10

I sat there crying. My life has been a mess, but this? This was too much, overboard in fact. Which kind of deranged psychopath plays games with his captives, games are meant to be fun! Not crazy.

How could I even choose? First of all, if anyone else was in my shoes and is being very truthful to themselves, they'll choose the black ball. But, why wouldn't I? He's one of the many people that inflicted pain on me for years! So why shouldn't I pick the black ball?

On the other hand, he is part of my family. And family is something no one should trade in the world like EVER! Also, I made a promise to myself that I will never inflict pain on anyone regardless of what he or she has done to me.

"Time is ticking dear, make up your mind...fast" Alec said

"I guess my decision has been made. But before I do that, one quick question"

"What?" He says clearly displeased about my hesitation.

"What's in it for me?" I asked inquisitively.

He giggled.

"What's in it for you? Nothing obviously! What's in it for me is the pleasure I'm going to get from torturing...you.

I just knew he'd be a snake! Definitely there was nothing for me apart from making myself a cup of heartbreak and thunderous brainstorms.

"Why are you doing this?" I say, my voice shaky because of my inner bewilderment.

"Why? You want to know dear Kim?" He pauses as he brings out a nylon bag  from his back pocket.

Heroine? Looks very much like it.

He rips it open and places it on the altar  beside me. He hands are all shaky and weird. He brings out another bag and rips it open.

Cocaine? Omg, he's making a speedball!

He brings out an empty nylon bag from his side pocket and pours the contents of both hard drugs. He carefully mixes them together. Hurriedly, he brings out a small piece of paper; the size of a business card. He pours the mixed powders on it and begins to sniff it.

He didn't have to tell me he's a drug addict before I could tell. What the hell?

I notice something on his face as he sniffs his 'power drug'.

Is that...makeup?

I should've known. Of course he wears makeup! From a mile away, no one would ever notice that he's actually a bonified drug addict. Yellow eyes; I have no idea how he covers that. He spends so much time around smoke, I guess he has sagging skin and uses something to hold it or something like that.

He goes crazy for any small thing. But cant being a drug addict trigger bipolar disorder?

It all makes sense now. All my joking around that he was bipolar was actually not a lie.

I look at him in disdain as he hurriedly sniffs the mixture of drugs. I notice that he's about to finish the bag.

I wonder what's gonna happen to me when he's done. Obviously something bad if I dont make up my mind fast.

I notice Richard who has been sitting on the floor looking at us. He looks as if he hasn't slept well or even slept at all. When he notices me looking at him, just like before, his eyes go wide with shock.

Like he's begging me through his eyes. It's so...sad.

I wouldn't ever expect Richard to be in this position. He had a fairly hulky build. He could take down anyone who came near him! And compared to Richard, Alec's a smaller. In a fight, Richard looks like he can take Alec down. But looks can be deceiving and damn have I learnt that.

Richard looks at me, then at Alec's direction and begins to shake his head like as if saying no. I turn and what I see is terrifying.

Alec doesn't look like how he was before, talkless of how he used to act. I look at him in bewilderment.

Alec's once white eyes are now fiercely bloodshot. His flawless skin can now be compared to a brown sack because of how much it has sagged. His once full strong black hair is now plain, scanty and frail-looking. As he slowly trudged toward me, I take in every detail of his movements. It is slow and shaky; like as if he'll soon fall. He doesn't walk on his own, no, he walks with the support of nearby objects. He walks like a drunkard. It's only when he begins to come really close to me that my brain tells my legs and other body parts to move.

This guy is deranged!

I run in the opposite direction, close to my family. His running pace is a lot faster now. He runs closer and closer to where I am until he's just about a metre away from me.

My head begins to look for what to do next as I stand in front of Richard and my remaining family members in a defensive stance.

He looks amused at my action.

"Do you really think you can stop me? I freaking hold your lives right now! And whatever you do will never change your position in this place" he says coldly.

"Alec, Alec please listen-"

"Dont you dare Kim! Don't you dare! SHUT UP!!!"

I flinch as he shouts at me. Am I going to take this? Well obviously yes, I should take this but my family? Not a chance. They dont deserve this. And I would gladly die for them.

I may sound crazy but it's something I'm actually willing to do for them.

"Well Kim? Have you made your decision?"

It's now or never.

"Yes, I've made up my mind"

"And?"

"I pick the white ball- for all of them" I say courage lacing my tone

A look crosses his face. He looks- disappointed and infuriated. Like as if he was expecting a different answer.

"Hm" he pauses.

"It seems I'm no psychic or fortune-teller, cause I was predicting a completely different answer from you. But you know what? There's absolutely  no problem. Just like I said, there's no escaping your position as of now" he says with the same cold tone as before.

All I do is stand there in fright. I wonder how it took for his captives to run crazy and eventually kill themselves. He did say he was no killer because he never actually touched them. But he still drove them to the point that they found life so meaningless that killing themselves was the best option.

And what about those missing girls on the news? What if he were the cause of their disappearance? Even if I breath my last breath right now and my whole family wasn't here, I'm very sure no one would bother to look for me.

"Ah Kim, you always seem to be in deep thought. It doesn't matter anyways." He pauses.

"Since you chose the white ball, that means I'll be forced to let your family go" he pauses again.

I turn to look at the expression of my family members. They look so- relieved, like this big burden has been lifted of their shoulders.

"But," he continues

"It doesn't mean I'm letting you go, Kim."

"I don't care Alec, as long as my family is safe and all is well with them"

"Hm, touching."

I ignore his sarcasm. He may be hurtful but at least my family's okay.

"But Kim before I release them" he pauses

The look on my family's face change.

"Quick question"

I nod at my family to show that it's okay then I look back at Alec.

"Go on"

He laughs.

"Why did you pick the white ball?"

"Well dear Alec, I picked the white ball because I have a heart. Despite all that they've done to me, I feel they dont deserve to be treated the same way. Just because they did it to me doesn't mean when I get the chance I'll jump right back at them. I'm not hard-hearted like you and I will never be."

I'm not particularly shocked that the faces of my family aren't showing concern or shock or anything for that matter, they all have plain expressions on their faces. Even Richard who once looked me like as if I were his only source of life is now joining the plain-faced gang.

I sigh.

"Poor Kim, it doesn't strike me shocking that no one cares about your sympathy towards others. But if someone else were in your shoes, that's when I'll be shocked".

"Look Alec, I don't give a damn about what you think of this now but if you would just leave my family out of this whole fiasco then we'd have a completely different story to tell; it would just be you and me."

I think he liked that idea because the way he looks at me makes it look like he's approving what I said.

"Hmm, me and you, Kim and Alec, one. "

"So what are you saying Alec, deal?"

He smiles at me.

"Deal"

"Guards!!!"

I turn and look at the door. Two huge men burst through the door.

These guys are scary.

"Yes sir!" They say in unison.

"Ah yes, take these people away from here. Allow them take their bath in the private suite and give clean clothes to wear. Examine their bodies for injuries and clean them up. Give them food and wine after your done doing that. Lastly give them small tokens and drive them home in the black limousine. "

He makes them look like Daniel in the bible all of a sudden. From grass to grace.

The boys take them away and one comes up to me.

"Not her" Alec says.

"Yes sir!" The guard says, respect evident in his tone.

I look at what seems to be my only hope of escaping this place go away.

Is this really how it's gonna end? Will I ever see the outside world again?

The thoughts racing through my mind were unbearable. Waw this truly it?

"Like I said earlier dear Kim" he pauses bringing me out of my wild thoughts and imaginations.

"I do not kill people. I punish them. And ooh I have a lot of punishments. My favourite punishment actually is whipping " he says as says with so much joy.

He then looks at me.

"And your body dear Kim, has actually grown drastically since the time I took you, even your attitude has changed as well. You're no more that wimpy girl that flinches because of any little thing, you're now this strong lioness that's come out of her cage! It's a dazzling thought actually because when I saw you at first, I never thought I'd see you like this" he comes to a halt and thinks.

I wonder what he's thinking about now.

"Anyways, your body still isn't strong enough to consume my whip" he says mischievously.

"Well unless you suddenly have the skin of an elephant or a rhinoceros".

Seriously?

"Oh Kim! You dont know how happy I am to have you here, practically you're one of my best pleasures in the world!"

This guy is crazy!

"But even though I love whipping ." he pauses, ecstasy dripping from his voice.

"I enjoy doing other things too"

"Other things...like what?" I dared to ask

He smiles at me, showing of his yellow rotten teeth.

"Other things like what you ask?"

"Well...yeah."

"Hm..."

"I wouldn't exactly call it punishment. " he explains

"I'd call it both pleasure and pain. The two ps. It comes from both sides of life. And that's what makes it so special".

I look at him as though I just saw Santa Claus flying around his head. This guy cant be serious. Oh wait he totally can! He's deranged!

"I think I shock you a lot because your expression says so."

"That should really be a problem you should try solving, you know, showing way too many emotions."

Ok this guy is crazy.

"So..."

"So?"

"So, we're gonna play another game, a more fun one. Dont worry you'll enjoy it. But I have to warn you, I dont play with dirty people and also I dont play that type of game here. Instead, I play it in my special and secluded area. So, guess what?"

"What?" Fear and curiosity lacing my voice.

"We're leaving here".

"To where?"

"Destination unknown."

I stop and look at him, was he being serious right now? Were we actually going to a place we didn't know? Obviously he's just joking...right?

"Dont look scared dear Kim, you'll find out where were off to soon enough." he says casually.

"Guards!!" He shouts

A different set of guards burst through the door. The halt and stand at attention.

"Take this girl to my private suite and invite one of the girl caretakers to take care of her in the mean time. Bring her out of there when I tell you to."

"Yes sir!" They say in unison.

"Dont worry Kim, we'll be seeing each other soon." he says as the guards lead me out of the room.

"Goodbye dear Kim. "

*******