Kiss Me, Cole (Part 1) [IN EDITING ]

Cole (33)

Muli, I will make this simple.

WARNING: Graphic depiction of violence ahead. Stop reading as soon as it makes you uncomfortable. Skip this altogether and just think this: 'And they hurt Brandon Garcia. The end. I don't need to know the details, thank you very much.'

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Brandon looked like he wanted to faint all over again when he saw another stranger coming straight at him. Huminto si Vasili Sokolov sa tapat nilang dalawa ni Fyodor Devin at maingat na nilapag ang bakal na mesang hila-hila.

"Is that the right way to treat our distinguished guest?" 

Nananaway ang tono ni Daddy na ikinatawa lang nang malakas ni Tito Fyodor. But he stopped hurting Brandon. He rose from his seat and approached us, or rather the one-way mirror glass wall in front of us. They couldn't see us, but we could see them.

Brandon tried to curl into himself but was unable to do so. His body must have been in excruciating pain. That has happened to me previously. When I wasn't able to satisfy Tito quickly enough. It was as though a ten-wheeler truck had rolled over you. And Fyodor Devin wasn't even trying all that hard to injure me at the time.

Napapahikbi na lang ang lalaki sa kinauupuan samantalang humihingig lang ang Daddy ng  classical lullaby na kanina niya pa kinakanta. Inaayos nito sa sa ibabaw ng mesa ang mga gamit na binitbit niya mula rito sa kuwarto: ang mga vial at syringe, ang whip, at ang choker.

Brandon was so out of it that he didn't even raise his eyes when my father moved away from the table. If it were me, or Theo, I would have watched the older man like a hawk and wait for this moment to escape. Why is this guy so weak?

Pagbalik ng tatay ko, may bitbit na siyan bimpo at inalok iyon kay Brandon. "Ito, cold compress. Press it to your face."

Like a dimwit, our schoolmate just stared blankly at the proffered cold compress. Napailing na lang ang Daddy dito at siya na ang kusang lumapit sa lalaki at idiniin ang cold compress sa pisngi nito. Napahiyaw si Brandon at sinubukang iniwas ang mukha palayo sa bimpo. Akma siyang tatayo pero walang kahirap-hirap lang siyang tinulak ni Daddy paupo.

"Quit being a baby," natatawang saway ni Daddy. "You could be criminally liable already. You should build a stronger constitution for the path you're interested to take. A higher tolerance for pain. Girls could fight, you know. And fight hard. How do you expect to overpower anyone if you cry for every little ache?"

Napakunot-noo ako sa pinagsasabi ng aking ama. He sounded like he was in on the jerk's ugly tastes. That doesn't sound like my father.

Napatitig si Brandon sa maskara ng tatay ko at mahinang napatanong, "Who are you people?"

"A friend," malumanay na sagot ni Daddy.

"A judge," sagot naman ni Tito na noon ay nakabalik na. Kinuha niya ang kanyang upuan at inayos iyon paharap sa mesang dinala ni Daddy. Paharap din sa amin. 

"Brigadier," Daddy warned.

Tito shrugged. "Totoo naman. I can only be a judge and, eventually, an executioner for a monster who doesn't know where the line is. The first rule of monsterhood is knowing where to draw the line. Even demons have something sacred to them. You don't deserve to live if you don't have that."

A heavy sigh could be heard from Daddy. "Kaya nga tayo nandito ngayon dahil naniniwala tayong matututo ang isang Brandon Garcia, hindi ba?"

He tried fixing Brandon's hair but the idiot just drew back and spat at him. "Ano'ng putanginang pinagsasabi niyo?" hiyaw pa nito.