Page 31 of Mayhem

They always leave their little gifts in the back room in the basement. It’s one of the only rooms that is soundproofed. Perfect for what they wanted us to do. I had a drain installed on the floor, plus a tap and hose installed, cold water only. I also store all my favorite toys in a locked cabinet down there.

Sitting on a wooden chair in the middle of the room is someone none of us have ever met. He looks to be in his forties. Nothing stands out about him. He is balding on top and has the most generic features. He looks like he could be any asshole off the street. What did this idiot do to piss off our fathers?

Midas leads us into the room, and Zeus closes the thick steel door behind us. The thud of the door makes the man jump. He looks up at us and relaxes when he sees three teenagers before him. If only he knew how much more deadly we are than our fathers.

I feel sympathy for the guy. He is obviously confused why he is here, like us. But, I also know that if our fathers brought him here, there is a reason for that. Sadly, my job is to find out why by any means necessary.

I had such a love/hate relationship with what I was trained to do. I love the power I feel, but I hate having to hurt anyone. This isn’t the position I would have picked if I had the option, but I have never had a say in what I do. My father made sure of that.

I ignore him and the gut feeling that he shouldn’t be here. I walk over to my cabinet of fun. I start pulling out what I want. Knives, clamps, blow torch, pliers, and my trusty hammer. You know, the regular stuff to interrogate/torture someone with. The normal giddiness I would feel isn’t there, which is proving to me that this is wrong. He shouldn’t be here.

As I pull everything out that I will need, my mind wanders. Wondering what information this guys could have. My guess is he works for the Brotherhood somehow. When it comes to our dads, no one is too small of a target when it comes to them. They once abducted a guy that served their leader coffee at the local coffee shop everyday. Claiming he must know something because he sees him all the time.

According to Zane, all of the information we need is on the guys phone and computer. Hopefully both are here. The last thing I want to have to do is go track down all his shit.

What could he have possibly done to piss our fathers off this much? Does he work for the Brotherhood? Too many questions start swirling in my head, and there are no logical answers I can come up with.

I pick up my favorite hunting knife, placing the blade tip against my finger and letting the metal pierce through my skin until a small bubble of red appears. It’s sharp. Sharper than sharp, I make sure of that. When I feel anxious, there are two things I like to do. Sharpen my knives and play guitar. No one besides the guys knows about my love of music. I’ve never played for anyone but myself.

I can feel the beast in me warring with myself. I hate letting go sometimes when I feel like it’s unnecessary. I may like to maim and kill if needed, but only for a good reason. Without one, I can’t fully let myself go. I look at Midas and Zeus, both leaning against the furthest wall from me. Midas can see the war on my face. He knows I can’t fully let go until I know the truth. I may be a scary motherfucker, but Midas is the truly scary one. You don’t want to be on his bad side. That’s why he interrogates, and I inflict pain. That’s what I am good at and what I have trained to do my entire life to do.

When I was younger, Dad used to take me hunting with him. He bought me my first knife at five and taught me how to use it and how to inflict pain with it. How to kill with it. He would catch small animals in the forest and force me to practice my skills on them. I was horrified and disgusted with my dad. I couldn’t believe the man that I looked up to my entire life, that the town looked up to, was capable of harming innocent animals. I cried every time he made me do it, which would result in him beating me until I stopped.

The first time I used my knife against an actual person, I was ten. My dad took me to a cabin in the middle of the woods where this guy was staying for a weekend. We barged in and attacked him. I was so scared, but there was a thrill there. My dad tied him to a dining room chair and instructed me what to do. I was shaking and confused. I couldn’t do it, and I told my dad that. He smacked me across the face and yelled at me. Telling me that one day I would take over for him in the MC. It would become my responsibility to protect Midas and Zeus and ensure no one harms them. I would be their sergeant in arms. I would have to put my life on the line for them. It was all on my shoulders.

I cried that day. It was the last time I cried. My father called me a pussy and told me I would never be able to take over for him if I didn’t toughen up and become a real man. I remember asking why that guy deserved to die. I thought if I knew there was a good reason, I would be able to do it. It turns out that piece of shit was raping his five-year-old stepdaughter and had been for at least three years. She was a baby when he first touched her. He destroyed her life, and in that second, I knew I could eradicate his. Without even thinking, I used my knife, slowly bleeding him out. A puncture wound to his kidneys. A gash across his abdomen. I cut slits across his wrists. I even slashed his Achilles tendon so if he got free, he wouldn’t be able to escape.

I watched him bleed for what felt like hours. I was mesmerized by the blood pooling under his pathetic body. He begged and pleaded the entire time, and I got such an adrenaline rush from it. The power that came from it was intoxicating. Being in control of someone's life was a power trip that no one should have, but I couldn’t stop. When I finally got tired of his tears and voice, I slit his throat from ear to ear. The screams turned to nothing so quickly.

Midas pushed off the wall and circled the guy. Much like the piece of shit I killed all those years ago, this guy is crying and begging for his life. I shake my head, erasing the memories of that night, and watch Midas. He finally stops in front of the guy and stares him down. He doesn’t have to say or do anything. His presence is intimidating enough as is.

“Why are you here?” He finally asks the guy. He looks at the three of us and shakes his head.

“I don’t know. I don’t know. I… I… I was getting ready for a date when three guys broke into my house. They had masks on. They put a bag over my hand and zip-tied my hands together. The next thing I knew, I was thrown in a car and brought here. They tied me to the chair and left. I have no idea who they are or why I’m here. I swear I haven’t done anything. I’m just a teacher.” He is sobbing at the end.

I look at Midas, and he gives me a similar look I’m giving him.Why the hell are we getting info from this guy?

“You’ve never done anything to piss off the King’s MC or anyone else in town? Do you work for the Brotherhood?” Midas asks. His voice has a no-nonsense tone.

“No! No! I’ve never done anything to anyone. Hell, I don’t even have a parking ticket to my name. I have never done anything wrong.” His whole body is shaking. This guy isn’t a threat, so why the need to torture the guy?

Midas backs away, and I walk up in front of the guy. I squat down until I am looking up at the guy. I believe him, weirdly enough. He doesn’t look like he could hurt a fly. Something isn’t adding up, but I can’t figure out what.

I wish I could just let the guy go, but if I do that, I would be the one tied to the chair. No one disobeys orders and lives to see another day.

“I believe you,” I say, patting his thigh. He looks down at my hand on him, mildly uncomfortable. I give him a faint smile, dread coursing through me for what I have to do next. I take a deep breath, steadying myself before I strike down on the other leg with my knife. The guy screams at the top of his lungs.

“Unfortunately for you, I have orders that you don’t leave here the same way you came in.” I struggle to get the words out. This is wrong and we all know it, but there is nothing we can do. “We also need your phone and computer. Where might those be?” I pull the knife from his thigh, and he lets out a howl of pain.

He grits his teeth and tells us where they are. His phone is in his back pocket, and his computers are at his house. Great, wewillhave to make a pit stop tonight. I’m not happy that this is cutting into my Serena time. I look back at Zeus, his face a blank façade looking at the guy in front of us. He nods his head and takes off. I guess he is going to get what he needs. He doesn’t need to stay for this anyway.

I glide the blade down his arms, hard enough to slice through, and blood pools up. I do the same across his chest and his abdomen. Marking him, causing him pain he probably doesn’t deserve.

Once I start, it’s hard for me to stop. The little voice is head that is warring with me over this, gets squished by the monster that my father created in me. I get so lost in the cuts and blood that I don’t even realize that someone is touching my shoulder until I feel a pull. I turn around, and Midas is looking at me. He knows I get lost when my beast rears its ugly head. He looks me over, making sure I’m back to just me and gives me a slight nod when he is satisfied. He takes the knife from my hand and tosses it on a metal table off to the side. The clank of metal on metal is the only sound. I turn around and see the guy passed out from the pain.

Midas grabs his phone and sends a quick text. He is probably texting his dad we completed the job and to send the cleanup crew. He pockets his phone and pats me on the back. He gives me a reassuring smile, and we both walk out.

Unknown

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