Devin
My brain throbs violently againstmy skull as something slaps my cheeks.
“Wake up, bitch.”
It takes a few seconds, but my mind catches up and reality hits me like a semitruck.
Crystal. In my apartment. Attacking me. Again.
Fuck!
“I said wake up, bitch!”
My eyes crack open slightly just in time to see her hit me again, this time with a closed fist. Pain explodes in my cheek, making the hammering in my head seem even worse.
Get your shit together, Devin.I need to shake the fog in my head and focus because this bitch is as crazy as they come.
My eyelids feel heavy, and the light hurts my head, but I try to take in my surroundings through those narrow slits.
My dresser is the first thing I see.
Okay, we’re still in my apartment.
That’s good.
I guess. Or as good as it can get in this kind of scenario.
Crystal’s arm raises, aimed in my direction, and mustering all the strength I can while ignoring the pain in my head, my cheek, and arm, I try to swing back, only to find my arms are bound. Trying my feet, I find the same thing. I’m bound at the arms and legs in a sitting position.
My eyes snap open quickly, pain from the sunlight streaming through the open curtains be damned, as deep-seated fear infiltrates every fiber of my being. Allowing myself to become Crystal’s captive is the worst possibility in this situation, short of death.
“Ahh, there you go.” Her voice is sugary-sweet. It’s positively terrifying. “Napping is not a part of the plans I have for you, Devin. I wouldn’t want you to miss anything.”
She glares down at me as I sit, wrists tied to the arms of a chair from my dining room table and feet tied together. Circling the chair sinisterly, she dangles the knife over my bleeding arm. Then, like the flip of a switch, she smiles down at me as she drags the tip of the knife up my arm, over the large, gaping gash. “Although knocking you out for those few minutes was quite helpful. I was prepared to drag you down the hall by your hair while you kicked and screamed. But lugging you around like a dead body was easier. Lifting you up into that chair wasn’t as easy though. Have you ever thought about losing a few pounds, I mean really, Devin? That’s why you were never a good fit for Sebastian. He needs someone who wants to make him happy... who wants to make him look good.”
I struggle against the rope that binds me, doing my best to ignore the insanity coming from her mouth. “How did you get out of jail?” I ask, trying to distract her as the knife reaches the top of my shoulder where it meets my neck.
She laughs, and I swear pure evil spills from her vocal cords as she scratches her head with the tip of the blade like a true villain in a horror flick. “I was never in jail, dumbass. I can’t believe you all haven’t figured out how much smarter I am than you yet.”
There’s a glint of pride in her hazel eyes. “Do you know junkies in the city will do just about anything for a quick fix? Like dyeing their hair and carrying around fake IDs. Even calling in tips to the tip line. You guys made it so damn easy to manipulate you right into my hands.”
Holy shit.
She’s absolutely right; we did play right into her trap.
Something slams against the front door, and I hear Sebastian screaming my name.
“Shit,” Crystal curses. “No more time for questions.”
I struggle harder against the ropes as she walks over to the dresser where I see the bottle of bleach from the kitchen. She grabs it and something else that’s blue. When she looks back over her shoulder, she’s wearing the same expression as before—one that tells me she’s ready to be rid of me. For good.
At least the feeling is mutual.
Sebastian continues screaming and banging, giving me a small ounce of hope that I may make it out of here alive. I don’t know how long that hope will last with Crystal closing the distance between us.
She places the bottle of bleach on the floor at my feet and brings the blue object up. It’s a small kitchen funnel. What the fuck is she going to do with that? Her cold fingers grip my cheeks, and I scream out in pain, my nose and right cheek hurting like a motherfucker. I’m fairly certain she broke them both.
“That’s right, bitch, you open your mouth.” She shoves the funnel in my mouth and reaches down for the bleach.
