He was going to hurt her badly, but what bothered Susan the most was that Archie would have to watch it.

“I want you to spend the next few minutes thinking about what I’m going to do to her,” Karim said in a low, nasty voice. “I’m going to take my time. We’re going to have a lot of fun together.”

He grabbed her flesh through the underwear and twisted it, and Susan wailed in anguish. He grinned cruelly. This was what turned him on, not sex, but pain. “I’ll fuck her raw before I gut her,” Karim said. Karim paused and cocked his head. Then he lifted a foot and gave Archie’s arm a kick. “You still awake, mate?” he asked. Archie didn’t respond.

This wasn’t happening, Susan told herself. This was all a bad dream.

“I’ll fuck her,” Karim spat at Archie, “and I’ll make her say your name.” Susan felt his hand release her and then fumble with opening his own pants. She glanced down at Archie. She couldn’t see his face anymore, but one hand was motionless, palm up on the floor, and one leg was splayed lifeless in front of him. Susan heard Karim unzip his pants and she sucked in a lungful of air, determined not to give him the satisfaction of crying. She looked up at the ceiling, bit her lip, and steeled herself against whatever was coming.

Karim pinned her against the doorjamb again. Archie was slumped on the floor just feet away. Karim lowered his face to Susan’s shoulder and licked her. When he lifted his head, there was blood around his mouth. He scraped the knife down her throat, like he was giving her a shave.

“Say, ‘Fuck me, Archie,’” Karim said.

Susan was so horrified she couldn’t even speak. For a second she thought she might throw up.

Karim frowned at her, his dark eyes murderous. Then he stepped back and gave Archie a kick.

Susan couldn’t see Archie well enough from her position to see Karim make contact, but when Karim brought his foot back the toe was covered in blood. He’d kicked Archie in his wound. Archie hadn’t even whimpered.

“Say it, or I’ll kill him now,” Karim said.

Susan was sobbing. She didn’t know what to do. But she knew that the sooner they got this over with, the sooner he’d kill her.

“Fuck me,” she said weakly. She could see Archie’s leg, his dirty brown shoe. She hoped he couldn’t hear this. She hoped he was unconscious. She hoped he was dead. She looked at the ceiling. “Fuck me,” she sobbed. The next word stuck in her throat, but she choked it out. “Archie.”

“Since you asked for it,” Karim said, and he jammed his hand in her pants again, his stiff fingers trying to penetrate her, his face a terrible snarl.