Chapter 29: Lisa
***~PARIS~***
***I plucked the pocket knife from the stockpile of torture devices laid out before me, its blade glinting like a cold promise. As I approached Lisa, the air thickened with foreboding. Her sobs Intensified into ragged gasps, her eyes fixed on the knife with a mix of terror and resignation, because she knew the horrors that were to come.***
***Lisa's uncharacteristic silence was a palpable thing, a heavy stillness that hung in the air like a challenge. I taunted her, my voice dripping with malice, "What's wrong, love? You're usually so... noises and loud. Has the cat got your tongue?" I chuckled, a low, menacing sound. "Or have you finally lost faith in your mythical hero, Stage, the one who's supposed to ride in and rescue you from the clutches of the 'witch'?"***
***Lisa's words tumbled out in a desperate, defiant surge. "You'll not get away with this! You'll never be free! I swear it on my life, and even in death, my family will haunt you. And if they fail, Stage will be your executioner!" Her voice cracked, a weak, tremulous thing, but her eyes blazed with a fierce, dying light. I couldn't help but laugh, the sound echoing off the walls as I savored the desperation that clung to her like a shroud.***
***"Weeks have dragged by, and still, your hero hasn't ridden to the rescue. The silence is deafening, isn't it? Not even a whisper of his presence. How... disappointing. You've clung to that hope, nurtured it, and now it's withering away, leaving only despair. And don't worry love once I'm finished with you, my little flower, your family will be the next to wither in the shadows. Each one will suffer, every petal will be crushed, and your legacy will be reduced to ashes."***
***I strolled past Lisa, a smile spreading across my face like a crack in a mirror. With a deliberate press of the remote control panel, the crane lurched to life, its steel cables creaking as it lifted Lisa higher, her form suspended like a puppet on a string. The machine halted with a jolt, leaving Lisa's feet dangling squarely in front of me, her eyes locked on mine in a mixture of terror and helplessness.***
***I grasped Lisa's newly regenerated toe, its tender flesh a cruel mockery of my previous night's handiwork. The pocket knife glinted in the dim light as I began to carve through the digit once more, the blade sawing through skin and bone with agonizing slowness.***
***Lisa's screams shattered the air, pleading for mercy, but I remained unmoved, my face a mask of detachment. The toe finally severed, falling to the ground with a sickening plop. I laid the knife aside, its work done, and reached for the power drill, its electric hum a menacing promise of the torments to come.***
***I slipped the drill bit into the wound I had created and switched it on, enabling it to bore into her feet, breaking every bone it came into contact with.***
***I could hear her bones breaking as the drill move deeper in her feet and the sound of her cries made me happy But my twisted euphoria was short-lived. Just as Lisa's anguished screams were reaching a fever pitch, a faint noise echoed from the shadows, its unexpected presence slicing through the air like a rusty blade. My hand hesitated, the drill's scream dying on my lips as I cocked my head, listening intently to the sound that had shattered the gruesome symphony.***
***My gaze scoured the dimly lit space, searching for the source of the intrusion, but the shadows yielded nothing. The silence was oppressive, heavy with anticipation. I carefully laid the drill on the table, its metal body seeming to gleam with evil intent. Then, I moved stealthily towards the sound's origin, my senses heightened, ready to confront whatever was lurking just beyond the edge of perception.***
***—————————————————————***
***The room held its breath, a fleeting stillness that shattered with the creak of footsteps. Lisa's heart sank, expecting the return of her tormentor, but instead, a miracle unfolded.***
***The newcomer's hand closed around the remote control, and the crane's cables whirred, lowering Lisa gently to the floor. As her feet touched solid ground, a sob of joy wrenched from her throat.***
***There, standing before her, was Stage - her savior, her hope. Tears of rapture streamed down her face, washing away the darkness of her captivity. For the first time since her nightmare began, Lisa felt the warmth of happiness.***
***"I was so scared I'd never see you again... I thought this place would be my grave," Lisa whispered, her voice a fragile, trembling thread, as she dissolved into tears of relief, her body shaking with sobs of joy as she falls into his arms.***
***Stage's helds her close in his arms, as he tenderly swept away her tears. His warm breath danced across her ear, carrying words that soothed her shattered soul. "Why would you ever doubt I'd find you, my love?" he whispered, his voice a soft serenade. "I was the one who set the wheels in motion, who led Paris to this God forsaken place. You were never alone, never lost at least not to me."***
***Lisa's eyes flew wide, their depths flashing with stunned disbelief, as if the very foundations of her reality had been shattered by Stage's revelation.***
***Stage could sense the weight of his words crashing down on her like a executioner, her stomach plummeting into the abyss. Her eyes, once bright with manipulation, now gleamed with a desperate calculation, for she knew that Stage, her former pawn, was now her only lifeline. But I also knew the game had changed - the truth had set him free, and her fate was all but sealed.***
***Her sudden laughter erupted like a wild, uncontrollable storm, her eyes sparkling with a mischievous glint. "I'm guessing you know about everything now?" she asked, her voice dripping with a sly amusement, as she pinned Stage with a piercing stare, her gaze burning with curiosity.***
***"Know what?" He asked, his voice a gentle prod, expecting the floodgates of truth to burst open. But instead, Lisa's enigmatic smile only deepened, a subtle silence descending like a veil.***