I opened my eyes slowly, blinking repeatedly as everything came into gradual focus. My mouth felt dry as if I had been eating cotton, and my head pounded like a drum. Despite all of that, I felt surprisingly good. I took a deep breath.
Is this what freedom smells like?
It was as if I was opening my eyes for the very first time. I found myself thinking back to the previous day's escape. I had given up hope of ever looking up and seeing anything but Tamara's pussy. And I had seen a lot of it. How many times had I woken up choking for air, only to find her already wet pussy on my mouth? She had fucked every part of my face, but my nose had been a clear favorite of hers. It had been less than ideal because that meant my nose and mouth had spent a large portion of each day inside her insatiable snatch. And Tamara got so wet, I found myself wondering how getting face fucked by her compared to being waterboarded. I was certain waterboarding had to be a better choice.
But just when I had finally accepted that all hope was lost, out of nowhere, my beautiful sister appeared and saved me. If she hadn't guessed the combination to the door--on the first try, no less--how had Krista been able to divine the combination anyway? Was it possible she could have been working with Tamara?
My sudden moment of clarity was interrupted by an unpleasant sensation forming in my stomach. I barely made it to the bathroom before I vomited.
When I finally returned, Krista was sitting on the couch wearing nothing but an unbuttoned, plaid shirt. She held a glass of water and some pills in her hand.
"Well, aren't a sight for sore eyes," I groaned, taking the water and pain medicine. "Geez, why did you let me drink so much?"
"I didn't exactly
let
you drink that much," Krista laughed, standing up. She wrapped her arms around me from behind, rubbing my temples with her index and middle fingers.
"What happened last night?" I exclaimed between swallows of water. "I remember the first couple glasses of wine and then not much after that. Did we--did we kiss?"
"A little," she giggled.
"I'm sorry," I apologized. "I was so not in my right mind last night. I shouldn't have let that happen. I was feeling vulnerable, and with the alcohol...," I trailed off.
"It's okay," Krista replied, putting her hand on mine. "It was just nice spending time with you last night. How did you sleep?"
"Like a rock. But I did have some messed up dreams though."
"Messed up? How so," Krista probed, cocking her head.
"Just... weird. I blame Tamara for fucking with my mind for so long." There was no way I was going to tell Krista what I had dreamed. I still couldn't believe it myself. The thought of me being intimate with my sister in that way--it was ludicrous. But I tended to have a lot of strange, vivid dreams, so I supposed perhaps it was just an average night in my fucked up head.
"By the way, I found some shirts in the closet upstairs," Krista replied, abruptly changing the subject. "I grabbed one for you as well." She picked up a shirt from the couch and tossed it at me. She began buttoning her own shirt uncomfortably, as if she'd only just realized how much cleavage she was showing. "Also, I found a couple gallons of gas out in a shed behind the house." She gestured to a red, plastic canister or the floor near the door.
"Then I guess we should finish getting dressed and get out of here" I asked, excited to finally be home.
"I was thinking we could probably just sneak down to the car without putting on anything else. My clothes are still cold and damp, and these shirts are long enough."
"Fair enough," I shrugged. I had been naked for so long in Tamara's sex dungeon that it actually felt more strange to me now to be wearing clothes.
"Now, hopefully nothing else goes wrong," Krista raised an eyebrow.
"Actually, before we go, I need to ask you something."
"Okay," Krista replied slowly, in confusion. "But you can't ask me while we're driving?"
"Please, it's important," I insisted. "I need to know how you knew the combination to Tamara's door." I braced myself for her answer, unsure how I would respond if my worst fears ended up being true.
"It was just a guess," she replied. "A lucky guess."
"No one is that lucky."
However, Krista's response surprised me. She laughed. "Wait, you haven't realized yet? Think carefully about the combination," she grinned.
I did, thinking the numbers over in my head. "9-6-9-3" I repeated the numbers aloud slowly. "Are they supposed to mean something to me?"
"Sara," she scolded playfully. "It's your birthday."
"My--birthday," I whispered quietly, realizing she was right. "The whole time I was trapped, the door combination was my fucking birthday?"
Was it Tamara's way of secretly mocking me? Or was it a sign that she had really cared for me in her own way?
I shook my head. "Well, fuck that. Let's get out of here," I grabbed Krista's hand and practically pulled her to the car.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," she giggled.
"That's what she said," I laughed, surprised that my own sense of humor was already coming back.
"Sara!" she gasped jokingly at me. She blushed slightly at my crude joke, but she never lost her smile.
*****
We drove in silence for a while before Krista finally spoke up.
"So where do we go from here?"
"I--I don't really know." I hadn't given much thought outside of the here and now.
"Should we go to the police?"
"The police?" I hesitated. "What if they don't believe me?"
"I'll back up your story," Krista reassured me.
"But what proof do you have other than what I've told you?"
"I saw you in her room with my own eyes. I saw the way she treated you."
"I don't know if I want to deal with anyone else knowing," I replied slowly.
"We can't let her get away with what she did," Krista replied intensely.
"Just--the thought of telling anyone what I went through," I replied slowly. "I think it would tear me apart. And then if there's a trial, would I have to testify in court? What if they end up ruling against me--then it was all for nothing."
I felt a knot building in my chest and suddenly found myself breathing rapidly as I thought about such a public humiliation.
"No," I said. "I can't do it. I won't go through that."
"It's okay," Krista took my hand in hers, rubbing her thumb gently over mine. "We don't have to do anything you aren't comfortable with."
Slowly, my breathing returned to normal, and I squeezed Krista's hand. "I just want to never see Tamara again. That's all I want."
"We don't even have to go back to the house," Krista suggested. "We can just pick a direction and drive."
"But we have all of our things at the house. Clothes--things that used to belong to Mom and Dad. No, everything will be better once we get back to the house."
*****
As we pulled into the driveway, I looked up at the house, marveling how foreign it looked to me now. As we walked in, Krista followed me into the living room.
"I'm going to head to my room for a bit," I told her.
"Do you want company?" Krista asked softly.
"No. Thank you, but I wouldn't mind being alone. I just need to clear my head and not think about anything for a while."
"In that case, do you mind if I take a quick bath?" Krista asked. "I'm still cold and a little dirty from that last one--unless you would rather take one first?"
"No, no. Maybe later. You go ahead," I urged.
"Sure thing," she sang as she bounded up the stairs.
I followed her, turning down the hallway to my room at the end of the hallway. I felt as if I was seeing everything for the first time. Even my room felt strange to me. How long had it been since I had been here? A year? I didn't know how long I had spent living with Tamara prior to being locked in her basement.
I heard the water running from the bathroom as Krista started preparing a bath. But as I looked around at the room, I didn't feel the sense of safety or comfort that I had expected. I hadn't been safe in my room long before Tamara had gone completely batshit crazy. Fuck, was the lock on my window still broken?
I was already regretting my decision to return home. How could I possibly sleep in my room with a broken lock? And did I even trust my safety with the locked fixed? Tamara had always found a way, no matter how I'd tried to thwart her.
"Actually, Krista--after you shower, can we pack and leave?"
There was no response. She probably couldn't hear a thing with the water running. I made my way back to the bathroom, finding the door slightly ajar. I nudged it open to see Krista's bare body from behind.
"Oops, sorry," I exclaimed, closing the door back.
"You know, you could just join me again."
"For a bath?" I exclaimed.
"Ah, you're right. I guess that would be a bit more awkward, wouldn't it."
"More than a little," I laughed. "I wanted to ask if we could leave after you finish your shower."
"Leave? And go where?"
"It doesn't matter. Anywhere. I just don't feel safe here anymore."
She smiled, offering no argument. "I don't even need a bath