Page 89 of Savage Keepsakes

While heading out to the car, I open the trunk and retrieve the other woman.

“MY NAME IS!”she screams, and I backhand her.

“Don’t give a fuck, sugar-tits. You’re simply a means to an end.”

“Monica,” she whispers.

I scoff at her exaggerated gestures and drag her out of the Cruze to the barn.

I secure her with glee to the killing table, and as her breath quickens, her face grows pale.

“It’s simple,Monica: I’m turning you into something beautiful. I’ll release your ugly soul into the night and pull out your heart, and then I’ll make you into art.” I talk with my hands, panning my thumbs and forefingers.

With a steady hand, I begin my cuts, tracing the path from the skin under her arm to her obliques. I move the pieces into the salt bins, then stroll back, stealing a quick look into the stall with the three women. They are still sound asleep.

When I return, Monica is screaming and struggling. I decide I’ll have some time to play with her innards.

Using them to torture the others seems magical, almost. Lou wanted to know howquickly another person would give up or fight, and this is a different way to test that.

With the bone saw, I cut off some of her ribs. Opening the membrane, I am greeted by the squishy sensation of her entrails as my fingers navigate through the slippery tubes.

I close my eyes, the vivid memories of childhood science experiments flooding my mind. I snap back to reality, aware of my surroundings. The air is heavy with the scent of copper, and the silence is shattered by the screams echoing from the stall.

I cut different lengths of the intestines and extract out her liver. A quick glance reveals her fainting, and her slow pulse suggests she is close to death.

Keeping a tight grip on the slippery bits, I walk over to the stall, where they cower together. The Cotton-Candy Whore bangs her arms against the door.

With my mask in place, I’m sure she won’t know who I am, and when I reach the locks, I pull them aside before slinging in the bits of entrails for them to play with. I don’t think they’ll have fun, but I wonder how long it’ll take before they try human sushi.

Before I continue exploring, I head up to the house and look through the supply closet in the kitchen. When I find a small cooler, I pull it out and fill it with ice before heading back to the barn. Can’t have their meals going rancid.

When I return to Monica, I scoop off as much fat as I can get and bring it down to the workspace to add the lye and mix it up.

Once the rest of her skin is off and lying in the salt, I tinker around with what’s left of her, saving the heart, liver, and tongue.

With the Sawzall in hand, I ruthlessly remove the upper part of her skull. I realize my mistake as shards of bone fly about, wishing I had taken the precaution of wearing safety glasses.

Losing an eye over this nonsense is the last thing I need.

The sight of blood and gore, accompanied by the echoing screams from the hallway, sends a rush of excitement through me. As the darkness slowly retreats, my mind feels clearer, as if a fog has lifted.

The skull needs more pressure before I’m able to cut the top off like a pumpkin. I ease the scalpel through the brain’s membrane and detach what I need.

Holding the tightly coiled object, I set it on ice. I’m sure when Lou had the concept of confining women, she thought of giving them sandwiches or something, but it’s not a fucking picnic.

I saunter out to the hallway. The girls quiet down and cower under my masked face.

“Doing alright?”

“Fuck you,” Leah shouts. I can only laugh before turning the music up and getting my wheelbarrow.

After a few hours, I’ve cleaned up enough and turn off most of the lights before heading up to the house. I shower and start rooting through the cupboards to prepare dinner. The smallest thing I can do is make her a meal.

As I’m cutting up vegetables for a salad to go with the black-bean burgers, she comes through the door, her dark blue uniform straining against her luscious body.

“My eyes are up here,” she jokes.

I grin before walking over to her and kissing her forehead. “How was your day?”

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