Psychopathy

Chapter 42- Life And Death

Isabel looked up at the red sky, wincing in pain occasionally. It had been a rough time for her, physically and mentally. She couldn't stand it anymore. She'd already given up once; how hard would it be to do again? Maybe she could find a way to take the chains around her chest and wrap them around her neck and squeeze? But then again, maybe that wouldn't work. She was dragged down to hell with her physical body, and only the lake's protection kept it from being destroyed so far. What would happen if she were to die? Would she be trapped down here forever?

Instead, she simply began to scream to the sky, asking for help from anyone that could hear her.

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Ciara lay on the table, just as she had done for what felt like an eternity. She was cramping, but not as much as she used to. She could thank her body wasting away for that. At this point, she could barely even take 100 steps before she dropped to the floor, too exhausted to continue. Ever since the Devil had lost something important to him, he'd been more depraved than ever. Ever since then, he wouldn't even feed her unless she pleasured him. The first time, she had refused. It was only when she became cold, lethargic, and had barely been able to move without getting dizzy that she gave in.

"Princess," the Devil called out in sing-song from just outside the room. Ciara lifted her head as he walked in the door, twirling that damn knife on his fingers. She still wished he would accidentally slice one of his fingers off. He'd taken three of hers; why shouldn't he lose one of his? But if he hadn't done so in the whole time she'd been there, then there wasn't a very good chance he'd do so now.

"Hello, James," she said, lowering her head back onto the table.

"Well, now, it's been a while since you've called me by my name. I'd like to hear you say it more often."

"Not a chance," she responded, and before she could react, he activated the shock collar. He and the Demon had still been tampering with it, and by now, the part that shocked her covered the whole front of her neck. It also was so powerful that it burned her skin every time he activated it.

"I thought that after all we've been through, you would have learned not to defy me. I'm disappointed," he said, walking over to her, holding that knife to her neck. "You will start calling me by my name. Unless you'd rather start calling me Master?"

"Not particularly," she answered, drawing a smirk from him. She didn't like calling him James. In her mind, using his name humanized him, and she didn't want to think of him as human. It was so much easier to think of him as some monster. Something inhuman. But while the demons that drove him weren't human, James ultimately was. Under the depravity, he was flesh and bone, just like everyone else.

"Then you understand."

"Yes."

"Let me hear you say it."

"I understand, James." He smiled at her, removing the knife from her neck. But she knew he wasn't done with it. He had more heinous things planned for it. Just as she predicted, he ran the knife all the way down her stomach and down her leg, resting it on her knee. It wasn't enough to break skin, but enough to make her shiver with fear. So far, he'd only used the knife on her inner thighs, but she wondered if he was ready to expand his palate.

"It's amazing how stubborn you are," he said as he drew figures on her legs with the knife. "After all this time, you still refuse to give me what I'm owed. I've done so much for you, and you insult me with your defiance."