"Oh, did I wake you up? My apologies, I'm just tending to your wrist, he wanted me to fix you up. I'm assuming you'll need some food and water, yes? You've been asleep for quite some time..." @iinspiredbydeathh - Abaddon
@iinspiredbydeathh
Taygete awoke to a sharp pain in her wrist, the bones inside moving around freely and agonisingly as the strange woman who towered above her poked at the wound. There had been many people Taygete had met that she considered abnormal but this woman, there was something so eerily inhuman about her that made Taygete cower in the bed. Her small frame shrank into the duvet and her breathing became heavy and harsh.
She was tall, covered head to toe in black clothing of which the colours seemed so deep that it made Taygete feel like she was witnessing black for the first time. Her eyes seemed almost invisible, hidden behind the hood of the cloak she wore, the ends of it frayed and dusty as if she had walked for miles. Her skin was adorned with dark markings and golden chains which made her clink gently with each movement she made. She was beautiful, but she was terrifying.
She didn’t speak much, only muttering to herself in a different language while spreading some sort of healing balm onto the hand-shaped burn on her wrist. Whatever it was worked as the moment it touched her skin, it soothed the aching hotness and numbed it. It allowed the woman to began strapping Taygete’s arm into a split in order to straighten the bones. When she asked her to sit up so she could set her arm into a sling, Taygete complied without question, terrified of what might happen if she refused. This woman could be with him, she could be working by his side and was only saving her so she could be tortured later.
❝ Are… Are you with him? ❞
Abaddon was quiet and careful as she tended to the girl’s burned and broken arm, her breathing so light it seemed like she wasn’t breathing at all and her touch so gentle she was barely touching her. She inevitably hurt her though when she went to turn her wrist to smooth the nice smelling balm on the other side. She let out a sigh. She was told not to wake her yet.
She kept at it though the girl had woken up, finishing applying the homemade balm to the handshaped burn then strapping her wrist into a splint as gently as she could manage, but not muttering a word of apology if she hissed in pain, not even meeting her eyes. She leaned over and unlocked the cuff around Taygete’s unharmed wrist before asking her to sit up, waiting for her to do so so she could set her arm into a sling. Smiling and letting out an amused laugh at her when she spoke, she glanced up at her for only a second before going back to what she was doing.
“In which way? Am I his wife? No. I do belong to him, though, I serve him. I owe him. Your voice is hoarse, are your legs alright? Come, let me get you something to drink. I’ve to take care of you for the time being. He’s busy.”
❝ You serve him? Like, you’re his slave? No, I don’t want anything from you, I’m fine… I just want to go home.❞
Groaning at the pain in her head, she moved to lift her free hand so she could press her fingers into her forehead but when she pulled, she found herself tugging harshly with her hand unable to move any further. Looking up, Taygete’s free wrist was wrapped tight in a set of metal handcuffs that were secured to the bedpost. Her eyes widened and she began pulling hard, sniffing and panting heavily as the metal began to cut into her wrist from how desperately she was trying to escape.
Turning back to face the woman, Taygete tried her best to lean forward to get her attention, the look in her eyes was enough to beg for her release without saying a single world. Her bottom lip was sucked into her mouth and the tears slipped out of the corner of her eyes, rolling down her cheeks before pooling at the end of her trembling chin then dropping to the sheets. Taygete knew the woman was right, she needed food and water but she didn’t trust her, if she was working with that man then there could be anything in the water and food.
❝ Busy doing what, kidnapping and hurting more innocent people? Please, just let me go, tell him I escaped. I won’t tell anyone about this, I won’t go to the police. I’ll move states if you want, I’ll even leave the country, just please… ❞
“Not a slave, no. I can do whatever I want, I choose to serve him. I’m more powerful than him, if I was stuck here I could easily kill him in a second and leave. He saved my life, so this is the least I can do. I enjoy it, anyway, I get to live with my best friend. Mm, suit yourself, you’re more than welcome to ask me to fetch you something later, then. Oh lamb, this is your home now.”
The witch quietly shushed the panicking girl, reaching out and taking her other wrist in her hands and rubbing it. The pain from the little cuts faded, but the cuts didn’t heal. Only her sister could heal people with the smallest touch, Abaddon specialised in dark magic, trapping souls and raising the dead. She could easily make concoctions to help people heal though, they had both been taught that when they were little.
She tutted and shook her head when she looked up to see tears pouring down Taygete’s cheeks, letting go of her wrist and reaching out to wipe the tears away with a soft touch. Though she did feel a little bad for the girl, she couldn’t be manipulated into giving her what she wanted. No one could manipulate this woman, not even Blair. Taygete was lucky though, Blair didn’t want to kill her, not at the moment at least. He spared her, she should be grateful he did. Whoever was killed by Blair always met a gruesome end.
“I’m not too sure, honestly. Maybe. He may be out buying things for you. Tears don’t work on me, Taygete, nor do they work on him. I can’t do that, and if you leave he’ll hunt you down and kill you. He doesn’t want to do that. You’ll learn to like it here, I promise you. It’s a beautiful house, plenty to do. You’re free to wander as you please. You can even go out to the garden, I need to tend to it anyway. Don’t even try to climb the fence, though. You won’t get over it by yourself.”
❝ What is wrong with you? Do you have any idea what he does? What would possess you to help a man like that, I don’t care if he saved your life, you’re crazy if you think you owe him… No, no this is not my home, I don’t belong here, I… ❞
She flinched when the woman reached out for her wrist, expecting the bones inside of that one to shatter too but was almost pleasantly surprised when she felt a soothing tingle spread across the skin. The small trickle of blood that had begun to pour rolled back up inside her body and while the pain did not settle, it was numbed and became bearable.
However, Taygete did not ease up for her tears started to flow more openly, her breathing heavier than before as her shoulder heaved. The woman could barely be heard over Taygete’s sobbing. She harshly pulled her head out of the soft touch and turned to the side while she wailed, unable to think of anything apart from her own home and the soft comfort of her bed. The view of the ocean from outside her bedroom window and the apple tree in her front garden.
She would never go home.
❝ I don’t want anything from either of you. Soon people will realise I’m missing, my professors will notice I’m not showing up for class, my friends will go looking for me at my house, even my fucking nail tech will notice I’m gone. Neither of you will get away with this, if no one comes for me I’ll get out myself, I’m not some stupid little girl who will just do what you tell me to. If he hunts me down and kills me then so be it, I would rather be dead than be his plaything. ❞
“Of course I do. I help him choose people. He found you all on his own, though. Like I said, he’s my best friend, and I get to practice my craft, as does he. You’ll change your mind soon enough, you’ll like it here eventually.”
Abaddon didn’t move to comfort Taygete any more when she started to cry even harder, just moving her hand to settle back on her lap. They all done this when Blair brought them here, if they had made it this far, of course. Sometimes Blair killed people as soon as he came across them, but some he brought back to his home to toy with and break down. They didn’t tend to last very long, and she didn’t expect Taygete to either if she kept this up.
The witch collected her things and stood up off the bed, giving the room a once over to make sure everything was in place before looking down at the girl with violet eyes.
“No one will find you. They can look all the want, but they won’t find you. They never find the people that go missing, surely you know that. You won’t get out either, not by yourself. You’re a fool if you think you will. You’re stuck here whether you’re alive or dead, I’ll let you choose whether you would rather live and breathe or be stuck in a jar overlooking your rotting body. It’s better if you’re alive. If you behave and do as you’re told, you’ll be perfectly fine and no harm will come to you. He’ll let you go into town eventually, he’s done it before. Just know if you run, you’re dead. Anyway, I have things to see to. Look around if you’d like, but I would advise you not to look under the bed or in the basement. I don’t think you would like what you see.”
❝ You’re insane… Both of you are, you’re both sick. Torturing and murdering people isn’t a craft, it’s inhuman and disgusting. I don’t care what you two do to me, this will never be my home. Oh do me a favour and shut up, you’re not scaring me. I’m going to die in here anyway like you said, there isn’t much more you can say that will scare me. I can’t very well look around if I’m cuffed to the bed, what do you want me to do? Drag the bed around the house? Let me out the cuffs. ❞
Taygete eventually settled down but could not wipe away the tears that ran down her face, dragging black streaky trails over her cheeks. One arm was in a sling and the other was cuffed to the bed, she was really stuck here unless this woman was kind enough to agree to let her look around. Although she doubted that, at first she had seemed somewhat kind but in the space of just a few moments her heart had turned cold and her words cut through Taygete like daggers.
However, she let out a breath of relief when the woman stalked back over to her with a key in her hand, each stride she took jingled and it was as if the world trembled every time she put her foot to the ground. And yet, she hardly moved, her footsteps did not make a sound and she moved so slowly she appeared to almost float across the room. There was something off about her. She uncuffed Taygete who groaned as the blood flowed back into her circulation and she rubbed at her free wrist as best she could. Standing from the bed proved difficult but she managed it, huffing at the state of the clothes she word but softly and nervously thanking the woman for freeing her. When she turned away to lead her to the door, Taygete gave herself a chance to look her up and down and her eyes focused on what looked like feathers trailing from underneath her cloak. They were as black as death but with each burst of light that filtered through the gap in the curtains, they shimmered shades of deep greens and vibrant purples.
❝ Are those wings? Are you some sort of angel? ❞
Abaddon didn’t say a word in reply to Taygete, just making her way back over to her to free her from the cuffs, doing as she was asked. She figured the girl would need someone to be nice to her while she was here knowing Blair’s fiery temper, so she tried her best to be. Blair could be cruel and as much as Abaddon enjoyed occasionally joining in on the killings, she didn’t enjoy harming and breaking down nice girls much. She didn’t particularly enjoy doing what she did to the body laying rotting away under the very bed Taygete was sitting on, but it had to be done.
She went to walk off when the girl’s wrist was free, unlocking the door with a key on a chain along with many others, but turned back before she walked out, seeing Taygete looking at her and giving her a smile.
“I’m flattered you’d think I was an angel. Angels don’t help killer demons, little lamb, they preserve life, don’t take it. I’m a sort of witch, but they are wings, yes.”
Taygete studied her face as she approached, noting the softer look she displayed now. She was confusing, to say the least, one moment ago she was spouting about how Taygete would meet her fate and now she was gentle by her side and releasing her from her cuffs. However, she did not question the woman’s motives and thanked her again before gingerly following her out into a long hallway. Her bare feet padded down the wooden floor until she reached a set of spiral stairs that she nervously made her way down.
❝ I just assumed, don’t all angels have wings? I’ve never heard of witches having wings, I thought they used broomsticks? I don’t know much, I stopped keeping up to date with other species a long time ago. I don’t even know if there’s any of my kind left… Can you fly with them, like do they work? ❞
The pair eventually ended up in a seating area filled with plush sofas and soft ottomans, bookshelves piled high with all sorts of titles and perhaps the largest TV Taygete had ever seen. It looked normal, comfortable and safe, her body ached already from the small trip she had made. Yet, she did not want to sit down, she felt too nervous to even touch anything so she settled for leaning against a wall while she gnawed on her lip, clutching her good hand to her chest.
❝ Are you leaving me alone? You said you had stuff to do… ❞
“Most do. Unless they’re cut off. Angel wings are valuable, you can only make certain potions with them, too. Some do, I don’t. I think they’re ridiculous. Of course I can fly with them, silly girl, do I look like a Dodo bird to you? My sister and I can both take the form of birds, it’s easier to get around that way. I just like having my wings in this form, too. She doesn’t.”
Abaddon kept her head forward as they spoke, always holding it up high and standing tall. She was told it made her even more intimidating, but she didn’t really understand how, she was just always taught that’s how someone proper held themselves. Zoya never did care about being proper like their mother had taught them, her younger sister was always slouched over, her hair a mess and wearing dirt covered clothes, always out in the garden playing with bugs while Abaddon was inside with her mother reading Alchemy and spell books, learning how to be a good witch. Abaddon never did like her sister, even from the start.
Once they had reached the front room, Abaddon went about fixing little bits and pieces, adjusting the pillows on the sofas and fixing a few books so their spines were showing.
“Yes, I have to tend to the garden. Blair doesn’t care about it much since Joshua- it’s just became a mess over the past few months, it needs a good clean. I’ll just be out there if you need me. You’re allowed to touch things, as long as you put them back where you found them. The kitchen is just down that hallway if you’re hungry. He should be back soon with some new clothes for you so you can get cleaned up, a good shower should help you feel better.”
❝ You have a sister? I had two sisters, they’re gone now though. What does your sister make of you helping him, I wouldn’t be best pleased if you were my sister. Who’s Joshua? Was he the last poor bastard this asshole rounded up to torture?… What will he do to me if I manage to get out, because I will, I just want to know what’ll happen if he finds me. ❞
Taygete nodded, her wides eyes exploring the room without saying a thing. She did not make it obvious but she was searching for a way out, she wasn’t stupid and knew the front door would be locked. She couldn’t escape through the back because the woman would be out there and she would notice. They appeared to be on the ground floor and there were multiple windows in the room, if she could get one of them open she could jump down from there.
She was tired and scared but she could run, if she could get down the gravel pathway that she could see out of the window, she could try and flag a car down. Someone would stop, she was a young girl with a broken wrist, wearing torn clothes that were covered in her own blood. Who wouldn’t stop to help? Taygete was pulled from her thoughts by the woman’s words and her blood ran cold, her heart stopping. The hairs on her arms began to rise and she swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat before whispering her question.
❝ H-how long before he gets home?… ❞
“Zoya and I don’t speak, I haven’t seen her in over a century. Ah, he’s…you can ask Blair if you feel brave enough. It really isn’t my place to tell you his business. Depends on his mood, lamb. If he’s in a good mood, he’ll just bring you straight back here. If he’s in a bad mood, well…I think you can guess what will happen.”
Abaddon glanced over at the girl for a moment as she fixed the curtains, watching her look around the room with wide, frightened eyes. She couldn’t read minds, but she could tell what Taygete was thinking about, she knew she was going to look for a way out. It was only common sense. Blair and the witch always made sure to keep the windows and doors locked at all times though, keeping the keys on their person.
“I’m not too sure. Would you like me to let you know when he returns? The door is locked, so I’ll have to let him in, I could tell you before I do if you’d like. If you don’t want to speak to him, you could go back to the bedroom and pretend you’re asleep. I won’t tell him anything.”
❝ Oh, I-I’m sorry about that. I’m not sure I want to ask him now, if his best friend tells me I need to be brave to ask him that then I’ll just find out for myself… Oh, uhm, yes please. I’m going to stay in here until he gets back. C-could I have some water before you go? ❞
Taygete stayed out of her way while she tidied up the living room, dusting off pillows and fixing the curtains. Each time she unintentionally stood closer to Taygete, the girl would back up until she was against another wall. She could hear the jingling of the keyring that was attached to her hips, she needed to get it but there was simply no way of getting to them without the witch seeing.
So, she scrapped that plan rather quickly and watched the woman leave the room. As soon as the door was shut, Taygete pushed herself off of the wall and ran to the nearest window, pulling on the latches with her good hand but nothing happened. Locked, of course they were locked. But she was quick to form another plan, she just needed to wait until the witch returned.
“It’s quite alright, her and I never did get along. You won’t like what you find, trust me. Perhaps it’s best you forget I mentioned anything about him. Okay, I’ll come find you when he arrives, then. Water? Alright, I’ll be back in a second.”
She gave the room a once over to make sure everything was tidy, nodding to herself when she saw that it was before leaving the room, quietly humming to herself as she wandered off to the kitchen.
She quickly returned with a glass of water for the girl, handing it to her with a smile and pushing her hood down to fix her dreaded hair, pushing it over her shoulder.
“Here you go, dear, just set the glass on the table when you’re finished, I’ll take care of it later. Well, I’m off to the garden, you know where to find me.”
❝ I won’t tell him you mentioned it, I promise… ❞
Taygete gingerly accepted the glass of water and whispered a gentle thank you, nodding to her words and watching her leave. She didn’t drink the water, she sat it on the table almost immediately then started to wander around the room as she looked for any clues as to where she was. She found a paper that was clean and the pages were still crisp, indicating it was new and after reading the date, Taygete discovered it was the twenty-third day of the month, meaning she had been here for two days.
She hoped today would be the last.
Taygete wandered in circles for what seemed like hours, pacing back and forth without even so much as looking at the glass of water. Eventually, she heard the sound of an approaching car and she carefully made her way over to the window, peering out and noticing a car making it’s way up the path toward the house. That was when the witch quickly popped her head into the room to let her know that Blair had returned.
Taygete simply nodded, knowing she had to be fast. Listening out for the door and conversation, she lifted the glass of water and the second the key met the door, she moved. Throwing it as hard as she could, the glass of both the window and the glass shattered into a million pieces, scattering to the wooden floor. Taygete launched forward and hauled her body through the frame as best she could with her good arm before jumping. Her fall was broken by a patch of grass and a flowerbed beneath the window but she did not have time to be grateful, so she picked her aching body up and started to run faster than she ever had in her life, not daring to look behind her.
Abaddon smiled when she heard Blair’s car pull up outside, getting up and brushing the dirt off her clothes before making her way inside, shutting the back door and locking it behind herself. She let Taygete know that the demon had returned before quickly heading to the front door, excited to see Blair. The moment he was inside the two of them heard the window shatter and they quickly rushed to the front room to see what had happened. Blair felt his blood start to boil when he saw the smashed window and the girl running off.
“Get her Abaddon, go! I’m right behind you!”
Before Taygete could even react, a huge raven was right on her tail and quickly swooped down, yanking at her hair hard with her claws and managing to grab onto the back of her shirt, starting to harshly peck at her, easily breaking the girl’s skin with her sharp beak. She kept going, slowing her down and distracting her until Blair caught up, grabbing Taygete by the throat and throwing her to the ground. He quickly leaned down and grabbed a handful of her fiery red hair right after she hit the ground though, dragging her to her feet.
“Thought you could get away that easily, huh? You stupid little fucking girl! Get up. Get the fuck up before I tear your head clean off your shoulders! Come on, let’s teach the brat a lesson, hm? Let me show you something.”
Taygete could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she ran while the screeching of the raven behind her got closer and closer. She knew the witch was close and she shut her eyes as the sharp claws hooked deep into her shoulder blades. The raven thrashed Taygete from side to side, cutting off her clear path to the gate and sent her crashing to the ground, landing on her broken wrist. A blood curling scream sounded through the air as the bones inside her wrist shattered again and sent her into undying agony.
She did not have much time to wallow in her pain for Blair’s large hand was tossing her to the ground again just to add salt to the injury. He tugged on her hair hard enough to pull her back up again and she screwed her eyes shut tight in preparation for another shove but it did not happen. Instead, Blair took to screaming insults in her face, hissing words of warning to her and shouting commands at the witch. Taygete knew she was in trouble now, so opening her eyes back up, she screamed and spit directly into Blair’s face, her good arm thrashing around and grabbing hold of the witches hair. Pulling hard enough to send her to the ground, she started to stomp her feet down into the dirt in hopes of kicking her but Blair had already started to drag her back to the house by her hair.
❝ Burn in Hell! Both of you are fucking sick! I’ll fucking kill you both, I swear to god! ❞
Abaddon yelped in surprise when her hair was pulled and she was yanked to the ground by the girl, getting scraped up as she hit the ground and her head hitting the concrete hard. This only enraged Blair more as she had hurt his friend, causing him to pull out a knife and drive it into Taygete’s shoulder. He quickly pulled it out and shoved it back into his pocket before dragging Taygete inside by her hair. Abaddon didn’t even give herself a moment to recover, quickly following.
Blair dragged the girl inside and through the halls, coming up to a door and stopping in front of it.
“Open it, Abaddon. Lock it behind us, I don’t want the brat trying to run off again. Wait here, you can let us out when I knock. I’ll take a look at you when I’m finished with this one.”
The witch nodded, pulling out her set of keys and unlocking the door the led to the basement, stepping to the side to let Blair in. She winced when Blair simply threw the girl down the stone steps, the man following after her but taking his time. She quickly locked the door behind him.
Blair walked past the now badly battered girl, looking around the cold, damp basement. The floor was covered in bloodnstains, darkened to brown over time and it smelled like pure death and decay.
“Nice for you to give me this to come home to after I’ve been out fetching you things to make your stay here comfortable. Ungrateful brat. You’re lucky you’re still fucking alive, lucky I decided to keep you. Tell me, your sister. The one that looks most like you, what’s her name?”
Taygete screamed and thrashed around at Blair’s face when he drove the blade deep into her shoulder, her nails scratching at his face but doing nothing to stop the pain he pushed into her. The witch, Abaddon, groaned from her spot on the floor but was quick to follow her master to the house, obeying each command with nothing but a simple nod.
The hard concrete was cold and damp, the room smelt like something that had gone off in the back of a fridge and it was dark. She could hardly see a thing after being thrown down the stairs so she simply curled herself into a ball, cradling her broken wrist to her chest and keeping her sobs quiet. Taygete was in pain and all she wanted to do was wail and scream but she knew if she cried she would just enrage him even more. So she kept as silent as she could, hiding her face behind now bloodstained locks.
❝ Just kill me… Please just kill me. ❞
The wound on her shoulder flowed with blood that started to pool into a small puddle on the ground in front of her, she did not know what had happened in this room but she did know that her blood would dry into the floor soon and leave another mark, another kill.
❝ Cassandra, her name was Cassandra… Why do you want to know about my sister? ❞
The demon made his way over to the lightswitch and put the lights on, watching them flicker for a moment before lighting up the room, revealing even more stains and a couple of freezers in the corner of the room, tables, chairs, and a large chest that was padlocked shut. The horrible smell mostly came from there.
He ignored her as she begged for him to kill her, the pleas making him smile but he wouldn’t do as she asked. He made his way over to her and dragged her to her feet.
“Ah, Cassandra. Pretty. I never did find out her name.”
He pulled her over to the large chest and stopped her in front of it, heading over to the table and picking up a key, then handing it to her.
“Open it.”
He impatiently waited for her to open it, crossing his arms over his chest. He couldn’t help but smile as the lid lifted, looking down at the body curled up into a ball inside. She’d been rotting away in there for a while, one of her cheeks had completely rotted away, revealing that some of her teeth had been brutally ripped out of her mouth, and her eyes had both been eaten away by maggots. Her hair was all still there, along with her clothes. It would be obvious to Taygete who it was. Though there was a lot of damage to her, none of it was bad enough to be her cause of death. She had starved to death in that chest, cramped and curled up into a ball.
Taygete could only groan as she was hoisted to her feet, her body being dragged over to the chest where she was thrown against it, collapsing over the wood with a sob. She persisted through the pain and pushed herself up onto her feet as best as she could, swaying on the spot while trying to push her good hand onto the wound to prevent herself from bleeding out.
When Blair thrust the key into her hand, she initially shook her head and tried to back away from it but his hand found its way to her hip and he squeezed hard, digging his nails into the skin. So she was left with no choice but to insert the key into the lock, turning it and gingerly lifting the lid of the chest. The smell was the first thing she noticed, like a rotting animal on the side of the highway that had been boiling in the sun. She screwed her eyes shut as the began to water and covered her mouth to stop the bile coming up her throat. Forcing herself to turn back to the chest, she looked at the body inside and immediately her legs gave out beneath her, sinking to the floor as she repeated her sister’s name over and over again.
Looking up at Blair, she watched him smiling down at her without a care in his heart for the pain he had caused. He had ripped one of the only family members she had from her bare hands all those years ago and she had no idea, he was the reason her life was the way it was. It was all his fault. But she could not do anything to him, so she simply turned her head to the side and began to retch, throwing up blood and sick onto the ground while she sobbed.
The demon grinned as she unlocked the chest and pulled it open, watching her take in the rotting body of her sister, trying his best not to laugh at her reaction. He hadn’t ever planned on showing her sister to her, but he was glad he did.
“She talked about you. Told me about your parents, your other sister. She took a liking to Abaddon, too. I think she expected me to keep her alive no matter what since she got on so well here. Then she tried to run. Look at where that got her. Poor thing begged me to let her out for so long, but she gave up eventually, just accepted it. She took her sweet time dying, though.”
He watched the girl cry and sob for a moment then turned back to the chest, scrunching his nose up at the smell before slamming it shut and locking it again. He crouched down next to Taygete and grabbed a handful of her hair again, lifting her head up and making her look at him.
“You ever try to run, hurt me or Abaddon, or misbehave ever again, you’ll be dragged down here and shoved into that fucking box along with Cassandra. It shouldn’t fit you both but I will break every bone in your fucking body so you will fit, do you understand, brat?”
Taygete pressed her hand to her ear and tried hard to push her shoulder into the other, but her body ached and the wound continued to pour so she was forced to listen to him talk about Cassandra. She had to listen to him explain how she died alone and afraid, constantly thinking someone was coming to save her when in reality, no one had even a single idea where she might have been.
❝ Please stop… Please let me believe she died peacefully. ❞
The police gave up on her years ago, but Taygete refused to, she never stopped believing her sister was alive and out there somewhere. She spent all the money she had trying to track her, hiring private detectives and hunting to the ends of the earth to find her. She always believed she was alive and yet there she was, curled up and rotten to the core, flies and maggots eating away at her precious body. Wailing in pain and heartbreak, Taygete could only whimper and nod as Blair threatened her, blood and sick dribbling from her chin along with her tears. She must have looked a state and she knew Blair enjoyed it.
❝ I-I promise, I won’t try to run away again, I’ll do whatever you want me to I swear, I’ll behave. Blair, please… Can you please let me bury her, that’s all I ask, I won’t ever ask for anything ever again, please. ❞
Blair fell silent when Taygete asked to bury her sister, thinking for a second. Cassandra really was doing nothing just by sitting there in that chest, she was just taking up space he could use for something else. He hummed and nodded, letting go of her hair and gently smoothing it down so it wouldn’t be messy.
“Go get yourself cleaned up. Get Abaddon to help you, you owe her an apology too, I think. There’s clothes for you in a bag upstairs. Off you go, I’ll take your sister to the garden and start digging while you get dressed.”
He helped her back onto her feet and took her over to the stairs he’d previously thrown her down, holding onto her until she grabbed the railing so she wouldn’t fall. Once she had started to head up, he grabbed the chest and lifted it like it was nothing, waiting until she was gone to take it out to the garden.
Taygete couldn’t help but flinch when Blair smoothed down her hair, screwing her eyes shut and turning her head away but letting out a deep exhale when he did not strike her like she expected. When he agreed to bury Cassandra, she choked on a sob and began thanking him over and over again, whimpering when she was lifted to her feet and guided toward the staircase. Turning back to look at him, she watched him hoist the chest that contained her sister’s body up but she could not bear to watch any longer.
Limping out of the basement, she sniffled as she wobbled along hallways looking for the witch until she found her in a small room that appeared to be a study. It was odd, there were the usual bookshelves and a desk piled high with papers and tomes but the room was filled with jars of herbs and liquids, all labelled neatly. Each surface had beautiful crystals and rolls of sage along the top, a soft jingle filled the room from wind chimes by the window that sounded similar to the noise that came from the witch herself and the room had a soft yet earthly smell to it. A strange pot bubbled away in one corner and Abaddon was hunched over a set of scrolls in the other corner but looked up when she heard Taygete enter. Wiping her face free of mess with her good hand, she shuffled forward nervously and spoke to her in a hoarse and whispered voice, refusing to meet her strong gaze.
❝ I, uhm… I wanted to say sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you, I really didn’t, I was just scared and I… I’m sorry, are you okay? ❞
Abaddon had unlocked the basement door and wandered off to fix the scrapes on her elbows and knees when she heard Blair shouting, trusting he had everything in control. The scrapes weren’t that bad, they barely bled but the back of her head was a little worse from where it hit the concrete. It ached quite a bit, but it was nothing she couldn’t deal with. She was alright.
She looked up when she heard her door slowly open, smiling a little when Taygete made her way inside and turned around in her seat.
“It’s alright, I’m absolutely fine. Just a few scrapes. I told you not to run, silly girl. I didn’t want to hurt you, but I had to so you would stop. I don’t want him to kill you, Taygete. Come sit, I’ll clean you up. ”
Nodding in reply, Taygete shuffled further into the room and carefully lowered her aching body onto a large armchair next to Abaddon. The chair was so soft that she wanted nothing more than to sink into it and sleep, but she was still bleeding and was a complete state. She didn’t want to ruin the chair so she sat perched on the edge while the witch busied herself with gathering supplies to clean her up with.
❝ I didn’t know what else to do, I’m scared Abaddon, I just want to go home. I saw my chance and took it, I know better now… He killed my sister, she vanished years ago and I never gave up looking for her. She’s in a box in the basement, her eyes have rotted away and you can see inside of her mouth, she has a hole in her cheek and he took some of her teeth. She… She’s gone, she’s dead, she died alone and afraid and I couldn’t protect her. ❞
She was too tired to wail, so she settled for a pathetic whimper while Abaddon crouched in front of her and began to apply salve to her wounds. The raven took a damp cloth that was warm to the touch and used it to clean up her face before asking her to turn in the seat. Her shirt was torn and bloody, so Taygete told her to simply cut it away and toss it so she could get to the claw marks on her back. Each touch made the wounds throb and sting but she bit down on her bruised lip to prevent herself from crying out.
❝ Abaddon, what’s under the bed? ❞
“I know you’re scared. You’re allowed to be. You just need to stay on his good side, lamb, then you’ll have no reason to be scared. Unless you give him a reason to be horrible and to kill you, then he won’t, and he’ll treat you well. You can’t go home, I’m sorry. I know, I really hoped he wouldn’t show you, but I should have known better. She was lovely, I never learned her name but we were friends for the time she spent here. You mustn’t tell, but she wasn’t alone. I didn’t have the key to the box so I couldn’t let her out, but I would go speak to her. I told her stories about my family, sang her to sleep most nights. Blair never found out about it. She’s the first I’ve ever cared about that came here. I couldn’t do anything and I knew I couldn’t save her, but I did my best to make sure she passed somewhat peacefully. I’m not happy she’s stayed in that box for so long, though…”
Abaddon hummed as she cleaned the girl up in an attempt to help calm her, keeping a blank but somewhat soft expression on her face to put her at ease. She had been upset about Cassandra, they had kept her alive for almost a year before she died and Abaddon grew attached, treating her like a daughter. She cried a lot when she died. She knew it was coming, but she couldn’t help it. Blair knew she was upset, but never spoke of it. She didn’t know if that was a blessing or a curse. But that was years ago. She had cried enough, and couldn’t cry about it anymore. She barely even looked upset now, but you could see it in her eyes that she was.
Thinking about the body lying under Blair’s bed tore at her heart too, even moreso than Cassandra did. The fact that he was still there, that his soul was trapped on a ring on the demon’s finger, that his wedding band and teeth that were pulled out with a pair of rusty pliers were on a chain around his neck was almost too much for her.
“Joshua. Another “missing” one. You would have seen all the posters. Curly pink hair, asian, brown eyes, freckles on his nose and a nose ring. Have you seen the pictures around the house? That’s him.“
❝ You know him, you know what he’s like and how his temper is. What stuff sets him off, what do I need to do to keep him happy? She was always kind to me, my other sister, Phaedra, she used to blame me for a lot that happened. She said father left because I was grotesque and that mother only stayed till I was only enough to look after myself. Cassandra was never mean, she always took care of me but when she vanished, Phaedra jumped at the chance and left me alone… I thought that talking about her would make me feel better, it hasn’t, but thank you for doing what you did. You helped her passing and I’ll forever be in your debt for that. ❞
Taygete visibly winced at the thought of her sister begging for her life, cramped in that dark box with no one to talk to other than Abaddon. She tried to will the thoughts away but all she could think about was how alone and terrified Cassandra must have been, how she would have dreamed of someone saving her each night until her poor body gave in and how Blair left her to rot. Her blood boiled and she curled both her hands up into fists, her nails digging deep into her skin and drawing more blood.
However, she was pulled from her thoughts as Abaddon told her the truth about what lay under the bed and she felt sick to her stomach. She refused to vomit again so she groaned and clutched her tummy in agony and disgust as she realised she had slept on top of this poor man’s body for two days. Turning back to face the witch, she allowed herself to finally relax as her wounds began to go numb and her stomach eventually settled
❝ God, poor boy… Why did Blair kill him? I saw a few photos in the living room before I attempted my grand escape, he seemed to like him, love him even, why would he kill him? Is there another room in the house? I don’t want to sleep in there anymore. ❞
“You just need to do what you’re told, that’s all. You can always tell when he’s starting to get angry, his eye twitches a little and he messes with his necklace, if you’re quick you can easily calm him down. It isn’t hard, really, he can be brutal and cruel but he’s quick to calm. I’m sorry he took her when you needed her, I wish I could have saved her. You don’t have to thank me, it’s the least I could have done for her. She deserved better, poor lamb. She’s in a better place now.”
The witch gently uncurled the girl’s hands before she could hurt herself too bad before finishing tending to her wounds and bandaging them, wiping odd bits of dirt from her beaten skin to make her look a bit cleaner. She would try to have to get her in a shower later, the poor thing smelled like blood and vomit and death.
“He did, he did love him. He still does. They were married for a long time, but around the time Cassandra was brought here Joshua had had enough. He tried to leave while Blair was gone, but he walked through the door just as he was about to make his own escape. He was dead within the hour. Blair still acts like he’s alive, still talks like he is. His family think he’s missing, Blair plays along. No one knows he’s under the bed. His own sisters have been in that room, no idea they were sitting on top of their brother’s body. I think Blair sometimes forgets too. He likes having him there, though. Likes to have him close. You’re not staying in there anyway, Blair wouldn’t have you sleeping in a bed next to him. He’s a killer, but he has some morals. You can stay in my room with me so you know you’re safe. I’ll be giving you something tonight so you sleep too, just so you know. You wouldn’t sleep without it, and you need your sleep.”
❝ I wish she was here… I miss her. ❞
Taygete’s body began to tremble and she pathetically used her good arm to rub up and down her shoulder, attempting to warm herself up after realising she sat in nothing but her shorts and bra. The room suddenly felt a lot colder and Taygete felt a lot smaller than she ever had before, she wanted to run and hide but she knew she was safer here with Abaddon than out there with Blair.
❝ Fuck, he’s crazy, he really is crazy. That’s disgusting, I can’t even find the words for that. Those poor girls, they really believe he’s alive? It’s like Cassandra all over again, how has no one caught him?… He’s not like, a creep, know what I mean? He just likes to kill people, right? ❞
Tucking her legs up to her chest, she winced at the pain in her wrist but grit her teeth and bared it, the more she moved it and complained, the longer the healing would be. Her eyes widened when Abaddon mentioned drugging her, but the more she thought about it, her body was on fire and her head was pounding, a long drugged out sleep seemed quite nice. With a sigh, she pushed up from the seat and slowly trailed around Abaddon’s study, using her free hand to poke and read the labels of jars and ghost her finger over inked words in languages she could not read.
❝ So, what is it you actually do? Like, you mentioned your ‘craft’, what is that? Are you like a potion maker or something? I recognize a few of these languages but I can’t read them, where are you from? Sorry… I don’t mean to be annoying or to pry but if you are the only other person I’ll see aside from him I’d like us to be friends, if that’s okay? ❞
"I know, lamb, I'm sorry."
Abaddon fell silent for a moment then realised that the girl had no clothes to wear, letting out a little "oh!" and telling her she would be right back before leaving the room. She quickly returned with the bag full of new clothes Blair had bought and handed it to her, letting her get herself dressed.
"He's...he's been through a lot. He's not all there, to be quite honest with you. His whole family does, his brother, sisters, mother and father. They all think he has just gone missing. Blair is good at what he does, he's a very smart man. Everyone who knows him trusts him, and they would never think that he could even hurt a fly. They don't know the real Blair though, of course. No no, of course not. He would never do anything like that, not to anyone."
Nodding in approval once Taygete had got dressed, the witch went about putting the scrolls on her desk away into drawers then watched the girl as she looked around the study with a smile.
"Witches can do many things. I can make potions, do spells, anything, really. I practice black magic, so I specialise in reanimating corpses and trapping souls and such. You see that jar in front of you? The one with the firefly looking thing inside? That's a soul. Beautiful, isn't it? I call them wisps. My family is African, but my family moved over here a long long time ago. Zoya and I grew up here. No, it's alright. You'll see others. We can go into town at some point, you and I. We will have to change how you look, of course, but you will see others. I would like to be friends, too. I don't have many."