Darkness Follows by J.L. Drake Read Free Book Online

cheek a kiss. I gazed up at his blue eyes and felt that inner pull that only he could bring out in me.
    “Oh, no, baby, I know that look.” He laughed. “We can’t be late for dinner. Come.” He took my hand and led me out the door onto the porch where a cool autumn breeze met my face. “What?” He smiled down at me.
    “Hey!” I heard someone shout.
    Confused, I looked at Seth.
    “Hey!” Suddenly I was sucked backward and Seth slipped out of reach.
    No!
     
    “Get the fuck up! Where’s your smart mouth now?” Lasko shouted in my face. Oh, no. My eyes flickered open to find one very drunk Lasko squinting at me. I was back in the fucking chair! Not just that, but I was in a white cotton dress; the fucker changed me again. That eerie cello song played loudly above us.
    My nose scrunched up at the foul smell of whisky that leaked out through his yellow, crooked teeth. He lazily pulled off my gag. Oh, sweet relief! My tongue moved around freely, and my lips stretched outward and around my teeth.
    “Eat.” He stepped sideways and held a fork full of spinach to my mouth. My stomach grumbled. I wanted to eat it, but I was nervous. I didn’t know how many more drugs my stomach could handle.
    He thrust the sautéed leaves into my mouth. My tongue immediately tasted something off, and my body heaved forward and I projected vomit all over Lasko and his beloved pit bull.
    Oh shit…
    Lasko jumped back on unsteady feet and started to heave himself. He grabbed a bucket and vomited loudly. I looked down to find the pit bull had licked the vomit off his back. I fought the urge not to puke again.
    A blast of cold water hit me. Lasko aimed a hose at my face and then down my body to clean me free of stomach bile. Then he turned it on the dog, who yelped loudly and ran up the stairs as Lasko yelled after him. He didn’t come back.
    “Stupid dog!” Lasko stumbled to stand in front of me and reached out to touch my face. He missed and sent himself forward on top of me. Oh, yuck! His face hit my chest hard, and he started to laugh as he reached up and fixed my gag. Then his arms dropped to his sides.
    “Yessss, this is nice, Julia.” I moved my body back and forth, trying desperately to get him off, but his body was a dead weight on me.
    This waste of a human being decided to take a nap on my lap…this was just too much. My head was finally clear, and I’d gained a bit of strength back. I started to rock my chair with all my might. After a few tries, I managed to wiggle him off me, sending him to the floor. His skull hit with a smack. Damn.
    “What the fuck!” he cried out as he rolled over and moaned and held his head in pain. His eyes shot up to me. “You think you’re so smart, don’t you?”
    I shook my head. He stood up and held onto the chair for balance. Then, clumsily, he grabbed a needle off the table and stuck it into a glass jar to quickly draw liquid into the syringe. I started to break out into a sweat. I didn’t want to be drugged again!
    “Please!” I tried to yell through the gag. He ripped it off roughly. “Please, no more.” I started to sob. “I can’t take any more.”
    He gave me a funny look and dragged his chair over to sit directly in front of me. He sat down, leaned forward, and looked directly at me. “You’re done already?” he asked as a small smirk appeared. I nodded rapidly. “You’ve only been here for…” He stopped and looked up at the ceiling. “Five days.”
    Oh my God…five days…
    “Are you saying you want this to end now?”
    My eyes shot over to the computer, and I saw Seth at the screen. His eyes were filled with fear.
    “Yes,” I whispered.
    Seth leaned in and started to shout, but I couldn’t hear…Wait! Had I really just said I wanted to end my life? No, my braver side yelled at me. Fight! Now’s your chance! Fight!
    “All right, then.” Lasko went behind the bright spotlight and returned with a scalpel. He toyed with it between his fingers as he watched