Page 184 - The Houseguest

DAY FIFTEEN
Following our routine, I took my gun and unshackled her to allow her to shower. When I heard her pull back the curtain, I left to retrieve my glass bottle of sand crabs. I watched the horrid bug-eyed beings for a few minutes before becoming completely repulsed. For my own sake, I dare not open the lid until I was seconds from leaving the room. She came out in a towel and turned her back to dress in clean clothes, as if I paid any attention to her one way or the other.
As her back was turned towards me, I loosened the lid on the bottle and placed it under the top sheet on the mattress at the foot of the bed. I quickly chained her up again and left the room. I only wish I’d had the gumption to stay and watch her petrified face as the crabs quickly exited their glass enclosure and scurried around her body in search of places to burrow. I was sure their creepy little claws would create a scratching noise on the sheets. Due to the chains, she wouldn’t be able to escape as they scampered around her trying unsuccessfully to burrow...probably trying to escape the bright light of the room, as well. They wouldn’t bite her intentionally, but she didn’t know that, and they would most likely cause a pinch or two.
I made a fresh pot of coffee, and poured myself a cup. Pulling a chair beside the closed door, I sat down to listen to the performance of a lifetime, and I wasn’t disappointed. The shrieks I heard emanating from the room were born of sheer panic. From the sound of her cries for help, I figured she must share the same horror of pointy-legged creatures that I did. This ingenious act of depravity brought me
184
The Houseguest by Linda Ellis www.LindaEllis.life