Chapter 5
- Melina wakes up to the sound of the door opening. She doesn't even remember falling asleep. The man from last time steps inside and asks her to follow him. They walk out of the room to the place she was questioned. He asks her to sit in the chair that has her dried blood on the armrest and legs. She cringes as he straps her to the chair.
- "How are you doing today, Melina?" Kim asks, walking toward her from the stairs. She wears black denim jeans and a jacket with a brown t-shirt. Her black ankle boots click hard against the floor as she approaches Melina. Today she also has on the same red lipstick from yesterday. Her pitch black hair is in a rough bun today.
- "As you would expect."
- "Hmm." Kim nods, taking off her jacket.
- "Today, we are going to do things like yesterday. I'll give you three chances to tell me where James or the money is before I make you suffer."
- "I already told you the answer to both questions."
- "I can see you are still choosing to protect him today. No problem, we can skip ahead then." Kim picks up a short dagger off the table and licks it, grinning. Melina cringes. She wonders if Kim won't hurt her tongue doing that. "It seems I'll make you bleed faster than I thought," she smirks, moving closer to Melina.
- "Please don't hurt me." Kim rests the blade against her forearm. Melina's heart rate speeds up.
- "Let the games begin." Kim draws the blade across her arm. Screaming in agony Melina pulls her hands into a tight fist as her skin tears open.
- "I never understood what he saw in you," Kim walks behind her and grabs her hair, pulling her head back. She places the blade on her cheek. "I wish he would fucking let me cut this ugly face" Unexpectedly, Kim brings the dagger an inch away from Melina's eyes. Melina's eyes widen in terror.
- "Please," Melina pleads, and Kim smiles, taking the dagger away. Moving it to Melina's shoulder, she draws it down her arm. Melina screams in pain, wrapping her hand tight around the armrest. Tears flow down her face mixing with her sweat. Looking at Kimberly as she takes the blade away, Melina wonders if she is doing this to get answers out of her or because she hates her for being the woman Thomas loved.
- Melina snaps out of her thoughts, seeing Kimberly throwing the knife up and letting gravity take its course. The color drains from her face watching the blade plummet toward her thigh. She tries to get out of the way by pushing her butt backward to move the chair, but Kimberley catches it before it dives into her lap. Kim laughs at Melina, seeing her hold her breath as the blade rests a breath away from her thigh.
- "This is only the beginning, Melina. If you continue to claim not to know where the money is or James, I'll design your body with my blades," Kimberly says, drawing the blade down her thigh, tearing open her skin. The floor gets painted crimson with Melina's blood.
- ***
- Melina doesn't know how much time has gone by, but her throat is sore, and a small pool of blood lies around her feet. She turns her hand, and they are white from gripping the armrest too hard. Her hair sticks to her face and she can no longer taste salt on her lips. Fresh tears form in Melina's eyes, looking at her arms and legs. Kimberly has used her blade and torn open the flesh on her arms, stomach, chest, and thighs. She doesn't even understand how she is still alive with the amount of blood she has lost. The only place Kim hasn't used the dagger on is her face. Melina is even surprised Kim hasn't because she knows Kimberly is jealous of her beauty, but she remembers Kim mentioned someone won't allow her. She wonders if Thomas is the one.
- "Wow, I didn't expect you to last this long," Kimberly states. Melina doesn't reply and continues to stare at the ground. "Look at me when I am talking to you, bitch." Kimberly grabs her hair and forces her head up. She places the blade on her cheek. "You are lucky he said I shouldn't touch your face; if not, I'd make you the ugliest woman on this planet." She releases her hair and takes a step away from her.
- "Bring the salt; it seems we need to spice things a little bit more," Kim says to the man in the room with them.
- Melina abruptly lifts her head, and her eyes widen. "Please don't do it. Please, I am begging you, Kimberly."
- "It seems that is the only thing that will make you talk."
- "I swear to you, Kimberly, I don't know where the money or James is."
- "We will see about that." she collects a plate from someone, which most definitely has salt on it.
- Melina pushes her butt backward to get away. She looks behind her and Kimberly to see if she is getting any further away from her. Hope flutters in Melina's heart, seeing the table is a little further away than before, but her chair suddenly stops moving. She turns to see the man who brings her here holding her chair in place as Kimberly approaches.
- "Kimberly, please, please, I beg of you. Don't do this."
- "The more you beg me, the more I want to do it," she says, smirking, grabbing a handful of salt. Melina shuts her eyes as Kimberly swings it at her body. An anxious breath leaves her lips as she braces for the salt to settle in her wounds and agonizing pain to begin. When it doesn't, she opens her eyes, and Thomas is holding Kimberly's wrist.
- "That's enough, Kim; I said nothing extreme," Thomas says, standing before her. She looks behind him, and she sees the salt at his feet.
- Melina gazes into his eyes, and she sees sadness in them for a split second. It quickly disappears as his eyes become void of any emotion. She didn't know he was here today. She wonders how much he saw and if it moved anything in him to see her undergo all she did today.
- "Pouring salt on her wounds is not extreme," Kimberly says through gritted teeth.
- "It is, and I think she has received enough torturing for today. Seth, cut her hands and feet free," Thomas commands the man that stands behind Melina.
- "No, she hasn't," Kimberly walks over to Melina and slaps Seth's hands away from the armrest before he can cut the cable ties off.
- "I said she has," Thomas growls in her face. Kimberly backs down and takes a step away.
- Seth proceeds to cut the cable ties off. Melina stands up from the chair but doesn't take one step before her body gives out. Thomas catches her before she can hit the floor. Placing his hand under her knees, he lifts her off the ground. Melina stares at his shirt as it stains with her blood and wonders how he feels about it. She tries to blink as Thomas's face starts to double before her eyes but ends up only closing them.
- "Melina!" Thomas shakes her body to make her open her eyes.
- She grunts as her eyes feel too heavy to keep open.
- "Fucking open your eyes."
- "I want to sleep, Thomas," his scent drifts through her nose, pulling her into the darkness. She finds it harder to stay awake as his scent calms her down and helps her fall asleep.
- "Seth, look for Leo and ask him to call Dr. Chris. Tell him to get his fucking ass here in the next few minutes," Thomas walks towards the stairs with Melina in his arms.
- "Why are you getting her treated?' Kimberly asks, blocking Thomas's way.
- "Because I fucking want to move out of my damn way," Thomas tries to walk past Kimberly, but she keeps blocking his way out.
- "She lied to you; you shouldn't get her treated; you should let her die,"
- "Kimberly, I am only going to repeat this once. Move out of my fucking way."
- "I can't believe you," she seethes.
- "I choose when she dies, not you," Thomas says before walking up the stairs. Melina lets herself embrace the dark, closing her eyes.