Placing her palms on the floor in front of her in supplication, Brie pressed her forehead against the cold floor.
“And, now…?” he stated.
Brie sighed inwardly, hating that he was making her beg, but she forced the words out of her parched throat, “Please, may I have a drink of water?”
He scoffed. “Look at me.”
The last thing she wanted to do was to look at that hated man’s face, but she lifted her head and gazed into his eyes, repeating, “Please, may I have a drink of water?”
He cupped his hand and poured some of the water from the glass into his palm, then held it out to her. “Drink.”
Brie watched in desperation as the water seeped through his fingers and fell onto the floor.
“You must earn the honor of drinking from the glass,” he stated, pouring more water into his palm.
Her instinctual need suddenly took over and she grasped his hand, sucking up the water from his palm before it was all lost.
Holloway poured more water and watched in satisfaction as Brie drank from his hand again. “Little songbird.”
She bristled at the name and pulled away from him. But the moment Holloway filled his palm again, she returned to it. Her need for water overrode everything else. When the glass was empty, Brie sat back on her heels, shivering and still thirsty.
He looked pleased and announced to her, “Tomorrow, I will take you to see Mary.”
She glanced up at him. “Is she okay?”
Holloway ignored the question and commanded, “Get back in the cage.”
Brie reluctantly stood up and returned to the metal cage. She felt disheartened when she heard the clank of the metal as he shut the cage door and locked it.
Holloway walked out without saying another word. He turned off the lights and shut the door without glancing back at her.
Brie was eternally grateful that the music did not start up again. But, to her horror, the song continued to play in her head while the silence settled around her.
As the lyrics continued and the girl began to sing, goosebumps rose on Brie’s skin. In her head, she heard: “Strange is the call of this strange man. I want to fly down and feed at his hand…”
It felt eerily similar to what had just happened with the water. Brie began rocking herself, remembering what Holloway had said.
You will be surprised at the things I can make you do…
The Party
Having no concept of time, it felt like an eternity before Brie heard the footsteps return. But, instead of Holloway, Venom entered the room.
After turning on the light, he strode up to the cage. Brie felt a sense of dread and backed away from the door when he unlocked it.
“Out!” he commanded.
She hesitated and immediately paid the consequence. Reaching into the cage, he grabbed her arm, his fingers digging painfully into her skin as he dragged her out. “Disobedience has its price.”
Brie flinched, expecting he would hit her, but he pushed her out of the room instead. She had to struggle to keep up with him as Venom walked briskly down the hallway.
He didn’t stop until they came to a gray door. “Go in.”
Brie had no idea what was on the other side of the door but she opened it, hoping to see Mary.
Instead, she saw two girls waiting for her. Neither spoke to Brie, but they directed her to follow them as they led her to a large shower stall. Brie looked down at her skin, still covered in the dried mud that clung to her from that first night.
How many days had it been since then?
Brie didn’t have time to think as the two girls made quick work of her, scrubbing the mud from her body before thoroughly washing her skin and hair.
While they were toweling her off, Brie whispered, “My name is Brianna Davis. What are your names?”
Neither girl responded. When she tried again, they shook their heads, looking at her fearfully.
Brie felt chills when she realized they must be captives like her.
One of the girls brought her a white garment. Brie thanked her as she slipped it over her head. The material was so thin, however, that it was almost see-through and provided no warmth. She recognized the clothing was not for her benefit but Holloway’s.
After drying and brushing out her hair, the two women escorted her to the door. Before she left, Brie said under her breath, “Rescue is coming.”
Venom stood just outside the door. Brie noticed one of the girls holding up four fingers to him.
He grunted, then glared at Brie.
Brie’s heart began to race, wondering what it meant.
Without saying a word, Venom led her up the long flight of stairs. Brie could hear people casually chatting above. From out of nowhere, she was hit by a terrible feeling and immediately stopped in her tracks.
A cruel smile played on his lips as Venom gripped her arm and forced her up the rest of the stairs.
When they reached the top, Brie was assaulted by the delicious smell of rich foods. Her stomach grumbled loudly in protest. She glanced around the room and saw waiters offering fancy hors d’oeuvres and various wines to guests.
It was surreal…
“Ah, the entertainment has arrived!” Holloway stated excitedly as he walked up to Brie.
All eyes suddenly turned in her direction and Brie could feel a sense of anticipation rising in the room. The thin material of her clothing made Brie feel exposed, which she knew was exactly what Holloway wanted.
When he put his arm around Brie, her skin crawled.
That feeling of danger she’d experienced before only increased as she listened to him address the crowd. “This is a rare treat for me, and I am gratified to all of you for coming tonight to enjoy this moment with me.”
Brie nervously scanned the room hoping to see Mary. What she saw made the blood drain from her face. Darius was standing with a group of men, laughing loudly as he grabbed a canapé from a waiter passing by.
Darius must have felt the intensity of her stare because he suddenly looked up and met her gaze. Without missing a beat, he took another morsel from the tray and smiled at her as he popped it in his mouth and chewed it slowly.
Brie’s stomach twisted in knots. She’d never experienced such a deep level of betrayal.
Seeing him triggered memories of his abuse when she was younger, and she suddenly found herself struggling to breathe.
“Ah, yes,” Holloway said, obviously pleased by her reaction. “Darius wouldn’t be where he is today if it weren’t for me.”
“Friends!” Holloway shouted gleefully beside her, “The time has come.”
Holloway led Brie down the hall to a large room lined with chairs. She bit her lip to hold back her scream when she saw Mary, dressed in the same garment, bound face-first to a St Andrew’s cross in the center of the room.
People flooded in, chatting excitedly as they took their seats.
Holloway leaned over to Brie and whispered, “The time has come for your education, songbird.”
Dread washed over Brie as she watched Venom stand beside the cross and take off his shirt. She stared at the large tattoo of the cobra that coiled around his body. It looked to Brie as if the cobra was about to strike her dead.
It was grotesquely fascinating because it was a perfect match to the menacing aura he gave off.
Brie whimpered when Venom picked up a studded whip and approached Mary. He ripped at the thin material of Mary’s garment to expose her back.