Page 26 of Surviving Hallow Hill
I drop my forehead to the floor and inhale sharp breath after breath. Styx’s hands pull away from my body, and I can hear the echoing beat of my own heart in my ears. It’s loud and obnoxious, and I will it to settle down.
“Rue, I need you to slip into her mind and distract her.” Styx’s words are followed by the unmistakable sound of electricity.
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
Chère, it will be okay.
Easy for you to say. You’re not the one on the floor about to get shocked.
You trust him, right?
Yes.
Do you trust me?
I suck in another breath.Of course.
Then don’t be mad at me for this.
What—?
An orgasm slams through my body, sudden and violent, and so, so good. My back arches, and I scream. The electricity is a faraway sound, and just as my orgasm crests into the highest sensation of pleasure, I feel the touch of lightning zap through my body.
Pain chases away the pleasure.
And all I know is darkness.
* * *
Blinding light has become a familiar enemy, as has the stench of steel and antiseptic. I’ve only been here for a few short hours, and yet I know I never want to smell these scents ever again.
My naked body is held down with straps, and I should be numb from sitting in this position for hours, but I feel everything. I feel the pain as it transcends into agony that forces screams from my lips. And my torturer laughs.
I can feel his presence, but the light prevents me from seeing him as little more than a silhouette as he looms over me. I swear I catch a flash of gold, but fear and anger mix together inside my soul.
I memorize bits of that silhouette.
I memorize every place his hands touch my body. Every place his scalpel presses against my skin. Everywhere he draws blood, I remember.
Just like I remember the vicious sound of his laughter as he enjoys cutting me open.
I remember, because I swear when I get out of here, I will make him suffer the same fate.
Dr. Fucking Hyde.
I’ve long since stopped calling for Sia because I know he won’t respond. He’s passed out on the table next to me. I feel him, even though I can’t twist my neck to see him. My whole body is numb to everything but the slices against my skin and the blood dripping down my body.
Then come the needles, the liquid pouring into my system. I bite my tongue until I taste blood, until I can’t hold the screams back anymore. They’re ripped out of me with all the violence he inflicts, and every agony-filled slice makes me forget that there’s a world beyond here. It’s like I know nothing other than this torture.
Pain and tears become my friends in this place.
“Interesting...” The voice of the doctor has become as intimate as my favorite song. “I wonder...”
The needle comes again, and this time, I feel like my whole body is on fire. It’s igniting, burning. I want to claw at my skin but my hands are restrained, and I can do nothing but thrash against the belts holding me down.
“Subject B presents a higher tolerance for pain than Subject A,” he says firmly, but I don’t think he’s talking to me at all. But then his footsteps sound, and I feel him right next to me.
Aftershocks of pain zap through my body until I’m shuddering.
