Page 182 of Sin Like the Devil

“You know what? The world won’t miss you, Professor.”

The guard repeatedly smashes the drill into the back of Craven’s skull. Each collision causes a stomach-lurching crunch, yet the guard doesn’t relent.

Thud.

Crunch.

Crack.

Blood pools around the professor’s head, peppered with chunks of broken bone. By the time the guard halts, panting for breath, not much remains of Craven’s skull but a semi-crushed shell.

He slumps, elbows braced on his knees. “Bastard.”

“Y-You,” I force the word past my constricted throat. “You killed h-him?”

Breathless, the guard shoots me a glance. “Sorry I couldn’t do it sooner. I’m working on someone else’s schedule.”

Still gaping at him, I feel like I’ve already fallen into insanity. I must still be mid-torture because there’s no way in hell this is really happening. I’ve hallucinated the whole thing.

“We don’t have a whole lot of time.” The guard lifts his cap to scratch at his short hair. “I can’t fucking think straight in this stupid wig.”

With each scratch, edges of dark hair lift, revealing a flash of lurid pink beneath. It is a wig. I watch in dismay as he taps a cleverly concealed, flesh-coloured earpiece slotted into his ear.

“Next time, someone else can pretend to be a man and help people get tortured to maintain cover. I do not get paid enough for this.”

This isn’t a guard at all.

She’s a mole.

“Hello?” She taps her ear again. “Come in, Theo.”

Seemingly getting no response, she curses. I watch the stranger stand up, tossing the drill aside with a look of disgust. She pulls a set of keys from her cargo trousers then heads towards me.

“Who are you?” I blurt.

“I work for Sabre Security.”

“You’re… one of them?”

“Unfortunately for me,” she replies sarcastically. “I get all the glamorous jobs.”

Squatting down, she works on unlatching the shackles holding me in bondage. The moment the metal slides open, I cry out. My wrists and arms have ballooned from all the abuse, so bloated and inflamed, I know an infection is brewing.

“My name’s Alyssa,” she speaks quickly. “And I’m really sorry, but I’m not here for you. My team is coming in fast, though.”

“I d-don’t understand.”

“Bancroft took one of our own. I’m here to extract him.” Alyssa pauses to locate the next lock. “We can offer you both protection, but you have to come with me now.”

“Come?”

“Ripley.” She frees my other wrist. “I know who you are. This is your chance to choose the right side.”

My arms slumping, I lay lifeless as she moves to unshackle Lennox. He’s unresponsive now. Alyssa cringes at the sight of his left hand, mangled and seeping blood.

“Sorry.” She grimaces. “I had a cover to maintain.”

“You h-hurt him!”

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