THE CRUEL SEVEN

by Terence Mitford

  The only consolation was that she hadn’t had to pretend, so Luke would think she still enjoyed sex with him. But despite her body’s response, she had hated it.

  He rolled over to face her. “I didn’t want it to be like this.”

  “Like what?”

  “You knowing about Carlos and the girls Harvey brought out here.”

  “Why did you kill the girls?”

  “We got bored with them after a while, and we couldn’t just drop them off in town, could we?”

  “Why not?”

  “Because they weren’t all willing participants, if you know what I mean.”

  “So how long before you get bored with me?”

  “I won’t lie to you. It will probably happen one day, but if you comply, and keep giving us babies, you’ll have a good few years ahead of you.”

  Lisa took a moment to digest what Luke was telling her. Was she supposed to be grateful to him for not lying to her? “What happened to the girls?”

  “As Ma said, we played the game with them, but the wishes were all fatal. So the fact that yours weren’t should show you how much we like you.”

  Ignoring his twisted logic, Lisa felt compelled to ask, “How did they die?”

  Luke raised up on his elbow and studied her. “Are you sure you want to know?”

  “I think I need to.”

  “The methods differed with each girl. We hung one, buried one alive, used Pa’s axe on another…” He hesitated, as if searching his memory.

  Lisa had heard enough. “Okay, I get the picture.”

  “Feeling squeamish?”

  “Who was involved?”

  “How do you mean?”

  “From the family. Who carried out the death sentences?”

  Luke seemed surprised by this question. “We all did, of course.”

  “Even Summer?”

  “Especially Summer. She was always the most enthusiastic. Ma says she has the devil in her.”

  Lisa fought to control her emotions and not react. As far as she was concerned, they all had the devil in them. “Why did you kill Carlos?”

  “To answer that, I need to tell you a story.”

  It was obvious his story would not have a happy ending, but she had to hear it. “I’m listening.”

  “I told you Harvey used to bring us girls. But we found one ourselves. In town. This time last year, me, Pa, and the twins were in a bar when Carlos walked in.”

  Lisa heaved in a deep breath. “What, you’ve met him before?”

  Luke nodded.

  “Go on.”

  “He wasn’t alone. He had his kid sister with him. Sweet sixteen. Real cute. The twins got chatting to her, and they were getting on real well. Turns out Carlos and little sister were flying business men around north eastern America to earn money for their mother. She needed a new kidney, or something. I guess his desperation for cash caused him to take risks. Apparently, the guy he brought to town was high up in one of the drug cartels.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Harvey told us.”

  “How did Harvey know?”

  Luke raised an eyebrow. “He was on the take, of course.”

  “But when your ma showed him the carryall, he was going to arrest me and Mike.”

  “He was, but not because of the drugs. He just used them as leverage. It was because you held out on him. You would never have made it to town. That’s why Ma shot him.”

  “So what happened last year?”

  “The twins invited little sister out here to our place. She was tempted, but Carlos refused. So we waited around the corner from the bar and followed them as they got a taxi back to the field where they had landed the plane. After the taxi had gone, we drove in, left Carlos for dead, and took the girl. But he survived and staggered back to town.”

  “Why didn’t the police arrest you?”

  Luke grinned. “Harvey took the report. Turns out he made errors when taking down the description of the truck. He had his deputies scouring the county for a red eight wheeler. Ours is a green six wheeler. They made a few arrests but eventually filed the case unsolved. Carlos and his sister were outsiders, so eventually it dropped out of the headlines.”

  “So what happened here with Carlos?”

  “He staggered in a few hours before you. Ma brought him inside just like she did with you. She didn’t know who he was. None of us did at first. I mean, it was a year since we last saw him and back then, we were more focused on his sister than him. He sat at the table while Ma dressed his wounds, just like she did with you, and he told us how he’d been transporting a young couple to Quebec but planned to make a stop in town en route. He told us about the crash, and how he had to leave the couple unconscious to search for help. And he told us about the young wife in the back of his plane and how beautiful she was.”

  Luke paused and studied Lisa for a moment. “He was right about that. Anyway, everything was going fine until Frankie and Freddie walked in. He looked like he’d seen a ghost. Then he grabbed the scissors ma was using to dress his wounds and lunged for Freddie. Pa knocked him down, and we tied him up and asked him where the plane was. He wouldn’t tell us. He was too honorable for his own good. Hell, we used nearly every torture technique we knew, but he held out. In the end Pa went a little too far and choked him to death.”

  Lisa fought to conceal the repulsion growing inside her. “Before he recognized you, did he mention his mother?”

  Luke shook his head. “No, but either he was still saving for her operation, or for the medical aftercare bills. So he must have been on his way to make a drop in town when you crashed.”

  Lisa stared at Luke. “Why did you tell me all this?”

  “Because Ma reckons that if you know what we are capable of, fear should keep you under control. And I wanted you to know that we didn’t intend to kill Carlos.”

  “But after he recognized the twins, you weren’t likely to let him go, were you?”

  “You’re probably right.”

  “So you will never let me go, will you?”

  Luke shook his head. “Probably not. But maybe in time you’ll get to used to life out here. Then none of what I’ve told you will matter.”

  Lisa didn’t ask any more questions. She had all the answers she wanted, and none had given her any hope for her future. This family had no redeeming qualities. They were just evil, plain and simple. And the scary thing was, they couldn’t see it. Luke had just confessed to the murder of innocents, and he thought she would be okay with it because she had agreed to stay. He was delusional. The whole family was if they thought she was ever going to accept the situation.

  But what sickened her the most was not being able to vent her anger, disgust, and hatred for them. Because if she did, she would end up in the same place as Carlos, his young sister, and God knows how many other poor girls unfortunate enough to have trusted this family.

  And she couldn’t stop thinking about Carlos’s mother, dealing with a life-threatening illness without her son and daughter around to help. So it wasn’t just about her own safety anymore. She had to survive to see justice for all of those victims.

  Luke got out of bed and walked to the window. He pulled both shutters and secured them with a padlock. Then he walked to the door, turned the key, and removed it. As he got back into bed, he looped a thin cord through the end of the key, tied the ends together, and hung it around his neck.

  Lisa stared at him for a moment, then sighed. “Even after I agreed to stay and play your stupid game, you still don’t trust me.”

  “There’s something I need to tell you about the game.”

  Lisa felt her heart jump. “What?”

  “It’s about the joker.”

  “What about it?”

  “If you had not drawn a second wish from the tankard, we couldn’t have made you.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “You didn’t need to pull another paper out. The rules are clear. Only one draw is necessa
ry.”

  “But I was told that if I didn’t, you would activate all of the wishes.”

  “We are allowed to lie to you but not to force you if you failed to draw again.”

  “So is it a lie about the trial if I’m disobedient?”

  “No, that part is true.”

  “How do I know you are not lying to me now?”

  “I suppose you don’t.”

  “And who enforces the rules, anyway? You could just do whatever you want, couldn’t you?”

  “We could, but we wouldn’t. Ma is very strict about following the rules. She says if we break them there is no point having them.”

  Lisa slowly shook her head. “So I still have this threat of Summer’s wish hanging over me?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  44

  LISA

  Lisa woke first. She turned and nudged Luke in the back. “I need to use the bathroom.”

  He grunted. “Go ahead.”

  “You locked the door.”

  He rolled over and grinned at her. “No, I didn’t.”

  “I saw you last night. You turned the key and put it on a cord around your neck.”

  “I locked the door when you were getting undressed. Later I unlocked it and put the key around my neck.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I knew you’d think I had locked it.”

  “But if you wanted me to think that, why didn’t you just leave it locked?”

  “More fun this way. All part of the game.”

  Lisa shook her head. “You really are cruel, aren’t you?”

  “You’d better use the bathroom before I change my mind and lock it again.”

  She jumped out of bed, wrapped a towel around her naked body, and rushed out of the bedroom. But as she turned to the bathroom, Erica blocked her path. Lisa glanced at the woman’s right hand and froze. She was holding a steel ring on a chain.

  Lisa drew a deep breath. “What is that for?”

  “I think you can guess. We can’t have you running off, can we?”

  “But I’ve slept all night in here with the door unlocked and I didn’t run off.”

  “Because you thought it was locked.”

  “What if I’d tried the door, anyway?”

  “You wouldn’t have got far. Ed slept out here last night. I think he was kind of hoping you would make a run for it.” Erica sniggered. “I told Luke to play that trick on you to keep you guessing. So you’ll never know whether you can trust your own eyes.” She pointed to the nearest couch. “Sit down while I fit this.”

  “But I need the bathroom.”

  Erica pointed down to the small section of wall between the two doors. The other end of the chain was fastened to a ring that was bolted to the baseboard. “The chain is long enough to reach the bathroom and also the kitchen. In fact, you can go as far as the veranda, but that’s it. No further.”

  Lisa sighed and sat down on the couch. Erica placed the split ring around Lisa’s right ankle and passed a small padlock through two small metal lugs, securing it in place.

  Lisa stood up and looked down. “I feel like a prisoner.”

  “I guess you are. I discussed things with Ed last night and we decided to play it safe.”

  “How long do I have to keep it on?”

  “That depends on you.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “The quicker you get pregnant and give birth, the quicker you can have the chain removed.”

  “Give birth. Are you saying I have to keep it on until then?”

  “If you’re fertile, it should only be nine or ten months.”

  “And if I’m not?”

  “Then it’ll be longer.”

  “How am I supposed to go to the hospital with this on?”

  Erica shook her head. “You’ll have the baby here.”

  “That could be dangerous. I’m only small. There could be complications.”

  “That’s a risk we’ll have to take.”

  “We’ll have to take? It’ll be me giving birth.”

  “Yes, but we stand to lose too if anything goes wrong.”

  “Forgive me if I don’t quite see it that way.” She paused. “I should go for regular checkups and scans.”

  Erica scowled. “Are you going to keep moaning, or are you going to shut up and accept your fate? Because if you carry on like this I’ll convene the family court.”

  That reminded Lisa of something Luke had said. “Luke told me that if I hadn’t picked out another wish, it would have been the end of the game. You wouldn’t have activated them all, and I wouldn’t have Summer’s wish suspended over me.”

  Erica smirked. “Luke’s right. But you did, so the game is active and your sentence suspended. Now, do you want to use the bathroom or not?”

  Lisa shook her head in disgust and walked into the bathroom, dragging the chain behind her. She could close the door because, unlike the bedroom, the gap at the bottom was just big enough to prevent it snagging on the chain.

  She stood in the shower, dejected, and wondered how many girls had worn this chain before her. She guessed her ankles and feet were smaller than the previous victims, except maybe for Carlos’s little sister, and being a one size fits all, the steel cuff rubbed against her skin as she moved.

  But as she continued to study it, a flicker of hope rippled through her. The way it rested low on her heel suggested it might just be big enough to squeeze her foot through. She bent down and tried to manipulate it down the back of her heel. But as she pushed, the top of the cuff dug into the top of her foot. Despite the pain, she kept trying for a while without success. Then, as she was about to give up, she had an idea. After pulling the cuff back up, she rubbed soap around her ankle and heel and tried again. This time it slipped over her heel. She nearly leaped out of the tub with excitement. But it was cut short when Erica banged on the door and told her to get a move on because they were waiting for breakfast.

  She checked the bathroom window and sighed. It was small and high and had two vertical bars blocking any chance of escape. She shook her head and wondered why she hadn’t noticed them before? Maybe they hadn’t registered with her because, until now, she had no reason to think about escaping.

  She had no choice but to reapply the soap, slip her foot back through the steel cuff, and wait for a better opportunity when Erica and the others were not on the other side of the door.

  When she returned to the bedroom, Luke was still sleeping despite the chain scraping across the floorboards as she walked. The shackle around her ankle prevented her from putting on her panties and denim shorts, so she slipped on her dress and made her way to the kitchen, dragging the chain behind her like some medieval prisoner.

  The day was much the same as the others. Prepare breakfast, clear away, clean the bathroom. Prepare dinner, clear away, and all with one or more family members milling around more than usual. She guessed that seeing her in chains appealed to their sadistic personalities.

  Everything had changed for her. No longer part of the family, she was now their slave. But she went about her chores knowing that, all being well, she would make her bid for freedom later that night when Luke and the family were asleep. Because the chain would stop Luke from fully closing the bedroom door.

  45

  LISA

  That night, things didn’t go to plan. In the bedroom, Luke unlocked the ring around Lisa’s ankle and coiled the chain up outside the room. Then he locked the door, removed the key, and placed it under the mattress on his side. “I don’t want the chain getting in the way,” he said.

  Lisa died a little inside. He had just sabotaged her escape plan. If he locks her in the bedroom at night and chains her during the day when the family were around to watch her, when would she be able to make her move?

  But that night, one thing did go right. When Luke pinned her to the bed and entered her, she felt nothing. At last, her body had caught up with her mind and had shunned his touch like any victim would
expect.

  So the next morning when he turned towards her, intending a repeat performance, she pushed him off and jumped out of bed. “No more.”

  His voice rose in pitch. “What?”

  “If you cannot trust me to be part of this family, then I won’t lay back while you fuck me.”

  “Ma explained your role here.”

  “Do you have to do everything your ma says?”

  Luke sat up. “Of course I do. She runs this family, and she makes the rules.”

  “Why can’t you build your own house and make your own rules? It’s going to get pretty crowded in here when we have our own children.”

  “You’re right, but we can extend this place.”

  Lisa sat down on the bed next to him and tried a little deception of her own. “I just want us to have some time alone, that’s all.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. I meant what I said when I told your ma that I had decided to stay here.”

  “Even now that you know about Carlos and his sister and the other girls?”

  Lisa nodded. “I know, I must be crazy, but I don’t care about any of that.”

  Luke seemed to think for a moment before shaking his head and jumping off the bed. “I know what you’re doing. You are trying to drive a wedge between me and Ma. Well, it won’t work.” He pulled on his shorts and shirt and walked out.

  Lisa stared at the closed door. It won’t be easy, but I mustn’t give up. Although Erica has an iron grip on this family, I’m going to play her at her own game. In fact, I’m going to play them all at their own game.

  She got out of bed, and being free of the chain, pulled on her new underwear and her shorts and shirt. At least she won’t feel as vulnerable as she had the day before, when she’d been naked under her dress.

  She left the bedroom just as Luke came out of the bathroom. He glanced down at her ankle and then at the coiled chain close by.