Daily Archives: August 10, 2025

Epilogue It is night. An eternity has passed since the sun was warm on my skin, yet it is still the same day. I am back in the basement. The scent of Steve’s blood is a faint, coppery ghost in … Continue reading →

Chapter 7: The First Command He looked interested, his head tilted. “So you’ll be mine? You will obey my every command?” he asked, testing the boundaries of my offer. I affirmed the horrifying terms. Then his expression sharpened with cunning. … Continue reading →

Chapter 6: The Unbreakable Oath “Send him down!” Vex yelled gleefully. The door above creaked open. The sound that followed was sickeningly visceral—a series of wet, heavy thuds, punctuated by the sharp crack of what might have been bone, as … Continue reading →

Chapter 5: The Weaponization of Truth “You know,” Vex said, circling me slowly, “for a goddess, you’re quite sullen. Does your face always look like you sucked on a lemon?” The question was a key turning a lock. The Lasso … Continue reading →

Chapter 4: The Trophy Hunter I lifted my head, my eyes meeting his. I would not speak. My silence would be my shield. He smiled, a thin, cruel twisting of his lips. “Silent treatment? That’s fine. We have plenty of … Continue reading →

Chapter 3: The Cage of Truth Consciousness returned not as a gentle dawn, but as a violent, jarring surge. My first sensation was the rough, cold grit of a concrete floor scraping against my cheek, each grain of sand an … Continue reading →

Chapter 2: The Trap “It’s just in here,” he said, his voice suddenly losing its nervous edge, replaced by something smooth and cold as polished steel. He gestured toward the glove box. “A perfect distraction.” The phrase was the only … Continue reading →

Chapter 1: The Lure The day was fine. I remember that with a painful, crystalline clarity. The sun, a benevolent gold in the late summer sky, warmed the metal of my armor and the skin of my face. From my … Continue reading →