Page 21 of Beautiful Venom
Murderer!
“No!” I scream, jumping up into a standing position, wiping at the snot and tears covering my face. Adrenaline burns in my veins as I stare at the scene, unblinking, my hands fisted, my legs shoulder width apart. It hurts, but I don’t look away. It hurts, but I watch it again from start to finish.
My parents are gone, but Violet isn’t—at least, not completely.
Violet needs me.
And if I have to go through this torture for her, so be it.
When the video comes to an end, I ready myself for another round, another visual and auditory assault, but the projections disappear completely.
A small flickering wall lamp switches on.
I’m indeed in a tunnel. Through my teary vision, I make out a blinking camera light in the ceiling and stare at whoever is watching as I wipe my eyes with the backs of my hands.
You won’t break me.
No one will.
“Congratulations, Dahlia,” a man says, his suave voice filling the tunnel. “You’ve passed the mental test, but there’s still the physical test left. Correction. It’s both mental and physical. Since this is a trial, if you say the safe word you agreed to with the Senior member who invited you, everything stops. You’ll be escorted out and banished from campus and town. As long as you stay quiet after that, you get to keep your life. If you don’t… I’ll leave that to your imagination.”
I gulp, searching my surroundings. I already told Kane I wouldn’t say the word, and that won’t change now.
Nothing is worse than reliving my worst nightmare.
A door opens somewhere to the right, and I squint, but I can’t see its exact location in the shadows.
A tall silhouette walks toward me—a man, judging by his build and height. He’s dressed in a black T-shirt, jeans, and army boots. His hands are covered with black leather gloves and his face is hidden by a black mask that resembles a plague doctor. However, this one has sharp, unsettling serpentine and talon details swirling in the contours like a curse.
He stands there, his height eating up the small space as he stares me down. His chilling gaze seeps through my clothes and strikes my skin.
I look to either side of me, searching for an escape. He remains motionless, as if waiting for my next move.
The tunnel extends as far as my eyes can see. No ending in sight.
But maybe that’s the point.
My limbs are still shaking from the assault of the video, but I gather my strength, turn around, and run.
I don’t even make it two steps before my legs are grabbed. The ground shifts and I fall with a thud, my knee hitting the dirt floor so hard, I feel it in my bones.
A large weight lands on top of me, pushing me down and forcing every breath out of my lungs.
I squirm and buck against him. I don’t know what’s come over me or if I should even be fighting.
It’s a survival instinct. Innate and unconscious.
Deep down, I know I can’t beat someone this much larger than me, but that won’t stop me from trying.
A gloved hand wraps around my throat, lifting and twisting my face up until I’m looking at the gruesome mask.
“Red. Say it or submit.”
My eyes widen.
Kane.
It’s Kane’s voice.
