Page 84 of I Will Break You
“Is she hurt?” I ask, my chest tightening, my voice rising with panic.
Two knocks.
I exhale, but it’s too early to feel relief. Gulping, I pluck up the courage to ask, “Is she a hostage?”
One knock.
Tears burn the backs of my eyes, the sting spreading across my sinuses. I couldn’t do a thing to save Kayla, Gavin, or Chappy, but if there’s a chance I can help Myra, I’ll do whatever it takes.
I choke back a sob. Nothing with this new version of Xero is simple. I rephrase my question to, “Will you release her if I agree to your terms?”
One knock.
“Okay… Okay. What do you want me to do? Turn off the lights?”
One knock.
“Anything else?”
One knock.
A shudder runs down my spine, and chills spread across my skin. “And step out of the salt circle?”
One knock.
My stomach dips. It’s that jumping-off-a-dive board sensation where I’m free-falling into an empty swimming pool. I try to rise, but my legs have turned to jelly. It’s too much. I’m not brave enough to sacrifice myself to a ghost, but then a fresh set of images assaults my mind: Myra screaming under torture, hanging from the ceiling, or lying on an operating table being carved by shadows.
Cold panic punches me in the chest, making me scoot out of the salt circle. I crawl on my hands and knees, turning off both flashlights and the lamps I set around the room, and I close the laptop’s lid.
There’s a beat of silence before the ceiling flares with light. I scramble to the farthest edge of the room, press my back to the wall, and watch the display.
Two naked men sit side by side on a bed. The smaller of the pair is thin with a soft body, a red face, red hands, and horns. Between his skinny thighs are genitals resembling a trio of button mushrooms set within a thicket of salt-and-pepper pubic hair. His companion, with a perfect body but an unfortunate-looking face, sits with his penis tucked between his closed legs.
Nausea clogs my throat as I recognize them from the book fair. They’re both in the champagne-colored decor of a luxury hotel suite, but there’s no sign of us in the background.
“Roger Stern.” Xero’s voice is so loud and deep that my bones rattle. “Also known as Big Dick Johnson. You have been found guilty of date rape.”
“What?” I whisper, my hands flying to my mouth. I’m breathing so hard and fast that I barely hear the voice actor’s reply.
“Put down the gun, man,” BJ says. “I didn’t touch her. You stepped in before I could get my dick wet.”
My lip curls with disgust. Does that mean he stripped us naked?
“StephenGlick, also known as the Well Hung Man. You have been found guilty of attempted date rape.”
The hangman splutters. “This wasn’t my idea. I only squeezed one tit.”
My nostrils flare. Only?
“If I hadn’t interrupted, you would have taken what was mine,” Xero snarls.
I clutch at my throat. He’s talking about me. BJ must have targeted Myra and left me for the hangman.
“One of you will die tonight,” Xero says.
“Kill him,” the hangman shrieks. “He’s the one who lined their glasses with Rohypnol. I thought tonight was going to be a regular hookup.”
BJ shakes his head. “But he touched your woman. That other chick was fair game. He’s the one who deserves to die.”