“None of my other wives gave two shits about any kids we had. They all just wanted to fuck and stay out of the oubliette. It always got so boring. You, on the other hand,” he says, walking toward me and taking my face in between his strong hands, “couldn’t care less about fucking me. You’re more invested in being a good mother, and that’s why I appreciate you as much as I do. Now, if we could just do something about that mouth, maybe you wouldn’t spend so much time in the ground.”
It’s the oddest feeling that’s taken over me right now. Pride because of the praise I’m receiving as a mother, but anger because of the fact that I can’t protect them as much as I want to.
Pater narrows his eyes and smirks, “I can’t tell if that’s a scowl on your face or a smile, so I’ll just assume it’s a little bit of both and be okay with it.”
Laura moves next to us on the ground and begins her attempt to get to her feet, but I’m sure I hit her hard enough to keep her down a little while longer.
“What am I going to do with her?” I ask him quietly.
“Well. You got two choices. You can finish whatever it was you started...”
“Or?” I ask him, wringing my hands.
“I don’t think you’re going like this, but I think it could be fun,” he says, flashing me his wide grin. I raise an eyebrow and wait. If he wants to fuck her, that’s his prerogative, obviously, but I’m not joining in.
“Eloy!”
His voice booms throughout the house so unexpectedly that I jump in surprise and almost losing my footing.
“What are you doing?” I ask him curiously.
“Did you just ask me a question?” he asks, tilting his head, the grin widening on his face.
“No, Pater.”
“I didn’t think so,” he says, turning his attention toward the sound of footsteps quickly approaching. “Hey there, son.”
“Hello,” Eloy replies nervously.
“I didn’t know you liked to skin animals,” Pater says conversationally. “I used to be into that when I was a kid, too. I figure we could have a little bonding moment if you’re up for it. And to sweeten the deal, if you say yes to what I’m going to suggest, I’ll make sure your mom doesn’t have to serve the rest of her time in the oubliette.”
Eloy’s eyes widen hopefully as he glances quickly in my direction. He knows that the more time I spend above ground, the less time him and his brother are off Pater’s radar.
“I agree,” he immediately says.
Pater throws his head back and laughs. He knows that the boys need me as much as I need them, and that they’ll do anything to keep me above ground.
“Good. Then what I want for you to do is drag that piece of shit out back. Hit her as many times as you need to to keep her quiet. I’ll be out shortly. I just wanna finish talking with your mom,” he says to him as he glances at me.
“Okay,” he agrees, grabbing Laura by her hands and dragging her the rest of the way out of the house. A feeling of dread quickly cascades over me when it starts to set in. I have a terrible feeling that I know how he plans on bonding with Eloy.
“Listen, I can tell you’ve already got this figured out by the look on your face, but there’s something I want to tell you. I feel like I owe
it to you for being such a good mom,” he says, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
“Don’t hurt him,” I beg, reaching forward and grabbing his forearms. “I can talk to him and tell him to be more careful. Please?”
Pater looks down at my hands and waits for me to pull them away before he responds. “We’ll see what happens, alright? But I do need to punish him for being so fucking sloppy. You understand,” he says with a wink as he starts to make his way outside.
I run to the door as he closes it behind him and crack it open. He probably heard the door open again, because he shakes his head as he walks toward the woods.
I find myself secretly hoping that whoever saw Eloy skinning and eating the snake will catch Pater doing whatever the hell it is he has planned - but I also hope they don’t. My son shouldn’t be punished for behaving like an animal, since that’s how he’s pretty much been brought up under Pater. He’s only behaving as he’s been taught, the way his father has conditioned him to. And for that, a nosy neighbor is going to die, Eloy is going to be “punished”, and I have to sit here and hope for his life to be spared.
All because he blindly made a deal to keep me safe. Anything that happens to him will be my fault; Pater made that clear enough when he tricked Eloy by using me as a pawn.
I know I shouldn’t do this because we’re not allowed to without Pater, but I close the door and run as quickly as I can to the second floor of his home. I’ll get a better view of the woods from his bedroom window, and that’s how I’ll know for sure if anything happens to Eloy.
Or, more painful still, what will happen to Eloy. With a lump in my throat and a sickened feeling in my heart, I make my way up the stairs and down to his bedroom door at the end of the hall.