“C’mon darling, time to go!” I sat up slightly confused and disoriented. The previous day rushed back to me in a tidal wave. I looked around frantically, all senses on high alert.
“Skye? Calm down, it will be okay,” Clyde sad down beside me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I hugged myself tightly and tried to soothe my panic. Okay!? How could it be okay? How could he think his comfort was going to make any of this okay?
“Restrain her, we have to leave.” Georgie instructed. Clyde began to tie my ankles together with some blue rope from his duffel bag, but instead of the hog tie he had me in earlier, he kept my wrists in front of me. When he pulled out the duct tape he looked apologetic.
“This is just until we get back on the main road.” Ripping off a large piece with his teeth he carefully covered my mouth and kissed my cheek.
“You’re behaving well this morning,” he complemented with pride.
“Because she’s only been awake for ten minutes; give her time, I’m sure she’s not done. Now let’s go,” grumbled Georgie, no doubt suffering a massive hangover. Clyde grabbed me around the waist and lifted me up over his shoulder which dug into my pelvis but I didn’t fight, I knew now wasn’t the time. Clyde held a hand over my skirt to try and hold it down, in some attempt of affording me modesty.
“Ready.” Georgie opened the door and they moved fast. Not quite running but walking at a very brisk pace. The sun was barely up, enough light for them to not trip over their feet but enough darkness to hide the fact they were carting me around all tied up. Within minutes Clyde and I were in the back, a few sleeping bags had been rolled out to give some measure of comfort. He set me down and lay beside me. Georgie started the truck and we were gone. With nothing else to do I soon fell asleep again. When we stopped the sun was higher in the sky. Clyde sat me up on the edge of the truck bed and removed the duct tape. I hissed but held in my scream. Freeing my wrists, Clyde handed me a cheeseburger.
“I also got you a chocolate milkshake, hope you’re not allergic.” He looked hesitant, almost worried of how I’d react. I smiled genuinely and reached out for it.
“Chocolate is my favorite,” I replied gratefully. Georgie sat on the curb, glancing around as he ate his food. He was vigilant, keen. I saw something predatory in his eyes and I could tell he’d done this before and more than once. Clyde had more of a carefree innocence to him.
“I have to pee,” I announced as they started to get cleaned up.
“Piss yourself, there is no way…”
“I’ll take her,” Clyde interrupted, already undoing my ties.
“She’ll try to escape,” Georgie warned holding out a small handgun. After several minutes of staring at it, Clyde took it and tucked it into his waistband. He led me to the men’s room. Since I actually had to pee I didn’t argue. He stood at the door and motioned me towards the stalls.
The first few were a mess but the last one looked untouched.
“It’s really awkward knowing you’re standing there listening,” I confessed. Of all things to be embarrassed about, granted I’d never found myself in this type of situation before.
“Skye, it’s natural human function, we’re going to spend the rest of our lives together, I am bound to hear you pee some point,” he laughed. I had been holding it too long, I shrugged the embarrassment away. The rest of the afternoon went by fast and by night time I was exhausted. I did nothing but lay in the same position for hours listening to Clyde talk about the farm. My limbs protested as I moved around and I took a minute to admire the hotel room; this one was much nicer. On the downside, it came with a mini bar so Georgie seemed content to stay in bed.
“It’s your turn to shower,” Clyde announced.
“I don’t have any extra clothes.”
“I have a dress for you. Although this bathroom has a pretty big window so I’ll be supervising.” My heart almost leapt in my throat at the idea.
“I’d rather not,” I replied, while trying to remain polite.
“You need to shower to keep yourself clean. Now get your butt in there,” he snapped. He pointed to the bathroom and grabbed a backpack. I didn’t protest until we were once again behind the locked door Clyde started the water.
“Well, you aint gonna shower in your clothes are ya?”
“I’m clean…really,” I protested.
“Skye, you will take off that uniform and wash up! Do not make me tell you twice,” he warned through gritted teeth. I stood there, staring at the floor for the longest time before I began to undress, shivering at the cold temperature of the bathroom. I felt sick and exposed and vulnerable. Clyde handed me the shampoo and offered me the soap when I needed it. I could feel his eyes constantly on me and I couldn’t seem to cover myself up enough.
“Water is getting cold,” I announced. He turned it off and wrapped me in a giant towel, helping me dry my hair. It was strange for me to have someone not only see me naked but to be doing such intimate things for me.
“You don’t have to do this,” I objected, face aflame.
“I want to though.” He continued to rub me down, instructing me when to hold my arms out and I felt hot tears roll down my face as he touched my most cherished body parts, taking much longer than necessary to dry them. I almost gasped at the feel of him pressing the towel up between my legs; alarms went off in my head, screaming at me to do something, anything. Make him stop, this wasn’t right! Before I could utter a single word he stopped and pulled away.
“Doesn’t that feel better?” he asked, he was breathing heavier now as he stood there staring at me, towel hanging in his hands. His hand reached out for me but stopped just inches before touching me. He pulled his hand away and cleared his throat. He clenched his fist as he held it against himself.
“Dry and dress,” he instructed holding out a dress. It was hand sewn and old; the fabric was an outdated floral pattern.
“Where did you get this?”
“Two of Georgie’s wives made it for you, it might be a little big on you though, and we weren’t sure what size you’d be until I chose you.” I pulled it over my head, grateful to be at least covered now. I felt a little lost in the outfit; it was rather large and long.
“You look amazing.” But my reflection disagreed. My hair hung in large blonde clumps and my cheek had a dark purple bruise from Georgie’s fist. My eyes were red from crying. I didn’t even look like myself. He led me out of the bathroom and towards the bed. He motioned for me to sit while Georgie pulled the entire mini bar in his lap.
“Can you watch her for a few minutes without beating her?” he asked Georgie.
“Are you getting smart with me brother?”
“No; Skye, I’ll be right out. Be good please.” I nodded, I didn’t plan to start anything with Georgie; he’d already proved he was stronger and more ruthless. When I made my move for freedom I’d have to choose a time when he was gone or distracted. He had been right about the fact I wasn’t done. I wouldn’t be done until I was home and free, or possibly dead. I had watched enough crime shows to know how this was going to end.
“I know you’ll try again, I can see the defiance in your eyes.” Georgie informed me, glancing my way. But I didn’t reply or even look over at him. Clyde was out minutes later, than came to get settled beside me, stretching out.
“Come lay down,” he instructed.
“I’m not tired,” I protested softly.
“It was not a request,” he snapped. I flinched then I crawled closer and settled myself down beside him, head resting on his chest. His arm encircled me protectively but I had never felt so afraid of another human being in my entire life. The men watched the football game, barely making conversation. The smell of alcohol made me queasy and shut my eyes, the noise of the game fading into the background. It was dark when I felt someone stir beside me. Clyde rubbed one hand down my side and his face was buried in my hair.
“I’ve waited a long time for you Skye,” he whispered, planting a quick kiss on my neck. I froze, unsure how to respond without encouraging him or incurring his wrath. But after a few minutes he fell back asleep and I lay awake, rigid in bed and curled up with Clyde. He was warm and I felt taken aback by how at ease I felt at that moment. I gave myself a quick mental kick. He was not my friend, he was my enemy. He was the one who pulled me into the truck and spanked me like a damn child. How could I even for a second relax? Sighing I tried to move, I had to get out of here. With both brothers snoring I felt like it took hours for me to move fraction by fraction. When I stood beside the bed, free of restraints my heart leapt and I felt confident as I slid my feet across the hardwood floor trying to regulate my breathing. The rattling of the chain lock made Georgie stir and I froze, even holding my breath. When his chest began to rise and fall peacefully I focused on turning the locks. As the deadbolt slid with a thunk Georgie sat up and looked at me furiously. I felt almost paralyzed with fear but when he tossed the covers aside I threw the door open and ran. Georgie swore and I could hear his steps mere seconds behind me. I ran down the stairs, skipping some while hoping not to trip and fall.
I didn’t expect what happened next. Georgie jumped the railing and landed in front of me at the bottom of the stairs, rolling on the balls of his feet. I turned to run back up but I just wasn’t fast enough. He had his big arms wrapped around me and was dragging me towards the truck. I tried to scream and he put me in a head lock.
“I KNEW it, you just can’t fucking help yourself, can you?” he spat, his arm around my throat tightened. I kicked flailed, vision fading fast and muscles growing weaker the longer I was being deprived of blood flow. Georgie carried me towards the truck, keeping firm grip as he opened the double back doors and bent me over the truck bed. He immediately duct taped my wrists behind my back before wrapping it around my mouth and head a few times. Satisfied he’d done a thorough job, he backed up a little. I tried to stand back up only to have him run up and slam my head down against the metal bed. I felt a little dizzy but I remained still.
“While I would love to fuck you into submission, I swore to Clyde I wouldn’t; so we’ll just have to settle for a good ol’ beating.” He pulled his belt out, it was a daunting sound, the whooshing through the loops of his jeans; the sound had me shaking in fear as I watched him fold it in half over my shoulder. I shook my head; if I could have talked I’d be begging. The first slap hit my leg and the intensity had me in instant tears. It radiated in pain and I wished I could scream. Lifting the dress he exposed me to the cold night air, and then he slapped my ass; the skin already sensitive and bruised. I screamed but the noise was too muffled. Why couldn’t anyone hear or see what was going on? It was the middle of the night, but someone had to be awake! Georgie brought his belt down over and over, every inch of me felt on fire by the time he was done. I slid to the cement, legs no longer able to support me. The ground was cold and slightly wet but it felt good. Georgie put his belt back on and shut the doors to the back of the truck.
“Time to wake up your husband Skye and tell him what you’ve done.” He grabbed my elbow and forced me to stand; I was unsteady, legs not quite able to support me.
“Walk or I’ll beat you some more.” I lowered my head but followed his lead, grunting in pain at every step I took that moved the flesh of my backside. As we entered the room Georgie threw me against Clyde’s sleeping body. He awoke suddenly and I fell in between the beds, landing on my knees.
“While you sleep like a rock, your future bride was making her way outside…again! I took care of it this time, but if it happens again I will shoot her brother. We don’t need this big of a risk.” Clyde looked down at me, such disappointment in his eyes.
“What did you do to her?” Clyde demanded.
“Gave her a taste of my belt, she’s intact, don’t worry.”
“You promised me Skye.” Georgie laughed.
“They’re liars, until you put enough fear into them. Now pull out the dilaudid.” Clyde picked me up and laid me on the bed; I cried out through the duct tape and rolled onto my side. Without another word he grabbed the black bag and pulled out a syringe and small glass bottle.
“I hate doing this,” Clyde sighed, and it sounded as though he meant it.
“I know brother, but we have to protect the family.” Clyde nodded as he measured what i hoped was a correct dose. I watched as he injected it into my arm. A rush of warmth spread through me and a tingling feeling flowed through my veins. My mind danced along the edges of consciousness. My muscles weakened as I felt more and more sleepy.
“This is just until we get home sweetheart.” Next thing I knew I was out. Rare moments of consciousness were spent taking care of necessities or trying to fight off another injection. I was rarely alone and few times I was they kept me bound. I couldn’t budge an inch. I knew we had stopped at least once because I’d awoken to a shower and I was naked with Clyde holding me up. When I fought him he pinned me down and shot me with another dose. When I finally was able to sit up, unrestrained I was told we were almost home. I didn’t say a word, my body ached, and my mouth was dry, my brain felt heavy and my thoughts were spinning as I curled up and tried not to hurl.
“Are you going to tell momma about the close calls?”
“Yes, but those days are behind us now, right Skye?” I just stared at him blankly.
“Course they are, she runs away out here, she’ll die of exposure. We’re so far away from civilization she’d never find it. Not to mention we can track and hunt.” When Georgie finally parked he hopped out to greet his oldest child Becky, 11 years old; from his first wife Sarah, Clyde explained. It made the situation seemed all that more hopeless. But I saw something I hadn’t seen from Georgie at all. His eyes lit up the moment his arms were wrapped around his little girl. Her love for him made him smile, and there was nothing sinister about it. It caught me a little off guard.
“I missed you Daddy! Did uncle find a wife?” she asked excitedly.
“Why don’t you peek your head in there and find out?” He kissed her forehead and made his way back inside, Becky ran to the back and I could see her jumping up and down to see through the window.
“Uncle! Uncle! Did you find one?” she shouted. Clyde laughed and opened the hatch. Becky peered inside, staring at me.
“Wow, she sure is different! What’s her name?”
“I named her Skye, because of her eyes.” I looked away but he grabbed my chin and when I closed my eyes he squeezed.
“Show your new niece your beautiful eyes,” he ordered. I stared at her, confused. What possible garbage had this child been brainwashed with? Becky continued to stare in fascination as though interactions like this were everyday stuff to her.
“Uh-oh, was Auntie Skye naughty uncle?”
“Yes, but I’m pretty sure she’s learned her lesson.”
“I hope so, spankings aren’t very fun,” she made a face than hopped down and ran around yelling.
“We have a new auntie, her name is Skye,” she yelled as loud as she could.
“I knew she’d take a lying to you.” He pulled me to the edge of the hatch and cut free my limbs.
“Be careful now please.” I slowly put weight down and stumbled beside him. He led me into the house and it was an enormous 2 story. It was built with a wraparound porch, a nice swing off to the side and a few chairs off to the left. The house was long and painted a pale yellow. It was almost too large to be a house, and my stomach knotted the closer we got to it. There were quite a few people sitting around the large living room, all were dressed in similar handmade clothes, and there were several kids playing on the floor. There was one teenage girl on a sofa reading a book, and an old lady that was in a rocking chair and was knitting; I assumed she was the mother. And the two women to my left were enjoying hobbies like embroidery while the other sewed some patches into clothes over her large pregnant belly. My future seemed even more terrifying.
“Skye, meet Sarah.” Her and Becky had the same reddish hair. Sarah wore a pink dress, and her hair was in a tight bun as her green eyes looked up at me, evaluating me instantly. The other wife was Ruth; she had black hair and blue eyes. Mama was introduced as such and the teenage girl turned out to be the younger sister Emily. After Becky was Joseph, Cane, Abigail, Brandon, Josiah and the baby was Elizabeth. I tried to guess by eye and hair combinations who was whose but soon gave up.
“Auntie Skye was naughty,” giggled Becky. A few children giggled and I blushed in humiliation. Clyde led me into the kitchen where Georgie’s third wife was doing dishes.
“Meet Magdalene, but we just call her Maggie.”
“Magdalene? As in Mary Magdalene?” I wasn’t an expert on the bible, but I recalled the name and the story behind her.
“Georgie found her at a stripper bar, name seemed to fit; while she was not chaste, Georgie chose her anyways.” He pulled me down the hall and up a staircase where he knocked on the first door and we were ushered inside.
“Christopher, meet Skye.” Christopher looked young, I was guessing around my age; he was pale with short black hair and black clothes with even blacker nails. Most of his room was black and gothic except for the few statues of Jesus on the cross. His dark blue eyes looked away from his computer and up at me. The way the younger brother looked at me made me feel uneasy.
“Nice choice. Is the ceremony tonight than?” Clyde nodded.
“Can’t wait; you picked well brother.”
“She’s pure, Georgie and I discussed it and we want you to go first.” Christopher’s expression went blank, unreadable.
“Are you sure about that? This is your first wife Clyde.”
“As pleased as I would be to go first, I’ll have her for the rest of my life, it only seems right you get to take her.”
“Take me?” I demanded. The idea of anyone touching me let alone all three of them…
“On our wedding night; it’s tradition for the brothers of the groom to help break in the new bride. Christopher just turned 18 last month. While he’s too young for a wife, he’s not too young to participate in the tradition. I helped Georgie break in his, and they’ll help me break in you.” I felt horrified and suddenly lightheaded. My body started to shake and I had to wonder if it was from the thought of them all touching me, inside me; or perhaps lingering side effects of whatever he shot me with.
“All of you?” I asked desperately.
“Yes, that includes Georgie Skye.” It was like he read my mind
“This is his work?” Christopher asked as he lifted the end of my dress to see the welts that covered my lower body. I jerked my dress right out of his hand was about to slap him when Clyde’s hand smacked me upside the head. He looked down at me with furrowed eyebrows, warning me with his eyes not to follow through.
“She’s defiant, mouthy and a runner. It was hell getting her home.”
“Well that behavior won’t last long.”
“I’m not so confident; she’s proven to be stubborn,” Clyde confessed.
“I can see.” I clenched my fists and grit my teeth.
“I am standing right here, you don’t need to discuss me like I’m not in the room.”
“See what I mean? Let’s go have some lunch Skye.” He shoved me back towards the front of the house and sat me down at the table. It wasn’t long before the others joined us while Sarah and Ruth served lunch. A beef stew with green beans and a homemade roll. Once served, everyone began to hold hands and lowered their head. Clyde held mine down, when I pushed against his grip he grabbed onto my hair.
“Heavenly father, we gather before this meal to give thanks; for all the blessings you’ve given us lord. And we ask that you continue to watch over our family as we work hard to follow your word, Amen.” Everyone muttered an Amen and began to eat.
“Uncle, when is Auntie Skye going to have babies?” asked Becky. He almost choked on his stew; it was his turn to turn a dark red.
“When God blesses them with one dummy,” announced Caine with a mouthful of food.
“Caine, don’t talk to your sister like that and eat all your food before talking,” chastised the old woman. Cane frowned.
“Sorry Nanny,” he apologized.
“Georgie mentioned a few hiccups?” Clyde glared at his older brother and looked to his mother.
“Skye attempted a few escapes but together we handled it.”
“I handled it, with no help from you,” argued Georgie.
“We got her here and didn’t get in trouble,” snapped Clyde. My blood boiled the way they were referring to me like I was an item, an object and not a person. I could feel my hands as they curled into fists and I studied the table. It was a few seconds between the thought entering my head and me following through. I picked up the butter knife and with all my strength I stabbed it through his hand. Blood immediately pooled while pinning his hand down to the wood. A few children screamed while others started to cry. Their mothers attempted to shield them and Clyde cried out, swearing as he pulled the knife out in one quick thrust, giving an arc of blood and spraying Georgie who sat across from him. The old woman handed him a towel to stop the bleeding. Georgie directed his family out of the dining room, grabbing the baby from the high chair.
“My name isn’t Skye, I am Lyndsay and you all are brainwashed idiots,” I shouted as I breathed heavily. I barely saw his fist until it connected with my jaw. I landed on my butt crying out at the new pain.
“You need to handle her brother,” Georgie yelled, he was furious.
“I WILL,” Clyde shouted back.
“Christopher, it’s time you learn about lashings. Grab Skye and take her out to the barn, I’ll be right out.” Christopher grabbed both my biceps and led me out the back door, I was still breathing heavily, almost transfixed by what I had done. I hadn’t even thought twice, and in front of all the children. What was I turning into?