Deranged {#WATTYS2015}

VII. The Haunted Girl

There was a short intake of breath forecasting the explosion of emotions; I had managed to somehow, keep buried deep down inside since the day I was kidnapped.

Not any more though.

The haunting image of Kate's motionless corpse sprawled out across the forest floor with her skull cracked wide open was too devastating to be ignored, the tearing in my hearting too compelling to be contained. I expected myself to cry, maybe even cower in the corner like the weak little girl I knew I was, but this time I couldn't bear the thought of shedding any tears. I couldn't bring myself to grieve over someone, I didn't even want to believe was dead.

I remember Kate talking about how senior year was going to be the start of something new, a clean slate for us all.

But, she could have never been so wrong.

Time seem to slow to a crawl, as Marcus's voice sliced through the deafening silence. ''Do you want to know what I did with the body?'' Raising a hand toward my face, I immediately recoiled away, watching as his innocent look disappeared and replaced itself with a sardonic smile.

Hot tears blurred my vision, as I staggered back, wanting to put as much distance between us as possible. Grasping my face in his large hands, he forced me to look at him. ''She was cold and lifeless, even before I killed her. She screamed for you, Tori." His voice was a sing song. "Even after I told her that you would never come...she still screamed.'' His pulchritudinous green eyes had twisted into a dark and gloomy black, boring into my soul and unraveling all of my deepest and darkest secrets. ''Death is always portrayed as such a terrible thing - some kind of horror. But, that isn't true. It's beautiful, so fucking beautiful."

''I know that you probably think I'm some kind of sociopath,'' he chuckled, humorlessly. ''And, you're absolutely right.''

Staring into those green mosaics that were his eyes, he took my hand in his, guiding me into to the bathroom. I opened my mouth to protest, but no words came out. His touch was a mixture of both fire and ice. For a while, we just stood there staring at each other, not a single word spoken. Goosebumps rose on my skin, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on ends as Marcus unexpectedly gripped the hem of the shirt and lifted it over my head. Watching as the ripped material fell to the floor, a cold shiver shot down my spine. Even though I had a bra on, I still felt uncomfortably exposed and extremely violated by the way his eyes lingered on my upper part of my torso a little longer than necessary.

I somehow managed to maintain a straight face, when his hands reached for the button of my pants. ''Marcus... '' I whispered, daring to take a step closer. For the first time since I had arrived here, Marcus didn't seem to have his guard up, shielding his emotions from the world. But, he was a murderer, a murderer so cold like the icy wrath's of insanity-ridden chains.

I inched closer and closer, his breathless pants audible to only us. Brushing my lips against the shell of his ear, like he had done to me minutes earlier, I finally spat. ''Go screw yourself.''

That probably wasn't the smartest move I could have made, but at that point, I didn't care.

Arching an amused eyebrow, he flashed me a slanted smile. ''How about I bend you over the sink, and fuck you instead? You would like that, wouldn't you, Tori?'' His voice was filled with dark promise, but mostly anger.

Something was bothering him.

"You know what I think? I think that maybe you're a sadist, but instead of inflicting pain on others, you like it when they inflict pain on you. So, I'm guessing that would make you a submissive or like a masochist, right? I'm not sure, I never finished reading fifty shades of grey.''

"This is all a joke to you, isn't it?'' I questioned, in disbelief.

''That's probably why you stayed with Sawyer so long.'' He tilted his head in fascination. ''Did he fuck you hard? My guess would be no.''

"You disgust me.''

''Now I'd watch that pretty little mouth of yours, or I might just have to put it to use.'' Walking to the door, he stopped and turned to me with a sick grin. ''Oh and Tori, I wouldn't try anything if I were you.'' With that, he was gone.

Pressing my hands flat against the bathroom counter, I leaned forward toward the mirror. The girl in the mirror staring back at me was completely unrecognizable. I wondered who she was, and why she looked so awfully doleful.

Letting out a quiet sigh, I hesitantly stripped out of all my clothes. I adjusted the water to hot, before I stepped in. I closed my eyes and bit my bottom lip, trying to resist the strong urge to cry. Every single time I closed my eyes, I could see Kate's face.

It should have been me.

The first drop of scorching water hit my skin, and I sucked in a sharp breath. The warm droplets formed steam, as I stood there without moving at all, the voices banging in my head. My skin was burning from the mellow droplets morphing into sharp little blades of fire, but I didn't mind, because the pain never felt so good.

Once I was finished, I jumped out of the tub and dried off. Wrapping the towel tightly around my body, I didn't waste any time looking through the cabinets. There were all the essentials I needed to last me a couple months like, deodorant, feminine products, a tooth brush, and etcetera.

After I brushed my teeth, I quickly left the bathroom; surprised to see that someone had already laid out clothes for me. I doubted Marcus would be generous, enough. Shaking the thought away, I got dressed in a hurry.

How would I get out of here? And, even if I did find a way out, how would I help Blair escape?

My thoughts were interrupted when the door handle jigged, and my eyes connected with a part of familiar cobalt ones. Marcus told me that the other guy who helped kidnap me was his brother...Scott