I pried open my eyes and stared in terror at the boy before me. My hands were cuffed behind my back and my body ached in every joint. I sniffled and choked at the pungent odor. In vague consciousness, I watched Jeff stride towards me, his hands tugged into his pockets. A crooked grin which stretched from ear to ear crawled across his pallid face. Tears prickled the corners of my eyes as I waited for my doom. I wondered if this was just another terrible nightmare I had due to anxiety disorder, but the essence of pain convinced me otherwise. Everything was real. So damn real. It was hard to accept the truth. He, whom I loved, had slaughtered my precious family. He murdered them one by one, right in front of my eyes. Ripped clothes. Distorted limbs. Engraved corpses. Splattered blood. They were all lying everywhere, all surrounding me.
I arched my back and struggled to break free. Of course, my attempt was futile. I was stuck. There was simply no way out. I wriggled only to feel blood gushing out from the wounds around my wrists. He gawked at me, rather amazed by my persistence. He didn't budge though. He just stood there, ogling me with a devious smile. His shirt was soaked in blood. My parents' blood. The thought of losing them plunged me further into rage and despair. I squealed at the top of my lungs. Perhaps I, myself, was going insane too. This agony was too excruciating to bear. Taken aback by my sudden frantic screech, Jeff backed away a little, still retaining his loathsome smile though.
"Jane, if you scream like that, you're going to lose your voice." He smirked.
I ignored him. I could feel my lunacy closing in. I hated him so much. I hated him to death. The mere sight of him disgusted me to a point that I wished I could just scratch him and tear that skin off his disfigured, hideous face. Such idea indeed remained impossible. I was the hostage being captured here. I couldn't imagine what he had in store for me.
"W-Why...Why are you doing this to me?" I wailed, kicking my legs weakly.
"This is a good question." Jeff strutted towards me and squatted down so that we were facing each other. He reached out his hands to caress my face. I shook him off with disdain. No, I didn't want him to touch me or even lay a finger on one single strand of my hair.
"Jane, if I were you, I wouldn't resist so much." He sighed. I flinched as he leaned closer. Gosh, his intimidating look scared the hell out of me. It was simply awful and unendurable. I couldn't help but glare at his pasty, leathery face. It was unsightly and nauseating. He had carved himself a permanent smile and burned his lids off, turning his eyes into two ghastly holes. His sparkling dark orbs seemed to be sucking my soul and penetrating every thought of mine. I supposed he already knew what I was thinking. He must have sensed my fear.
"You know what, I always thought you were different." He said calmly, stroking my hair. "But I guess I'm wrong."
"What do you mean?" I whimpered and cringed as he ran his fingers over my cheeks.
"And I thought you loved me, but you're just like them." He mumbled. "You're looking at me the same way they do. You think I'm a monster, don't you? Do I look like an alien to you?"
"Huh?" I frowned, suddenly realizing what he was getting at. I shook my head in denial. "No...it's not like that...Jeff..."
"Your eyes betray your heart. You've never looked at me like this before, Jane. And I thought you would always stand by my side. I guess it's either me thinking too much or you're just the same as one of those assholes."
"Jeff, please, let me go..." I pleaded, sobbing.
"Beg and pray. That might help." Jeff chuckled. "You're still cute and all. I suppose someone like me is now no match for you. It's perfectly alright for you to hate my face. Even sometimes, I find myself hating it when I look into the mirror."
"Jeff, I didn't mean to...I was...Well...I..." I rambled, apparently freaking out.
"Sh..." He shushed me before I could continue. He wrapped his arms around me and rested his head against my chest. "Jane, I can hear your heart beat. How wonderful it will be if I dig it out and crumple it."
"No...Jeff, don't do that...I'm sorry."
"It hurt a lot, you know, when you decided to tag along with others and run from me. I thought you would always be the one to stay behind but geez, am I wrong. So wrong. I misjudged you. You're actually no better than any one of them, anyone who deserves death."
"Please...Jeff, don't kill me."
"I won't." He sniggered and planted a swift kiss on my forehead. "I would save the best for you, sweetheart."
He pulled away from me and started walking away.
"No, Jeff, don't go. Get me out of here, please." I whinced.
"I'll be back in a minute, Jane." He slammed the door behind him with a sinister laugh.
Minutes passed and he never returned. I had no idea what was happening outside. I couldn't hear a single noise. I wondered if he was going to just leave me like this. It could be one of his tricks or perhaps he was planning on something else right now. Something more wicked. I hoped I could survive until the very end of his sadistic game. Even if I were to be killed, I hoped someone would arrest him and send him to jail. An asylum would be nice. He was sick in the head. So sick. He was never like this in the past though. I still couldn't fathom why he had changed so much. Why did he have to kill my parents? Why did he have to torture me? And I thought we were lovers...
Millions of questions swarmed in my head. No matter how hard I tried to think, I could never seek the right answers. Slowly, I leaned back against the wall and let this madness subsume me. Before I realized it, I dozed off again.
