Unforgiven - The price of a heart

Her hands shook with fear as she frantically dialed her best friend's number, Lena. He had hit her again, this time around, her body was even more bruised with injuries. She ran and hid in the basement while she called her best friend.

The dim, cold basement reeked of dampness and dust, the faint scent of mildew hanging heavily in the stale air.

Isabelle crouched behind the old, cracked shelf, her knees pulled to her chest, fingers trembling as they hovered over her phone. She was sweating, her breath coming in sharp, shallow gasps. Her fingers slicked against the cold screen, barely able to focus on the words through the haze of panic and fear.

The flashlight on her phone cast weak, jittery light against the grimy walls, only making the shadows seem thicker. Everything around her felt too still, too quiet, except for the frantic thud of her heart pounding in her chest. Her thumb finally dialed the number she knew by heart, Lena. She hit the call button, the screen glowing like an omen in the dark. It rang for a while before the familiar voice finally broke through.

"Hello Isabelle?"

The sound of Lena's voice felt like a life line, but Isabelle couldn't find the strength to speak right away. Her throat felt tight, the air in the basement thick, with something more than just dust.

"Isabelle, what's wrong?" Her friend's voice broke through the phone once again. "Where are you?"

Isabelle pressed the phone harder to her ear, eyes darting to the top of the stairs where she heard him moving around, a whisper of movement. She shuddered.

"Lena...it's...it's bad this time" Isabelle gasped, her words tumbling out in a broken, half-sobbed whisper. "I...I don't know what to do. I...I don't think I'm safe. He...he hit me again. My whole body is bruised." She said, wincing from the pain she felt.

There was a long pause on the other end of the call, a heavy silence that made Isabelle's breath catch in her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself not to lose it. She couldn't. Not now. Not when there was no one else to help.

"That's it, I'm calling 911 right now! I just need you to stay hidden and don't move unless you absolutely have to, okay?" Lena finally said

"No...no no no, you can't, Lena" Isabelle said

"Why Isabelle, for fuck's sake?! You can't expect me to sit by and just do nothing. He keeps hitting you for crying out loud. I'm calling the police! That mother fucker is going to jail. What the hell?! Does he think you are some sort of punching bag or what?!" Lena screamed from the other end of the line.

"You can't, please. Lena, please listen to me. He didn't mean to hit me. He just had a rough day at work. I must have upset him, that was why he hit me. That's why he poured his anger out on me. He really didn't mean to." Isabelle said, defending him.

"Oh my God, Isabelle. You really think him having a bad day at work is an excuse for hitting you?!" Lena screamed.

"Lena, please just don't call the cops. If he finds out, he...he w...would kill me." Isabelle said, shuddering.

Just then she heard his footsteps again. He was coming towards the basement.

"Lena, he's here. He is looking for me. I think he found me. I am in the basement...hiding. Oh my God, Lena, what do I do? I'm...so...scared. Please...please help me"

Isabelle said, whimpering.

Lena's voice came back, sharp with urgency now, though still laced with concern.

"Isabelle, listen to me. You need to stay calm. You are going to be okay. Is there a way out of the house?"

"I...I don't know. I don't know...there is no way out. The front door is locked. I couldn't make it. He...he might be downstairs too. I thought I heard him. I don't know if I should try to sneak out or just wait. What if...what if he knows I'm here?"

"You are not thinking straight" Lena interrupted, her voice firm and steady now, the way it always was when she took charge. "You need to focus, Isabelle. Explain to me what happened in details. Explain exactly how it happened in details. What prompted him to hit you?"

Isabelle shuddered, her head swimming fragments of what had occurred only hours earlier. The argument, the brutal punches and slaps. She could still feel them. The dangerous and scary look in his eyes, the sickening blows that made her feel she would lose her life. It all felt like a nightmare, and she couldn't escape it. But the panic was real, so real.

"I don't know. I don't remember... not all of it," Isabelle stammered, her voice cracking. "But he returned home from work and I asked how he was and if he was ready to have his dinner." "But he...he got mad. I don't know what he was talking about. Something about... about me not going to the police to report him, or... or else," Her breath hitched again, her voice small and shaking. "Lena, I don't think he is going to stop. I don't know what to do."

"Isabelle, listen to me. You are not alone. You just need to stay hidden, okay? Just breathe, you are strong. Just stay quiet and stay out of sight. Can you do that for me?"

Isabelle barely managed a nod, her face pressed against her knees, trying to steady her breathing, to steady herself. Every creak of the floor above made her freeze, her pulse quickening. She thought she heard movement... heavy, deliberate steps dragging across the floor above her. She could feel it in her bones. He was coming. He was coming closer.

She nearly screamed as a sudden loud bang echoed from upstairs, the sound like a door slamming open.

"Oh my God," she whispered, her voice thin and strained. "He is coming. Lena, he is coming down here. He is looking for me! "

"Isabelle, stay quiet. Don't make a sound." Lena said

Isabelle's heart was a wild drumbeat in her ears. Her eyes flicked around the dim basement. She was shaking so violently. Isabelle bit her lip until she tasted blood, her heart hammering as the footsteps grew louder, closer, every creak of the floorboards making her muscle tense. She could almost feel him standing directly in front of her, his breath hot and unsteady, like he could sense her fear.

"I'm so scared," Isabelle whispered. Her voice cracked with desperation, but Lena's voice was calm, grounding.

"I know, but I'm here. Just stay quiet. You are not alone, okay? I'm not going anywhere until you are safe. Just hold on, Isabelle."

Isabelle closed her eyes, gripping the phone like it was her only tether to the world. The light from the screen flickered, and for a moment, she could almost feel Lena was there with her, like she wasn't there alone."

And then, the footsteps stopped. A long, tense silence settled over the house, thick with anticipation. Every breath Isabelle took felt like it could be her last. But Lena's voice was there, a life line in the dark.

"Isabelle?" Lena's voice was barely a whisper now. "Are you still there?"

Isabelle barely managed to reply before she heard a loud, heavy knock on the basement door.

She jumped in fear, petrified. Her heart was pounding rapidly, almost like it was about to jump out.

"Isabelle?!" The familiar voice rang out, but this time it wasn't her best friend's. "Isabelle?!" He called out again.

It was the voice of her husband, Daemon. Isabelle's chest was heaving rigorously. Her head spinned, shivers of sweat ran down her spine. Beads of sweat ran across her face. She hurriedly wiped them with the back of her hand and sniffled.

"I know you are in there, so it's better you come out now or I would beat you senseless again!" His voice screamed from the other side of the door. His words were heavy and laced with authority.

Isabelle whimpered in fear

"Isabelle, come out before I have this door torn down!" Daemon demanded.

"Isabelle?!" Lena's voice rang out on the other side of the line, reminding Isabelle she was still on a call with her best friend.

She slowly dropped the call. The dial ringing out loudly as she whimpered.