“You make sure to tell me if the sheriff keeps poking at this, Nate.”
“I will. It’s really not a big deal, just something he mentioned to me once or twice.”
The mayor nods as he picks up a different document from his desk.
Nate exits the office, and the strange housekeeper is waiting to walk him out. He doesn’t bother wishing her a good evening since she won’t reply. Standing outside, where he can see most of the town from the hill, he checks his watch and smiles with excitement. Today has been quite busy between Owen’s undercover work and meeting the mayor, but the highlight is still to come.
He can’t wait to get home.
Chapter 8
Will
“Oh, this scene is wild. The blood looks so damn real. Hey, watch!”
Will tries to focus on the screen. His vision is foggy, which might be for the best since it’s another bloody scene from an old and cheap horror flick. He doesn’t understand how any of those things were ever greenlit, but based on Nate’s excitement, there’s clearly an audience for this sort of thing.
The woman screams as the knife slices through her. He’s seen so many of these horrifying scenes in the last two hours, he can’t even muster the energy to feel appalled. Nate has been switching between videotapes all evening, fast-forwarding to the most disturbing scenes.
Will tries to shift on the couch, but he can’t because his arms have been stretched and tied above his head for hours. His feet are on the floor, but he can barely feel them since there’s so much weed in his system.
“See? I told you the blood looks real.” Nate takes theremote and fast-forwards to another scene.
Will uses the opportunity to shut his eyes and try again to make blood flow into his stiff arms. He was never more thirsty than he is right now, but there’s duct tape blocking his mouth. Nate only peels part of it off to slide a joint into Will’s mouth, making him take a long puff that sends his brain into the clouds.
He jolts when Nate hits him in the ribs. “Did I tell you to shut your eyes?”
Will grunts, breathing through the pain.
“I know what you need.” Nate reaches for what’s left of the joint. Will shakes his head, but it’s not like he can fight. Nate lights the joint, peels off the side of the duct tape, and then slides the joint into the crack between Will’s parched lips.
“There you go, baby. Take a deep breath. It’s the last one—I promise. There you go. Blow it through your nose. Excellent. I love making you high. Feels better already, right?”
Will manages a single nod. The weed is the only thing making the pain in his arms and upper back bearable.
Nate puts the joint on the table. The open window behind them helps keep the thick scent of smoke from lingering in the air, though everything still lingers inside Will’s body.
“You think we’ve seen enough for today?” Nate asks as he leans against Will. He’s wearing sweatpants and asimple shirt, while Will has been naked since the second he walked into Nate’s house. “I know I promised you culture, but we can’t have you watching TV for so many hours, right?”
Will nods in relief, eager to stop watching people being slaughtered in the most horrifying ways.
Nate switches off the television, and the only light in the living room comes from the single lamp at the side of the room. The silence is a blessing after all those screams.
“Are you thirsty?” Nate asks, his fingers traveling up and down Will’s stretched torso.
“Mmm.”
“Coming right up, baby. You know I like being a good host.” Nate returns with a bottle of water, and Will is relieved it’s not alcohol. He peels the duct tape completely off, finally allowing more air into Will’s aching lungs.
“Open your mouth.”
Will does, but instead of letting him drink from the bottle, Nate fills his own mouth with water, then lets it trickle into Will’s open mouth. He doesn’t care; he just wants to drink. Nate does the same thing a few more times before putting the bottle on the table. He straddles Will and says, “Joel was also into these movies. He knew you wouldn’t like them, so we watched without you.”
There is no other person in the world who dares speak with Will so freely about Joel.
Nate runs his hands over Will’s skin, squeezing his chest and digging his fingers into his muscles. Will grunts, taking in the pain. It’s why he’s here, isn’t it? He’s honestly not sure anymore. He finds that Nate’s cruelty can reach deep into his soul and remove some of the filth in it, making him feel less guilty about the events that unfolded years ago. But that comes with its own toll, a different kind of filth that now taints him.
It’s a vicious circle that he’s caught in.
