“They say people like to punish themselves either because they are ashamed of who they are or what they’ve done, or because it gives them a heightened sense of being alive.”

Leah was slowly coming back to. She heard someone talking but didn’t know who. The first thing she felt was the throbbing in her head. It wasn’t bad. It felt like a mild migraine. There was something else that was causing her this headache. Besides the headache, Leah felt something really physically strange about herself. The voice spoke again.

“That they desire to have someone, or something, take complete control of them in every conceivable aspect. Take the Monastics from east Asian Mahayana Buddhist schools. Did you know they can fast up to 72 days? While they believe it’s a process to purify the body, some people think it’s an act that punishes the body by refusing it sufficient nutrients.”

Leah didn’t know what this person was talking about. She was about to move when she realized she couldn’t. Her eyes opened to see a hazy figure that looked like it was hanging from the ceiling. It was evident she did not have her glasses on anymore. With her eyes still blurry, she could see a source of light she assumed coming from the ground. Leah discovered it was the only bright light in the room.

When Leah tried to look down, her head wouldn’t move. She was only able to move her eyes down. Leah tried to move her head left and right, only to find she couldn’t do that either. She tried to move her hands to figure out what was causing her head to be stationary, when, to her horror, she discovered she couldn’t move her hands either.

It shouldn’t have been a surprise for Leah to find that she was unable to move her legs as well, but it did. Leah was in full panic mode now. She couldn’t understand why on earth she was unable to move her head at all. Her vision didn’t get any better without her glasses. Despite this, it was clear that the voice belong to that figure that was up on the ceiling. It took another minute for Leah to understand, with dread, that the figure wasn’t on the ceiling. It only looked that way because she was the one being hung upside down from the ceiling.

Her situation was slowly coming to light. Leah was strung up by her feet, which were tied together. She couldn’t see how they were tied but it didn’t hurt her ankles or feet at all. She swung a little as Leah tried to free herself from the binds. Leah’s hands were tied behind her, yet they weren’t tied together. They were restraint for sure, but Leah was unable to have her hands touch each other. It was as if an object separated them.

The next thing Leah figured out was that she was wearing some kind of neck brace. Whatever it was around her neck, Leah wasn’t able to move her head at all. The obstruction completely immobilized the movement of her head.

To top it all off, besides the restraints, Leah was once again completely naked. The towel she used to cover herself up was gone.

Leah vigorously tried to break free from her binds, not caring what the consequences were if she succeeded. The fall might hurt, but Leah really did not want to be so vulnerable hanging like that. She was afraid of what will happen to her if she was kept like this for too long. She also noticed her hair was tied up into what felt like a bun. Someone took the liberty to do it for her while she was out. No doubt, Leah thought, it was the stranger who was talking.

“I believe people are naturally masochists. Whether they want to believe it or not. For those who don’t believe they are, they just don’t realize it. It’s up to people like me to teach them what they are truly capable of.”

Leah’s memories before this moment were coming back to her. She found it extremely difficult to think while being hung upside down. The blood rushing to her brain wasn’t helping her to think clearly either. Leah remembered meeting Buddy and how he seemed harmless and wouldn’t be much of a threat when taking him on. She was ready to subdue him and escape this hell hole. But things didn’t turn out the way she wanted it to. Buddy knew he was no match for her and could only take her on by outsmarting her. Leah was enraged.

“You fucking coward!” Leah was more upset at herself than Buddy. She felt as if she should’ve known something like this would happen. The whole time she thought she was luring Buddy into a trap, it was Buddy who lured Leah into a trap. Leah convinced herself she wouldn’t be a victim again in another of their sick, twisted games. Now, she was once again in a vulnerable situation where she will undergo another round of their games, whether she liked it or not.

“LET ME GO NOW!” Leah screamed.

“I intend to. Just not at this second. I want to teach you a lesson, first.”

Leah was still struggling against her restraints as Buddy stood up and walked around Leah’s hung body. When she realized her binds were never going to break, Leah couldn’t help but begin to bawl. Leah hated every second of this. She thought she barely survived the last torture session with Kenny. Leah had no idea what Buddy was capable of and was in no hurry to figure it out.

Like Kenny, Buddy loved to hear the cries and screams of their victims. It heightened his satisfaction to an almost euphoria. It never gets old. He preferred them to be in their teenage years. They were only able to get only a handful of teenagers since the beginning of their extracurricular activities. As a teacher, Buddy always fantasized about using one of his attractive female students in their underground games. It is possible to make it happen, but it increases their chances of getting caught exponentially. But when the victims are very young, their sessions are extra special. Buddy always makes it memorable for himself. And for them.

Leah may have been in her mid twenties, but she looked young. Buddy would’ve thought she was 18, had he never met her before.

Leah’s tears poured down her forehead and into her hair. Some drops fell into the item below her, which Leah was not aware of. Her neck brace made her head tilt upwards or, in this case, down towards the ground. Leah didn’t notice the item below her since her mind was occupied in her distressing situation. The neck brace was quickly driving her insane. She hated not being able to move her head at all in any direction. Leah couldn’t follow Buddy’s movement as he walked behind her. All she can do is continue her crying and thrashing.

“I would save that energy if I were you. You’re going to need it in a little bit.” Buddy walked completely around her. He didn’t touch her. Walking around was more of a portrayal of his dominance over her. He very much felt like a shark circling its next prey.

Leah ignored Buddy’s advice and kept fighting a pointless fight.

“Today I’m going to teach you a lesson. And what better way to teach a lesson effectively than conducting an experiment.”

Buddy walked in front Leah’s naked, upside down hung body and knelt down to come face to face with her.

“I can’t say enough, I am a fan of your online videos. Mostly because you come off as adorable yet incredibly sexy. I don’t particularly enjoy video games at all, but I do enjoy watching you talk about it. However, I do especially like the videos where you talk a lot about yourself.”

Leah knew she would come across jealous and creepy people when her videos were growing popular. The most she ever thought would happen was someone attacking her in public, which she was always ready for. Leah never thought for a second she would be an unwilling participant in depraved games run by sadists. She knew there were very disturbed people in this world. Leah thought some of the blame should be on her for being in this mess. She owed a lot a of thanks to her success in online videos, but right now she had nothing but disdain for her success.

“For instance, I remember you answered a fan’s question, regarding the worst way to die, according to you. You revealed that one of biggest fears is drowning.”

Leah didn’t like where this was going.

“You mention a relative of yours whom you were quite close to when you were little, drowned in an accident. That is very tragic and unfortunate. I am sorry for your loss.”

“Please … just let me go,” Leah pleaded. Her tough chick persona was completely gone. The fight in her was immediately extinguished when she woke up to her ordeal situation. Buddy continued to talk, ignoring Leah’s cries for help.

“I once did a study about human beings and their willingness to succumb to their fears. I wrote a thesis on how it was intriguing when human beings have no qualms to face their fears when they have no choice. Wouldn’t you agree? If you were faced with death, and the only way to avoid it is to face your biggest fears, would you go through with it?”

Leah didn’t answer. She only screamed out loud begging for Buddy to let her down.

“I like to think so. I hope I never find myself in that kind of situation. But I do like to see very much how you will react when you face your fear of drowning.”

It is true that Leah had a big fear of drowning. Her cousin died drowning when they were both little kids. It happened during a family vacation at a beach with her own family and her aunt’s family. Leah was very close to her cousin. They did everything together. They both looked so much alike that people thought they were sisters. During the family vacation at the beach, Leah’s cousin swam too far into the ocean without supervision. Leah’s aunt and uncle didn’t react because they mistook someone else’s child as their own.

They didn’t react until the child who Leah’s aunt and uncle thought was their child walked out of the beach with her own family. The panic-stricken parents called out for Leah’s cousin fearing the worst. Unfortunately, their fears were met. Leah’s uncle swam to where her cousin’s lifeless body was floating face down on the surface. The moments after that was a blur for Leah. At that age she didn’t understand what happened, but she knew from all the crying, yelling, and panicking people around her, that it was very bad. The one thing Leah will always remember from that time was her vivid vision of her uncle carrying his drowned daughter in his arms. It still haunts Leah to this day.

Buddy stood back up and walked somewhere else in the room. Leah couldn’t see that far. Her tears didn’t help either with her bad vision. While Buddy was gone for a moment, Leah tried once again in vain to break free from her binds. She stopped when Buddy returned with what Leah assumed was a hose. Buddy dropped the head of the hose onto the object Leah never noticed until now.

The object below her was a big, round bucket. After rolling up his sleeves, Buddy began to fill it up with water thanks to the hose he brought over. He then took his glasses off and put them in his pockets.

“I would’ve filled it up a long time ago, but I wanted to make sure the cold water didn’t get warm when you came to.”

It didn’t take long for Leah to understand her scenario. She started to hyperventilate.

Buddy ignored her rapid, deep breathing. Her smooth stomach looked as if something inside was trying to come out. This was a result from the hyperventilation. With the hose placed still in the large bucket, letting the cold water run into it, Buddy knelt down and massaged the upper part of her back.

“Shh, shh, shh, it’s okay. Relax. If you act like this when we start, then it is not going to turn out well for you.”

For some strange reason, this calmed down Leah. She didn’t know if it was the back massage from Buddy that did the trick, or his words. Either way, she managed to control her breathing, but she was still very much terrified.

“Please don’t do this. I’ll do anything you want. But please don’t do this. Don’t…” Leah begged, producing more tears.

“You don’t even know what I have in store for you. I can understand your misplaced assumption. You see, I have no intention of submerging your head underwater. That is the God’s honest truth.” Buddy noticed the bucket was close to overfilling, prompting him to reach for the nozzle and turning it off. He threw the hose away, not needing it anymore.

Leah didn’t understand what he was up to. If he was telling the truth, then why is there a large bucket of water underneath her? Buddy didn’t tell her the whole plan.

“No, it won’t be me who will be doing the dunking. But rather you.” Buddy said casually.

Leah was expecting some kind of twist. She thought maybe Kenny or Alpha would join him, doing the “honor” Leah thought for a moment she didn’t hear him right. The blood rushing to her head was causing her to hear things. If she did hear correctly, why would she willingly dunk her head underwater knowing full well her fear of drowning?

“You’re probably wondering why, oh why, would you hold your head underwater on your own free will? Well…”

Buddy walked behind Leah once again. Leah panicked again thinking Buddy lied and was about to drown her, when she felt something on her right hand. It felt like Buddy was putting a glove on that hand. After securing the mystery object on her hand, Buddy returned to Leah’s front.

“I strapped to your hand a simple remote that has a single button. The remote is for that mechanical pulley which has the rope holding you up going through it. Every time you press that button on your hand, you will trigger the pulley to lower the rope which in turn will lower your head underwater.”

Leah couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She was still confused as to why she would drown herself?

“Not to worry. The rope will stop lowering at a certain point making sure not to hit your head at the bottom of the bucket.”

Leah had a hard time processing all of this. She thought she missed something during Buddy’s explanation. Leah assumed this was Buddy’s unorthodox method to get her to face her fears. If this was true, Leah was not going to comply with his “experiment.” Furthermore, she didn’t understand how he could get off from this? Granted she may have looked tantalizing being strung upside down naked, but was that it? Did he solely take pleasure in just watching her? Leah supposed it could be worse.

“I realize I haven’t yet explained why you would willingly dunk your head underwater. As I said before, people resort to facing their biggest fears upon realizing they have no other option. This motivates them to tackle their fear head on without a second thought. Most times it comes out beneficial for them, having to conquer their fear. Other times the outcome is quite unfortunate.”

Buddy was configuring something near Leah’s strapped feet. Because of the neck brace, Leah was unable to see what he was doing. He wasn’t touching her feet but could sense Buddy was messing around with something near them. After a couple minutes passed, he dropped his arms, taking a few steps back.

“There. That should do it.”

Buddy pulled his chair closer to Leah to get a better view. He made himself comfortable as he sat down.

“In approximately one minute, two long, very sharp needles will inject the soles of your feet. One needle for each foot. If you want to avoid one of the most excruciating pain a human being could possibly endure, all you have to do is press that button from the remote I gave you.”

Leah’s hyperventilation returned. She felt her mind was about to shut down or explode.

“Of course, by pressing the button, you will offer yourself to be submerged head first onto the cold water. It is up to you how long you want to stay under. But the second you come back up for air, the needles will still be there, which means you will choose to return to stab yourself.”

Leah couldn’t hear him anymore. She understood for the most part of this twisted game. She just didn’t want to believe it. How could anyone come up with something so medieval? Worse: how can one human being inflict such a torturous act on another human being? There was no way she was going to make this out alive. Leah couldn’t bring herself to think of how to get out of the situation. No words were able to come out of her mouth.

“Don’t worry about me, sweetheart. I’ll be sitting here enjoying the show. I won’t interfere at all. Whatever you go through will be your decision.”

The fuck it will, Leah thought! She had no intention of willingly putting herself through the worst hell she could think of. This bastard knew about her worst fear and he was going to make her go through it. He probably reasoned with himself he has no blame in it since the victim chooses what kind of torture to go through. Buddy was just as much a psychopath as Alpha and Kenny. But he was a different kind of dangerous. One of the worst kinds of a human being. No, not human. A monster.

“You have 20 seconds before the needles plunge into you. Just a head’s up in case you are not too eager to find out what kind of pain two needles going inside your soles feel like.”

Leah was able to control her breathing but was crying again. The only way she could make this out okay is if she could wuthstand the stabbings in her feet. In her past, her feet would undergo the usual painful acts any other person would go through: stepping on sharp objects, like toy pieces, and even getting smashed by heavy objects. None of those occurrences will come close to what she is about to feel in a few seconds.

“Just like all the rest. They think they can handle it. That is until the time comes. Once they feel it, though, the alternative option doesn’t seem so unappealing. 10 seconds…”

Leah did her best to calm down. Not an easy task. It wasn’t everyday she was being hung upside down naked in front of your kidnapper whose making you choose your torture method. Leah noticed if she struggled with her neck brace, it made it difficult for her to breathe. Those last ten seconds were more torturous than the actual physical torture Leah thought. She made up her mind with what she wanted to do.

“Here we go…” Buddy said, in a matter-of-factly voice.

Leah waited for him to say something before she willingly pressed the button from the remote in her right hand, sending her head underwater. She took a deep breath before being submerged under the ice-cold water. The freezing water came as a shock to her causing her to lose some of her air.

As Buddy said, her body lowered enough right before her head met the bottom of the bucket. The water went up to the bottom of her neck, slightly touching her shoulders. Leah remained still as she held her breath under water. It wasn’t an easy task. Whenever she would jump in a pool of water, she would pinch her nose shut to avoid water shooting up in there.

Buddy looked on with intrigue as his latest victim chose to dunk her head underwater. He got up with a smug look on his face as he messed around with the contraption above her feet. He lowered the two objects closer to her soles, so that when she decided to come up for air, she would immediately be stabbed by them.

Buddy sat back down and continued to look on with curiosity. He checked his watch to see how long Leah would remain underwater.

She tried to quiet her mind, hoping it would keep her underwater a little while longer. Imagining a place far away from here seemed to do the trick. But the thought of coming back up for air seeped in through her mind. Her fear of drowning wouldn’t let her stay under. Eventually she would have to come back up. Her thumb was still pressed on the button. As seconds passed, she increased the pressure of her thumb on the button. She thought she might break it if she pressed it any harder.

Leah didn’t know how much time was passing by. It was hard to do so when there were so many things going on at the same time. Even though she tried to relax, the instinct to nod her head forward was involuntary. The neck brace did its job preventing her from doing so, unable to come up for air. At the 40-second mark, Leah was already swallowing water. This caused her to panic. She was soon suffocating under water.

When the feeling of drowning became too powerful Leah released her hold on the button. It wasn’t so much on purpose as it was her state of panic that caused her to forget about the remote holding her down. Her body rose slowly taking her head out of the water. Leah coughed repeatedly, gasping for air. She was so desperate for air, Leah didn’t notice the stinging sensation from the bottom of her feet.

As soon as Leah inhaled enough air, her mind went to the sharp pain that was coming from her soles. Immediately she let out a menacingly, ear-piercing scream. She may not have been able to see the needles going through her feet, but her mind gave her a clear picture of it. It only made it worse.

Just the thought of being stabbed tripled the pain. She felt it sinking deeper in her feet. The pain was too much for her to bear. Leah quickly pressed the button. She was thankful Buddy strapped the remote to her hand because she would’ve dropped it by now. Once again, by pressing the remote, Leah lowered her body, dunking her head underwater. The pain from her feet consumed her mind so much that she forgot to take a deep breath before submerging her head in the cold water.

She screamed under water realizing her mistake and having to endure her feet being stabbed again in order to get some air. Leah was only under for 10 seconds before releasing the button, bringing her right back up. The mixed emotions of relief and anguish were a whole new mental torture for her.

Every time she came up for air she was grateful and relieved, but it would soon mix in with agony when the needles returned to their stabbing. Even when the needles were no longer stabbing her, the pain was still there. Nerves were probably being damaged, causing irreparable damage to her feet. Leah hated that she was choosing the stab herself on the feet just to get some air.

No! I’m not choosing anything! I don’t want this! It’s him! That bastard is making me do this! He’s trying to make me think I’m in control! I’m not. I’m not a masochist. He’s the one who’s torturing me. If I could, I would stop this right now.

Every time she came up for air, she had a hard time seeing Buddy. It didn’t help that there was water in her impaired eyes. The only thing she could make out was a blurry vision of him sitting down comfortably watching her torture herself.

Buddy was enjoying himself. It always turned him on to see someone taking a part of their own torturing. He logged countless hours of all the victims he, and the other two, have kidnapped and used for his own personal entertainment. Buddy made quite an impressive library of recordings of women undergoing brutal torture methods. Thanks to the dark web, Buddy was able to share his work with other disturbed individuals for a price.

He received numerous praises from viewers. They were always eager for more footage. Not surprisingly, most of the viewers wished he would kill the women at the end. His response was more or less the same. He reasoned he didn’t want to end the fun too early. That and it was quite difficult for him to acquire new victims. The latter was actually true. It never is easy to kidnap someone. Let alone someone who is well known. The last reason he mentions is that he would never record or broadcast a victim being killed.

Yes, it would be a shame to end the fun with Leah, Buddy thought. Plus, he was sure Alpha and Kenny wouldn’t be to thrilled with him if he “accidentally” killed her. He thought about all this as he kept watching the desperate Leah trying to decide which torture method she would rather experience.

She was about to sink her head in for the 9th time. Buddy could see her body was glistening in sweat. To him, the only thing sexier than a naked female with a curvaceous body, was a naked female with a curvaceous body covered in fear and sweat.

Indeed, Buddy was getting a hard-on as he watched. It never fails. He would always get rock hard after a good torture session. But like the other two, he preferred to take it slow with his victims. Buddy enjoyed mentally torturing them until they can’t take it anymore. By that point, the next phase would begin.

Buddy stood up to touch Leah’s thigh. It was damp with her sweat. She was trembling violently. No doubt, she was starting the drowning process. Buddy continued to feel her naked body with his hand. He moved from her thigh to her calf. Then to her flat stomach. Every where he touched, her shaking would increase. Touching her caused discomfort in his pelvic region. He quickly adjusted his bulge into a more comfortable position.

Buddy brought up his other hand to feel her distressful body better. He slowly walked behind her to massage her bare ass and back. She was a beautiful woman. Her body was fit and showed enough muscles so that her feminine features were not misplaced. Everything about her was perfection. Buddy really wanted to fuck her right then and there. Besides a promise Buddy made to Alpha, his discipline was the only thing that prohibited him from following through.

Instead, he leaned his head closer to her sweat-covered legs, and licked her calves. He lapped up as much of the sweat from her legs as he could. It was an aphrodisiac for him. At this point, Leah pressed the released the button once more to lift her head up and feeling the sharp touch on the needles.

Leah’s coughs were harsh and coarse. It was almost impossible for her to take in air. The pain in her feet was killing her. She knew her time was almost up. The confliction was getting to her. The only reason she didn’t want to end it all was because of their threat to harm her family and friends if she committed suicide. Her staying alive was their prevention from being in harm’s way by these psychopaths. But she didn’t know how long she could keep this up.

She wasn’t paying attention at all to Buddy’s touching and licking. Leah even forgot he was there. There were other things to worry about at the moment. Not able to endure her feet getting stabbed any longer, Leah pressed the button right after taking another deep breath.

Her will was rapidly breaking down. It was only a matter of time when she decides to give up. Leah’s fighting spirit she developed over the years was stopping her from giving up so easily. Every passing minute, however, weakened her spirit immensely. Another reason why she wouldn’t give up so easily was the threat Alpha made against her family and friends if she decided to take her own life.

She knew if the tortures were constant, there would be a time where she had enough and decided to take the easy way out. But if it meant her family and friends’ safety, then she would not jump to the conclusion so hastily. It wasn’t fair. They have nothing to do with this. The only silver lining she could think of was that she would be dead and wouldn’t see her family’s demise.

Buddy felt like he was never going to stop touching and licking Leah. He always swears to Alpha and Kenny he could taste the fear from all the women they have had. They would humor Buddy, joking that it’s perhaps an acquired taste. It was something he couldn’t get enough of. He never did any drugs, but he assumed he knew what addicts felt like when it came to their next fix. It’s so bad he almost damned all of his discipline.

Almost.

Buddy stopped after applying a long lick on Leah’s ass cheek. Her head was still underwater when he stopped his assault. He had to admit he was surprised she was lasting this long. The fight in her was very strong. It has always been something he and the other two found sexually arousing. It was more thrilling to break someone who had a tremendous amount of spirit. It made it that much more rewarding.

Buddy waited behind Leah. He was waiting for her to come back up. After another 30 seconds passed, Buddy was a little concerned and almost intervened when she finally released her press on the button for the umpteenth time. When Leah’s head came up, her cough was hoarse. Inhaling was almost next to impossible at this point for her. Her head was getting light fast. She had no clue how long she has been hung upside down. Even her state of fogginess couldn’t distract her from the pain on her soles she was feeling yet again. Leah wanted to scream but was still too busy coughing up water.

There was nothing specific going through her mind. All she felt was dread and desperation. Then a feeling of horror struck her when she felt the remote from her hand being snatched away. With eyes wide open in surprise, Leah finally let out a scream. Without the remote, she knew she was unable to escape the needles going deep inside her feet.

She shook her body as best as she could. Shaking her feet only made it ten times worse. It felt like it was sinking deeper and deeper inside her. There doesn’t seem to be an end to her incessant screaming.

“I know, I know” Buddy said as he walked back with the remote on hand. “I said I wouldn’t interfere, but I am curious to hear what you’re feeling and thinking right now.”

Leah didn’t hear anything Buddy was saying. All her attention was on her damaged feet. She wished she could react appropriately from the pain. If she could, Leah would be thrashing around, yanking those needles right out of her. Her restraints prohibited her from doing so. It was driving her mad.

Buddy returned to his chair, just looking at Leah squirming around in agony. He was enjoying every minute of it. The terror on her face was all too familiar. The terrorized faces from all the women he tortured flashed in front of his eyes. He couldn’t forget them. And Leah would be a pleasant addition to his bank of tortured women.

Leah definitely had a set of lungs on her. She went on to scream for over thirty minutes. Buddy, not for a second, grew tired of it. He just stared at her with lust and depravity in his eyes. The screams of a woman were right up there with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6. Each scream was different and unique.

When Leah could no longer scream, she resorted to crying softly. The tears rolled down her forehead. Leah was definitely a sight to see. Her naked body was completely coated with sweat. Her body shone brightly from the only light in the room. Leah’s body trembled as it was still trying to cope with the intrusion coming from her feet. She didn’t get used to the pain. All she could do was suffer.

Buddy thought this was a good as time as any to speak again.

“Now that you’re more relaxed, we can continue.”

His words brought back a little fire in her. But trepidation still controlled most of her emotions.

“I know you want nothing more than to take those needles out of your feet. But I must ask you to be patient just a little while longer.”

Leah cried a little louder when she heard that.

“I want to know what you’re thinking right now. The sooner you answer, the sooner I can get you down.”

Leah didn’t know if she was able to talk. Crying and screaming was just about all she could do. Plus all the coughing after swallowing so much of the water didn’t help. Buddy didn’t say anything else. He was waiting for her to answer him.

Leah knew Buddy was waiting and tried her best to say anything. For a second, she really wanted to tell him to go fuck himself, but even she knew that would only prolong her suffering. So instead she forced herself to say one word.

“P-p-p-pain…” Leah said weakly, resuming her crying.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear that. Can you speak up a little, please?” Buddy teased.

This made Leah moaned loudly. She took some deep breaths before repeating her answer.

“PAIN!!!” Leah yelled.

“Of course, that goes without saying.” Buddy crossed his legs. “Why did you decide to dunk your head underwater even though you have a fear of drowning?”

“You did this to me, motherfucker! I had no choice,” Leah thought. But she also knew that if she answered what he wanted to hear, she could probably get let down sooner. The pain from her feet never decreased.

“Pain … feet … too much!” Leah said. She would take a quick, deep breath before saying the next word.

“Is that right? So, you’re saying you would rather drown yourself than having to suffer being stabbed from the soles of your feet?”

Leah closed her eyes hard, not believing this psychopath was interviewing her while being stabbed. Unconsciousness cannot come soon enough.

“YES!” Leah yelled.

Buddy let out a deep sigh. “I must say I am not surprised. Studies have shown subjects are willing to face their deepest fears when they consider the other option ‘worse.’ But I was hoping you would be the few who would resist. Nonetheless, your response is an understandable one.”

Leah had extreme amount of trouble listening everything Buddy was saying. Her attention was still on her feet. Until he took them out, her attention was nowhere else.

“You must understand by now, the reason we do what we do is because we feed off the fear from those we bring here. No one has to tell us there is something very wrong with us. It goes without saying. But as long as we’re free and able, we will continue to do so for as long as we can. And we have been doing this for quite some time.”

Buddy stood up and walked over to stand very close to Leah’s hung body. This time he only rubbed her calf.

“By now, you should also realize each of us have particular tastes when it comes to how we treat our victims. In case you haven’t figured it out by now, I take great pleasure in women torturing themselves. And you certainly did not disappoint.”

Leah would’ve been repulsed by his touch, but if she was being honest, Leah would rather prefer his touch than the stabbings on her feet. She hated that this pig thought she wanted to torture herself. Leah knew it didn’t matter if she argued with him. Buddy, and along with the other two, were the type to justify their actions in any illogical manner. It’s how a sociopath thinks.

“Kenny has his fondness of being a sadist, which he does very well, I’m sure you know. But Alpha … well, Alpha is more sophisticated out of the three of us. You’ll find he’s more pleasant to be with.”

“GET ME THE FUCK DOWN!!” Leah had enough of Buddy’s talks. She couldn’t stand how he could just stand there while she was in extreme amount of pain.

“Really? So soon? Well, I was hoping to not spoil the ending just yet, but if you insist.”

Oh thank god, Leah thought.

“Do you know what the greatest tool of torture is?”

When it comes time to kill him, I’m going to do it slow, Leah surmised.

“The mind. It can be the most beneficial tool for the human body or it could be its greatest adversary.”

Leah was making a mixture of sounds of sobbing and hyperventilating. She didn’t have much time. By now, her feet were already past repairable. What comes next is shock, unconsciousness, then death. It won’t be long now.

“Everyone reacts to pain more or less the same. Even when they can’t see it happening. Feeling pain is all it takes to send someone over the edge. Their mind can’t help but paint a pretty picture of their ordeal. Just like you did, I would imagine.”

Leah had no idea where he was going with this. The pain on her feet was very real. If anything, if she saw those needles pierced in her, she would probably freak out even more.

She felt Buddy yanking the needles out of her. It felt strange. He pulled them out so quickly and effortlessly that Leah only felt a slight discomfort. She still didn’t dare to move her feet; not even curling her toes. The pain lingered on even after Buddy took the needles out.

“So imagine how surprise you will be when you realize the soles of your feet were never punctured.”

Buddy crouched down to hold the needles right in front of her eyes. They looked like a pair of chopsticks. Only thicker. Her vision was still a little blurred, but they looked metallic with not so pointy ends. She expected the needles to be stained with blood after plunging into her feet repeatedly. They were clean. Blood-free. Leah didn’t understand what was going on.

“While these have sharp ends, the force was not strong enough to pierce your skin. It was just strong enough to cause some discomfort. That, and the stinging ointment I applied on the needles to make sure the effect of being stabbed terrifyingly realistic.”

No, Leah thought. No, it can’t be. I felt it go in there. It hurt like hell! I felt it go inside me every time I came back up for air. The pain was unmistakable. Right? A look of confusion swept across her face.

“Don’t feel too bad. If it makes you feel any better, you’re not the first to fall for it. And I’m certain you will not be the last. It’s a very effective procedure. Perhaps I’ll tell you all about it next time.”

Leah couldn’t believe she was tricked. Tricked into almost drowning herself. She had a hard time accepting that the pain she was feeling was not real. Maybe he was lying to her now. There was no way to know for sure until she saw for herself.

Buddy tossed the needles away, walking away from her body.

“Nevertheless, you show great promise. I look forward to future sessions. It goes without saying you have an incredible body, Leah. And we are curious to see how far your mind and body will go before it breaks. And you will break. This I promise you.”

Leah’s head was spinning. She didn’t know if it was from anger or being hung upside down for a long time.

“I hate to cut this short, but I have other matters to attend to. Kenny will come to take you down when you’re unconscious, which should be,” Buddy checked his watch, “within the next ten minutes.” Buddy rolled out his before buttoning them up. He put his glasses back on, afterwards.

Leah screamed and squirmed. No audible words came out. Just screams of frustration. It upset her that she fell for this simple trick by this mad man. At the end of the day, it was her decision to dunk her head underwater because she believed she was actually being stabbed. It was all her fault. Granted, Buddy was to blame for the most part, but Leah hated that she complied with his game. She wanted to stop falling for their deception. Every time she thinks she has the upper hand, they prove her otherwise.

After collecting his belongings, Buddy walked over to Leah who was still hollering something fierce. He felt her leg up once again.

“It’s been a pleasure, Leah. Until we meet again. One more for the road?” Buddy licked her glistening leg once again, savoring her taste. Leah did her best to back away from his tongue, even though she knew it would do nothing to stop him.

“Mmm. Can never get enough. But those papers aren’t going to grade themselves, unfortunately.”

Buddy walked briskly to the exit, leaving Leah to thrash about, still screaming. Her struggle slowly died down within the next few minutes. She became weak from all the energy she was exuberating. Leah couldn’t fight her weakened state and just let the blackness consume her, rendering her unconscious.

The last thing to come across her mind before passing out was that she needed to stop underestimating these monsters. They may be lower than scum, but they were the smartest scum she had ever had the displeasure of meeting.

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