Circle Jerk

by catt dahman

  They got possessive and spouted off their opinions. Lord love a duck, but he had cracked his share of women with fresh mouths for blabbing. He hated Lovie because she was one of those who didn’t know her place.

  Carl hummed and checked water for a few, “Well, if you skin yourselves out and get loose or chop off your limb, then fine by me. If you find a secret, magical key, then that’s cool, too. An experiment, a game, should have some fun little secrets to keep all of you hoping for a chance to get away or to survive.”

  Vinnie relaxed again.

  “Keys?”

  Carl laughed at Mike. “You people are the stupidest I have ever seen. We gave you things, and together, they can help you, or they can help any way if you use them the right way, but you have no imaginations. Next time we do this, I hope we get intelligent people.”

  “Next time,” Ruth repeated dully.

  “Yeah, next time.” Carl finished filling bottles from a jug he carried and left, still laughing. His giggle-laugh made them all shiver. He enjoyed himself a lot.

  “It’s grape juice,” Kim said.

  “What?” Mike was confused. There was little logic here.

  “He filled my water bottle thing with grape juice. It’s delicious.”

  “Mine, too,” Ruth said as she drank the juice. Only a few had been refilled. She sat and thought since there was little else to do beside drink the juice. She felt Andre was going to sacrifice himself. Ruth heard it in his voice, and he was very eloquent at explaining. She didn’t know what to say to change his mind.

  Terri was wheezing; Ruth could hear the labored breathing from her cage. She wasn’t going to last, and that was a slap in the face since she had just been freed of the cuffs. Terri was abrasive, but Ruth didn’t want her to die.

  If she did die, then Nick would be freed of his cuffs. That was good. Ruth berated herself at once for thinking about that. Was it so horrible to hope Nick would be okay? She found herself listing who could go, but her list of whom she truly wanted to survive was too long; they couldn’t all make it.

  The rules.

  For a while, she, Kim, Nick, Mike, and Lovie talked about normal things. Sometimes Andre joined in. Carina prayed a lot, and when she did, most joined in even if they weren’t believers before. Jake was in and out. He refused to harm Lovie but knew Prissy could go either way. She might decide to eat.

  Ruth slept a while. She knew she was sleeping to avoid the mental anguish of the situation.

  The blue light was brighter. There was no explanation for when the lights came on and when they went out. It never made sense, and that was part of the insanity. Julia had planned this carefully.

  Ruth wasn’t sure what made her look over at Vinnie, but she always glanced his way, envious of his freedom of the shackles. He sat, facing towards Carina who was praying again. Earlier, Ruth had seen the small saw in Carina’s cage, a temptation to eat Mike’s foot maybe.

  Vinnie held the saw in his hands; he must have stolen it from Carina when she was asleep. He was a good thief. He held the saw up and then ran it across Carina’s leg before Ruth could shout a warning, not sure what a warning would do anyway. He still would have tried.

  Everyone came fully awake when Carina screamed. Everyone screamed or cried all the time; it was becoming the usual. Over and over Carina shrieked and fought to pull her leg away, but it was locked in the device. She pulled so hard that skin rolled down her leg like thin, grey worms, but her leg didn’t come free. She was skinning herself, and that wasn’t even enough. Not enough! Nick and Mike yelled at Vinnie, begging, threatening, trying to appeal to him, to guilt him, and to make him think about his actions. Like rapid gunfire, they tried everything. Jake shook his bars, and Lovie screamed with Carina.

  Vinnie reacted to nothing.

  The sharp, small-toothed saw shredded the flesh easily, and blood spurted and poured everywhere, drenching Vinnie and the metal floor; the blood was black in the dim light. He didn’t care. He stayed at his task, his face set into a determined rictus of horror and concentration. The skin parted, and the bone was exposed before Vinnie as he worked. He was disappointed that Carina’s bones were as greyish as chicken bones and weren’t clean, white, and easy to saw through.

  He had been waiting for the light.

  Ruth tried to look away but stared, crying for Carina. Vinnie kept sawing and had the saw set into a groove he formed with the saw’s blade. He worked it, sweating in the chilly air. Blood and sweat coated his entire body.

  It took a long time, it seemed, for him to finish going through the shin bone. It would have been easier to go through the ankle joint, but Vinnie was both greedy and stupid. Carina fell over before he finished, maybe dead from shock and blood loss or maybe from unconscious.

  Ruth noticed everyone had stopped screaming at Vinnie and were simply watching. They could do nothing anyway. She wondered about Vinnie. He got free, and he wasn’t trying to get away, but was eating. He wasn’t being forced to eat, so why did he do that before trying to get free? It might be because he was too weak and thought he needed food, first. Maybe because he could. It bothered Ruth, and she felt he thought he was entitled to this behavior, and maybe this was an excuse to do it.

  He wasn’t sorry he was doing this. Why had she ever assumed that fourteen people who were locked away were automatically moral people who deserved pity?

  Vinnie finished the bone and sawed through the back of the leg, splitting the muscles. He scooped out some fat and shoved it into his mouth, causing Lovie to vomit. He never noticed, but worked without thought. He needed the leg. He was hungry, and another person had to die before they could advance.

  When they advanced and the cages were moved, he would try to get out of his cage. It was all in his plan.

  Vinnie half turned, “Yo, ya dumb bitch, Lovie, give me that bear to burn.”

  “Shut up.”

  “Ya want her to die? I gotta gotorize the wound, or she’ll bleed out.”

  “Cauterize,” Ruth said without thinking.

  “Smart ass. Always running your chops. Think you’re so smart cause ya went to college. I don’t see you eating or your leg being free, huh? Yo, who’s the dumbass now?”

  “You. Always you,” Ruth whispered.

  Lovie threw the bear. Nick yelled at her to keep it, but it was too late. He had a funny feeling. It was cop’s hinky feeling, a gut idea that cops often said was like a sixth sense. He felt that now.

  Vinnie used his lighter to light his candle, and then he lit the bear on fire.

  “It’s too late,” Jake said. His voice was very weak, “because she’s in shock.”

  “Can’t say I didn’t try.” said Vinnie as he held the flaming bear to Carina’s stump, making her body jerk; she screeched again, but it was a weak cry. The flames barely seared the ruined veins, and the blood didn’t stop.

  Ruth wondered if Carina were so frail and worn out that her blood didn’t pump out immediately. Vinnie grinned the entire time.

  “Oh, man,” was all Skot said. Someone was a bigger jerk than he was. It shocked him to see this kind of brutality.

  Vinnie dropped the burning fabric and stuffing, and there was a plink of noise. In the silence, with everyone watching in horror, the little noise was loud for some reason. Vinnie swiped at the fire until it was out and then dug into the ashes with his fingers, cursing as he burned himself. He stuck a finger in his mouth, feeling the blisters beginning to form.

  “I knew it. I knew it,” Nick said, “I had this awful feeling.”

  Lovie banged the bars with her body and screamed at Vinnie as he grinned, scattered the ashes, fanned them, and then plucked a key from the debris. He had fooled her and Carina, stolen from them, and now he had two keys while the rest had none. She felt cheated and would have gladly ripped his hand off had it still been in her cage. What Owen had done to Terri, Lovie would be happy to do to Vinnie now as rage filled her.

  Vinnie held the key up.

  “Now, you have two. Sh
are,” Nick said. “It belongs to Lovie. I figured it out. The word of God. The first key was in Carina’s Bible, wasn’t it? You stole from both women and got two keys. Might as well share since you stole both.”

  “Naw. Yo, one might not work, yanno? Hey, once I get out, I’ll let some of you out, too. Eeny Meany Miney Moe. Who will it be?” Vinnie sniggered.

  “That’s murder. You…you killed her.” Mike was stunned.

  “I tried to fix her back with the fire; I ain’t listening. I did what I had to do. Shaddup.”

  “You killed….” Mike was in the middle of yelling but stopped as Carl came in. All eyes watched him as he paused and surveyed the room.

  “You sure got messy, Vinnie. I can see why Julia bet on you.”

  “You bet on us?” Kim asked. It was a new affront to them.

  “Sure.”

  “Who did you bet on?”

  Carl shrugged, “A loser, it seems.” He reached in and released Nick’s arm from the cuffs of the device that held him. He shook his head at Terri’s cage and walked away.

  Nick held his arm close, rubbing it, trying to take away the deep pain within the bone and flesh, but he began to sob, understanding that he was free because Terri was dead. It wasn’t that he was close to Terri, but that another human had to die for him to be released from the handcuffs was overwhelming. A life was snuffed out for his comfort.

  “Carl, hey, Carl, put me back. Let Kim or Ruth go. Let Lovie go. Not me. I’ll trade for them.”

  The door didn’t open, and Carl either didn’t hear or didn’t care or it wasn’t in the rules.

  “I’m fine,” Kim lied.

  Ruth took a deep breath and lied as well, “Really no pain….I’m fine. Let’s keep it as it is.”

  Nick wiped his nose and said, “You suck at lying. Lovie?”

  “He ain’t coming back, so it doesn’t matter. Hell, yeah, I’d take the trade. I’d do it. Jake’s having a bad time….“ She meant she was afraid Jake was going to take a bite from her hand.

  “Stay strong, Jake,” Mike called.

  “Yeah. Gonna do that,” Jake responded automatically, but he felt his mind slipping more. He was becoming terrified of himself.

  “So will you let me trade?” Nick asked.

  Carl had returned.

  “Trade what?”

  “Put my arm back and let someone else free.”

  “You get free when they die. Not until.” Carl paused and raised an eyebrow, but after a while, we are going to play a game you might like; there will be a lot of rewards.”

  “We don’t like games,” Mike said.

  “Oh, these you’ll hate at first, but then you’ll like them a lot. Seriously.”

  He walked over and released Mike’s foot from Carina’s cage. “You made it.”

  Mike looked up with dull, sunken eyes and nodded. “Yeah, Good. Thanks. I…he killed her.”

  Carl squatted, looking at Mike and said, “That’s part of the game, right?” He filled the water bottles again and again; it was grape juice, something that tasted wonderful but seemed to make them hungrier.

  In full view, Vinnie ate Carina’s leg. He tore out huge bites from the back, gnawed over the shin bone, picked out flesh with his knife, broke bones for the marrow, and ate as messily as Mattie did. It made everyone sick, but it also made them hungry and a little envious. A lot covetous.

  They talked again since the light stayed on and because chatting drowned out some of the smacking and grunting Vinnie was doing. He managed to eat all the meat, muscle and fat quickly, gnawed the foot, ate the toes almost whole, and gulped delicate slabs carved from Carina’s feet. “It’s not bad. It makes me feel so much stronger, and I got no more stomach pain. I feel like a new man.”

  “You look like a cannibal savage,” said Lovie, and she was right. Clots of blood were in Vinnie’s greasy hair, his face was red with drying blood, and the rest of him was coated with blood smears.

  “All of you wish you had the guts to do it, too.”

  Several thought that was true. As bad as Vinnie was and as horrible as his actions were, didn’t some of them wish they had some food, no matter what it was? Vinnie didn’t apologize, he didn’t care what anyone thought, and he was determined to survive. He was getting out, and someone was going to pay dearly for all of this.

  “I’m gone. I’ll send help. Ideaooos.”

  Ruth shook her head again. “Adios?

  Vinnie pointed to her, “I sure ain’t letting you out, yo.”

  He tried the first key, and it didn’t work. It had only worked on his cuffs. He didn’t worry. He tried the second key, and the lock popped open, and the door swung open.

  “Ahhhh,” some said as they watched.

  “Buh-bye.”

  Vinnie stepped out.

  Chapter Ten

  Vinnie stood and stretch, groaning with the pain and pleasure of stretching his muscles. He was in the center of the circle, only needing to climb up and over his cage and he would be on the outside of the circle and free. Easy. So simple. He had won. Now, he wanted to kick ass.

  Vinnie took another step so he could close the cage door and suddenly squealed. His arms pin wheeled as he tried to retain his balance, but he was raising his feet and trying to do something. Those watching didn’t understand until Vinnie fell into the thin, damp layers of hay that covered the inside of the circle of cages. He roared, the blood was sticky, and then he scrambled and threw himself back to the cage, diving inside, still screaming. Thick blood covered him. It was his own.

  “Caltrops,” Nick said, shaking his head, “a trap.”

  “A cow-what?” Ruth asked.

  “Caltrops. Oh, they’ve been used for centuries, maybe for all time. They are like those things kids use to play with jacks! They are small but have sharp spikes though made of any metal, even junk at times. No matter how you tossed them, there will be a spike that will get you if you step on them. Animals such as elephants, horses, or camels...works on all them.” Mike joined in. “I bet that hurts.” Mike watched, shocked, but he was calm as he explained.

  Inside, maybe Mike was disappointed that Vinnie didn’t get free and maybe bring help because he would, Mike hoped, but the truth was there was more in his emotions. Mike was secretly glad that Vinnie suffered for his actions: the murder, the selfishness, and the cruelty he showed. Seeing Vinnie fail was almost worth knowing that rescue might not be forthcoming. In fact, Mike had to admit he really enjoyed seeing Vinnie flail with pain.

  Vinnie cried as he plucked them from his feet, belly, legs, chest, hands, arms, and privates. He tossed them away. He wanted to kill everyone.

  Lovie stared with a faint smile on her face. “You cheated me for my lighter and gave me these silly flip flop sandals but look how thick they are? If you hadn’t cheated, you could have worn them and been fine. You would have gotten away.” She dissolved in laughter, falling over in her cage hysterically.

  Laughter erupted from all over. Mike knew he certainly wasn’t alone in thinking Vinnie got his just dues.

  Vinnie finished removing the metal caltrops and grabbed his knife, lunging at Lovie. She stayed a hair’s breadth from the blade, but he wasn’t stopping. He caught her skin several times.

  Carl and Randy appeared, big knives aimed at Vinnie and commanded, “Go to the back of your cage. Put the knife down. Now.”

  “I earned this. I did it.”

  “This is true, but we have come to play a game. Lock the door, or I’ll stab you. When we decide to play a game, we want to play right then, and you are screwing up our timing of the game. Don’t make one of us hurt you and ruin this game. Seriously.

  “Kill me then.”

  “I won’t kill you. I’ll wound you in the belly and let you sit there, suffering. Don’t push me, Vinnie,” Carl snarled.

  Sullenly, Vinnie locked the door. He would fight, but they had more control, and a fight he couldn’t win wasn’t worth it. Yet. A belly wound wasn’t something Vinnie thought he could stand
.

  “Toss the key out the back of the cages so I can get it. Toss both. You had your chance and failed. Julia will be so pissed off.”

  Vinnie tossed the keys, cursing. “This time I failed. I’ll get out again. I’ll kill you both. But….” He turned to Lovie, “I’m gonna kill you first. Yo. Relax and fall asleep, and you are gonna be sliced apart. I will feast like a hog on your tender little body.

  Lovie could barely avoid his blade as close it was when he reached; it was only because Jake kept pulling her close to him at his bars that she was still alive. Vinnie wasn’t playing. He fully intended to gut her. Carl and Randy didn’t care about Vinnie’ trying to stab her.

  “I swear by my dead daddy that you, bitch, are going to die next, by my hand, yo.”

  Lovie had no doubt. Neither did anyone else. She was next.

  Chapter Eleven

  Carl held the keys in his hand while Randy pushed a cart forwards behind the cages of Ruth and Andre. Everyone could smell cooked meat, and their mouths watered, and their bellies rumbled.

  Maybe they had been there for weeks. The time was elusive. Ruth tried hard to decide how long it had been since they awakened, but the lights, the gas, and the things Julia, Carl, and Randy said made it baffling. That was part of the game, she knew. It might have been a few hours. It might be that they had been there, talking and fighting, for two weeks. She didn’t know.

  This was similar to what certain factions did to torture prisoners, keeping them off balance and unsure of anything. They didn’t know how long they had been without food, and because of that, they ate. What if this were a few hours after she was kidnapped and they had fooled her and all the rest into thinking they had been here a long time? Ruth felt a little crazy trying to figure it out.

  “This is a fun game. You do something for me, and I give you a gift. I will offer only once. I can assure you each gift is something helpful and something to eat. You only have to do as I ask,” Carl said.