Darkest Days - Chapter 1: The Begining

Even when the blood stops running, the pain still flows. 100 nights of torture, he makes me endure. With every cut of his knives, with every stinging crack of his whip; with every time he penetrates me, every time he beats me, I wait for the sweet embrace of death. I wish his hands would slip and his knife would cut me to deep to survive, but, in his sadomasochistic ways, he is too skilled, too steady to screw up like that. For 100 nights, I endured a torture worse than any other. And it all started as a normal day.1

I was out doing some chores for my mother, who was a single mom, and busy taking care of me and my ten-year-old brother. I was the eldest at eighteen. Walking down the streets of NYC was dangerous any time of day, but today the streets were strangely empty, deserted, as if an omen to bad times. I was never really superstitious, so I just kept walking as if it was just a normal freezing Saturday in December. Walking down the street, to either side were the never-changing house designs that don’t change for another mile down the road.2

Big Papa’s Grocery Store; The only grocery store I’ve ever really known. My mom had walked down here with me pretty much every week of my life. Mike Otenelli, or “Big Papa” as he was known, owned and ran the place. He was my mother’s best friend, and the closest thing to a father figure me and my brother ever had. As I walked in, he was standing behind the counter, as he always would.3

“’Morning, Mike,” I said to him.4

“Good morning, Nicole, how are you today?” He said to me.5

“I’m alright. Mom’s busy, so she sent me to grab some stuff”6

“Alright, go ahead and grab what you need.”7

With that I started to walk around the store getting what my mother needed. Bay Leaves: Check. Sugar: check. One Gallon of milk: check. After I was done I headed over to the counter. Mike was the nicest six-foot-tall bald man you’ll ever meet. After I paid him the money for the groceries, I was out and on my way back home.8

New York City: My home. The only city I’ve ever lived in. I know this neighborhood like the back of my hand. I know every person that lives in this corner of New York. Walking back home was as boring as walking to the store. It’s the same scenery, but in reverse. 9

As I cam to a break in the houses, there was an alley. I heard someone shout from inside it. I walked into the alley and saw a man sitting there holding his leg as if something was wrong with it.10

“Excuse me sir, what’s wrong?” I asked11

“I think I sprained my ankle. Can you help me up?” He said.12

“Sure,” I said. I put the groceries on the ground and grabbed his arm and placed it around my shoulders, and I lifted him up and walked him to the end of the alley.13

“Thank you,” He said 14

“No problem” I replied as he walked away.15

I turned around to go back into the alley to get the groceries. As I approached them, someone whispered something into my ear.16

“You’re a pretty girl”17

Before I was able to turn around, a bag was placed over my head, I was knocked out, and day turned into night. A night that would bring hell, chaos, and many unspeakable crimes.