The Peacemaker

Bittersweet Death

One week. Liv had endured one week of torture at the hands of her uncle and Mathew. They took turns beating her, cutting her arms, legs and sides, and her uncle let Matthew have his  "fun" that he had been longing for since Liv had arrived. The worst part of it all was the fact that her uncle required Wyatt and his men to watch all of it. If any of them made a sound or a move to help Liv it would only make things worse. After her last beating Liv was drug back to her room. They threw her in a heap on the floor and left her there.

Liv cried silently. The first few days she had been able to stay strong for her father. Never crying and rarely screaming but now, now she could not help it. She was weak and exhausted. She had not had any food all week and the only sleep she got was when she passed out from the pain. A few of the other members of the gang were being tortured as well but Bill focused primarily on Liv. "Please just let me die right here, right now." Liv tried to untangle herself from the heap she had been thrown in. As soon as she moved, pain flooded her body overwhelming her. She lost consciousness once again.

Liv was awakened by rough hands as they drug her back outside. She saw everyone gathered around and her uncle in the center with a whip in one hand and a knife in the other. Bill hit Liv across the back with the whip causing her wounds to open back up and fresh ones to form. Liv cried out in anguish. "Please just kill me this time. Don't keep playing this game of cat and mouse. Give me the bittersweet relief of death." Live wished she could voice her thoughts aloud and all she could do was scream in pain as her uncle continued. After several more lashes from the whip and a few slashes from the knife, Liv blacked out.

People were shouting. Liv could hear them but she could not seem to make out what they were saying. She tried to open her eyes and only saw someone grabbing her before she was gone again. "Liv come on sweetie you need to wake up now. It's not time for you to join me yet." Liv could hear her mother's voice. She wanted so badly to find her mother and join her wherever she was. Surely she could protect Liv from the nightmare that had become her life.

Slowly Liv opened her eyes. She was in a tent with her father on one side and Ellie on the other. Both looked exhausted and worry was all over their faces. Liv tried to move and immediately regretted it. She let out a gasp of pain. Wyatt turned to her and said "Liv lie still. You are still very badly hurt." Liv tried to speak but could not seem to get any words out. Her father noticed this. "You've been in and out of consciousness for a couple of months now. After that last beating from your uncle, one of his men tied Sam up sloppily. He was able to untie himself and free the rest of us. I killed Bill. I took his knife and stabbed him over and over until he was drowning in his own blood. Liv I'm so sorry for everything they did to you! I'm so sorry." 

Wyatt had begun to cry so Ellie escorted him out of the tent. She came back in and sat beside Liv. Liv  began to cry silently but it quickly grew into a loud sob. Ellie took a hold of Liv's hand and just sat with her, not saying a word. She stayed with Liv just as Liv had done when Jim had been killed all those years ago.