Stand By Me Darling
Chapter 411: Getting Touched

Chapter 411: Getting Touched

So it’s all Ralph’s plan?

Talia immediately clutched her hand as her heartbeat raced. She was holding on to the handgun when she fell down. Her heart skipped a beat when her hand was empty and she looked around to see where she had dropped the gun.

"Looking for this, dearie?" Ralph sneered.

Talia saw him removing the magazine from the gun and he threw the gun away. Talia crawled to get the gun. She wanted to finish him off then and there before he does anything.

Just as she reached the gun, his boots pressed on her hand making her wince. She felt her skin getting scraped and she gritted her teeth not letting her pain show in her face.

"Come on, dearie... We cannot waste out time here... We have a lot to talk about," he knelt in front of her.

He was pointing the torch at the ground and the tunnel was pretty dark. With him so close that she could feel his breath on her, she could see his profile. She saw the little glow in his brown eyes that made them look mystical and there was an eerie smirk in his lips. He used to have a square face and now he had an oval shape. He had gone through a lot just to get her trapped like this.

He is mental!

She heard Mr. Ed’s voice from above as he tried to dig through the rubble. She thought she’d be rescued immediately.

"Mr. Ed! I’m in here! Ral-"

Talia screamed looking up, but she whimpered to a pause as she felt the wetness of a tongue slithering on her cheek.

"Huk!" Talia felt her blood flowing backwards as she heard the low chuckle of Ralph and only his teeth was visible in the dim light. She started trembling.

"Shout more and I’ll lick you elsewhere and make you scream in pleasure for your dogs to hear...he... he..." he sneered as his fingers trailed north of her knee.

Talia forgot to breathe for a moment. She’s been in dangers before, but getting threatened to be violated... It made her head spin.

"Good girl." He patted her head as she went silent and frozen. His cold finger left her body and he got up. He then started searching for something in that tunnel.

She felt unable to move and her entire body hurt. Her hand stung, but it was nothing compared to the pain in her back. But what irked her more was the drying wetness of Ralph’s saliva on her cheek. Her toes curled with disgust.

She used the sleeve of her dress and wiped her cheek again and again. But it still she felt unclean. She wanted to dig her nails in that area and remove that flesh like removing a rot in a carrot. Her fingers dug in her cheek.

Ahhh!!!

Her heart was screaming but her body had frozen.

"Get up! I have a very special place for you," Ralph grabbed by both of her arms and stood her up. "If you don’t want to be carried by me, keep on walking." He waved his hand and fixed the backpack on his shoulders.

Talia took in a deep breath. It seemed like her scream didn’t reach Mr. Ed as there were still sounds of bullets heard in the ground and he was still calling for her. Silently, she started walking as she lost hope.

The situation she is in slowly registered in her brain. She is now the captive of the man who’s been trying to hurt her for a long time. He also seems to be very clever and resourceful, to be able to escape all the powerful forces trying to catch him and to pull off this big an attempt to finally get her.

She was hurting all over, but she didn’t drag her feet and kept on walking. For now, she thought compliance will keep her alive for some time.

Getting touched by him?

She clenched her jaws, unable to bear the feeling like she’s splashed acid on her cheek. She’d rather die than getting r@ped.

She felt the big diamond pressing between her fingers as she pinched her cheek. That ring didn’t stay in the centre of her finger and turned to her little finger, pricking some sense to her.

Fred... Fred...

The presence of the ring gave her some courage.

I don’t like this... I don’t like getting touched by another man.

She closed her eyes. Her stomach churned and she felt nauseated.

I won’t let myself getting touched by him!

Thinking about Arthur as she caressed the ring, she remembered the promise she made to him. She promised that she’d protect herself by any means necessary.

Walking in front of Ralph, she took in a deep breath. She slowly changed her ring to her right hand. She didn’t want to lose this ring for any reason. Having this ring with her felt like Fred himself was with her.

As she was walking, thinking about Fred, she felt her heart getting filled with strength - the fortitude she thought she never had.

Only when she calmed down, she realised that all her clothes have tracker devices sewn into them as precautions. Also, the ring box Fred kept the ring must have a tracking device too. There is no way he kept that expensive ring without protection.

Hope sprung in her heart. She knew she has to keep herself alive for some hours until the reinforcements arrive.

Ah! Why did I freeze for no reason? They will get me soon. Ralph is alone and it won’t be hard to handle him.

Talia hid her smile and walked following Ralph’s instructions through the tunnel system that had many branches like a maze. She didn’t care about where she was going as she knew she’d be found out wherever she goes.

The pain in her body didn’t seem excessive anymore and she clenched her jaws to stop herself from smiling.

Yes, there was a little fear in her heart that Ralph might have planned for everything. It is not hard to figure out that her clothes contain tracking devices. But there is not a possibility for him to know about the tracker in the box, right?

Please be a little dumb, Ralph! Like you’re dumb enough to not kill me immediately... Do you want to tell me your life story like every movie villain? How cliché! Whatever! Your obsession to let me know the truth is what giving me time to escape. Are you that confident with your plans you’re not even tying my hands? Good job, Ralph!

She carefully picked the box and started to dismantle it to find the tracker. It was a surprise Ralph didn’t give her a check till now, but she was not going to take any chance.

"You’re smart to comply with my orders, Ms. Brunton!" Ralph sneered from behind her and she felt his hot breath on her ears. She felt her entire body cringing, but she gritted her teeth and endured it. He’s acting creepy and she felt immense fear in the bottom of her heart, but her will to escape him was greater than her fear.

"Of course. What other choice do I have?"

Talia spoke in a dismayed tone, as if she had given up. She knew someone like Ralph with a huge ego, won’t doubt her compliance at all. Plus he saw how terrified she was back there and he’d be laughing in his heart for scaring her and making her do as he wishes.

Stay in your high horse, Ralph!

Her nails hurt as she tried to peel off the layers of the little box, but slowly and surely, she dismantled the box. In the bottom of the box, beneath the velvet layer, she felt the little tracker chip.

Please be working...

She begged in her heart and carefully took a look at the chip. Seeing the little blinking light in the chip, she wanted to scream in joy.

I will escape for sure!

After walking for a long time, they reached the end of the tunnels as Talia could sense fresh air and streaming of water could be heard. She knew the river was nearby and the river in this country flows through a plain and it won’t be hard to spot her if they walk through the shores.

"Stop!"

Ralph said and Talia hated immediately. As she was walking she was disposing the dismantled piece of the box without alerting Ralph and there is nothing to prove that she had the box except the chip in her hand.

Where do I put it? Should I swallow it? Will it work after I swallow it?

As she was in her thoughts she felt a push by one of her shoulders. Ralph came to her view and in the natural light; she could see that he looked unhealthy.

She heard a familiar sound and she bent and looked at Ralph’s hands.

Scissors? What is he going to do with it?

She unconsciously took a step back and he held the belt of the dress she was wearing.

*Snip* *snip*

He started to scissor her clothes off.

"What are you-"

Talia felt her heart racing and perspiration formed on her forehead. It was a big scissors and he was cutting every bit of her clothing including her underwear.

"No-"

Don’t touch me!

She couldn’t speak and her head spun making her fumble. She felt her ears ring and her eyes darkened.

No! I can’t faint now!