Page 38 of Sweet Venom

No, the sounds are closer.

Somewhere in the house.

I consider leaving, maybe…maybe calling the police.

But the police didn’t save Susie when I called them that day. Ever since then, I’ve regretted my cowardice and the way I let Mama’s voice freeze me in place.

I’m paying for my silence by being assigned an angel of death in the form of Jude.

So, I’ll never be a bystander again.

Standing on wobbly feet, I cast one last glance at Susie, then wipe my eyes as I try to find the source of the sounds.

Muffled groans.

No, they’re screams, I think.

My legs are still shaking as I go down the stairs, jumping a little when the lights switch on.

Damn. I really hate basements. I’ve watched enough true crimes documentaries to know this is where the shit hits the fan.

I pull out my phone, gripping it tighter as the volume of the sounds increases.

I pass by an open door and stop.

A large blond-haired man with bulging eyes is strapped to a chair in the middle of a sterile basement room. The walls are white and there’s a metal cabinet behind the chair.

His mouth is covered by silver duct tape, and his shirt and pants are torn in places, blood oozing from his multiple injuries. The worst part is his bare feet, where dirt and leaves are stuck to the dried blood.

“Mmmm!” he screams behind the duct tape, rocking back and forth in his chair upon seeing me.

I rush to his side, my legs barely carrying me, and I try to slowly remove the tape. “Are you okay?”

“Do I look okay, you stupid bitch!” he snarls, shouting. “Untie me before that sick motherfucker comes back.”

“Oh, okay.” I’m breathing harshly as I slide behind him and work on the tight knots. “Who did this to you?”

“Who else? It’s that motherfucking crazy asshole!”

“J-Jude?”

“I don’t know his name. Stop talking and hurry the fuck up!”

“These are special knots. It’s hard to undo them.”

“Useless stupid bitch.”

I release the rope. “If you’re going to call me names, I won’t help you.”

“You…” He exhales deeply. “Just please, okay? I’ve been under a lot of stress with that fucker chasing me with his friends and then drugging me. I just want to go home, so help me out, yeah?”

With a sigh, I work faster on the ropes. People can be really deranged when they’re under a lot of stress, so I don’t blame him.

More importantly, I keep thinking about why Jude and ‘his friends’ chased this man.

As soon as his hands are undone, he helps me untie his feet.

The moment he’s free, he wobbles toward the exit, but a shadow appears at the door.