smoking orange raven at the end of the iron shaft and a muscle in her cheek twitched, but she showed no other reaction. The truth was, she was terrified. But she had no intention of giving him that satisfaction.
“Can I tell you something, Niki?”
Her eyes flicked from the orange tip of the smoking poker to his face.
“Back in high school,” he said, “I used to dream of fucking you. Seriously, that was the only reason I ever showed up to Algebra. Oh man, the sick shit I wanted to do to you. Tell me, Niki, you ever take it in the ass?”
She swallowed, trying hard to breathe in the stench of his breath without gagging.
He shrugged.
“Who knows?” he said. “Maybe here in the next few days we’ll get a chance to find out. You and me, we’re gonna be spending some quality time together.”
“You’ll never get the chance,” she managed to say. “Ken Stoler’s gonna—”
“Ken Stoler has been betrayed by his little favorite.” He brought the poker closer, passing it within inches of Niki’s face. She could see the glowing tip reflecting in his eyes like a sadistic joy. “He may come looking for you, Niki, but he’ll be hunting, not rescuing. You’re a traitor. How does that feel, knowing you turned your back on the one man who believed in you?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Niki said. “I’m on a scavenging mission. I’m looking for antibiotics.”
“You’re looking for Dr. Don Fisher,” he said. “Don’t lie to me.”
He dipped his face close to hers, and the stink of rot that emanated from him made her eyes water. But even worse than the smell, worse even than the bloodstains between his teeth, was the bright glow of insanity that filled his expression. The necrosis filovirus had eaten honeycomb chambers through his psyche, and what remained of his mind was like a window straight into hell.
“You’re not on any scavenging mission,” he went on. His voice was barely more than a whisper now, but still full of hate. “I have my spies in Union Field. I know the trouble you’ve had with Ken Stoler. And I know what you’re planning on doing. You’ve sent messages to Fisher. Where are you planning on meeting him?”
His words sent a chill through her. How could he know that? Was it true, did he really have spies in Union Field?
She forced the questions down.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said. “Loren, please. Just let me go. You don’t have to do this.”
He leaned in and whispered in her ear. “That name died when I did, Niki. Just like your name will die.”
“Loren,” she said. “Please . . .”
He took several steps back and nodded to his soldiers. They grabbed her by her arms and threw her facedown on the pavement.
“Pull down her pants,” the Red Man said.
Niki felt the guards groping at her belt buckle, then at her waistband as her pants and panties came down over her hips.
She kicked and tried to bite the hands that held her down, but there were just too many of them. And when her pants were down around her ankles, the guards pressed their knees into her back and shoulders. She might as well have been nailed to the street with railroad spikes. No matter how hard she fought, she couldn’t move.
The Red Man put the iron on the pavement in front of her face and she could hear the metal hissing. “Hey,” he said, “I’ve got a confession to make. I don’t really care if you tell me or not where Fisher is. You know why?”
She shook her head, unable to take her eyes off the smoking tip of the poker.
“I used to dream about fucking you. I did. I thought about it all the time. But pretty soon, I won’t have to wonder what it would have been like, because I’m gonna have as much of you as I want. Here in just a bit, I’m gonna be knee-deep inside of you.”
“Stop it!” she said. She hated the fear she heard in her voice, but she couldn’t hold it back now, not with her pants down around her
“Can I tell you something, Niki?”
Her eyes flicked from the orange tip of the smoking poker to his face.
“Back in high school,” he said, “I used to dream of fucking you. Seriously, that was the only reason I ever showed up to Algebra. Oh man, the sick shit I wanted to do to you. Tell me, Niki, you ever take it in the ass?”
She swallowed, trying hard to breathe in the stench of his breath without gagging.
He shrugged.
“Who knows?” he said. “Maybe here in the next few days we’ll get a chance to find out. You and me, we’re gonna be spending some quality time together.”
“You’ll never get the chance,” she managed to say. “Ken Stoler’s gonna—”
“Ken Stoler has been betrayed by his little favorite.” He brought the poker closer, passing it within inches of Niki’s face. She could see the glowing tip reflecting in his eyes like a sadistic joy. “He may come looking for you, Niki, but he’ll be hunting, not rescuing. You’re a traitor. How does that feel, knowing you turned your back on the one man who believed in you?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Niki said. “I’m on a scavenging mission. I’m looking for antibiotics.”
“You’re looking for Dr. Don Fisher,” he said. “Don’t lie to me.”
He dipped his face close to hers, and the stink of rot that emanated from him made her eyes water. But even worse than the smell, worse even than the bloodstains between his teeth, was the bright glow of insanity that filled his expression. The necrosis filovirus had eaten honeycomb chambers through his psyche, and what remained of his mind was like a window straight into hell.
“You’re not on any scavenging mission,” he went on. His voice was barely more than a whisper now, but still full of hate. “I have my spies in Union Field. I know the trouble you’ve had with Ken Stoler. And I know what you’re planning on doing. You’ve sent messages to Fisher. Where are you planning on meeting him?”
His words sent a chill through her. How could he know that? Was it true, did he really have spies in Union Field?
She forced the questions down.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said. “Loren, please. Just let me go. You don’t have to do this.”
He leaned in and whispered in her ear. “That name died when I did, Niki. Just like your name will die.”
“Loren,” she said. “Please . . .”
He took several steps back and nodded to his soldiers. They grabbed her by her arms and threw her facedown on the pavement.
“Pull down her pants,” the Red Man said.
Niki felt the guards groping at her belt buckle, then at her waistband as her pants and panties came down over her hips.
She kicked and tried to bite the hands that held her down, but there were just too many of them. And when her pants were down around her ankles, the guards pressed their knees into her back and shoulders. She might as well have been nailed to the street with railroad spikes. No matter how hard she fought, she couldn’t move.
The Red Man put the iron on the pavement in front of her face and she could hear the metal hissing. “Hey,” he said, “I’ve got a confession to make. I don’t really care if you tell me or not where Fisher is. You know why?”
She shook her head, unable to take her eyes off the smoking tip of the poker.
“I used to dream about fucking you. I did. I thought about it all the time. But pretty soon, I won’t have to wonder what it would have been like, because I’m gonna have as much of you as I want. Here in just a bit, I’m gonna be knee-deep inside of you.”
“Stop it!” she said. She hated the fear she heard in her voice, but she couldn’t hold it back now, not with her pants down around her
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