by Jason Parent
Doug raised his hand. “Shut your mouth, Aaron, before I shut it for you.”
“Yeah, maybe I’ll fuck her up the ass. With a face like hers, yeesh! I don’t know how you do it. Then again, it’s not the face you fuck, but the fuck you face. You should—”
Doug cut him off with a punch hard enough to rock Aaron’s head to the side, and his jaw almost popped out of its socket.
“Stop it, Doug!” Ricardo yelled. “He’s pissed off because he doesn’t understand. Weren’t you the same way?”
“I don’t think so. I had faith to begin with, unlike this pretender,” Doug said. “I have faith that he’ll come around, but until then, he’s just another lost soul in need of salvation.” Doug scowled but took a step back. “When he does come around, we will have converted the unconvertible, saved the unsavable. But until then, if he keeps talking about Kelly that way, I’m going to tear him apart.”
“Bring it on.” Aaron’s words were a little slurred. The threat sounded tired and unconvincing, even to his own ears.
“Enough. We’ll come back to him.” Carter stepped between them. “I need to prepare the heart.”
Aaron felt all the blood leave his face, and he renewed his struggles with the tape. He paused when he realized no one was headed his way to cut out his heart. They were all going back to Brian’s table.
Standing beside the corpse, Carter held up Brian’s heart like a trophy. Doug and Kelly stood on his right and Ricardo on his left. All three bowed their heads for a few seconds. When they raised them, Carter placed the organ on the edge of the table and cut it into chunks as if he were slicing a tomato for a salad. Each of them reached beneath the table and pulled out a bottle of water from the shelf underneath it.
No. Aaron shuddered. They’re not really going to eat it? His stomach rumbled.
When Carter started chanting some kind of prayer, Aaron looked over at Maura and whispered, “Hey, now’s your chance. Try to get out of here and get help.”
The woman just sat there, staring at the wall across the room.
“Maura? Are you listening to me, Maura?”
“She’s not going to stop this,” Kelly responded.
Aaron stiffened like a child caught stealing cookies. Kelly glared at him as she reached for a piece of heart.
“Let his soul be one with ours,” the four chanted in unison.
They all popped the heart chunks into their mouths. Feeling his last meal rise into his throat, Aaron tried to swallow it back down, but when he saw them chewing, he couldn’t take it anymore. He leaned to the side and vomited onto the floor.
“That’s disgusting,” Carter said.
I’m disgusting? Aaron spat to get the last bit out of his mouth. “Rick, how could you eat that?”
“It’s no joy to eat,” Ricardo said, shrugging. “But it needs to be done. You’ll see. The water helps it go down easier. After a while, you get used to it.”
Get used to it? When the hell did Rick get used to it? He thought back to how he’d failed to listen to what he thought were Craig’s paranoid delusions. He’d at least seen something wrong in these guys. But I vouched for them. I told him they were all right. Some cop I turned out to be.
“Please, Rick, you’re my best friend. I’m begging you. Stop this.” Aaron belched. Stomach acid burned in his throat.
Ricardo shook his head. “You don’t understand. In this piece of heart resides a part of Brian’s soul. When we take it inside us, we absorb it into our own. This way, his soul will be saved along with ours. So as brutal as our killing him may seem, we’ve actually done your friend a miracle.”
Aaron’s mouth dropped open, where it hung long enough for saliva to pool between his teeth and lower lip. “You have lost your freaking mind.”
“Now you sound like Craig, and you called him an idiot.”
“Well, even an idiot can be right about some things.” Aaron looked away. He could hardly speak, choked up by his words and the memory of his failure. “He was right about you guys, right about a lot of things. You killed him. Now you plan on killing me. Doesn’t that seem like an odd way to treat your friends?”
“Don’t listen to him, Rick,” Doug said. “He doesn’t—”
“I know.” Ricardo sighed. He tried on a smile, but there was little warmth in it. “You’re not getting it, Aaron. This is a special day for me. Carter has prophesied that you don’t need to die to be saved. God has shown him that. Once you take part in our ritual, you’ll accept the Lord into your heart. You’ll believe.” He slapped his thigh. “You’ll be one of us, Aaron! We aren’t going to kill you. We want you to help us save his soul, and in doing so, you’ll be saving your own.”
He really believes this shit. Aaron swallowed hard, the bitter acid still lingering in the back of his throat. “You expect me to eat a piece of Brian’s heart?”
“Exactly.”
“No fucking way!” Aaron’s outrage trumped his fear. “You guys go on with your fucked-up tea party without me. I’m not eating that shit, and I don’t want to be part of your fucking cult. You might as well kill me now. Fucking nutjobs. For the record, Satanists practice human sacrifice, not Christians. Even I know that much.”
“What do you know about religion?” Ricardo asked. “You haven’t even been to a church since you were baptized, unless you count weddings.”
“And funerals, but who’s counting? I don’t have to be a Christian to know that what you’re doing ain’t fucking Christian. Murdering people? Eating their hearts? That’s barbaric. It may be all in a day’s work for a Druid, an Aztec, some African shaman maybe, but it’s not Christian.”
“I guess there’s only one way to convince you. I kind of knew you wouldn’t have it any other way. You’re stubborn to the end, just like Craig.” Ricardo grabbed a chunk of heart and stormed toward Aaron.
“You’re not putting that in my mouth!” Aaron decided he would bite the fingers off any sicko who tried to put that shit in his mouth.
“Doug, come give me a hand,” Ricardo said.
The other man strode over and straddled Aaron’s lap. He cupped Aaron’s face, digging his fingers into his cheeks, attempting to pry his teeth apart. Aaron clenched his jaw and shook his head violently. With his other hand, Doug grabbed Aaron’s lower lip and tugged so hard, Aaron thought he would rip it off. The pain caused his eyes to tear.
Aaron opened his mouth, thinking he could bite Doug’s hand. As soon as his teeth separated, Doug stuck his thumb in Aaron’s mouth. His teeth closed around the thick digit, and he bit down hard enough to draw blood. The big man didn’t even seem to notice. He planted his free palm on Aaron’s forehead and pushed his head back while his thumb fish-hooked Aaron’s bottom teeth and forced his jaw open. Ricardo thrust the chunk of heart into Aaron’s mouth.
Aaron could feel the meat on his tongue. The warm chunk tasted metallic with goopy parts the consistency of ketchup cooked over meatloaf. Doug released his jaw, but before Aaron could spit out the heart, a mammoth hand clamped over his mouth.
“Swallow it,” Ricardo ordered.
Aaron shook his head. He used his tongue to block the unwanted bit from going down his throat.
“Swallow it.” Ricardo rubbed Aaron’s throat as if trying to get a dog to swallow a pill. “Swallow it, Aaron, or so help me God, I’ll shove it down your throat myself.” His voice took on a pleading note. “If you don’t, we’ll have to kill you. Is that what you want?”
Aaron remained resolute. At that moment, death was preferable. He clenched the piece of heart between his teeth as he struggled to breathe around Doug’s massive hand.
“Fine. Have it your way.” Ricardo waved a hand. “Doug, open his mouth again.”
Doug grinned wickedly. “No problem.” He pried open Aaron’s jaw like a fearless gator wrestler atop a snapping beast.
As soon as his mouth was
open, Aaron used his tongue to push the chunk out. It dribbled down his chin and landed on his chest.
Ricardo plucked it off. “Waste not, want not.” He plunged his hand deep into Aaron’s mouth, pushing the meat all the way to the back of his throat.
Aaron gagged, and whatever had been left in his stomach rose into his throat. Doug jerked Aaron’s head back and covered his mouth with his free hand. The vomit ended up in Aaron’s mouth with no way out.
“Swallow it or choke on it,” Ricardo said. “You’re running out of options.”
Aaron fought to open his mouth and spew, but Doug tightened his grip even more. Streams forced their way out of Aaron’s nose, burning his nostrils. Tears poured from his eyes. The taste was bad enough, but his air supply was dwindling. Eventually, he was forced to swallow. As soon as he did, Doug removed his hand from his mouth.
“There,” Ricardo said. “That wasn’t so bad, now was it?”
“Fuck you,” Aaron said, gasping for air. The taste of bile still poisoned his mouth. He felt it might come bubbling back up at any moment. He wished it would.
“Give it a minute,” Ricardo said, seeming almost giddy. “You’re going to love this.”
Aaron wheezed, still trying to catch his breath. “I swear to God, Rick, I’m going to kill you for that.”
Ricardo grimaced. “You’ll get over it shortly.”
Aaron wondered if he’d somehow hurt him. “Not likely.” He felt only one thing: a drive to get out of that chair and kick some ass, even if it meant sacrificing his own life.
Who would be first? Doug, for what he did to my eye, the sock, and that wonderful forced feeding I just had to put up with? Or Rick, my so-called best friend? Aaron felt his every muscle flexing as strength born from anger pulsed through him. He’s a fucking dead man.
He slouched back in his chair. All his thoughts of revenge were useless without the means to enact them. All the willpower in the world made no difference. The tape held him firmly in place, and he was starting to realize that he would have no choice but to do what they said and get it over with. They’ve won.
He growled at the thought. No, he still had the will to fight. His anger saw to that—his anger… and something else. Something growing.
His captors were just standing there, watching him. They looked as though they were waiting for his next move, even though he was taped to a chair.
“What are you waiting for?” Aaron asked. “If you’re going to kill me, why don’t you just do it?”
“Do you feel it yet?” Ricardo asked.
“Feel what, asshole? The fucking human heart turning over and over again in my stomach? Trust me, I feel it. Are you happy?”
Ricardo turned to Carter. “I felt it almost instantly. What do you think his problem is?”
Carter smirked. “Maybe he has a slow metabolism.” He waved dismissively. “Be patient. I’m sure a lot is going through his head. He’s probably too distracted to notice it beginning. It’ll hit him, and when it does, it’s going to hit him hard. Don’t you remember your first time?”
“How could I forget it?”
“Hello? I’m right fucking here!” Aaron slammed his feet against the floor. “What’s going to hit me? Huh, Rick, you fucking dickhead? Did you poison me? Drugs?” Aaron envisioned strange scenarios of illegal substances fed to him through sinister, maniacal, and undetectable methods. Through all his congested thoughts, he deciphered one bit of truth: he was starting to feel something.
Maybe it’s just in my head. He trembled. No, something strange is happening inside me. “You prick! You did drug me! You are such a fucking coward, Rick.” Aaron burst into tears. “I can’t believe you’d turn on me like this.”
“It isn’t drugs,” Ricardo said. “It’s Brian’s soul bonding with yours. Accept it into your heart.”
“You’re out of your mind! Completely whacko. Can’t you see that? Going around feeding human hearts to people. What’s wrong with you? All of you? And now this soul crap? Do I look like I’m dumb enough to believe that shit?”
“You will. I have faith in you even if you don’t have faith in yourself.”
“Now you sound like my girlfriend.”
“Ex-girlfriend.”
“Yeah, thanks for reminding me. Want to kick me a little more while I’m down? Hey, why not pour salt on my wounds, you sadistic—” Aaron froze. Something was causing tremendous strain on his heart, as if an invisible hand had reached through his chest and grabbed it, squeezed it hard, then released it. His blood pumped faster. Am I having a heart attack?
“What is it, Aaron?” Ricardo asked.
Instead, Carter responded. “His pupils are dilated, and he’s starting to sweat. It’s happening.” He rubbed his hands together and smiled broadly.
Pain and energy coursed through Aaron’s body. What is this? Could it actually be Brian’s soul? He scoffed. That’s ridiculous. Whatever it is, though… so powerful. Some kind of instant steroid? I feel strong, alert. It feels so invigorating, so intense, so alive. I don’t know what they gave me, but it was a mistake on their part. I feel like… like… now’s my chance!
With a mighty pull, Aaron wrenched his arms free of the tape. He fell forward, bringing his hands in front of him to avoid a face-first collision with the floor. Reaching down between his legs with one hand, he grabbed the tape around his ankles and tore through it as if it were nothing but wet cardboard. He leaped to his feet.
The motley crew of killers was just standing there, staring at him. Aaron had no idea why they weren’t attacking, and he wasn’t going to wait to find out. He grabbed the chair he’d been strapped to and threw it at Ricardo. The leg bounced off Ricardo’s forehead and knocked him backward. He tripped over Maura, who was still huddled on the floor, and fell against Kelly. Doug tried to catch his wife and yank her out of Ricardo’s way, but he only succeeded in pulling her over onto himself as they both went down.
Only Carter stood between Aaron and freedom. Ducking low, Aaron raced forward and rammed his shoulder into Carter’s abdomen. The force of the impact sent Carter airborne into the wall beside the door.
Aaron opened the door and ran. A force unlike anything he’d ever felt compelled him forward. That force showed no sign of relenting. The feeling was nothing short of euphoric, something akin to bloodlust, but at the same time, insatiable.
He ran down dark corridors in a building that, if not already condemned, should have been. It was old and dead, unlike Aaron. He was alive, and for the first time in a long, long time, he was happy about that.
CHAPTER 30
Carter shook the fuzzies from his eyes.
Doug’s giant melon head was right in front of him. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Carter replied, getting to his feet.
Doug backed off a step. “Ricardo?”
“Yeah, I’m good. My head is pounding, but I’ll live.”
“Shouldn’t we go after him?” Kelly asked.
As usual, in chimes the voice of reason. Why is the female so much smarter than these dim-witted men? Aaron’s freedom could mean police outside their door in a matter of minutes. Still, Carter was confident that wasn’t going to happen. “Relax. He isn’t going anywhere.” Carter made his voice sound cool and collected, even as he pressed his hand against his side, trying to mask the pain. That’s going to bruise. “Even with his improved senses, he’s never going to find the way out in the dark. He’ll probably end up in the back room, wondering where to go next.”
“You mean where we left all the stuff?” Kelly asked, crossing her arms.
“Don’t worry. I incinerated most of it,” Carter lied. He coughed. Blood filled his mouth, and he spit it onto the floor. “Damn. Who knew he could hit so hard?” He laughed, wiping blood from his lip with the back of his hand.
“He has the power of a redeemer now.” Ricardo s
eemed pleased at first, but his expression soured. “Why does he still resist it?”
Carter gave him a smile. “He’ll come around. I’ll talk to him. He probably just needs to come to grips with the new sensations.” Unlike you idiots, he won’t accept everything I tell him as gospel.
“Should I come with you?” Ricardo asked.
Carter stared at his followers, and for a moment, he pitied them. They were so trusting, so loyal. The moment was soon lost, his pity forgotten. “We’ll be back soon. You three stay here and prepare the girl.” He picked up the knife by its bloodstained blade and handed it to Ricardo. “Do you think you can do this one? I’m not sure I’m still capable with this hurting Aaron put on me.”
Ricardo stood tall. “It would be an honor.”
“Good. Have her ready by the time I get back with Aaron.” With that, Carter waved goodbye and walked out the door. He hated to give away a kill, but it seemed the smart play. He doubted he would ever see them again.
With every step Aaron took down the pitch-black hallway, he heard the patter of rat feet scurrying off in every direction. Once outside the kill room, he had run down a narrow hallway with windows. He thought about opening one and screaming for help, but he was pretty sure they were in a deserted area of town, and he didn’t want to give away his position to any of the killers.
Peering through a window, he saw a parking lot far below, and at its edge, a rusty fence covered in weeds. The outline of the Braga Bridge ran along the horizon. He estimated he was about a half mile from the Taunton River.
The hallway ended at a massive loft, entirely dark except for two areas. The first was a starlit window at the far end. The second was a faint red glow emitting from a portion of the right wall. Aaron stared at the glow. A neon sign? An idea made him move a little faster. Maybe it’s an exit light!