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He cocked a pistol finger at her "You know: I thought about that I get a few seconds of warning before the changeover, so what I’ll do is kill you as soon as I feel it coain Again, and she tried not to screahed

"Saasped out

"That would be the only thing lacking now," Drake said, sounding genuinely disappointed "I wanted him here It would be way better if he could see If he could watch It’s a hard thing to watch so there So hurt?" she asked, desperate to engage hiet into ure out what makes me me? You’re not here to play shrink You’re here to suffer"

He slashed at her again Astrid cried out The pain was too awful to endure She wished for unconsciousness She wished for death She sobbed quietly

Petey

Jesus

Anyone

But she felt no presence Just the psychopath in the shadows cast by firelight

"Gaia wanted e But I don’t take orders fro I followed Caine I followed the gaiaphage But she’s not the gaiaphage, not really, not in that body, not with that face"

"She’s pretty," Astridout each word "Is that what you hate? Is that the sickness in you?"

Drake barked out a laugh "Do you have any idea how many shrinks have tried their words on me? You think you can do better? It has to be soht? Put a label on it and everything will be all better" He laughed at the idea "Are you as clueless as the rest of them, Astrid? It’s simple Here it is, here’s the answer, Astrid the Genius: it’s fun to hurt people It’s suchit’s such joy, Astrid Such joy realizing that all the power is yours, and all the fear and pain is right there, in your victiirl, you knohat it’s called You know the word for it Co for the word

"Evil," Astrid said

Drake laughed, threw up his hand wide, and nodded his head "Evil! There you go Good for you Evil It’s in all of us You know that, too It was in you I saw it in your eyes as you looked down at me in that cooler Evil, hah We all want to have someone powerless beneath us while we stand over therown husky "We all want that We all want that"

He slid his whip arm over the painful wounds on her belly

"I wish Sahed "And if he’s not, well, we’ll tell him, won’t we? We’ll tell him every little detail

"Be sure to scream," he said

"You too," she said

He looked at her, puzzled, his face inches from hers