Page 25 of Monster Bully

Entering the warehouse, he saw two of his guards were waiting. None of them had touched him, but they had done what he requested and tied the man upside down, and showed off his bag of toys.

Grim liked to talk to the men who were naughty. He always had this anticipation, this sense of joy at hurting another person, certainly someone who deserved it. He didn’t get half as much joy hurting those who didn’t. Like his wife, Eve, he didn’t get any enjoyment out of hurting her.

Grim knew exactly what he wanted. He grabbed the knife that he kept sharp, and then without any warning, he stuck it in the piece of shit’s calf. The blade went straight through. No words were spoken, but the screams erupted for all to hear.

Pulling the blade out, he went for the second calf, but he hit it a bit lower, as he liked to do things equally.

The man was already begging and pleading for his life, but Grim didn’t want to hear any of it. All he wanted to do was hurt this man. Yes, he was going to kill him, and it would be quite quick compared to what he really wanted to do.

Out came the blade, and the thighs were tricky business as they had pesky little arteries that, if cut, everything else was fucked. He didn’t want the man to bleed out within seconds and take away his fun. Grim wanted this to last.

He saw the man attacking the girl, the fear in her eyes, and then he saw the same in his wife’s.

Eve.

This man had forced his wife to witness evil, to see it. Eve knew the world was full of darkness. She had lost her parents because of it, but that didn’t mean she had to see it every fucking day. He had tried to protect her. He had tried to make her only see wonder. And now, he was pissed off.

The stomach was another dangerous zone as were the chest and throat. He went for the arms and hands, and blood had already started to leak onto the floor.

“Please stop. I will do anything. Please.”

Grim crouched down so he was looking into his eyes. “Anything?”

“Yes.”

“Will you be able to take away what you did today?” Grim asked. “Will you be able to rid the memories my wife now has of you trying to steal a little girl?”

“I can’t do that.”

Grim was tired so he slid the blade into the man’s stomach and left it there.

“You wriggle around like that, it’s going to hurt a whole lot more. Now, we both know you’re here because you’re a piece of shit. I don’t know if you know this, but I’m Grim. I run this city and what I say goes, and I have a rule. The kidnapping of women and children to be sold like cattle is a big no-no. I also have a few stipulations about dogs and pets, but that’s because my wife has a thing for animals, and well, I have a thing for my wife. I’m not happy, and when I’m not happy, I tend to get a little stabby, as you can see.” He also wasn’t used to being this talkative but seeing as this man wasn’t going to live after today, it didn’t matter. “So, how about you tell me your boss’s whereabouts, and I will kill you quickly?”

The man whimpered.

“I can make this last. You think the few stab wounds you have are a problem? You will bleed out, but I can bandage them up, not treat them, let them go septic. It will take a little time, but I can keep you here, feed you, water you, and let you die a slow, agonizing death.” Grim was willing to do it as well.

When it came to Eve, he was willing to do a lot of things. This man had hurt her, and he was going to make sure he paid for it.

“I don’t know where he is.”

Grim tutted. “That is the wrong answer.” He stood and asked his men for the bandages.

“Wait, please wait. None of us know where he is. We’re given coordinates. Where we’re to drop off packages. That’s all. We never get to see him.”

His men had already rid him of his cell phone. Grim went over to the table to pick it up. There was no passcode, and he tutted at the stupidity of the man. There were coordinates, taking him to a hotel.

It was time to finish this.

****

“There were ten kids,” the officer said.

Grim turned to look at William. He was the only man he dealt with inside the force. William always answered his calls without question, and he also took the payment that Grim left him.

It had been a good working relationship, one they had both profited from for the last ten years.

“Only ten?” Grim asked. “How many kids are missing in the area?”