House of the Damned

The (Questionable) Idea

Thirteen
The (Questionable) Idea

I’ve never been a fan of the basement, honestly. I don’t think anyone is, aside from Venus. Modern houses do not have dungeons. Venus improvised when she had the basement built. I rather wish she hadn’t been quite so creative. Rather wish she wasn’t still so creative.

I close my eyes and relax as much as I can in the chair. My ankles are tied to the chair legs and my hands are bound behind my back. I take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. I can’t let my mind conjure up my potential fate. Those thoughts are what’s causing the fear that’s making my heart pound. I need to be as calm as I can be for whatever’s coming.

The sound of a fight catches my attention. I open my eyes and glance over at the basement door. It flies open with a loud bang! I frown as I see Venus trying to pull Michael down here and Richard trying to push. Michael is fighting like a hellcat to stay out of here, all the while trying not to hurt Richard…or Venus, as I notice after a moment. He’s doing fairly well at it, all considered. Venus isn’t extending that curtsey in the slightest.

He’s going to get seriously hurt,

I think, worriedly.

“Michael, stop!” I shout. He’s just making everything worse for the both of us.

He freezes when he hears my voice and Venus is easily able to pull him into the basement and to march him down the staircase. Richard’s help is no longer even necessary and he goes back upstairs.

His lovely pale green eyes meet my dull, baby blue ones. His expression is horrified. I smile weakly at him, trying to reassure him.

Venus binds his hand behind him and around a support beam. He’s directly in front of me, about ten feet away.

I sigh and glance at the tub near my feet. It’s filled with water, ice water. Not good.

Venus moves over and stands behind me. She says nothing to either one of us before she grabs me by the hair, her fingers tangling in strongly. I take a deep breath seconds before my head is plunged into the icy water.

The first thing to hit me is the cold. The water is so cold it physically hurts. I didn’t know cold could feel like this.

I relax as much as I possibly can while Venus nearly drowns me. I know struggling will do me no good, only drown me faster.

I can hear Michael and Venus screaming at each other, but I cannot hear the specific words. Only the sounds of yelling, which is getting way out of hand.

I hold my breath as long as possible. My lungs are burning from the stale air and lack of oxygen. I can’t hold my breath any longer and inhale a mouth full of ice water. If anything, the chill of the ice burns my lungs more than the lack of air.

Venus finally pulls me back up and I cough up the water. When I’m finally breathing steadily again, I close my eyes and lean back into the chair, whispering words only meant for Venus’s ears, “Just kill me. Please.”

I glance up at her and she smiles coldly at me. “Kill yourself if you so desperately want it.”

She looks over at Michael, raising an eyebrow in question. He just stares blankly ahead, refusing to meet both mine and Venus’s eyes.

“You wanna die? Inhale,” she hisses, before dunking my head back into the ice water.

The cold is once again ridiculously shocking. Once I surpass the surprise, I consider her suggestion. It would definitely simplify things. Then I remember Kate and the look on her face. Figment of my subconscious or not, her expression is enough for me to hold my breath once again.