Gorehound |-/ Joshler

Chapter Seven: Tongue-Tied

Tyler was a tease, to say the least. After holding Joshua so close, breathing in his scent and toying with his mind, he let go and ordered him to finish discarding the limbs.

He did so with a sly grin, knowing full well that he left the reporter with an ignited flame in his chest. Standing back as the prisoner dumped body part after body part into the acid, Tyler watched every twinge of muscle with great interest.

Joshua's body was Heaven to Tyler; an ethereal collection of well-toned sinew. Not only was it Heaven, but it would soon become his own personal playground.

He had already conquered Joshua's mind, and now all that was left to do was to fully experience the glory of the young man's physique.

Every part of it.

Joshua, after handling bloodied human body parts, found that whatever spark of animalistic want had vanished. Whatever had come over him was gone, and he cursed himself for even thinking in such a way.

Once the meter reader's body was inside the acid-filled barrel, Tyler snapped the lid on and pushed it to the corner to the right of Joshua, where the light did not touch.

Without so much as a word in reference to the slave proposition and unmistakable chemistry, Tyler left Joshua alone.

Hours passed. Joshua paced the small area that he had to himself, his bare feet staining even further with the red of blood that had soaked into the floor.

"Why?" He asked himself.

The question was asked of many things. Why did it have to be him? Why did he have to waltz into the home of a serial killer?

And why was Joshua so different now? Why was his interested piqued when thoughts of slamming Tyler down over a table and doing filthy things to him came floating through his head?

He heaved a sigh. Leaning against the wall, Joshua shook his head in disappointment.

"This isn't you." He murmured. "You're not like this. You're a reporter who doesn't get paid enough and lives in a studio apartment that houses more roaches than people."

How in the world had his life gotten to this point? He looked out to the basement around him, as if the answer lay there.

Beyond the beam of the lone, naked bulb, there was only darkness. He knew that the stairs were directly in front of him, the railing side facing him.

Behind the steps and to the right lie the operating table where Tyler had dismembered the city worker. That was the only other part of the basement that had been shown to Joshua.

He was afraid to know what the other corners held.

The door at the top of the stairs opened and slammed against the wall with a loud bang! Muffled shouts and hectic, panicked footsteps sounded out.

Joshua, out of curiosity, began to walk towards the stairs as the sounds continued. Without a doubt, Tyler had claimed another victim, but the pull of some perverse interest had infected him and was causing him to draw nearer.

Silhouetted by pale yellow light, two figures battled for dominance over the other at the top of the steps.

It was clear that one of the figures was Tyler. The second person's build was smaller, looser. They fought against Tyler's strength, screaming into a section of duct tape over their mouth all the while. The screams and long black hair proved that the victim was a woman.

Grunts spilled from Tyler. He was shoving the woman down the steps, but she was resisting. Her hands had been tied behind her back and her legs remained free.