Chapter 20
Far into the distance, I spot metal bars. I hand Heather the taser.
“Do not fucking tase me. I want you to have this, in case you need it to protect yourself.”
I flash her a glare in warning. “Against anyone other than me.”
Do I completely trust this crazy woman Bianca seems to have become close with? Not a fucking chance. Crazy recognizes crazy. And I fucking recognize hers.
She rolls her eyes at me as we approach the hallway housing the cells.
I rise to my feet and charge at the man I see standing, appearing to be watching something, and strike him on the back of his head with the baton, catching him before he falls and makes noise.
I quickly flip him over to his back, and stab him in the throat with my shank, to prevent sound that might alert Alexsander to our presence.
Turning to Heather, I speak in a hushed voice, “We’re going to need to be quick and quiet. If he knows we’re coming, he will kill her.”
“I think I should go alone,” she says.
This time I roll my eyes, because that’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard.
She places her hands on her hips again while scowling at me. This woman has a serious attitude problem.
“Just listen to me, Raven. Stop being such a man. He will think I came alone, because I already demanded to know where she was, and if she was okay. The sick bastard will think he gets two women to torture instead of one. I can keep him busy, and that will give you an opportunity to get in undetected.”
Fuck. Her plan may work, but I’m not sure she has factored in the danger she’s inserting herself into.
“Do you have any idea what he’ll do to you?”
She shrugs her shoulders as if it’s no problem.
“Do you have any idea what my own family has done to me, Raven? Trust me, it can’t be any worse than being violated in order to ‘please God’.”
That’s really fucked up, and I don’t have a clue how to respond, so I don’t.
“If this is how you want to play this, I’ll agree to it. Just know I can’t guarantee nothing will happen to you when you go in there.”
Her lips pull up into a sadistic grin.
“I’d be more worried about him if I were you.”
I grab the single key off the dead guy and hand it to her.
“Either this key works for all the cells, or we may be entirely fucked.”
She tucks the taser into the front of her pants, and turns to walk down the hallway to find her friend.
“Be careful, this is dangerous.”
She sing-songs something about laughing at danger. Isn’t that from the Lion King? Here we are in the basement in an insane asylum, and this woman is quoting Disney.
She glances at me over her shoulder. “Wait ten minutes.”
“Hey, wait.” I stop her, curious about something.
“You haven’t known Bianca for long. Why would you risk this?”
This time, her smile is soft and thoughtful.
“I saw her, and she saw me. We are the same, her and I. We never should’ve been here. Whether she killed her husband or not, she’s not crazy. And neither am I. We’re pissed. We are women, hear us roar.”
Heather giggles softly, turns, and walks down the narrow hallway. I believe she’s probably a victim of something, but that doesn’t make her not crazy. This bitch is nuts, and I’ll have to watch her around Bianca.
I watch as she approaches the last cell on the right. She opens the door made of bars, and says, “There you two are. I was lonely.”
Moving around the corner, I hide for a few minutes, anticipating that Dr. Death might check to see if she’s alone.
“Why are you here?” Alexsander growls furiously, and I know it’s time to get down there, before he kills one or both of them.
Bianca, if she’s alive, will never forgive me if I allow Heather to get killed while trying to save her.
I fight the urge to whistle as I walk down the hallway.
I don’t really know why I do it, I always have.
My father did it, so maybe it’s a learned behavior.
I stop, wringing the water out from the bottom of my pants, to avoid any sloshing noises to give me away, before continuing toward the open cell.
The sound of a strangled scream sounds out, and then a thud.
I pick up my pace and find Alexsander on the floor, naked, and Heather has the taser on his nuts.
She doesn’t let up, even when I enter. The smell assaults me as I take a quick look around, and notice dead bodies hanging from hooks, missing parts, as if Darren got to them.
Again, she tases him, and I smile to myself.
She may be more helpful than I initially thought.
As entertaining as that is, it isn’t what draws my complete attention.
Bianca sits naked on the bed. She has lost so much weight her ribs stick out. Her face is covered in blood, as she licks furiously at what appears to be chocolate pudding. Even with Heather in here, she doesn’t stop eating it.
“Bianca?” I say, trying to get her attention.
She looks up mid lick and meets my gaze.
“I know it has cum in it, Raven. I’m not an idiot. I don’t fucking care. I’m hungry.”
Fuck. Of course, we should’ve brought food, and I didn’t even think about it. What the hell is wrong with me?
I move to her slowly, and sit beside her on the bed as I inspect her face.
“Why is there blood on your face? Are you hurt?”
She shakes her head and lifts her gaze to mine.
“That’s from the human heart I had to eat. It was raw and bloody.”
I open my mouth to speak, but she stops me.
“Don’t you dare judge me, Raven. You don’t know. I would’ve eaten Marie, but she’s my friend.”
I wonder momentarily who the fuck Marie is, but don’t bother asking.
Reaching my hand up to touch her face, she flinches, so I retract my hand.
“Do you have clothes, Bianca? I’m going to take care of him, and then we’re leaving.”
She puts her pudding on the bed, and covers her chest with a shocked expression on her face, as if she’s just figuring out that she’s naked.
“In my other cell. This isn’t my room.”
I glance around the room quickly, taking in the dead bodies hanging from the ceiling, and am grateful this isn’t where she’s spent all her time.
“We’ll go to that cell so we can get your clothes. This one fucking stinks like dead meat.”
Rising from the bed, I walk over to Heather and instruct her.
“Put the fucking taser away, you goddamn heathen. Help Bianca. Stay with her, while I drag this asshole to her other cell.”