22. Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Two
Victoria
W aking with a start, my heart pounding as I’m trying to shake off the lingering tendrils of a nightmare. Fragments of hazy, disjointed images keep flashing through my mind - hands on my skin, teeth at my throat, a voice whispering dark promises. I shudder, attempting to push the disturbing thoughts away.
As I sit up, wincing at the lingering soreness in my body, I try to piece together how much time has passed since Elijah's last visit. Without any windows or clocks, it’s impossible to tell if hours or days have gone by. The uncertainty is gnawing at me, adding to my growing sense of disorientation.
Running my fingers through my tangled hair, grimacing as I catch one of the knots on my fingers. As I become more alert, I realize something’s different about my cell. There’s a small tray near the door with what looks like food and water. My stomach growls at the sight, reminding me how long it has been since I'd eaten.
Cautiously, I approach the tray. There’s a bottle of water, an apple, and what appears to be a sandwich wrapped in plastic. I hesitate, wondering if it could be drugged. But at this point, refusing food and water will only weaken me further. I need to keep up my strength.
I take a small sip of water first, waiting to see if I’m going to have any reaction. After being drugged once, I’m a bit apprehensive on what I consume now. Sitting here for a while and not feeling any different I let myself drink half the bottle of water before going to the food.
My mind’s wandering as I eat, trying to figure out some of the puzzles about this family. What’s their endgame here? Why go through all this elaborate testing just to find a wife? And why me? There must be more to it than what they’re telling us.
I finish the food, and I blink as I sigh, putting the empty bottle and apple core on the tray before moving back to the corner that I have been keeping to myself since being placed in the cell.
As I let my mind wander with questions and theories, what is the true purpose behind these tests? Are they really just looking for wives, or is there something more sinister at play? The elaborate nature of it all seems extreme for something as simple as matchmaking.
Thinking back over my interactions with the brothers, I’m trying to piece together any clues I might have missed. Their possessive behavior, the talk of family traditions, the hints about secrets I don't know yet - it all points to something bigger than just finding brides.
But what? Some kind of cult? A human trafficking ring? My imagination is conjuring increasingly dark scenarios, each more unsettling than the last. I shake my head, trying to clear the paranoid thoughts. I need to stay focused and rational if I’m going to survive this.
Just then, the cell door opens. I tense, wondering which of the brothers it would be this time. Owen steps inside, eyes surveying me with an unreadable expression.
"Time for the next test," he announces, his voice neutral. "Are you ready?"
I eye him warily, pushing myself to my feet. He’s usually more talkative. I wonder if something’s happened. Once again, I shake the thoughts away, "Do I have a choice?"
A small smirk tugs at Owen's lips. "Not really, no, but your attitude will determine how difficult this one is."
Taking a deep breath, squaring my shoulders, "Fine. What fresh hell do you have planned this time?"
Owen's eyes glint with amusement. "Oh, you'll see soon enough. This one is... special." He produces a blindfold from his pocket. I tense, taking an instinctive step back.
"Is that really necessary?" I ask, hating how uncertain my voice sounds but I know that it isn’t going to help me. He raises an eyebrow, silently giving me my answer as I slump my shoulders, letting him step forward, and put the blindfold on me.
I tense as Owen secures the blindfold over my eyes, plunging me into darkness. His fingers linger for a moment at the nape of my neck, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine. I can hear Owen's steady breathing, smell his faint cologne.
"There we go," he murmurs, his breath warm against my ear. "Now, let's get you to the testing area." He takes my arm, guiding me out of the cell. I stumble slightly as we move, disoriented without my sight. Owen's grip tightens, steadying me.
"Careful now," he says, a hint of amusement in his voice. "We wouldn't want you to get hurt before the test even begins."
I bit back a retort, focusing instead on trying to map our route in my head. Left turn, straight for about twenty paces, right turn... But it’s useless. The twists and turns quickly became disorienting. After what feels like several minutes of walking, we come to a stop.
"We're here," Owen announces, breath coming from beside my ear, “I am going to open the door then I’m going to lead you to a seat…don’t try anything.” I stay still hearing a door open, then a hand on my arm, guiding me forward until I feel my knees hit a chair. Hands-on my shoulders gently push me to sit down. I do so, shifting slightly in the chair and hearing the creaking of wood under me. I can hear the sniffs of crying from the other girls around me.
I tense when I feel something ruff go around my torso. Wanting to jump up and run, but instead stay still as Owen chuckles, “Behave. I have to tie you up, don’t move.” I stay still as I’m being tied up by Owen. Anxiety fills me as I try not to squirm in my seat.
“Don’t even try it.” I jump hearing Elijah’s voice now. I don’t know who else is here around us, but I feel whatever’s tying me to the chair tighten before my blindfold comes off. I blink rapidly, letting my eyes adjust to the dim lighting.
Taking a deep breath, I keep trying to move from where I’m tied to the chair. I can tell this test is going to be something big as I look at Amy, over to Jennifer and then to Cami. We’re all in similar positions. Each of them has someone different behind them, like they’re there to guard them. I know better than that. There’s unease swelling in my stomach as I look around the room.
The room’s mostly empty. It has chairs for each of us and one long table stretched out in front of the chairs about fifteen feet away. What really grabs my attention are the straps on the table. I can feel the color slowly drain from my face as I glance over to Elijah who’s been watching my every move. He gives me a small smirk before breaking eye contact with him and returning to survey the room. The only other things in the room are a counter, sink, and tools of all kinds hanging on the wall.
What’s happening is all I silently keep wondering, my muscles tensing. I know today is going to be a big test, because of Elijah’s words ringing in my head from yesterday
“Now that everyone is almost here… let's go over what’s going to happen.” Elijah says with eyes cold as he looks over everyone. His smile is dark as he slowly looks at each one of us.
“You are going to sit here, and you are going to watch this. You can’t look away. I will also recommend that you try not to get sick. None of us want to clean up the mess.” Elijah looks to the door and then the screaming starts.
It’s Amber. She’s being dragged in, and I can see her fighting, but it’s not phasing Owen or Jasper, who’s bringing her in. It’s easy to see that Jasper’s far from happy with the way he’s sneering down at the pink haired girl.
“Since she kindly volunteered herself yesterday after trying to escape,” he pauses, his green eyes looking into my own as a cruel smirk spreads over his lips, “She will show you what may become of you if you try the same thing.”
I can feel my heart racing as I watch Amber being strapped down to the table. Her screams are echoing through the room. The other girls are whimpering and crying, but I’m forcing myself to remain outwardly calm, even as dread pools in my stomach.
Elijah's eyes meet mine again, and his cruel smirk’s still playing on his lips. "Pay close attention, ladies. This is what happens to those who disobey."
Jasper steps forward, a wicked gleam in his eyes as he picks up a small saw from the nearby tray of instruments. My breath catches in my throat as he approaches Amber, who’s still strapped down while thrashing and screaming on the table.
"Let me go, you fucking psychos!" Her screams are full of terror, filling her voice as she tries to fight harder to break free from the restraints, "I'll kill all of you!"
Jasper backhands her hard across the face. "Shut up," he snarls, eyes wild, “Or I’ll cut out your tongue first.” A shiver of fear goes down my spine at this. I haven’t seen any of them like this, which sends a new wave of fear spreading through my bod
Amber falls silent, a red mark blooming on her cheek. Tears are streaming down her face as her eyes dart frantically around the room, landing on each of us tied to our chairs. "Help me!" she pleaded. "Please, don't just sit there!"
Averting my eyes, I’m unable to look at the desperation written on her face. What can we do? We’re all restrained, helpless to stop whatever’s about to happen. Glancing at the other girls; Jennifer’s quietly sobbing, her body shaking. Cami has gone deathly pale, her eyes huge behind her glasses. Amy’s biting her lip so hard I can see blood.
"Please, no! I'm sorry, I won't try to escape again! Please don't do this!" Amber begs, her voice hoarse from screaming. I know whatever she has to say isn’t going to help. I’m keeping my gaze down, not wanting to see but Elijah comes up behind me, grabs me behind the head and makes me look forward. Not letting me escape the sight.
I tried to jerk my head away but Elijah's grip was firm, forcing me to watch as Jasper approached Amber with the saw.
"No – no – no, please!" Amber shrieks. Her pleas turn to agonizing screams as Jasper begins to slowly drag the saw back and forth across her skin. Making sure to go slow through the finger bone, as if he wants to cause her more pain. Blood’s welling up around the blade.
Squeezing my eyes shut, unable to watch, Elijah's voice hisses in my ear: "Eyes open, darling. You don't want to miss this lesson." My stomach churns at his words but I know I can't show weakness. Elijah's fingers are twisted in and are firmly gripping my hair, holding my head in place.
Reluctantly, I force my eyes open once again. I take a shuttering breath trying to keep the tears I want to let fall, at bay.
"Now, let's start with something simple." Jasper says, his voice deceptively calm… but I can see the glee in his eyes as he looks Amber over. "A finger or two should do nicely to start."
Amber's screams reach a higher pitch as Jasper grabs her left hand, pinning it to the table. The saw blade glints in the harsh light as he positions it over her index finger.
"No, please!" Amber sobs. "I'll do anything, just don't—"
Amber's screams turn into choking sobs as Jasper continues sawing. Blood started pooling on the table beneath her. The metallic scent filling the air, making my stomach roll. Her agonizing shrieks echo around as Jasper lets one of the fingers drop to the floor.
“One down… I think we should do a couple more just for good measures,” Jasper’s almost purring as he begins to repeat the process. It’s obvious he’s enjoying this. I realize he’s a bit on the crazier side than the others, but this is something else entirely. Watching two more fingers drop onto the ground, someone I don’t recognize came in, picking them up, setting them in a bowl on the table close to where all the tools are. Averting my eyes back to Amber who’s sobbing, eyes glazed over.
“Now to the main course,” Jasper laughs, as he, puts the saw down, repositions himself and then sits down. He gives a bigger grin as he picks up what looks like a butcher’s knife.
Breathing through my nose, as I try to keep my breathing as even as I can to keep the bile from coming up my throat. The hands on the side of my head are keeping my head facing forward. Amber’s screaming once again ringing in my head.
The ropes tying me to the old wooden chair don’t help my stiff body as I try not to flinch when flesh was cut, blood pooling onto the floor as tendons and bone were shown, and another blood-curdling scream echoes around the room.
I can hear one of the other girls mutter an ‘ oh god…’ before the sounds of someone puking is heard. I'm trying to block the sounds out, my own stomach wanting to do the same thing as they butcher the woman.
“Well, that won’t do.” A voice mutters from the side of me. I know that voice. ‘Owen’ . I have a feeling they’re talking about whoever just puked their guts out. I’m silently praying for whoever it was and that she doesn’t end up on the table next. Out of the six girls that had started here, there were only four left… and that’s including myself.
Breathing through my nose, I’m trying to keep myself from thinking about what could happen to me if I don’t keep passing these ‘tests’. I manage to block out the screams of horror from the girls who are also tied down to chairs being forced to watch another being butchered like cattle. Skillfully and with purpose. My stomach turns again at this… something digging at the back of my mind, but I quickly push it down, not wanting to deal with it at this moment in time.
I know that I’m well-liked by those four, but what if I end up doing something to make that change? Could I end up just like that by the end of all this? I'm yanked out of my dazed thoughts as I hear the cold voice of Elijah break through the protective fog that has enveloped my mind.
“I think we’ve seen enough.” Still being forced to keep my eyes forward, I see that with one final swipe of the knife, Amber’s head is off. The head hitting the ground makes a thunking sound before it rolls a few feet till coming to rest in front of me.
My eyes don’t move from the glazed look of horror on Amber’s face – it’ll forever be stuck like that now that she was dead. The person behind me releases my head, making me catch myself before my head drops in shock at what’s going on around me.
I hear Elijah moving in the direction of Amber and say something before hearing the sounds of metal. I must have zoned out until I saw blood-covered boots step in front of my line of vision, a hand taking my chin and titling my face up, those green eyes staring down at me. I make my body sit still as I feel the wet substance on his hands, which is now on my face. My stomach turns as a drop of blood runs down my cheek. Blood from Amber– whom they just butchered.
I feel so sick. I didn’t like her, but I didn’t want her to be killed like that. Why? I just don’t understand any of this.
“Well now, aren’t you a strong one darling?” Elijah’s voice drawls, keeping my chin in his grip. His dark green eyes look to be searching for something as he keeps me in place. A smile stretching across his face as he moves his thumb from my chin, running the blood-covered appendage across my lips. I just sit still, my gaze on his own mischievous one, before he moves back away from me.
“Good girl,” he whispers, before going to the others who’ve all been watching our interaction. I didn't say anything or move to wipe the blood off my lips, having a feeling if I did so it would make them disprove.
I sat rigidly in the chair, trying to process the horror I had just witnessed. The metallic scent of blood hung heavy in the air, mixing with the acrid smell of vomit from one of the other girls, making my stomach churn. I can still feel the sticky wetness of Amber's blood on my face where Elijah touched me.
Beside me, Jennifer was sobbing uncontrollably. Cami has gone deathly pale, her eyes wide and glassy. Amy was violently trembling, her chin and shirt covered in vomit. That’s when I realize she's the one who threw up earlier.
Elijah moves between us, examining our reactions with cold calculation. When he reaches Amy, his lip curls in disgust.
"Pathetic," he spat, eyes blazing. "Take her to clean up. We'll deal with her... weakness, later." Two men I don't recognize step forward to untie Amy and drag her from the room. Not before I heard one with copper hair mutter, "This test is one of the ones I hate cleaning up after.”
Once again forcing myself to take slow, measured breaths through my mouth, to fight against the nausea that is threatening to overwhelm me. I can’t afford to show weakness now. Especially not after what I’ve just seen happen to Amber… and what might happen to Amy from how Elijah’s reacting.
“You think she is alright?” I could hear Marcus speak up. I wasn’t focusing on him though… or any of them. I was overwhelmed. I didn’t know how to react right now.
This family is something out of nightmares. It’s at this very moment I’m wondering if not being killed was more of a punishment. Will I be able to survive if I got through all these tests and if I do, will I be able to live with myself?
“Why don’t one of you take her back to her cell. Let her sleep it off.” Owen’s voice cuts in. I’m able to hear them but I feel like I’m frozen in my own body.
“She’s in a bit of shock. We shouldn’t be too surprised. Marcus… Jasper, why don’t you two take her together. Stay with her if you want. Owen and I will go talk to grandfather… and see about what we are doing next.” Elijah spoke next, keeping his voice soft as I felt a hand gently petting my hair.
Blinking a few times, I meet his green eyes, “Now be a good girl and let Jasper and Marcus take you to lay down.” Elijah gives me a small smirk, before letting his hand fall from my hair and nodding to his two younger brothers.
“Take care of her. She should snap out of it soon.” Owen says as I feel a blindfold placed around my head to cover my eyes. I let it happen, not saying or doing anything, even as I’m being lifted into strong arms. I don't pay attention to anything else they’re saying as I lean against a hard chest. I start seeing spots right before darkness took me.