Devour my Soul

Drip.

My eyes fluttered open, startled by the echoing sound reverberating through my mind. Darkness blinded me with its eerie sightlessness, only making the drip thud louder until the single note faded into darkness. Silence followed the ripples of its sound, unintentionally causing me to hold my breath. I didn’t want to disturb the quiet. Not if there was the possibility that I wasn’t alone.

Drip.

My body ached slightly, not from pain, but from the lightheaded grogginess still swimming through my veins. I’d been drugged. Flashes of my most recent memory flickered like the flame atop a wicked candle, lighting my brain with the dreaded realisation of exactly where I was. I’d been kidnapped. Stolen suddenly from my home the day after my wedding.

Drip.

My wrists clung to the arm rest of the wooden chair I sat on, despite my struggle against it. By the feel of the thin hard object tying my arms to the chair, I had to guess that it was probably some sort of hardware zip tie digging into my wrists. I could already feel the blood tickling down my wrists as they rubbed against my restraints.

For a moment I thought that maybe it had been the sound I heard. My blood as it splattered against the cold floor. But wherever I had been taken, wasn’t just a dark room. It smelled of a pungent musty odour, leading me to guess that I was probably in an old basement. Most likely an abandoned warehouse with a leaking pipe.

Shuffling through my list of possible warehouse sites, a loud vibrating clang of metal shifting startled me to alert attention. My teeth clenched together tightly, my instincts willing me to bury my ears into my shoulders as a grinding sound screeched along the cold concrete followed by a series of confident steps.

“Oh, good!” exclaimed a light cheery voice. “You’re awake.”

My head snapped up, peering fearfully into the pitch black room before a sudden bright white light illuminated the darkness. Chasing the shadows into the furthest reaches, my newfound eyesight immediately revealed the owner of the merry voice.

My eyes widened in panic as I watched the man strolling casually before me. A cocky smirk was etched into his features, stretching wider when he swivelled to face me, holding his hands out as if he’d just performed a circus trick. I could almost hear the rolling of drums as my eyes followed him. This guy was all show, I could tell by the simple dramatic way in which he walked.

“Who are you?” I choked out, my voice rasping painfully. I winced at my parched throat, though I knew it would heal soon.

The man smiled and turned away, shrieking out a high-pitched whistle into the tiny room. Almost immediately, the thick metal door grated open, and I took the chance to study my surroundings.

As I had assumed, the room was small, probably previously used as some sort of storage closet. Paint peeled from the walls, revealing patches of the grey concrete beneath it. Above me, the roof was dotted with mould, spread out from the large dark stain in the corner. That was most probably where the leak was.

“A little birdy tells me something very interesting,” the man said, and I turned my gaze back to him. Falling lazily into the embrace of a chair that his henchmen had obviously brought in, I glared. I envied his freedom as he hung a leg over an arm rest, his elbow perched casually on the back of the chair. “There are whispers, you see, that the infamous Evan Phillips has found his beloved soul mate,” he continued. “Now what can you tell me about that? Hm?”

Pressing my lips together in a tight line, I turned away, noticeably ignoring his words. Still, I could feel the penetrating gaze of his eyes studying me, waiting for my answer. When it seemed he would rather wait forever than continue, I snapped my eyes back to his. “Let. Me. Go,” I snarled, effectively earning an amused laugh from the mysterious man.

“Come now, there’s no need for hostility,” he said, casually pulling a comb out of his pocket and swiftly combing his light brown hair to the side. “We’re all amongst friends here. We just want to ask you a few questions, is all.”

Anger seethed from my throat as I bared my teeth at him. “Well sorry to dampen your hopes and dreams, but I can’t help,” I spat. “I have no idea who the hell you’re talking about.”

The man only grinned, infuriating me even more as he saw through my lie. His shiny pointed shoe was tapping away at the air in a silent beat, his fingers drumming against his silk vest. I knew what he was doing. He was toying with me, like a cat stalking a mouse.

“Oh, little lady, I’m sure there’s something,” he sneered, swinging around to face me directly. I cringed away from him as he stood and swayed towards me. “See I’m not against hitting a woman if it gets me what I want.”

Goose bumps prickled along my arms, the hair on the back of my neck standing on end as the man’s piercing blue eyes stabbed into my soul. Bile rose in my mouth, my only thoughts as I carefully watched the man was how fitting it would be if a forked tongue was hidden behind his teeth. “You’re disgusting.”

Instant pain shot across my cheek as the snake’s hand connected with it violently. The shock caused a gasp of pain to scream from my lungs and echo in the tiny room, but it only made the man smile even wider.

“Listen closely, because I’m only going to say this once,” the man whispered, leaning in close to my ear. “You’re going to answer every little question I want to know, or I’m gonna make your stay here very unpleasant. Do you understand?”

Not making any move to look at him, I gave a slight nod, waiting patiently as the heat from the slap cooled quickly. It really paid to be a healer. Slowly, I relaxed, noticing as the man stepped away with a triumphant smile slathered across his face.

“Good,” he said, his tone as light as it had been when he’d first entered the room. “Now tell me where he is.”

My voice was barely a whisper, but even so, the man could still hear me. “I don’t know.”

A muscle in his jaw twitched, just a small spasm, but one that clearly told me he was moments from losing his temper again. His airy tone had been mocking, an attempt at seeming calm and collected, but his impatience and clear mindset at having dominance over a woman made his posture distorted.

“Don’t lie to me,” he snapped.

“I’m not.”

The subtle prick of a knife was in buried lightly in my throat as the man roared viciously in my face. I barely flinched; the sting of the blade disappearing quickly once the man calmed down and retracted the weapon. It wasn’t until his gaze did a double take on my throat that I grimaced. His smile returned, only this time it was in genuine happiness as he let out a laugh under his breath.

“Ah,” he grinned devilishly. “We’re going to have a lot of fun, you and me.”

I closed my eyes in defeat, and waited for what I knew was coming next.