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Description
Howard stirred. His left hand was clutching the toppled glass, his other hand was gripping the bottle of brandy that'd entertained him before he passed out. He raised his head up slowly from his desk, tried to set the glass straight, finally managed to do so, then tried to unscrew the bottle only to find it was still open. Good. He tried to pour himself another glass, but the bottle was empty.

He sighed, and then his eyes strayed to the window of his office on the far side of the room. There was something there. A shape behind the glass. He blinked several times, and as his vision slowly stabilized, his heart began to race. Not something, someone. The silhouette of a person, attached to a cross that’d been set up right behind his goddamn office window. The bottle dropped from his hand, rolled across the desk and then fell down to shatter itself against the cold stone floor. Howard’s mouth fell open and he quickly put his hand over it, for his stomach convulsed violently and he nearly puked as he saw the scene clearly now. The silhouette attached to the cross was a woman. It was War Mare.

Her already scant clothing was ragged and torn in many places. Her wrists had been pierced by nails that kept her secured to the cross, and her head was tilted far to the left. Her tongue was lolling, her eyes wide open and unfocused. She was covered in blue and black bruises. Blood stuck to her skin below her nose. The inside of her thighs were crimson stained. One word had been carved into the skin on the inside of both of her upper arms. Read together, they bestowed an insulting title upon her. ‘HOWARD’S. BITCH.’ Another, single word had been written, no, burned, into her exposed belly: ‘REMEMBER.’

Howard, fully sober now, jumped up from his chair and smashed a button on his desk. That would be enough to alert his guards, yet still he couldn’t help but shout.

“Security! Security! Here! NOW!”

Description
Howard stirred. His left hand was clutching the toppled glass, his other hand was gripping the bottle of brandy that'd entertained him before he passed out. He raised his head up slowly from his desk, tried to set the glass straight, finally managed to do so, then tried to unscrew the bottle only to find it was still open. Good. He tried to pour himself another glass, but the bottle was empty.

He sighed, and then his eyes strayed to the window of his office on the far side of the room. There was something there. A shape behind the glass. He blinked several times, and as his vision slowly stabilized, his heart began to race. Not something, someone. The silhouette of a person, attached to a cross that’d been set up right behind his goddamn office window. The bottle dropped from his hand, rolled across the desk and then fell down to shatter itself against the cold stone floor. Howard’s mouth fell open and he quickly put his hand over it, for his stomach convulsed violently and he nearly puked as he saw the scene clearly now. The silhouette attached to the cross was a woman. It was War Mare.

Her already scant clothing was ragged and torn in many places. Her wrists had been pierced by nails that kept her secured to the cross, and her head was tilted far to the left. Her tongue was lolling, her eyes wide open and unfocused. She was covered in blue and black bruises. Blood stuck to her skin below her nose. The inside of her thighs were crimson stained. One word had been carved into the skin on the inside of both of her upper arms. Read together, they bestowed an insulting title upon her. ‘HOWARD’S. BITCH.’ Another, single word had been written, no, burned, into her exposed belly: ‘REMEMBER.’

Howard, fully sober now, jumped up from his chair and smashed a button on his desk. That would be enough to alert his guards, yet still he couldn’t help but shout.

“Security! Security! Here! NOW!”