Page 91 of Crave

That’s the way, Angel…you’ll do exactly as I say, just like the good little whore you really are.I slowly rocked back and forth. A whore. That’s what I was. A lying, murdering whore.

There was no salvation for someone like me. There couldn’t be.

You don’t need to worry about anything now.That cold bastard inside my head whispered.Listen to the sound of my voice. What are you?

Silence filled my head. A trembling, terrified silence.

Angelica, what are you?

“Owned.” I whispered as I squeezed my eyes tight. “That’s what I am…I’m owned.”

That’s right. Now, remember your training. Open your eyes…look at the screen.

Flashes filled my head.

OWNED.

DAUGHTER.

CONTROL.

That’s the girl, he whispered and I was helpless to stop him.Now open your mouth.

The world seemed to melt away. There was no children’s laughter from the playground. No darkness under the bridge. There was nothing but that whisper in my head. One I couldn’t escape.

Sirens cut through the haze.I flinched and jerked my gaze upwards as panic set in. How long had I been like that? A minute…an hour? I turned my head to darkened gloom outsideand my pulse sped. A sickening, icy feeling washed through me. It’d been longer than an hour…a lot longer.

“Hey.”

I jerked my gaze left and froze, in the gloom a homeless man sat hunched against the cold, crumbling wall, a shadow within shadows. The whites of his eyes were stark against the backdrop, neon white, etched with the bloodshot spidered veins.

“You alive?” He croaked, pushing his frail body upwards before he stumbled toward me.

Fear punched all the way into my stomach. I drove my hand down against the sharp edges of cracked concrete and drove myself away from him.

“Easy.” He pleaded, his gaunt figure draped in layers of tattered, hole-ridden clothing.

I couldn’t cope, not with this man in front of me, or this place. I didn’t want to be here. I wanted to be with my friends, or my family. Tears blurred as I stumbled backwards. “I’m s-sorry.” I stammered. “I’m really, really s-sorry.”

I ran from that place and that man, plunging headlong into the darkening playground and kept on running. Cars flew past, some with headlights blazing, others just a blur.

Beep.

I stopped running, my panting breaths like swallowing lava as I grabbed my cell from my pocket and looked down.

Gabe: Please, Angel. I’m freaking the fuck out. Call me, tell me where you are?

I couldn’t. I couldn’t call him, couldn’t tell him where I was. Couldn’t call any of them. Because of him.

Beep.

I stared as another message filled the screen.

Silas: You’d better run, cause when I find you, Angelica, you’ll wish you’d run faster.

My breath caught with the warning. I stared at the words until they blurred. He was looking for me.He was looking for me. Iswung around, scanning the faces around me and pressed my spine against the enclave of a store.

I’ll do things I don’t want to do. But I will, little sister, and I’ll do them well…