Free DYING TO SURVIVE (Dark Erotica) by Scott Hildreth, SD Hildreth Page A

her on the dating web site. She sat and watched him speaking, realizing that something about him caused her to admire him. She wasn’t able to decide if it was his handsome looks, his means of dress, his expressed wealth, or his very matter of fact personality. As Ryan began to speak again, she shook her head lightly and dismissed it as a form of attachment to her abductor she had no conscious control over.
    “You know, I wonder what people think when they fill out those questionnaires. It reveals a considerable amount about a person. It lets people like me hand pick a candidate to fit into a certain slot. I could have told you that either you or Shellie would be the first volunteers. Let me guess, you decided to volunteer because of your closeness to God. Am I right?” Ryan smiled as he finished speaking.
    “Yes, I guess so,” she responded.
    “Exceptional. This is such fun,” he smiled and placed his palms on either side of his face.
    “Well, let’s get to the meat of this lesson. Do you understand the risks associated with the use of such websites, and the things that you divulge when you fill out such questionnaires?” he asked.
    “Yes, I suppose so,” Dana responded as she looked down at the table.
    “You’re extremely calm, this is easier than I expected. You must have a great relationship with God, but I am not going to get into that right now. Options. Let’s go over options. Are you paying attention?” Ryan snapped his fingers sharply as he finished speaking.
    “Yes. Yes, I am paying attention,” Dana responded
    “To live or to die. Choices and lessons. Alright. Here’s the biggie as they say. I will allow you to choose to live; but if you do, I must disfigure you. I will take the scalpel and remove a portion of your body, and I will not tell you in advance what portion it will be. It will, however, be limited to one portion of your body, not multiple pieces. And, as I have no anesthetic, it will be painful. You will, I am quite certain, remember the event if you so choose this option, and learn a valuable lesson. Oh my , that sounded bad, didn’t it?” Ryan slowly shook his head side-to-side as he finished speaking.
    As Dana sat and thought of what Ryan had offered, she began to think of being cut with the scalpel, and the pain associated with the procedure. First, she imagined him cutting off her nose, and what she would look like for the rest of her life without a nose. She imagined her foot being removed and the pain that would develop as he slowly attempted to cut the skin and flesh around her foot. She contemplated the amount of time it may take, and how much blood loss there would be as he cut around the circumference of her ankle. She wondered for a moment what he would do to sever the bone after he removed her foot. She imagined that she may bleed to death if he tried to remove an entire limb. Slowly, she looked over the table for sutures and a needle, and saw none.
    Dana felt her stomach convulse and swallowed slowly.
    “Oh please, don’t vomit . Let’s not start that. The floor is concrete, but still, let’s just not ,” Ryan pleaded as he sat back in his chair and covered his mouth.
    “Well, think on that for a moment. The other option is this. You will die an almost painless death, and I will donate the stack of money on my left to whichever family member you choose to be the recipient. I assure you as a man of my word, should you choose the latter option - the money will be donated without reservation,” Ryan paused and waved in the direction of the pile of money.
    Dana coughed, swallowed, and looked at the pile of money. She contemplated what type of life her family could live with the money, and how they may evolve differently without having her as a family member. The money certainly wouldn’t solve all problems, but it would prevent many. She blinked her eyes, looked down at the table, and thought of living without a nose, hand, or possibly an arm.
    She blinked again and