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I close my eyes tightly for a moment and tighten the chain around my fist. As soon as she sets foot on the dusty, basement floor, I’m going to strangle her to death, and then Stone and I will be free of this nightmare.

“Oh my God!” she shrieks, as she runs the rest of the way down the stairs. She’s on Stone and Lowell, pulling at the chains, trying to get Stone to release them, but he kicks her away and pulls harder. Lowell’s glasses fall off of his face as his eyes fix on me. Life is a fickle thing—we never ask for it and yet one day, here we are. Born into a world that we know nothing of with only the certainty of Death looming before us, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

And it’s with that knowledge that I charge out of my hiding spot next to the stairs and jump onto Honey Bee’s back as she struggles to get to her feet again. There’s a rage inside of me that I never knew I could feel and I use that maddening anger to wrap the chain around her neck and begin to pull.

“Wait… Cessi… wait,” she gasps out.

“Fuck you,” I grunt, as I pull harder. I’m lost in the cruel thoughts of what was done to Stone, of what was waiting for me when he died, and when Honey Bee goes limp against my body, I realize that I’ve gone way too far. Her neck has snapped and she goes limp against me, and as I push her off, I can’t help but laugh.

Of all the mistakes I’ve made in my life, this has to be the biggest one. I don’t know much about this cold, cruel world other than how to fuck when small amounts of money are tossed at me, and Stone made strangulation look so easy, but I still managed to fuck that up somehow.

“Get over here and help me,” Stone barks. I take one last look at Honey Bee’s lifeless body admiring my handiwork and rifle through her inner coat pockets, before I reach down to pull the chain off her neck then make my way toward Lowell and Stone.

I stand over the struggling men, watching as Lowell begins to give up his fight. He’s dying right before my eyes and there’s nothing more that I want to see happen, but not today.

Lowell looks up at me, tears streaming from his eyes, as I crouch down over their bodies and let my eyes wander to Stone. His eyes are closed as tightly as he’s pulling on Lowell’s neck, but they open again when I gently place my hand on his wrist.

“Let him go,” I say softly.

“What?” he asks, in bated breaths.

“Let him go,” I repeat as I lean down and being trying to pry his grip off of Lowell.

“No,” Stone says angrily, as he begins to tighten the chains as far as they will go.

“I don’t want to have to do this, but I will, Stone. Let him go,” I say, quietly raising Honey Bee’s small caliber handgun toward his forehead.

The look of disbelief on his face is met by a small smile that has now crept across my lips. I use my thumb to cock the gun and take a deep breath, closing one eye to focus my aim.

“Last chance,” I tell him quietly.

Stone lets out a defeated sigh as he finally releases his grip on the chains and Lowell rolls freely away from him breathing in air in loud gasps. I use my foot to gently nudge his glasses toward him and keep the gun trained on my knight in shining armor.

“On your feet,?

?? I command him. Stone, still looking at me in disbelief, runs his hands back through his hair before he does as he’s told.

“What the fuck is going on right now, Cessi?” he asks me in an even tone, as he raises his hands in surrender.

“I don’t like your face,” I reply simply, tilting my head to the side. “Fix it.”

He shakes his head as he chuckles and crosses his arms over his chest defiantly. “You fix it,” he replies with a smirk.

I raise an eyebrow at him and wonder how he can still be so bold with the barrel of a gun staring him in the face, but I shrug and walk toward him. I lower the gun, pressing it against his bare abdomen in an effort to warn him against any brave actions, and run a hand gently over the right side of his face. The disfigured side, the unloved monstrous side of him, and dig my fingers into his skin. Stone smiles down at me as I begin to tear away the false flesh, exposing the beautiful man underneath. Once I’ve torn it all away, he turns his face and gently kisses the palm of my hand, before reaching up and taking out his contact lens.

“Better?” he asks, sliding his arms around my waist.

“Better,” I reply smiling shyly.

“What about him?” he asks, nodding toward Lowell. I turn my body around and fall against Stone, letting him hold me against him as Lowell watches us, eyes wide with fear, from the ground.

“Well, he has to die obviously, but not the way you were going about it. Do you like this place as much as I do? I haven’t seen much of it, but I think we could live here,” I say, leaning my head back against my partner.

“For now. I’ll find you a bigger place; a better place—one that you deserve,” he says gently running his hands up and down my arms.

“What… is…” Lowell coughs and puts a hand to his sore throat as he struggles to regain focus through his glasses.

“Going on?” Stone finishes for him. “You’re going to die and we’re going to take care of your place for a while.”