Rain splattered on the windshield , each drop drumming like a countdown as Daniel sat in his car, heart pounding. The parking lot was deserted, save for his own vehicle idling beneath a lone streetlamp. He had been following Eddie for days now, piecing together fragments of suspicion. Tonight, he thought he was careful-thought Eddie wouldn't notice him.
The back door clicked open, and before Daniel could react, an iron wire looped around his neck, cold and biting. His fingers clawed at it, gasping as the air squeezed from his throat.
"Going somewhere?" Eddie's voice was low, almost amused, in his ear. He yanked the wire tighter, his breath hot and menacing. "Seems we need to have a little chat. Drive, Daniel. And don't make me repeat myself."
Daniel's hands shook as he gripped the wheel, blood pounding in his ears. The weight of Eddie's presence in the backseat was suffocating, as if he could already see the twisted darkness brimming in Eddie's eyes through the rearview mirror. He obeyed, fear gripping him as he steered toward the edge of town, toward the abandoned bunker Eddie called his sanctuary of suffering.
Every bump on the unpaved road brought them closer to hell. When they finally arrived, Eddie practically dragged Daniel from the car, wire still pressed mercilessly against his neck. He forced him through the bunker's doorway and down the narrow steps until they reached the cold, stone-walled chamber where Hope sat bound to a chair, her head sagging in defeat.
Her eyes lifted when she heard them, and her face twisted in horror at the sight of her brother, captive and terrified.
"Hope..." Daniel choked, barely able to speak as Eddie shoved him closer to her, the wire biting into his skin.
"Family reunion," Eddie sneered, pushing Daniel down onto his knees before Hope. He watched them, savoring the devastation in Hope's face, her broken cry as she struggled uselessly against the ropes binding her.
Hope's voice broke, desperate and pleading. "Eddie, please... let him go. He's done nothing to you. Don't hurt him. Please..."
Eddie tilted his head, feigning thoughtfulness, then reached into his pocket, pulling out a syringe filled with a clear liquid. He held it up to the dim light, smirking as he turned to Daniel.
"This," Eddie murmured, "is just a little something to keep you quiet. Let's make this... comfortable."
Daniel's eyes widened, but Eddie moved too quickly, plunging the syringe into his neck. His body slumped, limp and useless, though his mind remained painfully alert, watching in horror as Eddie turned his focus back to Hope, who was frantically shaking her head, begging him to stop.
"Now," Eddie began, his voice dripping with malice, "let's talk about betrayal, shall we?"
Hope's breath caught, frozen in horror as Eddie moved closer. "You thought I wouldn't find out, didn't you?" His tone took on a cold, furious edge. "How you sneaked around with Jason... my own brother?"
Hope's eyes filled with terror and regret, but she was silent, stunned into submission by Eddie's controlled rage.
Eddie's voice lowered, eerily calm, as he continued, "Jason was good-a kind, naive boy who actually cared about you. And you-" he scoffed, glancing down at the knife in his hand-"you destroyed him. I was the one who found him, you know. Broken, full of guilt, so ashamed he couldn't even look me in the eye. You took him and twisted him up, just like you did to me."
You left him for some fling, left him to rot in guilt and shame until he couldn't take it anymore."
Hope's face crumpled, horror mixing with confusion as Eddie's words sank in. "I... I didn't... He left... Eddie, please, that's not what happened-"
"Don't lie to me!" Eddie's voice thundered, sending her recoiling. His hand clenched around a brutal-looking blade as he dropped down beside Daniel, who was still paralyzed but able to watch everything. Eddie held Hope's gaze as he pressed the knife against her brother's leg, tracing a line as he murmured, "I think it's time to teach you the meaning of real loss."
With one brutal swing, he drove the blade into Daniel's leg, carving through flesh. Hope's screams filled the room, but Eddie didn't flinch. Blood spilled from the wound as he sliced into Daniel, ignoring the silent, wide-eyed agony of his helpless victim. Piece by piece, he worked his way up, peeling back flesh and slicing muscle, savoring every scream that tore from Hope's throat.
When he finally raised his blood-soaked hand, he held a small, severed piece of Daniel's leg, throwing it at Hope's feet.
"Tell me, Hope," Eddie sneered, voice almost gleeful. "How does it feel, knowing this is all your fault?"
Hope's chest heaved with sobs, her face a mask of horror, pleading with him to stop. But Eddie only chuckled, taking the knife to Daniel's other leg, moving methodically, savoring every slice, every sound of Hope's cries.
Eddie's gaze was empty, a dead void that drank in the agony he inflicted. He moved the knife to Daniel's arm next, speaking to Hope in a tone almost loving. "I was your perfect man, Hope. I gave you everything, devoted myself to you... And you threw me away. Made me into this monster."
When the torture finally ceased, Daniel lay motionless, pale and lifeless, but Eddie wasn't done. He leaned over, reaching a blood-soaked hand toward Daniel's face, slipping his fingers beneath one eyelid.
"No!" Hope screamed, thrashing against her restraints as Eddie wrenched Daniel's eye from its socket, cradling it in his hand. He held it up to the light, admiring it like some twisted trophy, then turned to Hope, a cruel grin spreading across his face.
"Open wide," Eddie cooed, moving closer to her, the eye held delicately between his fingers. Hope tried to turn her head away, but Eddie grabbed her by the jaw, forcing her mouth open and pressing the eye between her lips. "Chew," he commanded, his voice soft yet dripping with malice. "Chew for your dear brother."
Hope sobbed, retching as the taste of blood filled her mouth, her whole body trembling as Eddie's laughter filled the room, echoing against the stone walls
His eyes glittered with satisfaction, his fingers trailing from her bloodied lips down her cheek, her neck, pressing his hand possessively against her chest. He leaned closer, his voice barely a whisper, dripping with mock affection. "I loved you, Hope. I gave you everything. But you... you turned me into this."
As Eddie savored his twisted victory, Hope's trembling fingers found the hammer she'd loosened days ago in a moment of desperation. Summoning every ounce of strength left within her, she swung it upward, connecting with Eddie's skull with a sickening thud. He staggered back, stunned, blood trickling down his face as he swayed.
And with that, Eddie collapsed to the ground, his face twisted in shock, unconscious.
Hope, trembling, took a shuddering breath, the faintest glimmer of hope rising within her. She wasn't out yet, but she was closer than she'd ever been.
