Crimson Lace

Chapter 24

WARNING: this chapter contains subjects that may be triggering for some individuals. Including but not limited to: violence and gore

ELLE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

I am stumbling blindly through the dark. Somewhere along the way I changed into a tight fitted, black training suit and they confiscated the syringe I stole.

This is happening. Something is happening.

There is a low hum in this room and hushed murmurs from a crowd.  The ground beneath
my feet is grainy and shifts as I shuffle forward.

Someone has the barrel of a gun pressed to my back and the thought makes me dizzy. They are bringing me out in this dark room, with a sandy floor, and an audience to watch as they shoot me in the head. They have tortured me for a week, had their fun, and now there will be an end to my pain.

The pressure of the gun is removed. I hear the echo of footsteps leaving and then a metal gate slamming shut behind me. The lights flicker on, and I gasp as my eyes adjust to the scene around me. My breath catches in my throat in an attempt to breathe.

This is an arena.

The sand is white and red. Blood stained. There are rows and rows of chairs hugging the circle like hula hoops. Almost every spot is filled. The occupants are mostly people in white coats and my heart stops as I realize they are doctors and scientists. This isn't an execution. It is another damn experiment.

I scan the crowd and find two familiar faces in one of the front rows. Alec and Josephine. How fitting that they came to watch me be tortured together. I can almost feel my face twist into a sneer as I see that their hands are interlocked.

"How is everyone on this fine day?" Keaton's voice hisses like a snake through some kind of loudspeaker.

I whirl around searching for his revolting face and find him projected on a large television that hangs above my head, about one hundred feet in the air. It is shaped like a cube, with his face projected on all sides so that he is visible to everyone.

"Great, as if one of you wasn't problematic enough," I growl, allowing my voice to be heard over the hushed crowd. My words echo off the walls perfectly.

Everyone watches me in shock.

Keaton ignores my comment and continues on with his speech. "I'm sure you all are very confused, but I can assure you that today is going to be very interesting. The tests we have been performing on Miss Eleya Woodruff, haven't been successful to say the least. I think that Eleya wasn't feeling the intensity of the circumstances, so I believe that if we raise those stakes we might be able to trigger a spectacular reaction."

My eyes widen. Raise the stakes? He wants me to feel in danger. He wants to kill me.

I don't miss Alec tense, he tries to rise from his seat, but Josephine holds him down and mumbles something under her breath that seems to calm him a bit.

"Let's begin the first wave," Keaton bellows.

"First wave?" I shout in terror. How many will there be, and what does each wave entail?

There is no way for me to defend myself against what is coming. There are no weapons and no indication of what I need to be ready for.

It's only when the large iron gates slide open that I realize the extent of what I am up against. Tears prick at my eyes as if I am a little girl afraid of a monster in the closet.

I hear the breathing before I see them. Loud roars and hefty breaths come from inside the dark room behind the open gate. My stomach churns as large figures come into view. They walk on all fours, thick, golden fur limbs prowling through the sand, their teeth are bared and ready to bite.