Binding To The Champions
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The next morning, the sun rose on a new day. It was still dark outside when I woke up and saw that my wife had already left for work at her job as an accountant in downtown Chicago. She worked long hours during tax season to make sure she could pay our bills each month without having any trouble with debt collectors or creditors calling us every few days asking if we were going bankrupt again this year like last time.
We’d been married since college but it wasn’t until after graduation did things start getting really bad financially because of all the student loans we took out over four years just trying to get through school so we didn’t have to be poor anymore.
Now here I am working two jobs while she works full-time plus overtime whenever possible to try and keep everything afloat even though there’s no way either one of us can afford what life is throwing at us right now.
All those dreams about being able to buy nice stuff back then are gone forever except for maybe buying some land somewhere far away from everyone else where nobody will bother me ever again unless they want something important done by someone who knows how to do it well enough not to screw anything up too badly.
But that dream isn’t likely to happen anytime soon considering the fact that both my wife and I need steady incomes coming into our household before we’ll consider moving anywhere other than within driving distance of civilization which means staying put indefinitely.
So yeah, another boring day ahead filled with nothing more exciting than sitting around waiting for nightfall so I can go home and sleep once again only to wake up tomorrow morning and repeat the same thing yet again throughout eternity…
I sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at myself in the mirror hanging above the dresser across from me. My hair was short and brown, almost black actually although most people would probably say it looks red instead due to its coloration.
As usual, I hadn’t bothered combing it much today since I knew I wouldn’t be leaving the house anyway. There weren’t many places you could wear your hair like mine these days thanks to society changing so rapidly lately.
Back when I first started growing my hair out several decades ago, it used to be considered fashionable to let it grow longer and wild looking. That trend has changed dramatically over recent times, however, especially among younger generations who prefer shorter styles nowadays such as buzz cuts or crewcuts.
And don’t think that older folks aren’t affected by societal changes either because they’re definitely part of them whether they realize it or not. For example, women wearing pantsuits became popular back in the 1980s along with shoulder pads in blouses becoming commonplace.
Both trends faded quickly thereafter but never went completely extinct. Today, men still wear suits to work sometimes but rarely does anyone see a woman dressed in business attire walking down the street anymore. Women also stopped dressing conservatively in public a couple decades earlier and have become increasingly less modest in their clothing choices ever since.
In addition to seeing more skin showing up everywhere, there’ve been numerous instances recently were girls under eighteen years old have appeared nude in magazines and television shows despite the fact that child pornography laws strictly prohibit minors from appearing naked in front of cameras.
This sort of thing happens frequently enough that parents often find themselves unable to prevent it from happening to their own children. Even worse, kids are starting to appear fully clothed in movies and TV programs aimed toward adults.
These sorts of scenes are usually edited out of family-friendly versions of films but somehow always manage to slip past censors unnoticed. What happened to good ol’ fashioned values? Where did decency end and perversion begin exactly? Nobody seems to know any more!
As I stared at myself in the mirror, I noticed that my eyes seemed unusually bright compared to normal. Maybe it was the reflection off of the glass making them look brighter than usual. Or perhaps it’s simply because I’m tired of living this way and wish things would change for the better someday.
Either way, it made me feel uncomfortable knowing that others might notice something unusual about me. After all, why should I care what strangers think about me when none of them matter anyway? Why shouldn’t I live the rest of my life doing whatever makes me happy regardless of what anybody thinks about it?
If I wanted to walk around town stark naked and covered head to toe in tattoos, nobody would stop me from doing so. Hell, I bet plenty of people would admire me for it. They may not understand why I chose to do it but they’d respect me nonetheless. At least that’s what I hope they would do.
The truth is, I haven’t decided yet if I truly believe that or not. It sounds great in theory but I wonder how I’d react when somebody told me to cover up or leave the area immediately. Would I obey orders given to me by total strangers or ignore them altogether?
How would I handle it emotionally if I had to choose between obeying an order or disobeying one? I guess I won’t know until I have to face that situation sometime in the future. Until then, I suppose I’ll continue to sit here staring at myself wondering what lies ahead for me next.
***
The sun set shortly after sundown tonight bringing darkness to the world once again. A few minutes later, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching outside my bedroom door followed closely by two voices speaking softly together. One voice belonged to a male while the other sounded female.
Although I couldn’t make out any words spoken during their conversation, I assumed whoever was talking must be a friend of theirs visiting them unexpectedly. I wasn’t sure who lived downstairs though. All I knew for certain was that neither my neighbors nor the person living below us was aware of each other’s presence. Whoever it was didn’t seem to mind being overheard which meant they trusted the other party involved implicitly.
Personally, I found that kind of behavior rather odd considering the circumstances we currently faced. But maybe I just need to get to know someone before judging them too harshly based solely upon superficial appearances alone. Who knows? Perhaps they really are trustworthy individuals deep inside even if they don’t act like it right now.
Regardless, I felt compelled to listen quietly to everything said without interrupting their private discussion.
“I can’t believe he actually agreed to come,” whispered the man on the phone. “He hasn’t done anything remotely similar to this in ages.”
His tone indicated his surprise and disbelief regarding the news he received moments earlier. He continued whispering into the receiver for another minute or two before hanging up abruptly. As soon as the call ended, both he and the woman standing beside me spoke simultaneously in hushed tones.
She asked her companion if she should tell me what was going on. Her question came across loud and clear although I couldn’t hear most of the response due to the distance separating our ears. However, I could clearly discern the last word uttered by the woman.
That single syllable caused alarm bells to go off within my brain warning me of impending danger. When I looked over at her, I saw fear written plainly on her face. My heart raced uncontrollably and sweat began pouring down my forehead. Fearful thoughts flooded through my mind causing me to panic and shake violently for several seconds afterward. Finally, I regained control of myself long enough to speak.
“What…what did you say?” I managed to ask with trembling lips.
Both of them turned toward me at the same time. Their faces filled my vision momentarily before turning away quickly. Both of them acted nervous and frightened but refused to meet my gaze directly. Instead, they kept looking downward instead.
Then suddenly, the man stepped forward and placed his hand firmly against my chest. His touch sent shivers throughout my entire body sending goosebumps racing along every inch of exposed flesh. Before I realized what was happening, he grabbed hold of the hem of my shirt and pulled it upward exposing my bare torso completely.
Instantly, I became extremely self-conscious realizing that everyone else presents witnessed my nudity. Suddenly, I wished I hadn’t taken such drastic measures to conceal my identity. Now everybody would see exactly what I’ve been hiding behind those walls for years. What will they think of me now?
Will they laugh at me or pity me? No doubt some of them already despise me for having no shame whatsoever. Others probably still consider me to be nothing more than a pervert. And there’s always the possibility that many of them secretly envy me for possessing the courage to openly display my sexuality in public places where others might view me.
Only time would reveal whether or not I made the correct decision by revealing myself to the world. For now, all I could do was wait patiently and pray that things wouldn’t turn out badly for me.
After removing my clothing, I sat back down on the bed waiting nervously for something to happen. After what seemed like hours passed, I finally got tired of sitting around and started pacing back and forth beneath the covers.
Despite feeling uncomfortable wearing only a pair of panties underneath my blanket, I forced myself to remain calm and composed. The longer I remained motionless under the sheets, the greater chance somebody might notice how anxious I am about whatever is taking place next.
Sooner or later, one of these people had better start doing something so I can find out what’s going on here! Or perhaps I’m supposed to take action first? If that turns out to be true, then I have absolutely no idea what to expect from anyone. Am I expected to confront them head-on and demand answers?
Should I try to talk sense into them somehow? How far should I push them before resorting to violence if necessary? These questions plagued my mind endlessly until eventually, I grew bored of thinking about them altogether. Besides, I’d never known when to stop worrying anyway. It was simply part of my nature.
At least I’ll die knowing I tried my best to help others regardless of the outcome. At times, I wonder why God allows bad things to happen to good people despite our efforts to live honorable lives free from sin. Why does He allow innocent children to suffer horrible deaths in war-torn countries?
Does He really care about us at all? Is He even real? Perhaps we’re just living inside an elaborate computer simulation created by advanced extraterrestrial beings who are trying to test humanity’s ability to survive without destroying itself in the process.
Maybe everything we experience has little meaning beyond serving as entertainment for their amusement. Who knows? All I know for certain is that life isn’t fair. We don’t get rewarded for being decent human beings while evil thrives unchecked. In fact, the opposite seems to be true.
Evil often gets rewarded for its wickedness whereas goodness receives nothing except scorn and ridicule. This makes me sick to my stomach because I hate seeing good men and women treated unfairly. Unfortunately, I’ve learned to accept reality as it exists rather than wishfully hoping for a different result. Life doesn’t work that way, unfortunately.
Eventually, someone entered the room carrying a tray containing various items including food and drinks. They set everything down on top of the dresser near my feet before leaving again. Although nobody said anything aloud, I knew they were watching me closely.
My heart raced wildly within my chest wondering which person among them would make the first move. Would anybody dare approach me? Was I truly ready to face this challenge after spending most of my adult life avoiding any sort of physical contact with other people?
Not wanting to give up hope yet, I continued praying silently for guidance. As long as I didn’t panic and run away screaming hysterically, I figured I stood a fighting chance of surviving whatever lay ahead. However, I also understood that running wasn’t necessarily a viable option either since I couldn’t leave the building without getting caught.
That meant I needed to stay put and fight off whoever attacked me using whatever means possible. Hopefully, I won’t end up regretting my actions once I discover what happened to me afterward. But right now, I felt too terrified to do much of anything besides sit quietly and wait for the inevitable.
“Hello?” I called out softly. “Is anyone home? Please tell me you’re planning to rescue me!”
No response came immediately. Instead, silence reigned supreme for several minutes before footsteps approached rapidly followed by the sound of heavy breathing. A moment later, two sets of hands grabbed hold of each side of the blankets covering my body.
Before I could react, both sides of the coverings tore open violently ripping apart along the seams. Instinctively, I reached out blindly grabbing onto the nearest thing available: a nearby lamp stand. With surprising strength, I managed to yank the metal pole toward me causing the light bulb hanging above to fall directly upon my exposed flesh.
Immediately, pain shot through every inch of my skin burning like fire. Screams erupted from deep within my throat but were not loud enough to alert anyone outside the bedroom door. To avoid drawing attention, I kept quiet instead of focusing on holding onto the lamp post tightly.
Without warning, however, another hand appeared reaching across the gap between us grasping the base of the lampstand. Unable to withstand the force applied against me, the entire structure began shaking violently knocking over lamps and furniture toppling everywhere.
Within seconds, the room became filled with broken glass and shattered wood splinters flying in all directions. Finally, the lamp fell crashing to the floor shattering into pieces sending shards of sharp objects slicing deeply into my bare legs. Blood instantly soaked the bedding beneath me soaking it completely red.
I screamed loudly unable to contain myself any longer. “Stop hurting me! Stop touching me!”
The man standing behind me laughed maniacally releasing his grip on the lamp stand allowing me to quickly pull back. Still dazed from the sudden assault, I stared blankly at him momentarily unsure whether he intended to harm or merely wanted to scare me.
The only reason I was still alive today had been due to the fact that no one else dared enter the room until now. If they did so earlier, there wouldn’t have been time to escape. Now, I wondered if I should try to flee anyway. After all, I’d already proven capable of escaping from captivity previously.
Besides, I doubted these particular individuals possessed the necessary skills required to track me down given how easily I escaped last night. It seemed unlikely that I could successfully elude them forever though. Eventually, they would find me again unless I took steps to prevent such an occurrence.
The End