Page 38 of Daddy's Little Sunshine

“No. Well.” The doctor shrugged and hit a button to open the invisible door so the guards could enter. “Not for a long time,at least. You’ve made quite the impression. I’m sure we’ll be keeping you around for a bit.”

“What? No, don’t touch me!” The last words she screamed at the guard unbuckling her restraints. As soon as her arm was free, she swung her fist up, but he countered and caught her fist in the palm of his gigantic hand.

“Calm down, girl. We have a surprise for you.”

Guard two chuckled and released the second restraint.

“The only surprise I’m interested in is you letting me the fuck out of here!”

Each guard gripped one of her arms and hauled her up off the exam table. Lainey went limp between them, hoping they’d stumble and let her go. But they never even broke their stride as they carried her out of the room and down the hall. To another room much like the first with high ceilings and a ring of windows. Dozens more men and women in white coats were crowded around the windows, and fear sat like a ball of ice in her belly. The guards shoved her inside and the opening in the wall whisked shut before she’d even turned around.

“Welcome back, Lainey! I trust you’ve recovered from your little tumble?”

It was the same cheerful voice from earlier. “Fuck you!” she screamed.

“Tsk Tsk. Such a dirty mouth for such a pretty girl. Don’t you want to know what we have planned next?”

At his words, the far end of the room lit up. An opening appeared and a young boy, no older than twelve, was shoved inside the room. He looked around, terror etched into his features.

“Miss?” The boy’s voice shook with fear. “What’s going on? Where am I?”

Lainey took a step forward, then hesitated. Was it a trick? Was he going to morph into some kind of monster as soon as she got close enough?

“Lainey, meet Ralphie. He’s your opponent for this evening’s test.”

Ralphie’s eyes went wide at the announcement and his head whipped back and forth frantically.

Lainey looked up at the observation deck. “I’m not fighting a child!”

“We thought you might say that. Lucky for us, we found some encouragement for you. He walked right into our backyard, as it were.”

Another opening in a wall appeared, revealing a wall of glass. A light behind the glass flipped on, knocking the air from Lainey’s lungs. “Daddy,” she whispered.

He was strapped to a metal cross, his bare chest shining under the harsh lights. But other than being half-naked and chained up, he didn’t look hurt. He looked pissed. And when his eyes met hers, the anger gave way to a mix of relief and terror.

“Lainey!” He fought against the restraints, screaming at their faceless captors. “Let her go, you sons of bitches!”

A bright, cheerful giggle filled the room. “I’m afraid we can’t do that, Donny-boy. The party’s just getting started!”

A man stepped out of the shadows behind Donovan and held up a large knife. Terror froze Lainey to the spot as the tip of the knife pushed into Donovan’s side.

“No!” The word was ripped from her throat on a scream. “Don’t hurt him, please!”

“We won’t. If you listen to our instructions. Now, fight.”

The bracelet on her wrist blinked back to green. A sudden rush of power made her head spin.

Focus. She needed to focus. Needed to focus so she could make a plan and get them all out of this place.

They wanted her to fight. Her attention shifted back to the boy. He’d taken a few steps closer to her and was watching her with an expression she couldn’t quite place.

“Lainey! Lainey stay away from —” Donovan’s warning was cut short when the guard rammed the knife into his gut.

The terror that had rendered her so helpless before now fueled the winds swirling around her. She let the fear fill her, alongside the anger and the hate. The room darkened, then lit up bright as day with the bolt of lightning she aimed at the glass.

The glass didn’t crack. There wasn’t so much as a scratch on it. But she wasn’t giving up so easily. She gathered her power again, letting it build until she couldn’t hold it any longer. Before she could release it, something slammed into her side. The force of it knocked her across the room. From the corner of her eyes, she saw him. The little boy she’d all but forgotten about.

Someone was screaming. It took her a moment to realize it was Donovan, screaming her name as he fought against the restraints binding him to the metal cross.

---