Chalet from Hell

Story has multiple sensitive themes but not in graphic detail. Abuse, physical, sexual, drug abuse, suicide mentioned.

Chalet from Hell

Ambushed in a ski chalet, just minutes after an avalanche snowed them in together. This was not what Rose had had in mind, when she jet off for this once in a lifetime opportunity; to work in a ski resort for the season. She had absolutely no idea that her Ex; desperate in his bid to get her back; had found out the details from her back stabbing best friend and booked to stay in the exact chalet. This was a nightmare beyond imagination, she had never wanted to set eyes on him again, let alone be trapped with him, with no means of escape. It was obvious who had told him as she hadn’t spoken to anyone else about it, apart from her parents and they knew what she had been through. `Some friend, I wouldn’t have done this to my worst enemy’ Rose thought, seething.  Her Ex was abusive and controlling, but to her so called friend he seemed charming, all sweetness and light. He was good at switching between both sides of his twisted personality at the flip of a switch. Rose had wasted close to ten years of her life on him already and had no intention of losing any more precious time on him. She wouldn’t get sucked back in again, not this time.

She had been settling her stuff in, preparing for the guest’s imminent arrival, when she’d heard the door open and shut. As she set off down the stairs to check if the guests had arrived early, the almighty roar of the avalanche came from nowhere. Scared and alone, or so she thought! She ran to a nearby window to see the mounds of snow come down thick and fast. Every door, each window she reached was completely blocked off and at this point, she was still oblivious, to who was in the chalet with her. Panicking as she realized there was no way out.  She ran to the chalet phone to speak to her bosses and ask what the protocol was in this situation, only to find the phone line completely dead.  Then, at that very second, when she thought the situation couldn’t get any worse she heard the voice behind her. The voice she’d prayed she would never hear again `Hi Rose’. Turning tentatively around, hoping she was mistaken.  There he was.  Danny.  Stood proud as a peacock with a sly grin on his face, clearly from his perspective things couldn’t have gone more perfectly. He had her stuck with him.  She couldn’t get away and hide from him this time by moving away with her parents.

When the call had come through saying they wanted her to be Chalet Host for an entire season, she had been excited beyond belief. First person she had phoned was Jess to fill her in on all the details, they’d been friends for as long as she could remember and she thought she could trust her. At this moment in time, she so wished she hadn’t told her anything! She knew deep down their friendship should have ended when she hadn’t believed her about Danny. For someone who grew up so close to her, whose side was she actually on, `clearly not mine’ she thought to herself. 

Fear crept over her face, no matter how much she tried to hide it from him.  He knew he had the upper hand. Every step he took towards her, she edged back away from him, her legs were like jelly; her heart was in her mouth.  She couldn’t think what to do. She knew yelling for help was pointless and so was running away, as she knew she wouldn’t get far and that he could overpower her. 

`Why are you here Danny?’ She questioned.

`I want you back Rose, I’ve changed.’ He implored.

How many times had she heard that before!  She’d stupidly given him the benefit of the doubt a few years back, thinking everyone deserved a second chance, boy how wrong had she been! She’d lost count of the amount of times he’d had her pinned against a wall, clasping her neck, threatening to snap it in half. First time she’d seen this side to him was within a few months of the start of their relationship, when she had just started University and told him they were over and that she was leaving him. He locked her in her room with him, took the phone and said you’re not getting out of here until you change your mind!  She should have stuck to her guns then, but she was scared and he had blackmailed her with killing himself. She couldn’t have a death on her conscience so she backed down. As time went by he had become worse, drinking till he passed out, gambling any money he could get his hands on and started smoking drugs weekly. He had even spiked her drink and food a few times.  He found it hilarious when she woke up thinking she was dying and he admitted what he had done. Even continuing laughing as she crawled to the toilet and put her fingers down her throat to make herself sick, multiple times, until her heart slowed down and she felt better. He forced her to get cash out for his habits, even though she had no money just overdrafts and maxed out credit cards. He had chased her down the street when she had dared refuse to get him the money and she ran screaming, crying whilst trying to ring her parents to save her. She’d eventually got away from him with her parents help and worked two jobs for several years, some eighty hour weeks to get out of the six figure mountain of debt he’d worked up.

`I’m sorry Danny I don’t believe you’ she nervously replied.

`Give me a chance and I’ll prove it to you.’ Danny answered through gritted teeth, clearly annoyed he wasn’t getting what he came all this way for.

She tried to think what to say to him.  She knew if she said anything more, the slightest thing to get his back up, then the switch would flip and his demeanor would change in an instant. She decided to bide her time till help came by playing along with his request; whilst praying the rescuers wouldn’t be too long. She stopped backing away and let him approach her. He ran his fingers through her hair, it made her skin crawl.

`I’ve missed this’ he whispered in her ear. She found herself frozen to the spot.

She tried to stop herself shaking; the lump in her throat prevented her from saying anything.

She wanted to turn and run, but she couldn’t. In her mind she repeated `please, please, please, anyone, someone….’ He kissed the nape of her neck, ran his hand up her leg under her skirt. She felt sick. Minutes felt like hours. She found herself struggling to breathe.

Suddenly, she could hear more commotion outside engines from what she guessed were snow ploughs. The idea of someone coming to her rescue gave her enough hope to unfreeze.  She thought `it’s now or never’ as she gathered all the strength she could muster and kneed him as hard as she could.  As she turned to run, he grabbed the back of her hair she screamed.  Lifting her leg up, she kicked back hitting him full force in his knee cap and ran for the stairs.  He chased behind her, grabbing at her heels. She fell smack on her front, winded by the fall he flipped her over and forced her arms above her head pinning her with his weight. `No’ she screamed `get off me. Please’ she begged.

Neither had noticed the engines turn off. The door flung open. A stranger in white snow gear stood at the front door, `what is going on here?’ Clumping over in snow boots leaving snowy footprints across the floor, he lifted Danny off her and reached out his hand to Rose saying `are you ok Miss?’ Danny the cowardly weasel turned and ran for the door. Rose was so shaken, she barely had chance to thank this Knight in Shining Snow Gear as he went after Danny; who Rose luckily, never saw again.