Chapter 3

It gets worse before it gets better

"You devious little bitch, who do you think you are?" he hissed. His breath was hot and putrid against her face. He was not shouting now. His words were for her ears only. "I know what you are." The blood drummed in her head so loudly she could hardly make out what he was saying. Her eyes were wild and reddening as Skeletor slowly cut off her circulation. Too stunned before to fight him off, now all she had the energy to do was to grasp his forearm pathetically. "You think me a fool? You saunter around here as if you have all the answers to questions the rest of us are too obtuse to ask. Do you think you are smarter than I am Evilyn? Do you think you had me fooled? If I didn't like the view so much I would have had your traitorous head severed from that lovely body of yours." he chucked softly. Suddenly bored with his little game, he flung her body to the floor.

"Get out!" This time he did shout, and those of his posse who were still conscious, managed to close their gaping mouths long enough to get the hell out of there. What ever Evilyn did to warrant such an explosion was a mystery, but they sure as hell weren't going to stick around while the debris was still falling.

"What the hell is this Skeletor? I came here to show you what I can do, not to—," Orad did not finish for Skeletor swiftly lifted his staff and let loose an energy blast directly at the hopeful's chest. Orad's body flew across the room for several meters until it was stopped abruptly by the rock wall. He did not get up.

Her breath came out in painful gasps and Evilyn grasped at her sore throat with one hand while she tried to raise herself up off the ground with the other; but her legs felt like rubber and they refused to hold her weight. Instead, she chose to scurry backwards on her butt away from Skeletor, who was slowly advancing.

"Yes Evil- Lyn," he continued again now that they had some privacy. "I know that you are a slut."

"What …the hell…are you talking about," she managed to wheeze.

"A whore."

"If you touch me again, I will kill you."

"A despicable, slatternly wench."

He was standing directly over her. Evilyn coughed and glared up at him defiantly. He knelt before her on one knee until they were face to face. "I know where you go every evening when you think no one is looking. I know what you do and I know who you do it with". Her eyes widened and before she could make a move he grabbed her by the throat again. Her cry was cut short to a painful gurgling in her throat. She clawed at his face with her nails. Fruitless. Balling her hands into fists she proceeded to pound him in the head. She was getting wilder now and kicked and punched every part of his body she could reach.

"Aargh" he growled in rage when her knee struck home below his belt. He moved over her then, trying to curb her thrashing by pinning her down with his body. He fastened another hand onto her throat and applied more pressure—just enough to let her know that she was at his mercy, not to kill her though, not yet. Her hands came up abruptly to grasp his wrist and he watched with pleasure as her eyes started to roll to the back of her head. He eased up a little but did not release her and smiled as she hungrily gulped lungfuls of air.

"Hmm, you're lasting longer than your boyfriend did."

"What …what did you do?"

"I killed him of course. Snapped his neck like a twig."

"No! No! Nooooo!" Evilyn screamed. She thrashed violently underneath him and Skeletor was forced to let go of her throat to restrain her hands instead. Enraged, her eyes flashed purple but in the midst of her grief and rage she remembered, and forced herself to calm down. Her eyes were hard and deadly now. If she could stop his heart with her glare she would have. "I will not rest until you are dead." She spat through clenched teeth. "I will rip your heart out with my bare hands—" her voice caught in her throat and her eyes shimmered with tears she would not shed—not in front of him.

"Oh!" he gasped mockingly, "I do believe you actually cared for the little handyman. I say Evil-Lyn, you are getting a bit soft in your old age. I'll have to help you with that." Standing unexpectedly, he yanked her off the ground and pulled her behind him. He was heading toward the wide opening at the back of the cavernous room that looked out over the valley below Snake Mountain. He was going to throw her off! She renewed her struggles tenfold but he was too strong and soon he had her standing at the edge facing him with her back to the opening. He held her two hands in one of his large, clawed ones and grabbed the back of her head with the other pulling her roughly against him. He snarled and ground her mouth against his, instantly silencing her cursing. He pulled away and examined his handiwork: her mouth was bleeding and twisted in revulsion. "Goodbye Evil-Lyn."

She was trapped and for the first time in her life, terrified—for herself, for her baby.