Page 116 of Make Me Scream

I back away and slump down on the bench. Bowing my head down to my knees, I force my eyes to stay dry, Mundell must be watching, and I won’t give him the satisfaction. I may break in this place, but it’s not going to be today.

“Why?” I ask. “Why’d he do it? Did they try to escape?”

Now Chloe wails. She turns around so I won’t see, but clearly I’m opening a raw wound. I hate to cause her more pain, but I have to know. What causes him to kill? Disobedience? Boredom? Voices in his head?

“Yes,” Chloe says, fighting to steady her voice, “We tried to escape. It didn’t work and… he killed her.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“That’s why… you’re here. To replace her.”

Mundell’s going to regret that. He’s going to face justice. He’s going to suffer.

Anne’s family will know the truth.

The other girls may have failed to escape, but we’ll find a way. It may take time, and I hate to imagine what Mundell will do to us until then, but what is the alternative? Giving up? Letting him win? I don’t fucking think so.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” I say. “I don’t think Mundell chose me at random.”

“Don’t say his name!”

Fuck.

She’s trying to help me, but I am not calling him master willingly.

“I was- Iamseeing Lane.”

Chloe perks up at his name.

“Whatever you were told, he didn’t know you were taken. Mundell tricked him, and everyone, into thinking you left on your own. Lane tried looking for you. He was sorry for the way things ended. He needs to know you’re alive so he can tell you that himself, so we’re going to survive, and we’re going to get out of here.”

For a minute, both of us let my words hang in the air. I hear them in my head, and they sound both hopeful and delusional — full of ambition and doubt. Finally, Chloe gets on her feet and walks up to the cell’s bars.

“Master is being lenient with you because you’re new,” she says. “He’s letting you get it out of your system, but if you keep speaking like that, he will punish us. He hears and sees everything. He will not tolerate disrespect or defiance. I am Pet and you are Toy, and we are expected to behave.”

Yeah, well. He’s going to be disappointed.

—

Chloe explains to me what goes on here. Mundell leaves us alone most of the time, which I suppose makes sense. He has to be at the school during the week. While he’s away, automatic dispensers keep us fed. While he may not be actively watching us at a given moment, the cameras record at all times and he does review the footage.

Most importantly, there is no leaving this underground dungeon without Mundell. The doors have code locks — they won’t open unless we know the combination. So even if we could get the drop on him — knock him out, or even kill him — we would be left in here until we likely starved to death.

“What about going outside for fresh air?”

Chloe shakes her head.

“You don’t want him taking you outside. It won’t be for anything good.”

Apparently his captives only leave the dungeon for some kind of unique punishment. Her examples include being forced to march through snow naked, or getting locked in a coffin to suffer under the sweltering sun.

“We screamed and screamed, but no one heard,” Chloe says. “We’re miles away from anyone who could help. We’re alone out here.”

He does allow his captives to speak to one another when he’s away, but his rules always apply. If we behave, he will bring us gifts, as long as it’s something that won’t pose a threat to him. No electronics, obviously. Reading materials are allowed, as long as they come in softcover. No heavy, hard-bound art collections.

“He has those, though,” Chloe says. “He’ll show them to us, if we ask nicely. He enjoys teaching art.”

Apparently Mundell will ask us to paint or draw, but under very strict circumstances. He will make sure we’re restrained so we can’t use a pencil or paintbrush to attack him.

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