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Panic set in as Ivy searched for a way out of this twisted game. She couldn't decide. Couldn't bear the thought of sending one of these people to their death.

"Two," Vice said, his voice like the ticking of a clock, counting down to an inevitable fate.

Tears streamed down Ivy's cheeks as she looked back and forth between Shamus and the woman. She couldn't decide, she didn't want to play this twisted game. But the pressure mounted with each second that passed.

"Three," Vice continued, his voice was as unyielding as the chains that bound them.

"Please," she choked out, her voice raw with despair. "Don't do this."

Vice's grin widened, his teeth glinted in the flickering torchlight. "Four." he said, his voice dropping lower.

"Five," he smirks, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction as he pulls a knife from his belt.

Ivy's world spins as she watches in horror. She can't move, can't breathe. It was as if time stopped. Vice closed the distance between the woman and himself in the blink of an eye. A cruel glint shone in his eyes. His hand grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her head back. The unexpected force caused the woman to cry out. She squeezed her eyes shut; a silent prayer formed on her lips. He didn't hesitate. With a swift, brutal motion, he dragged the blade across her neck.

"No!" Ivy screamed, her voice was raw and desperate. Ivy turned away. Vice released his grip on the woman’s hair. He stalked toward Ivy, grabbing her hard by the chin, roughly turning Ivy’s face back towards the woman. “You do not get to turn away from what you’ve caused, this is happening because of you!” he spat. He forced her to watch the life drain from the woman's eyes.

The room filled with the wet, gurgling sounds of her life that was spilling from her. Each bubble of escaping air a gruesome note that pierced the silence. The woman’s eyes widened in shock, and she gripped her throat, the warm crimson steadily flowed passed her fingers, as she desperately tried to stop it. The smell of copper filled the air.

The woman's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. The gurgles of her blood mixed with the air as it forced its way through her severed windpipe. Her breathing was coming in short painful gasps, and with each one, more crimson bubbles formed and popped as they flowed down her throat, moving down to her chest, then finally to the floor.

Her eyes, remained open, they’d glazed over. The spark of life that had been there dimmed. Her eyes then rolled back into her head. Leaving behind only the stark white of her eyeballs. The woman fell forward to the unforgiving cold stone floor. Her body twitched a few times. The crimson stain around her widened, the front of her dress had soak through with her life force.

Ivy just stood there, she stared wide eyed, her mouth hung open at the woman’s lifeless body. Vice let go of her chin, she couldn’t move. It was like her body was suddenly made of stone. Her eyes stuck on the woman. Vice walked between her and the woman’s body, which brought her back to reality. He places the knife against Shamus's neck. Ivy's heart stopped. "You said you'd only kill one of them," she screamed, her voice was hoarse, filled with fear and fury. She threw herself between Vice and Shamus, trying to act as a barrier.

"When are you going to learn, Ivy?" He whispered his voice a sadistic purr. "You're not in charge here, I am." his eyes burned with the flames of hell.

Her eyes widen in horror as she realized the twisted turn the game had taken. She pleaded with him, her nails digging into his chest. Vice grabbed her hand roughly and she felt the handle of the knife being forced into her hand. The blade was still soaked with the woman’s blood.

"You can't do this," she screamed, her voice echoed off the stone walls. “Please, Vice I’m sorry.” She cried as her body shook.

"Oh, but I can, and I will," Vice sneered, his grip on her unrelenting. "I told you to pick, you didn’t." he said with a wicked grin on his face. "You wanted to save them? Well now you've killed them both." Vice laughed a humorless laugh.

The room seemed to shrink around her, suffocating her, as she tried desperately to pull away. She looked at Shamus, he kept his eyes on the floor. "No Vice, please I'm begging you." She cried. Vice's grip on her hand tightened, and she felt the knife being dragged along the soft flesh of Shamus's throat. The warmth of his blood coated her hand as she can do nothing but watch in horror.

"What have you done?" she sobs, her body trembling uncontrollably. Vice released her hand and spun her around to face him. Still holding on to her he grabbed the knife out of her hand. "Get off me, you bastard." Ivy screams as she thrashed against his arms.

With a sadistic smirk, Vice grabbed her hand one more time. He turns her palm upward. Ivy’s body stilled. "Now, a little reminder in case you ever forget who's in charge here." he roared. He presses the knife into her palm and sliced deep, the pain searing through her body like a bolt of lightning. She screamed, her eyes squeezed shut, her blood mixed with Shamus’s and the woman's.

When she opens them again, she sees the lifeless bodies of the two innocent people she'd sentenced to death, their blood pooled together on the stone floor. The room is eerily silentexcept for her sobs. She falls to her knees; she wrapped her palm in her shirt trying to stem the blood flow.

Vice steps back, watching her sob; his eyes burning. "Remember, Ivy," he said, his voice was a serpent's hiss, "you caused this." He wiped the knife clean on his coat and slid it back into its sheath in his belt. "You’ve made you're bed, now lie in it."

“My doors are never locked, Ivy," he smirks, "I don’t need locks, because not a single soul dares to challenge me,” His tone was condescending. “Except you but you will learn.”

Ivy couldn’t breathe. She looked up at him, desperation clouded her vision. “You're insane," she spat out, her voice shaking with anger.

Vice's smile didn’t waver. "Perhaps," he mused, he stepped passed the lifeless bodies. "But fear and death are powerful motivators. You see, Ivy, I don't need locks when I have fear."

Once back in her room, Ivy sunk onto the bed, she still had her hand wrapped in her shirt, which was now stained red. Her mind raced, trying to piece together the events that had just unfolded. The smell of blood and fear lingered in the air, a reminder of the grim reality she's trapped in. She realized in that moment, she'd never escape.

"How did you find me?" she snaps suddenly, as he loomed over her.

"I never lost you," he responded, his voice a low rumble that seemed to resonate through the very stones of the castle. "I was with you the whole time."

Ivy's eyes widened, her mouth fell open. "In the shadows?" she whispered.

"Yes," Vice replied, his tone devoid of any hint of remorse. "Every step you took, every breath you drew, I was there, watching, waiting."