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“Well, well, well,” someone sneered, his breath hot against my face. “Look who’s finally awake.”
He didn’t sound familiar. He was wearing a mask that hid his features, the only thing visible his dark eyes.
“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to tell us where the girl is,” he said with a smirk, his gaze traveling over my bruised and battered form.
I gritted my teeth, refusing to give in even as I felt the first sharp pangs of fear creeping in. “Fuck you. You’ll never find her.”
He chuckled again. “I was afraid you’d say that,” he said. “Come on.”
He grabbed the ropes that bound my hands together and made me get to my feet. It was hard to walk, but I only had to do it a few steps before he opened the door to the cabin I had been staring at when I first woke up. The room we walked into was dark aside from a few electric lights arranged in the far corners. Miranda sat there, her gaze vacant.
“Welcome to your new home,” my captor said. “Miranda was already getting comfortable.”
Miranda and I exchanged a frightened glance as I was shoved unceremoniously across the threshold. The stench of death and decay permeated every corner of the cabin, assaulting my senses and forcing me to choke back bile.
“Take her away,” the Viper commanded one of his lackeys, motioning towards Miranda. “I’ll deal with this one myself. Then get out of my house.”
How many people were here? What the fuck? This was so messed up. Miranda was dragged away, locked into a different room as she tried to writhe out of the man’s grip.
“Teo!” Miranda cried out, her eyes wide with fear as she tried to reach out to me.
“Enough!” the Viper roared, yanking me away. Miranda’s scream echoed through the room as she disappeared down a dark hallway, leaving me alone to face the monster who had taken us captive.
My heart pounded in my chest as the door slammed shut, sealing Miranda’s fate along with my own. With every fiber of my being, I fought against the panic that threatened to consume me. There was no time for fear. I needed to find a way out of this hellhole, and fast.
“Scared, Teo?” he asked.
“Are you the Viper?” I replied. “Did you give that name to yourself? It’s lame.”
The Viper hit me across the face and I fell to my knees, tasting blood. I gritted my teeth, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a response.
“...having fun? You’re really starting to get on my nerves, boy.” He grabbed my hair and made me look up at his face. “I still haven’t decided yet what I’m going to do with you.”
“Go to hell,” I said between my teeth. “You won’t break me.”
“Is that a challenge? I love a good challenge.”
He hit me again, this time on my already bruised ribs. I bit back another scream; a whimper escaped my lips. He pressed his boot against my face, pinning me to the ground. “You’re not so tough without your lackeys, are you?”
“I don’t need them to kick your ass,” I spat, digging my nails into the wooden flooring. I managed to lift my head up and spit blood in his face before he grabbed a handful of my hair again. “Fuck you.”
In the corner of my eye, I saw him draw a blade from his pocket. My panic hit full force. I needed to get the fuck out of here. I struggled against my bonds, but it was no use. They were cutting into my already injured wrists and ankles.
“Scream, if you want,” he said, wiping the blood from his face. Looking at my blood on the mask he was wearing was making me queasy. “No one will hear you. There’s something wrong with this place; we’re too far away from civilization. One of the reasons I love the Everglades so much. You can scream all you want, but no one will come to your rescue.”
He pushed his blade into my cheekbone before dragging the sharp edge over to my jawline and leaving a deep score in its wake. The pain was enough to make me wince, but I didn’t do it. No matter how much I wanted to.
“Still won’t beg, huh?” The Viper looked almost amused by the prospect. “I’m going to enjoy this. You’re a tenacious little fuck.”
I spat out another mouthful of blood and remained steadfast in my resolve despite my vision starting to swim. I might have fainted, but I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of an answer.
Instead, he tried a new tactic. He pressed his knee against my temple, making my head spin with vertigo, and yanked off the mask covering his face.
I’d never met this man before, but he still looked vaguely familiar; his features identifiable and distinct. I was still unable to place him, perhaps from the pain radiating from what felt like my entire body.
“So,” he said, his tone light as if we were chatting over tea. “It looks like you’re the leader of your band of misfits.”
He crouched down to my level, drawing a finger along my face. He wiped away a drop of blood from his blade. My vision swam in and out, focusing and unfocusing. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you better. See, I don’t care about you even a little bit, but...”
