Abandon: Chapter 10
The Abernathy Trilogy
Abernathy, Abandon, America
by Kristen
Abandon
Chapter 10
Justin
It is morning, and Brian has not come home. William returned, late last night, and suffered my drilling questions, but to no avail. He had never seen Brian at the fair, nor found Josephine. He had left Hereford, assuming that Brian was headed home as well.
Distractedly, I clean the kitchen after breakfast, having slept not a wink in the night. I can't remember the last night I spent without Brian--if not with me, then at least in the next room. I never realized how much comfort I draw just from his simple presence in the house. And now...now I feel as though my very heart is separated from my chest. Lost somewhere, out on the moors.
William maintains that Brian is merely following a lead in pursuit of Josephine. Perhaps someone in Warbidge saw her take a coach not to Hereford, but to Kington, or south, to Peterchurch. And perhaps Brian went after her, and was forced to stay the night in another town. He was determined to find her, William reminds me.
But I must admit...I don't care if he never finds her! I am glad she has gone. Not that I wish any harm to her, but it was her choice to leave. And something about her letter...I am still afraid of her words. Brian and William contend that she was merely spooked by some shadow and thought it was the devil. But I begin to fear that she saw something more. Something much worse than a shadow.
Brian
"You are...confessing to the crime?" he asks me, both surprised and delighted.
"No. Not to the crime you spoke of," I clarify, hanging my head with remorse. "I am guilty of one much worse."
He waits patiently for me to explain, opening his notebook once again.
"I purchased him...the slave...two years ago," I begin morosely, not able to lift my gaze from the table in front of me. "I bought him, not needing a slave, but with the express purpose of...using him...in the manner which you described."
I pause before speaking again, finding my breaths coming short, and painfully. My voice sounds foreign and small as I continue.
"Immediately upon bringing him home...I placed him in a room adjacent to mine, that I might come and go unnoticed. And on frequent occasions, I went to his room after dark and...assaulted...him."
"Assaulted? In what manner."
I glare at Hoskins briefly. He knows quite well what manner I mean, but seems to enjoy my torment!
"I...held him faced down in the bed and...pulled down his breeches..." my heart is racing, and I clutch my chest as I speak.
"Did he struggle?"
"Yes...always. But he is not as strong as me."
"Did he cry out?"
"Yes," I choke. I feel myself begin to shake, uncontrollably. "The only others in the house were not near enough to hear."
"And then? After you pulled down his breeches?"
"I..." God, this is agony! "I...forced myself...upon him."
"You entered his body?"
"Yes," I whisper, my voice weak.
"Did you emit into him?" Hoskins asks, scribbling furiously in his notebook.
"Yes."
"On how many occasions was this?"
"Almost every night," I lament, pretending to think back on all our nights together with self-loathing, and not with pleasure.
"And why did he not report your behavior?"
"I...threatened to kill him if he spoke of it to anyone. He is only a slave, and...naive. I told him that no one would believe him."
"So you admit to raping and abusing your male slave, on repeated occasions."
"Yes...I do."
"Did he give any signs of enjoyment?"
"No," I choke. "He was terrified."
"The fault lies entirely with you?"
"Yes, entirely."
"Have you anything else to say?"
"No."
"Alright, Mr. Kinney," he says finally, standing up from the table. "You feel better now, having confessed it all, don't you? Better to go with a clear conscience."
My head is too heavy to lift, and I can only nod weakly as he raps on the door for the warden's return.
Abernathy, Abandon, America
by Kristen
Abandon
Chapter 10
Justin
It is morning, and Brian has not come home. William returned, late last night, and suffered my drilling questions, but to no avail. He had never seen Brian at the fair, nor found Josephine. He had left Hereford, assuming that Brian was headed home as well.
Distractedly, I clean the kitchen after breakfast, having slept not a wink in the night. I can't remember the last night I spent without Brian--if not with me, then at least in the next room. I never realized how much comfort I draw just from his simple presence in the house. And now...now I feel as though my very heart is separated from my chest. Lost somewhere, out on the moors.
William maintains that Brian is merely following a lead in pursuit of Josephine. Perhaps someone in Warbidge saw her take a coach not to Hereford, but to Kington, or south, to Peterchurch. And perhaps Brian went after her, and was forced to stay the night in another town. He was determined to find her, William reminds me.
But I must admit...I don't care if he never finds her! I am glad she has gone. Not that I wish any harm to her, but it was her choice to leave. And something about her letter...I am still afraid of her words. Brian and William contend that she was merely spooked by some shadow and thought it was the devil. But I begin to fear that she saw something more. Something much worse than a shadow.
Brian
"You are...confessing to the crime?" he asks me, both surprised and delighted.
"No. Not to the crime you spoke of," I clarify, hanging my head with remorse. "I am guilty of one much worse."
He waits patiently for me to explain, opening his notebook once again.
"I purchased him...the slave...two years ago," I begin morosely, not able to lift my gaze from the table in front of me. "I bought him, not needing a slave, but with the express purpose of...using him...in the manner which you described."
I pause before speaking again, finding my breaths coming short, and painfully. My voice sounds foreign and small as I continue.
"Immediately upon bringing him home...I placed him in a room adjacent to mine, that I might come and go unnoticed. And on frequent occasions, I went to his room after dark and...assaulted...him."
"Assaulted? In what manner."
I glare at Hoskins briefly. He knows quite well what manner I mean, but seems to enjoy my torment!
"I...held him faced down in the bed and...pulled down his breeches..." my heart is racing, and I clutch my chest as I speak.
"Did he struggle?"
"Yes...always. But he is not as strong as me."
"Did he cry out?"
"Yes," I choke. I feel myself begin to shake, uncontrollably. "The only others in the house were not near enough to hear."
"And then? After you pulled down his breeches?"
"I..." God, this is agony! "I...forced myself...upon him."
"You entered his body?"
"Yes," I whisper, my voice weak.
"Did you emit into him?" Hoskins asks, scribbling furiously in his notebook.
"Yes."
"On how many occasions was this?"
"Almost every night," I lament, pretending to think back on all our nights together with self-loathing, and not with pleasure.
"And why did he not report your behavior?"
"I...threatened to kill him if he spoke of it to anyone. He is only a slave, and...naive. I told him that no one would believe him."
"So you admit to raping and abusing your male slave, on repeated occasions."
"Yes...I do."
"Did he give any signs of enjoyment?"
"No," I choke. "He was terrified."
"The fault lies entirely with you?"
"Yes, entirely."
"Have you anything else to say?"
"No."
"Alright, Mr. Kinney," he says finally, standing up from the table. "You feel better now, having confessed it all, don't you? Better to go with a clear conscience."
My head is too heavy to lift, and I can only nod weakly as he raps on the door for the warden's return.