"Camera, motor, smile, everyone!" Samantha took another sip of champagne and jumped up and down on her heels like a child. "Eugene, I hope you're not going to go easy on them?"
"Not at all, Mrs. Gorskaya," He replied mechanically, placing instruments on the table near our chairs. Scalpels. Knives. Files. Nail clippers. Screwdrivers. And, of course, his bat.
"Tape their mouths shut, just in case. I only want to hear their moans. I miss the sound of my wife moaning."
"Fuck off."
"Learn a few new words, Errin; you're repeating yourself."
The camera was already rolling; I could tell from the red light. And judging by the open laptop and the sound of pop-up messages, more and more viewers were tuning in. Damn, I had hoped I would never be a part of this.
"So, the first request, ladies and gentlemen!" Eugene put on a leather mask that completely covered his face and finally stepped into the frame. Only Samantha and my husband remained to watch everything. "Who will make the first request? Come on, I'm sure there are many who want to!"
"Don't be lazy, guys! Look at those sweet buns!" Samantha shouted from around the corner. Eugene glanced sharply at her, as if she had made a move that could end badly for her.
"First request: "Let the girl show her face"—$500." Eugene looked at me and slowly pushed my hair away from my face. I looked up at him and once again jerked away in an attempt to at least bite him. I remembered how he pretended to protect me, how he gave me hope of escape, of refuge, and then betrayed me. My thoughts were interrupted by a pop-up message. Eugene read it immediately. "No, not this girl. The one behind the camera."
"That's impossible," Samantha cried from around the corner, realizing she had really slipped up.
"He's already paid; you have to show up, or the broadcast will end."
I saw how she looked at me and Alex with wild hatred, weighing the pros and cons of going on camera. On the one hand, the wife of Gorsky himself would be exposing herself in such a sensitive matter and could ruin the reputation of her wealthy family. On the other hand, she was torn apart by a desire for revenge, a desire for retribution. I could see how she wanted to skin Alex and me alive in the most sophisticated way possible. And that desire won out. She placed the glass on the tray in the security guard's hands, lifted the hem of her red, fluffy skirt, and slowly stepped into the frame.
"Second request: $1,000 for the handsome guy in the chair to lose him finger." Alex groaned. He was incredibly weak. Several teeth were knocked out, his bones were broken, and he was exhausted from hunger and dehydration. He had to get through this. God, I hope we both get through this.
Samantha looked straight into my eyes and smiled slightly. Eugene calmly walked over to the tray with the tools and picked up a small knife. He repositioned the camera so that Alex was more visible than me. In doing so, he showed Samantha's face and... Mike's. I heard Eugene whisper something indistinct to Alex before a scream of agony echoed throughout the basement.
"Ooh, the night is getting hotter!" Samantha jumped up and down happily, but her cries of joy were suddenly drowned out by a huge number of notifications. "Am I getting this right? They're all excited too? Are there a lot of new requests?"
"You guys are really sick..." Alex squeezed out the words with his last ounce of strength. I heard a trickle of blood dripping onto the concrete floor from where his pinky finger had been just five minutes ago.
"Third request: 'Is that Mike Dreese in the background?'" Only now Mike realize that his reputation was at stake. Unlike Samantha, he was a cowardly scumbag, so he saved himself by quickly running out of the camera's view. Messages kept falling into the chat, and I knew they were all about him. This son of a bitch was well known, and appearing here would seriously damage his perfectionist reputation.
"What the fuck are you doing? Why the fuck did you read that out loud?" Mike's hissing satisfied me as much as it could under these circumstances.
"Request number four, friends! The bet is 5,000."
"Ooh, sounds delicious. what is it? "
"I want to see a lady in red completely bald." Eugene chuckled slightly. Even he was amused by what was happening.
"That will never happen."
"But the money has already been paid."
"So there won't be any airtime. Self-confident putas." She came up close to the camera. "You think you're the smartest ones here? Do you even know who I am?"
She came closer to me and grabbed the rest of my hair, pulling my head back hard. A few moves and I felt my hair being pulled so hard that I couldn't hold back a scream. At that moment, Mike was looking at me, cowardly hiding in a dark corner of the room, out of sight.
"She's the one who should suffer, and only her." Samantha grabbed the first knife she could find from the tray standing next to Alex. He was still moaning in pain but was clearly in a semi-conscious state. I don't think he understood what was going on around him. He didn't understand anymore.
With one movement, she pulled my head back even further, exposing my neck, and held the knife to it. I felt that blade cut my skin already. Even one more little hard push, and my veins are going to be open.
"You'll make a mistake and lose money if you do this."
"Oh, come on. I don't care about the money; it was her greedy bastard husband who wanted to make a buck. I just want her to die and be pissed on like a whore." She looked at me, then at Eugene. "Wait a minute... Are you attached to her?"
I glanced at Eugene, freezing for a second. A man like him couldn't be; he wasn't capable of feelings, considering what he did for a living. If he was attached to me, it was only as free merchandise picked up on the side of the road. He was a sick psychopath, nothing more. But I was surprised that he was standing there silently. Samantha loosened her grip, and the knife blade moved away from my skin. She spun it, turning the wooden handle toward Eugene.
"Kill her." Well, this is the end. I'm glad I at least tried to change my life. Eugene took the knife and came closer to me, looking me straight in the eyes.
"With all due respect, ma'am, I can't." She wanted to say something, but he continued. "The broadcast was banned, and I need to pay back the money I spent. So I'd better keep her alive until tomorrow, until I figure out how to use her better."
It was clear that the widow didn't believe him at all. She looked silently at the watch on her wrist and then at me. She lit a cigarette. Oh, damn, the smell of menthol and tobacco... I would have given a lot for a couple of puffs.
"It's 11 p.m now. You have 24 hours. Tomorrow at 11:01 p.m., I want to see her either dead or ready for sale. Got it?" He nodded. "If that doesn't happen, you'll rot next to her. I'm serious; if she's still alive, there's already a buyer who will make her regret ever being born."
"What about the guy?"
"Same deal. If he doesn't die, he's a bonus."
"Hey. What about me? You promised I could fuck her." Mike stepped out of the shadows, realizing the camera was no longer recording.
"You'll wait. You're here instead of her naked friend because of my kindness." She turned to me and, taking another drag, whispered. "I heard you used to be an ashtray, right?" And she burned my cheek-mound with her cigarette. A piercing scream echoed throughout the room. Damn, it hurt so much that I started to cry. "Clean it all up." She threw what was left of the cigarette to Eugene and headed for the exit, motioning for Mike to join her. He followed her like a puppy. Such a pathetic creature.
They left the basement, and the guard was about to close the door. But the crazy psycho's voice came from the stairwell. She shouted something in Spanish, and he followed her out, locking the basement door behind her.
"Alex, are you alive?" Gasping for breath, I hoped he was at least partially conscious.
"Mmm..." Such weak moans; he was on the verge but still conscious.
Damn it. I started crying even harder because I knew it was over for us. Such a horrible, humiliating, fucking ending.
"You're a freak, Matt. Or Eugene. Or whatever your name is. I hate you." I screamed with all my strength. But he didn't answer. He just silently wiped the blood under Alex's chair and didn't even look in my direction. "Are you ashamed? You can't even look me in my eyes and admit that you betrayed me?" Again, silence. "I hope you die as horribly as everyone you killed."
I had no desire to talk to him anymore. I had no strength left. I started to pass out. And that feeling was accompanied by humility. I knew I was about to die. I accepted it. It's just a shame that all of this affected Alex and Rotten Crown. It's a shame that it affected Lucian. I would give anything to see him one more time... To smell him. To yell at him or make him laugh. I miss him. And I thought about him before I blacked out so that in my last moments I could see the happiest moments of my miserable life.