Riley locked eyes with Shadow, her deepest fears all tugging on her heart at once. It's beating going at an unsteady rate, as her mouth suddenly became dry. At one point since they've been captured, the thought of Shadow being hurt had crossed Riley's mind, but the cruelty of a blow torch was beyond what she ever imagined. The horror in her best friend's eyes as their captors got closer showed her life flashing through them. Riley started to sob.

 "Please." She begged. Her eyes were hard on Sage as he took his slow steps towards her friend. Ignoring her, Sage began to light it up. The harsh flames bursts,  and Shadow began to scream. Riley quickly looked in Caleb's direction, who had been staring at her, wanting to see her reaction to his cousin's victim of choice. He smirked when she looked his way.

 "Please!" she cried, feeling desperate to end the madness that was planning to happen.

 The floor creaked as Sage stood in front of Shadow, a wicked smile on his face. Shadow took one look at his boots, then glanced away. She didn't want to see his face, or that sadistic grin she knew he was showing at that moment. The only thing she could focus on was the sound of the blow torch, hissing in front of her.

 "Make him stop!" Riley cried, her screams echoing through the room.  Although the others had gone through their own torture, it was hard for them not to cry for their friend. Autumn started to send curse words at Sage, then the others, but all they did was smile at her, her words doing nothing to affect them.

 "Hold still." Sage said out loud, making Shadow become tense. The idea of waiting for the pain was  sending Shadow through a mental breakdown. After a few seconds, she realized that Sage was taunting her, wanting her to go crazy from the anticipation. She tried her best to hold it together, when suddenly she felt the worst pain on her leg. 

Opening her eyes, she screamed at the horrific sight. The flames were burning through her jeans, melting it into her skin. Shadow started to kick around, doing anything possible to get away from the pain. Unfortunately, Jacoby was busy holding her chair down so she won't tumble to the side, which only meant she was left to stay still. 

 Riley couldn't take it anymore, she was kicking and screaming. For a few seconds she watched as Sage put the very tip of the harsh flames down on Shadow's right leg, before turning away, trying to block out the screams that soon followed. She looked back at Caleb, who was leaning against the door frame, arms folded across his chest. His eyes were still on her, although unlike the rest of his cousins, he no longer had a smile on his face. 

 "Please! I'll do anything, just make him stop!" Riley yelled. She was beyond the point of thinking straight, all she wanted was for the others to get out of this madness. 

 Sadly, she was not in control of their fate. For a few more seconds, she just stared at Caleb, her eyes begging him. She knew of his infactuation with her, and could only hope that it would play a part, even if it meant having to deal with him again.

 After only placing the flames on her leg for a few seconds, Sage pulled away, before only to place it back on another spot. This time it was her right arm. Shadow was soon to black out from the pain, when he pulled back again. Although he pulled it away, her flesh continued to burn on it's own, like watching an egg continue to cook, even after taking the pan off of the stove. 

Just then he lifted it once more. Shadow became wide eyed, when she saw where he planned to burn next. The fire was hissing next to her face, inches from it. It starting to sting her cheek, even if it wasn't touching it.

 "Stop." 

 Just then the burning feeling next to her disappeared. Even if it did, Shadow closed her eyes, still awaiting for the pain. Just then she heard footsteps walking away. Opening her eyes, she saw Sage with his back to her. He was now talking to Caleb, who was busy looking at Riley. It was obvious that Sage didn't like to be told to stop what he was doing.

 Turning to look at her best friend, she saw Riley breathing hard, a look of relief spread across her face. Even if the torure ended, Shadow could still feel the pain surging through her body as if it was still burning her skin. 

 "Come on, let me finish her off." Sage said, irritated that Caleb interrupted him.

Caleb, for the first time in a while, finally took his eyes off of Riley, and turned his attention to his cousin. The look of seriousness on his face. It was a look the group rarely saw, for his was usually always enjoying the torture they had been giving.

 "I said stop." Caleb said sternly. 

 "That's not fair, I was just getting started!" 

 Riley looked at the guys questionably. Confused thoughts started to float through her mind. 

 Suddenly with one swift motion, Caleb grabbed the back of Sage's head, and slammed it against the door frame that he was leaning on. In the young group, those who weren't concentrating on their pain were busy focusing on the personal drama going on with the older guys. 

 "Don't try to test me again Sage." Caleb growled angrily into Sage's ear. Immediate confusion spread through all the younger ones. With his face against the door frame, Sage immediately started to calm down, soon after, started apologizing.

 After a couple seconds of suspicions, it all made sense now. Caleb was the one in charge. But why? He wasn't even the oldest. Riley glanced over at Christian, trying to put the puzzle together on why he was letting his younger brother talk to their cousin in such a way. Christian just avoided looking at the guys, in fact all the other guys chose not to look at Caleb and Sage. 

 She then watched as Caleb shoved Sage against the door frame once more before releasing his grip on the back of his neck. Afterwards, Sage just walked out of the room. Caleb took a few seconds to calm himself down, before walking over to Riley, and bending down until he was face to face with her.

 "You will pay for that, you owe me now."

 Those three words continue to linger in Riley's mind as she watched Caleb walk out of the room. It all started to come back to her. In the moment she didn't realize that she basically offered herself to Caleb, in order to save her best friend. After looking Shadow's way, she knew it was a sacrifice anyone wold make for someone they cared about. All she could hope was that oweing him won't consist of another session that they recently had in one of the rooms.

 It didn't take long for the awkward moment to vanish, before the remaining guys in the room continued to vent out their excitment on their victims. For the next half hour it was nothing but complete horror for the young group. Everyone but Riley was going through the worst pain they had ever felt, and all she could do was feel the guilt. She cried and begged the others to stop, until Jacoby told her that Caleb isn't there to save them all, before smaking her across the face. Caleb didn't return to the room after he left, and some small part of Riley wished he would.

 "Why only them? What about me?" Riley asked bitterly. After watching her friends go through all they had, it pained her to even be sitting there, safe and sound.

 "Caleb made it very clear that we aren't allowed to touch you. A few slaps across the face, but other than that, you're his to finish off." Christain said, as he took a moment from hammering a nail into Zoe's hand. The poor girl could barely scream at this point, it was as if even her voice had given up, but her eyes expressed everything her voice couldn't.

 "Do you listen to everything Caleb tells you? Didn't realize all of you were his little bitches." Riley said, wanting to see how much she would get out of them. Her words did grab the other guy's attention, which was what she wanted.

"Listen bitch, you don't know Caleb. You think what we do is bad? He's worst." Adam hissed, his patience growing thin with her.

 "Caleb is in charge, and I highly doubt you want to see why. You're the first one he's ever had some craze for so consider yourself lucky that he isn't bored with you yet." Gabe added, before turning his attention back to Autumn.

 After another half hour, the older guys left the room. All that echoed after they had left was the cries from the young ones. The damage that they had done was beyond describable. 

 Most of them already considered themselves dead.

 Zoe had given up long ago. How had a wonderful trip that she imagined could turn so horrible, so sour. After Christan hammered two nails into her hands, Jacoby had his turn and dragged her into the room next door. Her screams only confirmed their fears about what was going on. Erik cried and begged them to stop, to just kill him and leave her alone, but none of them even cared to take his sacrifice seriously. Truth be told, it's a house full of guys, so whenever girls are in their presence, they become more than just monsters. It was sad to hear how Erik talked now, after what they had done to his mouth. What was worse is that it didn't end there. After Jacoby took Zoe into the other room, to silence his pleads, Gabe gaged him, before proceeding to punch him a few times, leaving him with a broken nose.

 Vince and Autumn went through similar torment when the guys attended to them, both going through an agonizing process of them cutting deep into both arms before pouring some liquid that no one knew, but as they looked down, they would see their skin sizzle, their blood bubbling. Riley cried hard for the two, infact for all of her friends. She didn't consider herself lucky, she considered herself tormented. She had to sit there, watching the people she cared about on the verge of begging to end their lives. No, lucky was definitely not how she felt.

 After Sage had left, Adam was the one that wanted to take a turn at Shadow. Although he didn't bother with a blow torch, he instead grabbed a steel bat and started to hit against her shins, and although none of them wanted to admit it, that cracking noise a few hits in was a sure sign that something was broken. As he hit her, he vented his frustration that his brother couldn't be the one to enjoy breaking her bones. 

 By the time they had got to Gerald, the guys excitment was diminishing, they started to grow bored. Throughout the night all they heard were the same cries, the same curse words, and after a while, they just wanted to finish the group off and not bother with them anymore. Getting irritated, Adam just grabbed one of their butcher knives that were on the table and decided to cut a finger off. He then proceeded to cut more off, but Christian told him to stop, mentioned something about asking Caleb to just kill them off already. 

 As soon as the guys left, everyone was left to just cry, scream, whatever it took before shutting down. Riley could only imagine the pain they were going through, and she felt so helpless. Everyone was starting to come to admit that when the guys return into the room, it would most likely be their last moments. No one said anything for a while, mainly because there was nothing else to talk about. Freedom was no longer a though, it was to just give in and accept their fate. How would they even escape? Most of them could barely move, let alone run away.

 This is it, this is the end.

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Soon the sound of footsteps echoed from the hall. They all tensed up as the sound got closer. Some of them were literally holding their breath, as if breathing was too intense to do. Just then, large boots walked into the room. The way they stomped into the room would only have the young students guessing that that person was pissed off. Sage immediately went towards Shadow, the look on his face was mixed between excitement, and pure hatred. The badly beaten girl started to tremble as he approached her.

 "I really hate getting interrupted." Sage said aloud, before grabbing Shadow's neck, gripping it and cutting off her air supply.

 "Enough you fucken sick fuck. Weren't you humilated enough earlier?" Riley screamed at him.

 Thoughts about what happened between him and Caleb made Sage suddenly become furious with Riley. Shoving Shadow away, he made his way towards Riley. He came to realize that it had been Riley who made Caleb stop him, made him look like a little sick puppy with his face against the door frame. He immediately reached up, and back handed Riley, the impact making her have a sudden dizzy feeling.

 "I can't wait until Caleb is through with you, you'll be begging me for the blow torch!" Sage whispered angrily, his words sending a naucious feeling through Riley's stomach.

 Is Caleb really as horrible as they all make him to me?

 "Yeah so I can shove it up your ass you fucken bastard." she replied, before recieving another blow to the face. Having enough of her mouth, he reached behind him and revealed something that instantly made everyone have a sense of hope back in their minds.

 A set of beautiful keys jingled in front of Riley's face for a split second, before disappearing right behind her. She felt a tug against her handcuffs, before the cold metal was soon removed from around her wrists. Before even having a chance to make a move, Sage grabbed the back of her neck and lifted her off of the chair, before slamming onto her onto the ground, face first. Riley felt the sticky red substance, one she had become all too familiar with from, but it didn't belong to her. 

 "I don't give a fuck what Caleb wants to do with you, you should learn when to shut up." Sage growled, before picking her up and slamming her back down to the ground. He then lifted up her right arm, and pulled it in a way that they soon heard a pop. Riley screamed, knowing he just dislocated her shoulder. As he released her arm, he turned her around, her back now, wanting to see her face as he made her cry.

He smirked down at her, satisfied with the tears. He already knew Caleb would be furious with him about hurting Riley, but he was willing to deal with the consequenses later, he just wanted to have a little fix, getting a small high off of this.

 Riley then started to crawl away, hoping somehow things would take a turn for the better. Laughing at her, Sage turned her back onto her back, before straddling her. She wanted to deny it, but Riley knew she saw lust in his eyes, and images of what Caleb had done flashed through her eyes. The others were busy screaming at him to get off of her, but they should know by now, he doesn't like to get interrupted. Riley tried pushing him away, but it literally felt like she was pushing a brick wall. 

 "Don't bother trying bitch."

She doesn't know where it came from, but it was as if some energy restored in her and she started fighting back harder. 

 It was her will to live.

She bucked her hips up, and continued to push against him, causing him to lose his balance just for a moment. That moment was all she needed. She thrusted her wrist up hard against his nose, causing him to stop fighting against her. Crawling from underneath him, as he took a moment to recover, she thrn tried to make a run for the table, which was holding all of their torture tools. Unfortunately she only made it a few steps before Sage grabbed her leg, sending her tripping forward in front of  Zoe. Looking up, she saw the desperation in Zoe's eyes as she stared back at her. 

 Doing her best to think fast, Riley looked around, when suddenly she was flipped onto her back again. Beyond pissed, Sage went and punched her hard in the face, causing Riley's vision to blur. With her stunned, he proceeded to remove her top, tearing through the fabric.

 Riley reached around her, feeling nothing but blood, trying to find something before Sage finished removing all of her clothes. She heard the voices of her friends, encouraging her to fight. Just then it was as if luck was finally on her side.

 In the pool of blood around Zoe and Gerald, her hand tightly grasp around one of the nails that Christian had hammered into Zoe's hand a while ago. Before dragging her into the next room, Jacoby had removed the nails from her hands, letting them drop to the ground.

 As Sage pulled his shirt over his head, Riley took her chance and stabbed him in the chest with the nail. Not expecting that, Sage inhaled deeply, then threw his shirt off to the side. Pulling it out, Riley then thought fast, and with all her might, she pulled to the side and jammed the nail into his ear. Screaming out loud, Sage fell off of her. Riley stood up and as the anger built up inside her she kicked him in the stomach a couple times, before kicking him hard in the face, knocking him out. Riley then looked down at his pocket, the shiny silver keys hanging out. 

It was now or never.

With one swift motion, their freedom was in her hands.

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Author's Note: I am deeply sorry that it took so long to post this chapter. I kept thinking about how I was going to write it, since I'm modifying how I had originally wrote it. I know it took a long time, so I dedicated myself to finish it even it is almost 3 in the morning =)

Please let me know what you think of this story. Who had it worst? What do you think of Caleb's feelings towards Riley? And do you think they will make it out of the house this time?