Gage walks into the small run-down kitchen and rummages through the cabinet for a glass. The first glass he picks up just so happens to be the one he was looking for earlier that day. He sets it on the red-stained marble counter and reaches for the bottle of whiskey. His hands meet the cold glass and he shivers not knowing what could be happening in the next but he finds the strength to still stand. His glass meets his lips and he takes a hefty swallow. His eyes follow the shadows he can see under the door and with each move he begins to worry more and more. He swallows his last sip of whiskey and sets the crystallized cup on the counter. The small clinking is a sound of assurance. He takes a step forward dragging his worries behind. The little blue door opens and Annalisa walks out her hands holding what seems to be Ruby's clothes.
"Is she asleep?" his eyes give him away as they clearly say the words he can't.
Annalisa smiles, "She's out like a light but she might want to see you. Seeing as she was screaming for you half the time. I'm amazed you didn't hear her. She's got quite a set of lungs on her" her smile then turning to a chuckle.
He slinks into the room to see Ruby's lifeless body tied down to the stainless steel table. Her hair now a mess is drenched in a sticky red substance,blood. He turns her head making her face him and kisses her. She groans in pain as she starts to come back, her eyes swollen slowly open and tears run down her cheeks making the blood wash away. She whispers something but it's too low for Gage to hear and she just simply closes her eyes again in defeat. The air in the room gets slightly colder as the air turns on. Ruby shivers and starts to whimper as her body aches with each movement.
Gage pulls at the straps binding Ruby and with no success, he gives up and slides to the ground. Her tears are a puddle on the floor as she cries more and more. The sound of pain is clear as she screams out his name. He jumps with shock and clamps his hand over her mouth quickly shutting her up. She struggles to breathe as he forgets to remove his hand for several minutes. He suddenly realizes and removes his hand letting her catch her breath. Her face is as white as death and her eyes tell of her pain. Her body, weak with hunger, begins to go into a state of shock as she opens her mouth; her cries can't be heard by more than Gage.
He rushes out of the room, forgetting to close the door behind him, he grabs a butcher's knife and runs back to Ruby's room. His hands begin to shake as he slides the knife between her and the straps. As he reaches the last one her tense body relaxes. Ruby's body was almost irresistible as he watched her lay there. He sighs as he runs his hand across her stomach, her skin still soft as when they first found her. A smile breaks across his face and he leans down and breathes in her smell. The scent of death is thick and he pulls back his nose in slight disgust. Gage glides his hands under her being careful not to drop her delicate body. He walks cautiously to the door looking out before daring to even step an inch into the dim-lit hallway. No one seems to be around which makes him even more nervous than before. He slides quietly out of the room and slinks towards the back door. As he opens the back door he hears a creak from behind him, "So is she going back to the cellar", Annalisa's voice is nothing more than a static charge in the air.
Gage jumps, knocking the picture off the wall from beside the door. The sound of silence starts to grow thick in the air as Annalisa walks towards them, her eyes dark with anger. "I hope that's where you were taking her. If not, where exactly did you plan to take our darling girl?"
Her eyes burned into him the closer she got the more pressure he could feel building on himself, "Um…..Well I was going to take her to the cellar but decided to just take her to the attic in my house it's much darker and less oxygen can get to her plus I have more tools to help me get her to talk."
She smiled for a brief moment then it was gone, "Ah…….I see. You were going to get her to talk……Well then I think I shall come along."
"No, it's ok I'll film it so you can just see it'll be much easier since she can't stand you she'll actually talk."
Her anger sparked, "Oh ok so it's my fault she won't talk is it. Fine, I'll come to check on you here and then just to see your progress with the bitch."
He turns abruptly and rushes out of the house slamming the door behind him. As he enters his house his footsteps seem to lighten, the stress seems to melt away as if nothing is wrong. He slowly climbs the steps making sure not to drop Ruby on his way up. As he reaches his room he can smell the sweet scent of candy and soap. The door opens to a dim-lit red and black checkered room. From the door, you can see the large king-size bed attached to it are handcuffs. He chuckles as he lays her in the middle, she squirms up to the pillows and buries her head under them. His laughter rises as he walks to the bathroom and turns on the shower. His hands search in the cabinet above the bath and he finds a box, as he searches the box he finds what he is looking for and sets it beside the shower door. He slowly walks to the bedroom door and locks it, hiding the key above the bookshelf beside the computer. He then walks back to the bathroom and begins to undress.
As he climbs in he can hear Ruby shuffling around the bed and he smiles, "Ruby darling are you awake?"
He hears nothing in response so he continues with no hesitation. As the hot water beat on his back, he closes his eyes replaying everything that had happened that day. The water begins to turn cold, his eyes open and he leans his head back in relief. The sound of the water seems to calm his nerves but he decides it is time to get out and turns the water off. The floor is cold and he jumps as his feet make contact with it. He reaches for a towel only to find none, "Damn. Where are my towels? I know I put some in here……."
He jumps as he hears a gentle voice behind him, "You mean these?"
He turns to see Ruby holding a stack of towels in her fragile hands. Her face seems to gain more color in the few minutes she's rested making her more of a ghost white. She smiles and walks towards him, "I thought you might like one so I decided to get you one."
His smile is painful for her to see, "You don't have to fake that anymore. I know you hate me and are just using me."
He opens his mouth but can't make the words come out and soon finds himself wanting her. Her body seems to be a blank canvas and he wants to cover her with every color he can. Her smile makes him melt and he pushes himself against the wall trying to hold back the urge to kiss her. She smiles again and turns towards the room, gracefully walking to the bed she lays down crawling under the sheets and blanket. He grabs the towel that was laying on the floor and begins to dry himself off. The light in the bathroom makes him look exhausted and dirty. He stares at himself for a few minutes then retreats to the room. His body shakes as the cold air hits him.
"Ruby? Would you like to take a shower to get cleaned up?" he asks, lifting the covers up.
She peeks out and in a half excited tone accepts. As she climbs out of bed he can see her curves under the silk gown she is wearing of which Annalisa had the courtesy not to remove. Her body drags as she enters the bathroom and then closes the door. He sits there and looks up at the ceiling. His mind wanders back to her body and he begins to wonder if this was all worth it in the end and if there was anything that could have changed this.
He starts dozing off when he hears a muffled yell coming from the bathroom. It sounds almost like his name but he just shrugs it off thinking he's just hearing things, but as he lays there he hears it again. He sits up, slides off the bed, and walks cautiously towards the door. He opens it slightly and yells back, "Ruby? Did you call me?"
He can hear her giggle and opens the door more the steam rushes past him as he steps inside. He can hardly see his hand in front of his face but he walks towards the shower anyways, "Ruby did you call me?"
"Yes…..I need your help with something." her childish voice was even more gentle than before making him melt into a puddle of sorrow.