Chapter 30
The scene in front of her raced Chloe’s heart, her skin was damp with sweat. That was fear, the sensation when your soul starts to devour you from with in. The mere thought of one more step a head sent shivers down her spine, perhaps exacerbated by the haunting sight which was definitely going to plaque her sleep.
She found herself in a gigantic hall, adorned by the fire torches and chains. Metal cages were lined in two rows, several hooks hanging from the ceiling which were covered in blood just like the floor.
Mostly cages were empty, four alive boys and two unconscious girls were chained to their collars with limited excess to stand only. Controlling her pounding heart, Chloe finally discovered a spot after a lengthy walk that met her requirements. It offered ample space and was far removed from that wooden door, a perfect hidden spot.
An active boy among the slaves eyed to her to leave, gesturing towards the brutality of his Master. Suddenly, a sound pierced through the air, causing her to hide swiftly. A mysterious gruff voice called out, uttering the word,
“Out!”
Chloe stayed silent, but the next call from the same person seemed to surround her, its origin impossible to pinpoint. As on cue, Chloe’s body moved on her accord, she exclaimed,
“Who is there?” leaping up from the ground in a state of sheer terror.
Frantically, she spun around, scanning her surroundings like a mad woman. She tried to recognize the scent, but the smell of the rotten garbage and blood made the air heavy to breathe.
“Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”
Chloe’s eyelids weighed down due to sleep instantly, the effort to stay awake triggered sharp jolts of pain that pierce her skull. Despite the agony, she resolved to gather her strength, but her vision remained blurred, she could only recognize the silhouette of the man circling her.
“Sleep!”
That voice commanded again! Maintaining her balance became an arduous task, causing Chloe to stumble over nothing. A hand laced with fresh blood closed her eyes gently, disgust washed over her as the freezing sensation of their skin ship clang to her. With almost an instinctive impulse, Chloe tried to catch that hand, but she only caught air, that man flashed away as she felt a freezing breeze imbuing the atmosphere with unrelenting coldness.
Lulu took the charge and sent her waves after waves of healing power, she marched towards the cage, an eerie sensation of being watched added to the bone-chilling ambiance.
“Whose is your Master?”
This time, Chloe spoke with more authority, waiting for the slave’s answer. That boy opened his mouth, only to show that his tongue was cut by his Master. She looked at the other boys who showed theirs, depicting the degree of credulity.
Witnessing their misery pales the sense of terror she experienced before. Then she heard the rattling of chains and grunts of the same man echoing from the other corner.
She drew closer and closer until the most horrific sound she ever heard in her life pierced the air.
“Moonie, run!”
These two words slithered towards Chloe, delivered in the coldest, most haunting hiss imaginable.
“Edith?”
Although she was paralyzed by fear, still she was able to find her voice of confirmation.
“Run!”
The rattling of chains intensified, her heart skipped a beat before she dashed out in the direction of her soulmate. Unable to think straight, Chloe acted upon Edith’s command echoing in her terrified mind.
Her eyes widened as a figure cloaked in black was pinned against a wall, immobilize by heavy chains.
That was none other than Edith, who was struggling against this death’s hold.
“Eddie!”
Chloe felt incapable of fleeing as now, he was literally begging her to run away. Her horrified eyes darted from one corner to the other, but she didn’t find anyone else except those slaves and them.
Consumed by her soulmate’s pain and powerlessness, Chloe jerked off all the horror which was seizing ever inch of her being. She pulled the restraints with all her might, but they were too strong to break with bare hands.
“Don’t worry, Eddie. I will free you.”
Chloe began to search for some iron rod or any key to open the locks. Just then, she heard a blast behind, the same gruff voice resonated in the hall again!
“Shouldn’t you be sleeping, Moonie?”
Chloe felt her feet plunged by the wooden floor. Gradually, she turned to face the gaze which was fixed on her back.
A black hooded man was standing behind her, exuding a malevolent aura, venturing on her inner soul. Chains attached to the wall were hanging freely now.
“Who are you?”
Chloe repeated her query, despite the fact that her mind was hinting towards the obvious too.
His meaningful laugh rang in her ears, he flipped her hood to reveal his face.
He was the same Edith, but Chloe was unable to recognize him anymore. His black orb swimming under the pool of blood were shooting daggers at her. His porcelain skin was paler than usual.
His stretched features were embellished with ting of psychopathic intent. His scar was illuminating, complimenting to his murderous look. He stretched his hand and grabbed Chloe’s arm forcefully, a scream escaped her mouth as she heard a clear “crack” of breaking bones.
“I should have brought you here before. It’s fun to play with you. These pets are boring.”
Edith yanked her to his chest, tucked her stray hair behind her ear. Regardless of the absurdity of the situation, Lulu healed her efficiently, relieving that unbearable pain.
“Eddie!”
She cried out in disbelief. Staring into his nightmarish eyes, Chloe endured that pain again as he snapped that same arm once more.
He flipped her trembling body while Chloe attempted to get his attention. She was sure that the one she was dealing with was not her Eddie, but some strange monster, who had overpowered her mate.
“Listen to me, Eddie. You love me. Fight against this demon, he is nothing. You can do it.”
As a result of her feeble endeavor, she was thrashed to the chained wall. Edith was screaming relentlessly, grabbing his head in his hands.
“Moonie, run!”
This time she understood his advice correctly and tried to run in the opposite direction. But in a jiffy, a hard steel grip caught her and with full force, two sharp fangs plunged into her jugular.
Chloe shrieked as her body was squeezed like a blood bag, slaves were hitting the bars of the cage with their chains to protest against this inhumane assault.
Soon, that stabbing pain extracted her essence out of her veins, she drifted into darkness gradually, freed from the restrictions of consciousness.