the soup there. She found temperature to be just right, and the soup tasted unbelievably good. Finding it irresistible, she sat down and devoured the entire bowl.
The next room Zoe explored was a library. The walls were lined with shelves of books spanning from floor to ceiling. In one corner of the room, three chairs were placed facing one another as though the family sometimes sat there relaxing and reading together. Zoe crossed the room and took a seat in a large, leather wing back chair. She found it to be stiff and uncomfortable. So, she moved to the next chair; a county blue, flowered over stuffed. She found it to be far too soft and also uncomfortable. Next she tried the third seat which was an odd contraption of black bars like some aerodynamic office chair. She lowered herself onto it and to her complete shock; she wound up crashing to the floor. The flimsy chair broke into several pieces.
"Crap!" she exclaimed as she leapt up. Zoe looked down at the mess on the floor and then turned to flee the room.
She found a dark hallway and crept down it quietly. Though the house was cozy warm, a sudden shiver moved up and down her spine. It occurred to her that she should leave. She wondered why she felt so creeped out all the sudden. But despite her misgivings, she ventured on into the darkness.
She came upon a door. She stood there staring at the knob for a long time, with an eerie feeling. Finally, she opened it and a dark stairway leading down was revealed. To the right was a light switch and she flipped it on.
Zoe made her way down a nicely finished set of basement steps. At the bottom, she found herself in a small finished, empty room. It was brightly lit, with beige carpet, stark white walls, and absolutely nothing was in it except for a door.
Again, Zoe hesitated to try the door. Hairs raised on the back of her neck and up and down her arms. She felt even more alarmed then she had in the dark hallway. Part of her wanted to turn and run. But another part of her said to suck it up and open the door. That, unfortunately, is the part she chose to listen to. With shaking hand, she gripped the knob and swung open the door.
Zoe shrieked and clamped her hand over her mouth.
Chapter 3
T he unfinished basement cavern Zoe stumbled into could only be described as a torture chamber.
She stood frozen in her spot, mouth gaping, blood rushing to her head. Every fiber of her being wanted to turn and run away screaming, but she could not move. One thing was certain, this scene had never occurred in her dreams or imaginings.
The first thing she noticed was in the center of the room. It was an archaic looking wooden rack, suspended from the ceiling, and with restraints dangling at each of its four corners. At the top and bottom of it were rollers and cranks. Though she'd never seen such a thing before, it was easy to tell that a person could be fixed to it and then stretched and torn.
Next to the rack was what appeared to be a medical examining table. Next to that was a table set up with every imaginable variety of rusty metal instruments. Scalpels, syringes, speculums, and a myriad of other items that appeared to come from a time long forgotten by modern science. Worst of all, the table and instruments were all covered with dried blood.
Looming in one corner was a large black box that was vaguely human shaped. It hung ajar, and inside it was full of ugly, vicious looking spikes. Any poor soul who had the misfortune of being shut inside would be impaled hundreds of times, simultaneously over his or her entire body. And judging by the blood on the spikes, she had no doubt that somebody had met that fate.
She noted a wall where dozens of horrific looking devices hung neatly. A chair with metal spikes and that appeared to be electrified as well. Nooses and hand cuffs that dangled from the ceiling in various spots. Along the opposite wall were two
The next room Zoe explored was a library. The walls were lined with shelves of books spanning from floor to ceiling. In one corner of the room, three chairs were placed facing one another as though the family sometimes sat there relaxing and reading together. Zoe crossed the room and took a seat in a large, leather wing back chair. She found it to be stiff and uncomfortable. So, she moved to the next chair; a county blue, flowered over stuffed. She found it to be far too soft and also uncomfortable. Next she tried the third seat which was an odd contraption of black bars like some aerodynamic office chair. She lowered herself onto it and to her complete shock; she wound up crashing to the floor. The flimsy chair broke into several pieces.
"Crap!" she exclaimed as she leapt up. Zoe looked down at the mess on the floor and then turned to flee the room.
She found a dark hallway and crept down it quietly. Though the house was cozy warm, a sudden shiver moved up and down her spine. It occurred to her that she should leave. She wondered why she felt so creeped out all the sudden. But despite her misgivings, she ventured on into the darkness.
She came upon a door. She stood there staring at the knob for a long time, with an eerie feeling. Finally, she opened it and a dark stairway leading down was revealed. To the right was a light switch and she flipped it on.
Zoe made her way down a nicely finished set of basement steps. At the bottom, she found herself in a small finished, empty room. It was brightly lit, with beige carpet, stark white walls, and absolutely nothing was in it except for a door.
Again, Zoe hesitated to try the door. Hairs raised on the back of her neck and up and down her arms. She felt even more alarmed then she had in the dark hallway. Part of her wanted to turn and run. But another part of her said to suck it up and open the door. That, unfortunately, is the part she chose to listen to. With shaking hand, she gripped the knob and swung open the door.
Zoe shrieked and clamped her hand over her mouth.
Chapter 3
T he unfinished basement cavern Zoe stumbled into could only be described as a torture chamber.
She stood frozen in her spot, mouth gaping, blood rushing to her head. Every fiber of her being wanted to turn and run away screaming, but she could not move. One thing was certain, this scene had never occurred in her dreams or imaginings.
The first thing she noticed was in the center of the room. It was an archaic looking wooden rack, suspended from the ceiling, and with restraints dangling at each of its four corners. At the top and bottom of it were rollers and cranks. Though she'd never seen such a thing before, it was easy to tell that a person could be fixed to it and then stretched and torn.
Next to the rack was what appeared to be a medical examining table. Next to that was a table set up with every imaginable variety of rusty metal instruments. Scalpels, syringes, speculums, and a myriad of other items that appeared to come from a time long forgotten by modern science. Worst of all, the table and instruments were all covered with dried blood.
Looming in one corner was a large black box that was vaguely human shaped. It hung ajar, and inside it was full of ugly, vicious looking spikes. Any poor soul who had the misfortune of being shut inside would be impaled hundreds of times, simultaneously over his or her entire body. And judging by the blood on the spikes, she had no doubt that somebody had met that fate.
She noted a wall where dozens of horrific looking devices hung neatly. A chair with metal spikes and that appeared to be electrified as well. Nooses and hand cuffs that dangled from the ceiling in various spots. Along the opposite wall were two
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