Chapter 3 continuation

Soft footsteps bounced clearly off the floor. Which side they came from was a mystery to me. As I moved along the wall by feel, I bumped into something and almost dropped it. It was a pedestal with a vase on it. I walked a couple more steps forward until I hit the wall. I was in a corner. Kind of a dead end.

"Come here, baby," I felt someone else's breath on my neck.

A plan began to emerge in my mind. The man’s hands touched my thighs and squeezed them lightly. My ribcage rose more and more. My heart was pounding frantically like I was running a sprint marathon. Goosebumps ran down my back, and I could clearly feel the guy's chest against my back. His breathing was calm, which wasn’t the case with me. Soft lips touched the skin on the back of my neck. I flinched at the unexpected action. The pedestal with the vase was still behind the guy and I should have tried to grab it. Then I could hit Dean and try to run away. But what could I do to the other guys? Nothing. The guy pressed me roughly against the wall and dug his lips into mine, holding my chin with his long fingers.

"Open your mouth," Dean growled imperiously.

He continued kissing me insistently, trying to get his tongue into my mouth. I hated the thought that if this went too far, I’d be raped. He bit my bottom lip and I cried out. His tongue quickly entered my mouth and began to draw different patterns. I tried to turn away, but Dean gripped my chin tighter, preventing me from turning my head. One of his hands held me while the other roamed my body, lifting my T-shirt. I opened my eyes and looked toward the vase. I can't reach it. It’s standing two feet away from me. The guy let go of my chin and grabbed my waist and lifted me up, forcing me to throw my legs over his hips. He’s tired of procrastinating, and his hands reach for my bra.

"No! Don’t touch me!" The fear came back to me and I panicked.

Forgetting about the vase, I started to lash out again. But I knew he wouldn’t stop. His colleagues are here, who wouldn’t want to gain prestige among their acquaintances? No matter how, I think we’d all do it to become an authority figure.

"Okay," Dean whispered, and I thought that was the end of it, but I was wrong.

He tugged my T-shirt off and pressed me against the wall with his body, kissing my neck, moving lower and lower.

"Please," I begged, trying to cover myself.

Everyone there laughed at my helplessness. He grabbed my wrists and pulled me against the wall. I kept glancing at the vase, but now there was no chance. Tears streamed from my eyes... And I gave up.

"I thought you couldn’t do it. If you go through with it, then so be it. I’ll jump off a cliff into the water," some guy said, to which Dean grinned.

Did they bet on me? The room filled with my sobs. Every tear that escaped showed how much it hurt. I just gave up. In this city, I’m defenseless. The police are covering up for the gang and it’s  pointless to turn to them. The Darkness gang is dangerous. And crossing their path is deadly.

Imagine walking down the road and getting hit to death by a truck.

Slowly, painfully hitting you where it hurts, and then darkness.

So goes the "Darkness" gang.

I watched nervously as the guy pulled off his T-shirt. Everyone was whispering and no one wanted to help me. To them, it was entertainment. Nothing more than that. The hysteria passed and I just accepted it. Immersed in my own silence, my own world. The guy reached for my bra, but there was a creak and someone came into the room. Another onlooker, but I quickly changed my mind when the lights came on and I saw his facial expression. Dean froze, stopping what he was doing and turned his head back to see who had interrupted him. The blond man stepped inside and there was silence. Everyone waited for his reaction. The guys who were sitting on the couches were watching Jay and Dean carefully. The air was filled with anticipation and tension. Blue-eyed, still silent, went inside.

"What's going on here?" The blond asked, more sarcastically than seriously, and sat down on the couch, right where the harassment had started.

The guys were silent, staring intently at Dean, waiting for his answer. I had come back down to earth and was now waiting for what was happening. I watched Jay, praying that he would help me. Though it was foolish to hope for help from someone who’d started pulling you into darkness.

"I'm listening," the blue-eyed man barked.

Dean set me on the floor and stepped aside, putting on a T-shirt. My legs stopped holding me up, my body shook with fear, and goosebumps ran down my skin. I rolled down the wall and sat on the floor, resting my head on my knees and covering my face with my hands so no one would see my tears. My weakness.

"She's yours? I’m sorry, we didn't know," the guy rambled.

"We? You wanted to take turns fucking her like all the other whores?" Jay growled.

"Dude, we had nothing to do with it," another voice said, followed by a nod.

Heavy footsteps came closer, and I looked up, wiping my eyes with the palms of my hands.

Another brown-haired man whose name I didn’t know was coming toward me, and he picked up my T-shirt off the floor and came up to me, holding out my clothes. "Get dressed," the guy whispered and sat back down on the couch next to Jay.

Jay looked me in the eyes and then shifted his gaze lower. I quickly pulled my T-shirt on, trying to hide from the extra eyes. The blond stood up from the couch and began to slowly walk toward me. His eyes were no longer blue. Jay took my wrist, forcing me up. I got to my feet, looking at the guy with frightened eyes. His decision could change everything. He could let the guys touch me and then no vase would help me. It wouldn’t help either way, but there was still hope.

The blond bent toward me and whispered softly, so only I could hear and no one else: "Show me with your finger who else has touched you."

He straightened up and I looked around the room. The darkness didn’t allow me to see anyone who had touched me. The only thing it allowed me to recognize was Dean. It took him out of the game.

"Dean."

"Who else?"

"It was dark. I couldn’t see."

I looked at Dean. His fists clenched and his jaw tensed. He stared at me, and imperceptibly his lips began to move: "You're going down," the guy whispered.

"You know what I’m going to do to you, right?" Jay let go of me and walked over to the guy, and they stood face to face.

"Are you serious? Jay, we’ve been through stuff together, and all of a sudden you’re going to get rid of me over some whore?" Dean shook his head as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

"I'm not going to get rid of you," the blond said slowly, walking over to the couch and sitting down on it.

"Phew," the brown-haired man exhaled. "I was already thinking…"

"But you’ll be taken to the left wing right away."

"Are you serious? Are you really serious now?!" The guy shouted, coming up to Jay.

"You touched mine! No one dares touch what belongs to me!" The blond man stood up abruptly from the couch and walked over to Dean.

"You’re going to play with her, and then you’re going to kill her! She’s just another one of your toys!" The guy shouted, but before he could say anything, Jay's fist slammed into his jaw.

"I said to the left wing," the blue-eyed man growled and left the room.

My body shook when Jay came out. I was afraid of Dean. I scanned his every move with my gaze. But still, I was afraid of everyone else who was here.

"As soon as I get back from the left wing, I’ll find you and finish what I started. Remember this." He turned around and walked straight at me.

I pressed myself into the wall to put some distance between us. All the guys stood up, waiting to take the curly-haired guy away if anything happened.

The brown-haired man came up to me and leaned in close to my ear: "You’ll moan under me and beg for help." His hand touched my thigh and squeezed it. "But no one will help you."

"Stop it," I hated hearing that, and I shoved him away, but he pressed me against the wall again.

"Dean, get away from her. Let's go," some guy said and came up to us, turning the brown-haired man around by the shoulders.

"I’ll get a revenge on you," Dean hissed and left the room.

All the guys followed him out, leaving me alone. I have to run away. Get away from this place, or it will destroy me. I went to the window and opened it. Thank God it wasn’t barred. Glancing around to make sure the door was locked, I climbed onto the windowsill and looked down.

The second floor.

The jump was dangerous. But better the risk than being a plaything for violence. The feeling of unease never left me. Making sure there were no guards nearby, I jumped.