Den of Vipers

ours, Roxxane. If we want to lock you up, we will. If we want to punish you
for being a brat, we will. If we want to fuck you…” He leans closer, pressing
into the glass, and a bead of blood bubbles on his cheek as he lowers his
voice. “We will. If we want to kill you…we will, and there is nothing you
can do about it. Deal with it, love, or you might find yourself in a worse place
than this.”
Leaning back, he snaps my wrist to the side, making my fingers spasm
and release the glass which he pockets. I stare at him as fear and something I
don’t want to name fills me, watching that drop of blood racing down his
cheek. He pulls out a handkerchief and stops it before it can reach his suit,
wiping it away like he didn’t just lean into glass to make a point.
“I can see you’re in a bad mood, so I’ll leave you to think on what I said.”
He turns, and I race forward, but I’m too slow. The door slams shut, and the
deafening click of a lock slamming into place has me screaming at the wood
as I batter my injured hand against it.
When no one comes back, I cut up more of the pillow and bind my hand
to stop the bleeding before looking around. It was petty, but I seriously do
feel better. Sighing, I lie near the window, staring out at the city as the sky
starts to darken.
I used to live in this town, loved exploring it and seeing it grow. That was
before I realised the darkness that hides beneath all the glass and glamour.
And the Vipers? They are one of the worst.
When you’re a kid, they tell you stories of monsters hiding under your
bed or in the dark. They don’t tell you of the very real human ones. Those
who prey on people weaker than them, or even the monsters that hide within
ourselves.
Rich or poor, it doesn’t matter, humans are still monsters. They hide
behind pretty faces, loved ones, blood. Yet they are all the same. They all
want you for something, the difference is…how far they’re willing to go to
get it.
It seems the Vipers will go all the way.
And it’s all because of my piece of shit father. Is it not enough he ruined
my childhood? That I’ve spent every day of my life paying for his mistakes?
No, now my future is taken away too.
Feeling sorry for myself, I close my eyes and try to rest my aching head.
I’m a fighter, a survivor, always have been and always will be. I can get
through this, I’ve survived worse before. Just because I’m locked up in a