Evil Be Thy Master

"So are you excited?" Nicole asked as she and I, along with Rhian, strolled down the main strip of our village. We were going to see the seamstress, she was taking the final measurements for the dress I would wear in my wedding.

"Well of course I'm excited," I laughed. "Why wouldn't I be? I'm getting married in two weeks to the most loving, most perfect man imaginable!"

"No Taylor dear, Jimmy holds that title," Rhian countered.

"Please, we all know that Brian is the best," Niki scoffed. I laughed and smiled at my two friends. We truly had gotten lucky. I'm sure we managed to get the best men in the entire country.

"Good day ladies," was suavely spoken as we were joined by a group of five men. They walked next to us, but were smart enough to keep a safe distance, elsewise the village gossips would be tittering for weeks. Not to mention the fact that my father would have a fit. He already thinks I see too much of Matthew as it is.

"Good day Zachary," Niki said lazily before her gaze landed on Brian. "Mr. Haner," she said cordially. I rolled my eyes, she knew there was no need for formality, she must be flirting.

"Nicole," he grinned with a small bow. Her cheeks tinted pink and she looked to the ground.

"Where are you girls off to?" James asked as he slowly eased his way closer to Rhian.

"Taylor's fitting," Rhian told him, moving a little closer herself.

"Fitting?" Jonathan asked. He was the youngest and smallest our their group, but that didn't make him any less inclined to belong.

"For her wedding dress," Niki answered for me. I carefully lifted my eyes up, allowing myself to meet Matthew's loving hazel gaze.

"Did you finally decide on your style Darling?" He asked, being bold enough to take my hand and delicately kiss the top of it. A small tint of pink found it's way onto my face, but with it was also a smile.

"I think I have," I nodded.

"And is there a corset involved?" he asked with a wicked grin on his face. One that sent shivers of anticipation down my spine.

"That's quite possibly. Why do you ask?"

I gasped when I felt the sudden close proximity of him as his breath trickled down my neck. "Because I can't wait to see you in a corset... and only a corset."

Rhian's eyes widened and she moved to step between Matthew and I. "Mr. Sanders, I beg of you to remember that the two of you are not quite married yet," she said politely. "And also, please pay attention to the fact that we were in fact just passing the church. Taylor's uncle could easily have seen that."

"Oh don't chastize me Rhian. I made sure he wasn't out and about," he sighed, rolling his eyes. "James, calm your lady down."

"Well she did have a valid point," James argued, though he moved Rhian away.

"Gentlemen, I'm afraid we have to bid your ladies adieu," Zachary said suddenly. "We do have that... discussion... to attend to after all."

"Discussion?" Nicole asked, looking to Brian. "A discussion about what?"

Most wouldn't have caught the fleeting look of fear in Brian's eyes, but I did, and so did Rhian.

"Uh... horses," he finally stammered out, making Nicole frown.

"Horses? You intend to leave us to talk about horses?" Rhian pouted, looking up at Jimmy, hoping that he would stay.

"Well um, yes love, we are. After all, we'll need our own team of horses for the manor as soon as we're married," he smiled, knowing the mention of marriage would melt her heart a little. She smiled timidly and nodded.

"Go on then."

"I suppose you're leaving too," I sighed, turning to look up at Matthew. He grabbed my hand yet again, pulling me closer to him.

"I'm sorry, but I must, after all, these... horses... well, they're very important. We must discuss them. In depth," he made sure to add, thinking that it would convince me. I raised my brows at him.

"Very well, bed your horse next time then," I snapped, pulling my hand away and stomping quickly away from him as the rest of our friends watched in amusement. Matthew quickly ran after me, stopping me with a hand on my shoulder.

"Taylor, don't be angry. It's not as if we can go with you when you're fitted for the dress. Though the sight of you in nothing but your intimates would be quite enticing," he grinned. I chuckled and shook my head.

"Matthew, you're deplorable," I told him, though I had a smile on my face the entire time.

"That's very well possible, but you love me anyway, don't you?" He asked, a desperate look in his eyes, almost sad. I cupped his face with one of my hands, making him look at me.

"Of course I love you. I'll always love you, I promise."

"Good," He grinned, pressing a kiss to my cheek. "Imagine, in two weeks you'll be mine, forever."

"Forever isn't long enough," I whispered before backing away. "Good afternoon Matthew."

The creaking of that damn door that I had learned to fear since I had been here pulled me from another of those fucking unrealistic confusing ass dreams. Seriously, if the torture doesn't drive me insane, these fucked up dreams will. I heard a strangled sounding whimper before the sound of a body being dropped in echoed throughout the room.

"Have fun with your friends," Johnny laughed before the door was closed. There was something different this time though. Every other time I've woken up in this Godforsaken cell, it was pitch black, no light was allowed in, but this time a torch illuminated the grungy space in a dull glow.

Tears came to my eyes when I saw Niki's battered and bloodied body trembling on the ground. She shouldn't be here. She should be safe at home with Rhian. God why are they fucking here?!

"Oh my God! Niki!" Rhian cried and I saw her slowly and carefully move across the dusty and grimy floor to Niki's side. I could see the long gashes running all over Rhian’s body. I have no idea how she was even awake, let alone mobile. I wanted to move, to make sure they were both ok, but at the moment, the muscles I would need to move my self forward would cause so much pain that I wasn't sure I would be able to get to them. The skinned portion of my back hurt like hell before, but I think now my body has been exposed to so much immense pain that at least that wound is beginning to numb itself. The gashes from the cat of nine tails are a different story. Every time I made a drastic or quick move, the wounds reopened and more blood seeped out. And I'm not even going to start with the burn. Everything else I could handle, the loss off flesh, the loss of blood, but nothing, and I mean nothing prepared me for actually smelling myself as my flesh burned. It was sickening just to think about.

"Niki, are you alright? Christ! Talk to me!" she sobbed as she wrapped her arms around Niki, who quickly let out a scream. "Oh my God! What's wrong! What did they- Oh sweet Jesus," Rhian gagged. "Fuck Nik. You, you could bleed to death, or get that infected or... or..."

"It won't get infected," I said quietly as I forced myself to stand up, trying to ignore the searing pains that began to run through my protesting body. "They clean your wounds when you pass out."

“Why would they do that?” Rhian asked, sitting back and releasing Niki. When I got over there I saw that they had used a different approach on Niki’s tattoos. It didn’t look quite as cleanly done as mine, but it certainly looked just as painful. The entire top layer of her skin was gone, leaving a raw, uneven underlayer. Some small slivers of skin where hanging off, making me cringe.

“Christ Niki, what did they do, grate your skin off?” I asked carefully as I kneeled next to her, yelping when the branded skin stretched. Niki tried to mumble incoherent words and nodded, tears of fear in her eyes.

“What do you mean they clean our wounds Taylor?” Rhian asked again, “It doesn’t make sense!”

“Of course it does,” I laughed bitterly as I sat back, taking the pressure off of some of my irritated skin. “They don’t want us to get infections or bleed to death. Then we’d die.”

“Well isn’t that the point?” she asked. “For us to die?”

“Rhian, if they wanted us to die, would we still be here?” I asked her, letting the words and the meaning sink in. “They’re torturing us. We did something to piss them off at one point and they’re going to make us beg for death, but they aren’t going to give it to us. Face, right now, dying would be our salvation. It’s not happening though.”

Niki began to mumble again and nodded her head. I looked down at her. “Niki, why aren’t you talking? Are you alright?”

She shook her head and glared, probably calling me fifty different kinds of dumb for asking if she was alright. She opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue, making Rhian gasp. It was split down the middle, almost like a serpent’s tongue. I sighed and looked down.

“They got your piercings didn’t they?” Rhian asked her. Niki nodded. “So they grated off your tattoos and ripped out your piercings. They ripped out all of my nails, took off the tips of a couple fingers, and made me sit in that chair-”

“The one with all the razors?” I asked her. She looked at me grimly and nodded. “I caught a glimpse of that when they were bringing me back in here. I was partially conscious.”

“What did they do to you?” she asked in a timid voice. I shrugged, wincing when it opened up some of my cuts.

“Other than them skinning me? Ten lashes with the cat of nine tails and a branding.”

“Huh?” Niki said loudly, looking proud that she managed to make some recognizable voice.

“They branded me,” I said a little louder, showing them the sick looking M that was now forever embedded in my thigh. “Apparently I belong to him,” I spat.

“You’re damn right you belong to me.”

My breath caught in my throat when I heard his voice and Rhian and Niki began to quake in fear. I looked up at him with wide eyes as he moved into the room, Niki scooting herself back so that she was away from him. I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that he was the one that was in charge of her torture. She seems to be a little more frightened of him than Rhian and I are, and she’s by no means a wimp.

“What’s wrong Niki, you don’t like your new look?” he teased. She whimpered and shook her head. I moved myself in front of her. I was scared of all of these sons of bitches, but honestly, Matt scared me the least. One thing I’ve noticed, he hasn’t hit me. He’ll watch, but he won’t touch me. Fucking pussy makes the others do his dirty work. “You want to try again then?” he asked, egging her fear on.

“Leave her alone,” I said meekly, nearly asking. I don’t want anything else to happen to Niki or Rhian. They’ve gone through enough, they shouldn’t even be here! This is my fault, it was my stupid ass idea! Why are they suffering?

“What did you say?” he asked quietly, making a shiver run down my spine. His quiet tone scared the piss out of me. I’ve heard him yell, and I’ve heard him scream, and I know what comes with that. Pain. But I have never heard him use that tone. And the unpredictability of it is what scared me.

“I said leave her alone. And Rhian for that matter. If you’re going to do something, do it to me. They shouldn’t have been involved. The thing with the chatroom was my idea. I’m sorry. Just please, don’t hurt them again,” I begged. His eyes softened for a moment, and I though maybe I had got to him, but then an evil laugh erupted from his chest.

“You think this is about that stupid thing on the internet?” he asked, calling the others into the room, instilling a little bit more fear in me. “Darling, this has nothing to do with that. That was only to find you. This goes much, much deeper than that. But you wouldn’t know about that would you? You forgot. Should’ve known you would. I should have known you were lying. Bring them out boys.”

Rhian screamed when Zack ripped her off the ground, intentionally roughing her up to irritate her cuts. Jimmy grabbed Niki’s hair, using it to lift her off the ground before grabbing her wrist and dragging her behind him, making her whimper in pain the entire way. Brian moved over to me, a sinister grin marring his features.

“Get up,” he growled. I glared up at him, trying a new tactic.

“No.”

“Excuse me?” he laughed.

“I said no. I’m not fucking getting up,” I said defiantly.

“Fine then,” he growled, “We’ll do it the hard way.”

I screamed out when he kicked the burn on my leg, shooting pain all over my lower body. Now not only would the area be cooked, it’ll be bruised. I didn’t move though, I wasn’t going to let him win that easily. He moved behind me, kneeing the portion of my back that had been skinned, proving to me that it hadn’t truly numbed itself.

“Fuck,” I moaned, still trying to make myself resolute. He couldn’t do anything to terrible to me in here. There were no torture devices, no fires. It was just a barren room.

“Nooo!!!”

Rhian’s scream made my hair stand on end. Something was wrong, she was in pain.

“Rhian,” I mumbled, standing up and nearly running out of the room. Brian’s laughter followed me as I ran down the corridor, trying to find my friends. I grunted when he smacked my head against the wall, making me stop running.

“Well, now I know how to get to you,” he chuckled. “That was a stupid idea.”

What was he talking about? What idea had I given him?

He drug me down the hall and out into a large room that contained the rest of the guys and Niki and Rhian. Not to mention the largest array of torture devices I’ve ever seen. Seriously, these guys have some medieval shit, it’s fucking creepy.

“What took you so long Bri?” Johnny laughed.

“Someone thought she’d try and be defiant,” Brian growled, throwing me roughly to the ground and once again kicking the burn. “Change of plans boys. I just thought of something that will work much, much better with these three.”

“What’re you thinking Brian?” Zack asked as he walked over.

“Strap them each in a chair. We’re going to see just how far these girls will go for each other,” he laughed. My breath quickened at his words. Was he going to play us against each other?

I wasn’t given time to think before I was roughly thrown in a chair and tied down. I didn’t bother fighting this time, fearing what they’d do to Niki or Rhian. I knew that this time things were going to be different. This round they were changing the rules.

“But me down you fucking beast!” Rhian spat as she kicked and fought off Matt She screamed and wriggled and did anything to get out of his grasp. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Rhian fought so hard.

“Shut the fuck up bitch!” he growled, squeezing her arm and smiling when she screamed in pain.

“No, Matt, don’t hurt her,” Brian said loudly, making everyone look at him. Even Johnny stopped tying Niki down to pay attention.

“She’s fucking fighting Brian,” Matt said slowly, not seeing any sense in his friend’s words.

“Damn right I’m fighting you, you sick fuck!” She screamed, landing a kick on the back of his knee, nearly making it buckle.

“Fuck,” I groaned when Brian’s fist connected with my head so hard that the chair that I was restrained to fell over on it’s side. Everything was silent then, including Rhian’s protests.

“See how it works?” he asked. “To punish one of them, you hurt their friends.”

“You’re a sadistic bastard,” Rhian said in a shaky voice. Brian smirked.

“I am,” he shrugged, sticking one of his fingers into a hole that the cat of nine tails had left, making me scream out. “But it’s not your place to tell me that now is it.”

“Burn in fucking hell,” I growled as he moved his finger around, disturbing all of the healing muscles and flesh around it. Niki screamed out next as Johnny ran a knife down her already mangled arm. At Niki’s scream, Matt pulled open one of the cuts on Rhian’s back, making blood seep from it. I cringed as he did so, I could hear the separation of the skin, me made sure to make the cut deeper.

“Keep running your mouths girls, you’re only hurting each other,” Zack laughed.

Niki’s POV

Everywhere hurt. Johnny had made sure that the knife in his hand always caused as much pain as possible. Every cut had a purpose. Nearly all of Rhian’s cuts that she had got from the chair she and Taylor had mentioned were reopened. Taylor was nearly beaten black and blue. Eventually we had gotten the point, don’t speak.

“Oh come on girls, don’t you have anything else that you want to say?” Johnny laughed, making me cringe. He noticed and smacked me over the head roughly, just trying to get a rise out of me. “Are you trying to ruin our fun now?”

“I believe he asked a question, didn’t he?” Matt growled, slamming his fist down on Rhian’s fingers. She shrieked and tried to pull her hand back.

“There we go,” Brian laughed, jabbing another finger into one of Taylor’s wounds. She whimpered, trying to move away from the touch. Now I realized their game. The pain that I had gone through was nothing compared to watching what they were doing to my friends. And to know that any noise I made caused it.

I closed my eyes, trying to block out the images of them writhing in pain. I couldn’t take it, it made me hurt. These were my best friends, my family. I just didn’t want to imagine it, I couldn’t picture it anymore.

“Ah, ah, ah,” Vengeance chuckled, “We have a cheater.”

My eyes snapped open when I heard Rhian scream. Matt had jabbed a knife into her leg, laughing as the tears rolled down her cheeks. He enjoyed it, the sick fuck enjoyed it! I’ll kill him, I swear I will. I’ll fucking kill all of them. I’ll make them feel everything we’re fucking feel, and God will I fucking enjoy it when I do.

“How’s that feel Rhian?” Matt asked her, watching her face contort in pain. “Do you like that?” he growled, twisting the knife in her leg. I winced when I heard that portion of her muscle tear. “You know what all of your screaming means, don’t you?”

Brian spread Taylor’s had apart, making sure that the webbing between her thumb and pointer finger was taut. I watched as he aimed a nail on it and picked up a hammer, smiling sweetly at me as he drove the nail through her flesh. She jerked, and tears rolled down her cheeks, but she didn’t cry out. Tears flowed out of her eyes as she bit her lip holding back the screams. Brian watched her, waiting for a cry, a yelp, a plead, anything that would pass the pain on. But nothing came out. She didn’t make a noise.

“What’s wrong bitch, have you gone mute?” Jimmy asked, jerking her hair up so that she could look him in the eye. She glared up at him, making sure that he knew she was still alive and thinking, but she didn’t answer. “Fucking answer me!” he growled, repeating what Brian had done on her opposite hand. Again, she flinched, but she wouldn’t speak. When she had her breathing and pain under control, she shook her head. I had to smile at her defiance. I was starting to realize her plan. Piss them off as much as possible. Eventually we have to die. “Fine then, don’t answer. Matt, take care of her,” he ordered, motioning to Rhian. Matt plunged the knife deeper, nearly making Rhian scream, but she didn’t either, she held it back.

“What, you won’t scream either?” Matt growled, roughly pulling the knife out of her leg and burying it in the other. She breathed deeply and swallowed, most likely using all the self restraint she had. “Fine then, Johnny.”

Johnny chuckled, the knife he was holding glinting in his hand, and moved over to my side, by my good arm. My breath began to hitch in my throat at all the thoughts of what he could do. He grinned as he pressed it into my arm, waiting for it to push through the skin and into the flesh before he drug it along my arm, watching for signs of pain in my face as he began to engrave the message into my arm.

Murder

“Not going to scream yet sweetheart?” he questioned. I shook my head, looking him square in the eye as I did so. I may not be able to say much at this point, but I’ll be damned if I don’t get my point across. “Alright then, you’ll pass it on,” he chuckled, looking to Taylor as Jimmy grinned evilly at her.

“Oh my God,” she whispered to herself, barely loud enough for anyone to hear. They did though, and they did not look happy.

“Did you just fucking say God?!” Jimmy growled, slamming the hammer down on her right middle finger. Once again she bit back the scream, but she nodded. “You stupid fucking bitch!” he boomed, smacking her in the head with the handle of the hammer, causing her head to split open. “Johnny, finish you message, we’re going to show these girls why we don’t say that fucker’s name in here.”

Once again, the knife was jabbed into my skin, again moving inside, tearing muscles and flesh, at some points scraping the bone.

Liar

By now the loss of blood had me growing dizzy, I knew I wouldn’t last much longer. It was only a matter of time before I was out. And I knew that once I was, it was one less thing for them to threaten Rhian and Taylor with.

“Stop,” Taylor whispered, “Please, in God’s name just stop.”

This time at the mention of God, the knife was ripped from Rhian’s leg, leaving a long and vicious looking cut behind. Rhian was fortunate though, it was her last shot for this round. She was out, whether from pain or loss of blood, she was out. Matt looked at her limp body with a bored expression, as if all his fun had been ruined. Now all that was left was Taylor and I. I’d come to realize something though. The God thing, it didn’t just irritate them, it down right pissed them off. Time to use it to our advantage.

Taylor glanced up at me, the look on her face telling me that she had realized the same thing. She raised her brows, asking permission and I nodded slightly. Might as well, I don’t have that much time left anyway. And besides that, it’s not like I have he ability to speak his name. Though when I die, he and I are having a talk about the sick fucks that he allows to roam around.

“You going to say his name again?” Brian growled in her ear. Taylor shook her head, a tear running down her cheek as she sent me one last apologetic look. She knew as well as I did that what was about to happen was going to hurt like hell, but it would prevent them from prolonging the torture. It was worth it.

“Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name,” her weak voice came. It looked as if a fire had been lit in the eyes of the five men, they fury was undeniable. I whimpered when the knife once again pierced my skin, and as the sound left my throat, Taylor was once again hit in the head with the handle of the hammer, making her eyes droop. Good, she’s almost out too. Still, she continued as the third word was finished in my arm. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.”

Vengeance.

“You’d better get your friend to shut the fuck up,” Johnny boomed, “Otherwise you’ll get it twice as bad.”

Rather than attempt to answer him, I spat in his face. He wiped the mixture of blood and spit off his face, snarling as he did so. I allowed myself to yelp this time as the knife was plunged in.

“Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Her voice was growing stronger despite all the blows that were being placed on her. I cheered her along mentally, hoping she could piss them off enough for the both of us. I was grateful I didn’t have to witness the beating though, as my vision slowly started to fade.

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

I smirked when she delivered that portion of the prayer louder than all the rest. Though I couldn’t see their faces, I knew that they were most likely contorted in both anger and annoyance. She just wouldn’t stop, and it annoyed the shit out of them.

“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. A-fucking-men.”

I could faintly hear a loud wack, and assumed that they had finally just knocker her unconscious. I let my head tilt back as darkness overcame me. Johnny pulled out the knife, telling me the final word was in, and though I couldn’t see it, I knew what it was.

Deceit.