Hansel 12

Hansel 12
Gretal

It was worse than anything I could have imagined. Maybe because I had known Keeley since she was eighteen years old - the sweetest, most pure soul I had ever met - it hit me harder. 

She was huddled on the floor behind the counter and one look around told me she had put up a hell of a fight. There were shattered plates and glasses all over the floor. A smear of blood on the floor. A tiny amount of blood but it seemed to stand out in stark contrast. And then my eyes found her. 

And it was worse than anything I had ever seen before. 

And I had seen a lot of bad shit.

Keeley half lay, half sat in the foetal position in the farthest corner. Her whole body was shaking. Her usually silky blonde curls lay limp against her wet cheeks. There was an ugly bruise on her left cheek and around her throat. Like someone had wrapped their hands around it and tried to squeeze the life from her. 

But it was her eyes that hit me.

They were wide and haunted. I knew the look on her face because I had seen it staring back at me from the mirror the first few times I had been taken forcibly against my will. 

“Keeley.” I wanted to rush to her, but I knew she would bolt like an injured deer if I went in too fast and too strong. Cyber's old lady was crouched next to her, the hands on her knees trembling with her own need to comfort our friend. 

I knew Iris’ story and it wasn’t much different to my own in a way. So I understood her need to comfort the other woman. Gypsy as well had been horribly abused. Every woman in that small, destroyed diner had her own trauma. And we had fought tooth and nail to get up from it. Keeley would find her inner strength as well. She would rise from the ashes and join us in the survivor’s club but not yet.

First she had to come to terms with what had happened to her. She would have to forgive herself. I knew that was going to be a major hurdle. Not blaming herself. She would tear apart her own behaviour, picking apart piece by piece her actions over the last few days. She would blame herself to start with. She would hate herself 

I had seen it happen so many times. But Keeley would not face it alone. She had me, she had us. And we would help her get through it. But first I had to make sure that she wasn’t too badly hurt physically. 

Crouching down, my bad knee threatened to give out and I had to bounce on the balls of my feet to relieve some of the pain that was ripping up my leg. “Keeley.” 

She didn’t look up. She just sat there, fat tears rolling down her cheeks silently. Her eyes stared unblinking ahead like a blind person. 

Gathering my anger at what had been done about me like a shield, I forced calmness into my voice. “Keeley, sweetheart. Can you look at me?”

She did so slowly. Her injuries were worse close up. And I had to swallow hard to stop myself from vomiting. 

“It’s ok.” I reached out for her, my hand trembling and brushed her sticky wet hair back behind her ear. For a heartbeat, she cowered back and then something that resembled life flickered in her blue eyes. “I promise you; it's all going to be ok.” 

I was talking more to myself than I was to her. Reassuring the both of us, but God I hated seeing her so broken. 

“What…?” Keeley’s voice broke and she cleared her throat painfully. “What are you doing here?” Her wide, terrified eyes scanned the women around us. “I told you I didn’t want anyone knowing.”

“They got me because I can help.” Soothingly, I smiled at her. Or at least I hoped my smile was soothing. “But I need to know how badly you are hurt.”

“I'm ok. I told Gypsy...” Strength was starting to come back into her voice. It was happening too soon. Her adrenaline taking over and making her fierce. She would go back into shock again soon. And when she did, it would be worse. “I told Gypsy that I was fine, she doesn’t need to check me over.”

I threw a glance at the woman behind me, her bright blue hair pulled back severely from her face. And she answered my question without me having to ask it. 

“I’m a doctor, was a doctor, anyway, in my other life.” She shrugged her narrow shoulders. “She wouldn’t let me look her over.”

“Keeley, you have to let someone look you over. If not Gypsy, then another doctor.”

The terrified look filled her eyes again. “You can’t… I can't… Monster can't know.” She suddenly sobbed. “He can't. He will do something silly and… Please, Gretal, please don’t tell any of the Sons. They can't find out. It was my fault. I shouldn’t have changed my mind and…”

Her words hit me like a sledgehammer. Without thinking, I bundled her into my arms. Holding her tight against my breasts and smoothing her hair back. 

“Do you know the person who did this to you, Keeley?” I whispered in her ear. 

She nodded against my shoulder for a second before raising her head. Her lips opened as if she was going to tell me a name and then snapped shut. She withdrew back into her corner, her eyes on someone behind me.

“Gio, what are you doing here?” Darcie made a move to step in front of us. Her arms stretched out wide. 

“Keeley.” He took a step forward, bristling with manly anger and scaring Keeley even more. I was on my feet in a second. Using both hands, I shoved him away.

“You can't be here, Gio.” With a growl, I scowled at the looming man behind him. The Judge was here as well. What did they think this was, some kind of freak show? Did they think their looming presence would put Keeley at ease after what she had been through? “You need to leave.” I gave him another shove and his eyes narrowed dangerously as they settled on me. He could be as angry with me as he wanted. As long as he stayed away from Keeley.

“She knows who did this. Keeley, tell me who did this.” Gio’s voice was rising. 

“Gio, this isn’t the way. You need to calm down. I need to get Keeley somewhere safe where she can be checked out and then she needs to rest. You are doing more harm than good being here, you both should leave.”

Maybe it was something in the tone of my voice. Or maybe he had finally seen the error of his ways. His shoulders sagged slightly. “Keeley, I would never hurt you. Tell me who did this to you so I can make it right.”

Keeley’s head snapped up. “All I wanted was to be wanted by someone. That’s all. It's not his fault I changed my mind.”

Gio froze. “Someone we know did this to you, Keeley, and I want to know who…”

“Can I please just lay down and sleep, Gretal. I'm so tired.”

She sounded tired. Tired and so broken it hurt my heart. “Of course we can. We will get a hotel or…”

“I have an apartment over the Drunken Otter,” Gypsy chimed in. “It's small, but empty. We can hole up there for a few nights at least. I have my medical kit there so...”

I didn’t let her finish, helping Keeley up on one side, Iris rushed to hold her on the other side. We held her between us.

“Let me take her, let me…” Gio took another step forward and I stopped him with my eyes. 

“Let me take care of her, Gio, if you care about her at all,” I was banking on the look I had seen in his eyes when he looked at her to be true emotion, “then you have to give her space. I promise we will look after her.”

Walking past him with Keeley between us, I let her head fall onto my shoulder. We had reached the door before she spoke again. 

“I know who did it, it was…”

I shushed her quietly. I needed to know the name of the man who had done this to her but not there, not with Gio and his henchman listening in. 

“It's ok, Keeley, you can tell me when we get to The Otter. And I promise you Keeley, I promise, they will pay.”