Second Spirit -10- by Melanie Brown

CAUTION: This a rough chapter, and according to Patreon rules must be behind a paywall. It's not graphic, but it is very emotional.

Second Spirit

By

Melanie Brown

Advisor: Lisa Charlene
Copyright © 2024

Part 10

I was in pain, and I felt as if I was on fire. I tried to cry but I was all out of tears. This was a level of hell Dante could never have envisioned. My awareness of my surroundings faded in and out, but I knew they were both still in the room.

Jack pulled his t-shirt over his head. To Carl, he said, “Man, I’m hungry. Let’s go get dinner.”

Carl chuckled. “Let’s go, my dude.” He turned to me and wagged a finger. “Now don’t you go anywhere.” He laughed. I wasn’t going anywhere tied to the bed. I scowled at them as they exited the motel room

Carl stopped, picked up something from the floor. “Can’t have you making a ruckus in here.” He stuffed a pair of dity underwear in my mouth.  Laughing, he joined Jack already outside.

My God that’s nasty.

Now what the hell do I do? I tugged on the knots tying me. The knots were tight, but the sheets they used to tie me up with had loosened with all the activity. I just didn’t have enough slack to do anything useful.

I hated putting my tongue on it, but I managed to push the underwear out of my mouth. I sputtered a few times trying to get the taste out of my mouth. With a raspy voice, I shouted “Help!” a few times. I sighed. Who the hell was going to hear me? I have to try though. I jerked my hands and feet trying to cause my bonds to loosen more. I’m not sure how much good I was doing. I discovered my arms and legs were loose enough for me to bounce my butt on the bed.

“Help! Someone help me!” I shouted again… and again. What was the point? Nobody could hear me. I bounced on the bed and shouted. I’m on the first floor. Nothing below me but concrete.

I kept up the yelling and flailing about. I couldn’t give up. I didn’t want to be their entertainment  again and tomorrow be sold into some other nightmare.

I started slamming myself back and forth on the bed.  After a few times, I heard a bang sound. I paused a moment. Did I really hear that? I started slamming myself back and forth again and now each time I heard a bang against the wall. It seems I’d loosened the headboard of the bed. I grinned as I rocked the bed back and forth. Someone should hear that. And they did.

In a muffled voice I heard through the wall, “Hey knock it off in there!” I started slamming myself back and forth harder with a loud bang each time.

“If you don’t knock it off, I’m calling the manager!” Bang! Bang! Bang!

The knob to the room started rattling. Then a pounding on the door. Through the door, I heard a muffled, “I told you assholes to quit! I’ve just called the manager!”

I shouted, “Help me! Oh God please help me! Whoever you are, please help!”

Through the door, I heard a different voice. “Are you the one who called? What’s going on?”

“Some asshole in that room keep banging on the wall and won’t stop.”

I shouted “Help! Help!”

“This is the manager. You need to stop. I don’t want to have to call the police!”

“Help! Help!” What’s with these stupid motherfuckers? Please call the police if you won’t help me.

“Do you need assistance?”

“Help me! I’m tied up.”

The original voice said, “Sounds like a kid.”

Manager’s voice, “If you don’t stop banging on the wall and disturbing the other folks, I’ll have to demand you and your parents leave. No refunds.”

Exasperated, I screamed, “Just open the fucking door!”

“I don’t think the kid is going to stop.”

“I have no choice but to go in. I’ll call the police first. They might be violent.” After a few minutes passed, the manager said, “The cops said to wait until they arrive.”

I cried, “Oh for fuck’s sake. Just open the damned door!”

I went into a frenzy of bashing the head board against the wall.

“Maybe you should open the door.”

“Cops said to wait. I think that’s them down the street.”

I kept bashing the headboard against the wall. The damned knots just would not loosen.

“Are you the manager?” said a new voice.

“Yes officer.”

“What’s going on?”

The manager laughed. “Can you not hear that?”

“Can you open the door?”

“I have the master keycard right here.”

I heard the lock in the door click. As the door was pushed open, I started shouting.

The cop’s eyes went wide. The bastard stared at me for several long moments before turning towards his partner.

“Gonzales! Call an ambulance. Mr. Nogales, do you have a blanket we can cover her with?”

“I’ll grab one from my office. Just a moment.”

The cop said, “Sir, you need to return to your room.”

“I want to see!”

“Return to your room now.”

Another voice, “Jackson, the ambulance is on its way. The lieutenant should be here any moment.” Let’s just invite everybody in to see the naked girl.

I felt a blanket drape over my body.

“Gonzales, help me untie her.”

“Thank God you’re here! Thank you!” I sobbed as I felt the relief of the knots being loosened on my wrists and ankles.

Jackson said, “You’re safe now. Ambulance is almost here.” I could hear sirens from outside.

Gonzales said, “This may be that runaway we have an alert for.”

I started crying uncontrollably.

                    *

I sat on the end of my hospital bed, waiting. For what, I had no idea. The police had recovered my clothes from the motel room and actually had them laundered before returning them to me.

After the police had collected DNA evidence, I was allowed to shower. I gave the police my statement and a description of the perps. They already had them on file. After being given something to eat, I zonked out and apparently slept all night.

I was given breakfast and if nothing happens soon, I might get lunch here at the hospital as well. I’ve had worse meals.

And I guess not that I could blame them, but there were two police officers posted outside the entrance to my room.  Officially they were there to protect me as the two traffickers were still at large. But I’m sure they were there to keep me from running away. But really. Who were they kidding? No way those cops could catch a twelve-year-old girl running full tilt. Runny away just didn’t seem like a good solution anymore.

A nurse stuck her head in the door. “Miss? You have a visitor.” A moment later, a smartly dressed woman entered my room. She was wearing heels and a dark gray skirt and jacket.

“Good morning, Miss, I’m told you speak English?” she said pleasantly. “I’m Carol Todacheene, Chief Justice.” I just gave her a blank stare. She smiled slightly and said, “I’m head of the Navajo Judicial Court. Basically the top lawyer if that helps you any.”

I smiled without humor. “Send in the big guns to get me, huh.”

She slid a chair over next to me. “Mind if I sit down?” Without waiting for my answer, she sat in the chair. “Let’s get right to it, shall we?”

I idly kicked my feet dangling from the bed. “It’s your show.”

“Right.” She pulled some papers from the briefcase she was carrying. “Let’s start with this first. Can you tell me your name?”

I frowned. “Like I’ve told everyone, my name is Jack. Jack McDowell, Ms Todacheene.”

The Chief Justice shook her head. “Call me Carol. So you’re still maintaining the fiction that you’re really a twenty-two year old college student from Dallas that was changed into a girl by the recently deceased Medicine woman? The woman… “…She glanced down at her notes. “… Sheila filled in a lot of background info on Jack.”

I sat up straighter. “Can I talk to Sheila? There are things that only she and I would know to prove who I am.”

Carol glanced back at her notes. “She left Window Rock yesterday on a bus back to Dallas. Jack’s car has been impounded as collateral for the resort’s bill. Considering the circumstances, the resort might just drop the bill. But back to you. I need a name. I’m not calling you Jack. The name you give me will be your official name until the tribal council can convene and give you your name. I suggest a girl’s name that’s meaningful for you. My office will provide you with a last name. As a Navajo you should be aware that surnames are a western affectation.”

Frowning, I said, “My name is still Jack, but okay. I’ll play the game.” I stared for a moment at the ceiling in a thoughtful pose. What’s a meaningful name. My mom’s name is pretty meaningful. “I’ll use my mother’s name, Linda.”

Carol smiled as she jotted down some notes. “Linda it is. That’s a nice name, Linda.” Her phone pinged and she picked it up to look at the message. “We need to wrap up things here. The car’s owner will be in Window Rock tomorrow to claim it and clear any pending bills.”

I slid off the bed. “Dad? Dad’s coming here? I need to talk to him!”

Carol shook her head. “I don’t think that would be wise. He…”

“I demand to talk to my dad! I demand it!”

End of Part 10

End of Part 10