Page 10 of Sinful Obsession

Onlyeverthem.

Kaua clears his throat and I sigh, turning my attention back to the empty lobby, the memory of that small girl running through my head again. She’s several inches shorter than us, no doubt, but the luscious curves on her body make me want to explore. Yet another curiosity, I suppose. What’s different about this one is that she came in with her head high, a human with a resolve, a purpose, adetermination.

I have yet to see a new patient that didn’t look withered and beaten before they even stepped inside of here. She was more than just flesh and bone, a shell of herself. I think I’ll enjoy playing with her.

“You’re staring,” Kaua murmurs, his deep voice barely above a whisper. He doesn’t open his eyes but he doesn’t need to. He can feel the energy radiating off me, knows when I’m restless. After all, he’s been with me through every twisted, dull year of this place.

“You saw her too, didn’t you?” I reply, my voice low, a hint of amusement lingering in my words. “The new girl.”

Kaua chuckles, acknowledging that he’s just as curious as I am. He’ll never admit it but his silence isn’t lack of interest. It’shis way of watching, cataloging, and weighing every detail with the patience of a professional. Usually where I’m interested, he is as well.

“She’s different,” I say, a wild smile spreading across my lips. It’s been entirely too long since something fascinating walked through that door. “You saw the way they handled her. Like she was dangerous. Special, even.”

Kaua’s lips twitch, a faint smirk that quickly fades. “They say that about everyone who comes through here.”

“True,” I agree, but the feeling lingers. There’s something about her. Something that tells me she means more to this cause than just a human dragged here toheal.My gaze trails down the back hall where she disappeared. Will she be different when she realizes the truth about this place? That there’s no true escape? Or will that fierce look in her eyes remain regardless of her circumstances?

It’ll be at least a day until we see her. They always keep the new ones isolated to break them down and drug them up until they truly believe that this place will make them better. Somehow, I think it’ll be a little more difficult for them this time around. She’s got that look about her, the kind that says she’s not easily undone.

The silence is broken as an orderly walks by, a folder clutched to his chest. His gaze meets mine briefly before he shrieks and then slaps a hand over his face to keep the sound from echoing. I throw in a snarl, enjoying the way his face blanches and he stops just feet from us. It doesn’t help that Kaua chooses that moment to sit up, those large brown eyes piercing into the orderly’s soul.

“Who’s the new girl?” I ask, gesturing to the hallway. Patients shouldn’t be this close to the entrance but there’s very few orderlies who tell us what to do. In fact, most of our time is spent wandering this ghastly place with no way to get out. I mean, we’ve tried just waltzing out the door but the week in solitarywith minimal food and less sunlight than we already get isn’t worth it.

The orderly swallows, glancing at Kaua as if he’s hoping for some kind of interference or a reason to scream. My beautiful monster isn’t stupid, though. He won’t incite something he can’t finish and he’d find no enjoyment tearing this orderly limb from limb. When nothing happens, the orderly’s shoulder falls. “Don’t worry about it. You’ll meet her at dinner.”

“We all know that’s bullshit,” I smirk, raising an eyebrow in jest. The orderly shuffles back but doesn’t leave. “They never show up on the first day. They’ll keep her locked up, run their little tests, poke around until they’ve squeezed out whatever truth they’re looking for.” My first day was horrid. I kept yelling that I was telling the truth, that I was Death and needed to find my Horsemen, I was ignored, prodded, drugged, and left there in the darknessfor days.I hope they won’t be doing that to the new girl.

The orderly’s face tightens, his jaw clenching as discomfort settles in his expression. They’re always like this around me, even the doctors sometimes. They must know that I’m Death and that Kaua is War. It’s the only expression for them to beterrified.They know what I am, or at least they sense it, like animals sensing a predator lurking in the dark.

Without another word, the orderly hurries off, his footsteps echoing down the hall as he disappears from sight. “I’m going to see her tonight,” I murmur, more to myself than to Kaua, though I know he’s listening. “Before the others get to her.”

Kaua shifts beside me, drawing my attention. “You’re taking a risk,” he says. Strangely, he’s been my voice of reason as if that makes any sense. War holding back Death? Who knew that would be a thing? And yet, I still see the understanding in his expression. He knows that I need to explore this curiosity untilit no longer captures my attention. With nothing else to do in Briarwood, she’s a shiny new toy for me to dissect.

“Maybe,” I muse, tapping the armrest. “But I need to know.”

Kaua just nods, leaning back in the chair again and closing his eyes. His steady breaths soothe the rampant urges but I won’t be able to sit still for long. “Don’t break the pretty thing, Ewan. Not yet. Not until we know why she’s here.”

“I don’t break my toys, Kaua.” This time, the cackle that follows echoes through the lobby.

8 – Vienna

The set of white scrubs tossed on my bed are just as ugly as the blue ones that the orderlies were stuffed in. The only difference is that against the drab gray and stone of this building, every last piece of dirt can be seen on this scratchy fabric. I’m given a few minutes to change with no privacy—despite the attached bathroom, one of the orderlies swiping the phone from my back jean pocket. It’s a wonder they didn’t search me at the entrance but this is just as well.

They even provide the most god-awful undergarments, thin pieces of cloth that do absolutely nothing to protect my skin. The scrubs are cold, offering no comfort or warmth, topped off with a plastic pair of Crocs that upon testing squeak against the floor. I already feel like I’ve been stripped of my dignity, but this... these clothes are the final insult.

The last few hours have been filled with questions and constant prying, the orderlies in and out of my room trying to understand why I believe Asmodeus is real. I tried to explain atfirst but the look of disgust on her face caused me to clam up. It became a little too obvious that they weren’t here to help me. All that bullshit in the pamphlets about healing can’t possibly be true if this is what I’m having to deal with.

By the time the fifth orderly slips in, I can’t help but laugh. The constant barrage of new faces and questions is supposed to break me, to confuse me, to overwhelm me. They’ve gone from questions to insisting that my delusions aren’t real, that I’m compensating for something. I just nod and perch myself on the edge of my bed, waiting for the chaos to end.

Asmodeus is real,I remind myself. I feel closer to him here, more than I ever have outside these walls. There’s a weight in the air, a strange energy that makes my skin prickle and my heart race. And in my head, I hear him, his voice sliding through my mind in a way that only he can, filling the empty spaces they’re trying to create within me.

“Be strong, love. This place cannot touch you.”

His words ground me in this cold, unfamiliar room as the murmur of orderlies stops, soft footsteps bringing me back to reality. The doctor from before—Michael—stands before me with a single metal tray, a small smile on his face as he places it beside the bed on the nightstand. “I understand that you might be confused and overwhelmed, Vienna but trust that this is the best place for you.”

“Sure,” I push out, glancing down at what is supposed to be dinner. I bite back the question I want to ask, ‘why is everything gray again’ and just continue staring at it. Itsmellslike meatloaf but the only thing I can make out in the mess is the corn and I still have questions. Not wanting to be completely rude, I poke around the food with the provided fork, instantly hating the way everything squishes. If Michael forces me to eat that shit, I might puke.

A soft laugh comes from him, a sound that should be comforting but I find rather annoying. In fact, this close to him, my body starts to heat, my stomach rolling as I swallow the bile at the back of my throat. He crouches down in front of me, holding out a small cup of water and then two pills. “This should help with the hallucinations, Vienna. We can’t help you if you don’t help yourself first.”

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