Hide and Go Seek

21. Alan

I wake up disoriented to unbelievable pain. What the heck is going on? Then the memories come back to me.

I push Max out of the window, hoping she is able to hold onto the rope to help break her fall and get away. I fight with Thing, and I almost win, but then I see Grim. And it was her, not the thing possessing her. I faltered, and that was my mistake.

In the end, I was overpowered and knocked out. Grim always was stronger than she looked.

The next time I came to was to my left leg being smashed by a meat tenderizer. Over and over, she crushed my leg until it resembled more of a pulp than a limb. The pain was unfathomable. With each strike, I felt like I could feel each time my bones broke into smaller pieces. I screamed until my throat was hoarse. I screamed until my voice broke and I could scream no more. All that was left was whimpering and pleading.

I can remember the look in the Thing’s eye; hatred and anger. Because of that, I knew Max was able to get away. Max got away because of me, and I was paying the price. And I would make the same decision again and again. I would gladly let both of my legs get mashed even.

I try to shift in my binding into a more comfortable position, causing me to wince. I swallow past a lump in my throat, collecting enough courage to look down. What I saw almost made me throw up, which probably would have killed me as I was still gagged. My leg is swollen to almost three times what it should be. It is misshapen and is closer to the color of a blueberry than normal skin tone. I can feel it throbbing.

I turn my head carefully toward the sound of the warehouse door opening. It walks toward me, carver knife in hand. It has a huge smile on Its face.

“Your sister is on her way here, Shall we celebrate with a torture session?” It says, joy dripping from her words.