It's up to Me to Make You Bleed

Much to my disappointment, the rest of the day just wasn’t as exciting as the exploration in the caves. Johnny had to hurry home for a fishing trip with his dad and brother, while Zacky had to go to work; thus, leaving me alone with my bro, Matt, and Brian.

As thrilling as it can be to spend an evening with your family and friends, it isn’t so thrilling to listen to the boys chomp down on the ribs we were having for dinner, as if they were some sort of ravenous animals. I mean, really, I could hear them over the movie I was watching in the other room – a bit excessive, don’t you think?

Then the herd of animals decided to stampede into the living room to watch the movie. “What are you watching?” Matt whispered, sitting on one side of me, while reaching into the popcorn bowl on my lap.

“The Dark Knight,” I answered, briefly.

“Whoa I love this movie,” Jimmy cheered, hopping into a spare chair. This left the other open cushion on the couch available for Brian. Hooray, I was now squished between my two best buds…so much for a peaceful movie.

“Hey how much longer do you think you’ll be using the TV?” Jimmy asked, as soon as the movie had ended.

I shrugged, “I’m not really sure. I guess if you need it or something, I’ll just go upstairs and get on my laptop.”

He nodded and waited till I was upstairs before anyone else down there spoke again. That’s a little odd. Actually, come to think of it, this whole day has been strange. I mean from being woken up hella early, to seeing what looked like blood on the walls, to having to deal with them and a boring day…

I don’t know, I’m probably just over reacting as usual. It tends to happen to me all too often. Regardless of what is true and what isn’t, I ended up falling asleep on top of my laptop unsuspectingly…and very unaware of the terror being experienced downstairs.

*Jimmy’s POV*

“Dude, what was that all about? Why did we have to wait for your sis to get upstairs before talking?” Brian asked, reclining back in the couch.

I stuck my arm under the cushion where Courtney had been sitting and revealed the video tape from earlier. “I found this tape back at the caves and I figured it’d be cool to watch it. Who knows what could be on it,” I explained as I popped it into the VCR.

“If we’re watching another movie, bring me more popcorn,” Matt laughed, chucking the bowl at me.

I caught it and rolled my eyes as I ran into the kitchen, anxious to return and see what this weird video could possibly contain.

As I returned to the living room, lit only by the glow of the TV screen, I jumped and screamed a little and two disturbing sights. Matt and Brian were hiding under the blanket…and there was a girl being stabbed to death showing on the screen.

“Is this what was on the tape?” I asked, sitting down on the couch, experiencing a mix of being a little stunned and intrigued all at once. Matt and Brian just nodded their heads, their eyes being glued to the screen.

This was going to be the strangest and longest 90 minutes of my life.

*Third Person POV*

The opening credits “A Collection of Death” played across the screen as an eerie organ began playing a haunting tune. Merely five seconds into the recording, and already most viewers would be feeling chills down their spines.

After that, the camera shook a little, suggesting that there was a person new to the recording industry behind the camera. It zoomed in on a man and a woman making out in some dimly lit bedroom. “How about we take this to the next level?” the man grinned, sliding the woman’s bra strap further down her arm.

She smiled brightly, “I thought you’d never ask.”

“Ok, just wait right here,” he informed her, while reaching into the closet behind him.

The audience, most likely expecting to see him holding a condom, shriek when they see that he has a metallic, spiked meat mallet. He slams the hammer right across her face, knocking her out before she even hits the floor. Blood seeps from her nose, which had been broken on contact.

The lights are brightened and the audience sees that the room wasn’t a bedroom, but a torture chamber. The man dragged her body over to a wooden chair and used rope to tie down her wrists and ankles. He commanded her to wake up, and when she didn’t, he whacked her across the face with the back of his hand. Her eyes slowly blinked open and you could just see the moment when she felt the pain resurface.

She tried to cry out, but he strapped a thick piece of duct tape over her mouth and gripped her neck tightly, causing her to squirm beneath his strength. He then reached over and grabbed some small pocketknives off the nearby table. Without hesitating, he threw them at her and smirked as he watched the blades dig into her skin and be halted as the layers of skin got thicker and harder to pass through.

Blood poured from below each knife, sending crimson trails down her arms and chest. She tried to scream out, but the tape caused her to make only muffled sounds.

“Oh baby that looks painful, allow me to remove those knives,” he said in a semi-caring voice as he reached for his next device – a leather whip, complete with jagged spikes on its tip.

He slashed the whip out toward her, aiming for the hilts of the knives. Once the whip was wrapped around, he pulled harshly, causing the knives to tilt downward before coming out entirely. More blood flew out after the knives and was pulled down to the ground by gravity, making a sick, splattering noise.

Even though the knives had been removed, the man wasn’t done with the whip just yet. He continued beating her with it for a good five more minutes before he was even close to being done. Each time the whip lashed out at her, the spikes would hook themselves in her skin, tearing away at the flesh until there was nothing left to take.

He then proceeded to hit her, throw objects at her, and make her bleed for another 15 minutes. By the time he finished, her skin was no longer pale white, but instead a distorted, purplish-blue color with a splash of red. Her eyes had been flooded out with tears and she could no longer hold her head up.

The camera focused in on the man’s pants, and judging by the shapes you could tell that there was a gun and a knife.

“You know how you always wanted to be famous?” he asked, breaking the thick silence. Her head shook as she struggled to look up at him. “Well, here’s your first and final role,” he grinned as he shoved his knife into her chest.

Blood seeped into the material of her tattered shirt and down onto the chair. She tried to make a noise to express her pain, but she was evidently too weak. Just in case the knife wasn’t actually enough to kill her, he whipped out his pistol and shot her right in the forehead, creating a deep hole where the bullet entered. He finally untied her and smiled as he watched her body fall to the floor.

The rest of the 90 minute video consisted of the same man killing various other women, each in their own unique settings and means. Once the video finished, a 1-800 number flashed across the screen to call if you wanted to purchase various other editions of this series.

It cost $25.99 for each VHS. Apparently, to some sick people out there, that price was actually worth it.

*Jimmy’s POV*

I never thought I’d be able to admit it, but the three of us actually may have screamed a few times there. I mean, at first obviously we all thought that these were just some really good stunt people, but as the tape progressed it became obvious that we were watching a real series of murders…murders that people made money off of by taping them.

Once the tape was finished playing, I quickly turned off the TV and decided it was best to just go to bed, and the guys agreed. “Dude, I’m so gonna end up having a nightmare or some crazy shit tonight,” Matt groaned as he walked upstairs.

“You know what they say,” I whispered, “one man’s nightmare, is another man’s treasure.”

Brian stopped ahead of me. “Wait a minute that’s not a real saying…”

“It will be soon enough,” I mumbled.