AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh, yes. Very ready.”
The dark amusement in Dima’s voice made Anthony uneasy. Although Jay couldn’t have stayed because he needed to hide the equipment, Anthony couldn’t help but feel outnumbered.
Dima put his hand on Anthony’s shoulder, making him flinch. “Don’t be jumpy, little piggy.”
For a second, he was back in the secret apartment, withering away under Dima’s supervision and daily torments. He bit the skin inside his cheek to stop himself from saying something he’d be made to regret.
Dima ran his fingers through Anthony’s hair. “It’s nice having him back. We had so much fun together, even when he was a stinky little piggy.”
Breathe in, breathe out.
“I liked listening to the noises from his stomach, and he liked watching me eat.”
“Fuck you,” Anthony hissed, unable to listen to that crap anymore.
Dima chuckled. “You feel brave. Good. This will be fun.”
Through the reflection in Tobias’s eyes, Anthony saw Dima moving from behind, raising his right hand. Alarm bells rang in Anthony’s ears. He turned his head but wasn’t quick enough to get out of the way. A sharp pain hit the back of his right shoulder, making him gasp.
It felt like a knife, but it was a needle.
Dima’s other hand slipped around Anthony’s neck, holding him tight. He tried to free himself as some sort of liquid flew into his shoulder.
“There you go,” Dima said, his mouth right next to Anthony’s ear. The needle slipped out, leaving hot numbness across his shoulder and down his back. He knew he should get up and run, but Dima’s grip was too tight, also preventing him from shouting.
Tobias growled, “What the hell are you doing?”
Anthony felt a moment of relief from hearing Tobias wasn’t a part of this, but then he said, “You should have waited until we were down in the room.”
“Oh, was that the plan?” Dima stood, leaving Anthony free to escape, but his brain couldn’t communicate with his body like they were talking in different languages. Spiders ran across his skin, their little feet going up and down his arms and back.
Tobias sighed. “Yes, that was the plan, but it’s too late now.”
“You...” Anthony’s tongue felt detached from the rest of his mouth, lying on the bottom of his mouth like a lifeless lump. His head spun and his eyesight filled with bright, blinking lights.
This is not happening.
“Breathe.” Tobias’s voice sounded like a faraway echo.
“You sure he won’t pass out?” Dima asked. “It will be a pain to drag him all the way down.”
“You don’t say! But no, we will just need to steer him forward and make sure he doesn’t fall.” Tobias leaned down, his face weirdly bright. “It will be a while before he’s able to do anything other than walk or stare. I had this drug made especially for this happy occasion.” He slipped a finger into Anthony’s open mouth. “Bite down.”
Anthony tried, not because he was instructed to, but because he needed to know if he had really been turned into a plant. He could feel his muscles moving, the tip of his teeth touching Tobias’s finger, but that was as far as it went.
“We should start moving him,” Dima said and slipped his hands underneath Anthony’s arms. He pulled him up with a grunt. Anthony expected to fall, but he somehow remained standing on legs he couldn’t control. He tried and failed to make his body sway so he could lose his balance and crash. Despite the risk of banging his head, it would be worth it if it meant sabotaging what was happening.
Tobias and Dima grabbed each of Anthony’s arms and guided him out of the living room. In his head, he fought to break free, but in reality, he let them lead him like a puppet on a string. One step followed another, outside of the living room and past the entrance door. The world around him was blurry and overly bright, hurting his head and making his eyes water.
“There you go,” Tobias said. “Just keep walking.”
“Oscar will be angry you didn’t tell him about this,” Dima said.
“Oscar will survive.”
They were about to enter a long hallway on the other side of the house when the sudden sound of footsteps made them stop.
“Your backyard’s massive.”
