Masterpiece

[diesirae]

One

Her head was swimming as she opened her eyes. Her vision blurred as she tried to focus on what was in front of her. She could see something swaying back and forth from the ceiling, but just barely, as she tried to concentrate. Thick straps bound her wrists as she tried to move her arms, and her legs were immobile as well. She shifted slightly and the chair squeaked.

Fear seized her, wrapping around her body like a snake, suffocating her. Her eyes adjusted rather quickly to her surroundings and she was brought out of her haze to see that there was a small table beside her, and on it were surgical tools of some sort. Her eyes widened and she cried out, only to have it muffled by the cloth used to stop her speech, and in the worse case, her blood-curdling screams.

She closed her eyes, her body trembling as she tried to pry her arms free, and only succeeded in deepening the marks she knew would be there if she were to escape. Sweat dripped down her forehead and she just to swallow, a useless attempt as the saliva in her mouth only stung her throat viciously.

“Nine,” someone called as she tried to relax. Her gray eyes snapped open and she looked around for the voice of the one who had used her nickname. She found him standing at the end of a much longer table, his hands deep in his pockets. “You’re not going to get out of here alive, you know that don’t you?”

Casey’s fingers trembled as the man came closer. He stood in front of her now, his sandy-colored hair in his eyes. He stared at her, a crooked smile flickering across his face and he bent down, his hand outstretched as his fingers touched her cheek.

“If I remove the gag, you have to promise not to scream, Nine,” he said, running his nails along the skin of her jaw. “Can I call you that, or do you prefer Casey?” He frowned at her. “Please don’t be afraid. I can help you.”

The man slipped his hands behind her head and untied the cloth. Casey took a breath, feeling the air she craved sink deep into her lungs, helping her breathe normally. She opened her mouth and tested her voice carefully.

“Who?” was all she managed to get out before she fell silent, her eyes darting to the man’s face again.

“Do not be afraid,” he repeated, softer this time.

Nothing came out when Casey tried to speak again. Instead, she turned her head away from him. His fingers wrapped in her long brown hair and he pulled. The force sent her body forward into his chest.

“Who are you?” she whispered, her voice a little stronger.

His hand slid against her chin and he snapped her head up so that her eyes met his. He didn’t look too much older than her, she saw, even through blurred eyes. He frowned again.

“Maddox,” he whispered to her. “You will call me Maddox.”

“What do you want?” she asked, her voice shaking with terror. One of his hands slid against her throat, then down against her breasts, and he grunted slightly.

“You’re going to catch a cold,” he noted her clothing – a frail tank top and a pair of low-cut jeans. His eyes caught the shimmer of her navel piercing and he smirked. “When did you get that?” he asked.

“You’re asking me about my-?”

“Answer the question, Nine,” he muttered before touching one of the scalpels on the small table next to the chair. “It’s not too difficult, is it?”

Casey shook her head. “No,” she said calmly. “I got it about a month ago.”

“Why?” Maddox asked, his eyes gleaming slightly. He pulled up another chair and sat beside her. She had no idea where it came from. “I thought your mother didn’t like any of that sh*t.”

Casey’s heartbeat sped up and her eyes widened. “How did you-?”

“Please,” said Maddox, letting out a soft laugh. “What kind of psychos have you learned about that don’t study their victims first?”

Casey stared at him.

“How does it feel to be face-to-face with someone who could easily slit your throat without a second thought, Nine?”

“Don’t call me-”

“It’s quite an interesting name, actually,” he said, cocking his head at her. “You’ve escaped the hands of death how many times now?”

Tears spilled down her face as she said, “Four. Four times.”

His expression made her shudder as he placed the cloth back around her mouth and picked up one of the items on the table.

“Now, Casey, would you like to play a game?”

He had cleaned the scalpel until it gleamed. He did not want any traces of blood on it when they found him. He smiled and laughed as he now washed his hands. They would never find him, he had been far too careful.

“What kind of game?” Casey asked. He had taken the cloth away again so that she could speak. “Tell me, Maddox, what kind of game!”

“It’s simple,” Maddox said, turning around, his brown eyes connecting with her gray ones. “I want you to do something for me, Nine. Something I could never ask someone else to do. Well, you see, because no one else can do this.”

Her heart pounded in her chest but Casey kept the terror from her voice. “What do you mean?”

He sat beside her again, and placed the item on the table, his eyes cool as he looked at her. He reached a hand out to caress her cheek, very sure she would pull away, disgusted. The feeling of her skin against his palm sent a tingle through Maddox, and an unfamiliar emotion swept over him.

“You’re very special, Nine,” he murmured. “I know what you can do. I know your secret.”

“I don’t have any secrets,” Casey said, his hand cool on her cheek. She tried to not let the fear take her over, to tear his hand away and start screaming. She knew what would happen if she did. God, she didn’t want to die this way.

“I need you to find someone for me,” said Maddox. “You can locate other peoples’ energy if you have an idea of what they look like, can’t you? I need you to find someone for me. Will you do that for me, Nine? Will you? I’ve been so good to you so far, haven’t I?”

“How did you know that I could do that?” Casey wondered. She realized then, as she stared at him and his eyes, that she wasn’t afraid. If she helped him then maybe he’d let her go. Yes, she was sure of it.

“No,” he breathed, anger suddenly flashing in his eyes as he grabbed her hair, twisting it painfully around his hand. “I will not allow you to leave once you help me. You must stay here while I find her.”

She made no noise as he hurt her, then he let her go, his eyes soft again. “Who do you want me to find?” she asked. There was no reason to hide what she could do if he already knew.

He smiled at her and soothed the hair away her eyes. He stood and went over to the long table against the wall. She could hear him moving things around and growling as he talked to himself. Finally, he was beside her again, and there was something in his hand. He held it out to her.

It was a photo of a girl about Casey’s age. She was beautiful, thin and tall with black and turquoise in her hair. She was smiling widely and holding a beer, surrounded by her friends.

“I want you to find her,” Maddox whispered. “She could be very useful to me when found. You see, she too has a gift, Nine, and I won’t stop until I have her.”

***

Opening her eyes again, Casey found herself on a couch; it was a worn brown color, the armrests coming apart. She was lying on her back, and it hurt to move, as she soon figured out.

“I decided that the chair was getting uncomfortable,” said Maddox from somewhere in the room. “Take a breath and try to relax. I’ve injected you with a drug that will make you rather hazy for awhile. It was easier to do that than have you clawing and fighting me.”

“Why-” she tried, her throat burning, and her mouth didn’t seem to work properly yet.

“Are you asking why I need your help to find that girl?” Maddox wondered, a slightly terse reply in his voice. “I’ve explained it all before. She is useful to me, Nine, very useful.”

Casey tried to focus on him, but she couldn’t seem to locate his body as his voice flooded into her head, his voice caressing her brain. She wanted to scream suddenly, her throat far too raw to do that sort of thing. She thought then that’s what he wanted, so she tried.

Somewhere Maddox chuckled at her.

“Screaming is a lovely sound, don’t you agree?” he asked. He touched her hair, startling her. “There is so much significance for the noise; pleasure, frustration, pain, fear. Are you angry with me, Nine?” His fingers slid to her neck, and she shuddered. “Or is it something more?” he leaned close, his lips brushing her collarbone.

She couldn’t move. She couldn’t get him off her when he straddling her, locking his thighs on either side of her body. He was so much stronger than her, so it was useless to try to escape.

His hands rested on her shoulders, cool against her skin, as he kissed her softly. She whimpered and turned her head, then his hand fisted in her hair where he held her in place. He used one of his knees to jar her legs apart and she felt as though the gag was back around her mouth, because she couldn’t cry out.

“Please,” he said, his other hand roaming greedily across her body. “Don’t be afraid of me. I just want you to help me.”

“Help?” Casey whispered as she wrapped her hands around his back, then she slid her nails down his back roughly. “I won’t help you kill someone.” Her gray eyes were terrified as she stared into his face.

Maddox frowned, his almost handsome features slipping, and he stood. He went over to the long table and started to take things off of it, dumping the objects to the floor. He was agitated.

“I am not asking you to help me kill this girl, Nine,” he said calmly, though his blood was boiling. “I just need to find her.”

“You haven’t explained why yet,” Casey said. She sounded groggy still. She sat up very slowly and looked at the back of Maddox’s head.

“Her power is essential for me to have in my possession,” he commented, turning around. “Just like yours is, Casey.”

Against her better judgment, Casey asked, “What can this girl do?”

His smile had returned as he came closer to her, then he sat beside her, and flung one of his arms over the back of the couch. “She has a very unique gift,” he told Casey. “She, as far as I can tell, can manipulate metal.”

“Like she can bend and soften the metal?” Casey said, nodding slightly. “Metal deformation.”

Maddox looked surprised. “You’ve heard of it?”

Casey gave him an incredulous look as she moved away from him. “How did you find me?”

He grinned at her. “That was easy. You don’t even remember it. We’ve met before. It was very brief, but it was enough for me to know that I had to find you again. I knew you were special.”

“I don’t think I-”

“Don’t get it yet, do you?” he said, staring at her. “I can detect powers in people. The power level in you is astonishingly high. When did you realize you had it?”

Casey’s eyes closed and she took a breath. “I always knew I was different. My mother always told me I was from the day I was born. I overheard my parents talking about when I was born. I was asleep at some point and my brother was in the hospital room with me, though I didn’t know that at the time, and I reached out and touched his hand. God, his energy was so clear, so pure.”

“Was he taken from you?” Maddox asked.

Her eyes opened and she stared at her hands. They were filthy, like the rest of her. “I was at home when it happened. I was sitting in the living room talking to my mother when I stopped moving, and I touched my head. His energy was fading. We couldn’t get to him in time. That’s when I could feel other peoples’ energy. All the time.”

“Trauma does amazing things,” said Maddox. “For example, when I was younger my parents decided it would be a good idea to teach me a ‘lesson’ for being bad, so they locked me in the cellar. They were stupid, but they didn’t know any better, the fools.”

“What happened?” The curiosity in her voice was strong.

“My mother was so sad when she came down to get me a week later. As soon as she stepped down those steps to the floor, her body fell. I pulled the knife from her neck. She was of no use to me. There was nothing special about her, or my father. They disgusted me.”

Casey’s eyes widened and she nodded, trying to understand. She understood more than he thought.

“So many people have such great powers,” he said, his voice soft. “And I want them all.”

“Why?” For whatever reason, Casey wasn’t afraid of what he was telling her.

He stared straight at her and brushed a hand through his hair. “Isn’t it obvious? I want to be a God.”