Tori:

I woke up in the dark again, but on the floor this time.

The side of my jaw hurts. My head is throbbing too. My arms feel like they are asleep. I think my wrists are still bound behind my back, and my calves and thighs are taped together as well.

What Ryder did before I blacked out rushed back to me. He messaged Jade, telling her I want to break up with her. Jade must be furious with me. She must hate me so much right now. What's the point of getting out of here at all if she loathes me from now on?

I brought my knees as close to my chest as I could in fetal position, feeling the tears stream down my face uncontrollably. First I disappear from our date, then a text is sent from my phone saying that I want to split up with her. She must think that I dumped her. I am so sorry, Jade.

There is no way she is coming for me now. She must think that I'm playing with her feelings and stringing her along all this while. How long would she hate me? Would she ever forgive me?

Ryder came back into the room as the light was turned back on, but I'm too numb to move. He looked amused as soon as he saw that my eyes were red and puffy. "Why so sad, Tori? Don't tell me you really believed that psychotic Goth chick loves you. She is only together with you because she pities you. I did you a big favor by helping you dump her now before you are in too deep, you know?"

No. I know Jade loved me. But would she still do so, after she seen the text?

I watched as Ryder put down a paper plate on the ground a few feet away from me, and opened up a can. "I don't know what centipedes eat, but I heard they're carnivorous insects. So I think dog food should be a nice treat," he laughed as he poured the contents of the can onto the plate. "You can crawl over here and enjoy your meal. Once you reach my feet, I'll take the duct tape off your mouth so you can eat."

When I refused to move, he came over and kicked me in my stomach with his boots. I winced as the blow connected. "Come on, you crippled faggot. Crawl over to the food. Aren't you hungry?"

"No wonder you didn't fall to my charms last time. Stop imagining that your little Goth girlfriend loves you."

"Oh right. I forgot. You just broke up with her." He snorted, laughing at his own joke.

My heart aches even more on hearing that. Maybe Ryder is right. Maybe Jade won't ever forgive me.

"What has she been saying to you, huh? That she still believes in you? That you can still be a pop star one day? Stop deluding yourself and look in the mirror," he chuckled, pulling out his phone and switching it into selfie mode, lifting my head up by my chin and forcing me to look into the camera. "Look at you. You are just a useless, crippled dyke. What makes you think your Jade 'loves' you? Why do you think your dreams are worth anything?"

I stared at my own face in the camera. I have tears dripping off my chin, my eyes red and swollen, and my makeup all runny. There's a large bruise on the side of my face where he struck me just now. Ryder is probably right. Maybe it's useless resisting after all. Maybe it's all over, and I'm just lying to myself all this while.

He flicked out the blade of his pocketknife, and walked to the back of me. His gruff breath huffed in my ear. "I know you're in a lot of emotional pain now that you just realized the truth, Tori. But don't worry, I'll help you transfer some of your heartache to physical pain. I'll make you bleed just like what you did to my nose. Trust me, it will look as though you did it to yourself, and nobody would suspect a thing."

I screamed as I felt a sharp tip dig into my flesh and slide down my arm as new pain took over. I can't tell which hurts more now, my heart or my body. All I want is for all this pain to end.