Page 31 of Pretty Little Fears

“Gotme there.Alright.I’llsee you in ten.”

Tenminutes laterGrimmcomes jogging up, a bag of goodies in hand, and lets out a loud laugh. “Ishe our pumpkin?”

Inod.

“C’mon.Helpme get him to the tunnels before he wakes up.”Igrit through my teeth.

Finallyarriving at the cemetery, withGrimmandIon either side ofBraxton, we lift him up and carry him over to the entrance of the tunnels.AsI’mcarrying his heavy, limp body, thoughts of the upcoming torture invade my mind.

Itake note of everything that needs to be removed, the body parts that he touched or looked at my little obsession with, will be gone.

“Sowhat didBraxtoneven do?”Grimmquestions.Theimage of him rubbing his grimy hands on her and feeling her perfect skin fills my mind.

“Hetouched what’smine,”Isay roughly.

Grimmlets out a low chuckle, “Fairenough, man.HappyIcould be of assistance.”

Wecome up to theRSBentrance and drop him with a heavy thud.Liftingthe crest to gain access,GrimmhoistsBraxtonover his shoulder this time, gesturing for me to lead the way.There'sa secret room deep within the network of tunnels.

Wewalk for another five minutes, twisting and turning through the halls.Thefloors are stained with patches of rusty pigment fromthe torturous things that have happened here throughout the years.

Comingup on our last turn, we’re faced with a weighted, metal door.Avariety of locks wrap around the door.Iunlock each one and punch in the code on the keypad above the handle.Thelast lock clicks andIturn the handle, pushing the door open.There’sone bulb hanging from the ceiling that dimly illuminates the room.Itswalls and floors are dirty, showing the years of neglect and torture the room has seen.Chainshang off the wall and there’s a chair in the corner.

“Wheredo you want him?”Grimmasks andIpoint to the chains.Droppinghim in front of the wall, we drag him up against it and into a sitting position.Grimmholds his head up whileIclasp the heavy chain collar around his neck.Thecollar comes out of the wall and clips into place on the other side with a loud click.

Chainswith cuffs come out on either side and we bind each of his wrists with them.Oncehe's fully secured to the wall with no way of moving,Ipunch him in the jaw causing him to abruptly wake up.

“Wakeywakey, you fuck.Timeto play.”Isingsong.

Hisbloodshot eyes focus on me as he starts to thrash in the chains.Hescreams, begging to know where he is and why he’s here.Ichuckle while kneeling in front of him.

“Goodmorning,Braxton.How’dyou sleep?”Helooks up atGrimm, and confusion washes over his face.

“Whatthe fuck is going on?”Braxtonshouts again, spit flying from his mouth and onto my chin.

Annoyed,Iswipe it away and stand.Iwalk over to the chair that’s holdingGrimm’sbag of tools and drag it across the room.Itscratches against the floor, the sound makingBraxtonwince.Pausingwhen the chair is at his feet,Ibegin rifling through the bag.Pullingout the pumpkin carving kit,Ilook at him and wiggle the pack.

“IloveHalloween.Costumes, scary movies, and my favorite part of all, pumpkin carving.”Isay with a smile.Hiseyes widen when he sees the assorted pack of blades.Rippingopen the package,Igrab a small knife and bend down next to the sorry bastard who thought he could touch what’s mine.

“Doyou likeHalloween,Braxton?”Iask, looking over at him.

“I-”Hestarts to answer but his words quickly morph into a scream asIstab the knife into the thick flesh of his thigh.

“Itwas a rhetorical question.”Ismile at the sight of my knife protruding from his skin, the kind of manic smile that causes his pants to become wet, and the smell of piss to hit my nostrils.

Mygrin only spreads whileIpush the knife deeper, feeling the flesh break and spread under the blade.Bloodis pooling out of the cut and a deep satisfaction starts to build in me.

“Itwas my favorite holiday growing up.Displayingthe pumpkins on my buddy’s front porch, for all the trick-or-treaters to see when they came by for candy.”Iyank the knife out of his thigh, earning another scream from him.

“Thebest part though,Braxton, was feeling the blade pierce through the pumpkin and creating a pretty little design.Itfilled me with so much joy.”

“You’refucking crazy man, what the fuck is wrong with you!”Heshouts, his voice cracks and he starts crying.Pathetic.Blairdeserves better.Shedeserves a real man.Aman who would face every demon and fight every battle to get back to her.

“Inthe spirit ofHalloween, you’ll be my pumpkin this year.”Isnarl. “Butfirst, we need to remove any unnecessary pieces.”

Knifestill in hand,Ibring the blade down on his wrist.Braxton’sshrewd screams continue asIbegin sawing back and forth, digging the knife deeper, damaging muscles, tendons, and whatever the fuck else.

Thebone takes some effort to get through and sweat begins to form on my brow.Braxton’scries never waiver.Theysound like the sweet soundtrack of love.AsongI’mdedicating to my little obsession.

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