I stop when I’m in front of Leland and drop the jug back on the table.
“I’m glad to see you’re awake, Leland,” I say calmly.
Tears and snot streak down his face, mixing in with blood and dirt. He looks pathetic and disgusting. Even so, I fucking rejoice in the sight.
“That’ll make all of this so much more fulfilling.”
He grunts behind the tape, his eyes narrowing. I yank the strip from his mouth.
“Fuck you,” he spits.
I lean down and rest my gloved hands on his knees, adding weight to his legs. He lets out a bellow as the barbs slice through his skin.
“Your fucking days are over, Leland,” I hiss in his face once his yells become whimpers. “You killed my mother and father. You took from my grandparents. You raped me repeatedly as a child. But your biggest mistakes were hurting Remi and thinking you could do the same to my son.”
“He’s not—” His words end on a scream when I add more weight to his legs.
Pushing myself off his limbs, I stand tall.
“He may have your blood running through his veins, but he was never yours.”
I notice knobs on the outside of the arms of the chairs. They intrigue me because the barbed wire is wrapped around the metal rod that the knob is attached to. I reach down and twist one of them. Just as I suspected, the barbed wire tightens around Leland’s arm. He roars in pain as the wire cuts deeper into his flesh. I glance at Emo and find him watching Leland with a glazed expression. He’s getting off on this shit. That’s okay, because the sounds of Leland’s screams are very satisfying.
It’s apparent he must use the lodge more than I originally thought if he has this torture device. It wasn’t here when we were kids.
I crank the knob on the other arm, then find two more for the legs as well. As the barbs burrow deeper, going through muscle and hitting bone, blood drips steadily from the wounds and splashes onto my shoes. Walking around to the back, I find yet another knob. I grab it but stop before twisting. I could easily end his life right now. I could twist the knob until it cuts through the skin, cartilage, and his trachea. I could do it fast and have it done with.
There’s something else I want. It seems more fitting.
Grabbing the tape, I tear off a piece and slap it over Leland’s heaving mouth. Blood drips from his chin, I’m sure from him biting his own tongue. Picking up the sledge hammer I spotted when I first came in, I walk around to his front. He looks delirious and about ready to pass out from the pain. There’s not much left of his body that isn’t covered in blood and torn skin. I’m still not satisfied.
I swing the sledge hammer over my head like I would an ax cutting wood and slam the steel head sideways down on his foot. Blood and tissue shoot out from the sides. He wails and thrashes against his prickly bindings. Without missing a beat, I do the same to his other foot. Content that he won’t be able to run away, even if his legs were still functional, I drop the sledge hammer.
I feel my brothers questioning eyes on me as I loosen the barbed wire from his arms, legs, and neck. Leland sags and falls from the chair in a bloody heap onto the floor once he’s free. Putting my knee to his lower back, I yank his arms behind him and wrap tape around his mangled wrists.
I turn to JW and Emo. “Bring him,” I grunt.
Noticing some old fireman equipment that use to belong to Emo’s father on the small table by the couch, I grab one of the items and head out the front door. There’s no need to look to see if they follow me. Leland’s whimpers and groans trailing me say enough.
The clearing isn’t far from the lodge, and that’s where we go. There’s a spot already dug up, just waiting for Leland’s body.
“The Finishing?” Judge asks, walking beside me as we approach the clearing.
“Not quite.” I spin and point to a spot just outside the hole. “There. On his knees.”
It takes them a minute to get him situated because the fucker keeps falling over, but they eventually get him propped up. His shoulders slump, and his head is tilted down almost shielding his face, but I see his lashes moving as he blinks.
I walk over until I’m standing directly in front of him.
“Do you know this place?” I ask.
Blood and slobber fall from his lips when he grunts.
“This is where we bury the gutless and depraved people of Malus. People like you who think they can prey on the weak and take from them something precious. It’s fitting that you’ll take your last breath in the place you caused the most pain.” He slowly lifts his head, and I grin, baring my teeth. “But it won’t be easy, and it won’t be fast.”
I slip the old apparatus mask I grabbed from the lodge over Leland’s head, glad to see the face is still intact, then take a step back, really fucking relishing in what’s about to happen. In this moment, I can understand Emo’s distorted enjoyment in killing the guilty.
I look over to Judge and tip my chin. He knows what I want.