send me some flowers ✖ accepting
random number generated: 64. clinging hug
It was cold and hazy. The fog of the drugs both seemed to heighten and dilute her awareness, alternating between feeling the intense hatred she had for Mark Jefferson to the dull ache of a pain that she could only wait to disappear with her life force. Most of the time it was her and Mark alone, him wanting to get the perfect shots without the interruption of Nathan who would often interject and keep him from his work. During their time alone Mark made sure to take every agonizing second of his time, nitpicking on position and expression and berating her when she ultimately defied him.
What remained most vivid about their time together wasn’t the things he did to her, no. She was used to filing away the terrible things that happened to her and never revisiting them – pretending like they simply did not exist. Rachel would be strong enough to take the humiliation of being betrayed by someone she had loved idolized since it wouldn’t be the first time and if she was to survive this room it wouldn’t be the last. What remained the most vivid about this horrifying encounter was the things Mark had told her.
"It was Nathan’s idea to bring you here. You have no one to thank but him. He thought you’d be the perfect model for our work and let me tell you, he was right. You have such a natural talent, Rachel, such innocent beauty underneath that defensive and rebellious exterior. If only you’d just let me work,” He had clicked his tongue, a grim smile on his lips as he caught sight of the flame that was starting to suffocate and smolder in her eyes. “You two were more than friends, weren’t you? You must’ve cared a great deal about him. What a shame he led you to a place like this.”
Time simply didn’t make sense in the bunker. She was finding it hard to comprehend the hours of the day without a window or sunlight but she could only assume she had been there a few days. The next time she had opened her eyes Nathan was there. With her head full of fog she didn’t hear him as he spoke to her in quick hushed tones, not understanding the flurry of words that spilled forth from his lips. When she had begun to come to, head clearing of a haze that stifled her, her eyes had begun to widen, filling with a rage towards someone she had come to care deeply for. Rachel struggled against the restraints the best she could. Her muscles ached with each creak of her bones against the rope that had held her limbs together for what felt like months.
Her attention was caught briefly as Nathan suddenly turned quickly back towards the entrance of the room, Mark standing there with the sickest of smiles. With his hands shoved deep into his pockets he begun to stroll towards them. It wasn’t until Rachel could pull her fear-stricken eyes from Mark to catch sight of the gun that Nathan had been holding in his hand. He had begun to wave it at Mark, shouting and shaking as he tried to hold the gun steady towards the elders visage. Rachel couldn’t grasp onto the words but she remembers the stuttering, Nathan trying to spit out words that were hard for him to say.
Mark had continued to stroll, unaffected by the gun that was held on him. He had took a few more steps forward before the sound of a loud POP! filled the bunker. The sound had ricocheted off the metal walls and pierced their ears. Rachel was further disoriented, all sound completely draining from the room as hazel eyes watched the bullet pierce Mark’s chest. He had fallen backwards, landing on the glass coffee table directly behind him and shattering it into a million of pieces. Rachel looked back up at Nathan who was trembling, holding his head in his hands as Mark’s blood begun to seep across the floor and create a sea of red among the shattered pieces of glass.
There was a sense of relief and sorrow that washed over Rachel’s features. Nathan had taken a few moments to pull his thoughts together before falling to his knees in front of her. He begun to work quickly and clumsily to undo her confines, fingers trembling as he undid the knots. Nathan pulled the duct tape from over her mouth carefully, apologizing as he moved it along her swollen lips. Once her arms were free from constraints he had immediately pulled her into an embrace. He hung onto her desperately, clinging as he buried his face in her unkempt hair. Rachel remained limp in his grasp, eyes beginning to water as a slew of apologies continued to fall from his mouth.
“Fuck, Rachel, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, I – I didn’t, I’m –” He was sobbing, she could feel the erratic heave of his chest against her own as he gripped onto her tight.
Rachel closed her eyes, furrowing her brows together as weak fingers worked to grasp onto his shirt. She wanted to push him away, tell him to fuck off and to understand why he would want to do this to her. The blonde couldn’t find the will to do any of these things and admittedly found comfort in the first nice touch she had experienced in what felt like decades. Instead, Rachel pressed her lips together to suppress a sob as her fingers grabbed at his shirt and started to tug.