Venom

8

Feet padded around the house as Ezra explored. It was the middle of the day and she had grown bored. Ryder had disappeared and given her no chores. With nothing to do, she found herself wandering the mansion.

Her feet took her towards the kitchen, the one area she knew. She walked towards the dining room where she saw sliding glass doors. Peaking outside, Ezras eyes landed on a large pool.

Leaving the kitchen, Ezra wandered through the long halls. Every so often she would peak her head into a door to see what was hidden behind it. Most of the time it was a spare bedroom or a closet.

Eventually, Ezras feet took her downstairs. To her right was the room Ryder had locked her in. To the left was the shooting range as well as the gym. Down the hall were doors Ezra had yet to discover. Powered by curiosity, Ezra walked forward.

At the end of the hall stood a door. Down the hall were more doors that were all locked. Minnow assumed they held gang related items behind them.

Disregarding the locked doors, Ezra headed to the door at the end of the hall. As she got closer she heard voices. A man's pained scream froze Ezra in her tracks.

"I don't know!" The same man screamed.

"You're lying," Ryders voice sounded.

Ezra debated walking back upstairs. She wondered what would happen if she was caught snooping. Though she was more curious about what was behind the door.

Standing across from the door, Ezra placed her hand over the door knob. Gripping the metal, she pulled it open. With the door now open, Ezra could hear more clearly.

Looking through the small crack she had created, Ezra saw a row of jail cells. One of the cells was open, diagonal from the door. Ezra pushed open the door a few more inches to get a better look.

Standing in front of the cell was Ryder. Inside of the cell was Jax and Eric who was chained to a metal chair. His face was beaten blue. He was missing a few teeth and his eyes were nearly swollen closed.

"Who are you working for? Where did the shipments go?" Ryder asked, his voice deep and angry.

"I told you," Eric panted. "I don't know."

Ryder shook his head and nodded to Jax. The man grabbed the pliers that lay next to him and gripped onto Eric's fingernail. In one swift movement he ripped it out.

Eric's scream made Ezras stomach churn. Looking at the mans hand, she saw all of his fingertips were bloodied without nails.

"I know you're working with whatever gang is trying to take us down. Tell me who they are!" Ryder growled while throwing a punch at Eric's jaw.

"I told you, I don't know anything," Eric spat.

"Fine," Ryder sighed while motioning to Jax to leave. "I guess you don't care about your own worthless life."

Jax left the cell, moving to one further away. It was out of Ezras eyesight, but she saw him walk back with someone else. Their hands were bound behind their back and a bag covered their face.

Jax pushed them to the ground next to Eric's chair. Eric stared at the person confused. Ryder smirked as he reached out to grab the fabric covering the person.

"Maybe you'll care about your daughters life," Ryder said as he ripped the bag off the girls head.

Beneath the fabric was a young girls crying face. Her eyes were puffy and her hair was tangled. A cloth was shoved into her mouth, not allowing her to speak. Seeing her bloody father, the girl screamed and began to cry again.