against her chest just in case. He opened one of the drawers and removed a blue sweater. Must have belonged to the kid , he thought. Bradley began wiping the blood from the scissors. He glanced at Dani, impressed. "My, you didn’t pass out. Maybe there's hope for you after all."
Dani groaned. Her speech became indecipherable, blood and spit spooling from her mutilated mouth. Bradley noticed her bodily fluids on his forearm and smiled. "Hope, yes. But that was only the first cut."
He readied the scissors again, now clean, and performed the same sequence on Dani's second cheek. Dani didn’t put up as much of a fight this time; darkness was on the verge of consuming her. He separated the blades, inserted them into her mouth and began to cut. Dani bucked and thrashed beneath his restraining arm, her body nearly done for. Blood poured from the new hole in her face. A low guttural moan emitted from within the young girl. After a few agonising minutes, he was done. Bradley withdrew the blades and tossed the scissors across the room. They embedded themselves in the wooden doorframe. "There you go. You're now the proud owner of a Chelsea grin."
Dani said nothing, her eyes flickering behind their half-closed lids. Her head wobbled on a weakened neck, her olive skin was a few shades lighter from the blood loss. Bradley held her head up; her slippery chin pinned between two large fingers, and observed his handiwork. She had two slits spreading out from the middle of her mouth, about an inch or so in length. Her chin was a glowing, blood-soaked red. Her clothing, a mass of blood and vomit, would need destroying. Crimson slathered the drawers and floor beneath, as well as the supporting wall behind her. Her kicking and fighting had turned the room into a slaughterhouse.
"Now, for the best bit."
Bradley took a knife from his waistband. Placing it between his teeth, he slapped Dani awake. She murmured, groaning loudly. Her eyes opened slightly, consciousness returning. "Good, you're still with us. When you find me, whenever that might be, I'll be waiting. Next time, I won't be so forgiving." He slid the knife from his mouth, held it before her docile eyes, taunting, and punched it into Dani's waist.
Dani screamed.
Her compromised vermillion crest gave way, the muscles in her mouth stretched and the skin cracked. The flesh split along both cheeks, heading towards the ear. Blood spurted everywhere. Red lines formed and then split – in the shape of a wide, crooked smile – across her face, the skin tearing loudly. Bradley observed his handiwork and laughed. Dani finally passed out from the searing pain.
Bradley dropped her limp, bloody body onto the floor, wiping the blade on the sweater. "You'd better come find me. After this," Bradley gestured to the scene before him, "I'd expect nothing less. You have to survive first though. Good luck."
He took one final look at the carnage, the massacre, and left the room. He walked down the stairs slowly, knocking pictures off the wall as he went and left the house, closing the front door behind him. Within seconds, he was in his vehicle, driving away from the scene.
No one saw him go.
EIGHT
A sound pierced the air. Faint, at first, but then more striking and obvious.
Dani opened her eyes slowly and winced, her body reacting to the pain. A slow, burning agony spread across her face as exhaustion threatened to engulf her entire body. She gritted her teeth and raised a hand to her lips, stopping an inch from her mutilated visage.
Her tongue licked the inside of her bloody cheek, tasted copper and pulled back. A second time, the probing muscle pushed at the hole in her face. It slid between the slivers of severed flesh, to the outside of her cheek. She licked her clammy skin, tickled by the stifling air in Teddy's bedroom.
It took tremendous willpower not to vomit again.
What did he do to you?
The question seemed foolish, the answer obvious, but it gave her clarity,
Dani groaned. Her speech became indecipherable, blood and spit spooling from her mutilated mouth. Bradley noticed her bodily fluids on his forearm and smiled. "Hope, yes. But that was only the first cut."
He readied the scissors again, now clean, and performed the same sequence on Dani's second cheek. Dani didn’t put up as much of a fight this time; darkness was on the verge of consuming her. He separated the blades, inserted them into her mouth and began to cut. Dani bucked and thrashed beneath his restraining arm, her body nearly done for. Blood poured from the new hole in her face. A low guttural moan emitted from within the young girl. After a few agonising minutes, he was done. Bradley withdrew the blades and tossed the scissors across the room. They embedded themselves in the wooden doorframe. "There you go. You're now the proud owner of a Chelsea grin."
Dani said nothing, her eyes flickering behind their half-closed lids. Her head wobbled on a weakened neck, her olive skin was a few shades lighter from the blood loss. Bradley held her head up; her slippery chin pinned between two large fingers, and observed his handiwork. She had two slits spreading out from the middle of her mouth, about an inch or so in length. Her chin was a glowing, blood-soaked red. Her clothing, a mass of blood and vomit, would need destroying. Crimson slathered the drawers and floor beneath, as well as the supporting wall behind her. Her kicking and fighting had turned the room into a slaughterhouse.
"Now, for the best bit."
Bradley took a knife from his waistband. Placing it between his teeth, he slapped Dani awake. She murmured, groaning loudly. Her eyes opened slightly, consciousness returning. "Good, you're still with us. When you find me, whenever that might be, I'll be waiting. Next time, I won't be so forgiving." He slid the knife from his mouth, held it before her docile eyes, taunting, and punched it into Dani's waist.
Dani screamed.
Her compromised vermillion crest gave way, the muscles in her mouth stretched and the skin cracked. The flesh split along both cheeks, heading towards the ear. Blood spurted everywhere. Red lines formed and then split – in the shape of a wide, crooked smile – across her face, the skin tearing loudly. Bradley observed his handiwork and laughed. Dani finally passed out from the searing pain.
Bradley dropped her limp, bloody body onto the floor, wiping the blade on the sweater. "You'd better come find me. After this," Bradley gestured to the scene before him, "I'd expect nothing less. You have to survive first though. Good luck."
He took one final look at the carnage, the massacre, and left the room. He walked down the stairs slowly, knocking pictures off the wall as he went and left the house, closing the front door behind him. Within seconds, he was in his vehicle, driving away from the scene.
No one saw him go.
EIGHT
A sound pierced the air. Faint, at first, but then more striking and obvious.
Dani opened her eyes slowly and winced, her body reacting to the pain. A slow, burning agony spread across her face as exhaustion threatened to engulf her entire body. She gritted her teeth and raised a hand to her lips, stopping an inch from her mutilated visage.
Her tongue licked the inside of her bloody cheek, tasted copper and pulled back. A second time, the probing muscle pushed at the hole in her face. It slid between the slivers of severed flesh, to the outside of her cheek. She licked her clammy skin, tickled by the stifling air in Teddy's bedroom.
It took tremendous willpower not to vomit again.
What did he do to you?
The question seemed foolish, the answer obvious, but it gave her clarity,
Similar Books
