The Last Victim Chapter 31

Roderigo ushered Niko into the house, it was a simple and elegant house. Niko sat on the low beige sofa still looking miserable.

Roderigo said giving him a glass of lemon juice ‘’Would you please calm down now? Everything is all right now.’’

‘’Nothing is all right Rod, nothing will be.’’ Niko said taking the glass with shaking hands.

‘’I have to tell you that you have been irresponsible Niko. Taking the car and just go and you know what might happen. I don’t understand why did you do this.’’

‘’I’m just…I’m just sick of all this. I want it to be over…..I…..I don’t know.’’

Roderigo patted his back and said softly ‘’It’s ok.’’

Niko took a sip from the lemon and looked down to the floor.

‘’I’m scared Rod. I’m trying to look tough but I’m scared.’’

‘’You’ve been through a lot Niko, you are brave that you are alive among us.’’

‘’I am not brave Rod, I was just saved in the right time, otherwise I would have been killed like the others.’’

‘’No you are. I don’t want you to surrender to the self destructive feelings Niko, I want you to be strong.’’

‘’You all want me to be strong and brave and move on with my life and you just don’t understand!’’ Niko shouted.

‘’Maybe we haven’t been in your shoes, but we understand how horrible this must have been.’’

‘’It’s not in the past, you need to know that, it hasn’t stopped for one day! I had to do something to stop it. I don’t want to be sober again Rod, because it’s there in my head all the time. Do you get it!’’

‘’I hear you Niko.’’

‘’Sometimes I stay up all night crying like a baby, shaking and expecting him to walk into my room any time.’’

Roderigo put his hands around his shoulders and said ‘’You know you are safe with your dad, he won’t let anything bad happen to you again.’’

‘’I hate being a victim, your attempts to protect me makes it worse and worse. I feel more victimized by all of you.’’

‘’Don’t say that we are all behind you and supporting you. You will take your time healing but you have to have the desire to move on inside you Niko.’’

‘’I don’t want to move on I don’t want to survive, I want to be left alone!’’

‘’Niko, give a chance to the people who love you to show how much they love and how you mean for them.’’ Roderigo said in a fatherly tone.

Niko looked at him and said ‘’I’ve been stabbed by a spear into my soul Rod, the wound is too deep to be healed.’’

‘’You need to talk Niko, talking really helps. You just keep silent and bottle up all your feelings.’’

‘’Talk to whom and say what Rod?’’ Niko said sarcastically.

‘’Me, I’m ready to listen. Remember you used to tell me everything you couldn’t tell your father.’’

Niko gave him a faded smile and said ‘’This has nothing to do with the nature of the things I used to tell you about.’’

‘’Sooner or later, you need to talk Niko. You’ve been kidnapped, held for nearly a month, tortured and raped repeatedly and systematically. You can’t keep on holding all the feelings inside yourself hoping that someday they will go away by themselves. They won’t, believe me they won’t and you will keep on struggling to pretend that you are ok but you are not.’’ Roderigo said emphatically.

The phone rang and Roderigo said ‘’It must me your father.’’

He was right, Rouvas was nervous on the other side asking how Niko is doing.

‘’He’s ok now, don’t worry.’’

‘’I will drop in tomorrow before going to work.’’ Rouvas said.

‘’It’s already dawn now Rouvas, after work will be better.’’ Roderigo declared looking at his watch.

‘’I said before going to work, I won’t be able to sleep anyway.’’ Rouvas insisted.

‘’Ok, you know you can come any time you want!’’ Roderigo said giving up.

‘’Bye, see you later.’’

‘’Bye.’’

He walked back to Niko to find that he fell asleep on the sofa. He undid his jeans button and tiptoed to his room to fetch a blanket. He covered Niko and turned off the lights.

‘’Oh! What a night!’’ He whispered.