Psychos (Depraved Sinners 1)

Staying here means not abiding by their rules. It means not playing their games and landing myself in a world of shit. But by walking out this door, I submit myself to whatever fresh hell they have in store for me.

Fuck.

Maybe it’s best if I get this over and done with, no matter how badly I don’t want to participate in their games. I value my life too much, and if there’s a way that I can get through this, then I’m going to take it.

My hands uncurl from around my legs and my body begins to unwind from the tight ball I’ve been holding it in. Yet no matter how much I move, the rigidness of my muscles refuses to relax.

Grabbing hold of the silk gown, I pull it back over my head, not wanting to leave my fucked-up little torture chamber without any clothes. It’s still impossible to see as I slowly shuffle toward the end of the bed, hoping that my gut feeling is right about the animal being gone.

My feet hit the uneven stone ground and my body aches as I push myself up. I ignore the pain from my fall. Something tells me that pain is one of those things I’m about to become all too familiar with.

If only I was strong enough for this.

I stretch my hand out in front of me, feeling for the door, then wrap my fingers around the handle to help guide me through. I come to a standstill in the open doorway, my gut telling me to step back into my room and slam the door closed. Perhaps I could detach the bed from the far wall and somehow jam it in front of it. The brothers won’t be able to get in, but then I sure as fuck won’t ever be able to get out.

Shit. I have no choice. I have to play their fucked-up little game.

Tears well in my eyes as I lean out the open doorway and scan up and down the long hallway. There’s a dull light at either end of the hall, neither of them giving me a clue about what I may find.

My hands shake by my sides as I weigh my options.

Left or right?

Turning to the left takes me toward the unknown. When Levi had dragged me out of here yesterday, we went to the right. There’s a long hallway, another heavy door, and some stairs that lead up into the ballroom. I know for certain that I wouldn’t have the strength to open that other door. Going to the left means that I’ll be exploring the unknown, and in a place like this, the unknown could hold all sorts of secrets that I’m not prepared to uncover.

That only leaves me one choice.

Stepping out into the long tunnel-like hallway, I turn to the right and hate every single moment of it. Slowly pacing, one foot in front of the other, I start making my way up toward the big heavy door at the end, though it’s so fucking dark that I can’t even see it. Hell, I was so aware of Levi beside me last time that I can’t even remember just how far the door should be.

I keep myself glued to the wall as I walk, though who the fuck knows why. Maybe it’s a survival instinct or something like that. All I know is that this wall is the only thing offering me any sort of comfort right now.

Every few steps I take, my head whips around, constantly checking the hallway behind me, more so when that same feeling of being watched pulses through my veins. Something or someone is here with me, I just wish I knew what it was.

My steps slow, knowing that at some point something is bound to happen, but I keep myself moving, terrified of what would happen if I were to stop. It’s a fucking dead-end game for me. There’s no way for me to win, but the brothers already know that. They carefully construct their bullshit tactics in the hopes of driving me insane. They’re nothing if not professional, always going the extra mile.

As I creep closer toward the dim light at the end of the hallway, I start to make out the door up ahead. It’s already open and I don’t know what to make of that, but if I think too hard on what it could mean, I’ll probably burst a brain cell. I just have to keep moving, keep putting one foot in front of the other and hope for the best.

The door comes and goes, and by the time I reach the concrete steps that lead up to the main part of the house, my whole body is covered in sweat.

This is too much.

My heart pounds and I hear the heavy thumping in my ears as my gaze shifts up to the top of the stairs. I shakily put one foot up on the bottom step and slowly transfer my weight, and as I go to raise my next foot to the second step, a loud BANG sounds behind me and echoes up the hallway like a haunting song.