Page 5 of Demons In My Head: Exposing the Exiled
Our howls echoed through the mountains as we cried out as a fucking pack. A band of misfits. Rejects. The sound of our determination to end Asrael reached the highest peaks, and the pain of Palmer's betrayal pierced the coldest of hearts. And as we harmonized, we let the entire gods damned realm know: The Exiled were back, and we were out for blood.
Chapter two
Palmer
As I slept, my mind raced with nightmares—ones that I thought I'd banished long ago.
His hands were everywhere. Cold. Demanding. Cruel.
I thrashed in my sleep, but my body wouldn't respond the way I wanted it to. The way it should. Scorpio's blood coursed through my veins like poison, dulling my senses, making me compliant. Making me his.
"Shh," his voice whispered in my ear. "Just let go, Palmer. Give in to me completely."
Even in my dreams, I fought. But fighting was useless when your mind wasn't your own anymore. When someone else pulled your strings like a twisted puppet master. The difference this time was that his influence was fueled purely by trauma.
My eyes snapped open, chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath. For a split second, I thought I was safe. That it had all been just another nightmare. But the silk sheets beneath me weren't mine. The expansive ceiling above me wasn't familiar. And the heavy weight of the ghost of Scorpio's control still pressed down on my consciousness like a steel trap.
"Fuck," I whispered, my voice hoarse.How long had I been screaming in my sleep?
The room I was in was decorated nicely; deep maroon on the walls and dark blankets set the scene for what could have been a cozy, intimate scene. But it didn’t matter how the room looked; kidnapping was kidnapping. I was furious with myself. I’d let my guard down. I should’ve known that he wasn’t over his obsession.
I had no idea how long I'd been asleep, but I desperately needed the bathroom, so I hopped out of bed and opened one of the closed doors. A closet. Damn.
I hustled to the other side of the room, hoping I'd get lucky. Finding the door unlocked, I audibly sighed when a large bathroom was revealed. As I relieved myself, I made sure that nothing felt... violated. It had happened before.
Assured that nothing was amiss, I washed my hands and noted no mirror on the wall. That was smart of him. He probably didn't want to give me any opportunity to use a weapon against him... and I would, the first chance I got.
The cabinets under the sink were also completely empty, and there were no bubbles for the large bathtub or soap for the shower. Hell, I didn't even see any towels.
Think. Think, Palmer.
I had to get out of here as soon as possible. I was lucky that Slade hadn't immediately drugged me with his blood. I still had my mind, and as long as I did, I'd have to make it count.
Not that I wanted to even see the bastards, but I believed they’d find me. They wouldn’t let me just disappear, especially not now that Slade had sent that picture to Rhodes. The one Exiled member who had already written me off would now be convinced that I was a rat. All that image would do was fuel his hatred and desire to see me dead. Of course, he would tell the others, show them the proof.
They’d come for me to kill me. My stomach twisted because my thoughts and emotions were so fucked up. Stupid. I’d been so stupid!
That they were the ones who had murdered my parents.
I backed up until I hit the closed door and felt myself sinking to the floor.
He knew I wanted to avenge my parents’ deaths. Why hadn't he told me that before the mission?
Because you would've killed them on sight, the small voice in my head whispered.
While that was probably true, I definitely wouldn't have fucked four of them, and I certainly wouldn't have gotten my feelings all twisted up in my head. Thinking that they weren't truly the monsters they portrayed themselves to be... that they did actually have hearts and did good things for their city.
That’s when I felt it, those tiny squirrely hands hugging my overloaded brain. I could sense his anxiety, which was definitely being fueled by my own.
“Hey, Snakey boy. I’m not sure where I am exactly, but right now I’m okay. Working on an escape.”
He pushed concern and questions through our connection, and I knew he wanted to come to me. But I couldn’t risk that. As much as having Snake at my side would’ve done wonders for me not feeling alone, it wasn’t worth his safety.
“No, stay where you are. I want you to stay close to Haunt for now.”
Another nudge hug came through, and I returned it. He was very loving, for a zombie squirrel. I closed the mental link and ran my fingers through my tangled hair. Everything was fucked. I was in this on my own. Nobody knew where I was... but shutting down, giving up, that wasn’t an option. I’d rather die than be Scorpio’s toy ever again. If I was going to get out of thisnightmare, I'd have to save myself. It wouldn't be the first time, and as history tends to repeat itself, it wouldn't be the last.
One thing was certain, though. The longer I sat here wallowing, the more time I lost while I still had my wits about me. With that terrifying thought, I jumped up and raced into the bedroom with renewed determination. There had to be something here that could be useful. Two windows were hidden behind floor-length blackout curtains, and I wasn't surprised to find them locked.From the outside. Even the windows themselves had been covered with some sort of blackout film. I could see out, but I was pretty sure nobody could see in.
