"Hmmmm..." pondered Sam, wondering just where to begin, idly fiddling with the corkscrew in hand. He pressed the tip of the corkscrew into the back of Ben's hand. Ben breathed in as Sam pressed down harder. Then harder still. It broke the skin, and still, Sam pressed harder. Ben closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, struggling against the pain. 

Sam suddenly smiled. "I've got it." The corkscrew was taken away, only to be replaced by a knife, driven all the way through the hand into the wood of the chair. Kate screamed and Ben couldn't help letting out a yell as pain exploded in his hand. He shuddered, eyes closed against the coming tears, breaths coming in short gasps.  

Ben couldn't believe what had just happened. How the **** did this happen? He knew there were crazy people in the world. You saw signs of them on the news everyday. Serial killers. Murderers. Sickos. Psychotics. Torturers. Now Ben was at the mercy of one.

The world was a **** up place. 

Ben's breathing slowed, and he finally opened his eyes. There was still a deep throbbing pain his hand and Ben gulped as he looked at the knife embedded in his hand all the way to the hilt. 

Sam was grinning, watching Ben's face, another knife in hand. He let it drift towards Ben's other hand. "How bout the other hand?" He raised the blade and Ben flinched. Sam laughed, shaking his head. 

He had decided what he would do. The girl would be the finale, and if he really wanted it to be amazing, to be really special, he would need to work up to it. It was so great that the boy had come. It would make everything much easier, better. It was as if Fate herself was watching over Sam, saying here, this will be better. 

He grabbed the back of Ben's chair and began dragging it towards the far doorway. "Come on, buddy. We're going to have a great time together."

Ben and Kate looked into at eachother, both wide-eyed with fright. "Where are you taking him?" Kate asked hesitantly. 

Sam stopped, and gave her a grin. "Don't you worry honey, it's just a little foreplay. I'll be back for you once I'm all warmed up." Kate shuddered, and closed her eyes, tears welling up. Ben could only stare at her helplessly, mind full of the most terrible things he could think of as he was dragged away. 

It was over an hour before Sam was finished. Cuts, bruises, and bite marks adorned Ben's naked body. The wood of the chair and the rug beneath were stained red with blood. The more Sam had worked, the more enthusiastic he had become, the more excited. Ben had screamed till he was hoarse and then screamed some more, until he couldn't anymore, until he could only gasp, and shudder in response.

Sam licked his lips, tasting some of Ben's blood. Ben's eyes were half closed, and his breathing was shallow. Sam was surprised, but pleased the boy hadn't passed out. Sam breathed heavily, sweat covering his body. He didn't have to look down to see he was fully erect. It was time. 

Ben watched as Sam went into the kitchen, and heard Kate scream. He gulped, tried to move, to yell, to do anything, but he was too weak, too tired. So much blood. His blood. Was he going to die? 

He felt something, something indescribable. He glanced down at his arms suddenly, knowing what he would see. In Sam's passionate torture, the tape around Ben's arms had been cut a bit. He knew he could break free. Just like he had known which road Sam had taken, which driveway to turn. Something was happening here. Some kind of intuition, but it was more then that. Ben didn't understand, but he didn't have to, not right now. Right now, he just needed to gather his strength.

How though? He had lost so much blood, and a blade still stuck through his left hand into the wood, keeping him pinned. He had been brutalized beyond what he thought he could ever endure. 

It was the screams. Kate's screams and the horrible images that came to Ben's mind. They gave him strength, and with a grunt, he ripped his right hand up out of the tape. He waited, breathing deeply. He felt woozy. He put his hand to his head to stop the spinning. He didn't think he could go on, and then he heard Sam's deep voice laughing intermingled with Kate sobbing uncontrollably.  

Ben took a deep breath, calming himself. He slowly reached over and gripped the knife that was still stuck through his left hand. Without pausing, without thinking, he pulled it.

He was lucky he had no voice, or his screams would've brought Sam running. The room spun, his vision blurred, he gasped for breath. He felt himself losing conciousness, and struggled to stop it, but he had no strength. He was going to pass out. Leave Kate to be tortured by Sam the sicko, and let them both die by the kidnappers hand.

Strength came from somewhere. Some deep reservoir Ben didn't even know was there. It flooded through him, and he breathed in, wondering if God himself was helping. He ripped the tape off his left arm and his legs. He stood up slowly, shaking. He steadied himself and grabbed the knife. He stumbled as he tried to walk and nearly fell. He was still weak, but he had to keep going. Kate's terrible screams beckoned and terrified him. 

He stumbled towards the doorway into the kitchen, hoping the horrifying images in his head were wrong. He stepped into the kitchen quietly, knife in hand.