The Compass and the Quill [Under Revision]

18.

I dug my heels into the ground. This couldn't be happening. Not again. Why had he brought me here? What sick satisfaction did he get from hurting me?

The men pushed me forward, and I stumbled forward and fell, landing at John Michigan's feet. I stayed there, unmoving, refusing to look into his eyes. I knew what expression he would have in them. "Leave us," he ordered the men. "Lock the door behind you. Don't let anybody come in until I say so. And if she - " he kicked me - "comes out without me, kill her."

The men left the room, and I heard the door shut and the click of the lock. I was trapped with this monster now, and any other day, I would have fought him with all I had. But my vision was still swimming, and all my strength I had already spent in fighting Michigan's minions. I felt myself getting pulled by my hair so I was on my feet, and then with another tug, I was forced to look into that bastard's gleaming, evil eyes. "I had told you to run," he hissed, a menacing smile on his face. "You didn't run fast enough."

"Let me go," I growled weakly, trying to free my hair.

"A predator never lets go of his prey." His hand wrapped around my neck and squeezed, choking me. "He squeezes and squeezes the more his prey struggles." My eyes watered and I clawed at his hands, trying to get him to loosen my hold, but to no avail. "I'm the kind that feasts on his prey while it still lives." My lungs burned for want of air as I thrashed against him, fear for what was to come waking my struggles wilder. But all it served to do was anger him, and he slapped me hard before throwing me towards the bed. I collided with the bedpost so hard it shook the whole structure, and a scream of pain left me.

"It's too bad the boy of yours doesn't know of your brave sacrifice," he hissed, invading my personal space. "He doesn't know that you're going to pay for the both of you."

He produced a knife and ran it against my throat, drawing a thin trickle of blood. I stopped breathing out of fear that the movement would deepen the cut. But he was far from done. At my collarbone, he dug the tip of the knife into my flesh, drawing out another scream from me. My pain amused him, fulfilled him; smiling cruelly, he dragged the knife south, the blade cutting deeper and deeper into my chest. When he reached my ribcage, he turned the knife, skirting the area and continuing down my breastbone. My own blood flowed warm and scarlet down my abdomen, further frightening me.

"My, my, your clothes are soiled," he whispered. "Now, that won't do." grabbing my dress at the neckline, he made a nick at the edge with his knife and then tore the dress down the front. "Don't worry," he crooned as I started crying. "I'll get you another dress just like it."

I started to shut down, readying myself for the nightmare that was about to start. So that was why I was here. I had asked him to take me instead of Parker, and he had accepted the offer.

The knife tip again entered my skin, this time under my armpit. With surgical precision, the sadist began to slice through the skin and muscle, making a long gash along the length of my side. "It's like cutting through butter," he said appreciatively over the sound of my agony. "No...even butter doesn't feel this good."

This man is sick, I thought. He is absolutely sick. He takes pleasure in my pain - and every time I meet him, it only gets worse. I gasped and choked as the knife finally left my flesh and stayed away. I couldn't move - my left side was cut open and every movement of my chest sent boiling pain through my body. He had chosen the spots smartly, making sure that my dominant side was impaired and that every breath reminded me of the agony and who was responsible for it. Blood streamed freely down my body, pooling on the floor and soaking my dress. I couldn't stay conscious for very long. That was okay - I hoped against hope that he would forget his limits and end up killing me. Fine mess that would be for him to clean up. And of there was life after death...well, it will be my turn to have fun.