Chapter 39
Torren
Doctor Franklin.
Real name: Henry Franklin Casmire.
Body will soon be donated to science if he doesn’t start answering questions.
Doctor Franklin squirms in his chair, tied at the wrists and ankles, blood pouring from the gash on his head. He’s a tough cookie to crack, but the cattle prod in Tobias’s hands might do the trick.
“Ah! P-please, I don’t know anything!”
Tobias pokes him again, and Doctor Franklin pisses himself. “Alright! Alright, please j-just stop.”
I step forward, crouching so that I’m eye-level. “What were you giving him?”
He looks at me with fear in his eyes. The smell of piss permeates the air, and his sniffling is getting on my nerves. “What were you giving him?”
He says nothing.
“Zap him.”
“No! It’s Agent B-B-B BZ.”
I turn to Elias, who shrugs. “What the fuck is that?” I ask.
“It was invented by the US in the 1960s. It was supposed to incapacitate enemy soldiers, but it was discontinued because it caused delirium and hallucinations.”
I grab him by the collar. “Why were you giving it to him?”
“It was for the wife. Hargrove wanted her out of the way. I-I don’t know why, I just took the money. He wanted to have her committed, but she…”
His voice trails off. “And you gave it to Felix, too.”
The sniveling fool snots all over his face. His eyes flash to the men behind me, as if any of them would help this piece of shit. I release his collar and pull out my gun and hold it to his head. “Where is he?”
“He was at their home on Mulberry Street,” he cries.
“Cops looked in there today. The place is empty.” Mac’s been stationed here at the club, listening to the scanners and communicating with men in the field.
I pull the safety lever, and Franklin howls at the sound of the click. “Where. Is. He?”
“P-p-please! I don’t know!”
“You have 3 seconds.”
“No! No!”
“1.”
“Please!”
“2.”
“HE TOOK HIM TO THE FAMILY CABIN! They had to move him when they called the police.”
I crouch before him again. “Where is it?”
“I don’t know,” he sobs. “They didn’t tell me.”
“Torren, give me your phone. I’ll call Lars.”
I toss Tobias my phone, then turn back to Doctor Franklin. “What does he want to do to Felix?”
Doctor Franklin lowers his head in shame. “They’re going to wait for the drugs to take effect fully. Hargrove wants Felix to kill himself.”
Hot blood surges through my veins as I pick up Doctor Franklin and the chair he’s tied to and throw them against the wall. The chair shatters, and he lands on the floor, screaming in pain. “Don’t let him leave,” I order Mac.
“I don’t think he’s getting up any time soon, boss man.”
Tobias whistles. “I’ve got the coordinates.” He tosses me the phone, and I look down to see the red dot on the map.
I’m moving before Tobias can say another word. “Mac, I’m sending you the coordinates by text. Send all Hellcats there, now!”
“On it!”
I run down the stairs and hear Tobias say, “We’ll get him, Torren. We will.”
We have to.
Felix
The sky is gorgeous. One half is a beautiful shade of purple, and the other is a bright orange. Navy blue clouds soar above me, and I’d give anything to be riding on one and not in the hands of the two monsters who carry me into our cabin.
I don’t know who they are—their faces look pale, red at the eyes, and blood pours from their mouths. Their claws dig into my legs and arms as they carry me, making the bugs under my skin scurry away. I hate when they all crawl at once.
The monster at my feet looks down on me. He resembles my father, but it’s not him. I’d recognize my father’s voice, but this creature who carries me has a voice so deep it hurts my ears.
“Drop him on the floor.”
I land with a thud, squashing thousands of bugs. The sounds I made as I hit the floor echo around me, their wavelengths in shades of red and black. The colors look mean. Haunting.
The other monster approaches. This one’s voice is high—like fingernails scratching a chalkboard. “It’s been over 7 hours.”
“Let’s unstrap him.”
The monster with the screechy voice approaches. “No! No, stay away! Don’t hurt the bugs!” I hate the way their carcasses collect in piles when they die inside me.
He grabs the straps on my jacket and unsnaps them. My arms fall to the sides, and I breathe a sigh of relief. He helps me out of the straitjacket, and I sit on the ground staring at the floor. The grains of wood wriggle toward me like worms.
I crawl back, screaming and crying because their little heads flash tiny fangs as they chase me. My back hits the wall, and I cover my eyes with my hands.
One of the creatures pulls my hands down, and I look up to see my father. It’s him! Is he here to help me?
“Felix, it’s your father. Do you see me?”
I do! I see him, and I nod. My eyes well up because I’m so happy to see someone I recognize. A peek to my left reveals Robert. He’s still an ass, but it’s nice to see a human nonetheless.
“Felix, are you seeing things?”
His question reminds me of the monsters. Soon, the floor grains move again, the worms snapping their little mouths at me.
I hide my face in my hands again, but Father pulls them down. “Felix. You’re sick. You need sleep. All you have to do is take these, and you’ll sleep. When you wake up, the visions will be gone.” He hands me a bottle of pills. “You have to take all of them.” Next, he hands me a glass of water.
I set the glass on the ground, then pour the pills out in my hand. “There are so many.”
“Yes, because you’re very sick,” Father explains. “You need to take all of them. Once you do, you’ll sleep and feel much better.”
The pills roll about in my palm. “I want to feel better.”
He caresses my shoulder. “I know you do, and you will. Once you take all of the pills.”
I bring my hand closer to my face, inspecting the pills. Taking so many will hurt my throat, but I want to be better. I want all of this to sto—
“Felix.”
Who said that? Someone whispered my name.
“Felix, listen to me, but say nothing.”
It’s Mom! “M–”
“Shh! Don’t say a word, Felix. You can’t trust Father. You can’t trust Robert either. Listen to the sound of my voice.”
I nod my head. Father urges me to take the pills again. “I will,” I tell him.
“Now, listen to me. Those pills are not good. They will kill you. This is what your father did to me, my love.”
No! I’ll kill him.
“Don’t worry about killing him now, darling.”
Can you hear me?
“Yes.”
Wow!
“He’s coming, Felix.”
Who?
“My gift. Torren.”
Best present ever.
“I have good taste.”
What should I do? Father wants to kill me?
“Felix, put the pills in your mouth, but don’t swallow them. Once you put them in your mouth, bring the glass to your mouth. You will not drink the water or swallow the pills. You will smash the glass against the floor, stab your father in the eye, and spit out the pills. After that, run away.”
The eye?
Father urges me to take the pills again.
“Do as I say.”
Okay, Mom.
“Put the pills in your mouth.”
I follow her orders.
My father praises me, assuring me that this will all end once I swallow the pills. The floor doesn’t have worms anymore—it’s black now. Something like tar flows from the fireplace, filling the room.
Will I drown?
“No, my love. It’s a hallucination. Just focus on my voice, and do as I say.”
Okay.
“Bring the glass to your mouth.”
I do.
“On 3, smash it on the ground and stab your father’s eye.”
Oh boy.
“1, 2, 3!”
The glass his the ground, the tar scattering like it’s alive, and I stab Father.
He cries out, falling backward and thrashing about, his hand covering the mess I made of his eyeball.
“Felix, spit them out and run!”
I do, but that other monster has come back! He blocks the front door.
“Go out the back! Into the woods, Felix. NOW!”
I run to the back door, but the monster is right behind me. The other one stumbles about the living room, his deep voice saying the most vile, disgusting things to me.
My hand connects to the knob, but the screeching monster grabs me.
“Felix, the pan on the counter! Hit him with it.”
The counter’s to my left. I have the pan. The sound it makes against his head makes me wince.
“RUN FELIX!”
My feet cross the threshold, and the trees scream at me. Hundreds of piercing, blood-curdling screams stop me in my tracks. They bow, lowering themselves to snatch me up and devour me.
“RUN FELIX.”
The monster inside bellows, then appears in the doorway, blood oozing from his eye.
I turn on my heels and run through the forest that threatens to eat me alive.
“Keep going! Don’t stop, Felix! RUN!”
I will. I will.