Torment

by R. S. Broadhead

  “Where do we go?” I asked, looking down. There was no way to climb this without something tied around me. The next mountain was too far over, and there was no bridge connecting the two.

  “We jump,” he replied with a wink. He took his shirt off and threw it to the ground. He was cut, extremely cut. His abs paved the way for his V-cuts. His black drawstring pants hung to his hips, and I couldn’t help to but stare. I cleared my throat, attempting to collect my thoughts even though he was making it extremely difficult.

  I peeked over the edge again, trying to get over my momentary distraction of his flawless physique. “What do you mean, jump? That will kill us!”

  “Nah. We’re good. We’ve done it hundreds of times and haven’t lost one yet. Although Zeke, the one with the bad haircut, may have lost a couple of screws, but it hasn’t been anything serious yet.” I stared at him without blinking. “I’m kidding, Reese!”

  I licked my lips and bit at the lower one. I looked back over the edge again. It seemed even higher now that I knew I had to jump off it.

  “Well, why are you taking all your clothes off?” I asked, trying not to look at his body again. The pants had come off, and he was now standing in fitted briefs. He bent to pick up his clothes and shoved them into the bag he carried.

  “When you get in water with all kinds of clothes on, it makes it a little harder to swim and get to where you gotta go. You can jump off in your clothes and that cloak. I’m not saying you can’t, but it’ll probably make it hard as shit. If you wanna take them off, you can put them in my bag, and I’ll hold them for you.” I thought about it, and despite the voice in my head telling me to jump in with everything I owned on, I knew that wasn’t the most logical choice.

  I felt myself blush in embarrassment. “Okay,” I said softly.

  “Cool. I’ll be back in just a minute.”

  “Wait! Where are you going?” I lurched forward on shaky legs, grabbing his bare shoulder. Despite not having fully made up my mind on him, I still didn’t want to be out here alone again.

  His eyebrows rose as he smiled. “I’m going to take a leak. Unless you want me to just whip it out and piss in front of you.” My cheeks burned again, and I shook my head. I used the opportunity alone to undress. I pulled the cloak off and let it hit the ground. It felt like a weight lifted off me. I pulled the shirt over my head and unbuttoned my pants, pushing them to my ankles.

  “All right, let’s get moving. We still got …” he trailed off when he looked up from his bag. It was uncomfortable standing in front of a stranger in my bra and panties. I put my arms across my chest. “We still got a pretty good ways to go before we get there. Do you want me to put your stuff in here?” He kept his eyes focused on the ground.

  “Yes, please.” I bent over, gathering everything from the ground and handed it to him. “Is it cold?” Raw fear made my hands tremble. I couldn’t stop the thought of jumping to my death from evading my mind.

  “It hasn’t been. It’s actually pretty nice to swim in. Maybe I’ll take you one day.”

  “I don’t know if that would be such a good idea. I didn’t come here for leisurely shooting the shit days.” I didn’t mean it to sound as harsh as it did.

  He rubbed his neck slightly and nodded. “Gotcha. Well, we better get you to where you need to be. There’s a lot depending on you right now.” I grabbed his arm before he could jump. He turned to look at me. “What?”

  With a heart plummeting grimace, I struggled to ask my next question. “What kind of stuff is depending on me?” It was hard to control my voice from shaking.

  “Oh, you know, like the end of the world and your friends and family dying. Stuff like that.” My mouth dropped, and I stumbled back away from him. He put his hands on my elbows to steady me. “I thought you could handle that. I’m sorry. You just acted like you were so ready for all this and hard up just now …” I was disgusted with myself for letting him see me weak. I had come across the world, alone. What did I think I was going to find at the end of this journey? Cookies and coffee? I could almost hear her screaming at me on the inside. The part of me that was cold and emotionless. I had to push her down. Bad things happened when she took over.

  “It’s fine. I just wasn’t expecting all that. Let’s get this over with, even though I’m about to shit myself I’m so scared.” His concerned look washed away.

  “No reason. Just remember I’m here with you. Do you want to hold my hand or somethin’?” I laughed at him. It was time to redeem myself. I slapped his hand away and tore off to the edge of the cliff, leaping over. I was weightless as I fell to the water below. I blasted into the surface with a force that pained my entire body. The jagged rock came at me fast. I fought to stop, but my speed sent me straight into it and bounced me off, headfirst, into another rock. I tried to focus, but everything was so blurry. I closed my eyes and drifted away.

  ***

  “Reese! Reese!” I heard my name being shouted. Someone jerked at my face and placed their lips on mine. I cracked my eyes.

  “There you are sleepy head. I’ve been trying to wake you for hours. You were really out of it.” His messy blond hair was sticking up in every direction. The sun kissed his face, warming it in a soft yellow glow. We were lying in my old bed at my apartment, the pink comforter tucked around me as he leaned over me, shirtless.

  “Ollie?” I could barely get his name out. It hurt to say it out loud. “You’re here?” He laughed at me, his perfect smile just as bright as I remembered.

  “Where else would I be? I’m gonna be with you wherever you are.” I put a hand over my head and blinked away tears. I couldn’t believe he was here with me. It must have been a horrible dream. I touched his face and rubbed across the slight stubble.

  “Kiss me, Ollie. You’ve got no idea what I dreamed about us.” I closed my eyes waiting on his lips to cure the cravings I had for him. I wanted him so badly.

  “Reese … what are you doing? Why?” I opened my eyes to find his face etched in pain. He rolled off me and hit the ground with a thud. His back had a deep wound that gushed blood. I shoved the covers off me and fell off the bed. My throat ached at the fear crawling through me. I didn’t notice the blade until my knees hit the ground. It bounced from my hand and crashed into the wall. It, along with my hand, was covered in blood. I couldn’t see him clearly anymore. The tears blinded me.

  “Oh, to see you in pain, it makes my fuckin’ day,” she laughed. Through my blurred vision I glanced up at myself sitting on my dresser above us. The black veins pulsated under her skin. She raised the hand covered in blood, Steele’s blood, and licked it.

  “Why can’t I remember him any other time?” I asked, confused.

  “You can remember things when I want you to. Like … when it benefits me to torture you. I have control over your memories.”

  “I hate you! Why won’t you just leave me alone?” I cried. I rubbed my hand across Ollie’s lifeless body.

  “I hate you, too. Don’t you think I get sick of being stuck inside such a coward? It grosses me out. It’s a shame. I could do so much more damage and fun things if you would just let me take over.” She jumped off the dresser and picked up the blade, running her finger down it.

  “Why did you do this to him? He never did anything to you.”

  She laughed. “I didn’t do anything to him. You’re the one who got him killed. If you would’ve just let that limp dick, Sim Baker go, then none of this would’ve happened. You wouldn’t even have to be dealing with me right now. Just think, the two of you would probably actually be laying in that bed right now instead of you struggling for consciousness.” She lunged at me, shoving me back and putting the knife against my throat. “This is what you will have to live with for the rest of your life if you don’t just give in. His blood on your hands.” She pointed back at Ollie, her eyes never leaving mine.

  “No. Please, stop.”

  “You feel how bad that hurts? It hurts deep down in your gut, doesn’t it?” She dro
ve the knife into my stomach. I grabbed her hand, frantically trying to get her to pull it out, but she kept twisting. “Now wake up, bitch, before you die.” Her face morphed. It turned into little white worms, maggots, and started dropping onto my face. I shrieked and pushed away.

  “Get away from me!” I jerked my head back and flung my arms.

  “Reese, it’s only me,” Harley said. He grabbed my arms and pinned them to the ground. He came into focus and I felt a wave of relief.

  “What happened?” I asked, looking around. He sat up and gently pulled me with him.

  “You must’ve hit your head. I was going to tell you not to jump in that part, but you had to be the badass and go before I could. You better be glad that’s all that happened. You could’ve very easily been killed. Were you having a dream or somethin’?”

  I rubbed my head. “I don’t remember. All I know was somethin’ freaked me out. And didn’t I say I didn’t know who this Reese was? Why do you keep calling me that?” He rolled his eyes and stood up.

  “Because that’s your name. Don’t be so damn hardheaded. We’re the ones that are gonna help you so just suck it up.” I wanted to argue back but my head pounded. I threw in the towel and nodded. “Good. Are you okay with walking, or do you want me to carry you?” I cocked my head up at him, and he gave me a stern expression.

  “I’m a little dizzy,” I admitted.

  “Not a problem. Crawl on my back and I’ll carry you until you feel like you can walk.” He reached a hand down and I took it, letting him pull me up. He repositioned his bag across his front and squatted so I could jump on.

  “Shouldn’t we put our clothes back on first?” I asked, taking a step away from his muscular back, dripping with water.

  He looked over his shoulder. “I can give you yours back if you want, but mine are staying off until I dry some. I hate clothes sticking to me.”

  “Oh … can I at least have my shirt?” I asked. He dropped the bag and dug my shirt out. I slipped it back on. The cotton stuck to me uncomfortably, but at least some of my body was covered. He repositioned himself for me to ride on his back. I jumped on, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. He held onto my thighs as he trotted into a cave.

  Light seeped in up ahead like a fog pooling on the ground. I could almost count time to a repetitive drip. Its gentle sound started becoming a thundering bass inside my head, jumbling my emotions. I hated it being so quiet. Things always had a way of emerging when your mind let go and relaxed. I closed my eyes, trying to focus on Harley. His skin was cool yet burning hot to the point of sweating on the parts my body touched. The muscles in his back and sides flexed and relaxed as he walked through the dark toward the light.

  We stopped, and he let go of my thighs, the cool air hitting the spots his touch left, as if taunting me. “We have to go down again,” Harley said. A small opening in the top of the cave illuminated an opening, descending well beyond where the lights carried. Looking over my shoulder, Harley stood in my way of going back the other direction. It was bad enough I had to jump off a cliff into water and nearly drown, but now I had to scale down the side of a cave into the black unknown? I backed against the wall, trying to keep my knees from exposing that I was absolutely terrified. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice calm and soothing, like he was speaking directly to my emotions. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise. You’ll go down with me.” Tingles of anxiety seeped through me and then released, leaving a blissful calming sensation. How was he doing this to me? He held a hand out. It was my decision to trust him. He was leaving that to me. I placed my hand in his. A current ran up my arm, like electricity, leaving me breathless. I gasped and found the same look of amazement etched in his features. My hand felt small and fragile in his grasp, but strong and powerful at the same time. Like everything about me was radiating into him, and everything about him was radiating into me. He pulled me over to the edge, never letting go.

  I stole a glance down the never-ending hole when he dropped my hand to reach into his bag. He pulled out two harnesses and began strapping one around his body. After he was done, he reached around me, his mouth close to my ear, his warm breaths made goose bumps prick over my skin. “This may be a little uncomfortable, but I’m going to need you to straddle me when we go down.” Judging from my expression, he knew how nervous I was about that. “This isn’t a way to grope on you or anything. I just need you sitting this way so I’ll have more control over us going down safely.”

  “Let’s do this,” I said, trying to sound as confident as I hoped I looked. The corners of his mouth pulled back in a bright smile, illuminating his perfectly white teeth, causing dimples to set in. Nervous knots filled my insides as I threw my legs over him, suddenly becoming aware of how I must smell. I had been on the road for days with only washing off in bathrooms or creeks. The horror his nose was probably undergoing now. He probably regretted his suggestion and would die from lack of clean air by the time we made it to the bottom. He locked me to him as I turned my head away from him.

  My stomach felt like it was in my throat as the darkness closed in around me when he descended over the edge. His arms tightened as he gripped the rope, slowly taking us farther and farther down.

  “How long do we have to do this?” I asked. I heard the quivering in my voice.

  “We don’t have much longer.” The deep gruffness of his voice vibrated my chest. I let out a deep breath, and rested my cheek against his neck. What had I gotten myself into?

  Chapter Twelve

  Shayla

  I sat, leaning against the wall of the camp. The Snake Demon was bound and gagged to a chair in front of me. Our eyes had been locked for the last hour like we were engaged in an intense staring contest. I fingered one of the guns we’d found at what was left of the training camp. An internal battle was taking place. One half of me wanted to put a bullet through him. After all, he would heal, and the other half wanted to see if we could actually get any useful information from him.

  “How long are you gonna sit there and stare at him?” Lance asked, coming back in from the porch. His eyes danced between the two of us and the gun. “Planning on shooting him?” He flashed a lopsided grin before downing the last bit of sweet tea in his cup. If I didn’t need Lance so desperately, I probably would have shot him in the leg. They didn’t understand my reservations about this thing. All I could do was hope this wouldn’t backfire.

  Looking down at the floor, I mumbled, “Not unless I have a reason to.” That response got a rouse from our guest. Fervently, he shook his head, fighting to respond against the old, rag that smelled of Clorox.

  Lance crossed the room, went behind the counter, and tossed his drink into the sink. “It’ll be fine.” He leaned back against the surface, his fingers drumming against the tile.

  “What will be fine?” Abby asked as she burst through the door carrying several totes full of food. She stopped short and froze when she saw our new guest, making Masey crash into her back.

  “What gives?” Masey cried out, trying to catch a bag as it toppled out of her hands. Lance darted forward to help her pick up the items. She brushed back a strand of red hair as she turned in my direction from the floor. Her eyes glided over to the chair, making her drop the roll of toilet paper she held. “Is that what I think it is?”

  Forcing myself up, I joined them in the kitchen. “Yeah. It is. They wanted to bring him,” I said, motioning toward Lance and in the direction of the porch where Savannah was.

  “Gah! This place is small enough without everyone trying to congregate in the doorway. Move your asses, people,” Dax said, shoving Masey into Abby. Raven trailed behind him, carrying some computer equipment with wires draped around her neck.

  “Excuse me if we were a little in shock,” Abby said. She slugged him in the arm, making his face twist from pain. “We weren’t expecting a Snake Demon to be coming over for dinner.” Dax and Raven shot her confused looks before skimming the room to find what
she was referring to.

  “Why in the hell would you bring that thing back here?” Dax asked, directing the question toward me. Why did every stupid move have to be my doing? Yeah, most of the time it was, but not today. If anyone died from this, the blood wouldn’t be on my hands.

  Lance stepped in front of me, slightly puffing his chest out. “I was the one who wanted to bring him back. We need to see if we can find out if he knows anything.” He finished his statement with a head nod like he was approving his decision.

  “Well, we’re taking turns sitting up to watch it. Otherwise I won’t be sleeping in this house,” Raven said, casting one last look in its direction before stepping over the items Masey had dropped. “Who’s hungry? Dax ransacked his parent’s house since no one was home. We got some grub now.”

  “Let’s get it cooking then,” Lance said as he leaned over the sink to tap on the window. Savannah came back in, sliding the door closed behind her. “Everyone’s met our new friend.” She scuttled back against the wall as far from it as she could. Odd, Lance was the only one totally comfortable with this thing being here. Almost like it was old college buddy coming in for a quaint little visit. It pissed me off. He had no idea what this thing could do.

  “I’ll help cook,” I insisted, shoving Lance out of the kitchen. Raven and I started preparing a casserole while everyone else put the other items they’d brought in away.

  “Do we even know if it has a name?” Raven asked, leaning over against my shoulder.

  “No. I didn’t let him talk.” Without realizing it, I was mixing our ingredients together so harshly chunks were flying out of the dish. I stopped, my blood feeling jittery in my veins. This thing being here had me on edge. We needed to find out if he knew anything as soon as possible and get him away from here. I threw the dish into the oven and buttered pieces of bread for toast. Before all this started, cooking always made me forget whatever problems I had. Now, nothing worked. All I could think about was the thing behind me and what his kind did to Fuzz. My back went rigid as I stared at the casserole bubbling from the heat. It seemed to take an eternity for the buzzer to go off. “Get it out and carry it to the porch,” I commanded Raven as I snatched the plate of toast. “Everyone. Eat. Now.” I shoved everyone outside, sitting on the side of the table so I could see in.