The Darkest Hour
Lauren Smiththe darkest hour noveldarkest timesinto the darkest hourour darkest night
He braced his hands on the table and leaned down so she didn't have to strain see his face.
"Ten blows. That's all. I want you to count each one and say, 'Thank you, sir.' If you fail to do this, we start all over again. If the pain is too much, just say yellow. I'll pause and we'll discuss. If you become too scared, can't breathe, or genuinely fear me or the situation, you say red. Red stops the game and I let you go back upstairs, but you won't go to Russia. Yellow means you can still stay and we keep going until we reach ten. Do you understand the rules?"