Our eternal affairs

Anna hesitated, unsure if she should trust her ex, after all they had been through. She sighed silently, moving her eyes away from Sam Foxx, to the bus. Most of the passengers were out now, still grumbling to themselves. She wondered if she should ask anyone of them to join her.

 Or was Sam secretly watching her as well? What were the odds of running into him in the middle of nowhere on Christmas noon? She didn't know what to believe anymore. She turned to face Sam who sat in his car, across the empty road, waiting expectantly for her answer. There was something about his expression that genuinely made her feel like he wanted to help. "If I'm coming, some of them are coming too."

"What? No, hell nah! I'm not gonna let some old folks into my car." Sam whined, already regretting why he stopped to be of aid. "Fine. It was nice seeing you, Sam. So long." She sneered as she hailed, then turned to join the others.

Was she being serious? "Okay, okay. Have it your way then. But I'll just take two." He decided.

"Four." She bargained confidently. "Alright… geez. You've not grown fangs, have you?" he teased, surrendering to her will. She ignored him and called out to some of the passengers outside the stranded bus to join her. The lady with the red hat cheerfully thanked her., rushing to get into the car, together will a couple others.

She crossed the road, opened the door and slid into the passenger seat. As Sam drove away from the stranded bus, Anna couldn't shake the feeling that this was a terrible idea. Escaping pain to enter her not-so-pleasant past was intimidating, but what options did she have? Her mind kept whirling with questions, but she kept her silence.

Anna zoned out of her surroundings, her mind was a million miles away, fantasizing about the kind of life she wanted to have and how much discipline it would take her to achieve her goal. If there was one thing she learnt from Mister Truce, it was his sense of purpose and his discipline. He could sit his butt down for hours on end, working. Yeah, he worked alright, he worked her feelings from high waters to hell.

It took her a minute to realize they were in the neighborhoods of Brookline. How long had I been thinking? She was wearied already, craving Cliff's food and a good sleep, but instead, she felt a growing sense of unease.

Sam dropped his tired passengers off, and continued in his journey. At first, she didn't think much of it when he took a different route. But as the minutes ticked by, she realized he wasn't heading to Roxbury, her uneasiness rose, and panic set in afresh.

"Hey, Sam, where are you going?" She asked, trying to sound calm. Sam didn't respond, his eyes were fixed on the road, and his jaw set. Anna knew this was a terrible idea from the start, and muttered silent curses to herself for not heeding.

"Sam, I need to get off here. Please stop the car." Her voice trembled slightly as she struggled to gain control of her surging fear and racing heart.

Sam ignored her, his foot pressed down on the accelerator, and the car plunged forward. It was at that moment she heard Mister Truce's voice in her head, as clear as day.

"Anna, where are you?"

But she ignored him, focusing on her immediate situation. "Sam, stop this car! Let me out!" she shouted, gripping the door's handle in fear. Could she dare what she was thinking? Sam laughed a cold, mirthless sound. She gulped, staring at him in disbelief. Why is everyone in the world trying to kill me?

Suddenly, Sam covered his nose, a strange sensation washed over Anna immediately. The air vents in the car began to emit a pungent pineapple smell, and she immediately felt drowsy. Her head began to spin, she felt herself drifting off to sleep. She tried to fight it, shaking her head many times to wade it off, but it worsened. Her eyelids closed, and Anna fell into a deep, dark sleep.

In her dream, Anna found herself falling from a very high point, into a black hole. Her stomach kept dropping, with her heart racing, she felt she was close to the ground; her body would shatter with hard impact. She screamed out her lungs.

She opened her eyes in a start, her body vibrating. Her eyes were wide as saucers, before reducing to a squint, as she adjusted to the dim light. Her head pounded as she scanned the unfamiliar room, trying to remember where she was and how she got there. Her horror grew when she realized she was naked in this strange room. Her body exposed, and vulnerable, and was tied to a chair, with twinkling Christmas lights. She struggled against the restraints, but they were too tight.

That was when she saw Sam, standing in front of her, with a camera in his hand. He was taking pictures of her, a sick grin spread across his face. This was the Sam she knew, not the one who pretended to be nice in the middle of nowhere, offering her a ride. The sick lunatic. "Sam, it's clear you've gone insane. What the hell is wrong with you?" she spat the words at him.

Sam shrugged indifferently. "I really did turn over a new leaf, Anna. I discovered a new, fulfilling side to myself after you left me, and that kept me busy. But I couldn't help but think of you."

Her disgust deepened. "Sick, lunatic. That's what you are," Her eyes flashed in anger. "Why are you doing this?"

His grin faltered for a moment before he regained his composure. "I wanted to just drop you off and apologize for the way things ended between us, you know? But your body, mmh! Is just too alluring, I couldn't get my mind off our first night together."

A strong wave of disgust and repulsion washed over her, and under her skin. He wasn't satisfied, seeing her sad; they never were. Just how long would she continue to live this life? She was so weary and her emotions took over. She started crying, her body shook as well.

Sam's expression changed instantly, and he looked taken aback by her tears. He had never seen her cry before; for a moment he looked uncertain. His eyes fell to her breasts as they mirrored her actions, Lust washed over him again, and his face hardened as he sneered at her.

"Oh, come on, Anna. Don't be such a cry baby. I'm actually low on cash now, since you're so pathetic, I figured using you to pull a few pockets, like that rich boyfriend of yours wouldn't hurt much. Am I right? So don't cry, you won't look very pretty in the picture."

He consoled, moving close to her. His finger trailed her face and she moved her head away. But he grabbed her hair, yanking her head back. She opened her mouth to cry out, but Sam silenced her with a kiss; his lips forcing themselves on hers. She felt nauseous when he roamed his hands on her body, fondling her breasts. She struggled against the assault, but he was too strong.

He moved back, licking his lower lip, then he began to remove his clothes, "I never involved you in any of my parties because you were always so busy with work and so freaking pure. On second thought, I'll prove you wrong now; I'll make sure you carry my babies, then we'll get married and you'll finally be mine, sweetheart."

Anna heard Mister Truce's voice in her head again at that moment, calling out to her, "Anna, tell me where you are." His voice had an edge of concern and urgency.

Her heart thumped, but with hope. She focused all her energy on responding to Mister Truce's call, praying he would hear her. As she kept calling, the door to the room burst open, and