"Luke!" Faith screamed as she was scooped up off the ground. Familiar muscular arms held her as she thrashed.
Adrenaline kicked in, causing Luke to blindly lunge forward, grasping at the air. Yet another pair of hands grabbed him by his shoulders and threw him to the ground. He felt his wrists yanked behind his back and bound together.
Then, he was pulled to his feet and marched forward. His eyes worriedly searched the suffocating darkness for Faith. Luke had a feeling she was being propelled, probably towards their imminent doom, right along with him.
Goosebumps arose on Luke's bare arms as two bony fingers grazed his collarbone. He shrank away, only to be met by the henchman's solid figure behind him. He stumbled forward as the Surgeon laughed.
"Don't worry. We've arrived," she said, her voice grainy and shrill, like that of a witch in the movies.
A small clearing had appeared in the thicket of trees, however no sunlight spilled through. In the hostile glow of the moon, the Surgeon crept through the opening. What lay beyond it was nothing more than a simple farmhouse sat on a few acres of land.
Though the lighting was only a mere step up from total darkness, Luke shot a glance to his left and confirmed his suspicions. Faith was in the same situation as himself; being shoved towards the disarming house.
The building was two stories tall, covered in a charming white paint from window to window. A large awning loomed over the beautiful wraparound porch. Upon the dirt driveway leading up to it sat a dusty blue pickup truck, as though it hadn't been driven in years.
Upon closer inspection, Faith noticed several smudged trails of blood leading out the front door, contaminating the otherwise stainless veneer of the front steps, upon which they now stood. The Surgeon hurried in front of them, wiggling the door ajar and ushering the teens and her five men inside.
The interior of the house was just as inconspicuous as the exterior: a few sofas around a fire place. An old fashioned radio sat upon the mantle, which seemed to catch Luke's attention. The walls were decorated with a pale blue striped wall paper. A single wooden door adorned the thoroughly enclosed room.
The men sat Luke and Faith on opposite couches, Faith on the one to the left of the hearth, and Luke on the centre sofa. The Surgeon grinned, whipping out a small, elegant dagger. She spun it between her spindly fingers, eyeing the two teens before her.
"Well, well, well. Where do I begin?" The woman asked rhetorically, each word dripping with hatred. She approached Faith, bringing her shrivelled face level with the girl who writhed on the sofa. Luke grit his teeth, watching the unfolding events in horror. Protect her, Ashton had said. One heck of a job he was doing at that.
The Surgeon took a fistful of Faith's wild waves, yanking her head forward.
"I've always been envious of your hair. You wouldn't mind if I borrowed some, would you?" She laughed. With that, she pulled the locks taut and sliced a chunk clean off with a swipe of her knife. Faith whimpered as the crazed woman tossed her hair into the air like confetti. She clenched her jaw, refusing to give in to the Surgeon's wicked ways. The men lining the room remained emotionless, staring blankly into the space before them, guns in hand.
The Surgeon took a few dainty steps towards Luke, planting herself on his lap. He coughed as he inhaled her musty, blood-laced scent. She smiled, leaning her head against his shoulder in an intentional taunt. A sigh escaped her lips.
"To tell you the truth, Luke, I used to be a big fan of yours. In fact, I practically praised the ground you walked on. That is, until I saw the other side of you. You're not as innocent as everyone believes you are. You're a dirty, lying, cheater!" She howled.
Luke shook his head, utterly confused.
"I-I don't know what you're t-"
"Oh, give it up, Luke! I know what you did. I thought we were going to last forever! But then I saw you with her!" The woman shrieked, sounding genuinely hurt.
"You're deranged. I swear, I have no clue what you're talking about. I've never seen you before, until-"
"Stop it, Luke!" She cried, " I thought we had something. I know what you did. I know what you did!" The Surgeon took her blade and ran it along Luke's forearm, drawing blood. Luke winced, trying for all the world to remember what he had done to deserve this torture. Nothing came to mind.
A smile reappeared, playing on the Surgeon's lips. She rose from her perch atop Luke and swiftly cut his shirt open, letting the dank air settle on his skin.
"Now, we can finish what we began back at my place. First of all, let's not forget to thank Mr.Winston and his family for letting us use their lovely home." She turned to look out the window. Faith traced her glance. However, a man pulled the curtains closed before she could make out what the Surgeon was staring at.
The Surgeon's glassy eyes made their way up and down Luke, as if she was a butcher deciding which way to slice her meat. She stopped, realisation flashing against her features, bringing yet another grin to her face.
She backed away towards the fire place, as Luke released a heavy sigh.
"Wouldn't it be wonderful to be sung out of this life by your own voice?"
xxxxx
shiver me
