Third-person POV

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the empty hallways as Deena ran, her heart hammering in her chest.

Electra chuckled, glancing at her watch. “One… two… three…”

Irina tapped her foot impatiently. “I hope she’s not dumb enough to hide somewhere obvious.”

Roxana giggled, stretching her arms. “Makes it less fun if she does, but I’d like to get to bed soon, so whatever, I guess.”

Electra continued counting, the seconds ticking down slowly, deliberately, letting the anticipation build.

“Seven… eight…”

Deena’s panicked breaths filled her ears as she dashed into an old supply closet, pressing her back against the shelves stacked with forgotten books and broken chairs. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to quiet her breathing, praying—praying—that she wouldn’t be found.

“Nine… ten.”

Electra’s eyes snapped open, her playful smirk replaced with something sharper.

“Time’s up.”

Irina cracked her knuckles. “Where do we start?”

Electra tapped her chin in thought. “She’s scared. Meaning she wouldn’t take the risk of going too far in case she needs an escape route.”

Roxana nodded. “So she’s hiding somewhere on this floor.”

Electra smirked. “Exactly.”

They split up, each taking different corridors. Electra moved slowly, deliberately, dragging her fingers along the chipped walls as she walked.

“Deeenaaa,” Electra called out in a singsong voice. “Come out, come out, wherever you are…”

She heard a rustle nearby.

A slow smile spread across her lips. Too easy.

Deena held her breath, curling in on herself as tightly as possible.

“Please don’t find me. Please don’t find me.”

Footsteps approached. Stopped.

Electra stood outside the supply closet, her head tilted slightly as she listened.

Deena’s heart pounded against her ribcage, her fingers gripping the hem of her skirt.

Silence.

Then—Electra reached out and slammed the door open.

Deena screamed.

Electra grinned. “Found you.”

Deena scrambled back, knocking over a stack of old and dusty books in her panic. She tried to bolt, but Electra grabbed her wrist, yanking her forward.

“Uh-uh,” Electra murmured. “You didn’t win, Deena.”

The terrified girl trembled, staring up at Electra with wide, glassy eyes. “P-please…”

Electra leaned in close, her lips just by Deena’s ear. “Now, let’s talk about your punishment.”

A few minutes later, Irina and Roxana arrived, both smirking as they found Electra standing over a shaken Deena, who was visibly shaking.

Roxana pouted. “Aww, you found her already?”

Electra sighed dramatically. “Unfortunately. She wasn’t very creative with her hiding spots.”

Irina cracked her knuckles. “So, what now?”

Electra tilted Deena’s chin up with two fingers, forcing her to look into her eyes. “Now? Now we make sure she never forgets who she belongs to.”

Deena swallowed hard, her fate now entirely in Electra’s hands.

***

The damp stench of mold and stagnant water filled the air as Irina’s phone flashlight illuminated the decayed bathroom.

Deena’s body trembled as she stood between Irina and Roxana, her hands bound behind her back with an old belt that Roxana had torn from someone’s forgotten gym bag. Her breathing was uneven and panicked, and her wide eyes darted around, trying to make sense of the situation.

“Electra…” Deena’s voice was barely a whisper, but the way it cracked betrayed her terror. “Please—what are you planning to do?”

Electra stood near the entrance, arms crossed over her chest, a smirk tugging at her lips. She cocked her head slightly, her icy blue eyes gleaming with amusement.

“Relax,” she drawled, stepping forward and clicking her tongue. “Do you really think I’d be so cruel as to make you drink that filth?” She gestured toward the murky puddle of water on the floor. “Even you don’t deserve that.”

Deena let out a shaky breath, but the relief was short-lived.

Irina, impatient as always, scoffed. “Can we get this over with? It smells like literal death in here.”

Roxana wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Yeah, Electra, whatever it is you want to do, do it fast. I don’t think my shoes are going to survive this place.”

Electra would chuckle lightly, offering a light-hearted apology to Roxana and her shoes. After, she would grab Deena away from Irina, and before Deena knew it, she’d throw her further into the room, causing her to fall into the water.

The moment her body hit the disgusting, bacteria-infested water, a sharp gasp escaped her lips, followed by a strangled cough as the stench invaded her senses.

She flailed, her hands slipping against the slimy, wet tiles, the murky liquid soaking through her clothes instantly. The sheer disgust of it made her stomach churn violently, and she gagged, trying to scramble up onto her hands and knees.

Electra, Irina, and Roxana stood by the entrance of the decrepit bathroom, the dim light from Irina’s flashlight illuminating the mold-ridden walls. Electra’s expression was unreadable, her ice-blue eyes glowing faintly in the dark.

Roxana pinched her nose dramatically, her face twisted in disgust. “Ugh, she reeks already,” she complained. “Electra, are we seriously going to stay here long? This place is revolting.”

Electra chuckled, unfazed by the stench. “Relax, Roxie. This won’t take long.” She then took a slow step forward, the heels of her shoes clicking against the grimy tiles. “How does it feel, Deena? To be exactly where you belong?”

Deena’s teeth chattered as she pushed herself up from the filthy water, her body trembling from a mixture of fear and revulsion. “P-please, Electra,” she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. “I—I swear, I never planned to actually hurt you.”

Electra tilted her head, amusement dancing in her gaze. “Oh? So what was your plan, then?” She crouched down, eyeing Deena like a predator toying with its prey. “Let me guess—you were just waiting for the ‘perfect’ moment? When my back was turned? When I least expected it?”

Deena shook her head frantically, droplets of dirty water flying from her soaked hair. “N-no! I just—I was scared! Queen Jella, she—she really gave me no choice! My family was on the line.”

Electra let out a scoff, her expression darkening. “There’s always a choice, Deena. You just happened to choose the wrong one.”

Irina, who had been leaning casually against the doorframe, let out an impatient sigh. “Electra, just tell me when I can kick her teeth in. I’m getting really tired of hearing her pathetic excuses.”

Deena’s heart pounded in her chest, the terror creeping up her spine like ice-cold fingers. “Please,” she whispered, looking up at Electra with desperate, pleading eyes. “I made a mistake. I was never going to go through with it! I—I couldn’t! You have to believe me.”

Electra studied her for a moment before standing up straight. Her expression remained unreadable, her gaze cold and piercing.

“Believe you?” she echoed, tilting her head as if considering the idea. “After everything? No, Deena. I don’t believe you. And I don’t forgive you either.”

Before Deena could react, Electra nudged her boot against Deena’s shoulder, shoving her back down into the water. Deena yelped, her hands clawing against the slimy floor as she struggled to push herself up once more.

Roxana let out a laugh. “Damn, she went down easy.”

Deena coughed violently, spitting out the disgusting liquid that had splashed into her mouth. Tears burned in her eyes as she looked up at Electra, who now loomed over her like a merciless deity.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep