Page 46 of Your Soul Is Ours

“I didn’t want another creepy fuck staring at you. The only creep who can stare at you is me, so now I own it.”When I turn my head to look at her, my smirk is wicked but her eyes are filled with gratitude.

“Do you want her to sit in the crate for a while, or do you want her strapped to the table? Your choice.”

“Table. She can listen to me before she goes. Besides, you work tomorrow night.”

It makes me laugh because we have all day to do whatever we want. “Deal. Get the doors for me.” She opens the trunk and I haul the lady out, bringing her into the shed as Marla puts on the lights for us. Strapping her to the table, she rouses as I’m finishing the ankle restraints.

“You will all be fucked. Don’t you know I work for the government?”

“We don’t give a fuck if you work for the prime minister himself, shut the fuck up, bitch,” I yell at her. Crossing the space to the small room, I unlock it to pull open the door, allowing Marla to pick her own tools.

“This is one of the many reasons I love you. You give me the creative freedom to hurt others any way I want.”

While the woman is screaming, I lower my head and kiss Marla. It’s been too long since I’ve felt the desire behind the kiss, and it’s everything I need to reassure my doubts that I was losing her. She places her hand on my cheek and her fingernails dig in slightly as she pulls me closer to her. She kisses me harder and when she pulls away, I see lust mixed with the darkness in her hazel eyes.

“I love you, my dove.”

Twenty-Eight

Marla

As I stare into his dark brown eyes, I know I don’t deserve his love, that I’m just selfish and have been using him like a crutch. My love will never be enough to fill his heart. His lips spark the need I’ve been keeping buried over the last few weeks.

“I love you, Sebastian,” I say before entering the small room and picking out a couple of knives from the wall. She deserves worse, but I don’t want to waste a lot of time in the shed tonight. He hands me the heavy apron and, as I slip it over my head, he ties it around my waist. His hands caress me lightly and send shivers down my spine.

Dragging the stool over to the table so we can see each other, I lay the knives above her head and take a seat holding one. “If I don’t show up for work tomorrow, they’ll come looking for me!”

I click my tongue. “I don’t think you are that important, there are so many of you.”

“You psychopath, you deserve whatever is coming for you there.”

“We live in the same building. Did you know you took my best friend that day? We had a sleepover the night before, calmed each other’s fears, and watched movies. In the morning, we were hopeful. What did you feel when you went to work? Dread? Fear? Or are you sick like the government and feel nothing at all? Is it worth the money?” I have so many questions. We could be here for a week if I really cared about the answers.

“Bitch, you are going to kill me. Why would I tell you anything?”

“You are part of the problem, sure, but there are two ways to die. Quick, if I cut right here.” I run the handle of the knife along her neck, and she flinches. “Or I let my fiancé pull out your teeth while you are awake. He’s got a thing for teeth. I don’t know why, but I think that might be worse than if you just bleed out.”

Her eyes widen in fear. The smell of urine fills the air around us and I crinkle my lips.

“I didn’t know. No one can tell if anyone has a life outside of that place. Yeah, the money is good, and when I first started, I really thought we were helping people.”

“So, when you started killing people, did you think that was helping?” I cover the bottom half of my face with my hand until the smell passes.

“You become numb to it. The job is what it is.” The rage churns in my stomach. One day she’s helping and the next she’s killing people for the sake of a paycheck.

“Was it painful for her?” I bite the inside of my lip until it hurts. I won’t cry in front of this bitch.

“No, the procedure is pretty quick. We lay them on a bed and inject the medication. She wasn’t alone. Two people stayed and held her hand, if you were worried that she was by herself.”

That thought hadn’t even crossed my mind and I feel like a bag of shit for only thinking about my own needs and not if she was alone when she died. “Does anyone really get an intake, or do you just bide your time until you can kill everyone?”

She sighs, like I’m taking up her precious time. “No, some people really get an intake and receive some help. It’s not enough help for anyone’s needs, but it’s a start. We receive information from people who are higher up about the person outside of the centre and that determines if they live or die.”

I’m disgusted and violation runs through me. Who is keeping tabs on us? If they watched Jess, then they definitely are watching me.

“I guess I’ll make this quick. You’ll be comfortable enough, but I won’t be holding your hand.” I smile as I lower the blade to her throat, pressing down as hard as I can. The metal disappears into her flesh. Blood runs over and I keep applying pressure. Muscle appears, but I don’t stop until Sebastian grips my wrist.

“It’s enough, my dove. You can’t kill her more. I got this. If you want to go clean up, the hole is dug. We can take her right out after she finishes draining.” I scan his face for disgust but only kindness looks back at me. His features are lax and his touch is soft on my skin.

---