Page 29 of Eat Me

"No – no – no, please!" Amber shrieks. Her pleas turn to agonizing screams as Jasper begins to slowly drag the saw back and forth across her skin. Making sure to go slow through the finger bone, as if he wants to cause her more pain. Blood’s welling up around the blade.

Squeezing my eyes shut, unable to watch, Elijah's voice hisses in my ear: "Eyes open, darling. You don't want to miss this lesson." My stomach churns at his words but I know I can't showweakness. Elijah's fingers are twisted in and are firmly gripping my hair, holding my head in place.

Reluctantly, I force my eyes open once again. I take a shuttering breath trying to keep the tears I want to let fall, at bay.

"Now, let's start with something simple." Jasper says, his voice deceptively calm… but I can see the glee in his eyes as he looks Amber over. "A finger or two should do nicely to start."

Amber's screams reach a higher pitch as Jasper grabs her left hand, pinning it to the table. The saw blade glints in the harsh light as he positions it over her index finger.

"No, please!" Amber sobs. "I'll do anything, just don't—"

Amber's screams turn into choking sobs as Jasper continues sawing. Blood started pooling on the table beneath her. The metallic scent filling the air, making my stomach roll. Her agonizing shrieks echo around as Jasper lets one of the fingers drop to the floor.

“One down… I think we should do a couple more just for good measures,” Jasper’s almost purring as he begins to repeat the process. It’s obvious he’s enjoying this. I realize he’s a bit on the crazier side than the others, but this is something else entirely. Watching two more fingers drop onto the ground, someone I don’t recognize came in, picking them up, setting them in a bowl on the table close to where all the tools are. Averting my eyes back to Amber who’s sobbing, eyes glazed over.

“Now to the main course,” Jasper laughs, as he, puts the saw down, repositions himself and then sits down. He gives a bigger grin as he picks up what looks like a butcher’s knife.

Breathing through my nose, as I try to keep my breathing as even as I can to keep the bile from coming up my throat. The hands on the side of my head are keeping my head facing forward. Amber’s screaming once again ringing in my head.

The ropes tying me to the old wooden chair don’t help my stiff body as I try not to flinch when flesh was cut, blood pooling ontothe floor as tendons and bone were shown, and another blood-curdling scream echoes around the room.

I can hear one of the other girls mutter an ‘oh god…’before the sounds of someone puking is heard. I'm trying to block the sounds out, my own stomach wanting to do the same thing as they butcher the woman.

“Well, that won’t do.” A voice mutters from the side of me. I know that voice.‘Owen’. I have a feeling they’re talking about whoever just puked their guts out. I’m silently praying for whoever it was and that she doesn’t end up on the table next. Out of the six girls that had started here, there were only four left… and that’s including myself.

Breathing through my nose, I’m trying to keep myself from thinking about what could happen to me if I don’t keep passing these ‘tests’. I manage to block out the screams of horror from the girls who are also tied down to chairs being forced to watch another being butchered like cattle. Skillfully and with purpose. My stomach turns again at this… something digging at the back of my mind, but I quickly push it down, not wanting to deal with it at this moment in time.

I know that I’m well-liked by those four, but what if I end up doing something to make that change? Could I end up just like that by the end of all this? I'm yanked out of my dazed thoughts as I hear the cold voice of Elijah break through the protective fog that has enveloped my mind.

“I think we’ve seen enough.” Still being forced to keep my eyes forward, I see that with one final swipe of the knife, Amber’s head is off. The head hitting the ground makes a thunking sound before it rolls a few feet till coming to rest in front of me.

My eyes don’t move from the glazed look of horror on Amber’s face – it’ll forever be stuck like that now that she was dead. The person behind me releases my head, making me catch myself before my head drops in shock at what’s going on around me.

I hear Elijah moving in the direction of Amber and say something before hearing the sounds of metal. I must have zoned out until I saw blood-covered boots step in front of my line of vision, a hand taking my chin and titling my face up, those green eyes staring down at me. I make my body sit still as I feel the wet substance on his hands, which is now on my face. My stomach turns as a drop of blood runs down my cheek. Blood from Amber– whom they just butchered.

I feel so sick. I didn’t like her, but I didn’t want her to be killed like that. Why? I just don’t understand any of this.

“Well now, aren’t you a strong one darling?” Elijah’s voice drawls, keeping my chin in his grip. His dark green eyes look to be searching for something as he keeps me in place. A smile stretching across his face as he moves his thumb from my chin, running the blood-covered appendage across my lips. I just sit still, my gaze on his own mischievous one, before he moves back away from me.

“Good girl,”he whispers, before going to the others who’ve all been watching our interaction. I didn't say anything or move to wipe the blood off my lips, having a feeling if I did so it would make them disprove.

I sat rigidly in the chair, trying to process the horror I had just witnessed. The metallic scent of blood hung heavy in the air, mixing with the acrid smell of vomit from one of the other girls, making my stomach churn. I can still feel the sticky wetness of Amber's blood on my face where Elijah touched me.

Beside me, Jennifer was sobbing uncontrollably. Cami has gone deathly pale, her eyes wide and glassy. Amy was violently trembling, her chin and shirt covered in vomit. That’s when I realize she's the one who threw up earlier.

Elijah moves between us, examining our reactions with cold calculation. When he reaches Amy, his lip curls in disgust.

"Pathetic," he spat, eyes blazing. "Take her to clean up. We'll deal with her... weakness, later." Two men I don't recognize step forward to untie Amy and drag her from the room. Not before I heard one with copper hair mutter, "This test is one of the ones I hate cleaning up after.”

Once again forcing myself to take slow, measured breaths through my mouth, to fight against the nausea that is threatening to overwhelm me. I can’t afford to show weakness now. Especially not after what I’ve just seen happen to Amber… and what might happen to Amy from how Elijah’s reacting.

“You think she is alright?” I could hear Marcus speak up. I wasn’t focusing on him though… or any of them. I was overwhelmed. I didn’t know how to react right now.

This family is something out of nightmares. It’s at this very moment I’m wondering if not being killed was more of a punishment. Will I be able to survive if I got through all these tests and if I do, will I be able to live with myself?

“Why don’t one of you take her back to her cell. Let her sleep it off.” Owen’s voice cuts in. I’m able to hear them but I feel like I’m frozen in my own body.

“She’s in a bit of shock. We shouldn’t be too surprised. Marcus… Jasper, why don’t you two take her together. Stay with her if you want. Owen and I will go talk to grandfather… and see about what we are doing next.” Elijah spoke next, keeping his voice soft as I felt a hand gently petting my hair.

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