***********
Lights flashing across my closed eyes woke me immediately.
"the idiot is awake," a harsh whisper sounded in my room, " be quick, silence him!". Another voice boomed out from my room.
A thick hand covered my mouth, and it was only then that I decided to try making noises and raise any hope of waking Dennis or be silent for ever.
More hands grabbed me, and held me down, as the one with the flashlight came closer to me, and turned the light so I could see his face.
It was Richard.
"Looks like it's payback time, nerd,"
His eyes were cold in the beam coming off of his flashlight, and in a panic I reached for his switches. His fist was faster, as it connected with my jaw, and I saw stars.
******
My jaw was the first thing | I felt as I woke up. An odd moan sounded from somewhere, and it took me a few moments to realize it was me. My mouth didn't feel right, and I soon realized there was a gag between my teeth. Keeping my eyes closed, I hoped to fool them into thinking I was still out, but my muffled moan had already given away the ruse.
"Looks like our little nerd has come back to us,"
I heard Richard's taunting voice come closer to me at the same time l felt his switches approaching.
"Looks like he needs a little encouragement to WAKE UP!"
Richard punctuated his words with a fist to my gut, a split second before I could move his switches. My eyes bulged, as all the air in me was forcefully expelled, and my stomach writhed in pain. With my eyes now open, I could see that I was in someone's unfinished basement, tied to a support beam, my arms behind me.
"Good. I'm glad to see you're back with us,"
Richard's voice had become menacingly cold.
"We want to have a little talk with you."
My eyes were still watering, and I was trying to gather enough wits together so l could start to weaken him, when his next blow hit the side of my ribs.
"Enough Richard,"
I heard a sweet familiar voice, but it only sent a chill down my spine.
What was Tina doing here?
"Enough? Enough!?" Richard blustered.
"It will be 'enough' when he has paid for what he did to you."
I used the distraction to focus my thoughts, and flipped his 'bladder' switch, and started pushing on his 'weak' switch. I had to get out of here.
Richard turned his attention back to me, and there was no mistaking the malice in his eyes.
"That won't work this time, freaky idiot."
His punch this time struck the other side of my ribcage.
Thankfully it was weaker, though it still hurt, and even brought an embarrassing sob out of me.
Had my switches failed me?
I wondered through the pain that was wracking my body. No, I saw, I could still feel the switches, and they HAD moved. Looking through my pain filled eyes, I could see that his pants were still dry, but something seemed odd about them.
"Hit 'im again, Richard. Make the bastard freak pay."
For the first time I realized that there were others around. John Terry, Darren bent, Jarmie vardy, Harry kane, and Dan Peters (sorry for snatching some few names from the soccer world), were also witnessing my humiliation; all of them on the football team, and all friends of Richard.
"I want to hear him confess," one of them said, and the others agreed.
Richard yanked the gag out of my mouth, and I worked my mouth painfully, my jaw throbbing.
"Tell everyone what you did to my girlfriend. Tell them how you r*ped her, and MAYBE I'll go easy on you."
R*pe?
I hadn't R*PED her! I thought. Looking to Tina, I saw that she was looking at the floor, refusing to look at me. What had she told them?
"| I didn't-"
Richard's right hook caught my jaw, but it was too weak to do me any harm than move my head, though it still hurt where he'd struck me originally.
"Don't lie to us, freaky idiot. Tina, come tell him what you told us."
Richard looked to his girlfriend, but she just continued to look at the floor.
"Tina?"
"Tina, tell them I didn't do it!" I pleaded, and I felt a switch move as I spoke, but I couldn't tell what or where. I remembered her switches and I started moving the 'guilt' and 'concern' switches l'd made that first night, and was relieved to feel them move in the opposite direction l'd done then.
"Come on, Tina. Confront your r*pist. Spit on his face, and show him you're not afraid of him."