nonstop. Then he buries my head in the mattress to muffle the sound and I suffocate with the sheets that get into my wide-open mouth.
— Stop shouting! I am not going to take you. I just want to mark you. You're mine. And when you finally understand that we are soulmates, you will be proud to show it to everyone.
I stop screaming to be able to breathe more freely and hear him taking something out of his pocket. He then lowers the collar of my T-shirt and I start shaking again until I feel a cold metal on the top of my back.
— A mark as a proof of your love for me.
The blade then sinks into my skin as if in butter under my howl of pain. Leon slashes my back with a vertical gash and my blood flows down my neck.
— You're going to be perfect.
After that he leaves me there, stunned, and with my body injured.