Page 14 of Sour
BJ crossed his arms and grinned as the nurses pulled my hair back and applied a cold gel to my temples. Another walked over with a syringe, but BJ stopped them. “No need to put her to sleep today. Dr. Sable wants her wide awake for her session.” I glared at him, knowing damn well he was lying.
BJ only grinned. “Oh. Make sure you crank it up more than usual today, Slick.” He looked past me to the doctor in charge. “This one’s been feeling extra blue.”
You fucking little prick.
The nurses exchanged worrisome looks and prepared the pads as the sound of the dial clicked higher than usual. I struggled and tried to fight the restraints, but it was pointless. “This isn’t right, BJ,” I groaned as they forced my mouth open and placed the bite block between my teeth. I tried to shout, but only muffled noises escaped past my lips.
“No,” BJ hissed. “It’s exactly how it should be.”
“Ready?” Slick called out. BJ nodded as the rest of the staff backed away.
BJ remained still, watching me closely. “Ready.”
The electrical surge shot through my body like a bolt of lightning.
The pain and burn of the shock made every bit of my nerves and muscles tighten and constrict. I bit down hard on the bite block as loud cries of agony filled my mouth and I arched into the agonizing pain. The surge suddenly ended, and I felt as if I would pass out from the pain. BJ’s faint chuckle caught my attention, and I watched him take a seat as if my torture was pure entertainment to him.
This wasn’t my usual therapy session. This was my punishment. My consequence for what Ziggy did to him.
“Again. And feel free to crank the voltage higher each time. The little witch here has been so down, she could use all the help she can get.”
I couldn’t prepare myself for the next surge fast enough, screaming against the bite block as my body arched high and tightened. I wanted it to end, all of it! But no matter how much I screamed or fought, BJ just kept watching.
And watching. And watching. And watching.
It had been awhile since I’d last seen Koven wandering around the asylum. Long enough to notice her unusual absence. At first I thought it was her way of trying to keep her distance, being stubborn as usual. But now, I was beginning to feel like something was wrong. Really wrong.
Come on now, you can’t stay hidden that long.
My eyes scanned the dayroom in search of her, but I found nothing.
Where are you, Skittles?
A loud giggle caught my attention. It was that pornstar-looking woman who followed Koven everywhere. I couldn’t remember her name, only that she stood out like a sore thumb amongst the other patients here. And she’d taken it upon herself to skip right over and sit across from me.
I looked the woman up and down. She didn’t speak, just sat there and twirled her insanely long white hair while chewing gum. “Can I help you?” I asked.
And where the fuck did you get gum?
The woman shook her head. “Nope.” She popped a large pink bubble then showed me an overly cheery smile. I didn’t have time to deal with her kind of crazy. The kind that looks sweet and innocent, but is really darker than the rest.
The woman just chewed her gum and played with her hair. No words. Just stared at me, dissecting me with her dark eyes.
I cleared my throat and crossed my arms. “Instead of wasting my time with pointless games, or whatever the fuck it is you do, why don’t you just tell me what the fuck you want.”
The woman leaned forward and white hair sprawled across the tabletop. “Do you happen to know someone named Haze?” she asked quietly. I shook my head. “Hmm.” She twirled the pink gum with her finger. “What about…Felix?”
“Sorry. They don’t ring a bell. Why?”
The woman leaned back, almost sullen over my response. “They were my friends before I came here. Well, Felix was…Haze, his younger brother, was more or less kind of like you.” I raised a brow. “Look. I know you used to deal, so I just wondered if maybe your paths ever crossed. Haze is the kind of guy I could see someone like you hanging out with.”
“Not sure if you mean that as a compliment, but thanks. What kind of drugs are we talking about?” I asked curiously.
The woman’s hazel eyes lifted. “Haze has always preferred weed. Him and Indi are your typical potheads.” She giggled.“But Felix—” Her voice trailed off for a minute. “He was always into the harder stuff. That’s how we met. We both got mixed up with some pretty bad things.” Her shoulders dropped and I noticed her entire demeanor change. “Do you know what it’s like to watch someone be tortured in front of you? To witness their last breath as their blood trails from their veins and floods the very floor you stand on?” Her head tilted. “Most people think it’s sad and would scream or cry at the very thought. But not me. I watched the whole thing, until words no longer had meaning and my tears were emptied, leaving nothing but blank stares.” The woman’s eyes lifted and met mine. There was something really and truly off about how she was looking at me. “I know you know death well, and prefer the violence, but have you ever witnessed a passing so traumatizing that it absolutely broke you as a person?”
Ah, so that’s why she is how she is. She’s not crazy. She’s broken.
I shook my head and smiled. “Sorry, sweetcheeks, but unlike you, witnessing death is my foreplay.”
