Page 12 of Painfully Merry

I’m not possessive, and she doesn’t deserve to die. I only want her to realize that the bubble she created is filled with lies. I need her to see it from my side, and this is how I’ll do it. First, we’ll break her, humiliate her, and build her back together.

6

Sabrina

I can’t feel my body. The coldness from the cement floor slowly seeps up my feet into my limbs. My teeth bang together when another chill shoots throughout me. I’m unsure how long I’ve been down here. My fingers move slowly and hurt if I try to straighten them. I'm not sure if that’s from the cold or the drug.

The drug that Parker gave me. I can’t believe he’s in my house and doing this to me. What does he want from me? I have nothing that I can give him. What’s done is done. No matter how much I want to, I can’t change the past.

I twist my wrists, trying to loosen the ropes, but no matter how much I try, they won’t budge. Whoever the second guy is, he knows how to tie them tight. The fibres dig into my skin, burning the more I twist. I scream in frustration. I can’t stay down here any longer.

The darkness is going to eat me alive if I don’t leave. I scream again, hoping they’ll hear me. I don’t care what they’ll do to me. I just need to get out of here.

The basement door flies open, and I freeze.

“Sugarplum, you awake?”

“No, asshole, I’m screaming for the hell of it.” His footsteps are soft as he makes his way down the stairs. My fingers clench into the arm of the chair when I no longer hear him, and I strain to listen. The only thing I can hear is my erratic breathing.

My body tenses when a finger runs along my neck. “I’m not an asshole, Sabstar. Did you want me to be?”

“I want you to get out of my house.”

“That won’t happen, but I’ll let you go. If I catch you, you’re mine.”

I know this house better than they do. They’ll never catch me. All I need to do is find my phone and call the cops.

“What will you do with me if you catch me?”

His hand captured the back of my head, threading his fingers into my hair. Tugging at it, he snaps my head back. And his face comes into view, and I recognize him.

“You’re the guy I hired for my cameras.” His lips quirked into a grin as I stared in shock.

“That’s right, Sab. Joel Phoenix is what the Government knows me as, but Chaos is what I bring to the party. I’m the party that’s going to have fun with you. Don’t get caught.” He slammed his lips to mine, pressing firm. His hand tightens in my hair, and I let out a small whimper. He groans against my lips when I don’t kiss him back. Pulling back, he licks me. “Can’t wait to tell Parkster how good you taste. He’s been such a sad sack since I tied you up.”

The switch of a blade makes me pull away, and he chuckles.

“I promised not to kill you. Granted that’s the only promise I made.” He cuts the rope from my hands and ankles. “Remember, don’t get caught.”

“But you never told me what would happen.”

He brushes my hair out of my face. “You’re smart, I’m sure you can figure it out.”

Once he moves out of the way, I stand. My feet are beyond cold; they ache, and I fall onto the basement floor. I need to be strong and hide. Whoever this Chaos is, he’s quiet, and I’ll never hear him, and I don’t know where Parker is. Does he know that I’m getting free?

Oblivious to my surroundings, I crawl along the floor. I tap along the floor until I feel the steps. Quickly climbing them, I see the opening to the main floor, basked in darkness. I have a better chance of heading for the front door. My legs are still numb, but I push myself, running past the kitchen and dining room without being spotted.

My pulse races the closer I get.

“Don’t be foolish. We wouldn’t let you escape.”

I skid to a stop, spinning around and looking for Parker. He has to be in the living room, now I have a better chance upstairs. Lucky for me, I can take the staff stairway. Backtracking to the hallway, I head for the last door. If you don’t know what to look for, you’ll miss it. Grandma loved her minimalist look. My hand shakes when I try to open the door. The darkness greets me, and I swallow the lump stuck in my throat. I draw in a lungful of air as I begin climbing, trying to be quiet as I reach the top.

This isn’t what I had in my mind for a Christmas vacation. I’m supposed to be watching movies and eating while basking in the quietness of the house, not being chased around by some crazy man and an unhappy ex-employee. I quietly slip inside my bedroom, patting my bed. This was where I last had my phone.

“Oh, no. It was in the theatre,” I mutter to myself.

I was there working and watching a movie when the power went out. I duck out of my room and move fast. Worst case, I can hide in the electrical room next to the theatre room. It’s small, and it’s a panel in the wall. I control my breathing when I enter the theatre so the noise doesn’t bounce around. Crawling on the floor, I feel each seat when my knee hits my laptop, I almost scream for joy. My phone should be here somewhere. I touch the seat in front of me next, and I can’t feel it. Where the fuck is it? Moving to the carpet, I frantically search. It has to be here.

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