Becky shrieks, pressing her body into mine. “Please don’t touch me,” she begs.
I nod to the guy and push open the door, leading us into a new room. A woman lies on what looks like a hospital gurney. She wears a dingy gown that has been torn. Her wrists and ankles are strapped to the bed with brown leather straps and blood drips from the restraints. She tries to sit up, but the straps across her chest and stomach prevent any movement. A man stands next to her, his back toward us as he faces a white table.
“Okay, Beatrice. Do you know why I have to do this to you?” he asks.
She stares up at the ceiling, no longer struggling. The only movement is her chest rising and falling slowly. “Because I survived,” she whispers, and Becky stiffens against me.
“Very good,” he praises her. “But why did you do it?” he asks.
She swallows, and whispers, “Because the voices told me to.”
I look at the dirty floor and see a bloody razor blade by the bed. The blood running from her bound wrists suddenly makes sense. She’s suicidal. She told him that voices told her to kill herself, and now she’s being punished because she survived.
He walks to the head of the gurney and stands, wearing the same black costume as the man out in the hall sans mask. She arches her back, looking up at him longingly as though they’re lovers. “Don’t worry, I’m gonna make them go away.” He snaps a brown leather belt between his fists, and she opens up her mouth for him. Her hips rise, and she moans as if it’s turning her on. He places it between her teeth and runs his knuckles gently down the side of her cheek. She lets out a muffled groan, and then he reaches over and grabs two paddles, pressing them to her temples. The lights flicker on and off as her restrained body thrashes in the bed.
Becky buries her head into my chest. “Jesus, this place isn’t scary. It’s fucked up.”
I smile. Yeah, it is. I like it.
I grab her hand, and we exit the door to the right and come to a new room with two more doors. Austin and Cole come through the one to the left. Demi and her boyfriend to the right. Austin is smiling like a kid in a candy store. Demi looks bored.
A door opening to the right has Becky jumping back, causing Demi to laugh at her expense. We follow each other into the next room. The floor and all four walls have tiles that once were white, but now are brown and have been stained with blood on them.
A small woman stands with her nose to the far wall, her back to us. She’s completely naked. Scratches run up and down her back and thighs. Blood trails down them and pools at her feet. Her blond hair is tangled and dirty. A man stands behind her holding a hose. He turns it on and sprays her, and she screams as the water hits her skin and splashes us. Smoke instantly fills the room so you think it’s steam from the hot water. Becky grips my shirt as it quickly engulfs the space, making it hard to see. I cover my mouth and push through a door just as Becky lets go of me. The lights shut off, leaving us in complete darkness, and a small body runs into my back. “Shit.” I hear her hiss.
“Here.” I reach back and take her hand. Putting my free hand on the wall to the right of me, I slide it across the area. It curves to the right, and I follow it, pulling Becky behind me. She doesn’t say anything or try to pull away.
My hand comes to a new wall, and it’s right in front of me. “What the fuck …?” It’s a dead end. I sigh. Silence meets me. No more music plays from above, and I don’t hear any screams off in the distance. “Cole?” He doesn’t answer. “Austin?” Still nothing. “Guess it’s just us.” I turn around to head back to where we came from and run right into her. We both trip over our tangled feet and her back hits a wall. “Becky,” I breathe. My body is up against hers, pinning her in place. Her heavy breathing fills the silent hallway. I have to remind myself why I hate her so much and how this is just a game I intend to win.
My hands grip her wrists, pinning them down to her mattress. She arches her neck, and I kiss my way up the soft skin to her ear. “I love you,” she whispers.
I pause and pull away to look down at her. Blue eyes fill with tears, and she sniffs. “I love you, Deke—”