I hear two shots from Rage’s rifle, followed by two loud thuds.
I run in with my weapon trained in front of me. Both of them are down on the ground with a tranquilizer dart in them. Rage is standing beside them looking at my ‘what the fuck’ face.
“What? It was easier like this. I’m not hunting today… yet. Plus, there’s no time to waste.” He excuses himself as he grabs Bad Blood’s patch and drags him to another room.
Him darting them down was actually not that bad. It gives me time to take Asad to another room, and while he’s out of it and developing what will be a very nasty headache, I set up shop. A room within a room, a space where painful screams can’t get out, and plastic sheets cover all the surfaces, ensuring no blood can leave a trace.
Finally, Asad comes back to it. But he still doesn’t realize that the world he left when he was knocked out is gone.
He’s in my world now.
A few minutes go by, the tranquilizing agents wear out. I look straight into his eyes and I can tell that he gets it. He knows he’s fucked.
He fights, squirms and tries to tip the chair over. But clearly this isn’t my first rodeo, and I know how to bound a bitch like him to a chair without having to worry about any attempts to escape.
Still, just to toy with him I say, “Don’t even bother, you can’t and won’t getaway.” He changes from panic to self-assured in a split second. He cleans his act so fast, it’s almost impressive.
“But, Professor…” He tries to speak in his charming and calm tone.
“Ah-ah-ah,” I interrupt him and raise my index finger. “Did I say you could speak to me? I’ll do the talking, the questioning and the laughing at the end, of course. Got it?” Just when I finish that sentence and before he can reply, Bad Blood’s screams reach our ears. I don’t say anything just yet. I let him sit there, wondering what’s happening to his lackey. Sometimes, silence can speak louder than words. Then, Bad Blood screams for mercy and curses Rage. Hearing Bad Bloods’ screams makes me realize that I wouldn’t wish that to anybody, not even my worst enemy. Rage can be too intense, even for me. But that motherfucker deserves it for sure. He had coming every second of whatever Rage is doing. That’s karma; and if you don’t respect her, she can be a real bitch. Those screams are nerve-racking, and Asad feels it.
“You infidel! This is going to cost you dearly! Who do you think you are to touch me? You are going to die, just like your cow.” That last bit of poison comes out of him mixed with an empty threat. What he doesn’t know is that calling her a cow triggers the darkest side in me.
The Professor is here, and Goddammit, this is going to be a great night.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
I AM pain.
Bruno
Everyone who met the Professor before always points out how relaxed and correct he is. And they are not wrong. But they are also missing an important part. That’s how psychopaths are— laid back, thoughtful and, well, deadly. The Professor is no exception; if you met him and he had to work on you, make no mistake, death was coming. It was something every victim knew from the start. Even though he never said the words ‘you’re going to die,’ it was more like a gut feeling, just like the one you get when you see the monstrous waves on the ocean after a submarine earthquake, or the second after you see a grenade fall in your lap; the calm before the storm.
When I tap into this persona, my senses heighten, allowing me to see the world differently. But right now, the world is in here, in this room alone, and Asad is trapped with me. He’s going to get my undivided attention. I’ll make sure he breaks fast, but I’m not stopping my work when that happens. This is personal, he made it personal. And now, I WILL make him regret that. He’ll look into my eyes and beg, again and again. Something his father couldn’t do. He’ll cry and claim for mercy where there is none to be had. Until finally, he will hope for death to come and collect him. What he doesn’t realize is that I’m the reaper tonight and death will come, but without shortcuts.
I slowly walk towards him, feeling excited about it, smiling even. I lean forward, put my hands over his forearms, hold my face right in front of his. The sound of air quickly escaping his body through his nose tells me he’s scared shitless, even though he’s trying to act tough. That’s how everyone starts— they think they can take it. And the more stubborn they are, the easier it is to break them.
“This is your final lesson. I call it, ‘You can’t.’ You can’t touch me. You can’t get out. You can’t survive. I should’ve given you this lesson a long time ago.” I say calmly.
“I’m not afraid of you, Professor.”
“Let’s see what your body has to say about it. Shall we?”
“Nothing you can do to me will match what I made her do to you. That must have hurt so bad.”
I chuckle. “Hurt? I’m talking about pain here. I know pain. I AM pain. And sometimes I like to share it with fuckers like you.”
His eyes show panic. He’s trying hard to conceal it, but there’s only so much a person can do to keep it together. And Asad, well, he already spent what little he had back in the warehouse when I was beating the shit outta him. I step back and look at him at a distance; I stand silent and observant. My silence is a trigger for his nervous state. He avoids eye contact. He can barely breathe without looking desperate. If my stance is already affecting him, this is really going to be a great night. Finally, I start my questioning with a barely audible whisper. He will have to put some energy into hearing me.
“How did you know about Sarah?” He looks away to his right, through a window near him I left open, pondering about the possibility of escaping this place and ignoring the plastic covers between him and it. The irony behind an open window and its freedom is perfect for a moment like this. Five seconds go by. That’s my queue. I was expecting he wouldn’t answer immediately.
I grab a pair of pliers from one of Rage’s cases and walk straight towards him. I get a tight hold of his face from the jaw. “Open your mouth for me.” He fights.
“Hmm-hmm.”
“Come on, open big and say ‘AAAA,’” I say, and shove the pliers straight into his mouth, busting his upper lip in the process.
“Hmm!” He groans.
