“You don’t need them, you're mine now.” He laughs and starts dragging her down towards the river. ‘I don’t need him, I don’t need either of them,’ she chants in her mind and tries not to think of what will come.
Jim flips her around and points the rifle at her and orders, “Take off your dress.”
“In your dreams, you bloated pig.” Summer snarls.
Jim jerks in shock and slaps her across the face, knocking her to the ground, he was expecting terror not this defiance. “Guess I will have to give you something to think about.”
Summer screams when he takes hold of a hand full of her hair drags her up against his swollen body. He grinds his mouth down on top of hers, and the taste of her blood turns him on. Summer waits, wilting against him and tries not to gag when he shoves his tongue in her mouth and grabs her breast roughly.
The rifle is tossed to the ground as he grows more excited. Summer fights back, she sinks her teeth into his tongue, and he screams, throwing her to the ground again. She falls and curls into a ball, tucking a stick into her sleeve, while he kicks her in the side. Summer screams and tries to protect her head as he kicks her over and over again.
“Bitch! Now I’m going to make it hurt.” Jim unzips his trousers and Summer looks up and laughs.
“With that? I've seen bigger cocks on dead men!” Shock and humiliation flicker across his ruddy face and he screams at her once more.
“I’ll kill you!” He lunges, but she is ready. She shoves the sharp stick straight up into his fleshy throat, and it sinks deep. Jim's scream is cut short as the stick pierces his trachea. He coughs and stares down at her in horror, fingering the stick.
She climbs to her feet as he tries to scream. Hatred fills his eyes, and he reaches for her only to jerk in shock as the bullet enters the back of his head. The exit of the bullet sprays bloody debris all over Summer.
Victor runs from the trees behind Jim and finds her wiping her face off and staring at him. “You came back?” She managed in a hoarse voice.
“Of course. Sorry about the mess.” Victor runs his hands all over her and searches for injuries. “Are you hurt?” A single tear streaks a path down her bloody cheek as she shakes her head no.
“Where is Jonah?” She asks in a husky voice.
“I imagine he will not wait much longer. He’s in the carriage. Let's get you cleaned up before the shock sets it.” He pulls her towards the river, and she stops him and pulls her arm free of his grasp.
“But… I need to change my clothes, and we need to cover the body before Jonah gets back.”
Summer unhooks her long day skirt revealing her petticoat and stockings beneath and walks over to cover the corpse.
“What are you doing?” Confusion fills his mind because she is clearly not thinking straight. “Summer, don’t…”
“I know how to wrap a body, Victor. I’ve had heaps of practice on the ship.” She bends down and struggles with the large body, “It will only cover the top half of him, he was a big man.”
“Apparently not as big as he thought,” Victor says with a short laugh.
Summer flinches then begins to laugh, her laughter turns to sobs, and she runs into his waiting arms.
“I refuse to need you, Victor!” She buries her face against his chest and sobs.
“I know, but I need you, and for now it is enough.” He holds her for a moment and sets her back on her feet, then helps her cover the body and pulls it beyond some bushes before Jonah returns. Gently he washes her face off and encourages her to bathe in the lake, while he goes to retrieve the carriage.
Summer pulls the rest of her dress and underclothes off. The blood soaked through and she can't stand to have it against her skin for one more second. She plunges into the frigid water and swims. Soon Victor and Jonah are back. He speaks to Jonah and has him waiting in the carriage while she bathes, and he digs for a change of clothes and soap. Summer swims to the rock where her soap and a cloth waits. His back is to her as he builds a small fire by the bank.
“Thank you, Victor, for taking care of me. How is Jonah?” She asks as she stands and begins to scrub her body and hair with the soap. It smells of lavender and feels like heaven. She scrubs twice and winces at the pain in her ribs.
Victor turns and stands transfixed by the sight of her in the water. The sun glints off her bare shoulders, and he is reminded for a moment of a mermaid. “He is having a snack and worried about you. You should get out before you catch a cold.” Her swollen lips are quivering and blue, the temperature is warming up, but the sun does not reach this area completely.
“I’m finished…” she says and smiles at him.
“Oh… I’ll leave you to it.” Victor retreats to the safety of the carriage. Summer smiles as she climbs from the lake and dries off as fast as she can. She is left with only a dress and her boots. No stocking, under clothes or petticoats. Every inch of her body hurts, her scalp aches, her breast is bruised from the hands of that monster, and her lips are swollen. Summer puts on her shirt and skirt, before walking barefoot to the carriage. Her hair is wrapped
