InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Hurt me, hurt me!"

Erato (passionburning) wrote in nevermore_logs,
@ 2022-04-10 23:43:00

Current mood:	scared
Entry tags:	erato, hybris

WHO: Erato, Hybris
WHEN: early April
WHERE: The grounds of Hybris’ murder asylum
WHAT: Escape? Couldn’t be that easy, could it?
WARNINGS: torture and that, hurt, no comfort

The door was open.

Erato stared at it for a long time as her mind slowly ticked over the implications of such a thing, curled on her side on the mattress. It was hard to think things through. Her stomach was constantly aching for food, never given quite enough of it, and her mind was clouded from lack of sleep. The lightbulb above her flickered and hummed most distractingly, preventing her from resting properly. She was always given some, but never enough, until she was aching for fulfillment, her nerves stretched to breaking point.

And now the door to her cell was ajar, and Erato had been staring at it for over an hour.

Slowly, she rolled back a bit so both eyes could see it. Yes, it was definitely open, her mind wasn’t playing tricks yet. She watched it a bit longer, but there was no movement outside. She could hear music echoing from far away down a corridor, telling her what direction not to run in.

Run? Was she running? When had she got to her feet and padded on cold toes to the door, to lean up against the crack and peer through, holding her breath as she listened? She still wore the straight jacket, her shoulders and elbows aching from being held in position for so long, but it didn’t stop her feet from nudging against the door to push it a little further open, adrenaline spiking as it creaked and she jumped back in a panic. Far away, Hybris laughed at something and changed the music.

Erato tried to control her breathing as she nudged the door open enough to squeeze through, and then she could pad down the hallway, hugging the wall and looking around wildly as she went. Her feet were so cold, and she looked down and freaked for a moment that she’d leave a trail of blood behind her, but no, that had long dried. She mourned a moment for the loss of her cute little toenails, but that could wait. She had to take this opportunity now.

On some level, she knew this was likely a set-up, but her innate optimism told her she needed to try. Perhaps she would get lucky and find a way out that Hybris hadn’t foreseen. Perhaps now was when Apollo would swoop down to save her and carry her back to civilisation. Thoughts of that carried her through the dark hallways as Erato picked her way through the detritus of human misery and suffering, moving only away from the faint sounds of Hybris, and down towards freedom.

“Oh!” A trolley clanged as Erato’s brain fuzzed with exhaustion and she stumbled into it. “Oh fuck!” In a panic, she broke into a clumsy run towards the nearest stairs and found herself finally on the ground floor, heading towards a fire escape and Oh merciful Gaia she was outside and she could fill her lungs with blessed fresh air. She stopped in the shadow of a tree for a moment, just to lean her head back and suck in the clean air.

The moon was high above, casting a dim light, enough to see by as Erato picked her way into the trees that grew wild over the abandoned grounds. In the moonlight, everything looked twisted, and she turned her head this way and that, trying to be aware of everything. Were there footsteps? Was someone following her? Every rustle and snap made her start. An owl hooting made her fall against a tree, her heart fluttering in her chest. Ugh, if only she could get free of this awful jacket! It snagged against the tree, and she struggled in its snare, tugging hard until she felt a tear and the bonds came looser, and the tree branch snapped.

Was there a laugh, somewhere behind her? Erato looked around, and decided she couldn’t stay to try and get the jacket off. She stumbled on. Her bare feet ached and stung, pain shooting up her legs every time her heel caught a sharp stone, or a stick cut into the soft skin of her instep. Her breath was ragged in her throat and her only thought was get away- get away- get away- pounding with her pulse in her ears.

Falling down, Erato struggled in her jacket and finally, with an almighty yank, one arm tore free. She still didn’t have enough to be rid of it, but at least she could pick herself up. She’d hit her knee on a branch and gashed it, and as she went on she limped as blood ran down her leg. A sound made her veer to the right. What was that? Up ahead? Cars? A road! Civilisation! A path seemed to open up before her and with a desperate cry she pushed through the last of her reserves, to make a last, agonised dash for freedom.

The bear trap came out of nowhere, chomping into the soft muscle of Erato’s lower leg with a loud snap, and she screamed in shock and fear and pain, her flight cut short. With her face in the dirt, she burst into tears, and her voice broke as she screamed out for help, trying to drag herself with her one free arm. Like a fox in a snare, she would have gnawed her own leg off if she could, just to get away from the footsteps coming inexorably toward her, and the gloating, horrible grin she knew she’d see when she looked up…

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	passionburning 2022-04-10 12:28 pm UTC (link)
	"No! NO!" Erato fought like a cat against Hybris, her one arm beating at her captor's face and arms, wherever she could reach. The torn off buckle whipped at the end of the sleeve. "LET ME GO!" she shrieked, writhing in Hybris' grip. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	seen_the_nights 2022-04-10 12:31 pm UTC (link)
	Hybris groaned as Erato fought against her, but she managed to drag the squirming mass of muse into the main room. "WILL YOU CHILL OUT!" she yelled, pushing Erato into the wheelchair, and fighting to strap that one free arm into it. "CHILL THE FUCK OUT!" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

passionburning
2022-04-10 12:41 pm UTC (link)

It took a minute, but once Erato's free arm was pinned down again, and the hope of escape closed behind that door again, she felt the fear set in, hard. With a shuddering gasp, Erato burst into tears and sobbed loud and long, her whole body shaking with exhaustion and shock. Pain still throbbed up her legs, worse now that the adrenaline was draining away. "Ple-he-hease," she wailed, not sure exactly what she was asking for except release.

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seen_the_nights
2022-04-10 12:45 pm UTC (link)

Hybris watched for a moment, just taking it all in. The despair rolled off Erato in waves and it was pretty intoxicating. "We're going to have a guest in a bit," Hybris said, grinning. "He's on his way here now. And I considered blindfolding you," Hybris said, smiling at the muse, sobbing in the chair. "But I think I need to rid you of your sight forever, actually. To keep any further escape attempts from happening. I saw a melon baller around here somewhere..." she said thoughtfully.

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	passionburning 2022-04-10 12:58 pm UTC (link)
	Erato let out a louder cry, and shook her head, clenching her eyes shut. "No no no no," she moaned, descending into incoherent denials and struggling weakly against her bonds. She was way past asking the universe why she had to be the one to endure this. All she could focus on was the pain and fear that controlled her body. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

seen_the_nights
2022-04-10 01:02 pm UTC (link)

Hybris didn't think she was going to get anything more coherent than this, so she went to grab the melon baller and she situated herself in Erato's lap.

Viciously, she grabbed Erato's face with one hand, holding her as still as possible. With the other she brought the melon baller to Erato's eye. She let the muse see it first, letting the fear settle into Erato's belly. Stalled for a second, letting the muse think 'maybe she won't'. And then it was a flick of the wrist and she dig deep, removing Erato of her right eyeball.

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	passionburning 2022-04-10 01:19 pm UTC (link)
	Erato hadn't thought she had the capacity for further agony, but she found that she did. Her throat was raw from screaming, and she choked and spluttered as blood ran into her mouth. "Stop! Please stop!" To have the beauty of the world denied to her- what was even the point of living after this? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	seen_the_nights 2022-04-10 01:44 pm UTC (link)
	Hybris didn't stop. She used the melon baller to remove Erato's other eyeball as well, and then she stood back to admire her work. It was pretty ghastly, really, the eyeless muse simpering and screaming. "Awesome," she breathed. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	passionburning 2022-04-10 01:52 pm UTC (link)
	The world was fuzzing around the edges, and Erato could not think, could only feel too much, hyperventilating from shock. With a groan she passed out, her body going limp in the chair, empty eyes crying blood that ran down to stain the collar of her jacket. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

seen_the_nights
2022-04-10 01:57 pm UTC (link)

Hybris was so busy gloating and grinning and laughing that when Erato passed out, she nearly missed it. "AHhaha- oh for fuck's- Fine. Fuckin' party pooper."

There was a bottle of vodka on the table so she swapped out the melon baller in her hand for the alcohol and took a deep swig. That would keep her occupied until Beelzebub arrived.

By the time the demon made his way up into the main room of the hospital, Hybris was half the bottle deep. She was singing to herself and dancing around to Katy Perry's Firework because she was nothing if not a study in contradiction. "Oh you!" she grinned, loping towards him. "Did you bring me goodies!?"

"I did. Who is that?" Beelzebub looked over to the stirring form in the wheelchair.

"She's a muse!" Hybris laughed. "Oh fuck, I have to piss. Here," she shoved the bottle of vodka into Beelzebub's hand and ran for the toilet.

Beelzebub watched her, feeling a little non-plussed, before moving to kneel beside the...muse, apparently. "Hey," he whispered to her. "Hey, you. Muse. Wake up."

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	passionburning 2022-04-11 01:42 am UTC (link)
	Erato felt distanced from reality. Everything was dark, she was lost in a maze she couldn't escape, but someone was whispering in her ear, and she didn't recognize the voice. She tried to blink and see who it was, but there was no light to be found, and she whimpered, her body trembling. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	baal_zebub 2022-04-11 02:28 am UTC (link)
	"Hey. Hey there. You got money?" Beelzebub asked quietly. Sure he was here to bring Hybris a few torture implements but if he could make some money out of it- "If you give me money I'll tell someone out there where you are. Who should I tell?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

passionburning
2022-04-11 03:28 am UTC (link)

Was this another trick? Erato's breathing was shallow and panicked, but she needed help, she was so desperate for it. "I'll give you anything," she breathed, her voice high and stressed. "Anything, please, just make it stop-" Her first thought was of her gentle sisters, but no, she could not bring them here, to this grotesque place, to see her like this. She needed someone strong, who would never fear Hybris and her cruelty. "A-Asterion- or Musagetes- anything, anything-"

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	baal_zebub 2022-04-11 03:41 am UTC (link)
	"If I get you out of here and you don't deliver, what she's done to you will look like a vacation in Maui," he warned. He didn't know who the fuck Musagetes was, but he knew Asterion from Diogenes. "Asterion's the big bull guy, right? I'll tell him but keep it quiet. This ginger bitch can't know." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

passionburning
2022-04-11 03:58 am UTC (link)

"Who are you?" Erato whispered, and for a fleeting moment wondered if she was out of the frying pan and into the fire, but... she just wanted to go home... to her sweet kitties and her pretty plants and her lovely clothes and her dear, dear sisters- "Please help me, please, I just want to see my sisters' faces again-" She would cry if she was capable of it, her heart aching for missing them so much.

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	baal_zebub 2022-04-11 09:09 am UTC (link)
	"Beelzebub," he said honestly. "But don't let that frighten you, I am far more interested in money than anything else. Don't worry, I'll tell your Manbull. Now shhh, I think she's coming back." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

passionburning
2022-04-11 09:24 am UTC (link)

Hadn't Hybris mentioned Beelzebub? Could he even be trusted? He'd helped her to hurt Erato, after all. Erato no longer had any trust that things would work out well for her. She would be chipped away at piece by piece until she was just a shell for Hybris' entertainment.

With a sad groan, she turned her face away, the corners of her mouth turned down as her head swam. She could barely think through the pain and blood loss anyway, let alone conduct any subterfuge. Whether Beelzebub helped her or not did not matter as much as escaping this hell she was in at this moment by any means necessary.

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seen_the_nights
2022-04-11 09:35 am UTC (link)

Hybris came skipping back, and she went to see the bag Beelzebub had brought her. "What did you bring me?" she squealed.

"All kinds of things," Beelzebub said, standing to move back from the muse. "But I want that cattle prod back! It's my favourite!" He had used it on Maid Marian in Arizona after he stole it from Lucifer while he was dead from choking on a bagel. What he didn't know, was that it had also been used on Addy and Iestyn, and Victor and Jess. It had a long history, really.

"Yeah, sure," Hybris said, not really paying much attention. She pulled the cattle prod out and her eyes widened. "Oh wowwwww."

"You turn it on like that," he said, flicking the switch for her. "Anyway, I should be going. Enjoy your torturing," he said, flicking a salute at Hybris and then spinning on his heel. He had a Manbull to find.

Hybris swing the prod over and held it to Erato's knee before shocking her. "Cooooooooool."

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passionburning
2022-04-11 10:14 am UTC (link)

Erato shrieked and jerked, shocked out of her misery for a moment. This wasn't fair! She was already in so much pain-

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May-

Instead of the physical, she focused on the spiritual, reciting love poetry in her mind, sonnets over and over to carry her away to her happy place, where she was warm and safe and whole. Cattle prod burn marks would only add to the spots where the matches had landed.

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	seen_the_nights 2022-04-11 10:54 am UTC (link)
	Hybris shocked Erato a few more times, but Erato's mind seemed to have wandered so she groaned and tossed the cattle prod aside. Another day then. "Better get you bandaged and into your room, I guess," Hybris said, a little sad that Erato wasn't reacting as much as she used to. Stupid breakable muses. (Reply to this) (Parent)

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