Page 7 of Sadistic Retribution (Rise of Phoenyxx #2)

Phoenyxx

I'm lying face down on the concrete floor. Too weak to even roll the fuck over. No clue how long we’ve even been here. My guess is days, at least. No food, no water. I've taken to drinking my piss. It's disgusting, but I'm still alive. Barely.

I'm jolted out of my semiconscious state by the masks yanking me up off the floor.

“More play time!” Jester announces.

“No, please... no more,” I feebly plead, but they just laugh at me.

I'm dragged into another room, this one with a long, padded chair and headrest. It looks like what I envision a dentist’s chair to look like.

I'm shoved in and strapped down, arms and legs. Demon walks behind me, and I feel the headrest lower all the way until I’m fully reclined, lying flat.

Skull carries over a large rag and a bucket. “What the fuck?” I say in outrage. My whole life, when things got dire, I would be quick to anger, and even express aggression. It's a kneejerk reaction. I revert to anger because it’s so much easier to deal with than fear.

In the blink of an eye, the rag is placed over my face and pulled tight. I can barely breathe!

To my utter horror, ice-cold water is poured directly onto my face over the rag. It hits my face—eyes, nose, mouth. I can’t move or close my mouth. The water trickles into my mouth and down my throat, and I start coughing.

I hear them laugh, and more water is poured on. This time, I feel the wet rag stick to my nose and mouth, and I can’t fucking breathe. I try to inhale, but just feel the rag stick further to my mouth. They're trying to drown me!

I struggle, trying my hardest to fight them off.

“Enough!” Demon calls out, and the water stops. The headrest is raised back up, and the rag removed from my face.

I try to inhale again, and choke and wheeze. Horns comes over and thumps me hard in the chest—once, twice. On the third time, I cough up the water.

I shakily inhale and exhale, glaring at them all. “Fuck. You!” I wheeze out, killing all four of them with my eyes.

Shaking his head, Demon picks me up, slinging me over his shoulder. He carries me back to the cell, dumping me inside.

I take a moment to get my bearings.

“Bryan? You alive over there?” I ask with concern.

“Yeah, I’m here. Are you alright? Your voice sounds off.”

“I’m okay.”

I manage to turn my head, seeing him slumped over in the corner. I open my mouth to say something else when I hear voices. I widen my eyes, mouthing “shush” to Bryan.

“The girl won’t break. I've never seen anything like it,” a male voice says.

“She is a tough bitch, for sure. She may be a good candidate.” A second voice.

“The boy, on the other hand, may be a lost cause.” Voice one.

“Don’t count him out yet. I've seen worse cases come through.” Voice two.

I hear their footsteps approaching. I look frantically at Bryan, then slam my eyes closed, hoping he follows suit. I don’t want them to know we were listening.

I hear a grunt, followed by the sensation of being lifted to my feet. I pretend to rouse. “What? What now? Food and water... please?” I beg Horns, who’s with Skull.

Skull reaches into his pocket, pulling out two bottles of water. He hands me one and tosses one to Bryan. “Think of this as a reward, Patient 11.”

I flip them both off, cracking the lid and taking a couple of tiny sips. It's like ambrosia right now.

Horns grabs my elbow, steering me away. “Say bye to Loverboy—you won’t see each other again.”

“What? Bryan! No!” I scream frantically. “Fight Bryan, okay? Please just fight! You have a family, a reason. You hear me?”

His eyes well up with tears, looking away from me. I’m shit-scared but keep it off my face.

I'm dragged to an elevator and shoved inside.

It goes up one floor, then the door opens.

Another hallway, with bigger cells. I'm pushed inside of one.

It has an actual bed in the middle, with a pillow and thin blanket.

There's also a toilet, and a sink with a dirty bar of soap next to it.

I could cry at the sight of these tiny luxuries.

“This is a reward, understand?” Horns announces. “Tell me your name.”

A test. Of course. Reminding myself about the small battles, I decide not to fight him. Gritting my teeth, I answer, “Patient 11.”

“Good girl,” he purrs, petting my head like a damn dog. I make it to the bed, and collapse onto it. Skull walks out, then back in carrying a bowl. I salivate. I don’t care what it is, or if it’s drugged or poisoned. I'm eating every bite.

He hands it to me. Plain oatmeal. I take a small bite, my stomach exploding with the first swallow. I eat small spoonfuls, until the bowl is empty. Of course, they stand there and watch me until I’m finished.

Skull snatches the bowl back, and they both leave. I fall backwards on the bed, curling onto my side. I'm out within seconds.

I wake with a start, rock music blaring through my cell. It's LOUD. So loud, I can’t even hear my own voice as I scream in frustration. I couldn’t have been asleep for more than a few minutes.

“I’m the bad guy, I’m a savage, I’m obsessive, I’m dramatic!” the male singer wails loudly.

The music adds to the mourning in my soul. Trikk really introduced me to music, when he gifted me that Walkman from the eighties. He even made me a mix tape. Then Frost—that dance he did for me... fuck. I can’t think about this. It hurts too badly.

I grab my pillow, and pull it over my head, trying to fall back asleep. It's fucking impossible! I get up reluctantly, going to use the toilet. I move to the sink, grabbing the soap to quickly wash my hands and face, and between my legs.

I feel a bitch of a headache building, so I lie back down. The music continues for so long, I think I’m going to go batshit crazy. The same fucking song, over and over...

After what feels like forever, it finally stops. Thank fuck! I lie back down, passing out in a heartbeat.

I'm forced awake again—this time with colored, flashing lights. “Ugh! Dammit!” I toss my pillow at the bars. “Come on!”

I shiver, the lights far too familiar. My first memory has colored lights.

Phoenyxx Age 8

The lights are so bright, it’s making me dizzy. There are so many colors—blue, red, green. They’re moving around in circles and flashing.

I’m chained up to the bad wall again. The bad man took my clothes off first. I don’t know what’s about to happen, but I’m scared.

I strain my ears, making out voices in the background. The bad man is talking to some other people. I hear men and women both.

I want to go home! I can’t remember where that is, though.

Tears prick my eyes when the man comes over, stroking a finger down my cheek.

“Time for some fun, Bella. You'll be a good girl, right?”

I just nod my head, words getting stuck in my mouth.

Music starts playing loudly, and the voices get closer and closer. I whimper, needing it all to stop!

Sirens start blaring obnoxiously, along with the lights. Goosebumps prickle along my arms, my senses so raw it physically aches.

Some of that memory is new to me. I swear, I don’t recall that conversation. And that nickname, Bella. This is the first time I remember hearing that bastard call me that.

I cradle my poor head, rocking and thinking. They think I’m passing some sort of fucked-up test, so if I keep fighting, will they let me go?

I doubt it. I remember Valley... and choke back a sob. She told me no one ever comes back from here. The Morgue. A fitting name for this hellhole.

After some time, the lights and sirens stop. I know it’s only temporary, but I force myself to close my eyes again. Maybe they’ll let me sleep more than five minutes...

Bryan

I don’t have the energy, or will, to fight. Fight for what?

The only person I’ve ever loved is gone.

Sure, my parents love me. I grew up in a mostly-normal family. As an only child, I was always given whatever I wanted. When I was young, my mother showed me a lot of affection. But, when I hit puberty, she pulled away.

Bryan Age 11

Ow! I somersault over my dumb bike after hitting the curb at a fast speed. Wearing shorts, my legs got scraped up. My left knee is bleeding, and stings like crazy.

It's hot as Hades, almost one-hundred degrees outside, and it’s only ten am. East Coast summers are notorious for their mood swings.

I limp back into the house. “Mom!” I holler, waiting for her to come to me. She enters the kitchen through the living room, stopping when she sees the blood.

“Bryan! What did you do?” she scolds.

“Crashed my bike.”

She sighs. “Come along, let’s get you cleaned up.”

I follow her to the bathroom where she gathers bandages and ointment. She cleans up the wound and bandages it neatly. Before I leave the house again, I reach out to give her a hug.

She winces, stepping backwards. Her lips press into a thin line, and anger is etched in her eyes. “Go back out and play,” she dismisses.

I don’t get it. Why does she hate me so much now?

If I had only known then. My mom has a fondness for young men. The only reason I know that is because I walked in on her seducing one of my friends.

Bryan Age 12

“Mom? What are you doing?” My heart races, staring at the scene in front of me. My friend, Georgie, is cowering back on the old sofa in the pool house. Mom’s standing in front of him, wearing only bikini bottoms. Her hand is high on his thigh, murmuring softly to him.

When she hears me, she whips around, arms crossed in front of her chest. “He tried to take advantage of me!” she yells, pointing to Georgie. His eyes are full of tears.

“Come on, Georgie!” I yank him up, dragging him out of the pool house. I can’t even look at my mom. How could she?

When Phoenyxx reminded me I had a family, this is what I thought about. It's all lies. There was only my Valley.

I wonder if they’ll kill me. At this rate, if I don’t get food soon, I’ll starve to death.

I hear a sound, and one of the masks—Jester—is standing at the bars. He shoves a granola bar through the bars then leaves.

I crawl towards it, unwrapping it and eating it in three bites. I do my best to curl up, hoping my weary body can get some rest, knowing more rounds of torture will be coming again.

Phoenyxx

“Get up!” Demon’s voice... great. I crack open an eyelid. “NOW!”

“I'm coming,” I mutter. I haul myself out of the bed.

Once I’m standing, he pushes me. “Move it!”

I'm taken to a room with a large screen on the wall. I'm pushed into a chair, and headphones are placed over my ears. “What is this?”

He doesn’t answer, just leaves the room. Within a minute, voices filter through the earpieces.

“Bro! She’s so hot, though!”

“Well, I love her man!”

Oh My God. It's Trikk’s voice. Then—

“She likes cutting, like me.”

“She's the one. My obsession,” Ghost’s whispered words burn through my brain.

I choke back my emotions, keeping my neutral mask on.

“Fuck you! She’s mine! Mine to use, to fuck! Understand?” Synn.

A distorted sound comes through the headset.

“One more,” Demon cackles.

“She’s my student. I shouldn’t feel like this—like she belongs to me. But I want her. Hell, I need her!” Hunter.

That one did it. It broke my neutrality, choking on a sob. Where the hell did Hunter go? Why did he leave me if he feels that way? I'm so confused…

“Good girl,” Demon’s voice praises. I close my eyes, fighting back the urge to vomit.

Where did they get those clips? Were they all talking about me?

“Open your eyes—and keep them open,” I’m ordered.

A light flickers on the screen, and a video is displayed. A sharp intake of breath stutters me, seeing my... boys... right there, in color.

The Six—all in a group huddle. Then, I come onscreen, getting ready to go down the stairs.

Wait... I know this scene. This was when I was pushed! There were cameras in there? I'm not too surprised, actually. I really don’t want to see this play out, though.

I close my eyes, but the masked dickhead sees it. “Open your eyes, 11!”

I open them, watching as Synn pushes me down the stairs. Then the guys all kick me and shit, and I pass out, laying there, unmoving.

The image fades, but I’m still sitting there. Great... more videos.

Next up, the classroom I fucked Destiny up in. I watch myself annihilate the bitch, not one bit sorry.

Then, I’m faced with the image of myself hoisted in the air and stripped by five of the guys, minus Synn. I wince inwardly; this one is hard to watch. Especially my obvious growing arousal. And the guys... God, is it bad that I still miss them, even though they took Valley from me?

I'm still pondering when another video comes up. The emo rejects breaking into my room. There's a fucking camera in my room? I’m forced to watch it all play through, up until Synn storms out.

Demon’s voice comes through the headphones again. “That’s it for now. Back to your room.”

I wait for him to come and get me, but he doesn’t.

Confused, I slowly rise, removing the headphones.

I move to the doorway, peering into the hallway.

Knowing this is likely a test, I hesitate.

I should go straight to my room, which is unlocked and open, but I have to try to get the hell out of here.

I race out the door, anxiously looking around. I don’t see anyone, so I sprint towards the end of the hall looking for a door to an exit or an elevator or something. I come around the corner, spying an elevator. Yes!

I frantically push the button. “Come on, come on,” I beg. The bell dings, and I go to slide inside. But before I get all the way in, Demon comes out of fucking nowhere.

“Bad girl, bad Bird,” he growls, lifting me into the air. I kick and scream, but can’t do shit.

He walks me back to my cell, tossing me inside.

“Fuck you, freak!” I yell in his face. He slaps me so hard, I fall back onto the mattress; dazed.

I shake my head, but he walks out and locks me in.

“Such a bad girl,” Demon growls.