Cassandra Voss

Chapter - 5

The old man Cockroach stopped in front of a big metallic door at the end of the long brightly lit corridor.

"Open it,"  In his usually calm tone, he asked the two women guards standing on either side of the door.

The two of them nodded hearing the Cockroach and one of them swiped a card opening the door behind them, and a metallic click echoed through the hallway before the guard pushed the door open.

Just as he stepped Inside, Cockroach could already smell the thick scent of sweat, blood, and desperation in the air.

Compared to outside, the room was dimly lit and it took some time for him to adjust to the darkness in the room. And as he went inside, the door behind him shut close and a bulb turned on lightening the room. And there in front of him was a girl bound to a chair.

Bound by zip ties, her wrists were all bloody from struggling to break free as they cut deep into her skin. Her hair fell forward covering her face, but despite that one could easily make out the bruises on her face… One eye slightly swollen and her lower lip split. 

Her breathing was shallow, her chest rising and falling in slow and shaky movements.

Old man Cockroach continued to walk forward, his gaze not leaving the unconscious girl in front of him.

He reached for a glass of water from a nearby table.

And without hesitation…

SPLASH!

He threw it straight at her face.

A sharp gasp escaped from the girl's throat as the freezing water crashed against her face, bringing her back to consciousness. The icy cold water burned against her bruised skin, sending shivers of pain throughout her body. The girl coughed, sputtering as the water dripped from her face to her chin, seeping into the torn fabric of her shirt.

'How long has it been?' The girl thought as she struggled to breath and gasped for every bit of air. 

With some difficulty she tried to open her eyes and through her blurred vision, she blinked rapidly, trying to focus on the figure standing before her. The dim light of the single overhead bulb just behind the figure cast eerie shadows across his face and made it hard for her to make out who it was.

'You haven't forgotten me kiddo, have you?'

"Cockroach?" His name escaped her lips as her eyes grew wide open.

"Hehehe…" A slow, deep chuckle rumbled from his chest as old man Cockroach crouched before her, his face inches from hers. Even behind his dark sunglasses, the girl could feel his eyes watching her, enjoying her suffering.

"Wake up, my cute little bitch," he murmured, his voice smooth, but laced with menace.

The girl hearing him looked up straight at his face and tilted her head. Blinking the water from her lashes, the girl smiled.

"You are finally here Cockroach. Took you long enough," the girl taunted despite her voice hoarse from exhaustion.

"Only you have the guts to actually call me by that name Cassandra. And that is why I have always liked you, " The Cockroach's lips curled into a sinister smile.

"But I am not here to reminisce about our lovely old days. I am here to ask you something, Cassandra."

Hearing the old man, the smirk on the girl's face didn't waver. She licked the blood from the corner of her split lip and let out a dry chuckle.

"So, you still haven't found him, huh?" Cassandra taunted, her voice barely more than a whisper but filled with despise, "Pathetic."

Hearing Cassandra, the amusement from a moment ago on Cockroach's face vanished in an instant. Even he had a limit to keep up the appearance. He clenched his jaws and then...

Without warning—

THUD!

Pain exploded in her scalp as the old man grabbed a fistful of Cassandra's tangled hair and yanked her head back viciously. 

"Ehhh…" From the pain, a sharp cry tore from Cassandra's lips, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of screaming.

Old man's grip was merciless, pulling so hard that Cassandra could feel strands ripping from her scalp. His face was dangerously close to hers. She could smell the thick stench of whisky and cigar smoke against her face. 

"Where the fuck is he?" he growled, his voice dripping with barely contained rage, "Tell me while I am asking nicely, Cassandra. You don't want to mess with me."

Her jaw clenched. The pain was unbearable, and she could feel that her skull might snap from the force of his grip. But despite the pain, she refused to break.

Instead, Cassandra forced herself to meet his gaze, her bruised eye barely able to open. And then… She laughed. A low, breathless chuckle. She didn't care about the agonising pain in her body. The look on Cockroach's face was worth every bit of pain pulsating through her body.

"Do you really think I will tell you even if I knew?" She spat the words in his face, her defiance unwavering, "What an idiot. Heh…"

Cockroach's grip tightened over Cassandra's hair. His breathing grew heavier, and his rage grew dangerously. He could snap her neck with a swift motion, but then in an unexpected move, he smiled. And then, slowly, he released his grip.

He let out a humorless laugh, shaking his head, "You really think this is a fucking game? Don't you?" His voice was back to his calm demeanor, but that only made it worse.

Old man Cockroach stepped back, stroking his rough hand through his thick salt and pepper beard. His cold and calculating eyes swept across the room as if trying to find something when his gaze landed on a wooden stick resting in the corner. Looking at the stick, his lips curled up in a sinister smile.

He quickly grabbed the stick, and started tapping it against his palm. Then, turning back towards Cassandra, his gaze darkened.

"You know babe… I thought you would be smart. I really hoped you would cooperate. I really did," Cockroach shook his head trying to sound disappointed. But Cassandra knew that he was actually enjoying it.

"But it looks like I gave you too much credit," he murmured. He twirled the stick between his fingers, letting the moment stretch, watching her closely, "I wanted to go easy on you."

His gaze stayed on her face for a moment, studying her expression with amusement. And then with an unsettling laziness, his eyes slowly trailed downward. He took his sweet time, deliberately making her uncomfortable.

"Now, you are going to talk, one way or another."

This sudden change in his mannerism actually scared her. She was more scared of his calm than his anger. Her pulse quickened as she looked at his face and her fingers clenched into fists.

A smirk tugged at his lips as if he could hear the fear screaming inside her, "I see… You just needed a little persuasion."

She followed his gaze, and sheer terror gripped her.

"N-No… no, don't…" Cassandra gasped, shaking her head violently as tears began to swell in her eyes. But the smirk on Cockroach's face only deepened. He was enjoying this. The power. The control.

"Oh, so now you are begging?" His voice was a mockery, dripping with satisfaction, "I am going to enjoy this."

He lifted the stick and pointed it straight at her stomach, pressing the tip just hard enough for Cassandra to feel it. 

"I never really liked getting my hands dirty. I mean only an idiot would want to go through all that gruesome sight of blood and flesh."

"If you can be at the top of the world without ever lifting the finger, would you still want to live every second of your life looking over your shoulder?"

"Everything you could think of. Power, Riches, Women, Booze and Cigar. You can have everything."

"But for that you need something that's worth even more. Information."

"But I don't want to bore you with the useless stuff. But a little birdie did tell me something interesting about your frequent secret visits to a doctor," Cockroach said with a smile blooming on his face as he looked at the tip of the stick poking her stomach.

"Now tell me… Will you finally tell me where that bastard is?" He asked with his usually calm tone, "Or do you want to play this new game I am working on?"

Tears burned at the edges of her eyes, but Cassandra tried her best not to let them fall. She gritted her teeth, holding onto whatever strength that was left within her.

"Stop… Please Stop… I swear, I don't know anything," Cassandra begged, all her cockiness from before was gone.

Hearing her, Cockroach's expression twisted with irritation, " You lying bitch. You really didn't appreciate my leniency. You have successfully managed to make sure that I am going to get my hands dirty."

Without another word, he gripped the stick tighter, his knuckles whitening. He raised it high above his head, ready to strike—

"Sir, we have news." Just at the right time, the door behind Cockroach opened and a man walked in, saving Cassandra just at the right time.

"You better have a good reason for interrupting me," Cockroach said without even turning back to look.

The man stepped forward cautiously towards the Cockroach, leaned in, speaking in hushed tones, whispering something into his ear.

For a few seconds, there was no reaction.

Then, slowly…

A smile spread across Cockroach's face. It was not a smile of kindness. It was not one of relief. But it was a slow, cruel grin.

He let the stick fall from his fingers, letting it clatter onto the floor. The sudden sound made Cassandra flinch.

Then, in one swift motion, he knelt in front of her, brushing strands of her messy, sweat-drenched hair from her face.

She recoiled at his touch, her breath shaky.

"Well, well… looks like your precious lover had a little accident."

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