Survival of the fittest - AmyMarie and Shadowfax

[Shadowfax]

Ashelin tried so hard to shake the fear from her eyes. She had one weakness and that was restriction round the neck and to her horror Matt had discovered it. She pulled away and felt her blood boil when Matt kissed her on the cheek. Her eyes darkened and she watched as he made his way over to the bed. Something snapped inside of her in that moment and she began to pull downwards with all her strength. She felt the curtain rail move, so she repeated it over and over untill she felt her hands and cuffs become free of the rail.

She felt the blood return to her arms. She threw herself at Matt and attempted to get the cuffs around his neck.

"You vile, foul, ba****d!!!" She yelled as she struggled against him to pull the cuffs over his head.

It wasn't easy with her legs also being bound, but she was giving it her all. She hated this man with every inch of her being and wanted to watch the life leave his eyes.

Jack held George's gaze for a moment and laughed to himself as he lazily dealt some cards to himself and Harvey.

[UncoordinatedPisces]

Matt had watched her efforts succeed and was stand up when Ashelin advanced on him. Under the influence of alcohol, he didn't have any regard of his own pain or pain he was causing. Growling he grabbed her arms and pushed them away from him. He too had snapped from impenitence. If this didn't get through to her that he was serious about his threats nothing would.

He slammed her to the ground and began kicking her repeatedly in the stomach and back. He was literally shouting a variety of cuss words at her as he did so. Once his leg began to grow tired, he grabbed her by her top and held her against the wall as he throttled her with one hand and punched her with another. When he saw blood, he let her slump to the floor. He tied the cuffs to the end of the bed instead. He lifted up her chin and wore his trademark smirk.

"I suppose you get the idea now. When I come back tomorrow, you will sumbit. Even if you don't you'll get whats coming to you. Might as well make it easier for yourself". He gave her cheek a stroke before slapping it almost patronizingly. "Oh, and this" he added, spitting in her face like she did to him outside "Is for being a little b****. See you in the morning sweetheart". He picked up his booze and left, locking the door behind him. He made a beeline for another room. He needed to sleep now. He anticipating what tomorrow would bring.

Harvey and Jack commenced a game of Rummy, for Harvey had requested something simple. George watched carefully, looking for one of them to slip up and cheat so he could point it out and cause an argument. He might as well seeing as he was-
"Raise the steaks" said Harvey "One who wins gets Aimee without any other betting from us lot when Aaron's done with her". Deciding that it'd be interesting, the other gang members nodded in agreement. George sat and growled to himself as Harvey made eye contact.

[Shadowfax]

Ashelin had never felt physical pain like this in her life. Her stomach was numb after the first two kicks and she no longer had any feeling in her back once Matt had finished kicking her. She gasped for breath as one kick sent the wind out of her and she tried to pull herself away from his kicks. But he had hold of her top the next moment and delivered one final blow. With that she coughed and blood trickled down her lip.

When he let go of her, Ashelin fell to the floor in a heap and gave a whimper of pain. She winced as he pulled her chin up and met his eyes. She was too weak to glare at him with hatred and she was almost grateful he had stopped now. Every muscle in her body was throbbing and she could barely sit up from the pain. When Matt stroked her cheek she winced as she knew before he'd started she was going to get slapped.

When he spat in her face she shook her head and buried her face in the end of the bed. Ashelin was relieved when she heard him close the door behind her. When she heard his footsteps die away she looked up and sat up so her back was resting against the bedframe. Looking in the window she saw her hair was messy and damp with sweat as it clung to her forehead. Blood was trickling down her chin and one of her eyes was black. She sighed and began to look around the room for something to undo the cuffs with.

She saw to her left there was an old toothpick. It would do. She picked it up and began to press on the lock of her cuffs. It took a few moments, but she eventually got them off her wrists and instantly she massaged her wrists. Her legs were still bound together so she set to work on those next. As she bent down, pain shot through her back and she even let out another groan of pain. Again, a few moments later she was free and able to walk. Ashelin made her way to the bathroom and looked at her wounds. She ran the tap and dampened a towel on the side of the bath.

Ashelin pulled up her top and saw her ribs bruised and her stomach very red. She began to dab the sore areas with the towel once she had run it under the cold tap in an attempt to sooth the pain. She did this for all her injuries and cleaned her face up a little before limping back to the bed and collapsing on it. She knew sleep would be hard to come by that night, but she had to try.. She needed to be refreshed for tomorrow. She atleast knew now that Matt was no easy mark.

***

Jack's eyes lit up at Harvey's words and he looked round at George. He put his offer on the table as he had earlier and also wrote something down on a piece of paper.

"I'lll do patrol duty for one of yous for a week too" He said, tossing the paper into the middle of the table.

The game went on for a while, but in the end all the men were so drunk and tired they all ended up falling asleep. Jack was too drunk to even remember what had happened so come the morn he would be clueless to what he had won, if he'd won at all.

***

As expected, Ashelin didn't sleep easy, but she woke up feeling a little better. When she did sleep she had nightmates of Matt and often she shuddered when she woke. It took her a moment to realize where she was and the throbbing pain in her stomach and back reminded her. It was even an effort to sit up that morning and a cut had formed on her lip where he had hit her.

Ashelin reached out for a bottle of water on the bedside table and drank the whole of it's contents.

[UncoordinatedPisces]

George had fallen asleep on the spot during the night, and when he awoke, he glanced around. All the men were asleep. Most at the tables dotted around the room. The smell of booze was quite over-powering as he became more aware of his surroundings. His lips were dry though, he needed something to drink.

Aimee opened her eyes and yawned as the light crept in through the curtains in the hotel room. She found herself closer to Aaron than expected so she shuffled away to the edge of her side of the bed. Aimee sat up and used a hand to comb through her hair, she freed her eyes of sleepy dust and reached for the bottle of water he had given her last night.

Matt didn't have as much sleep as he would of wanted last night. His thoughts were lying with that woman. He went to the bathroom and washed his face with cold water to awaken him a little. He stared at his reflection in the mirror for a moment before smiling.
"I got through to her" he murmured to himself "I know I have". He headed out of the hotel room he was in and slowly made his way back to Ashelin's.

[Shadowfax]

(Sorry, this will be a bit of a mammoth post x))

Taking a while to realize she had quenched her thirst, Ashelin sat on the edge of the bed with her back arched and her head in her hands. The pain was just about bearable now as she rocked back and forth as if trying to calm herself. Her eyes drifted to the door every so often and if she heard a nose her eyes would widen. No sound of Matt yet however, thank goodness. But there was a tapping at the window all of a sudden.

It took a while for her to realize where the noise was coming from and when she finally located the window, it was then she saw there were bars on them. That was usually the case on the lower floor of hotel rooms. But Ashelin was utterly shocked when she finally realized who was standing there.

"Sam?" She said, blinking quickly as she stood up and walked to the window.

She pulled the window open slightly and looked at the boy in total shock. He looked cold, but unharmed.

"How did you? Why? What?" She said, confused by his presence here.

"I smashed the window in my room. I am two floors up from you so it wasn't an easy climb down, but I used the guttering and spent the night in one of the sheds over there. They have loads of camping equipment in there" Sam said, but his face dropped when he saw the state Ashelin was in. "Ash... What happened to you?!" The boy trembled.

"Smart kid" Ashelin said hearing about how Sam had escaped. "I look that bad huh?" She said, glancing back over at the mirror. Her eye was blackened, her lip cut and her eyes looked tired. They didn't have the usual fire in them and Sam had noticed.

"What happened Ash?!" Sam asked, his eyes starting to water.

"Stop that. You don't cry, crying only shows weakness and fear. Now, do you want to help us or not?" Ashelin scolded the boy.

Oddly, Sam immediately stopped crying. He wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie and gave a determined nod of his head. Ashelin smirked at him and returned the nod.

"You.. have a plan?" Sam asked her.

"I've always got a plan. You should know that by now kid. Matt's a psycho, I learnt that last night and i've now witnessed the lengths he will go to in order to get what he wants. Last night was.. painful, but not a waste of my time. Now, listen to me Sam and listen closely because I will only say it once. I need you to get whatever supplies together you can without being seen or caught. Find a way to avoid them following us too. We will only take one car with us. Get some of that camping stuff too if you can, staying in the middle of nowhere for a few days might be a good idea. The risky part will be to get to George and tell him of my plan. You'll need to tell him to inform Aimee and, if he trusts him, Aaron to make sure they are outside of their room at midnight. The doors are all automatic so I reckon we can close them all down and lock these men up in one place"

"But how on earth do we get them in one place? They are in the lobby most of the time and some on patrol. Not to mention Matt" Sam said with concern.

"Leave Matt to me" She said with a smirk "And the men. Don't worry, everything will fall into place. Just tell George to make sure Aimee gets out her room at midnight or she'll be locked in too. And also.. tell him.. It'll be ok. Now go, quickly"

Sam nodded furiously at this and took his leave. Ashelin smiled and closed the window and just in time. Her heart hammered as she heard Matt's footsteps on the floor. She rushed forward and slipped her ankles and hands back in the cuffs again. She lay herself uncomfortably on the floor and awaited his arrival. He would be in for a shock tonight as much as it sickened Ashelin. She would keep her people safe though.

***

Sam ducked past every window he passed just incase he was spotted by the men in the gang. He went unoticed the whole way round though and soon found the front door to the hotel and lobby. The boy peered round the corner and saw that all the men were asleep with beer in their hands or burnt out cigars in their mouths. He slowly pushed the door open, swallowed his fear and crept over to George. The lobby was a mess, littered with beer bottles and packets so Sam had to tread carefully. He reached George and gently shook him awake by the shoulder.

"George.. I can't be long but I just spoke to Ash. She said for you to tell Aimee and Aaron to make sure they are not in their room at midnight tonight and for you to know that everything is going to be ok. We are escaping tonight" he whispered to the man, keeping his eyes on Jack and Harvey. "M... Matt really hurt her... B-but she said she's got a plan" Sam said wearily.

[UncoordinatedPisces]

Matt unlocked & pushed the door open with ease. He swaggered into the room on slightly unsteady feet, he had a bit of a hangover and was a bit sour this morning. He glanced down at Ashelin and he smirked.
"Good morning sweetheart" he said, one hand on the headboard. "How was last nights sleep?" he asked, mockingly. He could see the bruises being formed, and he was certain he had finally made a point with her.
---
George was surprised when Sam appeared, but kept glancing at the men while the boy was speaking to him. If Sam got caught, George would be able to do nothing about it. He listened and then felt a bit...angry. Matt had hurt her? He bit his bottom lip.
"Alright, I'll make sure they're out". He sighed "If you see Ashelin, tell her I...oh, don't worry" he was going to say something about sending his regards, but stopped himself. He felt the need to run a hand through his hair, but the darn cuffs-

As he glanced at them, he had a moment of realization. "Sam, there's something you can do for me. The idiots over there didn't lock the cuffs properly, I can loosen them myself but you can. Put them on the loosest setting for me?" he asked, speaking as quietly as he could.
---
Aimee stretched out her arms as Aaron awoke. He had a thumping headache, and immediately reached for his water and into his back pocket for a Paracetamol. As he drunk, he noticed Aimee was up. Letting out a long sigh after he had took the tablet, he waiting for it too kick in.

"Hey" he mumbled. Aimee turned around and smiled at him
"Morning". She stood up to stretch her legs and Aaron watched her lean against the wall.
"Sleep alright?"
"Yeah, I slept fine". Aaron had to admit the conversation wasn't really flowing, but he put himself in her shoes and saw why. "Just going to use the bathroom" she murmured before going to the other end of the the room and through the bathroom door.

Aaron lay in thought. He'd have to bring Aimee downstairs this morning whether he liked it or not. Hopefully the gang will be too hungover to make a big deal out of it, he thought.

[Shadowfax]

Sam nodded at his question and walked a little closer. He tugged at the cuffs untill they were on the loosest setting. He couldn't quite pull them off but he hoped George would be able to work his way out the cuffs by himself. Sam heard Jack stir and his nerves left them. He hastilly whispered to George;

"Remember, midnight. Ill see you later and ill be sure to pack crisps" he said, fleeing from the room.

Just in time as Jack awoke as soon as Sam got out of sight. He rubbed his eyes and looked over at George.

"Sleep well?" he mocked.

Ashelin quickly pretended to be asleep. As Matt came in the room she immediately felt her blood start to boil. A voice in her head told to be calm and she put her brave face on. She had to do this. For the sake of the others. Raising her head, Ashelin looked sleepily up at Matt. She smiled up at him.

"There you are. I hoped you wouldn't be long" she said sweetly, struggling to sit up. "I'm sorry for my behaviour last night"

[UncoordinatedPisces]

George was going to thank him, but Sam was gone as Jack began to stir. He watched the boy go and sighed. He hoped Ashelin's plan would work...and he hoped she hadn't got beaten too badly. Hearing Jack speak, George just glared at him for a moment and didn't reply. He rested his head against the post and moved his legs into a different position.
---
Matt raised a curious brow. He was in disbelief for the most part. She was talking to him, apologizing. He didn't like the look of it at first.
"Sorry? You? Sure..." he growled, leaning against the wall trying to suss her out.
---
Aimee came out of the bathroom, looking a little more spruced up. Aaron was standing, doing up the top buttons of his shirt he had undone during the night. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.
"We'll have to go downstairs". Aimee looked confused, and then a little worried. She rubbed her arm and frowned.
"Do we have to?".

Aaron nodded and pulled on his jacket. Aimee picked up her jumper and put it back on as well, along with her shoes.
"Just have to grab some breakfast and sit tight. Try to ignore the guys" he said with a sympathetic look. As they left the room, Aimee walked slowly, looking down at her shoes. She wanted to see George, but didn't want to face everyone else.

She knew they thought Aaron and her had been up to something, and it'd be incredibly awkward if Aaron had to lie about things. Not to mention in front of George. Aaron turned around and stopped, waiting for her to catch up. He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a little squeeze.
"You'll be alright, don't worry". With that, they walked down the stairs and back into the lobby.

[Shadowfax]

Phone post x)

-----

Ashelin felt the cuffs rubbing against her sore wrists and she heaved herself to sit up. She rest her head against the side of the bed, revealing the bruise forming over her eye. She smiled softly even though inside she was crying out with anger.

"I am. I underestimated you. Your a strong man, and I like strong men. Your not the usual man who is all talk. Nobody has ever best me in a fight like you. I'm impressed" she said, her words sounding truthful.

She flicked her head back, gesturing for him to come over to her.

"Come sit with me" she asked him.

----

Jack cracked his knuckles as he stood up. His back clicked back into place and his head began to throb as he began to walk around. He picked up a cigarette and gently kicked Harvey awake.

"We doing more raiding today?" he asked his comrade.

[UncoordinatedPisces]

Matt was unsure what to think. He was ever so doubtful, but this is where and how he wanted the woman. 'I'm impressed'. He wore a smug look for a moment before approaching her and sliding down the wall to sit opposite her. "Like strong men huh? Well...you're in for a ride with someone like me then sweetheart".
---
Harvey groaned and rolled over, opening his eyes.
"I dunno, up to Matt. He's too busy with that woman anyway by the looks of it". The man sat up and fished around his pocket for a cigarette as well. He stuck it out in front of him and gestured at Jack "You got a light mate?"

As Aimee and Aaron approached the rest of them, George looked up. He wore a slight smile when Aimee's eyes made contact with his. Aimee was tempted to run over and give him a hug, but she didn't know what'd happen if she did. So, she stuck to Aaron. Harvey noticed there approach and scowled. He looked straight at Aimee, he hadn't forgotten about his loss.

"Mornin' Aaron" he said lowly. Aaron nodded his head and slunk down into the opposite table. Unsure what to do with herself, Aimee sat with him. Harvey raised a brow. "How 'bout you come sit over here?" he growled at the girl. Aimee didn't appreciate that he was puffing away and frowned.
"I'd rather not" she mumbled in reply. Harvey, slightly surprised that she had answered back just shrugged
"Suit yourself. You'll be sat beside me sooner than you think though missy".