The next time Lilly heard the door to the basement open, she was ready. She was still secured around the middle with a thick linked chain, but in her mind she was already ascending the stairs and heading towards the warm sunlight. She had had a lot of time to think it over, and she wasn't going to waste another opportunity.

She sat waiting on the edge of the bed, psyching herself up when he came around the corner. Except, he never appeared.

Positive she had heard the opening of the door, she tried to figure out why he wasn't coming down. Every other time she had heard the creak of those hinges it had been followed by the thunderous noise of his footsteps. Now though, as she pictured a figure standing still at the top of the stairs, she wondered if maybe it wasn't him. Her mind leapt at the thought of somebody besides her tormentor being the house, and she began to cry out immediately.

"Help!" She screamed, rocketing off the bed and sprinting towards the doorway. She was rewarded by a shooting pain from her ankle, but she ignored it. "I'm down here! Please help"

The chain prevented her from going far but she continued to holler, pausing every now and then to listen for any signs of movement. Finally, right before she was about to give up, the sound of footsteps started. They were different, Lilly was sure of it, and the elation she felt made her eyes start to well up with tears.

"Oh, thank god" she sobbed, preparing to meet her savior. "You've got to help me, this - "

The words died in her throat as the owner of the footsteps rounded the corner. She was right, it wasn't the man who'd been keeping her prisoner, it was something much worse.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Mac could already hear the girls screams when he pulled up into his drive. He saw Dave's car and kicked his door open, slamming it into park and bursting from the still-running vehicle. The gravel he landed on was loose. It slid beneath his feet as he tore off towards the house.

He didn't bother shutting either of the doors he went through, and he took the stairs by three's until he finally just jumped for the landing. When he made it to the room he saw Dave hunched over Lilly, her wrists were caught in both of his hands and he was struggling to force her flat onto her back. Mac caught the man's shoulders and hauled him off of her, throwing him in the direction of the door and then stalking towards him.

"Whad i say," he hollered at him. "I told ya not to go near the fucking basement, dint i?"

The man cowered beneath his hands but then pointed towards Lilly.

"She called out to me!" He insisted, repeatedly jabbing his finger in her direction. "She said she needed help"

Mac rounded on Lilly, both hands in fists at his sides. The veins in his arms were flooded with blood. They stuck out like thick cords beneath his skin.

"Did she now?" He sneered down at the crumbled form by the bed. She had both her arms up over her head and she was trembling. Mac could see where Dave had ripped her clothes. "An whad ya need his help for princess?"

The girl didn't realize Mac was speaking to her so he nudged her with his boot. "Asked you a question pretty girl," he grit out, holding his jaw tight so that the words had to force their way through. "Whad you need this assholes help with?"

"She wanted me to let her go" Dave offered, clearly nervous when the girl continued to give no explanation. Mac glared back at him from over his shoulder but didn't say anything. Dave shut his mouth.

The girl was was fully vibrating at this point, tense with fear and trying to process her emotions with a worn down mind. Mac crouched down in front of her so that he was almost level with her hidden face.

"You mean like i wanted to let you go yesterday?" He asked, his voice sickeningly sweet. "You'd rather let this guy do it?"

Lilly had her eyes screwed tight against the world. Mac could almost hear her counting in her head, trying to will him away. He was a monster much too big to fit under a bed though, and he wasn't going to be ignored.

"Open yer eyes"

When she ignored him, he grabbed her chin and tilted her head painfully, forcing her to acknowledge him. What he saw made his heart race. Her eyes were frantic, giving away all their weaknesses and guarding nothing. Her mind was wide open. He let her go and stood, stepping back in one long stride, as if she suddenly repulsed him.

"Oughta just let you have her then"

At this, the girl finally reacted. She sprang towards Mac, catching one of his legs in her arms and clinging to him. The effect on him was immediate. It felt like a shot of heroin, warm and lubricating, easing over every square inch of his body. He relaxed, exhaling so fully that his shoulders dropped at least two inches. He had her now.

"Oh what?," He taunted her. "You change yer mind? You wanna stay with me now sweetheart?"

He lifted his leg slightly as if he meant to shake her off, but she only held on tighter. One of her tiny hands was gripping the back of his knee. When he took his foot off the ground she reached higher, sinking her fingers into his inner thigh and making his dick twitch. He set his foot back down, squaring his hips and crossing his arms.

"Say it then"

Lilly shook her head and furrowed her brow, agitated and keeping silent. When Mac cleared his throat with an abrupt cough though, she abandoned her stubbornness. She knew it was the signal he gave before he lost all patience, and she had no intention of enraging him if she could avoid it.

"I wanna stay with you"

Her mind wobbled like a dinner plate set down too quick, the motion uncomfortable and hard to follow. Mac acted fast though, seeing the blank stare of confusion her eyes held, and cupped the side of her head in his palm. He held her there, against his thigh, and softly rubbed his thumb across her cheek.

"Good girl" he told her, his voice soft but firm, sounding the way crushed velvet feels.

Lilly relaxed into his touch, the breath leaving her body in a complete exhale. She all but melted against him, her eyes shutting and her head kneading into his leg. Mac smirked. Her cheek was soft beneath the rough pads of his fingers, and it felt good to touch her without her entire body being tense with dread. He savored it for a moment, petting her, and then stepped away from her. This time, after the dose of affection he'd given her, the girl released his leg. Mac turned to point a finger at Dave.

"Get the fuck upstairs, ill deal with you in a minute"

Dave didn't need to be told twice. He took the order as an invitation to be spared, and he fled without giving the girl a second glance. After they had both heard the sound of him tripping up the basement steps, clumsy in his effort to get away, Mac turned to face her again.

"That the kinda man you want sweetheart? A fuckin' coward like him?"

She shook her head. Her palms were flat on the ground in front of her and she was leaning all her weight onto them, her body rocking forward and back. It was curious, the way she fell apart, and Mac was addicted to edging her closer to it. He could tell she was grappling with the comfort he had just provided her; it was easy to see she was searching to find it again without even knowing what she was looking for.

"He said you called out to him," he told her flatly, keeping his curiosity about her crumbling mind disguised. "Why'd ya do that, huh?"

A week ago the girl would have looked at him like he was crazy. Now however, her brain stuttered and stalled at his question. He waited while she struggled to pull the words out of her throat.

"Did you wanna leave with 'em?" He finally prompted her.

She shook her head furiously.

"Don' lie ta me girl"

"I, i just wanted to leave"

Exhaling loudly, Mac crouched down in front of her again, hooking both elbows around his knees and holding onto his own wrist. He dipped his head and stared at her until she brought her eyes up, searching her face for all the clues he needed.

"An go where?"

His voice was soft, hardly more than a whisper, but it hit the girl hard like a fist. She closed her eyes and recoiled away from him, gritting her teeth and allowing him to see inside her glistening mouth. He wanted to kiss her, to find out how soft her tongue was, but his concentration didn't waver.

"Back to that guy in the parking lot? You think he'll take you back after what you did? If it were me id fuckin kill ya"

Lilly cringed, trying to draw back and into herself but unable to retreat from his sinister voice. He leaned closer, almost brushing his cheek against hers, and breathed her in.

"But i don' wanna kill ya," he told her, his voice cutting and biting like a cold wind in her ear. "I wanna keep ya sweetheart"

Mac pulled her to a standing position with him, having to grit his jaw against the aggravation he felt when she made a pathetic sobbing sound. He lifted her up and then set her back down again, encouraging her to find her feet beneath her while still being mindful of her ankle. When she finally understood and supported her own weight, he spun her so that her back was pressed against his front.

The girl tried to hang forward, desperate to be away from him, but it wasn't hard for him to shrug her back into his arms. He tightened them across her chest and pulled her in closer, burying his head into the space where her neck met her shoulders and inhaling deeply. The fear coming off of her was bathing him in rippling waves. It was like a shimmer running through him, an electric shiver that felt like white light bursting out of his nerves endings. It was intoxicating, the smell and the heat, of her terror. He nuzzled her a moment more and then let her go, stepping over her body when she slumped to the floor and exiting the room.

XX

I felt the absence of him as soon as he decided to let me go. It was like a light turning off, the feeling of his attention leaving me, and him shoving me forward to get past me was just an echo. Besides the tangible loss of his body heat, there was also the feeling of true isolation. When he wasn't here nothing happened, nothing mattered. Every moment of value, anything that counted towards staying alive and being alive, involved him.

I pulled the torn sleeve of my shirt back up in a useless attempt to cover my shoulder. He had protected me against that man, that monster who'd discovered me, and the contradiction was wedging itself into the forefront of my mind. If he had wanted to hurt me, or to have me hurt, surely he would have just let that man do it.

The brief moment that followed, almost like a glimpse into a secret, forbidden room in my mind, made my head twitch. Despite the fact that his intentions were deadly, there was also the undeniable rush of being desired. The knowledge pumped my brain full of unwanted chemicals. Was this how a gazelle felt to be chased by a lion? Exhilaration and terror mixed with the feeling of being wanted bad enough to be pursued? It was impossible to ignore the thrill that came with it. Even though it was small, a dwarf compared to the intense fear i felt, one tiny fragment of me felt special to have been chosen.

Suddenly, i shut my eyes and shook a cleansing spasm down and out my spine. My instincts reclaimed themselves, banishing my seductive, previous thoughts and clearing my mind. He had been the one to put me down here and that was why his friend had even had the chance to attack me. This was still his fault, his doing, and he wasn't a hero just because he had stopped that man from raping me.

My eyes shot open at the word. So far the man who had taken me hadn't done that and i was surprised. I knew he wanted to. Every time he hugged me to him i could feel that part of him thickening and heating up with the blood his body sent rushing to it. He would adjust it with his hand to line it up between my legs but never tried to put it inside me. Still though, i could feel the way it pulsed when he pressed his hips against my ass, and i didn't have to hold it in my hand to know how big it was.

My body convulsed again, trying to rid me of something, and i looked around to realize i was still on the floor. My legs were bare and cold so i carefully climbed back onto the bed and covered myself with the small blanket. He hadn't killed the lights, which meant that he might be coming back down, so i tried to find a safe spot in my mind to rest while i waited.

I couldn't find it though. Every time i shut my eyes, every time i tried to form any kind of thought inside my mind, he interrupted it. I could smell him and i could hear him, almost as if he were sitting right next to me. His presence haunted me. I buried myself into the mattress and inhaled as deeply as i could, preferring the smell of mold to the stinging sensation of motor oil burning in my nostrils. It made my dizzy, the scent of him.

I was light and airy, high off fumes and floating up and away. I caught myself recalling the pressure of his body, the way the weight of him held me down, and my eyes shot open again. It was happening more and more now, this confusion clouding my mind. Sometimes i caught myself wishing for him. I tried to reassure myself it was because his figure meant something, food was coming or maybe even something to dull the tremendous pain in my leg, but it was useless to lie to myself. Something was slowly replacing the fear i always felt when he came near me, i just hadn't accepted it yet.

The sound of shouting came from above me, followed by the slamming of doors and the peeling of tires. At first i was elated, thinking the newcomer had left. Then the terror of the alternative, the man I was used to speeding off and leaving me with the blackened smile of that man 'Dave', sank in quick. I physically recoiled from the thought, my chin dropping and my lips slamming shut as though i were actually about to get sick.

The third thought was the worst of all though. It was like getting hit in the chest with a sledgehammer. Either it didn't matter who was still upstairs, both men resulting in the same dismal fate for me, or it mattered very much. Just the fact that the latter existed, meant i was farther gone than i thought. When i had first arrived here, where ever 'here' was, i had still had my wits about me. I knew the man keeping me prisoner was my enemy, that he was something to escape, and i had been able to use my hatred for him as fuel.

Now though, sitting on this bed, absentmindedly itching my scabs and peeling back layers of my lips with my teeth, i could acknowledge how things had changed. He didn't hit me anymore. Or if he did, it wasn't just for nothing like it had been before, when every single thing i did had resulted in some kind of horrible contact. My skull surged at the thought as soon as it developed. It felt like trying to force something through a filter it didn't quite fit into, and I had to press on my forehead to try to dull the sudden headache that erupted there. There was something wrong, something i wasn't seeing, but i couldn't name it.

People weren't supposed to hit other people, that was something they got in trouble for, wasn't it? I shook my head against the swelling pain developing just above my eyes. I had to remember that those laws didn't apply here anymore, had to keep reminding myself that there was a new set of rules to learn. I had already tried to use my logic and reasoning from the previous world to get this guy to let me go, and all i had ended up with were bruises and broken bones. I stared angrily down at my useless ankle, as if it were an entity separate of me, something i could blame for all my troubles.

Since the injury he had been different towards me, but I couldn't figure out which one of us had changed. Was I simply too weak to resist him the way i had been? Or had his demeanor been the one to shift? Did he feel badly?

The door to the basement creaked open, cutting off the dialog i was having and obliterating my headache. All my muscles tensed as the sound of footsteps started. It was easy to abandon the thoughts i had just been wrestling with just a moment ago, and i openly prayed it would be the man i was familiar with who rounded the corner. I could hear myself saying 'please' over and over again, a tiny puff of air that passed almost silently over my chapped lips. I could have sobbed with relief when he stepped to stand in the doorway, his bulk somehow comforting instead of only threatening.

"Happy to see me?" He smirked, his arms folded over his chest and one shoulder leaning against the door frame.

Just then, I felt something snap in my mind, some kind of connection being severed and the pieces falling away from each other. It was like the ends of a cloth tearing and then drifting in separate directions on a breeze, something crucial that had always been whole but had suddenly been irreparably damaged. I could see it, the fracture that had occurred, but I couldn't remember what the bridge had been for.

Suddenly, i felt shy. It was as if the boy i liked had walked into the classroom. Even though it was absurd i caught myself ducking my head as if i could avoid his attention, all the while unsure if i really wanted to. I heard the flick of his zippo lighter and i brought my eyes back up.

"Wanna go outside?"

XxXxXxX

Sorry this has been so delayed! I have lots of excuses, if you're interested, but i wont bore you with them. I'm really trying to take my time with Lilly's dissolution but what do you guys think ? I'm torn between her totally falling apart or keeping a part of herself intact so she can escape .. does anybody really want that though? Every time the OC escapes Mac in any other fan fiction im always praying that he gets her back - looking at you 'captive heart', i was rooting for Mac to find her as soon as she got away from him. Which, if you haven't read that story by foreverreedusfan, maybe stop whatever you're doing and go read it :) also, anything by Krissyg927.

Ive almost got my other chapter for "friction" completed so be on the lookout for that :) leave a review if you have any ideas! Thanks for reading