Page 39 of Twist Me

That metallic tang grew more potent in my nostrils as the muscled arms continued to pull on me. I tried to recall what I remembered before this.

My bed.

I’d been lying in bed and thought I’d heard an odd noise. When I leaned up to investigate the weird cracking sound, my head exploded in pain. Something or someone had hit me. Dizziness had swamped me, and I’d tried to scream, but something was slammed over my mouth that smelled like almonds. The next thing I knew, I was waking up to this cloth on my head and rough hands tugging me under my arms…but why?

Focusing on the male voice, I tried to place it. I couldn’t comprehend anything but the pain. The fire licking up my back and legs was making me sweat.My only advantage right now was that whoever took me thought I was knocked out cold. So, as much as this absolutely killed me, I bit my tongue and bore the pain as the dragging continued.

Without warning, the feeling of being dropped was all I could sense until I heard a crack that ricocheted up my body, making my pain intensify.

God, what was that?

My head had smashed into the ground. The smell of something cool and damp invaded my nose, along with warmth, as it spread over my skull. I could see black dots floating around in my vision and panicked. I was going to pass out again.

Snap out of it! If you lose consciousness now, you are dead.

My heartbeat was so rapid it bounced into my ears, so listening was hard, but I could make out trickling.

Was there water nearby?

My heart sank as I realized who had taken me…The Reaper.

Was I going to become another name on a file? The last kill had been different. They had been found in a lake…was it this lake? Why change his MO?

Slightly moving my hands, I realized they weren’t tied, and I just had this bag over my head. From what I could tell, my hands and legs were free. I listened to the cries of the other prisoners, and they were becoming louder. I was a small distance from him. The awful sound of slicing began, melding into the screams of agony, gargled pleading, crying…and then silence.

Based on the tone register, the man who was murdered had been the sadist, always leaving pranks for people around the asylum. He was annoying, but no one deserved the death I had just heard. He’d suffered, and the quiet calculation of the killer not making a sound during the torturous murder was terrifying. The entire time he was being carved alive, the murderer never spoke.Not once. This individual didn’t even grunt from the strength it would take to sever skin from a man’s body.

Did The Reaper enjoy watching his victims bleed out? Or did this sicko want to hear more of his pain and terror?

Anger welled in my gut. If he had spoken, maybe I could have identified him. The voice had been muffled, sounding dangerously low and gravelly. I couldn’t place it at all.

Did the person even live at the asylum? How had they gotten into my cell?

Gravel under thick boots crunched in my ears, the sound growing closer. I couldn’t think of anything at that moment. I just knew I was going to die if I didn’t move.

Awkwardly getting myself to my feet, I took off running. The rocks under my bare feet sliced them open, and my blood was dripping from my back as well. The river wasn’t super close to the facility, so I had been dragged a ways.

Could I make it back to safety?

Would anyone hear me?

A growl sounded behind me, and I pushed my feet to move faster. I was struggling with the sack on my head, and my matted, bloody hair had created a glue-like effect with the fabric. It was hard not to scream as the burn of each movement tore through my veins. The cloth felt like it was holding my skull to my brain.

God,I needed to see…

Gritting my teeth and yanking hard, I watched in horror as pieces of skin and hair fell free from the top of my head. Now blinking hard from the trickling of blood coating my face, I was finally able to see, but blood, pain, and fear kept me running.

The sounds of the boots were getting closer, and my stamina was affected by my body’s injuries. I tried to fight, I tried to keep going, but all too soon, my body was thrown forward onto the damp ground.

Now, I was challenged by the moonlight shining directly in my face as my captor fought me from behind, straddling my legs,trying to keep me immobile. I rolled over, and the moonlight stung my eyes, making them water. I scrambled around on the wet ground, my feet trying to find purchase.

How did I allow myself to get into this situation?

Knife-like pain shot through my shoulder blades as my captor tackled me from behind, shoving me back down.

I was going to die here.

The breath of death stung my insides as tears streamed down my cheeks, and the smell of rotting earth was shoved up my nose and under my fingernails as I grabbed for…anything.

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