The Order

41

I slowly opened my eyes, blinking a few times as I adjusted to the bright lights that were shining down on me. My head throbbed, sending a shooting pain through my temple every few seconds. The room was spinning. I narrowed my eyes, trying to focus as I glanced around the room.

The room was large, and somewhat empty. Tables surrounded me with various tools... tools I've seen before... tools I've used before.

My hands were chained above my head. Metal shackles were on my wrists, a chain connecting the two. The chain hung from deceive from the wall, preventing me from escaping. I glanced at my shoulder to see that it was bandaged. I looked down at my car to see that it too was also taken care of, making me tense slightly. I knew what was about to happen. I've been on the other side of this scene more times than I can count. Kenji wanted to keep me alive, wanted to make sure that my last moments before death were as painful as human possible. That's why they took care of my wounds... to make sure I wouldn't die quickly.

The door opened, making me look up to see Kenji walking into the room, the Oni mask still on his face.

"Took you long enough." Kenji said as the large door shut loudly behind him.

"You had us worried there for a second. We had to resuscitate you a couple of times, but eventually you pulled through." He said as he continued to close the distance between us until he was eventually standing in front of me.

"Wouldn't want you dying so easily, now would we?" Kenji said as he cupped my face for a moment before he tapped it twice and walked towards the table. I said nothing as I watched him, his fingertips caressing the tools.

"Oh and the Knights. They were so close to saving you. But... they were a few minutes too late." Kenji said with a small smirk.

"I know you've had a terribly difficult life, Mila. Part of me even thought to give you the mercy of a quick death." He said.

Kenji let out a breath before his hands went up to his face, gripping his Oni mask before slowly removing in it an placing it on the table.

"But that was before you did this to me." He said as he turned towards me.

His entire face and neck were covered in third degree burns. His har was patchy, and he looked like a completely different person. Kenji Sato was known for his vanity, and it can only imagine how his newly disfigured and burned face effected him.

"My beautiful face," He said as he brought his finger up to his cheek, only to retract it away quickly. "My beautiful face." He said one more, his voice cracking slightly.

"You ruined me!" Kenji screamed as he got in my face. I didn't react, I didn't say a single word as I just glared at him.

"You're going to suffer until your last breath for what you did to me, Mila Cruz. If you thought what I did to your sister was bad... just wait and see what I have planned for you." He said as he reached up and grabbed the chains around my wrist. He rotated me so my face was pressed up against the wall, securing me so I couldn't move.

I was trained for this, forged in the fire of death. I mentally prepared myself for what was about to happen, prepared myself for unspeakable pain. Even though I knew I was going to die, I'd be damned if I gave him the satisfaction of breaking me.

My body tensed as I felt him grip my shirt, and in one quickly motion he ripped the fabric off my body, leaving me in only a bra.

I listened as he walked away from him me and grabbed something from the table. Within a few seconds, I heard him chuckle before a searing pain shot through my back.

The sound of a whip snapping filled the air, and I closed my eyes tightly as I grit my teeth, choking down the whimper of pain that threatened to leave my lips. My body jolted as the whip broke my skin once more, slashing directly across my back.

I clenched my jaw, my hands turning into fists with each lash to my back. My body tensed with each crack of the whip. But I stayed strong, holding my composure silently as he inflicted more pain upon me. I grit my teeth as a scowl stretched across my lips.

I refuse to let this bastard break me.

I lost count of how many times the whip hit my back. I think the last number I remember was twenty before the searing pain became too much for my mind to focus. Blood dripped down my back, soaking my pants and dripping down to the floor beneath me. But no matter how bad the pain got, no matter how much I wanted to scream in agony, I resisted. I stayed silent the entire time, not a single tear falling from my eyes or a single sound leaving my lips.

The sound of Kenjis footsteps echoed in the room, accompanied only by my sporadic breathing. I felt him reach above me, releasing the chain hanging from the wall above me. With my hands still chained together, I fell to the floor.

My legs immediately buckled underneath me, my calf sending a shooting pain through my leg. I fell to the side, directly on my shoulder wound, making me grit my teeth as I hit the hard, concrete floor.

I turned so my elbows were on the floor in front of me, my back hunched as I attempted to stand up. Kenji quickly brought his leg forward, kicking me directly in the stomach multiple times.

He beat me... severely. Making sure that every inch of my body was touched by his knuckles. The only thing I could do was take my mind elsewhere, disassociate from the pain that rampaged though my body.

I thought about Maria, James, Nova, Monroe.... Liam. I couldn't stop thinking about Liam. About his brown eyes, his soft touch, the taste of his lips, the feel of his skin against mine. Our memories played through my mind as I withstood the beatings. I didn't think of our fights, our countless arguments where we spent hours yelling at each other. I didn't think about how I tried to kill him, or how he hated me at first. I didn't think his engagement or Olivia.

I would close my eyes and think of our good memories, the loving times we shared, the days that were only filled with happiness and love. It helped me escape from the reality of my situation, escape from the torment that Kenji was putting me through.

Kenji kicked me once more in the stomach, making blood spill out of my mouth as I coughed, attempting to catch my breath. He looked down at me, a deep scowl on his face before he turned on his heel, walking to the table and grabbing his Oni mask. He placed it on his face before walking out of the room, the sound of locks clicking on the other side echoed through the space before silence fell upon me.

I moved a bit, trying to get comfortable on the hard floor. But every movement I made, no matter how small, sent pain radiating through me. I settled where I was, trying not to move, trying not to aggravate my wounds. Bruises already started to form on my skin, and blood was still seeping out of the wounds on my back.

I closed my eyes, desperate for some small speck of sleep to grace me. A small part of me wanted to close my eyes and never wake up. To be done with this, to give Kenji a final fuck you by dying so easily.

But after a few moments, the light inside the room grew brighter, and loud music began blaring through the air. I knew what this was, I've even used it before. It was a technique used to break down your target, to inflict psychological torture by depriving them of sleep. The heavy metal made my headache, and I laid there, my eyes open as I waited for death to come and claim me.