Title: The Display…
Rated R (violent parts)
Series: Original Horror Short Story
Author: Andorian Ice Princess
Contact: jazzy_

His head was groggy and everything ached. As the man slowly started to open his eyes he quickly realized that something was very wrong. His whole body was cold and lightly trembling due to the fact that he was naked and he couldn't move any of his limbs. He tried to move his head but realized that something was stopping it. His arms! They were pulled high and tight about his head and fastened with iron shackles to something. He soon realized that his feet were also strapped down and he wasn't able to speak due to something large stuffed into his mouth and fastened tightly behind his head. Where the hell am I? How did I get here? Who did this? He closed his eyes; tried to replay in his now terrified mind the events that led up to his obvious kidnapping and impending doom.

2 HOURS EARLIER

"A drink for the beautiful woman beside me," Mark said to the bartender in his favourite bar. The exotic woman beside him turned with a smile and spoke to him in a low sultry tone.

"Very kind of you," she said as she leaned in forward.

Mark felt his heart start to race as the tempting woman placed her hand on his thigh and started to lightly move it forward. "Uh I just offered a drink," Mark said backing up a bit.

"Are you sure?" She asked in a sexy tone, not moving her hand.

"Well…" Mark said as the bartender brought their drinks. "A-are you from around here?" Mark asked as he felt the sensations her hand was making on his thigh, slowly moving higher.

"Sometimes," she replied simply.

"I live around here," Mark said quickly, suddenly feeling very nervous. "Do you come here often?"

"Only when you are here," she said looking directly at him without a smile.

"Do I know you?" Mark asked studying her beautiful face.

"No," she said with a wink.

"Want to change that?" Mark asked quickly, feeling his desire for her growing.

"Thought you'd never ask," she said quickly downing her drink in one gulp and then grabbing her long black cloak. "How about my place?" She asked as Mark got off his chair and hastily let her out the back to his waiting car.

"Thought you'd never ask," he said with a nervous laugh. She directed Mark to a part of town he never knew existed. They pulled in front of an old creepy Victorian looking house and got out. Mark held the door for the woman as she got out and followed behind her as she walked up the steps. They reached the door and stopped. She turned to him and wrapped one of her arms around his neck.

"I don’t even know your name," Mark smiled as he leaned in to kiss her.

"And you never will," the woman said darkly as she plunged her finger nail into the back of his neck and his well built body crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

The front door creaked open and the lady smiled. "I found the perfect one," she said to the ghostly figure. "Help me get him ready."

********

Damn that woman, Mark cursed inside. Who is she? And what does she want me for? To kill me? Mark felt his heart starting to race as he tried to pull his bonds free. His arms were pulled pretty tight above his head, with little leeway for pulling. The metal clanged against the wooden slab he was lying on but did not loosen as he suspected. He pulled and pulled until he worked himself into a useless sweat. He tried to scream, but all that escaped his gagged mouth was muffled sounds.

Fear and panic started to fill his terrified mind as he heard a low laughter and some footsteps coming near to him. The woman he had met at the bar slowly walked up to him and stared down at him with an empty haunting stare.

Mark looked up at her and started to yell. But only sad muffled noises escaped his trapped lips, evoking an evil smile from his wicked captor.

"Welcome to your new home Mark," the woman said in a low tone. "Are you comfortable?" She laughed meanly.

Mark shook his head no and again tried in vain to yell at her.

"That isn't going to be coming out yet," she said tracing his gag with one of her long evil fingers. "Do you know why you're here?"

Mark closed his eyes and shook his head no.

"Do you want to know why?" She asked coldly.

Mark shook his head no. He felt his fear starting to rise and knew whatever she had in mind for him was not going to be good.

"Maybe that's better," she said as she placed a hand on his chest. "Time to feel some pain," she said evilly. And before Mark could react she dug her nail into his flesh just above his belly button and ripped a strip open all the way up to his neck.

Mark's eyes flew open in terror and he screamed into the gag as tears started to fill his eyes. He felt her rip open a second ribbon of flesh and felt the burning pain starting to flood all his senses as his eyes begged with hers to stop. But as he looked deeper into the two soulless windows before him he knew he'd be dead before she'd ever think of letting him go or stopping her torture. The third one left his lungs burning dry and his eyes stinging red. His nails had dug little rivets into his hands and blood had started to seep down his captive wrists.

Mark blinked away tears and watched as the woman moved up to his face and placed her hand on his cheek. He closed his eyes and waited for more pain, which did come when she opened a small ribbon of bleeding flesh from his lip to his ear. He felt the raw burning pain of his salty tears mixing with the blood, now trickling down his face, and felt his body stating to shake a little bit more. His heart was beating so loud his eardrums felt they would explode at any second.

"You are a handsome man Mark," the woman said in a sultry voice as she took her hand and grabbed a handful of his thick dark wavy hair. "Such a waste," she said as she used the other hand to rip another strip in his other cheek.

Mark tried to shake his head free but she held it fast by her hand. Tears streamed freely down his face and he felt his body starting to tremble harder. Normal feeling had left his legs and was replaced with a powerful trembling. He watched through red pools as his evil tormentor slowly walked around to the other side and let her hand linger below his waist.

Mark closed his eyes and waited for the severe pain he knew was to come. He opened his eyes a few seconds later when nothing happened.

"I always save the best for last," she laughed as she tore open another strip down his muscular thigh. "My fun for later."

By now Mark's mind had passed into a world he never knew existed. He knew it was his body's way of dealing with the fear, terror and pain he was experiencing. He let his mind drift as he felt another ribbon being torn open in his other thigh and prayed for a quick death or a miracle of salvation. Neither came. This was to be his end. A terrifying epitaph to a sad and unfulfilled life.

He felt his body drifting into an unconscious dark realm and wondered if he'd ever come back to reality. In truth he prayed hard he wouldn't. But after a few minutes had passed without new pain sensations Mark unclenched his bloody palms and opened his water-raw eyes. He strained his head to look around and found that he was finally alone. Alone and in miserable pain. Blood flowed freely from the cuts on his chest, legs and face. The tight gag in his mouth was painful and so was his raw and burning throat. But by some miracle he was still alive. Why is she delaying my death, his anguished mind begged for an answer? Please just kill me quickly! But it wasn't to be.

Mark felt the burning sensations starting to come back and he closed his eyes and tried to send himself back into the dark comforting world of unconsciousness. It came, but briefly.

Mark quickly opened his eyes as he felt the evil woman's touch send small shivers down his still naked and vulnerable body. He looked at her but found no pity or remorse for the life she was slowly destroying.

"You have a wonderful body," she said slowly dragging her daggers up his exposed and hurting flesh. She stopped at his neck and he closed his eyes and waited for the deathblow to his waiting jugular. But none came. He felt her drape something over his groin and opened his eyes to see her draping a cloth over his privates to hide them and fastened it to the sides of the slab he was on. What the hell is she doing?

"Can't have the best part of you on display now can we?" She said in a mocking voice. "Your dream in life was always to have people stare at you in wonder, isn't it Mark?" She said looking directly into his watery red-blue eyes with a dark look. "Didn't you know dreams do come true?" She laughed wickedly.

How did she know that, Mark asked himself as she snapped her fingers and the room went completely dark. Mark felt his fear starting to rise as he heard strange muffled noises around him but cursed the dark, as he could not see what they came from. His head jerked from side to side as he heard movement on either side. A few minutes later some eerie orange/yellow lights flashed on him. One bathed his tormented body in the light while the other lit the area around him. However, except for the immediate area he was alone in the darkness. What the hell is going on, Mark asked himself? He then heard a strange noise to his right and painfully lifted his head to see a thick red velvet curtain being pulled back to reveal a large plexi-glass window looking into a narrow empty room. I get some light as I die, he asked himself in torment? He lay his head back down and sighed a heavy painful sigh. He tried to fight the tired pain now commanding his sleep, but soon his eyes closed and he was asleep. Taken in to the tortured world of his many haunted nightmares. Unaware of the now numerous pairs of eyes watching him.

********

"Looks so real doesn't it honey," a woman said to her husband as they walked through the haunted house, past the mediaeval torture display.

"Even the blood looks real."

"Best display they made this year. Even better than last years."

THE END