Playground

Geraldine set the empty bottle down beside her and let out a cackle. She turned to Fuchs who acted as a mirror, also projecting an evil grin of excitement. Their expressions clarified that things were going exactly as planned.

“Shall I do it now zhen?” Fuchs asked.

“Are you mad?” Geraldine asked.

Fuchs had just let his smile rest, but now his sharp teeth had once again found daylight. The facial gesture the German presented her with screamed, ‘I very well might be.’

His oddball nature made Geraldine chuckle again; they mirrored each other.

Geraldine felt even tipsier than before, but she wasn’t filled with her normal angry drunkenness.

Things were going so well.

The mayhem unfolding before her eyes was masterful. Even the sting of Rock’s idiocy had faded for the moment. She was so enthralled at the thought of what came next.

However, Fuchs seemed a little too eager. Like a pervert that had just slipped inside a whorehouse, he was ready to blow his load immediately.

Even though they both chased the high, Geraldine reminded herself, the event they were witnessing wasn’t ever going to become a common occurrence. She would not allow her investment to be foolishly squandered. They needed to take their time. They needed to savor every second the disturbing trauma offered.

Despite her drunkenness, she studied the dread on the children’s faces. She had it on video, but she wanted to do her best to firmly grasp the organic memory.

“We want them to get as far as possible, maybe even all the way. Killing them all now, well,” she hiccupped, “what fun would that be?”

Geraldine couldn’t take her eyes off Tanya. Amid all the excitement, she hadn’t given much thought to which girl might take after her enough to potentially become her protégé. It was quite possible the answer was none.

She wasn’t aiming to get her hopes up just to have them dashed. The fact that one of the girls had already perished didn’t help her odds any either. But as Tanya stood in front of the sign displaying the playground rules, she felt there was hope.

“Understood, my lady. Zhey have so much to see, so much to experience,” Fuchs said, concurring with the more methodical approach.

Geraldine’s grin grew even wider.

“As do we. As do we…” Geraldine replied.

She meant the statement in more than one way; there was a lot more slaughter to absorb, but also, a lot more to learn about Tanya.

The girl’s intelligence was certainly on par with her own. Mental aptitude was the most imperative attribute she desired. Geraldine could see it clearly. While CJ might’ve appeared to be the leader, every time the children plotted, the attention turned to Tanya. She was the one pulling the strings and strategizing.

Tanya’s strength couldn’t be overlooked either. Sure, she had fallen to pieces a few times, but who hadn’t? The most important thing was that she’d found a way to churn through each horrific situation and remain level-headed.

In Geraldine’s eyes, it was undeniable; she was a natural-born leader.

If the girl had an Achilles heel, it was most definitely her soft, kind-hearted nature. Tanya was as sweet as pie and never held a grudge.

“We can fix that,” Geraldine whispered.

“Fix what, my lady?” Fuchs asked.

“Oh nothing,” she replied.

Geraldine knew for certain Tanya’s tender approach wouldn’t be difficult to break. If she’d been able to impose her will on Rock, the girl would be no different. And if Rock became more useless than he already was, Tanya might even be able to serve as his eventual replacement.

While the girl may have found the courage to overcome the physical obstacles in front of her, Geraldine knew the emotional roadblocks she had in mind would surely break Tanya’s resolve.

Geraldine felt an intense attraction to Tanya’s spirit swelling inside her bosom. She would now watch the screen differently than she had before; she had a new stake in the events that were set to transpire.

As unlikely as it seemed, Geraldine suddenly found herself rooting for Tanya.