Page 136 of Salvation

“You’re going to need to control that breathing for me, buddy. You’re only making it worse for yourself if you don’t. I’ve given you a sedative, and it should be kicking in soon. It’s Propofol, if you’re interested. I hope you’re not allergic,” I said, chuckling at my own joke. I stood up and walked over to him, resting one arm on the makeshift bed as I stared down at him. “It will make you nice and relaxed, but it’ll keep those pain receptors working nicely—we’ll get into that a bit more soon.”

His eyes widened, and I could practically hear his heart beating out of his chest.

“You see, you’ve fucked up, Rider. You’ve entered my territory, shot my vice president, and you had the audacity to do it in my Church,” I clicked my tongue at him. “I don’t recognise you, so I’m going to assume you’re new, and you’re not familiar with the ways we punish those out to harm us.”

I adjusted the IV in his arm, making sure the fluids were flowing as they should be. “This room was built by my grandfather. This club was established just after World War Two, and a lot of his buddies were still suffering with physical effects of the war. So he had this place installed, making sure people could be treated in a place they were comfortable. Especially as some of them were wanted for war crimes, they couldn’t rock up to the local hospitals now, could they? Obviously, the world changes, and we adapt with it. The NHS is a wonderful thing, and as the effects of the war died down, there was no need for a hidden hospital bunker. When my father took over, this room became a place where traitors were taken. For quick cases, we have the garage, and it works well enough. In fact, the garage has become my favourite playground. But since I took over, and the compound has become a more open space to the general public, it was a necessity to bring this bunker back to function.”

I grinned down at him and then pushed back, circling the bed to where my metal table of tools were and picked up a needle.

“This is adrenaline,” I said, injecting the needle into the IV and dispensing the liquid. “This will prevent your heart from giving out on me. Because I want you to be here with me for a long, long time, Rider. You and I are going to have lots of fun. The numbness I’ve already explained as Propofol, and that paralyzed sensation you’re experiencing? That’s Tetrodotoxin, courtesy of Hacksaw himself. It’s a powerful neurotoxin, deriving from some godforsaken sea creature, or so Hacksaw tells me. TTX keeps all your pain receptors intact, which is ideal for me.”

His eyes followed me as I moved away from the bed and pulled up a mirror. “This is a fucking brilliant invention. I’ve had some of the best sex of my life in front of these—not that I have anything of the sort planned for you,” I chuckled. “But I wouldn’t want you to miss the show.”

His breath came in frantic pants,

I positioned the mirror, so it was showing his body, standing behind his head and bending low so I could see what he was seeing. “That’s perfect. How about a bit of music?”

I pressed a button and Vienna by Billy Joel, came blasting through the speakers. “Poetic, no?” I laughed, patting his cheek as I stood back up straight and walked over to the table.

“What else did I want to show you? Ahh, yes, here it is,” I grabbed the metal pliers and then turned and rushed at him, hovering over his face. “Wouldn’t want you closing your eyes and missing the show,” I grabbed an eyelid and yanked, ripping it from the socket and leaving it on his chest before moving to the other.

“Oh, and before I forget, there’s one more thing,” I reached into my pocket and pulled out a knife. “I can’t have you swallowing your tongue. Open wide, Princess,” I said, grabbinghis cheeks and widening his mouth. I used my fingers as scaffolding on his lips and pulled out his tongue, slicing it off as far back as I could reach before throwing it on the floor.

Tears streamed from the corners of his eyes, and strangled, pitiful noises came from deep within his throat.

“That was just the beginning for you,” I grinned. “But I’ll make sure to send all the pieces to your loved ones when I’m finished.”

“Boss,” came a voice from behind me. I ignored it, intent on finishing my task.

“Boss!” He shouted louder. I heard the footsteps come into the room, followed by “Holy fucking shit.”

I guess they saw my plaything.

Or what remained of him, at least.

“What is it, Pivot?” I asked, shutting off the chainsaw. As soon as I did so, I heard the retching noises and turned to see Pivot emptying the contents of his stomach.

“Nico is here,” he gagged, covering his mouth.

“Is he? That was quick. Bring him down,” I shrugged.

“Here?!”

“Why not? Let him see we’re not fucking around,” I muttered, looking at the scene through Pivot’s eyes.

Skin was everywhere. I had started with the left leg, and by the time I was finished, I had mastered the art of slicing it off in huge strips cleanly. And then I cauterised it to make sure he didn’t bleed out. That’s after I borrowed Rachel’s technique of slapping salt on the wound.

After I stripped his skin, I removed his fingers, one by one.

Then his arms.

Then his legs.

Then his dick.

I cauterised all his wounds when I was done. I’m nice like that. I didn’t want the man todie.

My final move had been to slice the wordsDevil’s Disciplesinto his torso—the one place I hadn’t skinned.

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