Page 74 of The Black Lotus
“Yes,what?” she asks, the knife digging more into my flesh.
“Yes, Cynthia.”
She removes the blade from my neck and smacks my cheek with the flat side. “Good girl.”
My skin crawls.That is not the kind of praise I want to hear coming out of her mouth.If I get out of here. If by some miracle I am found in time, and when the tables are turned on her, I will spit those same words back in her face to see how she likes it.
“Now, where was I? Oh yes! Why am I doing all of this?” she throws her arms wide, encompassing the bullshit that’s taken over my life. “It’s simple really; no one is good enough for my boy. Especially a girl who was meant to be his lamb.”
I chuckle, lifting an eyebrow at her as I shake my head. “Too bad for you, I am hisvixen.”
I bite my lip, copper filling my mouth as fire explodes through my leg.Now I know how Jessica felt.She leaves her blade there, her grip around the handle turning her knuckles white.
“Didn’t I tell you not to back talk or sass me?”
I don’t say anything, fearing that if I open my mouth a scream would rip through and the last thing I want is her satisfaction from my pain.
“Answer me, or I’ll dig this knife further into your leg.” She wiggles it a little, my teeth cracking as I hold back my tears. “Or maybe I’ll drag it down and slice you open.”
“Yes,” I grit through my teeth.
“Yeswhat?”
Not this shit again.I don’t take my eyes off of Cynthia as I try to concentrate on anything except the pain. Breathing in slowly through my nose, parting my lips slightly as I blow out, not letting her see the small act. If she didn’t hold all the power, I wouldn’t be backing down so easily. If the roles were reversed, I’d tie the cop up like the pig he is and take inspiration from Zephira, cooking him until his flesh bubbles and burns. Then I’d force Cynthia to eat him and kill her after, but how to kill her…
The knife is ripped from my leg, my mouth parting as an agonizing scream echoes around the room. My leg shakes uncontrollably from the pain, a satisfied smirk lifting her cheeks as my blood drips down her blade. She swipes her finger through it and smears it across my lips, the crimson liquid slipping through the cracks even though I keep my mouth pressed closed in a firm line.
“Now, where was I before you so rudely interrupted? Ah yes, you not being good enough for Aster. You see, I worked so hard to fix his brain as a little boy. He watched and learned as we bonded over horror movies.” She paces slowly in front of me, the blade mimicking her movements. While Jason stands creepily in the corner watching her like the world begins and ends with her.
Someone please take me out of this misery.
She turns, asking a question, I know she doesn’t want an answer to. “I was a good mother, right?” She shakes her head,mumbling to herself, “Yes, yes I was. I was the best mother he could’ve ever had.”
Cynthia twirls the blade through her fingers, her comfort and practice obvious. “He would never kill an animal, did you know that? The start of every serial killer's journey and he wouldn’t do it. That worried me. If he couldn’t kill a helpless beast, how was he going to kill a human? Take the life owed to his greatness and skill?” She begins watching me again, standing eerily still as if she just remembered I was in the room. Hearing he refused to end the life of an innocent animal proves he isn't the monster she desperately wants him to be. I imagine a small Aster being told to kill a small animal and how his refusal made Cynthia mad enough that steam came out of her ears. I smile with pride knowing my Fox has lines he still won’t cross. “I thought he was defective, because no son of mine would be too weak to kill.”
Closing my eyes, I will my tears away, my heart aching at the thought of what Aster had to go through before he was thrown into that hell of an orphanage.She’s a monster.Could he tell his mother didn’t like him? That she wanted him to be something he wasn’t? I picture a small Aster again, this time him wanting to be loved and willing to do anything to gain his mother’s attention. That hurts more than any cut from the beast that birthed him.
Her hands brace either side of my chair, her teeth glinting under the light. “But all was not lost. I saw the way his eyes lit up when someone was killed in a movie. I knew there was hope, a chance to turn him into what he was born to be.” She pushes herself back up as she places the tip of the knife to her lips, my drying blood touching her skin.She can’t stand to touch me, but has no problem with my blood?“So I did what worked with every child; told them they couldn’t do something, which obviously made him want to do it more.”
There are a lot of evil people in this world, but Cynthia is at the top of that list right alongside pedophiles. I sneer at thewoman in front of me, who seems to think she is untouchable. I’ll show her just how delusional she is, as soon as I get out of these bindings. I tug against the zip ties, irritation rising with small movement my body can handle.Why didn't I think of asking Aster to teach me how to escape these damn things.There has to be a way.
How could she want her own child to kill with her? Did her husband feel the same?He had to since they were partners. Both of them make me sick. I need to figure out a way out of here, but the blood is still pooling against my jeans, my body is becoming weaker with every passing second.I could take one of them, but I couldn’t take both. Not now. Especially since Jason has a gun.
“One night, I told Aster that Daddy and I were taking our friend to the barn and he couldn’t come.” She laughs with a sigh. “You should have seen him. He wanted to listen so badly, but he was curious. I’m sure even someone like you knows curiosity gets the best of us all. And my Aster was such a good boy, until he wasn’t. One night he decided to follow us. I heard him coming before he peeked through the hole; he wasn’t as stealthy as he is now.” She stops walking, taking her heels off one at a time. “My feet are killing me; I don’t know how some women wear these. Jason!” she snaps, and he comes running to her side.
“Yes, Cynthia?”
She sits on the dirty floor, spreading her legs as she stabs the knife into the floor beside her. “My feet are killing me.”
She doesn’t even have to ask, in an instant he’s on his knees, pulling her leg over his lap, and massaging her bare feet. My lip curls in disgust as I look away, setting my attention on the chains as I look for a real one again. I smile when I see the glint from a real one swaying right above Cynthia.Bingo.I look back down unable to contain my grin as Jason rubs up her leg.He really is a little bitch; guess the name suited him perfectly.
“What are you smiling about?” Cyhthia moans, tipping her head back as she side eyes me.
Shit.I quickly mask my features. “Nothing.”
“I know you’re lying, but I don't care at the moment. Lie to me again, though, and I’ll make you bleed more. Aster wasn’t as stealthy as he thought.”
Oh, great, she’s back to talking.I thought I’d get some time to plot an escape somehow, but the cunt apparently loves to hear her own voice.
