Note: Just to let you all know, I've put up an advert in the "Need a critique" post in the "Improve your writing" club, so if any of you need me to critique your work and tell you what you need to edit, message me :)

WARNING: This chapter contains a lot of gore! Please only read this if you think you can stomach blood and guts!

Tia's POV

Ridge threw open the cracked brown doors, revealing a long, extravagant corridor, layered with a crimson red carpet-which, I knew, was not just to express how much money he had, but to cover up the blood which had stained this place too many times. The walls were a white vanilla colour, with large, marble pillars holding up the smooth black ceiling. He looked down at my shoes, raising an eyebrow, and I sigh, mumbling dark words under my breath as I take them off, laying them neatly next to the door. I clenched my toes in my black socks, feeling the fluffy carpet underneath. Soft, like velvet, but with enough grip to prevent anyone from slipping on entrails that had dragged along on it.

Ridge didn't bother to take his slim brown boots off, instead he opted to hover, folding his feet up slightly. He reminded me of a ghost sometimes, slipping into places without being detected, floating like a spirit, making everyone's life a nightmare around him. Looking back at me, he cocked his head, waiting for me to follow. Shaking my head, I carry on, brushing past him. My fingers stroke his midnight black coat that felt like silk that could easily be broken if I tugged on it. I inclined my head towards him, and he nodded at the staircase in front of me with large, white steps also covered with the red carpet-Ridge really did like the colour red.

Ascending up the stairs quickly, I nimbly jump to the top step, glancing eagerly around. I kept waiting to see those boys, tied up and tortured, trying to escape. Ignoring Ridge as he slips his arm into mine, linking our arms together, I tug him forward, before stopping.

There were several doors, leading to different rooms. Coming to a stop, I inspect each one, wondering which one they were in.

"They aren't in any of these, they're upstairs" he says quietly, disturbing the perfect silence. The tension felt like a suffocating fog, ready to wrap me up and squeeze the life out of me. You could feel the dead here, the ghosts, the lost spirits, wandering down the corridors, wailing at being stuck in purgatory. How could anyone live here? With the haunted spirits, and the smell of death, and the still, almost dead silence...

"You get used to it" he shrugs, as if he had read my thoughts. I frowned up at him-how the hell did he read my mind? What if he could? I stiffen a little, but he smiles down at me. 

"Don't look so surprised-you have the same reaction of anyone who has come here" he sighs, drifting down the corridor, forcing me to follow.

I had been here many times before, but only into his office. There was a secret way in his garage which we usually always took, and that was just a dark, dingy stone corridor with stone steps leading to a trap door under his desk, not to mention a horrible spider infestation.

He pauses, gazing into my eyes like he was in a trance. Reading me, trying to figure out what I was thinking. I stare back at him with blank eyes, and his eyebrows furrow in irritation, before we carry on to another staircase, a spiralled one this time. Leading to the attic.

Or the torture room, as Ridge liked to name it.

He escorts me up the stairs as if I were a royal visiter, and we come face to face with a locked white door. Beaming down at me, he momentarily slips out of my arm to cradle my jaw, his thumb and index finger gripping the sides of it as the rest of his hand slips down to my neck, checking my pulse. It was incredibly uncomfortable, especially when he tilted my head up.

I blinked, before attempting to jump backwards when I see how close he is. His face took up my whole view so that I couldn't see any of the room, which scared me. What if someone was going to sneak up on me? What if there were people behind me, waiting for Ridge to let go of me so that they would lock me up?

My pulse quickened and he smiled triumphantly, letting my face drop. I frown in confusion-what was that all about?

Oh, I think, trying to stop the smile on my face. He thought I was getting all excited because I was close to him. Aw, a voice snickers in my head, if only he knew.

"They're in here. I must warn you, they are a rowdy bunch" he says after we stand in silence for a minute. There was a large grin on his face, and I could barely hold back my own. Duncan was going to get a kick out of his story, I was sure. 

"What are you waiting for then?" I grunt, clearing my throat-a cough must have been clogging my throat for the past few minutes that I had been silent.

He smirks at me, pushing a hand on the door. A crackling of a powerful magic felt like the room had turned to static, and the hairs on my arm stood on end. The magic stopped, and the door swung open instantly. 

Inside, I tried not to retch at the smell of rotten corpses, excrement and the metallic smell of blood. Shuddering violently, Ridge's chuckle rang through the stone room and I heard the clanking of metal chains, that I hadn't noticed when he opened the door, momentarily pause.

It wasn't empty either.

There were many cells, and none of them were empty. All of them held one person, and one person only. I took my time on each one of them, my mouth open in shock at their conditions.

There was a man in one, wearing what looked like a suit, but was covered in his own faeces and sick, and was torn, with blood coating the edges. He wore large cuffs that were dug so sharply into his bony wrists, you could see sharp bones jutting out of his skin from the friction. Every moment he made seemed to entice pain from him, and he kept groaning through the dirty, sodden rag that had been forced into his mouth. He gazed at me with pleading, begging eyes to be freed, and I swallowed, moving on nervously.

"Who are these people?" I whisper, gazing at them with such guilt I could barely stand up, I was shaking so much. "My play things. I get bored easily, you know" he smiles, seemingly enjoying the experience. 

In that moment, I knew that I needed to stop all contact with him. This was way too far.

In one was a woman, with what once was blonde hair, except now it was covered in slime and dirt and had chunks ripped out of it. Her emerald eyes gleamed with insanity in the low lit torches on every wall, and she let out a weird gibbering noise, like a monkey. The most frightening and horrific part about her was the corpse of a rotting baby in her arms, limbs falling off, skin black like it had been bruised, and one of its eyes were hanging out, a long bloody vein clinging onto it desparately.

I turned away, putting a hand on my mouth. I could feel the tears brimming in my eyes, but I shook my head and carried on.

"That isn't my baby, by the way. I would never sleep with a dirty little wench like her" he spat, wrinkling his nose at her. She glared at him with a hatred I would never forget, and made a screaming noise, like metal screeching past itself. Ridge looked over at me apologetically, before throwing open the cage door. The woman does not try to escape-she knew as well as me that it was a waste of time. 

"I thought I told you to shut the fuck up" Ridge growled at her, slapping her so hard, the noise rang through the cells. "Ridge, leave her" I whisper, my voice cracking as I tried to hold in my fear.

The woman just screamed louder, clutching the baby like it was her life. Ridge sighed angrily, gripping the babies head and crushing it between his hands like he was scrunching up a paper ball.

The head explodes, covering both of them with brains and blood, and I spin away when I hear her scream. It was a gut wrenching, soul piercing scream that I knew would haunt my nightmares. I was going to need therapy after this.

"SHUT UP!" Ridge roars, and I turn round to see Ridge wiping brains off his jacket and forcing them down her throat. She gags, tears in her eyes, still holding her headless baby, the eyeball flopping on the floor.

When she has finally stopped screaming, Ridge smiles at her, patting her on the head with a blood soaked hand. "There, that wasn't so hard, was it?" he grinned. The woman spluttered on the brains in her mouth, the brains of her own child, spitting them into his face. Ridge's eyes narrow and, not wanting to see anymore, I storm in quickly and grab his coat, pulling him roughly away from her. He staggers slightly, glancing at me. I shake my head at him, hoping he wouldn't notice the tears staining my cheeks. He hesitates before sighing, wiping the brains off his face and locking the door behind him, throwing her one last evil glance that let her know that this was far from over.

"I'm sorry if these people distress you. They really are dirty little monsters" he sighs, waving a hand over himself, cleaning himself up automatically. I don't say anything. I just wanted to get to these boys, these poor young boys who had probably gone through a whole lot worse, get them out of here, and never, ever return here.

We finally reach where the boys are. They were crammed into one cell, and weren't as bad as I originally thought they would be, but they were still bad. 

One of them, who had a small paper sign on a chain around his neck that said "Sky" written in blood, had his fingernails ripped off, and his toenails. His eye had been sewn shut with black thread.

One of them who had a paper sign saying "Jerome" had his nose cut off, and his feet were bent in different directions, the bones jutting out like sharp knives.

One of them called "Husky" had his black curly hair ripped out so he was bald and his arm was twisted in a different position, bones also sticking out.

The others had similiar injuries, but one of them, called "Mitch" had the worst of them all. Both eyes were sewn shut, his mouth was sewn shut, his arms had been sewn together and his leg was somehow attached to his ear. The only remaining ear, that was.

"I was practising my sewing skills" he laughed, making the boys cringe and try and shuffle away from the source of the noise.

I stare at them in silence.

"You can do what you want with them, of course. They attacked you, so you decide what to do with them." he continues, putting a wet, blood stained hand on my shoulder.

The ones that still had eyes stared at me in fear, and were pleading for me to have mercy.

"Heal them and let them go" I whisper. One of the boys groaned, a small smile on his face. He was the one called Jerome. He met my eyes and tears fell down his cheeks.

Ridge stands in silence for a while.

"That's a very...interesting deal. What will you give me in return?" he murmurs, tracing my neck and leaving a trail of blood along the nape. 

"What do you want?" I whisper, not taking my eyes off them.

"You would do nicely as a new prisoner...what do you say? Trade places with them?" he asks, his lips tickling my ear. I shut my eyes. And nod.

There was a bright flash, and when I open my eyes, the boys were fine again. They look over their bodies and stared up at me. All of them had heard the conversation and they stood up shakily. 

"I will teleport you to the place you attacked Tia" Ridge tells them harshly.

"Thank you. I'm so sorry for what we..." Sky whispers, but is cut off by Ridge waving his hand for silence.

"It's fine. Protect my brother, OK?" I smile. The one called Mitch nods, and they all disappear in a blink of an eye.

"Alright!" he grins, clearly happy with this deal. I don't say anything. Was this the right decision? Being tortured if it meant that those boys survived?

Ridge waves his hand over the cell and it is suddenly clean again. I swallow, shutting my eyes as he ushers me into it, pushing me against the wall and chaining me up. Opening my eyes, he smiles at me, biting his lip as he steps back. "God, you look good all chained up" he purrs, before leaning down and brushing his mouth against my forehead. I don't move. I don't want to, I don't need to.

"I'll be seeing you in a few minutes" he whispers, tracing shapes on the back of my chained up hand, before leaving, locking the door with a flick of his wrist and striding down the corridor, a grin on his face.

"You're lucky. At least he likes you" someone murmured tiredly beside me. My eyes widen, because not only did I recognize the person, they recognized me too. Sure enough, when I turn to look at them, my mouth drops open as the person smiles at me faintly.

"Lomadia?"

Note: Sorry for all the gore :3 Everyone knew Ridge was bad, he killed people blah blah blah, but you guys need to know just how HORRIBLE he is.