Disenchanted (18 page)

"Embarrassing. Kids and pot
heads try to eat it. A hose usually sees them off."

Harper smiled. "I'm Harper.
My sister's Gypsy."

"Nice names. Very unusual.
I'm Drake." He gestured to a candy necklace hammock.

"Is that
gonna
break?" Harper sat carefully.

"It's never snapped. No
matter how hard I try."

Coconut Mushroom stools were
scattered around. Candy Whistle dining chairs surrounded a Curly
Wurly
table.
Chupa
Chups
standing lamps guarded the corner of each room. A
table made from a Party Ring on Parma Violet legs stood to the side.

He was aware of Drake sitting
close to him. His fruity aftershave was very alluring. He didn't know which was
harder to resist – Drake or the edible looking furniture. He glanced at his
watch.

"Gypsy! Come on!"

"She's probably
exploring." Harper jumped as he turned to see Drake's face centimetres
from his. "Sorry, did I scare you?"

"No, I." His head
swirled. Drake's scent was dangerously intoxicating. He licked his dry lips.
"Maybe I'll have a glass of water."

Drake smiled and headed for the
kitchen. Harper closed his eyes. It felt like he was stuck on a children's
roundabout. Cushions resembling Animal biscuits dug into his back.

"Here."

He opened his eyes, took the
glass and drank, unable to keep his eyes off Drake's. His heart raced and his
hands shook. Drake smiled, his eyes glinting. Harper couldn't breathe. He'd
never felt an attraction so powerful.

Drake's lips collided with his.
Harper moaned and kissed him back passionately. He pushed Drake backwards and kissed
his neck, wanting his taste on the back on his tongue. Drake squeezed his arse,
pulling him closer. He raised Drake's t-shirt and kissed his toned body. Drake
pulled Harper's head up and kissed him deeply, his tongue teasing Harper's
lower lip. Heat exploded through him and black spirits danced in his vision. He
wanted to surrender to them.

He sat up, cradling his head.
"I'm feeling sea-sick."

Drake rubbed his thigh.
"Let's go to my room."

"Do you have a bed made from
Chewits
?"

"Black Jacks and Wham bars."

Harper struggled off the hammock
and followed Drake. His head was foggy. He could barely walk. If he didn't have
Drake, he'd die.

"When we were kids, there
were rumours a witch lived here."

"That was my grandma.
There're witch rumours in every town. Just because an old woman lives alone,
doesn't mean she's a witch. Though in Grandma's case, it was true."

Harper stumbled. Drake caught
him. Harper leaned on him, inhaling his enticing scent. He ran his tongue along
Drake's neck then sucked it. He tasted of strawberries.

Drake opened a Wildlife Bar door,
revealing a dungeon. He pushed Harper against the wall, then raised Harper's
arms and eased off his top, before casting off his own. His lips caressed
Harper's body then Harper felt something cold around his wrists. He tried to
pull his arms down but was shackled to the wall. He kissed Drake's neck then
sank his teeth in.

"Hey, whoa." Drake
laughed and lifted Harper's chin.

Harper's head was spinning. He
couldn't breathe. Every time he kissed Drake, the feeling worsened. But he had
to kiss him. He had to devour him.

"I don't feel right. Maybe
we should stop."

Drake ran his finger down
Harper's body. "If you insist."

He backed out and locked the
barred gate that stood in place of the Wildlife Bar.

Harper's body
twinged
and burned with the regret of unfulfilled passion. His head stopped spinning
and he could breathe again. He rattled the handcuffs. "What the hell are
you doing?"

"Your parents made a deal
with my grandma to sacrifice you in return for all they desired. But sacrifices
must enter willingly. Ten years my family have waited for you to find your way
here from your survival exploits yet you always managed to get back home. My
grandma's dead and my mother has too many deals to handle, so I've taken on this
case."

"It's a sacrifice, not a
social services enquiry. What have you done with Gypsy?"

"Nothing. Yet." He
smiled. "I'm sorry Harper. I really like you. Maybe we can finish what we
started later."

"You come near me again,
I'll kill you!" Harper strained against the shackles.

"No. You won't."

Drake walked away and opened the
viewing hatch to Gypsy's room.

"Let me out or I swear I'll
gut you like a canoe!" She kicked the door.

"My family have been waiting
ten years for this moment."

"What moment? Seeing you
hollowed out and rowed down the river?"

"Your 'survival training'
your parents concocted? Ever wondered why they make it so hard? They don't want
you finding your way home. When the blood moon rises, you'll be
sacrificed."

***

Gypsy futilely searched her
pockets. She ran her fingers along the walls and door, hoping for a secret
safety catch. Nothing. There wasn't even a window. The walls trembled. She
backed away. A hideous scraping noise deafened her as the walls edged in.

"Shit."

She ran to the door and banged on
it. "Let me out! We can make a deal."

"You have nothing I
want." Drake's voice was muffled on the other side of the steel door.

"A swap. Our parents failed
their bargain with your family. Let us go and we'll bring you them
instead."

"Punish them for not
delivering on their promise? We could've done that years ago. We want
you
."

"You can't have us."

"I already have you. Every
hour on the hour that room will shrink by one foot. There's no escape."

"Fine. Then take me. Let
Harper go. It's my fault we're here. He shouldn't keep getting punished for my
actions."

"But he's so pretty. I think
I'll enjoy myself with him, pass the time."

"You touch him and I'll rip
your heart out while it's still beating!" She thumped the door.

Harper tensed as the gate opened
and Drake slipped inside.

"How long have we been
here?"

"I'm sorry I can't make your
stay more comfortable. I'm a terrible host."

"How long…" He
swallowed. "Do we have left?"

"Not long." Drake
stroked Harper's face. "You got the looks and the charms." He smiled.
"Your sister has quite a temper."

"Take me. Let her go."

"She offered me the same
deal. We were promised both of you."

"What for? Better crops?
Eternal sunshine?"

"The usual. Money, nice
house, eternal youth. People are so predictable. No-one's ever asked for a
prison ship."

"Our parents aren't young
and our house's falling apart."

"It was 'payment on
delivery'. My grandma requested you be virgins but it's taken so long for you
to find your way here that's invalid."

"Sorry our irresistibility
ruined your plans."

Drake smiled. "You
are
irresistible. And a virgin."

"No I'm not."

"Lovely boy, this aftershave
only works on virgins."

"You've drugged me?"

"No. Unleashed your
desires."

He teased Harper's lips with his own.
Harper tried pulling away but his head was pressed against the wall. "I'm
pretty sure this wasn't part of the deal!" Drake's tongue slipped between
his lips.

Harper kissed him, desperate to
taste him again, Drake's tantalising scent making him ache. Drake's hands
glided down Harper's body, his skin tingling in their wake.

Drake kissed down his chest.
Harper's breathing quickened. He wasn't sure whether it was through fear or
lust. He didn't want it to end. Drake flicked his tongue along his stomach and
navel. Harper squirmed, longing him to edge lower, the anticipation exquisitely
unbearable. Drake smiled up at him, his bewitching eyes casting a spell over
Harper. He rose and kissed him.

"Let us go," Harper
whispered.

"I can't."

"They don't need to know
we're here. We've managed to avoid this place for ten years."

"They already know. My
mother's on her way."

"Say we escaped. We'll tie
you up, make it look legit."

"My mother's a witch. What
d'you
think she'll do to me if you escape? If I'm lucky,
I'd get turned into a frog or a bear or an ugly beast." He stroked
Harper's face, his eyes stricken. "This isn't a
fairytale
.
There
is
no happy ever after."

He held Harper and kissed his
neck. Harper craned his head back and closed his eyes as ecstasy rippled through
his body.

***

The walls shook then slid closer.
Gypsy backed into one of the walls. A spike shot though her back. She coughed,
blood spilling from her mouth. Her hands feebly slipped off the bloody spike.
The spike retracted and she fell to her knees, gasping as the wound healed, the
blood staining her hands the only evidence of her torture.

The light flickered then died.
Darkness swooped on silent wings. Fear commandeered her body, controlling her
like a macabre marionette. She felt along the walls to the door.

There was no door.

She sank to the floor. She didn't
need to worry about the sacrifice - she'd be crushed to death before it
happened. Something moved in the shadows. Silence. She tried calming her
thumping heart and twisted imagination. Something brushed her hand. She yanked
it up and fled to the other side of the room. She could still feel it crawling.
Something else tickled her arm. She shrieked, batting it off. They were on her
other arm, her legs, her neck, her hair. She screamed, slapping at herself.
Furry legs explored her body, inching higher to her face.

They poked her eyes, their fuzzy
feet tickling her lips. She clamped her mouth shut, her insides contorting. She
tried flinging them off but they burrowed under her clothes, her skin, crawling
through her hair. She screamed.

The light exploded on.

She was alone.

She brushed herself down,
shooting away from the wall. She could still feel them. She hurriedly unzipped
her PVC top and shook it. Nothing fell out. She slapped at her PVC trousers.
She wrapped her arms around herself and slid to the floor. Groans of pleasure
filtered through the wall. She scrambled up and put her ear against it.

"Wonderful. He gets amazing
sex, I get covered in spiders."

There was a scraping noise. She
glanced at the walls, but they hadn't moved. She looked up. The ceiling dropped
another inch.

"Let me out! Or I'll cover
you in jam and leave you for the fire ants!" She hammered on the wall, but
all she heard was her pounding heart.

***

Harper's entire body ached. He
felt drained of everything except ravenous hunger that rampaged through his
body, making him nauseous. Cramps attacked his stomach. He tried doubling over,
but the chains prevented him. It wasn't food he craved.

It was Drake.

He could feel the ghosts of his
kisses. His stomach clenched. He cried out. The lights died. Something
slithered over him, seeping beneath his skin. He yanked the chains, but they
held firm. Another creature slid over his shoulder. More coiled around his legs.
He darted away from the wall, but the shackles prevented him from escaping his
torment. He could feel them beneath his skin. He screamed as his flesh tore,
the snakes slipping through the fresh wounds. They twisted around his ribs and
strangled his heart.

He screamed as their teeth ripped
into him, drinking his blood and feasting on his flesh.

Eating him from the inside.

Gypsy's faint voice called him.
The lights came on. The snakes vanished. He was breathing hard, his body weak
with the pain's memory. He slowly straightened and checked his body. There were
no wounds. Just the fresh scars in his mind.

"Gypsy!"

"I'm here!" She sounded
like she was in the next room but further away.

"Are you ok?"

"The walls keep closing in
and I was covered in spiders, but other than that, this is better than
Disneyland."

"I'm shackled in a
dungeon."

"Kinky. I heard you screwing
him, you tart. He's our captor!"

"I can't resist him. It's
like he's put a spell on me."

"That old chestnut. I'm
trapped. There's no door. Convince lover boy to undo your shackles then brain
him, lock him in then let me out."

"I've tried."

"Try harder."

Gypsy pressed against the wall.
She thought she heard footsteps but they stopped short of her room. Voices
whispered iniquitous thoughts in her ears. She tried blocking them out but they
persisted, stealing her fight to survive. The light died. The whispers grew
louder. They weren't inside her head, they were in the room. She flinched as
their cold hands entangled in her hair. She fought them off and ran to the
other end of the room. The walls scraped as they slid in closer, entombing her
with her darkest nightmares.

One touched her face, kissed her
lips, stroked her skin.

"Get off me!" She
kicked out but they had no solid form.

They crawled over her, pinning
her arms behind her back as the others groped her.

"You dare touch me
inappropriately and I'll cut your balls off and make myself new earrings!"

One tried kissing her again. She
clamped her lips shut and turned her head away. Its slimy tongue probed her
lips. She bit it. Blood oozed down her chin. She gagged and wrestled free from
their clammy clutches.

"You want me, you'll have to
kill me. That'll screw up your master's plans for the blood moon
sacrifice."

The hissing whispers increased.
Impenetrable blackness pressed against her eyes, invaded every sense. Something
touched her. She whirled around, her heart beating a rousing rock chorus. They
gripped her hair and yanked her head back. She swore, trying to wrench herself
free. They grabbed her arms so she kicked, struggled and tried to bite them.
Her legs were seized and she was dragged to the floor. Their icy hands tore at
her clothes, prickling her skin. She shrieked, trying to roll away but they had
her pinned. Terror shredded her insides. The thought of these things violating
her body made her want to vomit.