Warning: This chapter contains disturbing themes such as violence and torture!
Chapter 9
John walked into a dark hall and walked up a large staircase. The floorboards creaked and cracked underneath his steps. When he had walked up to the second floor, he saw a divided hallway reaching further into the darkness. Rusty chains hung from what was left of the ceiling and green paint was beginning to peel off the rotting walls. John tried to walk as fast as he could while trying to find his way in the dark.
When he had searched the whole floor, his eyes had finally adjusted to the dark. He walked up the stairs and up to the third floor. The smell of decay hung like a cloud over the building. John turned to the right and tried to walk as carefully as he could since a large part of the floor had already rotted away.
After what felt like hours, he walked into a large room. Mrs. Hudson sat on a wooden chair near the window, with her hands and feet tied. John rushed over to her and knelt down before her. She looked as if she were asleep, or worse. He placed two fingers on her neck to check for a pulse. Much to his relief, he felt her pulse underneath his fingertips.
Gently, he ripped the grey duct tape off her mouth. She opened her eyes and gasped when she saw him.
"John! No. What are you doing here? You need to get out." she whispered between the sobs. He placed his hand over her mouth.
"Shh." he said kindly. "Are you hurt?"
Mrs. Hudson shook her head.
"I going to get you out of here." said John as he began to loosen her ropes.
"No, John. She´ll kill you." she whispered and began to cry again.
"She?" asked John and looked at her confused.
Suddenly, he felt someone grabbing his hair and thrusting his head against the wall. John felt as if his head were being split in half as his skull was slowly being crushed by the force of the concrete wall. His vision turned black and he fell unconscious on the floor.
Mrs. Hudson whimpered and looked at the young woman in front of her. She pulled out a roll of grey duct tape.
"No. Please." Whimpered Mrs. Hudson as the woman placed the tape over her mouth. The young woman looked at the old, crying woman in the chair in front of her. She didn´t say anything while she dragged John across the floor.
John woke up with searing pain at the back of his head. He groaned and looked around. He was in another room, a smaller room than the one he had found Mrs. Hudson in. His vision was a little blurry and he felt the blood running in streams down the side of his face. He felt that his hands and feet were tied to a hard chair. When his vision slowly began to improve, he saw a figure sitting in front of him. At last, he saw the young woman sitting on a chair opposite him. He couldn´t believe it.
"Emily." he exclaimed. "You´re the Raven?"
"Don´t look like it, do I?" said Emily and smiled a cruel smile.
"You´re the one who´s been sending me those letters." guessed John.
"The tea, the letters, the photos, everything."
"And Moran…" said John. Emily chuckled a bit.
"Ah, yes. Poor Sebastian was beginning to ruin all the fun." she explained. "Anyway, he was probably going to spoil the surprise for you."
"What surprise?" asked John.
"Well, it wouldn´t be a surprise if I told you." replied Emily and gave him a sickening grin.
John looked at her in disgust.
"You´re insane." he said. Emily chuckled.
"You know, that reminds me of someone who said those exact words. Not to me, of course." she said. John knew immediately whom she was referring to.
"Don´t talk about Sherlock!" he snapped.
"Does it still hurt, John?" said Emily menacingly. "I remember how damaged you looked when it happened."
"Don´t!" he pleaded. Emily stood up and walked over to John. She took out a roll of grey duct tape and placed the tape over his mouth. He tried to protest but she slapped him across the face. John flinched and he felt Emily´s cold hand grabbing his face.
"Are you going to behave, John?" she said as if she were talking to a small child. When John didn´t answer, she slapped him across the face again.
"Are you going to behave, John?" she repeated, just as quietly as before. John nodded weakly as Emily sat down on his lap. She whispered menacingly into his ear: "We´re going to play a little game, John. And remember, you are going to behave."
John didn´t know for how long he had been sitting on the hard, wooden chair and gone through all the pain. Emily´s knife tore his skin once again, deep enough to cause excruciating pain but yet not deep enough to kill him instantly. He shouted out in pain, muffled by the duct tape, as the knife went deep into him abdomen. The knife was going deeper than before. He panted when Emily took the knife out.
"Pathetic." she said. She spit on John while he sat there on the chair, defenceless, weak.
"Does it hurt, John? Does it hurt as much as it did in Afghanistan?" she asked mockingly. "Do you think it would hurt him to see you in so much pain?"
Emily smiled when she saw the grief in John´s eyes. John struggled weakly in his chair, trying desperately to escape, even though he knew that it was hopeless. But he had had enough. He couldn´t bear the thought of all the pain that he had gone through. It was too much. He gave up and sat still, with his head hanging low and his eyes closed. He suddenly felt Emily pulling his head up and he flinched at the sudden pain when she ripped the duct tape off his mouth. He felt something cold and sharp against his abdomen.
He opened his eyes and saw Emily holding the knife against his stomach. With enough force and the right technique, it would be enough to kill him.
"Who would have thought that one person could cause so much pain?" said Emily. "Is it all worth it? Isn´t it best to just end it?"
John looked pleadingly at her and nodded slightly.
"Please." he whispered. Emily grinned. John closed his eyes and waited for the agony. Soon, it would all be over.
