Release Me

Part 29

"Members of the Sovereign Society, your presence here tonight honors our inaugural interactive art show. Allow me to introduce the mastermind behind this spectacle, the artist, Parker Chase," echoed an unseen voice, resonating around the room from an assumed speaker, its metallic timbre slicing through the anticipation-heavy silence. A murmur rippled through the crowd, followed by a polite round of applause.

"Thank you. It is my humble pleasure and privilege to present to you an evening of interactive art. A placard beside each exhibit will explain the purpose and the interactions. To help guide you, docents are placed strategically throughout the room. They can answer any questions, and will monitor all activity. As these beautiful displays are borrowed from their contract owner, please check-in with the exhibit coordinator. Now, to open the show, I would like to introduce one of my centerpiece exhibits... pain, flanked by pleasure."

Goosebumps erupted across my skin in rapid succession, spreading as uncontrollably as a wildfire, while my stomach churned with unease. Every part of my body, stretched beyond its limits for too long, sang a chorus of aches. There was no way to prepare for what was coming. I had to trust the Society to keep me safe.

"Pain comes in many forms. The physical pain bore by the implements which lay up on this table. The mental pain of uncomfortable anticipation, waiting in the darkness, unable to see what the world has in store for you. Then there is the emotional pain of betrayal and abandonment. Tonight, we will actively witness two of these, knowing the third is wrapped up in them. This exhibit is unique. For not only did it betray itself, but it abandoned the life we all embrace without ever looking back. Yet, it is wrapped in the finery of a house in power. A place they no longer belong. Here we witness the shredding of a life with potential loss of youth."

Every fiber of my being screamed for release, yearning to shatter the oppressive silence. Thoughts that had once been clear now felt like trying to swim through thick, sucking mud. I pulled against the cuffs and shifted on the cross. The peace I'd found in the silence of waiting evaporated until the edge of panic threatened to descend and plunge me into a sea of internal chaos.

The frigid kiss of a knife's point at the nape of my neck, where my spine made its delicate ascent, abruptly stilled my frantic movements.

"Smart choice," Parker said against the hood. "He sacrificed everything for you. Do not humiliate his house further." His words rained down on me like a cold bucket of ice. Muscle tensed and I went still. "This one doesn't want to be one of us. We hold none against their will. Strip her of the house protection she once sought for refuse."

Around my body, they pulled the fabric taut. Even the muffling effect of the hood couldn't dull the intrusive sound of sharp instruments tearing my robes into insignificant pieces. Through it all, the knife tip didn't move, and I was forced to endure it all without comment or adjustment. There was no way to know how many watched my humiliation, but when it was over, the cool air of the room left me with bare, teetering on the heels Dominick placed on my feet.

An unseen hand traced a chilling path down my body, only to vanish as if swallowed by the surrounding shadows. In its wake, the tip of the knife slithered, halting at the sensitive juncture between my ass cheeks before vanishing into the same void.

"I bet you're soaked," Parker said against the hood. I shook my head in denial, but a finger pushed into me, pumping several times before being wiped off against my ass. "You love it, don't you? This sets everything in your world right. Everything you wanted was here, and now you will know the physical manifestation of pain when you deny the bounty of someone sacrificing their entire world to give you."

"Welcome to the show. Indulge your vices, immerse yourselves in the exhibits," Parker's voice echoed throughout the space, resonating with a tone that unmistakable to the excited crowd. He pressed against the hood once more, his voice barely more than a whisper against my ear, "Good luck, Atlas."