Just Us || Isaac Lahey x Reader

Chapter 22

I arrived at the underground train area feeling just a bit nervous. It was late, Lydia's party no doubt already in full swing by now.

"Good, you're just in time," Derek said when he noticed my arrival. "I'm going to be chaining them up in a minute."

I nodded and walked up to Isaac, greeting him with a hug and quick kiss before waiting with him while Derek got the chains ready.

"You nervous?" I asked him.

Isaac shrugged. "It can't be as bad as last month. And you're here, so I feel pretty safe."

I smiled at the fact that Isaac trusted me as well and grabbed his hand, squeezing it lightly. He squeezed it back, a small smile on his face.

Derek gestured for us to follow him and we all went on the train. I tried not to feel uneasy at the faded paint, rusty metal bars, and the few bright lights inside, glaring harshly at everything around them.

Derek moved Boyd in between two bars, getting the chains out of the box to wrap around him. Boyd looked sick, like he was about to vomit.

"What if we break free?" he asked.

Derek didn't look up from where he started chaining Boyd to the pole. "Then you'll do anything to get out of here. You'll try to kill me, Y/n, each other, and anything else with a heartbeat."

I mentally sighed. Good comforting skills, Derek.

Derek, finished with Boyd, turned to Isaac. "I need you to hold her."

Isaac nodded and went behind Erica, holding her arms by her side as Derek held up the horrific metal item from earlier.

"Why does she get the headband?" Isaac asked.

Derek stared at Isaac. "Because she'll be able to withstand more pain than you two. I've got another one in the box if you really want it."

Isaac grimaced. "You know, I think I'll pass."

Derek chuckled before going serious, focusing on Erica. "You ready?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

Derek gently placed the headband over Erica's head, the girl staring at it with undisguised fear in her eyes. Isaac stared at it behind her, and I saw him subtly tighten his grip on her. Derek gave her one last moment of peace before he began screwing.

At first nothing happened, the screw just getting rid of the space, before it started grounding against Erica's skin, breaking flesh the way one would clay. She let out a gasp of pain, but as Derek continued screwing the gasp turning into a scream, her eyes shut tight as she trembled.

I balked at her pain, feeling useless, before I murmured a spell under my breath that slightly numbed the pain. Erica's eyes flashed to me, gratitude in them, before Derek started on the next screw. There was a trail of crimson blood dripping down her head, following the slope of her nose before it fell to the floor, one drop at a time.

This continued on until Derek had finished the last screw. The top half of her face was painted with streaks of blood, and she was still shaking, her breathes coming out short and fast. I'd used as much magic as I'd been willing to risk, but unfortunately it hadn't been enough to numb the pain completely. I knew I needed to save my energy for if they tried to escape, so there had only been so much I could do.

I was relieved when it was over, though less so when Derek passed me a bunch of chains.

"You can chain him up," he said, gesturing to Isaac, and started chaining the rest of Erica's body to the poles.

I did as he said, moving Isaac to a seat nearby. I started silently chaining him up, gently taking his arm and wrapped the chains around it. My hands were shaking slightly and I willed them to stop, not wanting to show any fear in front of Isaac.