Sundown Series (Book 4): Torment

by Konstantin, Courtney

  "Do you think anyone is going to get a chance at me?" Alex yelled.

  The guard swiped at his lip. Finding blood, a red bloom began on his face as anger began to rage. Raising a hand his swiftly brought it down against Alex's face, causing her steps to falter backward. She didn't let any reaction show on her face, except a smile. Let them believe I enjoy the pain, Alex thought to herself. She realized that in her mind she was sounding slightly hysterical. There was a lot she could handle, a lot that wouldn't break her. However, the path they were throwing her down was one she didn't know she could come back from.

  Bleeding from his lip, the guard roughly took Alex by the arm again and began to half drag her down the aisle of canvas rooms. Eyes were everywhere, watching what was happening. Alex tried to search out friendly faces, but most of the women that she found turned away before making eye contact. None of them were fighting. They seemed broken and unresisting to their fate. She wondered how many of the dead women in the road outside were ones that had the courage to run.

  Alex was led beyond the canvas rooms to a door leading off of the ballroom. The door swung in and Alex was shoved through. She turned to run back at the guard, but the door slammed shut before she had the chance. Immediately she tried the knob, unsurprised to find it locked. Movement behind her made her spin and put her back to the door. She wanted to see her attacker. The room was lit by candles along a bookshelf and on a small corner table. In the limited light she strained to see what was in the room with her.

  "The trouble you caused me, I want to know if it was worth it," a voice came from the dark. And Alex knew immediately who it was.

  "Didn't get enough beatings, Lewis?" Alex asked.

  The gang leader came from the shadows, circling around a small couch that dominated the center of the small room. His eyes blazed in the candlelight and Alex knew she had touched a sensitive subject. Standing against the door in the sheer babydoll, she felt exposed and weak. She held her head up and leveled her glare at Lewis. His grin was slow and malicious.

  "I'm taking my payment from you. Whether you like it or not. And I'll make sure you don't."

  Alex didn't move as he came toward her slowly. Just as he thought he was going to grab her, Alex pivoted away from his advance and punched him in the jaw. Lewis grunted in pain, but he didn't slow as he turned to follow Alex into the room. As he perused her, Alex's eyes flew around the room, searching for any weapon to use to defend herself. The room was strategically sparse, preventing anything from being used by the women to save themselves when locked inside.

  The sound of a belt being unbuckled caught Alex's attention. She watched as Lewis slid his belt from its loops. In her mind the movement was the most threatening thing she had ever seen. Lewis stared at Alex, his gaze lewd and hungry on the parts of her body that the lace didn't cover. He laid his belt over the back of the loveseat. Alex eyed it for only a moment, as a plan quickly played out in her mind. She realized Lewis had close to thirty pounds on her, so her strike would have to be fast and successful.

  Before Alex could react, Lewis' hand snuck out and he grabbed her arm. He hauled Alex to him, grabbing both of her wrists and holding them behind her back. Alex coughed, trying to not smell his putrid breath as he leaned close to her face.

  "You aren't as tough as you try to act. You'll submit if you want to live," he whispered in her ear.

  His lips grazed her ear and then her neck. Alex couldn't stop the convulsion that shook her body. Lewis chuckled quietly as he continued his exploration of her exposed skin. His free hand slid over her shoulder and down her chest. When he reached to cup her breast, Alex flung her body backward, taking them both to the ground. She knew the move was going to hurt. Lewis released her wrists as he flailed trying to keep his balance and Alex only had a split second to brace herself for the impact.

  When she hit the ground, she rolled to the side immediately and sprung to her feet. She cursed to herself when she saw that Lewis hadn’t actually gone down. The man spun to glare at Alex before launching himself at her. Alex took her chance then, grabbing a candle from the nearest table. Lewis didn't realize what was happening until the candle was extinguished on his eye. The scream Lewis released didn't sound like it came from a man. It was high pitched, ringing with fury and pain. He dropped to his knees, pawing at his injured eye. It was the exact move Alex was waiting for.

  It wasn't more than a few seconds. Alex grabbed the belt from the back of the loveseat and ran to stand behind Lewis on the ground. Quickly she looped the belt around his neck and tightened it until gasping sounds came from his mouth. He tried to fight his way to his feet, however when he got one leg straight Alex side kicked him in the knee causing him to fall again. With him on the ground, Alex planted a knee between his shoulder blades and pushed down, while pulling up with the belt. Lewis scratched at his neck, trying to pull the belt away. His hands flung in Alex's direction, trying to stop her.

  Fueled by panic, he lifted himself and Alex off the ground. Alex struggled with her balance, but she didn't let go of the belt. Using the knee that wasn't pressed against Lewis's back, she quickly kneed him twice in the ribcage. With no air in his lungs already, Lewis fell to the side, gasping. Faraway in Alex's mind she thought he looked like a fish out of water. She then corrected herself. He was a shark, with deadly teeth. But even a shark had weaknesses. That part of her brain laughed internally as she noticed Lewis turning blue then purple.

  Alex's hands burned with pain where the belt cut into her skin. She wrapped the belt around her hands again, to pull tighter on Lewis' throat. She feared the belt would break or slip from her sweat-slicked hands. But as the seconds turned into minutes, Lewis stopped fighting. Even though he didn't move, Alex didn't let go of the belt. She knew in extraordinary circumstances it could take ten minutes for someone to die from asphyxiation. There was no way she was willing to take the chance if she let Lewis go, he would still be alive.

  Her body was soaked with sweat from the exertion she was using to hold Lewis to the ground and the belt tight around his throat. She had no idea how much time had passed. A banging on the door startled her. Looking at a nearby candle she was sure it had burned down an inch since she had been in the position of holding the belt. Her body ached, her joints begging to be moved. Slowly, Alex unwound the belt from her hands. Her fingers were purple from the blood flow being cut off. She shook them and then almost cried out as they began to tingle painfully.

  "Lewis! Man, the Noble Lord is back. We gotta get that woman out of there. Zip it up!" A guard's voice came from the closed door.

  Alex began to panic again. Her eyes flew wildly around the room, looking for any escape. The one window in the room was boarded and she ran to it. Knowing she was on the first floor, she knew if she could get the boards off the window, she could escape. The guards outside weren't anything she couldn't handle on her own. She just needed to be out in the open. Outside she could easily find something to use as a weapon. She could run away as far as possible from the brothel. The Noble Lord would never find her. And if he did, she would be with her family. He wouldn't get his hands on her.

  At the window she inspected the wood planks. They were nailed in multiple places along the windowsill. She slid her tingling fingers between two of the boards and tried to grip one of the barriers. With all of her strength she yanked back on the board. It didn't budge. Her will to escape wouldn't allow her to give up. She gritted her teeth and threw her whole body backward. Two more yanks and the board made a groaning noise. Alex froze, wondering how loud the sound really was. In her head it sounded like a gunshot, however, in reality the sound didn't bring any guards running.

  When the first board broke free from the windowsill, the cracking of the wood was louder, and Alex coughed trying to cover up the sound.

  "Lewis, don't be playing any sick games with her. If you leave any marks on her neck, the Noble Lord will know something happened," The guard yelled again.

  Alex snickered to herself, thinking
that guard was going to be surprised to find that she wasn't the one being choked. Turning back to the window Alex felt tears well in her eyes. What she hadn't seen originally was the boards on the outside of the window as well. Breathing deeply, Alex wrestled her emotions back in check. Grabbing a second board on the inside she began to yank at it. She was sure this board took longer to come off, but when it did it was remarkably quieter. With two boards off on the inside, a space opened that Alex could fit through if she could get the outside boards off.

  "Who's using this room?"

  The voice made Alex's blood freeze. She felt the tears coming to her eyes again. With renewed vigor she began to push on the outside boards. They bent and groaned, but she wasn't making fast enough progress. The sound of the guard sputtering outside, trying to come up with a good excuse as to why he was guarding the room came through the closed door. Alex knew her time was coming to an end and she wasn't close to enough to escape.

  "Move aside, now," the voice demanded.

  Just as one of the boards on the outside of the window came free and bright sunlight burst into the room, the door opened and the Noble Lord stormed in. His eyes were furious, and Alex tried to shove herself through the space she knew was too small. Please, she begged in her mind. The Noble Lord only had to take three long strides across the room to grab Alex around the waist and haul her back from the window. The ragged wood scraped along the exposed skin of her back and arms as he yanked her. She tried to hold on to the wood, even when she knew it was futile. The Noble Lord ripped her free and flung her across the floor.

  Alex had never been thrown like a doll, but that was exactly how it felt. She flopped and hit the ground with a thud. The guard that had brought her to the room was roughly shoved into the room by another henchman. Alex didn't take time to notice any of them as she was trying to breathe through the pain of bouncing off the hardwood floor. Everyone was silent in the room and Alex realized they were taking in the scene of a dead Lewis and a partially opened window.

  "Get someone in here to fix this god damn window, before we have any walkers getting in. And have someone throw this piece of trash out front," the Noble Lord said, motioning to Lewis' body.

  The guards that were standing around, shook themselves from their shock and rushed to do as they were ordered. The Noble Lord then turned to the guard that had brought Alex to Lewis. His lip was slightly swollen from where Alex had bitten him. His face was white as a sheet as his leader walked up to him.

  "I was pretty clear with my orders in regard to her, wasn't I?"

  "Sir, it was Lewis' idea," the guard stammered.

  "Is, or should I say was, Lewis the leader of this state?" The Noble Lord said. His voice was cold as ice.

  "No, sir."

  "You know the punishment for disobeying. Take him to the balcony. Call an assembly," the Noble Lord said to the henchman holding the guard.

  "Sir, please, no. I'm sorry. I made a mistake. I can be loyal. It was stupid," the guard said, blubbering through tears that started to show on his face.

  "Get him out of my sight. And make sure she's there," the Noble Lord said, pointing to Alex.

  She laid still on the ground, watching the whole interaction. When another guard stepped toward her, she began to scramble back, toward the window again. She knew it was futile, but she couldn't just lay down and obey. The guard grabbed her and yanked her to her feet. The movement caused her to cry out in pain, her hip feeling badly bruised, The Noble Lord turned and looked at her then, stalking back into the room. He grabbed her chin and forced her face up to look at him.

  "You saved me the trouble with Lewis, but I don't allow the women to kill my men. We'll think about an appropriate punishment later," he said, before he smashed his mouth against Alex's.

  He tasted of cigarettes and Alex fought to pull away. When he tried to force his tongue into her mouth, she made a move to bite him. He pulled back with a chuckle and looked at her without releasing her face.

  "You'll learn to submit; you might even enjoy being my pet. I'll treat you well if you behave."

  The Noble Lord turned and left and Alex was dragged along behind. Alex spit at the ground and she wished she could spit on the Noble Lord as he laughed at her. When they exited the room, the large ballroom was full of people. They didn't salute, yet stood at attention. The women stared at the ground, some completely nude from being with the men that paid for them. Alex wanted to scream at them, to fight, to have the strength in them to get away. But there was no escape for them all. In her mind, Alex vowed to change that. She would save as many of the women as she could.

  She was led back up the staircase that led to Coral's room. Instead of going to the room she was familiar with, the guard pushed her through a set of double doors. She had to shield her eyes from the sudden glare of sunlight. They were facing the street, above the front entrance of the building. Her eyes adjusted to the light and Alex began to study the balcony and what was nearby. Everything was a potential escape plan and she couldn't waste the chance to find a weak point. Her eyes fell on an old fire escape that seemed to be pulled up to the side of the balcony. She looked away from it before anyone caught her staring. She wondered to herself if the fire escape still worked and unfolded to the ground.

  Below them, the inhabitants and customers of the Dead Brothel filed out. Women were barefoot and had to gingerly step around the carcasses of the dead that littered the streets. Alex could see where Lewis' body had been thrown near his black van. She could see some of the men she remembered from his gang making their way to the van. Before the Noble Lord began to speak the van started and they drove off. Nearby the Noble Lord turned to whisper to a guard. The guard nodded and left the balcony. The Noble Lord made sure Alex couldn't hear, but she could assume the men were guilty by association. They knew it and took off before revenge could be exacted on them. The Noble Lord didn't take pity on anyone and Alex knew he sent men after the gang to bring them back for punishment.

  The murmur of voices halted immediately when the Noble Lord raised his hands. Alex was dumbstruck with how the man had so much power and yet he was nothing but a drug dealer. Everyone below lifted their eyes, waiting for his words. The Noble Lord waited, prolonging the attention he was receiving. Finally, he brought his hands down and spoke.

  "We don't have many rules here in The Noble Lord State," he began.

  Though Alex hated him she found herself riveted to hear him speak. It was a window into a psychotic head. And that window may give her insight into beating him.

  "I believe I lead using a fair rule, but also a strong hand," he continued.

  Alex looked down as a murmured reply rose to meet him. It was an agreement, a thank you, a worship of a man that rose himself into status.

  "With that strong hand, I find there are times I must discipline even the most beloved of my children. Please, always remember, I do not take joy in this discipline."

  His children? Alex thought. She realized the man thought of himself more as a god than just a leader of men. While he tried to claim he didn't enjoy hurting the people, Alex could see glee in his eyes as he turned with a blade in his hand. The guilty guard struggled against those that held him. He sobbed roughly, begging the Noble Lord to spare him. He was pushed to the balcony edge, on display for all.

  "When those I trust the most do not follow my word, they can no longer wander my land," the Noble Lord said.

  Everything seemed to happen quicker than Alex would have guessed. The next steps were clearly planned and rehearsed. One guard stood behind the guilty man, grabbing his forehead and yanking his head back while another forced his mouth open for the Noble Lord. Once in position, the Noble Lord reached into the man's mouth and grasped his tongue. Using his hunting knife, he sawed through the man's tongue. The screams that came from the man's throat were inhuman. Alex bent at the waist, covering her ears against the painful sounds. The Noble Lord took the tongue and turned to the crowd.

  "The tongue is taken, to pre
vent further lies, here or in the afterlife," he said.

  To Alex's horror, the crowd cheered as the tongue was flung into the outstretched hands. She shook her head in disbelief. Were these people faking their adoration of the Noble Lord, or were they all just as twisted as he was? The Noble Lord then turned back to the guilty man, who now had blood dripping down his face. His noises no longer made sense and he was no longer fighting the hands that held him. The Noble Lord reached up with his knife and cleanly removed one ear and then the other.

  Alex couldn't take any more. She turned to run, run anywhere she could get. A guard blocked her path and forced her to turn back. Bile rose in Alex's throat and there was no stopping it. She turned away and cowered in a corner as her stomach contents emptied onto the balcony ground. The guard left her there, not wanting to deal with the vomit or smell. Alex would have bathed in it if that would have stopped anyone from touching her. She squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears, trying to block out the evil that was happening feet away from her.

  "The ears are taken, as their purpose was never fulfilled," the Noble Lord bellowed. The rising cheer after his voice told Alex he probably threw the ears to the crowd.

  Moments passed and Alex was suddenly grasped and pulled to her feet. She pivoted, ready to fight the guard that had grabbed her. Instead, she was face to face with the Noble Lord. His eyes were bright and wild, his face flush with pure sadistic joy. He pushed her to the edge of the balcony to stand next to the now disfigured man. Her feet felt sticky and when she looked down, she realized she was standing in the man's blood. The Noble Lord held her by the back of her head and forced her to look up over the crowd.