NOVA play: Chokehold by Sleep Token
It was dark by the time I woke up.
There was one long, blissfulmoment where I thought it was just a normal day.
I blinked up at the ceiling of my bedroom, confused as to why I could see so clearly.
Had I fallen asleep with my glasses on?
It was only when I tried to reach for my face to adjust my lenses that I realized my wrists were tied to my headboard.
Terror ripped through me, and I let out an embarrassing squeak of fear as instinct had me kicking and struggling against the restraints.
It didn’t do any good, considering my legs were tied down as well. The ropes around my ankles disappeared over the end of the bed to what I assumed were the legs of the bed frame.
As I struggled to come to terms with the horrifying reality that I wastied to my bed,the memories of Melanie’s murder came flooding back.
I remembered the way that faceless man had shot her point-blank in the headright in front of me.
The memory of the way her head hadexplodedlike some sort of grotesque water balloon sent me reeling, and I was worried I was going to vomit all over myself.
“Help!” I screamed, thrashing again in a desperate attempt to get free. “Help! Someone please! Help me!”
“Ah. You’re awake.”
That chilling, robotic voice cut through my pleas, and I froze, slowly turning my head to find my kidnapper sitting quietly in the armchair in the corner.
“Wh-What? Who are you! Why are you doing this to me! Please, just let me go!” I cried, not caring that the skin on my wrists was beginning to burn against the rope he’d used to restrain me.
“Please calm down, Milo. Screaming like this isn’t going to get you the answers that you want.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down!” I bellowed. “YoumurderedMelanie! You kidnapped me and tied me up against my will! Whoareyou!?”
The man cocked his head to the side as I continued to lose my mind, but he didn’t respond.
Instead, he stood up and started walking toward the bed.
This only caused me to panic more. “No, get away from me! Don’t touch me!” I begged as he sat on the edge of my mattress, twisting his torso so he could look down at me through that ominous, black mask.
“Milo. I hardlykidnappedyou. I brought you home. This is your apartment.”
“Then why am I tied up?” I rasped. He reached forward, and I flinched away from him, but there was nowhere to go.
My entire body shuddered with terror and revulsion as he gently brushed my hair back out of my eyes, silently staring at me through the glowing blue ring in his mask.
“Because I don’t trust you to listen to me yet.”
His warm fingers twisted a piece of my hair, and I whimpered as the slight tug on my scalp sent sheets of goosebumps down my body.
“But we’ll get there. Do you understand what will happen if you disobey me now? People will get hurt.”
“Please,”I whispered, giving up on my struggle and submitting to the fact that I was completely helpless here. The ropes had no give to them.I couldn’t even stop him from continuing to gently stroke my hair like I was some sort of pet he wished he didn’t have to punish.
“Shh, it’s okay, sweetheart. You’re okay. Don’t cry. I don’t want to hurt you. But you need to understand. It’simperativethat you listen to me when I ask you to do something, or everything will go to shit.”
“How is me not wearing some stupid outfit worth literallymurderingmy best friend?” I croaked. My voice broke on the words as guilt crashed through me.
If I’d just worn what he’d laid out for me, would Melanie still be alive?
