Page 203 of Brainwashed

Lemuel Love belongs to Felix Darcey.

Or… hedid. Past tense.

Because he’s gone, and now I’m going to spend the rest of my probably short existence being punished for my crimes. And not in the fun way, like Lem does. This shit happening right now is brutal torture. And I think I can only hold on for so long before I bite the bullet and swallow my own tongue.

If it weren’t for the ball-gag, I probably would have already done it.

This is no life… And there is no life here without him.

While I’m contemplating ways to kill myself tied up like this, I hear the creak of the heavy door. I have to assume it’s Templeton. He’s the one who put me here two days ago, or whenever, and I know he’s been back since just to watch me. Stare at me like the useless fucking creeper he is. I really have no idea where Johansson is, or why this ginger asshole is in charge all of a sudden. But I guess that’s for them to know and me never to find out.

What’s even the point of the blindfold?? It’s not like there’s anything to look at in this stupid room, anyway.

My head is heavy, temples pounding as it hangs forward, my neck too tired to even hold it up anymore as I listen to the footsteps of someone approaching me. I can feel them circling me, probably observing the state I’m in, the discomforts they’ve forced on me with some misguided pride—like it really takes a lot oftalentto do this to someone.

The tickling trickle of blood and spit running like a slow stream from my mouth around the large ball strapped in there is the same sort of sensation as the blood dribbling down my arms from my wrists. And then how could we forget the piss that had to run down my leg hours ago when I finally gave in because I just couldn’t fucking hold it anymore. It feels like it might be almost dry by now, but who even fucking knows. This shit is just so awful, and degrading—again, not in the good way—and Iswear to God, if I ever get out of these cuffs, this fucker is going to rue the day…

“I told you…” a voice sort of whispers and my head flings in its direction, not that I can see anything.

Even though it was quiet, it’s still familiar as the voice of my least favorite person on earth, Dr. Templeton. But something about the way he said it makes me feel like we might not be alone in here.

“Mmm mmffmm…” I try grunting over the obstruction in my mouth, which is pointless. But I just want him to know that I hate him. In my mind, I’ve already explored the most extravagant ways to sever his head from his body, and then creative uses for it afterward.

I could go for some DIY-type crafting, like my boy Ed Gein.

Suddenly, my pants are being yanked down. I flinch, but I have nowhere to go. I’m just dangling here like an asshole with my dick out.

The cold air stings my exposed flesh as my pants and the boxers Lem got for me hang around my shackled ankles. My pulse speeds up, adrenaline kicking in with my instinctual fight response. I don’t know what this fuckface is planning to do with my lower half exposed, but I’m sure it’s not good.

“See?” Templeton says, and now I definitely don’t think he’s talking to me.

But I don’t hear anyone else, and I can’t fuckingsee. My face lifts and pivots, but it’s too dark to even make out any shadows through the damn blindfold.

I flinch again when his fingers brush my pelvis as he plucks the hem of my t-shirt, lifting it slowly. Blood is rushing in my ears like a waterfall while I listen for any sign of who else is in here, but I hear nothing. My t-shirt is lowered back down…

As if they’reobservingme?Appraising me??

I rumble again from behind the ball-gag, and Templeton goes,shhh.

Fucking asshole.

I hear a few light footsteps as someone else approaches. And then a click. It’s a distinctly familiar sound. A camera.

They’re taking pictures of me?? What in the actual fuck?!

I squirm around, letting out a desperate groan because it just digs the cuffs deeper into my wrists and even though I can barely feel them anymore, it still somehow hurts. The pain is so strong it’s radiating up and down my arms.

I sense Templeton walking around my left side until he’s behind me, and a frightening awareness settles in my gut. I swallow hard at the knowledge that I’m seriously fucked right now.Literally.

A rubber glove snaps. “You know, Felix… You’re lucky.”Oh, is that right, asshole?“I told my colleague here about how much you enjoyed that last experiment we did together.” His lips brush my ear and I shudder in disgust.I didn’t enjoy it, you nasty old fuck!“And how surprisingly enjoyable it was for me to help you with that. So he suggested we try something similar. If you cooperate here, we’ll consider letting you down. Sound good?”

I groan and choke from behind the gag, trying like hell to scream at him.No! Not fucking good. I swear to God, I will carve your eyes out with a rusty spoon and feed them to you!

But of course, he doesn’t get any of that. Instead, I hear more clicking, pictures of me being taken while Templeton pushes my legs apart as far as they’ll go with the shackles. Then I hear some rustling. I’m not sure what it is, but my adrenaline is peaking, and in the blink of an eye, I’m just exhausted.

I’m so fuckingtired, I don’t even want to fight.There’s no point, anyway.He’s going to do whatever he wants to me, and there’s nothing I can fucking do about it. I should just take the punishments I deserve because I’m a monster.

My heart is still racing, because my body obviously doesn’t like what’s happening as I feel hands gripping my ass cheeks and spreading me. Every muscle in my body is tense as hell, my head slumping forward while I close my eyes behind the blindfold and just pretend I’m somewhere else.