Stupid girl, the voice in her head teased, mocking Alice. Look at you. All torn to ribbons.
Shut up!
Why? I’m only telling you the truth. Although, that’s never been something you’ve dealt well with.
Get out of my head!
Hahah... now that is funny. Telling your subconscious to; get out of your head, was it?
Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!
Alright I get the message, just don’t get too comfy, as it looks like Samuel’s back for round two, the voice whispered, subsiding into her subconscious once more.

Alice’s head was pulled up with a jerking motion, forcing her eyes up to face his. What now, she contemplated, her once beautiful face distorted in pain.

"Are we a little more hospitable now," Samuel joked. "Or shall we just continue our little game?"

"I’m fine to carry on if you are..." Alice said, her voice dreadfully tranquil.

"Oh really?" Samuel remarked, almost seeming surprised at Alice’s statement.

"Because I honestly thought you were about to cry..." He continued, grabbing her left arm and tugging it slightly, her hand instantly being overrun by a searing pain, one that shot through her body, stealing her voice from her.

"That’s what I thought." He smirked, clutching her face, forcing her to look at him.

"I’ll kill you! Alice snarled, a single tear rolling from her eyes.

"I’d like to see you try... But first, I’ll ask you again. Where’s the items Alice, and you’d better give me a straight answer or that little blade in your hand will be the least of your issues."

"Burn in hell!"

"Now that wasn’t very smart, well... nothing you’ve done the last couple of days has all that smart, so I’m not sure what I was expecting," he mused, backhanding her across the face once more, splitting her lip.

"Roche, my revolver if you will," he asked, his hand beckoning slowly out behind him.

"Of course," Roche smugly replied, slowly reloading the revolver’s cartridges before handing it over to Samuel, whistling softly as he did so.

"Now Alice, it’s time for you to pay the price for your mistake."

"I thought you weren’t going to kill me," she muttered through gritted teeth.

"I’m not going to kill you," he explained, kneeling down infront of her again, their faces level, the muzzle of his revolver held, hovering, just above Alice’s right thigh, as his shining emerald eyes stared at her, with great intrigue. In the next moment he pulled the trigger, lighting up in joy as Alice screamed in agony, her brave facade crumbling.

The gunshot rang endlessly in Alice’s ears as she bent over, as far as her captor and bindings would allow, trying hopelessly to crawl up into a ball to escape the pain. All the while Samuel sat crouched before her, whispering softly into her ear.

"See, this wouldn’t of happened if you’d just told me where it was... Now look at yourself, beaten black and blue, unable to move, unable to escape, with nothing left but a slow and painful death. But I’m a forgiving soul, so I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself," he said, resting the revolver on his lap. "All you need to do it just tell me who really has the other case."

"Go die in a hole," a voice whimpered.

"Such a dreadful waste," Samuel said, sighing almost remorsefully as he leveled the revolver at her left leg and deftly squeezing the trigger. A moment later the gunshots’ powerful roar accompanied by the tormented howl of Alice echoed out into the forest, leaving an unnatural silence in its wake.

Even some of Samuel’s most experienced men stood aghast, shocked by the unusually cruel and painful torture enforced on Alice, gulping heavily as Samuel stood, leaving a semi-conscious Alice slumped over, her legs reduced to a bloody shredded pulp. They had seen him torture people before, seen him beat people to death, but this was the most savage they’d ever seen.

"Impressive," Roche hummed, stroking his stubbled chin in amusement, while across from him Samuel stood, breathing deeply, seemingly lost in his own thoughts, the revolver hovering uneasily at his side.

After a few moments Samuel broke from his silent thoughts, pacing over to Damian who stood motionless behind Alice, restricting her movements. "She still Alive?"

"Her pulse is rapid and unstable, weakening by the minute. I doubt she’ll last more than another thirty minutes without medical assistance."

"More than enough time," Samuel rejoiced, revelling in the pleasure of it all. "Wake up, I’m not done with you yet," he demanded, kicking Alice as he did so, the impact striking her ribcage, knocking her awake with a jolt.

"Not done yet?" Alice jeered, a thin strip of blood and mucus pouring from her mouth.

"No, not yet."

"Well get it over with... I’m starting to get fed up with this whole song and dance routine."

"Don’t worry, it’ll all be over soon, but first I’m going to beat you, over and over again, until you die." Samuel assured her, hooking a blow into her jaw, the bone cracking and splintering under the force of it.

"Didn’t hurt a bit," Alice muttered, breathing heavily.

"What was that?"

"I said.... It didn’t hurt, God! Is your hearing as pathetic as you are threatening."

"Big words for someone mere moments away from death," Samuel jeered, slamming his knee directly into her face.

"Damn... Are you even trying to get information from me?" Alice quipped, bubbles of blood and snot pouring from her broken nose.

"No... I’ve given up on that little avenue of inquiry, but this has been so fun I thought I’d see it through to its inevitable conclusion."

"That being?"

"Your death," Samuel excitedly announced, raining down blow after blow into Alice, each more savage than the last and each impact accompanied with vast plums of blood that spurting violently across the forest floor.

Shit. Guess this is it then, it was a shit life... but it was mine, Alice thought to herself as her mind mind, no longer able to cope with the pain collapsed, beginning to shut itself down and leaving her to slip out of consciousness once more. Damn, I should’ve apologised to Noelle before I ran off... told her how important she was to me too and thanked her for all she did for me... Mihai and everyone else too... shit! Even Risha I guess... I really don’t wanna die... damnnit... not to some freak like this. Alone and by myself... I don’t want to die, she lamented remorsefully, as the last dregs of her consciousness faded, the darkness of it all actually feeling quite welcoming to her as she was enveloped by it, leaving the pain and agony behind.

In all the havoc and excitement no one really noticed as the girl, staked to the tree keeled forward, her last breath taken, leaving in her place a lifeless, broken shell, it’s skin torn and bones broken remained. Completely oblivious Samuel didn’t even let up his assault, striking her corpse again and again, lost in the pleasure and excitement of it all, only stopping once he’d thoroughly exhausted himself. It was only then that anyone noticed the deathly stillness of her body, quickly realising her fate.

"Damn," Samuel cursed in frustration at his broken toy, sending out a scything kick into Alice’s lifeless corpse, the force of the blow tearing the knife free from the tree and leaving her body to fall limply onto the ground in a contorted, bloody heap.

Next Chapter: 7 - From Death To Destiny