Chapter 7: Something Like Beauty And The Beast

Roadside Motel, Trenton County, Oregon

The door to Duko's motel room opened and he invited the still trembling young woman inside. She hesitated watching him for a few moments before stepping inside. She didn't seem to have any alternatives to being out in the cold and being the victim of a near on sexual assault had done quite a number on her nerves at this point. Still naked and covered via dirt, sweat, and blood. Duko stepped inside and locked the door behind them. He watched her jump a bit when she heard the door lock, but she quickly calmed sensing something akin to peace when in his presence. He felt the same, but didn't say a word as he tossed the remote to the television onto the bed and headed toward the bathroom to take a shower.

He had not known what to make of the girl he brought in. She hadn't said a word since the incident in the truck stop happened. He figured he could get her to a doctor or something in town but she would have to wait until morning for him to do so. It was awkward having her with him still leaving her wasn't an option. As he continued to ponder what occurred that lead to him having blacked out before the incident, he heard the television turn on and figured she'd taken to watching t.v. or possibly walked out now that he wasn't looking.

Once his shower came to an end Duko stepped out and put a towel around his waist he expected to walk into an empty room only to find that she'd been in the center of the bed fast asleep with the television playing in the background as light snoring filled the room. He shook his head having to acknowledge that even he was wrong about some things.

He pulled on a pair of boxer shorts, took one of the extra pillows from the bed and grabbed a space on the floor to sleep. After her ordeal the last thing he needed was to traumatize her any further, but he made up his mind to get her to see a doctor come morning. As he closed his eyes listening to the sound of the television playing in the background, he was sure he saw a doctor's office on his way to the truckstop and that they could help her there.

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A Few Hours Later....

Rae awoke gasping for breath as she found herself in the middle of a dark room with nothing, but silence surrounding her as she attempted to make sense of the days events and the subsequent attack she suffered afterward. She knew those bastards were dead, although she had not understood how aside from the naked man coming to her rescue his killing of those dope fiends was something she still couldn't piece together he'd been moving so fast.

She didn't know what she would have done if he hadn't come along nor what they would have done. She could still feel the cold steel of the switchblade cutting into her skin on her neck. It was disgusting and she hoped she didn't need shots after having that thing anywhere near her skin.

Rae looked around the room and couldn't find the man whom had saved her. She began to feel a node of sheer panic for a few moments and began to hyperventilate in the darkness when she noticed the lone figure lounging about on the floor of the motel. The moment realization hit her that the figure belonged to the naked man whom had come to her rescue, she felt as if a great weight had been lifted and she could breathe again. The sudden rush of calm wore her out after being in the midst of such conflicting emotions all at once and she found herself falling back into a contented slumber knowing all the while that she'd well and truly safe here with him.

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Later....

Duko groaned in his sleep feeling the effects of his aching bladder being compressed as he found himself getting to his feet in a bid to use the toilet. He stumbled into the bathroom and stood over the toilet bowl. He had not recalled much about the day other than falling asleep and opted to get back into bed as soon as possible. He flushed the toilet and washed his hands yawning as he exited the bathroom and ventured back into the darkened room where the bed was warm and inviting. He didn't understand why his body felt so heavy, but guessed it was due to a long day of traveling and stepped back outside the bathroom.Despite his lack of vision due to still being exhausted from the events of the previous day, he stumbled about until he climbed into bed not thinking anything of the soft warm lump curled beneath the covers before him.

Rae's body moved a bit in her sleep, but remained otherwise at peace. Neither she nor the slumbering Duko knew that their strangely acquired peace was a result of a not so subtle binding ritual that occurred when he found himself unable to look away from her. He felt strangely compelled to take her himself and she offered little to no resistance in that regard as if she'd have no objections to it. Their eyes had locked for a good deal of time and visions of anguish filled their mutual minds and subsided in the wake of a lasting peace that neither one wished to be rid of.

Even in slumber it appeared the binding had taken as Rae whimpered in her sleep as a result of the oncoming night terrors from the events past and present that kept her awake at night. Duko grunted crawling in his sleep to press his weary head against hers as he inhaled her scent comforted by it's delightful fragrance and curious as to why it meant so much to him.

He rolled over in his sleep as Rae found herself curled up beside him at the very least needing to feel the warmth of his flesh against her own in some manner to remain calm over the course of the long night that had befallen them. The echoes of the night terrors faded the moment she felt him against her skin and she eased back into a contented peace.

As the two of them slept, the outside world continued to move on beneath the light of the moon and the onset of the coming day. Due to the commotion from the events the day before as well as eye witness accounts of the horrors that took many lives, The bodies of the drug addicts were discovered not long after Duko and Rae had departed the truckstop as well as the remains of the other victims of a monster whom had saw fit to terrorize the area before disappearing altogether.

Many flashing lights and loud sirens rang out into the night but none of it seemed to disturb the two exhausted people sleeping beside one another in the same bed. What was worse was the fact that they had not only just met, but they hadn't even known each other's names.

The authorities seemed baffled about the amount of mutilated bodies turning up along the same highway as if someone was leaving a trail of destruction in their wake, but the problem was no one could tell which part of the highway the murderer would follow nor could they assume which town said murderer would turn up next.