Thirty-One
'As soon as I find any of them, I'm going to kill them.' I said to myself, walking closer to the room pounding with vintage 40's. It shone a soft light, and I turned my torch light off and left it on an overturned cot.
Around me, shadows curled and pulled, not getting close but still to close for comfort. They whispered in the darkness, but the music was too loud for me to hear.
Once I got close to the forcefully opened cell door, I drew my normal gun, the 9mm sig saucer, and stepped through, at first finding no-one but Dexter, tied to a chair with his back to me.
There was no-one else, no traps or anything- there was no way that this was a coincidence.
'Dex?' I whispered, creeping up behind him. He jolted and tried to see me, and I faced him properly. He was covered in blood, but I could see that not all of it was his.
'I'd ask if you were OK, but you look horrible.' I smiled weakly, and he did too. 'Where is everyone?' I asked as I began untying him.
'Gloria has a new body.' He said, and once he could stand he spat blood.
'Joy.' I muttered, standing too. 'Of course she's going to be here. This place is just screaming 'Sadistic son of a bitch convention'.'
'So it is.' He followed me out, but just as I turned a corner I saw the silver hunk of metal move to fast for me to duck.
I crashed against the ground, feeling blood trickle over my face. The last thing I saw was Scarlett's wickedly sly smile- or Gloria's actually.
'This is not how I would picture my birthday.' I groaned after spitting a mouthful and a half of blood. I had to be out of blood soon, and then maybe people would just leave me alone until I died.
'Happy birthday, Trixie.' Dexter agreed. 'You're officially old now.'
'Twenty-eight is NOT old.' I growled.
'Sure it is!'
'Want me to eat you?'
'No thanks.'
'Then shut up.'
'What a lovely family reunion.' Scarlett stepped into the cell, and I immediately scowled. When Gloria came in, that was a force of habit.
'Bite me, bitch.' I spat.
Gloria shook her head, sending Scarlett's red hair flying. Crouching down to my level, I tried to jerk away from her touch but was unable to. She patted my knee, then asked Dexter, 'And here I thought your sister was actually nice around your friends.'
'No, I'm still a bitch.' I answered.
'And you're not my friend.' Dexter spat back.
'Why not? We were friends whenever Bellatrix left- why not now, when she's here?'
'What's she talking about?' I tried to see Dexter but couldn't.
'I-I dunno.' He stammered.
'What the HELL are you lot talking about?' I said with deadly calm.
'You never told her?' Gloria pretended to be shocked.
I didn't want to know that Dexter had been working with Gloria. So instead, I said, 'Can you just hurry up and kill me? This is worse than the torture.' I shook my head.
Giving me a look between contempt and something slightly softer than that, Gloria stood and walked to the back of the room where a range of daggers, sickles and knives hung from the wall.
'Oh, this doesn't look good.' Dexter muttered.
'Oh really? I hadn't noticed.' I said sarcastically.
Choosing a sickle made of stone and metal, she came back to me and I tried to pull away.
'What're you planning on doing with that?' I asked, though I was dreading the answer.
'We have both of you now, on September eleventh. Everything is almost perfect- we just need to harvest a couple things off you before we kill you.' Gloria explained.
'Well I sure as Hell feel reassured.' I muttered as Gloria untied one of my wrists but held it in a vice-like hold.
'And when you do go to Hell...say hi for me, OK?'
'If I'm going down I'm SO taking you with me bitch.' I spat.
Sneering, Gloria exposed my underarm, moving up my sleeve and carving a deep line in my skin.
I cried out, and for emphasis she dug in the last bit harder, and I screamed louder. Blood welled and threatened to spill, and breathing hard I spat, 'If you touch me again I'm going to kill you!'
Gloria laughed. 'I think I'll be fine.' She tied me back down, making sure the deep cut was rubbing against the splintered wood, and I hissed.
As she went around to Dexter, I pulled frantically against my ropes.
'You can't touch him!' I yelled.
'Talking time is over.' She tied a gag over my mouth then went back to Dexter.
'And you're right, I can't.' She admitted, twirling the sickle that still dripped my blood. 'Not until you die, anyway. When you die, everyone's fair game- we can hurt them as much as we like, as long as we don't kill them. Besides, I don't REALLY need to hurt Dexter. I just need him to drink your blood.'
'That's disgusting!' I tried to yell, but couldn't.
I heard Dexter dry wretch behind me.
Gloria shrugged and walked back around. 'You won't complain once it's started.'
Hanging the sickle back up, she bent down and picked up the bowl that had been underneath the arm of the chair to collect my blood.
'I swear, when I get out of here I'm gonna kill you.' I growled, but I don't think she understood me.
The music cut off suddenly, and I strained to see who had pulled it.
'Finally.' I muttered to myself. Still, nobody understood me. Grr.
The massive figure stepped into view, and I immediately recoiled, biting hard into the gag so I wouldn't call out.
He was ugly- and I'm talking grotesque, gouge your eyes out with a blunt spoon ugly. He was covered in stitches, wearing other people's organs, skin and whatever else. Parts of him bulged and moved slightly, like there were creatures writhing under his misshapen skin.
Smiling, he took off my gag and I spat. 'Dude, you fugly.' I said afterwards.
The smile didn't waver once. 'I'm going to enjoy taking you apart.'
