Chapter 26 Rowan #2
Barely able to see the path before me, I screamed in pain as I fumbled my way through the mansion.
I could hear the staff run past me as they all ran to Blossom’s aid.
I could hear our parents coddle her while she broke down crying, telling her everything would be okay.
How did she even make it out that night?
What did she mean when she said I’d die a painful death?
Did she mean TJ? I didn’t know, and I wouldn’t be around to find out because I was out of here.
Stepping outside, I was thankful that the rain was still pouring down.
I threw my head back and allowed it to splash all over my burning face.
Still barely able to see, I bypassed the cars and made my way toward the end of the driveway.
The main road wasn’t far, and I was hoping someone would take pity on me and drive me to the hospital.
“I-I can’t breathe.” I stumbled before tripping over something and falling to the ground. From the sound of the cars, I knew I was closer to the road. “Someone please…” I crawled as best as I could, waving my hand around, hoping to flag down a car. “Help me.”
Collapsing to the ground, my breathing grew ragged as I lay on the wet ground.
My heart felt as if it was about to explode in my chest, and I just knew I was about to die in the middle of the street.
Consciousness was slowly slipping away from me, and right before I passed out, I felt a presence hover over me.
His low, eerie tone was the last thing I heard.
“Well, this must be my lucky day. I’ve been looking for you, Rowan.”
“So, you mean to tell me, you can make a nigga moo by the snap of your fingers?”
Hearing voices and the sounds of animals around me, I groaned as I slowly regained consciousness. My body was on fire, and I felt as if I was getting pricked by a thousand needles. On top of that, I was struggling to breathe and felt as if someone was sitting on my chest.
“Wakey, wakey, nigga.” The voice of an unknown man caused me to snap my neck in his direction. That was the wrong move on my part because it seemed to intensify the pain I was in. “Boy, you’re out here looking like a fresh batch of fried pork skins.”
“W-Who’s there? Where am I?” I tried to open my eyes, but something was covering them. When I went to remove it, it was then that I realized I couldn’t move my arms or even my body, for that matter. “What’s wrong with me? P-Please, let me go.”
“Good evening, Mr. Reid,” another eerie voice spoke as the sound of heavy footprints echoed in the now silent room. “I hope your stay here is unpleasant and as painful as possible.”
I jumped as he began to unravel the bandages over my eyes. I winced as I pried them open. They were sensitive to the light that shone from above, making it hard to focus on the men in the room. I was still trying to will myself to move, but nothing was happening.
“I’m Zoo.” He smiled as he walked back around the table I was on and stood in front of me.
“The nigga dressed like a witch is my brother, Boko, and that there is my new friend, Slash.” Taking the cool metal of his Glock, he turned my head to look back at him.
“Welcome to our world. Welcome to The Zoo.”
“My father is Governor Carlton Reid,” I cried hysterically. The last thing I remembered was my bitch of a sister throwing hot cooking oil on me. I had no idea how I ended up with these people. “He will come look for me if you hurt me!”
Hearing the sound of laughter, I snaked my head around Zoo and saw one of the other men with his head thrown back.
The one deemed Slash pushed off the far wall before walking over my way.
His eyes were dark and intense, a frightening sight for my sore eyes.
His jaw clenched as he peered at me with pure hatred.
“You think I give a fuck about your daddy, nigga? I swear, you and that bitch, TJ, need to let your pappy’s nuts go and be your own men.” He stopped in front of me with a smirk on his face as he looked me over. “Bloss Baby did a number on you.”
Hearing him mention a name similar to my sister’s gave me pause. The fear began to dissipate as anger set in. It was because of her that I was here right now. If she had died in the fire with Dame, none of this would be happening.
“You want Blossom? I can arrange that.” I looked at him as best as I could and tried to bargain. “She’s single now, and with TJ going to prison soon, no one will be in your way. For a small fee—”
Wham!
Sending a punch to my jaw, I felt it crack instantly from the impact. Loose teeth dangled and blood oozed from my mouth as I howled in pain.
“I’ve been wondering what I was going to do to you for a while now.” He stepped back, fists clenched at his side. “I was thinking we could have a little fun. You know… The same fun Damien intended for Blossom.”
At the mention of Dame’s name, I froze. I knew his death wasn’t an accident!
Someone had found out what I’d done and killed him.
Blossom knew what I’d done, and I had the burnt flesh to prove it.
Who else could have known didn’t matter because of my current predicament.
But if I were able to get out of this mess, the same man who killed Damien would be out to get me.
“I’m sorry!” I shook my head profusely, still unable to move anything below my neck. “I will apologize to her! Please don’t kill me! Why can’t I move?!”
“Before we begin, let me formally introduce myself.” He smirked as he placed his hands in his pockets, rocking on his heels. “I’m your sister’s new man, JJ McKnight.”
“M-McKnight?” I stammered as I shook from fear. “Y-You sent Chris’s head to my office! You killed him!”
“My intentions were to kill you, too, nigga.” JJ sneered, brandishing a small blade from his back.
“You stole from my father, which was fucked up, by the way. You had a very profitable business until you lost your mind, snorting and gambling like the junky-ass nigga you are.” His eyes looked me over as he twirled the knife between his fingers.
“You got in way over your head and had the bright idea to place your sister in the hands of a man who would have done God knows what to her.”
Eyeing me intently, he dragged the blade of the dagger across my chest, causing the few blisters there from the burn to split open. I cried out at the excruciating pain, wishing I could offer the man something to stop cutting me.
“You may not know this, but I love your sister,” he continued.
“The love I have for her makes me a little crazy. So, brother, in order for her to love me and not stop anytime soon, I know it wouldn’t be a good look to kill you.
If I killed you and she ever found out, it wouldn’t make for a great happily ever after, right? ”
Slicing me across the cheek as if he were a butcher, I cried and pleaded for him to stop. I couldn’t bear this torture, and I would much rather he kill me than continue.
"Why can’t I move?” I whimpered, giving up on trying to move off the table. “What did you do to me?”
“Ahhh, a little C5 spinal cord injury.” He smirked, walking over toward another table.
My eyes ballooned once I saw all the saws, needles, and tools.
“You see, I’m a doctor, and I know my way around the human body.
As badly as I want you dead, Rowan, I want you to suffer more.
You’ll be paralyzed for the rest of your life. Not only that—”
“Ahhhh!” I screamed in pain as he sliced off both of my hands. “Please!”
“That’s for stealing from my father. That man has a shit load of kids and a wife with expensive habits. While I want to cut out your tongue and sew your mouth shut for the things you said to Blossom, I decided to get a little more creative.”
“I’m paralyzed?” I screamed as I became weak from the loss of blood. “Just kill me! I can’t live like this!”
“Oh, but you can.” The one named Boko walked over and smiled down at me.
He was dressed in all white with black paint and piercings all over his face, and the darkest eyes I’d ever seen. Slash stepped back, heaving as blood dripped from his blade. I wanted to pass out, but I mentally couldn’t. Something was keeping me awake to feel all the torture.
“You see, I don’t like men who abuse and mistreat women.
I feel like there’s a special place in hell for men like you.
And I’ll be the one to send you there.” I watched as he lit an incense and allowed the smoke to surround us.
“When you sleep at night, you will see the face of the one you’ve hurt most. You will feel her fear, hear her screams, and endure indescribable pain.
” My head moved from side to side as I watched him walk around me, sprinkling the most horrendous-smelling ash all over me.
It burned my skin just as badly as the hot cooking oil Blossom threw.
“Physically, you’ll be here. Mentally?” A devious smirk spread across his face.
“For the rest of your life, you will live in your own personal hell.”
“Please—”
Pou bagay ou te fè yo, ou dwe peye. Ou te jwe san ou sou tab peche a.
Pa gen padon. Pa gen retou. Pou sa, mwen lage ou nan limit lanfè.
(For the things you've done, you must pay.
You gambled your blood on a table of sin.
There's no forgiveness. There's no coming back.
For that, I release you to the bounds of hell.)
Before I could ask him what he was saying, I felt chills run through my body as the smoke from the incense grew thicker.
Even though I was paralyzed, I could still feel the pain at my wrists from losing my hands.
Although I couldn’t move, I was still trying to sit up from the table.
Against my skin, the metal table felt as if I were lying on a slab in the morgue.
Tears ran from the corner of my eyes as I awaited my fate.
“Don’t cry now, nigga,” JJ said between mechanical laughter as I began to seize. “Were you crying when you auctioned off your sister? Chin up, chest out, fuck nigga.”
The room began to spin as the smell of rust permeated the air.
The lights flickered and turned a fluorescent red as buzzing began to surround me.
Flies appeared out of nowhere and landed all over my body.
The table shook as the room grew hotter.
It was then that I noticed what appeared to be lava seeping from the walls, as well as from the floor.
My mouth opened to scream, to cry for help, but no words came out.
My eyes darted around the room for the men who had me here, but they were nowhere to be found.
Their voices faded while the room around me turned the brightest red.
The heat was smoldering, and I felt as if I was suffocating.
Sweat poured out of my body as shadows appeared all around me, peeling themselves from what had them bound.
I am in hell.
Grabbing my arms, legs, and any piece of visible flesh, hands touched and tormented my body. The only thing I could do was lie there and take it. I tried again to scream out, but it was swallowed within.
Yo pral kondane w paske w vann nanm san w bay mechan yo. Ou pral santi menm doulè sa a. (You will be condemned for selling the soul of your blood to the wicked. You will feel that same pain.)
Hearing the ominous voice speak to me, I tried my best to pinpoint it.
The flames around me grew higher and higher, hotter and hotter.
The pain from the hands was agonizing, but it was nothing compared to the scorching heat I felt at my anus and soaring through my rectum.
Pounding in and out of me, I screamed mentally when I realized I was somehow getting fucked raw and rough in my ass.
I was screaming internally, but there was no use. I was at the mercy of the shadows.
The metal table scraped loudly against the floor as I was stretched wider than what should’ve been possible.
I could feel my skin rip, but the pounding did not halt.
My breathing grew tattered, and I knew I was about to have a heart attack.
My eyes rolled into the back of my head as I began to lose consciousness.
“Ase!” (Enough!)
Weak and with heavy eyes, I watched as the flames and lava receded into the walls and floors. The shadows dissipated, but the feeling of the burning hands on my body and rectum was still there.
“I told you I had something better than death planned for you.” JJ walked back over to me, hands in his pockets, with a look of satisfaction on his face.
“This is your life now. Your hands? Gone. Mobility? Gone. Voice? Gone. Don’t worry, I’ll take you home so your family can know you’re alive and well.
” He snickered, turning to leave. “Zoo, send me the ticket. Boko, wrap this up, my boy.”
Boko stepped to me with the face of the devil. He scanned my body, nodding in approval. Leaning toward me, he whispered to me the words that I would hear nightly for the rest of my life.
W’ap peye pou peche ou yo nan lavi sa a ak nan pwochen an. Se pou nanm ou boule pou letènite. (You will pay for your sins in this life and the next. May your soul burn for eternity.)