My Ruthless Kidnapper

Punishment

Cheryl POV

The icy shock of cold water pummeling my skin jolted me awake.

I was drenched, water dripping from every part of my body.

Another bucketful cascaded over me, cutting off my breath. I suffocated and choked, gasping for any relief. And coughed uncontrollably, that by now, it was impossible to tell if the water on my face was from the buckets or my tears.

They kept throwing freezing water at me, snapping me awake whenever I drifted too close to passing out.

My wrists were shackled high above me, though the room was so pitch-black I couldn't make out what I was bound to. Still, I knew the faces of my torturers. They were the same two men always lurking behind Finn. The same ones who knocked me down when I pulled the trigger and sent the small piece of iron into Finn's chest.

They reveled in my suffering from their cruelty, taking pleasure in my torment.

And part of me understood. I knew I deserved it. I had pulled the trigger and aimed it right at Finn's heart. I was a murderer. I had earned every ounce of this pain.

If Finn was dead, I could never live with myself.

I had only wanted to escape, but instead, I plunged into the worst depth of agony. I never thought I'd be capable of killing someone, yet here I was, chained, suffocating in darkness for the crime I committed.

"Don't worry, you'll die, but not just yet. You need to feel the pain first," a voice hissed.

For a moment, I could breathe. My heart raced in time with my short-lived relief, but it didn't last.

This was worse than anything I'd ever endured. It was purgatory, only without the promise of an end. I was already serving my time in hell, and I had long since given up on myself. Life had always been cruel, and now I was paying the price for the choices I'd made.

I killed someone. I killed Finn. I was no better than him, and now I deserved to die.

"She needs to suffer for that bitchy attitude of hers," another voice, just as monstrous, growled. "If she can handle a gun, she can handle this, badass, right?"

The room was dark, the next hit came out of nowhere as a brutal blow struck my jaw.

My head snapped sideways, and my ears rang so loudly I thought I'd gone deaf. For a terrifying moment, the world went mute. I didn't even hear my own scream.

My mouth was still open when another wave of ice-cold water crashed over me, stealing my breath once more. I was gagging, coughing relentlessly. They were drowning me.

I couldn't speak, couldn't cry out. I could only accept it. This was my life now. I was utterly exhausted, my spirit broken. I felt motherless, fatherless, homeless, just completely alone.

If I could turn back time, I wouldn't have left my bedroom for that party. I would have gone with Mom to Washington all those years ago when I had the chance.

If I could rewind time, I never would've pulled that trigger. I never would've left the cage I'd been locked in.

Regret was my only companion now. I blamed no one but myself.

My stubbornness had gotten me here, and now I was paying for every foolish choice. I am painfully tied up, broken, physically and mentally, with nothing left but regret eating away at me. Regret for every second of my life.

I had become a murderer.

Now, I was being tortured, brutalized, and scarred because I made the mistake of leaving my room for a party.