Midnight Silpper

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Zayne

What. In. The. Actual. Fuck?

Rage, like I had never experienced before, threatened to explode, overwhelming the rationale part of my fucked-up mind. Disbelief held me still, my mind failing to register the sight before me.

I was only snapped out of my stupor when Riley rushed forward, crouching immediately at her side, distressed and scared. Fear had paled her out considerably and she was shaking.

"Adrienne! Adrienne! W-What..." Riley cried, tears streaming down her face, unable to speak from the sight of her near lifeless body on the floor. Adrienne was topless, her back exposed to me, her hair spread out around her like a fallen curtain. "Adrienne—Jesus, what happened to you?" Riley pressed.

Riley was shaken, her body racked with tremors, as she flashed her phone along Adrienne's body, searching for any signs of injury. Riley was careful not to touch her until she could ascertain that it was safe to move her.

My gaze took in the sight of her with a sudden sharp clarity. Adrienne was laid out on the ground, on her side, facing away from me. Both her arms were secured to the wall by two manacled chains like a fucking animal. She looked as if she had been upright at one moment, before having collapsed to the ground. She groaned in pain, weaving in and out of consciousness, as our combined flashlights exposed the deep lacerations of lashes on her naked back.

Someone had whipped her horribly.

What the fuck was going on?

Anguish and pain tore at me. The need for retribution and the need for violence slashed at my gut, beating at me. The monster within wanted to come out and I was this close to letting it free reign. Whatever hell Adrienne had endured, she had quietly kept to herself. Someone had done this to her and from the impression of the older scars on her back, it wasn't the first time.

"We need to find the keys," I said, my tone more harsh than I had intended, as I began to search for them. My mind was too laser-focused to examine how things had transpired this far.

"We need to take care of her wounds. I-I don't..." Riley trailed off, her voice shaky. Even in the darkened interior of the basement, with only our phones to light the way, her wounds looked bad. I was too afraid of examining the lacerations more closely when there was ample light.

I didn't answer Riley, nor did I want to take the fucking time to calm her nerves when the first imperative need was to get her out of here. The relentless beating of my instinct to haul her away and hide her away, demanding to know who it was that did this to her, echoed in the strange, dark place in my mind and soul. I was surprised I was keeping it together, but the longer I remained here, the longer I could feel myself losing the battle to my own inner demons.

I wanted to kill and that was dangerous. 

Riley grabbed some kind of sheet nearby and gently draped it around Adrienne to provide some modesty. She turned Adrienne's face towards her. "Adrienne! Adrienne! Hey, babe, can you hear me?" Riley gently patted her face to get her to wake up. "Hey, you need to wake up."

Adrienne's head dangerously lolled, her long hair cascading across the floor in a silken mess. She looked lifeless, limp and it was scaring the hell out of Riley. Fear that she was dead assailed me, until her pained moans alerted me that she was breathing still, along with the gentle rising of her chest. I began to sweep my phone, looking for anyway to undo her manacles. Locating a small light, I turned it on, allowing me to continue my search.

Riley scanned the ground, spotting Adrienne's phone nearby. The chains were long enough to allow Adrienne some movement and she must have been able to call for help, before she lost consciousness.