That’s a solid plan, but I notice cameras out here also, and one of the bastards is always watching. I’ll fail to get away. Then they’ll go back to chaining me up.
No, I need to play smart.
Bide my time and wait for the perfect moment.
When I kneel by the body across from him, I notice he’s using a marker to draw lines on his joints. “Cut on the lines. It’s your first time, so I’m being nice and giving you a guide. I don’t want to waste a good cut. I’ll skin it later, so don’t worry about that. That will be a game for another time.”
He points to the man’s neck, and it’s already slit open. Some blood has dried around the wound. “I already drained him, still there will be fluids but not many.”
The crazy fucker is talking me through it like this is a subject in school. “Get the head off first. I don’t really use it, but the eyes make good jelly. Some people boil it down and use itfor bone broth. If I were hard up for meat, I could pick it as well. The cheeks are sweet and tender.”
A gag leaves me, but I keep down the bile, bringing my trembling hand with the saw up. I place it on the cut open throat. My vision blurry as I saw through the body’s neck, retching and gagging in time with the squelching of flesh being sawed in two.
I want to get this over with as fast as possible. The head separates, and blood flows out in a steady stream.
“That’s fucking disgusting!” I screech, but all that earns me is his laugh as he pulls out his hunting knife.
“I’ll do the messy part. Don’t want you damaging his intestines. I like to clean them out and use them for my sausage casings.”
That will do it.
I turn and hurl everything that was in my stomach. B chuckles and drives the knife in, gutting it like an animal. “Congratulations, you proved us all wrong, and lasted 15 minutes. Bravo, Red, Bravo.”
I ignore his praise as I vomit in the grass, coughing in between lungfuls of air as I emptymy guts. I spit, trying to get the taste out of my mouth.
“How the fuck can you eat that! It’s a human! How could you not be sick?” I yell and stand up, backing away as terror fills me. My head whips around as I look for somewhere to run and hide. Even if it’s just for a little bit.
“Don’t act like that Red, you didn’t complain about any of your meals. In fact, you’ve enjoyed them” B’s tone is dead panned without looking at me. I stand there frozen in shock as his words sink in.
I didn’t eat a person.
I’m not a cannibal.
Oh god did he feed me someone?
Fuckfuckfuck!
“Don’t worry, it’s not every meal, just a few times. Like the soup, one of your sandwiches and that one time I gave you steak.” He digs his hand into the flayed body and pulls out the man’s liver. “Here, hold this. I want liver and onions for supper, rather fresh than one of the frozen ones I have.”
“I’m not fucking touching that, you maniac.” I run to the glass door and pound on it. “Take me back! I want to go back to the basement, get me the fuck away from him.”
I’m screaming at the top of my lungs, and it takes a moment before I notice the bloody handprints I’m leaving on the door.
One of the others walks towards me and opens the door. He doesn’t speak, letting me know it’s C. He glares at his bloody brother and grabs my shoulder, marching me back to the basement.
I don’t fight him. I’m freaking out and just want my familiar cell. I need to escape my mind more than this house right now.
Once I’m back in my room, I collapse on my cot. My sobs rack my body as tears stream down my face. I’m gasping for air and holding my chest as I rock back and forth. I barely even notice when C walks over to me, sitting beside me.
He holds something out in front of my face. “Here” That stops my freak out in an instant.
Did he just talk to me?
I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand and look at his. C is holding a piece of rose quartz.
I sit up and take the rock gently, holding the stone to my chest as my fingers rub over it. My eyes find the table on the other side of my cell where the black obsidian sits.
“Thank you,” I whisper. All I get is a nod as he stands andleaves me in silence.
