Chapter Seven: Back Alley Fears
#8 of The Blackwood War
chapter 7
Chapter Seven: Back Alley Fears
Crystal left, soon after that and headed towards her Jeep. She was almost there when she was dragged backwards into an alleyway, a hand over her mouth and one around her arms. The woman sagged, not fighting back before she was dropped in a dark corner. She rose to a crouch, then a stand, her eyes shining as her lips skimmed back from her teeth.
"I am telling you that we will beat you up again!" sneered Chad, lashing an abrasive lariat around her throat. "So, there is nothing you can do about it. Ice."
Crystal immediately raised her hands to it, trying to pull it away from her. Matt smacked her hands, hard and glared at her. She dropped her hands and swallowed hard, shivering some-what before she licked at her drying lips and knowing her voice would shake.
"I have to get to Judo, C-c-c-chad." she croaked. "Please..."
Hector smirked. "I don't mind if she is late, Chad."
Crystal sobbed as Hector took the end of the rope from Chad and held it tightly, his eyes dark with sadistic pleasure.
"Hold it taut enough that she has difficulty in breathing but not so tight that she chokes to death." instructed the man.
Chad snickered as he started to lay into the young woman, laughing as Hector tightened the rope. The tension in the rope drove Crystal insane, pushing her into a writhing and biting fury. Her movement affected the rope and drove it to chaffing at her neck, which made Hector laugh and tighten his grip further.
A little while later Chad stopped hitting her and head-locked her, almost knocking the young woman out before he removed the rope and carefully helped her to stand.
"You can go to Judo. We have finished for the meantime." he sneered. "Take care honey, we don't want you hurting yourself."
Sobbing softly and silently Crystal made her way to Judo, feeling very restrained. Once there she began to train, being careful not to push herself too far. Hector kept one eye on her the whole time but did not speak to her, a smirk on his face. Halfway through training she slipped and fell, banging her head off the floor. That did it. She was out like a snuffed candle.
Hector winced and called an ambulance. The young woman came to as she was being loaded into the aforementioned vehicle.
"Crystal?" asked Hector, worriedly. "Are you okay?"
She rubbed at her face and eyes with one hand before she wept, her voice shaky. "Hector? Why is there four of you?"
The man shook his head silently, honestly worried before Crystal was told to rest. The ambulance arrived at the hospital soon after and while Crystal was being examined, Hector phoned Morgan who dashed over.
"What happened Hector?" Morgan growled. "Is Crystal okay?"
Hector swallowed hard. "She was training earlier, and she fought Chad at Karate after fighting the rest of us. He nearly knocked her out. She arrived at Judo then slipped and fell, knocking herself out." the man replied. "She has concussion..."
Morgan narrowed his eyes. "You had better hope that she can go home tonight Hector."
The other man shivered. "You will have to ask the doctor."
Time passed and soon after that Morgan was talking to the doctor who had examined Crystal. "Can my girlfriend go home tonight Doctor Reeves?"
The doctor nodded. "She just has slight concussion, she has had worse from falling off her horse, Mr McDougall. She will be fine. Crystal just needs to rest."
Morgan nodded then left the Doctor's office. He glared at Hector then.
"You stay here until I come back. I am going to get Crystal's Jeep." he snarled. "There's always some one hurting her!" Hector flinched.
"Okay." he said, quietly.
Some-time later Morgan was driving his girlfriend home and once on arrival there put her into her bed, making sure that the woman was warm before he went to check her horses. Once that was done he re-entered the house and made a mug of sweet tea for them both. Morgan entered her bedroom then put the mugs on a bedside table before eyeing Crystal, the girl sobbing softly.
"It is okay honey." he tried to soothe. "You are at home. Safe. Easy."
The man tried to examine her injures for himself but as he leant over her, he scared her, and she cringed, sobbing even harder and muttering. "No please, C-c-c-chad. I will behave, please."
Morgan narrowed his eyes and sensing his anger, Crystal cowered even more.
"Ssh, Crystal." he crooned, stroking through her hair lovingly. "Steady girl, easy, ssh. You are safe."
The young woman did calm slightly but as Morgan tried to look her over again, she yelped, shaking her head slightly and wincing. It was only when she had drifted into sleep that her boyfriend was able to see the damage for himself.
He growled softly and venomously on seeing the bruising around her slender throat. "Wait until I see Chad again!"
Crystal's neck was extremely badly bruised, it looked like she had been hung, it was that bad and even in sleep, and the young woman was whimpering and crying softly in fear and pain.
The next morning, at seven o'clock, she awoke and carefully stretched before moving towards the bathroom with a muffled sob. She returned to bed soon after and relaxed again. Time passed, and Morgan entered the room with a mug of tea.
"Morning, my girl." he smiled gently, lovingly. "How are you feeling?"
Crystal winced a bit before she spoke. "So stiff, I can barely move."
Morgan nodded, setting the mug of tea nearby and sitting down on the bed next to her. "That is understandable."
He raised the mug of tea then, holding it for her as she drank, not liking seeing his girlfriend as physically weak as she was. When she finished, he put the empty mug down again and tried to wrap her in a soothing hug, wanting to make her feel better.
Crystal cringed fearfully, tears pouring down her face.
"I am sorry Morgan." she snivelled. "So sorry..."
The man sighed, back-combing her hair gently before he spoke. "Just relax honey. No-one is going to hurt you. I will not let them."
Crystal nodded, calming slightly.
"I know." she whispered. "I trust you Morgan."
Morgan leaned over her, hugging gently. "Ssh... It is okay... Easy girl... Steady, ssh... Good girl, steady..." he lovingly soothed. "Sssh.."
The woman calmed then sagged against him, clung to his shape. Morgan smiled slyly, lovingly as he hugged her, stroking one hand down her back.
"There." he teased, gently. "That wasn't so bad was it?"
"I needed that. Thank-you Morgan." she hugged the man tightly. "I love you."
The man kept stroking his fingers through her hair, smiling gently.
"I love you too." he said. "I will put the horses out, muck out then re-join you here. We can spend the time snuggling and relaxing."
The young woman yawned, sleepy-eyed. "Okay Morgan."
He did as he said then re-joined his sleeping girlfriend, hugging her gently as she slept, knowing that she would feel calmer and sleep better with him near her. Time passed, very slowly and by lunchtime the young woman wasn't feeling so stiff and Morgan took her down, in his car to see her stallion. Tea-time came and went, Crystal feeling fit and ready for anything by that time, so Morgan left and headed to his own home, still feeling a little worried about his girlfriend but having things to do at his own home.
Crystal left for Tai Chi and Meditation, and on arrival there Matt said. "Take it easy Crystal."
She nodded silently and did not push herself too hard. On arrival at Jeet Kune Do, Lucian asked, worrying a little. "Take it easy but be careful. Okay?"
The young woman nodded again. "Okay Lucian." she whispered. "I will."
She left in time for Karate and Kick-Boxing and on arrival there David instructed, gently. "Take it easy, Crystal. Rest frequently and only do what you are sure you know how to. I don't want you hurt yourself further."
The young woman nodded silently in agreement and started to train. When Chad, Seth and the others walked in they saw Crystal, almost straight away.
"Let's get her." said Aaron. "Come on!"
Simon nodded in agreement. "Yes. Definitely."
"I want to thrash her so bad." snapped Kurtis.
Chad rolled his eyes, looking at how cautiously his ex-girlfriend was moving before he spoke.
"Well do it then." he sounded bored. "Go on."
They set her up for a fall again, making her think she was winning without any help, knowing that the fun they would have while Chad was beating her up would be worth the slight pain they had.
Chad smirked, parrying, and blocking her few weak hits before he knocked her down and pinned her by her slender throat, but very gently, stroking lightly over her contused skin.
"Such nice bruising there... Lass..." he hissed lowly. "I like bruising you, they look so alluring against your beautiful tanned, and yet fair skin... Need to do it more often." he snickered a little. "I like the fear that I cause in you, my Little One."
"I give." Crystal sobbed, almost straight away. "Please... Stop... Please... C-c-c-chad... I give up... I surrender... It hurts... Please... Stop... I beg you..." she writhed weakly, whining from the back of her throat. "I beg you... S-s-s-s-stop... S-s-s-sir..." she groaned a little as he stroked lower. "N-n-n-nghn-n-n-n... U-u-uhn-n-n-n..."
"Oh-h-h, but how can I stop treating you like this when you're being such a good girl, allowing me to do to you whatever I want." he purred darkly. "As long as you obey me, you'll get the best possible treatment from me."
"Please... I yield..." she yowled. "I'll behave."
"Such a good girl. Because of that, you'll be treated quite well, but know this. Misbehave at all or become disobedient, you'll regret it!" he growled at her.
Furious that she had given in so fast, Chad snarled and let her go, giving her a couple of kicks in the ribs before he left her alone, leaving with all his friends and Seth. Shuddering, the young woman rose to her feet and resumed training.
She left Karate and Kick-Boxing soon after, arriving at Judo.
Hector eyed her as she started to train.
"Keep practising Crystal, but take it easy." he said, clearly. "Carefully."
She nodded, silently and kept training.
The young woman left some-time later and went home.
The following day from seven am Crystal was exercising her horses. She was done by lunchtime, tired although she was.
After putting the horses out again she went for her own lunch. The first half of the afternoon saw the young woman buying another sports car. A black Lamborghini Diablo. She laughed as she put it away in her garage.
The second half of the afternoon she spent buying four more horses. The horses being Truthful King, or King who was a black Arab gelding, Silver Whisperer, or Whisperer who was a silver Trakehner mare, Black Harmony, or Harmony who was a black Arab mare and Black Heart, or Heart who was a black Connemara X gelding.
On reaching home Crystal put the two new mares in with Fear and the geldings in with Finch before she fed all the horses. That done, she emptied and cleaned out the horse-van before putting it away in the garage. Chuckling, she swept the yard clean before leaving and turning all the alarms on. Entering the house, she had something to eat and showered before she left for her evening classes.
On arrival at Tai Chi, Matt taught her slightly more advanced techniques.
She left there for Jeet Kune Do and Lucian too taught her slightly more advanced ways that she could fight and defend herself.
She arrived at Karate and Kick-Boxing, starting to get a little tired.
"Keep practising Crystal." David said, calmly. "You are doing well."
She nodded as he taught her slightly more advanced techniques for the things that she already knew. Chad, again fought her to a standstill, bringing her down and holding her motionless with an unshakable hold on her throat.
"I give in C-c-c-chad. No more, please." she whispered. "Stop..."
He smirked cruelly as he stood up, pulling her with him by her neck, Crystal suffocating and struggling against him. Chad let her go, kicked her hard in ribs then left.
On arrival at Judo, Hector said gently. "You can grade in April, Crystal. Then you will get your first belt. The white one."
The young woman nodded.
"Cool." she said, quietly. "Can't wait."
Crystal left at ten o'clock and went home.
~I wish that I could protect myself from C-c-c-chad and the others.~ she thought as she got into bed. ~But wishes don't come true. Which is a great pity.~
The next morning, from seven am until lunchtime Crystal was exercising her horses. After putting the horses back into their fields, she went for her own lunch.
Time passed.