𝓒𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓐𝓼 𝓘𝓬𝓮 [𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖊𝖓𝖓𝖎𝖊]

26

It really was a beautiful old building, despite the years it had lain empty, Jennie had more than enough chance to admire it, after Kai had bound and gagged her, he'd walked her what seemed like miles through the thick fog, past abandoned buildings and torn-up parking lots. "Watch out for the swimming pool," Kai had said jovially as he'd marched her up a stone staircase. "Most of the water is long gone but there's enough in there to drown you, if the stink doesn't kill you." He pushed open a heavy door and shoved her inside, out of the fog, flicking on dim lights that still managed to hurt her eyes. They were in the middle of a huge room, built like an old hunting lodge, with a massive fireplace, a row of built-in seat around it and balconies crisscrossing overhead. Dead animals were stuffed and mounted on the walls, and across the top of the fireplace was a sign The Truth Shall Set You Free. If she hadn't been gagged Jennie would have laughed.

"Great place, isn't this?" Kai said with the enthusiasm of a young boy showing off his newest toy. "It used to belong to Kim Jonghyun or someone like that, and then it was turned into a school for drugged-out rich kids. They shut it down years ago and I bought it up on a whim. Always liked the place, even if it's seen a lot of hard use. Let me show you around a bit. You'll like it."

She had no choice, of course, trailing along after him, her hands bound behind her back with duct tape that was too tight, while Kai acted like a tour guide straight out of the Travel Channel, pointing out extraneous details like the dining room with its broken furniture, the wide row of decks overlooking the valley. "Too bad they let those little shits get there hands on this place," Kai said briskly, tying her to a chair near the fireplace. "There's nothing you can do with bad kids-hell, there's nothing you cant do with good kids either. Might as well get rid of the whole lot."

He was using thick yellow nylon rope, tight around her already bound wrists and ankles, pulling it around her neck, and then flinging it over one of the thick logs that made up the exposed rafters. It took him a couple of ties to get it, but he laughed anyway, clearly in an excellent mood. "Wish you could appreciate those knots I tied, Ms. Kim. I'm proud to say I was an Eagle Scout. You know how hard that is, what kind of commitment it takes? The years of hard work? I know what you're thinking-" He looped the rope back under her arms, then tossed it back over the rafter. "You're thinking the rich kid's father bribed them. But you can't bribe the Boy Scouts of America, Ms. Kim. I know, because I tried. The only way I could get to Eagle Scout was to earn it the hard way, and I pretty much did. J think my old scoutmaster would be pleased as punch to see how good I still am with my knots. Of course, he might not be so happy to see how I'm using my expertise." Kai chuckled to himself.

He was kneeling down behind her, and she could no longer see what he was doing, and she wasn't certain she cared. The yellow nylon was scratchy against her throat, and when Kai tipped the chair back she could feel it tighten against her.

She tried to cry out, but the sound was forced down by the gag. Kai took a step back, surveying his handiwork with pride. "Now, that looks just fine," he said. "If I do say so myself. You gotta be careful not to move, not to squirm. That chair is balanced very precariously, and if it slips then that rope is going to tighten around your neck and strangle you. I wish I could promise you that I'd done such a good job that it would be instant, that your neck would break and it would all be over, but I did think I'm that good anymore. I've done it in the past, but I've lost the touch over the years, and I'm afraid if that chair falls over you'll choke to death, and its going to be slowly and nasty. Just the way I like it," he added with a happy smirk.