NOVEL NEXT Chapter 230: CH 230
At the time Dave and his two wives had just arrived at the cracked, empty road leading to Eric's aunt's house, a pair of observant eyes watched them from the shadow of a rusted, half-destroyed car.
Crouched low inside the vehicle, a girl clutched a slightly crumpled sketch in her hands. It was pencil-drawn, rough but clear enough to depict three faces: one man with intense, unreadable eyes and two striking women beside him, each exuding a presence that couldn't be mistaken for ordinary. The drawing and description matched the trio before her exactly.
Her breath caught in her throat. It's them.
She'd been told they'd come, she was told to wait patiently, to hide until the moment came. And the instructions had been simple: If you see a man accompanied by two women, make contact. Do not miss the opportunity.
The girl's heart thudded in her chest like war drums. She gripped the sketch tighter, her gaze flickering back to the trio. They moved with confidence, mounted atop sleek, large beasts that looked more at home in a fantasy scroll than in the ruins of a once-thriving neighborhood. The creatures moved like shadows, graceful yet intimidating, powerful yet controlled.
Who are these people? she wondered, awe tinged with uncertainty. How could anyone tame beasts like that? Ride them as casually as warhorses? There was something undeniably different about them, something more than just their presence. Something dangerous, but… hopeful.
The one who had told her about them had spoken with conviction: That they would always help out, no matter how dangerous it is.
She clung to those words like a life raft. They were all she had left. If there was even the smallest chance that what she'd been told was true, then she had to take it. She had no choice.
Biting down on her lower lip, she steadied her breath and whispered to herself, "Time to rescue you, cousin."
With that, she pushed open the car door gently, just enough to slip out without making noise. She stepped into the open, keeping low, her eyes never leaving the three figures up ahead. The fear in her chest was matched only by the fragile sliver of hope she carried with her.
She didn't approach directly. Not yet. She followed at a distance close enough to keep them in sight, but far enough to avoid drawing suspicion. The last thing she needed was to be mistaken for a threat… or worse, to draw the attention of the Tai Faction soldiers still lurking in the area.
Every step she took felt like a gamble. But if these people were really who she hoped they were, then maybe, just maybe, they could help her do the one thing she hadn't been able to do on her own.
Save her family and her cousin; Eric.
(A day before Dave and his two wives left the beast tamer base)
**
The moon hung heavy outside the window, casting silver shadows across the hall as Dave closed the bedroom door behind him. Inside, his two wives had just drifted off to sleep, their soft breaths like whispers against the silence of the night. He lingered for a moment, watching the slow rise and fall of their chests, before quietly stepping away and heading down the corridor.
The spare room he entered was empty, its walls barren and pale under the flickering light of a single touch. With a low breath, Dave raised his hand, and right out of nowhere, a figure on a bed, appeared inside the room, stumbling slightly as if she was torn from another reality.
Tasha blinked rapidly, her eyes widely open as it adjusting to the room. Her body was tense, instinctively wary, every muscle of hers was on edge as she scanned the unfamiliar space. The stone walls, the empty dimly lit room, and the cold air prickling her skin, it was all strange. And then, like a ghost emerging from the dark, Dave stepped into her view.
Her breath caught in her throat as she recognized him.
The last time she had seen him, her arms and feet had been shackled, bound tight to ropes while being fucked to cloud nine. She didn't know the rest of the story but when she woke up, she found herself in a dark space. She hadn't seen Dave right up till this moment.
At that very instant, Dave had started releasing her binds, loosing the ropes that were used to bind her to the bed, rendering her unable to move or escape. He then offered her a gown to wear.
Tasha thought it was a prank, but she soon realize that it wasn't, and she could move again. She sat up slowly, her hands holding her to the bed as she gaze at Dave, her eyes never leaving Dave's.
"You crazy bastard," she spat, her voice sharp and shaking with fury. "What did you do to me? Where the hell did you take me?"
Dave's lips curled into something between a smirk and a threat. He stepped closer, his voice low and slow, like a predator savoring the moment.
"For your first question..." He gave a deliberate pause, letting the silence stretch just enough to unnerve her. "I did a lot of things to you. But, do you want me to be specific?"
Her nostrils flared.
"As for your second question..." He gestured casually to her, referring to the void space, "What do you think of the place?"
Tasha's eyes burned with rage. "You bastard!" she hissed.
She launched herself forward with her fists flying, desperate to strike him, to make him feel even a fraction of what she had endured. But Dave was ready. More accurately, it was Tasha's movements that were slow.
Even though normal human movements are slow to Dave, with how long Tasha had been tied to the bed, she was so weak and her movements have been so slow. His hand shot out and caught her wrists mid-air, his grip thick like iron.
She struggled, snarling through her gritted teeth, but Dave held firm, unyielding. Then, leaning in, he brought his face close to hers. His breath brushed her cheek, and his eyes locked with hers: dark, unreadable, and calm in a way that only made her angrier.
"Try again," he whispered, not as a taunt, but as a quiet dare.
"Do you really think your threats mean anything right now?" Dave's voice was calm, too calm. Each word slipped from his lips like silk hiding a blade. "You don't even know where you are."
The moment his words landed, a chill rippled down Tasha's spine. It was the kind of cold that didn't come from the air, but from somewhere deeper, instinct, maybe, or dread. Her bravado faltered, and for the first time, she look worried.
Her gaze darted around, searching the place she was. The room was cloaked in murk, with the dim light barely reaching the far corners. Shapes blended into the darkness, their outlines warped and unfamiliar.
She turned slowly, hoping to catch some hint of anything recognizable, but all she could see was the bare wall and a heavy door with no handle on the inside. No windows. No sounds except for her own breathing and the low chuckle from Dave.
He had purposely chosen this place. It was used as an all-purpose store, with no windows present, neither did they fixed the doorknob of the door, which had been broken for a long time. Besides, with the ongoing apocalypse, no one really cared about the broken door. And it's not like they cared about it in the first place.
Tasha's throat tightened as she blurted out her next words, "Wh-what do you want?" she asked, her voice quivering against the stillness. The words came out smaller than she intended, the defiance in her tone slipping into fear.
Dave tilted his head slightly, studying her as one might study a puzzle. "Nothing much," he said lightly, almost conversational, as if they were talking over tea and not in some eerie abandoned storeroom. "Right now, we're going to play a game."
Tasha narrowed her eyes. "A game?"
He smiled. "It's called Truth and Dare."
Her brows furrowed as she corrected him, "You mean Truth or Dare?"
But Dave's eyes gleamed, a glint of amusement flickering within them as he slowly shook his head. "Nope," he said. "Truth and Dare, not truth or dare. You'll be doing both, that's what makes it fun."
Dave then slowly loosened his grip on Tasha's wrists, letting her hands drop back to her sides like lifeless weights. Without another word, he turned and began to circle around her, each step was deliberate, like a predator tracing the edge of its prey's cage. His footstep echoed softly against the floor, the sound bouncing eerily off the walls.
Tasha remained still in the center, her eyes following him warily with an uneven breath.
"Now," Dave said, drawing out his word like he was savoring it. "How do we play this fun and amazing little game that I call Truth and Dare?"
He flashed a crooked smile as he moved behind her, his voice low and steady.
"It's simple," he continued, tone dipped in mock cheerfulness. "I'll dare you to do something, and you must do it. No hesitations, no excuses. And every truth I give you, you will carry like a message. You'll take it to whoever I send you to, and you'll tell them exactly what I've told you. Word for word."