Page 82 of Reaper Razed

“Okay, come on, then.” She walks into the kitchen, rummages in the fridge and pulls out a chicken. “It’s the best I’ve got! We don’t want you going in there as a complete novice. He needs to know you mean business, and you need to fake it till you make it! Also, we need a word you can say where if you need me to take over, we can pass it off as a power play, not a cop-out, okay?” She hands me the knife. “Now kill the fucking chicken. Remember, though, a human will bleed like a motherfucker.”

After giving me a few pointers, Ray leads me to her office. She leaves me to wait in the barn while she gets “him” ready. I can’t even say his name. She sets him up and fastens him to the table.

Ray told me whatever happens, I need to be confident in there, even if I can’t do anything myself. I need to blag that I can’t be arsed and for her to just end him, but I want to be strong. I want to do this for me, my life, my family, and my husband so we can have a fresh start. Tomorrow is a new day. Tomorrow is the start of the rest of my life.

Heading into the office, I walk down the stairs, slowly contemplating my actions, wondering if I’m making a mistake, if this will change who I am, and if this will make my life difficult. Can I live with this if I do it? Will it make me a worse person? Will it make me a terrible person? I honestly don’t know, but I have to try. He took everything from me. I will not allow him to take my future. I will not allow him to affect my family. This ends tonight.

“Ray.” I nod as I walk into the room. “I see you two have been getting acquainted. Make yourself at home. What was it you made me call you? …Daddy? Yeah, that’s it. Make yourself at home, ‘Daddy’. Get comfy, because you’re not leaving this room alive.”

“Alice?” His voice rasps as I look over him. Ray has him naked on the table. He’s strapped down at his ankles, thighs, waist, chest, neck, head and wrists. “You’re my special little girl. You know that, you know I love you.”

“Special little girl? Are you kidding me right now? You started fucking me when you killed my mother! I was ten!” I graze my hands across all of Ray's knives, and she nods.

When I asked her what advice she could give me, she said not to hesitate to stab him with the pointy end. As long as it’s not the main artery or it will be over too soon. It’s funny that as I look at him, she has crosses drawn all over his main arteries, so I don’t hit them by mistake. Ray tried to teach me where they were, but I was panicking too much. I guess this is the option she came up with, and I have to admit it’s extremely effective.

I slide the knife I choose over his shin, and it strips all the hair. “Damn, that’s sharp!” I mutter as he tries to flinch. I drag the knife up his body and stick it right in under his chin, pushing it into his jaw. There’s a trickle of blood that runs down his neck, and it causes a twitch at the side of my mouth.

“Can you remember what I used to say to you?”

“Alice, please, this is just a misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding?” I shake my head and pull the knife to his eye, watching as he tries to move his head and get away from the blade. “I used to beg!” I hold the knife steady, and an eerie calm washes over me. “Do you remember what you used to do? You used to laugh and push me down and fuck me harder.” I push the knife steadily into his eye while he screams. I’m lost in the moment, but I feel Ray's hand gently graze the back of mine, and she shakes her head once, clearly letting me know if I stab too far, it’s game over.

Taking a breath, I step back, wiping the knife on his own skin. “Do you know what he sold me for?” I look over at Ray. “Tell her!” I slide the knife into the fleshy part of his stomach. “Tell her how much I was worth after you destroyed me for nearly fourteen years.”

“A-a-a c-c-carton of c-cigarettes, and a c-c-crate of b-beer!”

“Ray, what happens if I stab him here?”

“Let’s see, shall we?” Ray holds my hand and pushes it steadily into his gut. Once it’s in, up to the hilt, I let go. She grins at me before knocking the handle, making him scream out even more.

I leave the knife in, step back around the table, and go to Ray’s toolbox. “What do all these do?”

“Wanna have some fun?” Ray grins across at me. I know she’s using these specific words to insight terror into our captive, and the specific tone of voice to sound deranged, and that creepy smile to add to the illusion, but honestly, I couldn’t love her more than I do in this instant. At this moment, I know that Ray saved me; she could have left me there to rot, but she gave me hope. The life she's offering is more than I thought I ever deserved, and this baby is an absolute blessing.

Tank is everything I never knew existed, and tomorrow, I will be Skye Pershing, wife of Thomas ‘Tank’ Pershing, mother-to-be, and I will live happily ever after. I will make sure I never have a nightmare about this piece of shit again tonight. Tonight, I want to try every one of Ray’s devices, knives, gadgets, spikes and, worst of all, her way of mentally torturing, because I want it for him. I want it all.

I want my baby never to know fear, to never know abuse, never to know hunger. I want my baby to know love, and I will wipe this stain from this earth so he can’t ruin anything or anyone ever again. I couldn’t save myself. I tried over the years. He killed my mum, raped me daily, tortured me, starved me, beat me, sold me and tried to destroy me, but Ray, Ray gave me something to live for, so I have five hours before the start of a new day, before the start of my new life. I intend to make it count.

I’m panting, leaning on the table. It’s been four and a half hours of stabbing, cutting, yanking, twisting, breaking, burning, peeling, ripping, poking, electrocuting, scratching, sawing, crunching, and everything else Ray’s twisted little mind could come up with.

I’ve removed nails, fingers, toes and ears, his dick and a leg. I gave up on removing limbs. It was really hard work, and the smell after cauterising them made me gag. I don't know if I’ll ever be able to go to a BBQ again! I’m exhausted, and my demons don’t look so scary now. He’s a shell now, nothing more. He’s pissed and shit himself. He’s puked, and the stench is horrific down here.

“You’re ready!” Ray smiles over at me. “How do you want to end it?”

He’s not coherent anymore. His tongue was ripped out a while ago. There's a bag of bits on the floor. “All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn’t put Humpty together again.” I smile as I think that, and Ray barks out a maniacal laugh, jolting me out of my thoughts.

“You’re right there, kiddo!” She laughs again.

I look at her, puzzled, before realising, “Did I say that out loud?” And she laughs again, nodding her head.

Taking the knife and the hammer, I ask, “If he had a heart, where would it be?”

Ray runs her fingers over the damage I’ve left across his chest and along his rib, counting down. Then, before finding the point I need, she takes my hand, rests the tip of the knife into position and takes a step back, nodding.

“You are nothing. You didn’t break me. I will never think of you again after you're gone, and this child will only ever know his father, Tank. No one will remember you or mourn you, but me and my family will flourish.”

I pull my arm back with the hammer and smack it down onto the hilt of the knife. There’s a pained sound, but he’s practically dead anyway, and as the last spark of life leaves him, my breaths become clearer, my heart beats steadily, my body feels lighter, and I feel the old me die with him.

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