Empath: The Flawed Series Book One

by Becca J. Campbell

  “Good idea. Now we just have to find it.”

  Most of their previous wandering had been aimless, so Chloe pulled out the map to locate exactly where they were and what route would take them back. They were in a dark, curvy tunnel, so they walked to the first light that they encountered on the path. It was dim and aimed at the formations rather than the trail, but it would do in a pinch.

  ~

  Ethan left his newfound lair to peruse the sparse array of visitors. Most were unable to pique his interest, but eventually he saw what he’d been waiting for.

  Two young women were enjoying their self-guided tour of the cave. Alone. The one he didn’t recognize provided a running conversation, from a commentary of the cave formations to fashion tips for her friend. She was semi-attractive, or would have been if the dark-haired girl hadn’t stolen her thunder. The brunette was the one who really made his pulse race. She was the one he’d been waiting for—his Kelsey. He trailed behind them in the shadows, far enough back to avoid being seen.

  It was time.

  At the leisurely pace the two women were setting, Ethan had no problem slipping away to his hideout, quickly retrieving what he needed, and returning to find them barely farther down the path. Many of the cave’s visitors had returned to the underground cafeteria restaurant or left for a lunch break. On his journey back from the hidden chambers he had passed no one, and at present this part of the cave was deserted.

  He waited until the women were in an ideal spot—a darkened area of the path with only a single, floor-mounted lamp directed upward at a large column formation. The trail between the cavern walls twisted sharply before and behind them, blocking the view from any other part of the cave. Because of the odd source of the light, the girls had to lean forward awkwardly, stretching the map out in front of them into the illuminated area. They were so focused on the problem at hand that they had no sense of the danger, providing him with a perfect opportunity for a surprise attack.

  Ethan squelched his emotions and calmed himself so that the strike would be deliberate and effective. He couldn’t let his passion for the task at hand hinder his accuracy. He crept toward them and raised his staff above his head, aiming for that ideal spot on the backs of the two heads that were huddled together. He knew how to incapacitate a person quickly, and two at a time was barely more difficult. As he brought the heavy cane down, the exhilaration flared in him. The dark-haired girl started to turn his direction, but before she could catch a glimpse of him, the sharp blow struck. The other one hadn’t even turned.

  His attack was powerful. Both girls went down at once, but he caught the brunette, letting the other girl fall. As he held her small form, he searched the blank face. It wasn’t Kelsey, but the resemblance was definitely there, more so now that he was closer. She was the same size. Her hair and skin had the same striking contrast. And she was beautiful.

  Ethan laid her down gently. He pulled the blonde into a dark crevice in the cave wall where she wouldn’t be found and held a chloroform rag to her nose to ensure she didn’t wake too soon. Then he picked up the dark-haired girl and carried her deep into the bowels of the cave.

  When he returned, the trails were still vacant and his other victim was still unconscious. After lugging her past the off-limits sign and reaffixing the rusted gate, he switched to dragging her the rest of the way. Thoughts of his waiting captive made his mind reel with anticipation and desire. Soon. Soon Kelsey would be his.

  Jade awoke on the uneven rock floor, wet and cold, her hands bound by a plastic tie. She sat up and pulled her knees into her chest, alternating between shivers of cold and shivers of fear. She was completely alone.

  Being alone had never frightened her before. It had always been something she relished, as comforting as a familiar novel with its spine broken and pages creased by the wear of many readings. But this alone terrified her. There was nothing but shapeless black before her, making her blink to check if her eyes were really open. The darkness was still and quiet, apart from a faint plopping somewhere far away.

  Someone had taken her, and that someone must have something horrible planned for her. That thought crashed around in her mind against the memories of all the nefarious emotions she’d encountered lately.

  She thought of the foreign presence she’d sensed when she and Chloe had been studying the map. The sensation had struck her for only a fraction of an instant and, try as she might, she couldn’t summon more than a hint of what it had been. Her head throbbed where she’d been hit, impairing her attempts to not just remember, but to pinpoint what that emotion had been.

  How had she not sensed her assailant earlier? Either he had somehow blocked his emotions or Chloe’s proximity had prevented Jade from detecting him. Possibly both.

  His emotions evaded her, but his presence—the essence of him—was still strong on her, a grimy coating she couldn’t wash off. The fear of what he was, inside, chilled her more than being in the dank cave. She trembled and clutched at her head. He’s gone, it’s okay, he’s gone. But it wasn’t okay. She was trapped and alone.

  A faint scream echoed in the distance, sending chills down her spine. Chloe? The sound dissipated like mist into the chilly air, and the silence crept up on her again, icy and forbidding.

  She remained in that position for what seemed like an eternity, waiting for her heart to stop racing, to tackle her fear. The anxiety gripping her made it impossible to think, to contemplate any sort of attempt at escape.

  After what could have been minutes or hours, she shook herself. Her mind was still fuzzy and her head ached, but she had to search for a way out. She stretched her legs out in front of her, feeling the stiffness from the position she’d been sitting in.

  She tried to squeeze her hands out of the plastic tie, but it didn’t give the way a rope might have. The restraint was strong and left painful burns on her wrists. She strained against it to pat her pockets for her phone, only to remember the battery had gone dead. That was her only flashlight. Since she hadn’t intended on going off the trails into any unlit passages, she hadn’t thought she needed one.

  Putting her hands out in front, she found the damp wall of the rock and used it for support while slowly rising. Her head spun a little, and she winced at the pain. Raising her hands above her head, she checked to make sure the uneven cave ceiling would allow her room to stand fully erect. As she straightened, she felt the shape of the ceiling above and traced its curve down to the wall.

  She explored in the dark with hesitant steps and arms extended, finding three solid rock walls of the cave-hewn chamber. On the fourth side she encountered a barricade that was cold and smooth like metal. Her hands closed over the bars, and her mind stuttered to make sense of it. She was in some sort of prison cell. There was a jail in the caverns?

  That explained the clanging sound that had brought her back to consciousness when her captor had left. That was why he’d left her alone, not concerned she might escape. It meant something else, too. He would come back for her.

  Her heart sank as she groped feebly, searching for an opening. Her fingers found both a door and a keyhole, but it was locked, and she pushed and pulled without success. She gripped the bars tightly between her hands, letting her head drop until her forehead rested between the cool, metal rungs, despair flooding over her body like cold water.

  Eventually she returned to the center of her cell, where hopelessness pulled her back to the ground. With wrists still bound, she tucked her knees between her arms and rocked, consumed in the agony of her situation.

  A while later, her despair suddenly drained away. She was unable to cling to even the last drop of dread—and her own sanity—as an eager pleasure took hold of her. She knew it at once: he was back.

  A soft click and the creak of metal rang through the space, and all was silent again. His anticipation brought her to her feet, but she controlled her body into a posture of self-defense. Had he entered her cell? Where was he? There was no sound of footsteps. Only silenc
e. Desire raged inside her for a moment, then vanished. He’d calmed himself, and her own fears crept up again.

  “Hello, there.”

  She jumped. His voice was low and even—just like the emotions he’d somehow clamped off. He sounded as if he were possibly only a few strides away, and the thought of it made her cower. How had he crossed the room so quietly? She froze, holding her breath, but her pulse pounded loud in her ears.

  “I said, hello there.”

  Fear had her paralyzed

  “Ah, the silent treatment. I suppose you think you are more stubborn than I. Believe me, it’s not true. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you? I am a very patient man.”

  He’d been waiting for her? Watching her? Jade trembled and bit back a sob.

  “This place is very conducive to waiting. No one could hear you if you screamed. No one even knows that this part of the cave exists. Search parties could look for days… weeks, and end up getting lost before they found us. To find the tunnel leading here, you’d either have to know exactly what you’re looking for, or have unnatural powers of vision.” He chuckled darkly. “So you see, we have all the time in the world.”

  At this, a thrill coursed through her. His pleasure had stifled her emotions so fast she could barely catch her breath. She craved power, and it made her brain ring with alarm. Jade clutched at her head. No—this wasn’t her. She wasn’t like him. She fought, but couldn’t push away the dark emotions. Everything told her she should be afraid, but his desire for domination reigned supreme. Beneath that, a concoction of other feelings swirled like a melting pot of nastiness, but she shrank away from it, having no desire to understand him. Her head was crowded and she only wanted him out.

  And then he was out—and her own fear came surging back, rolling over her in waves and tremors. Footsteps scuffled across the stone floor as he closed in on her.

  “What’s your name?” His voice came from behind, and she realized he was circling her. But movements that precise were impossible in this type of blackness. How could he see her in the dark?

  “If you won’t tell me your name, I’ll have to pick one. And I have the perfect name for you. Kelsey.”

  A craving for possession licked at her mind like flames. She gripped her skull with her arms, fingers curling around the back of her head.

  Her captor let out a low chuckle. “Yes, ‘Kelsey’ is quite appropriate.”

  Jade’s mind raced with thoughts, but her feelings wouldn’t connect to them. His raw hunger ravaged her mind. She wanted to hurt him, but not in self-defense, in pleasure. It would feel so good… She cringed at her own thoughts, attempting to align with his feelings. No—no, that’s not me! Confusion made her fuzzy, like she was trapped in a nightmare. I have to focus on what’s real. I have to find myself. Words. I need to speak to him.

  “C-c-can’t you j-j-just let me go?” It was a disjointed mess, but unlike her emotions, her feeble words were something she could control. His satisfaction spiked, and she shrank further.

  “Let you go? Of course not. How would that benefit me?” His calm returned, and a beat later, her anxiety came tumbling back. She wasn’t sure which was worse: being paralyzed by terror or being united with his mind.

  She tried to clear her head of her own fear. She had to think. Talking was helping. Talking was good. “Where’s Chloe?”

  “Chloe? Is that her name? She’s attractive I suppose, but not my type. Collateral damage. I prefer brunettes.”

  “Don’t hurt her!”

  “Don’t get me wrong, it won’t be a complete waste. She’ll bring some enjoyment. They all do. But you… You, are truly a masterpiece. I am much more looking forward to my time with you.”

  Jade swallowed. “What do you want from me?”

  “Right now I just want to have a little chat. Is that all right, Kelsey?”

  “About what?” Her question rang in the cool, damp air for several moments. Now that she was talking, he was teasing her. She could hear his breathing, nearer now.

  “What are you afraid of, Kelsey?”

  Answers to his question raced through her mind like speeding cars on a freeway. What did he want to hear? Think!

  “You can’t deny your fear. Everyone is afraid of something. Gephyrophobia—the fear of crossing bridges. Iatrophobia—the fear of doctors. Cryophobia—the fear of cold weather. Spectrophobia—the fear of mirrors. Tetraphobia—the fear of the number four. Some people are afraid of the unknown. They may be my favorite, being the easiest of all to control. But then, I do enjoy solving a good mystery as much as anyone. Sometimes the chase is almost as enjoyable as the kill. Usually more so.”

  His pleasure surged for a moment and then calmed. “Arachnophobia—the fear of spiders. Ophidiophobia—the fear of snakes. Murophobia—the fear of rodents.”

  Suddenly, Jade felt something crawling on her arm, tickling her skin with its tiny legs. Startled, she jumped and brushed it off with her hand. She wasn’t afraid of the bug, but she was very much terrified of him and what he would do to her.

  “Are you afraid of dying, Kelsey? Death is inevitable, you know. You never know when it will come, but it always does, in the end.”

  What did he want to hear? Should she deny her fears or succumb to his baiting? “You’re a monster,” she said in a tiny voice barely more than a whisper.

  “Ah, yes. As so many people label that which is different. That which they don’t understand. The little girl who lived next to me when I was a child likely thought the same. She and the other kids in the neighborhood thought it would be amusing to make fun of the boy who was different. They mistook what they didn’t understand for weakness. But they were the weak ones. Especially that girl. When I discovered she was terrified of spiders, it made my work easy. And as it turned out, there were plenty of other creatures that would do the trick just as well. They could be found right in my own backyard. All I had to do was wait until dark.”

  He breathed in deeply, as if savoring the memory. “Her each and every scream was a resounding symphony. I can still imagine her: tiny and helpless, trapped in the dark closet, as the snakes slithered around her, and she fought to get free. She was nearly devoured by fear.”

  A fierce pleasure burned inside Jade for an instant. Then it faded into that same controlled calm, and she was left with her own emotions again.

  “Haptophobia—the fear of being touched,” he continued. “Nyctophobia—the fear of the dark. For some people, their greatest fear is being alone, in the dark, with someone whose identity is shrouded in secret. You are completely blind.” His breath was hot on her neck, and his voice became low, almost a whisper. “Only a voice in your ear and the realization that at any time I could reach out and touch you…”

  An icy-cold finger trailed up her bare arm, from her wrist to shoulder. A sharp spike of feeling came with the touch: his thrill of contact. Of closeness with her, his victim. She wanted to gag in disgust, but an action so involuntary was difficult to produce on command. Instead, she jerked her arm away.

  “You are beautiful, you know. Petite, fragile, skin fair like porcelain.” His finger traced her face from temple down her jawline and to her chin. She turned away from his touch, but he grabbed her bound wrists, firmly keeping her in place.

  Again she had the impression that, although she could see nothing, he could somehow see her.

  “You might think this an odd place for me to enjoy your exquisite looks. But it is here, in the complete absence of light, that I can best appreciate your beauty. You see, Kelsey, I can see in the dark.” He voice was simultaneously sinister and sensual.

  Jade’s mind reeled, but she didn’t doubt him for an instant. There was no trace of deceit, only that same calm that sent bolts of fright through her. His supernatural vision explained why he left her in complete blackness rather than using a blindfold and why he moved so deliberately in the dark.

  If she tried to fight him, it would be like fighting blindfolded, when she had no training—an
d he had not only experience with violence, but the power to see in the dark. She had no chance of beating him.

  “What are you afraid of, Kelsey?” That question again. “As I said, I can be patient. Time is on my side. And nothing is on yours.” His sea of emotions rose again, threatening to drown her. He released her hands. His footsteps faded, the door creaked, and the key in the lock gave a dull, metallic click.

  The tide of emotions swept away from her, leaving her battered and exhausted. He was gone.

  Sometime later, Jade lay curled on the cave floor, her knees pulled into her chest, her body trembling with sobs and the cold. Being with him was terrible, but being alone was a close second. Her emotions were in turmoil with fears raging, and not just the fear of him hurting or killing her. For the first time in her life, she realized there were worse things that could happen to her than death or pain. What would become of her if she were around him for an extended period of time? He seemed determine to draw out their time together. What if he never let her go? What if no one ever found her?

  Her mind kept playing out possible outcomes. If she were exposed to foreign emotions long enough, would they start to control her permanently? His visit had felt like an eternity. In that short time, she’d felt herself slipping—his violent desires planted themselves within her. With him gone, she could rip them out, but she couldn’t toss them away. Memories of the feelings lingered. And what if he stayed with her longer next time? What if he refused to let her out of his sight? Would she lose herself forever? Would he turn her into a copy of himself? She dropped her head into her hands and her tears flowed.

  It all came down to one thing: her stupid handicap, the thorn in her flesh. She was weak. When that man was near, she was completely powerless to resist him.

  Please God, she prayed for the third time, take away my weakness. Please make me strong. Her words were little more than a futile hope.