Shattered (Book One of The Progressive Trilogy)

Chapter 12: Always Sign Your Artwork

*Unedited*

"And I'd give up forever to touch you

'Cause I know that you feel me somehow

You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be

And I don't wanna go home right now..." Jax sang out for the hundredth time smiling brightly, while twirling around the kitchen island like a ballerina before making another cut into my skin.

I was hunched forward on the low backed bar stool, dizzy from massive blood loss due to gashes from where the zip ties held my arms down, and multiple lacerations crisscrossed over my body.

On my right thigh, Jax had been kind enough to play a game of tic-tac-toe to amuse me. My flesh didn't respond well and curled up in the centers of the X's and almost fell off on the O's. After hours of relentless torture, my body was numb to the pain of being cut.

The only place left unmarred was my face.

My breathing came out in gurgled pants as Jax circled me slowly, a frown set on his psychotic face. "Why did you stop singing for me Emmy? That's not nice." Jax pouted in a baby voice that made what was left of my skin crawl. He ran over previous cuts on my arm with his knife, making the skin flap over and exposing chunks of muscle, hanging by threads of flesh, and causing more blood to ooze out.

"Hm. This just won't do my sweet Emmy." He tsked, shaking his head before walking behind me.

I don't think I could feel any new torture anyway.

I heard clicking and the sound of our gas stove lighting. Soon after, the sound of metal clanking against metal filled the room. His deep voice was still humming the tune of the song. The knowledge that he was using the stove drove my fear back up.

What the fuck is this psycho planning now? I thought nervously.

"You know Emmy, something you may not know about me is that I love art. I find it fascinating how an artist can use anything to express his thoughts and emotions." He paused for a minute and let out a content sigh before continuing, "What do you notice when you see their masterpieces. You know, besides the beauty?"

My body was too weak to even lift my head, much less speak, so I stayed silent.

"You don't know? That's okay, I'll tell you! You always see their signature! Whether it be visible right away or hidden like a puzzle, great artists always sign their artwork!" Jax said excitedly. "You know what that means, don't you Emmy?"

Silence.

"It means you are my greatest piece of art yet, and I want everyone to know that I'm the great artist that molded you! I want to show the world my painstakingly carved designs on your pretty pink skin and how the naturally beautiful flow of your blood dries to give such an incredible texture. It's mesmerizing." He said, the sadistic purr of pride in his voice slipping out near the end.

I was still too numb to respond and kept silent. I heard more of the metal clanking, then Jax's footsteps coming back toward me until I saw his blood stained boots standing in front of me. He hummed a tune for a second before he began to sing in joy.

"And I'd give up forever to touch you" Jax sang as he lifted my face to look him in the eye and moved my hair out of my face almost lovingly.

"'Cause I know that you feel me somehow,

You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be,