Chapter 48
Chapter Forty-Eight
THE HEATHEN
Ikick my mother in the stomach when her lifeless body hasn’t moved in a while. No response. I glance at Knox and shrug my shoulders.
“She’s dead. Too bad she won’t be here to see her Prophet die.”
Jedediah shakes his head at me, looking a little green around the gills.
“This is who you want to be? A monster?” He asks, and I take a moment before responding.
“The monster taking your life is you. Because you created me. Every time you touched me. Every time you held me down and forced yourself inside my body. Every time you beat me. When you passed me around to others—all of those moments led to this. When you are dead I will only have one regret. That I didn’t kill you sooner. ”
He wants to appear strong and unafraid, but his trembling body gives him away.
“You’re going to Hell. God will not forgive you for this. I will see to it that you burn for eternity.”
I stare at Carter who watches me affectionately, his eyes filled with love even when I show him this side of me. All three of my men accept me for who I am.
“I’m almost ready for the hammer and nails, but I’ll need the step stool.”
He nods and gets what I need as I stare at the man who I share DNA with. He should’ve loved and protected me but hurt me more than a stranger ever would.
“Do you have anything to say for yourself?”
Glancing up at the ceiling he cries out.
“Why have you forsaken me and left me with this ungodly creature? You could stop this, Father.”
I tilt my head at him. All these years I’m still trying to figure him out.
“Are you the Prophet now or the son of God? I’m having a little trouble keeping up.”
He yanks at the chains holding his wrists in place and sighs audibly.
“I am both. The Prophet and the son of God.”
That clears up nothing. It only makes him seem more insane than I already thought he was.
“I’ve always wondered if you actually believe this crock of shit. You’re going to die either way. Just tell me the truth. Why? How could you do this to your own child?”
I know as I ask him, he will never give me an answer that will satisfy my need to know how he could do this to his own children.
“God gave me permission and I liked watching you fight until you broke and just took it.”
I glance at Carter, remembering what he once told me.
“We never had sex. You raped me. Sex and rape are not the same thing. One is given freely. The other is taken. That’s what you did.
You took things you were never entitled to.
You aren’t a prophet. You surely are not the son of God.
You’re nothing. Not even a man. You’re a predator that preys on defenseless children.
The most vulnerable of people. Do you know why?
Because if you went after an adult, you’d get your ass handed to you.
Instead, you chose children as your victims because they are weak, like you. ”
He shakes his head emphatically.
“No. I chose children because I’m attracted to them and there’s nothing wrong with it. God made me this way. He does not make mistakes. I am as he intended.”
Carter grabs my hand and pulls me into his arms.
“I know you want to know why, Little Heathen. I get it, but he’s a sick fucker. You’ll never get the answers you seek. Please don’t torture yourself by listening to this shit. If you do, he wins.”
I press my face against his chest and inhale deeply, allowing his scent to center me.
“I’m ready to nail him to the cross.”
Killian grabs the step stool and sets it in front of Jedediah, who stares at me, eyes wide with disbelief.
“No. You aren’t going to-“
I nod with a smile on my lips. Knowing even when he’s on the cross, he wouldn’t have seen this coming, delights me.
“I am. You want to claim to be a prophet? The Son of God? Commit horrific crimes in his name? This is how you die.”
I climb to the top step as my men move closer to me. Jedediah closes his fist and Knox walks over to my bag of supplies and comes back with zip ties. He forces Jed’s hand open and ties his fingers to the wood while he screams obscenities at him.
“Motherfucker!” He yells as Knox moves to his other side and does the same thing with his other hand.
“That’s not very Christian language, Prophet,” Killian says with a chuckle.
If I had to guess, I’d say Jedediah doesn’t even believe in God.
If he did, he wouldn’t be afraid of the pain I’m about to inflict on him, but what waits for him after he’s dead.
God was merely an excuse. A way to control us, to have power over us.
It could’ve been anything. God was his weapon of choice.
I hold my hand out and Carter hands me a nail and the hammer.
“Heather. My daughter. My wife. Please.” Jedediah gasps as if he’s just now at this moment realizing the gravity of this situation.
I shake my head trying to erase his words from my head.
“I’m not your daughter. Not anymore. And I was never your wife.”
Killian touches my arm gently.
“We can do anything you want done. If this is too much-“
Leaning my head to the side, I kiss his hand.
“I’m okay. I will do this because it’s what I need.”
Holding the nail just above his wrist, I take the hammer and tap it lightly at first, careful to not hit my own hand.
His eyes bulge as he lets out a gurgling scream.
When he begins banging his head against the cross I continue hammering the long nail through his hand as it bleeds only slightly.
I glance at Carter, my eyebrows knit with obvious disappointment on my face.
“Why isn’t it gushing blood?”
I’ve never crucified someone before but I expected a lot of blood.
“The nail is likely working as a seal. There wouldn’t be much external blood, but there may be internal bleeding.”
I gaze at Jedediah, tears streaming down his face.
“Well, Jed. Not much blood. That’s disappointing… but it still hurts, right?”
“No. It fucking tickles, you evil bitch.”
Carter hands me another nail and I hold it just above his wrist like the first one.
“Watch your mouth, Prophet. Jesus is watching.” I say with a giggle, and hammer the nail through his flesh as he screams louder than before.
I’ve done research and know there are arteries in the hands.
Did I hit one? Maybe. I’d like him to suffer for a prolonged period of time, but I won’t be disappointed if he dies sooner rather than later.
“How’s that feel?” I ask him as I step down from the stool.
“Wicked, ungodly heathen.” He spits, saliva mixing with blood dribbling down his chin.
My men surround me protectively, and this time it doesn’t annoy me because they’ve honored their promise. They stood by and watched me get revenge.
“If you want to make him scream I’m okay with it.” I say to all of my men.
Jedediah groans in pain, his eyes shut tight as his breaths come out labored.
“Haven’t you done enough? Just leave me alone and let me die.”
I shrug my shoulders in response to his whining.
“There is no amount of torture to make up for what you’ve done to me. It could never be enough, but this will have to do. While you’re burning in hell, I’ll be living my best life.
When I walk away from this, I’m done even thinking about you. You controlled so much of my life, but not anymore. You are powerless over me.”
Killian is the first to approach him and punch him in the face and then in the stomach.
Knox is second and this is a side of him I’ve only seen once—with Grave.
His eyes are dark, his jaw clenched, pure hatred showing in his expression as he draws his fist back and strikes Jedediah in the side.
His pained grunt is loud as he hisses. Carter moves closer to me, a knife is in his hand as he stares at me, asking for permission and I nod in agreement.
He stands in front of the man that was once my father.
“I know the pain of what you did to her. Fists are not enough. You disappointed our girl by not bleeding. So now you’ll make up for that. She wants your blood, and you’ll give that to her. Beg for me to make you bleed, Prophet.”
His eyes shoot open as he stares at Carter like he’s lost his mind.
“Beg.” Carter says when he doesn’t get a response.
“Beg or I’ll cut your puny dick to shreds.”
Jedediah screams out.
“Holy Father, please!”
Carter holds the knife between his legs, only a few inches away from him.
“Last chance. I promise you, I’m just crazy enough to do it.”
Killian and Knox both wrap an arm around me as we watch this man, once strong and powerful, now weak and pathetic as he begs Carter to torture him.
“Please, make me bleed.”
He slices across his stomach and I smile seeing the blood drain from his body.
“More. Make me bleed.” He says, and now I know he’s trying to get Carter to kill him, but thankfully, Carter sees through it. He touches his chest with the tip of the knife.
“If I stab you here you’ll die quickly. That’s too easy so let’s try the other side.”
The knife plunges into his chest, his entire body trembling against the wood. Blood soaks through the material on the robe as his head hangs down in defeat. Carter pries his mouth open.
“This is for every vile word you’ve ever said to our girl.”
He pierces the blade through Jedediah’s tongue as he yells, his screams incoherent.
Carter turns back to me for a brief moment, his lips pulling up into a sadistic grin before turning back to his victim.
“And this is for ever looking at her sexually. She was a child and your daughter you sick, fucking pedophile. You were supposed to protect her from monsters, not become one.”
I cannot hide my gasp as Carter plunges the knife into one eyeball and then the other. A mixture of fluid and blood leak down his face, his eyes no longer recognizable as he cries in pure anguish.
I grab the can of gas and pour it over all three of them before dousing the warehouse.
“Ready?” I ask and my men nod.
I take a moment to the three people dying and feel powerful.
“This is retribution. I feel no guilt because you all brought this on yourself. Everything done to you is far less than you deserve. Today is my Independence Day. I'm free.”
I sigh audibly as relief floods me, and the emotion overwhelms me. It’s over.
“I need a lighter.”
Killian narrows his gaze at me, anger spiking in his eyes.
“We had a deal, Killer. Did we not?”
I can’t deny, I agreed to let someone else burn them because they were worried about my safety.
“Killian.” I plead.
He shakes his head as if I’m impossible.
“You are not starting a fire inside here. If you must be the one to light it, it can be done from outside.”
I turn and grab the gas can and walk outside, immediately pouring gas all around the building as all eyes are on me.
Once the fire is lit, I throw the gas can towards the building, and Killian scoops me into his arms, carrying me away from the fire.
Setting me on my feet, I stand watching the fire climb and listening to the screams from inside the burning structure.
I fall to my knees planting my hands on the earth as I sob loudly.
I’m free.
No more pain for the innocent.
My blood family are gone.
The only real family I’ve ever known wrap their arms around me.
Safety.
My future.
My everything.