A Battle of Minds Ch. 04

Again, Laura tried to get up, onto her legs, or at least onto all fours, trying to scramble away while she straightened up. Before she managed to come up, however, she felt a searing pain in her leg; as if a rough rope was tied around it tightly, pulling her back. And then, that very same rope was dragging her upwards by her leg. Another strong blow of wind let wet leaves and branches fly into her face, and made the cold cut like knifes into her rain-soaked skin.

In shock, she looked up: There was a very thin branch wrapped around her leg, tightening its grip in a snakelike manner, and pulling her up. The other branches of the tree stretched towards here, like skeletal arms, the twigs at their ends like long fingers taking hold of her. After just a few moments Laura was suspended up in the air, every one of her arms and legs pulled into a different direction by the branches of the surrounding trees. In panic, she realized that those same branches were growing thicker now, turning into strong logs. They were growing all around her wrists and ankles, so she was barely able to move at all anymore. Then the branches sank down again, the trees bowing unnaturally, until Laura's body was hovering just a little bit above the forest ground. The trees forced her to stretch her arms and legs far from her body, so that every bit of her naked form was completely exposed. The wood was hard and strong now, it was impossible for Laura to move, unless the trees wanted her to.

Martin stepped closer now, and Laura realized that the trees were turned towards him. They were leaning in his direction, as if they were bowing to him. In doing so, they were presenting him with her body, like an offering. He was standing right in front of her now -- normally, he was somewhat taller than Laura, but as the trees held her lifted slightly above ground, their faces were at exactly the same height. She could feel his breath. Laura wanted to move away, she did not like being close to him, but the grip of the trees was unrelenting.

"I can control more than you can even imagine", Martin said. Despite his attempt to look at her threateningly, all he could manage was a smug grin. "Everything is obeying me. And if you don't want to join and obey, you have to stay here in the forest until you die and rot."

And then, for the first time in almost two years, he stretched out his hands and touched her; going straight for her sex with his stubby fingers. Laura could feel Martin's breath accelerate; she could hear a moan of joy rising in him as he finally dared to touch her again. She saw in his face that he was drunk on his power -- not the power over the trees, or the people of Leskow, but the power he believed he had regained over her.

"I am not afraid of you, not anymore," she whispered.

Martin did not seem to listen. He started kissing her neck; while his hands went down to pull open the fly of his trousers. His fingers were shaking slightly with impatience. When he pressed his body against Laura's, she felt something burning hot against her chest: The locket was still dangling around his neck. The metal was hot, and it seemed to be alive -- throbbing and beating like a little heart. In panic, she tried to find the power emanating from it. If only she could find some kind of connection to the wretched thing, so she could take control and break Martin's influence on their surroundings, on nature, on everything around her. The locket's power, however, remained closed to her this time, as if the thing refused to be found by her mind. Maybe it knew the hatred she felt towards it. Maybe the locket realized that the only reason Laura was trying to use it was, because it was her only chance to get away. A memory of that morning by the lake, the morning after she defeated Martin for the first time, flashed through Laura's mind. The locket did not want to be destroyed. It would do anything to stay in use, Laura suddenly realized. There was nothing she could do.

Laura closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on the locket, wanting to block out everything around her. She tried to ignore Martin's hands. It did not take long, however, before he pressed his stiff cock against her sex. No use. She could not find the locket's power. She could not fight back. As he slowly entered her, she knew that any attempt of defense was in vain. She kept her eyes closed; she did not want to see him, though she could not ignore the intrusion into her sex. He was not particularly big, it was not painful as he started fucking her in a slow, even rhythm. But even though he proceeded much less brutally than any of the men he had used to take her before, Laura felt a kind of disgust she had not experienced before -- comparable only to that moment, an eternity ago, when she had woken up and found herself under Martin, and thus learnt what he had been doing with her.

The trees moved gently, as if they were swaying in the wind, making her body meet Martin's in a mockery of a gentle game of love. Laura turned her face away from him, the only part of her body that she could move at her own will. Martin, however, did not try to kiss her anyway. His arms wrapped around her, one hand on her ass and another on her back, he thrust into her a little bit more forcefully now. Soon his breath got faster, he groaned and huffed, and did not even seem to notice the tears that were running down Laura's face. Laura was crying silently. The time something like this might have made her scream had long passed. Each time his body collided with hers, there was a slight smacking sound, its echo seemingly increasing in Laura's head as she could do nothing but hope that this new ordeal might be over soon.

This hope, at least, was not in vain: After only a few minutes Martin's body started shaking uncontrollably, his groans grew louder, blocking out all other sound, and he scrunched up his face in what seemed almost an expression of pain, as Laura felt the hot spurts of his load spilling into her.

***

Laura's entire body ached. The position, in which the trees were holding her now, was a much more comfortable one than during the first days; that was true. Also, Martin had started letting her walk around freely for a few minutes every day, so she could stretch her arms and legs. Still, Laura couldn't help but miss the cage in which she had been imprisoned for so many weeks. This here was something much worse.

She was completely exposed to wind and rain now (if the night was particularly cold, Martin brought some blankets or lit a fire near her; however, despite this, it seemed to Laura that she always either shivered from the cold or suffered under the burning heat of the summer sun). Worse than the weather was that she was now fully accessible to Martin, he did not seem to feel threatened by her anymore, and he took advantage of her helplessness regularly, often several times in a day. Laura trembled in disgust when she thought of his broad hands, kneading the tender flesh of her behind or her breasts. She had to fight back the urge to retch when she remembered the taste of his tongue in her mouth or the sounds of his pig-like groans when he came inside her.

Sometimes she could see Mr. Seger, as he was doing different jobs for Martin, maybe repairing the hut or carrying firewood; she could not always tell. And sometimes, for a moment, he seemed to look up, look towards her, and Laura believed to recognize a confused expression on his lined face -- but who could be sure at such a distance? Still, she started to call out his name every time she saw him, but to no avail. After a moment, the old teacher looked down again, continuing his work as if she was not there.

***

"It's me: Laura!"

Laura's voice easily betrayed the frustration she felt. Why would he not recognize her, why would he not wake up? The truth was that besides Martin, her former math teacher was about the last person in the world she wanted anything to do with. The thought of being close to him, of talking to him made her shudder in disgust -- but as it was, he was currently her only hope.

"You have to resist Martin! You have to take the locket away from him. The necklace he is wearing, you have to steal it!"

Mr. Seger looked up. His eyes seemed glazed over, distant. Laura was sure he was not fully under Martin's control anymore; there were small reactions when she called him, in some way she was getting through to him. But he was not fully free either. Looking up for a moment was not enough, he had to understand what was going on, and Laura did not know how to help him do that.

Suddenly the teacher took a step towards her. He hesitated, but he kept looking at Laura, his eyes clearer than they had been in almost a year. After what seemed like an eternity, he took another step, and another. The man's expression changed: The way he looked at her suddenly seemed hungry, greedy.

"Laura", he whispered.

It was not a question. He knew, he remembered. His eyes swept over her naked, helpless body, taking in what he saw. He looked at her like someone who just regained a long lost possession, assessing if everything was still in order. Slowly, the teacher moistened his lips with the tip of his tongue.

Relief and fear welled up at the same time inside Laura, neither emotion winning over the other for more than a few moments. Mr. Seger was awake, he was conscious! He remembered her. But revenge against Martin seemed to be the last thing on his mind just now. Maybe his mind was still stuck somewhere in the last year, maybe he did not even realize what had happened since.

Mr. Seger lifted one hand. He reached towards Laura slowly, carefully, until the tips of his fingers touched one of her breasts, then the other. He began drawing circles around her nipples, which automatically hardened under his touch. The teacher seemed completely engrossed in what he was doing; once again unable to take in anything else of his surroundings, though this time it was not the locket that left him enchanted. After a while his fingers started drawing a trail downwards, stroking along the soft skin of Laura's stomach, until they reached her sex. Laura had the impression he was checking whether she was still complete, or whether she was real.

Then, suddenly, Mr. Seger withdrew his hand, as if he had been burned, and he looked up. For a moment he stared right into Laura's face. Then his eyes wandered along her arms until his gaze reached the trees that were keeping her prisoner. His expression grew confused.

"What... What happened? Where are we? Why...?"

„Martin has the locket." Laura spoke quickly, stumbling over the words. She wanted to get it all out, before Mr. Seger became distracted again, or before Martin discovered that he had broken free. "We have to take it away from him. We have to destroy it."

Mr. Seger was still looking confused. His gaze wandered back to Laura's hand and feet. The trees grasp was as unrelenting as ever -- it was obvious that she was in no state to take anything away from anyone. The teacher remained quiet for a few moments, apparently pondering his options.

"Why should I?" he finally said, his voice surprisingly calm.

Laura could not suppress an exasperated sigh. This was driving her mad. Was she really the only being left with any hint of logic and moral?

"Do you want to stay under his control?"

"That's not what I meant," the teacher explained slowly, apparently searching for words carefully. He hadn't spoken in months, his voice sounded hoarse from disuse. "Why should I destroy the locket? Why should I help you? Why shouldn't I take back what is rightfully mine, take Martin's place? The locket obviously is even more powerful than I imagined -- and if someone like Martin can learn to control it, imagine what I can do with it! This world would never be the same again."

For a moment, Laura was speechless. This was worse than she had expected. What was there left to say? Should she try to argue? Try to appeal to whatever reason or sympathy might be left in Mr. Seger? Hadn't he just proven there was nothing human left in him to appeal to?

"I..." she hesitated. Then, taking a deep breath, she took a decision -- this was not about her own freedom or happiness. This was about the fate of the whole world. And whatever sacrifices she had to bring for this, it was worth it. "If you help me to destroy the locket then you can do with me whatever you want. I mean, not by force... not like before... I will give myself to you by my own choice."

Mr. Seger seemed to think this offer over for a moment, and Laura could tell she had struck a nerve. The teacher gazed at her, as if searching her eyes for a sign of honesty or lie. Laura returned his look as openly as she could. She did not like the offer she had made, of course not. But it didn't matter. What mattered was that Martin had to be stopped. Everything else she could address later. Finally Mr. Seger took another step toward Laura. He was standing so close to her now, that she could feel his breath on her face.

"Prove it," he whispered hoarsely, before his lips touched hers.

Instinctively, Laura wanted to move back, wanted to express her disgust and protest -- but she knew that this was her only chance. She opened her lips, trying to make them feel sensual and soft, let the teacher's tongue enter her mouth, and returned his kiss. She searched out his tongue with her own, and then withdrew it playfully, just to search it again the next moment. For a few moments, she allowed herself to be lost in the sensation of his lips pressed onto her own. She gave herself over to the warmth of his mouth, in the intimacy that only a kiss can create. During this short time, she was able to forget whom she was kissing -- and to her surprise another long forgotten face appeared in her memory: Daniel.

Laura could not know that Frank Seger also was thinking of someone else while he was kissing her. She did not know that his hands, while they seemingly tried to cover every inch of her body, imagined someone else's curves, the soft skin of another woman. Would it make any difference to her if she knew? Frank Seger was not planning on telling her. Laura was not her mother, but as things were, she was as close as he could ever get to the love of his life.

Laura felt the teacher's fingers reaching her sex, searching entrance. Without resistance, they slipped into her -- the thought of her ex-boyfriend, though she had not seen him in so many years, had aroused her. Though she felt like a traitor, she knew that this was the best way to convince Mr. Seger: As long as she kept thinking of Daniel, she could make the teacher think it was him she wanted. She just had to imagine that it was the tall, dark haired boy, who now withdrew his fingers and guided his manhood into her pussy instead. The girl pushed aside all feelings of guilt, along with the name Seger. Daniel, she thought, again and again. Daniel. The head of his cock slipped into her. Daniel. She pushed her hips forwards, as far as the trees allowed her, offering herself, wanting to feel him inside her. Daniel. Daniel.

Her eyes closed, Laura felt the cock sliding in and out of her. It was bigger than Martin's. That was good -- she vaguely remembered Daniel being quite well equipped. She had been surprised at his size during their shy explorations, though she had nothing to compare him too then. That had been during a time when she had still been almost as innocent as her parents would hope her to be. It seemed strange to her now, that there ever had been a time like that. Thinking of those days, she felt the warmth inside her increase, felt a desire that she always wanted to reserve for Daniel.

He -- don't think his name, Laura -- was taking his time, apparently relishing in the feeling of her pussy engulfing him, yet never entering her fully, never thrusting into her with the force she was waiting for. Without realizing it, she started rotating her hips, pushing towards him; trying to meet his movements. She needed more. He still did not start acting more forcefully, and Laura let out a low moan betraying both her frustration and her desire.

The sound of her own voice surprised her. It was hoarse and somehow reminded her of the sound an animal might make. Everything in her screamed for release, and all Laura could think of now was how to encourage him to really take her, to give her what she needed. The tension building up inside her had grown to an unbearable height, when finally, he answered her wishes. He picked up pace and force with such a suddenness, it almost knocked the breath out of her. It did not take more than a few, deep thrusts for her to be pushed over the edge, and it took all the remaining bit of Laura's concentration not to scream out the explosion of joy she felt at her release.

***

Laura saw Martin's approach already when he was still quite far off, and her heart started beating wildly. Mr. Seger had decided that he would hide near her, behind a few trees. There he would wait until Martin went to Laura, to enjoy her body while she was tied helplessly by the trees. This, they both hoped, would distract him enough not to realize something was amiss. As expected, Martin did indeed approach Laura this evening, as he did most other days. As always, the thin shorts he was wearing could only insufficiently conceal his arousal. He was clearly only focused on the girl suspended between the trees in front of him; his mind was devoid of any other thought. If Mr. Seger did not do any stupid mistakes, Martin would stand no chance, Laura hoped.

When the man she despised so much approached her, without saying a word, Laura could make out a motion between the trees, in the periphery of her field of vision. Mr. Seger was leaving his hiding place. They had to hurry, now. Their plan was for Mr. Seger to pull the locket off Martin's neck before he would have a chance to defend himself in any way -- they were not sure if Mr. Seger would be able to resist the locket's power anymore if it was focused directly on him. The second part of the plan was not something Laura had discussed too thoroughly with the old teacher: She hoped the trees might let go of her on their own, as soon as Martin was not in control of the locket anymore, so that she could help the teacher -- and make sure he stuck to their agreement. She suspected that the temptation of the locket's power would grow, as soon as Mr. Seger held it between his fingers. Still, if everything went alright, they would force Martin into the abandoned cage that was still standing on the clearing. It had become a bit rusty by now, but it was still strong enough. And then, once he was out of the way, they would try to figure out a way to get rid of the locket once and for all.

Only in the last fraction of a second, Laura recognized the big chunk of wood Mr. Seger was carrying. Then the heavy piece of wood blew down on Martin's head. Her wooden chains fell of at the very moment that her torturer sank down in front of her. As blood started spurting out of the back of his head, the trees dropped her down to the ground and then straightened up to their natural form. They stood tall into the sky, the trees. Their tops swayed innocently in the wind, as if nothing odd had ever happened to them. Martin, on the other hand, remained motionless on the ground.

It took Laura a moment to regain control of her arms and legs. She dropped down onto all four and crawled over to Martin's motionless body. When she was next to him, she got up onto her knees and took up one pudgy arm into her hands to feel his pulse.

"He is dead!" Her voice betrayed a mixture of relief and horror. "Why did you do that? We wouldn't have needed to kill him..."

She looked at Mr. Seger in accusation. Killing someone felt wrong, no matter, who it was. And she felt guilty, even if it hadn't been her who dealt the deadly blow -- shouldn't she have expected it, and prevented it somehow?