Page 22 of The House of Whispers

“You can get in the tub,” he stepped closer, “or I will use my power and force you to do so. The choice is yours.”

“Not much of a choice, Jakkal.” A soft chuckle floated from his mask. I didn’t want to bathe, but I knew he would use his power to force me. If not his power, he would use the fairy dust he created… something I really didn’t want him to do.

Just play his game. Play it long enough to get him to leave.

I sighed deeply, before nodding in defeat. “Will you at least show me the courtesy of looking away while I undress?”

Jakkal bowed his head, turning to face away, his body blocking the doorway. I turned the opposite direction, watching the copper tub continue to fill. I unbuttoned my tight leather pants, quickly throwing them aside with my undergarments. Though my bloodied blouse was ruined, I unbuttoned the remaining buttons and tossed it onto the pile of clothes across the room. The night air was cold, causing my body to shiver.

“Step into the tub.” His voice startled me as I turned to find Jakkal standing directly behind me, still facing away. Wary of how close he was, my hand reached behind me, fumbling at the side of the tub as my eyes remained on him. “The water will warm you.” As he finished speaking, the faucet halted. I turned to see the copper tub filled, steaming.

Hesitant, I climbed over the tub and lowered myself into the soothing hot water. I moaned as the warmth touched my skin, sinking further into the water. It burned my wounds, a pain I welcomed. I glanced at Jakkal, who remained turned away, before completely submerging my face.

Heat soaked into my pores as my wounds screamed in agony; I sank deeper into the water, letting it wash over and lull me away from the painful reality I was living. My body felt like it was falling, sinking further into the sea as darkness overcame me. My mind began to race, replaying everything that had transpired over the past weeks. It flooded my brain. My head throbbed at the countless thoughts and raised voices playing in my head. Flashes of memories and snippets jolted my body as I sank further into the water. My hands clawed at my face as I felt my subconsciousness begin to split. My eyes shot open, burning as I gasped, inhaling the hot water, choking on the lack of oxygen. It was as though I had fallen into the darkest depths of my nightmares—I was drowning in despair.

It felt as though something was pulling me down, forcing me into the endless blackness. I frantically tried to scream through the water, but a dark force dragged me down as I struggled. I couldn’t break free. The voices in my head increased to a scream, the flashes speeding by as I clawed through the dark water trying to find the surface. My eyes caught a faint orange glow that broke through the rippled surface far in the distance. Desperate to escape, I pushed harder, swimming toward the glowing light.

Please, I don’t want to die.

At the sound of my thoughtful cry, a bolt of fire broke through the surface and burned through the water and into my soul. Every nerve in my body ruptured in torment as I screamed, bursting from the water. I coughed, gagging as two arms pulled me up, holding me tight, keeping me from falling under. I was back in the tub in my washroom. Back with Jakkal.

“Breathe, Casper.” His hold on me was firm yet considerate as I gasped in pain, trying to breathe. “Calm your heart.” His hand pressed against the old brand that was burned across my heart.

“What happened?” I coughed, water still dripping from my mouth as one hand clung to the side of the tub, the other onto Jakkal’s arm.

“Your injuries go deeper than your skin.” He leaned close to my ear. “You're breaking, little ghost. Your mind is unraveling. You need to give yourself a release.” His hot breath caused my heart to race faster.

“I suppose you have an idea as to how to accomplish such a release.” I coughed up the remaining droplets of water from my lungs. I moved my hand from him, gripping both sides of the tub.

“I do.”

Before I could blink, he covered my eyes with one hand as the other forcefully yanked my head back forward. My mouth widened with a gasp as I felt his mouth touch mine, the fox mask either absent or moved. His hand traveled from my chin to my neck, gripping it with a sensual touch, allowing me enough room to breathe as he constricted my air. His tongue thrust deep into my mouth, twisting along mine as I inhaled him.

For a moment, I tried to fight Jakkal off. Every fiber of my being wanted him off me. But something lurked deep inside my core, starving. My fingers curled along the edge of the tub as I fought those foreign, dark desires.

“Stop resisting, Casper.” He growled his words into my mouth as I continued to breathe him in. “Let me offer you a release from this world.” His words broke me. I couldn’t contain myself. My back arched as I pushed into his mouth, hungry for more. He continued to kiss me, harder and faster, our tongues dancing together. Something carnal began to take over and possess me as I gave into him, wanting more.

A faint moan escaped my lips as Jakkal pulled from me, allowing me a brief respite. “Only death’s kiss could taste so sweet.” His lips returned to mine, moving fiercely in a way that set my body on fire. As my tongue slid along his, something fell from his mouth into mine. My brain instantly registered what it was from memory. It was a pill—White Rabbit.

All the pleasure I experienced had darkened into rage.

Jakkal slid his hand from my eyes to my nose as he pinned me down. I tried to wriggle free, fighting him as I gasped for air, my tongue struggling to keep the drug from falling down my throat. “Trust me, Casper. Youneedthis.” At that moment, Jakkal reminded me of Dr. Reynard. “Your mind must be set free.” He spoke through clenched teeth as he forcefully held me down. Panic rose as my lungs began to ache. I needed to breathe, but I didn’t want to swallow the pill—I couldn’t.

We tussled in the tub, water splashing everywhere as I kicked and tried to break free of his grasp. My hands clawed the copper sides of the tub, searching for anything to take hold of. I could feel my consciousness slipping as I continued to hold my breath as my tongue fought to push the pill out of my mouth. Jakkal moved his other hand to my mouth squeezing tight as I slumped into the water. Absolute horror washed over me as I wriggled in the water. My legs forced myself back to the surface only to have Jakkal push me back under, forcing me to swallow the pill.

My throat burned as the small white pill traveled down my esophagus into the pit of my stomach. As if knowing he succeeded, Jakkal instantly released me. I shot from the bottom of the tub, gasping for air, infuriated with what he’d done to me. My head whipped around, my hair flinging water in every direction as I rubbed my eyes and searched for him. Jakkal was gone.

Anger took the lead as I slammed my fists into the water, creating waves around me as I screamed in frustration. I had worked so hard to stay away from the drugs, to stay clean. And in a moment of weakness, Jakkal took that from me. My fists slammed into my face with rage.

Weak. Weak. Weak!

As I continued to beat myself, the drug began to take hold. My head began to spin as the color orange swirled around me, filling the washroom. The world rotated in a circular motion as the sound of the night increased in my ears. Everything sped up and grew louder as I grasped the tub to remain still.

“Stop it. Stop it!” My screams were mute compared to the chaos around me. “Jakkal! What have you done?!” As if hearing his name summoned him, the world halted, instantly silencing as he appeared next to me. The fox mask appeared more eerie than ever before, tilted as he looked at me, his eyes glowing through the slits of the mask. One blue, one amber.

“You.”

Instantly everything resumed, moving faster and louder than before as the room spun and life screamed in my ears. I covered my ears and burrowed my head into my knees beneath the water desperate to make it stop. The bath water bubbled as I screamed into darkness.

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