138. Torture

I feel bad for Burbank, having to watch me get tortured like that. I’m sure it’s much more traumatic to watch your best friend writhe in agony than the torture itself.

The woman whipped off my blindfold. She was sort of old but in a beautiful way. The huge cigar looked very out of place between her thin lips. I tried to see where I was, but it was pretty dim and her face was taking up all of my vision. That and the needle she was waving in front of my face. “Last chance writer-boy,” she said like some kind of B-movie villain. Then she started sticking the needle in my left ear very slowly. At first it was just uncomfortable, but then it started to hurt. Blood leaked down my ear and the pressure felt like it was going to blow out my eyes. I started screaming, but I didn’t give her any information. I am surprisingly brave.

Lenore started to cry and I wished that I had had the spine to tell her earlier how I felt about her. I considered telling her now, but it would be an awkward story if I survived.

The next thing I knew, Burbank was hitting the woman over the head with his chair! Usually he doesn’t hit girls because he is chivalrous, but this woman was probably not even human. How did he untie himself, I wondered. He will ever be an enigmatic hero to me.