from his
nose and mouth. He had bared his teeth at the last moment and,
judging by the way the brute cradled his hand, damage had been
done. Damage that wouldn't disappear in five minutes.
“Aw, does that hurt? Worse than your period,
ain't it, princess? Your widdle hand got bit by a scawy Agent.”
The brute firmed up his face and flashed the
crazy eyes. “I'm gonna think up new ways to hurt you tonight.
Tomorrow I will hear you begging and crying and screaming.”
Erik spat his blood at the brute. “Oh, I
react to things. I admit it with no shame. Difference is, I've been
here two weeks and I'm still talking shit soon as you losers finish
your best work. Put one of you in my place for just an hour and
what happens then?
“One of these days, you dick-heads are going
to slip up, and I will leave an impression on every one of you I
cross that day. You will never be able to say the same to me. There
ain't a mark on my body, girls, and my mind is fucking dandy. I'll
bet this whole torture experience messes with you three more than
it does with me.
“See, I am better than you pathetic creatures
in every way. You think the Creator hates you? Don't flatter
yourselves. Your whole world is an idle amusement. None of you
deserve hatred. You should feel honored you get mild
curiosity.”
The brute came closer, wearing the crazy eyes
again. “You'll pay.”
“I know, cupcake. I just don't care.” Erik
felt his nose reform. “I once flayed the skin from a man's abdomen
and made him look at his organs. Freaked. Him. Out. He begged me to
kill him. I offered to stitch his skin back together and release
him, but he insisted on immediate death. He was a big guy like you.
Did the same bit with the clenched jaw and wide eyes. Thought
because he showed alpha male body language that he was
something special. He wasn't. Guy begged to die just from seeing
his insides. Wasn't even in much pain.
“I did the same thing to a six year old girl.
She begged for me to let her go. I didn't even offer to stitch her
up. Blew my mind that she was braver than the tough guy. I had to
actually start pulling the organs out before she requested
the easy way out.”
Erik studied the queasy expression on the
face of the brute. “Does the torture of children bother you? It's
not much different, really. Smaller cuts, so if anything it's
easier. You have to be diligent for shock, though. Their systems
just aren't as robust as ours.”
The brute turned away.
“You got a daughter? Niece? Little
sister?”
The brute whirled and punched in a fluid
motion. Erik was ready and managed to open his jaw, twist his neck,
and bite down as the fist made contact, effectively using his teeth
to fillet the flesh of the fingers from bone. Spitting shattered
teeth, Erik yelled at the brute who mutely stared at his mutilated
hand. “Scared now? Imagine what I'll do when I'm free!”
After the team left the room, Erik closed his
eyes. The sleep deprivation bothered him more than the torture.
Physical damage and pain were transient. Sleep debt was constant.
The round-the-clock torture made catching shut eye a bit
problematic, so he did his best to catch a few minutes of rest
whenever possible.
“That doesn't look terribly comfortable.”
Erik opened his eyes to find an ugly woman in
the room. Her square head sat atop a solid body. If a man had
possessed the same build, Erik would have said he looked like a
lumberjack. On a woman, the result was less flattering. “Neither
does your face,” he said. “Where's the rest of your team? Or do you
want to hit me all by yourself to take out all the rage you feel at
the Creator for making you so damn ugly?”
The woman studied him. Not with the inhuman
efficiency of an Observer with thousands of lifetimes' worth of
experience, but with the slow studiousness of a woman who wanted to
understand something. “You're very different from the other
Observer.”
“Oh, I'm unique, all right.” Erik shook his
head to clear
nose and mouth. He had bared his teeth at the last moment and,
judging by the way the brute cradled his hand, damage had been
done. Damage that wouldn't disappear in five minutes.
“Aw, does that hurt? Worse than your period,
ain't it, princess? Your widdle hand got bit by a scawy Agent.”
The brute firmed up his face and flashed the
crazy eyes. “I'm gonna think up new ways to hurt you tonight.
Tomorrow I will hear you begging and crying and screaming.”
Erik spat his blood at the brute. “Oh, I
react to things. I admit it with no shame. Difference is, I've been
here two weeks and I'm still talking shit soon as you losers finish
your best work. Put one of you in my place for just an hour and
what happens then?
“One of these days, you dick-heads are going
to slip up, and I will leave an impression on every one of you I
cross that day. You will never be able to say the same to me. There
ain't a mark on my body, girls, and my mind is fucking dandy. I'll
bet this whole torture experience messes with you three more than
it does with me.
“See, I am better than you pathetic creatures
in every way. You think the Creator hates you? Don't flatter
yourselves. Your whole world is an idle amusement. None of you
deserve hatred. You should feel honored you get mild
curiosity.”
The brute came closer, wearing the crazy eyes
again. “You'll pay.”
“I know, cupcake. I just don't care.” Erik
felt his nose reform. “I once flayed the skin from a man's abdomen
and made him look at his organs. Freaked. Him. Out. He begged me to
kill him. I offered to stitch his skin back together and release
him, but he insisted on immediate death. He was a big guy like you.
Did the same bit with the clenched jaw and wide eyes. Thought
because he showed alpha male body language that he was
something special. He wasn't. Guy begged to die just from seeing
his insides. Wasn't even in much pain.
“I did the same thing to a six year old girl.
She begged for me to let her go. I didn't even offer to stitch her
up. Blew my mind that she was braver than the tough guy. I had to
actually start pulling the organs out before she requested
the easy way out.”
Erik studied the queasy expression on the
face of the brute. “Does the torture of children bother you? It's
not much different, really. Smaller cuts, so if anything it's
easier. You have to be diligent for shock, though. Their systems
just aren't as robust as ours.”
The brute turned away.
“You got a daughter? Niece? Little
sister?”
The brute whirled and punched in a fluid
motion. Erik was ready and managed to open his jaw, twist his neck,
and bite down as the fist made contact, effectively using his teeth
to fillet the flesh of the fingers from bone. Spitting shattered
teeth, Erik yelled at the brute who mutely stared at his mutilated
hand. “Scared now? Imagine what I'll do when I'm free!”
After the team left the room, Erik closed his
eyes. The sleep deprivation bothered him more than the torture.
Physical damage and pain were transient. Sleep debt was constant.
The round-the-clock torture made catching shut eye a bit
problematic, so he did his best to catch a few minutes of rest
whenever possible.
“That doesn't look terribly comfortable.”
Erik opened his eyes to find an ugly woman in
the room. Her square head sat atop a solid body. If a man had
possessed the same build, Erik would have said he looked like a
lumberjack. On a woman, the result was less flattering. “Neither
does your face,” he said. “Where's the rest of your team? Or do you
want to hit me all by yourself to take out all the rage you feel at
the Creator for making you so damn ugly?”
The woman studied him. Not with the inhuman
efficiency of an Observer with thousands of lifetimes' worth of
experience, but with the slow studiousness of a woman who wanted to
understand something. “You're very different from the other
Observer.”
“Oh, I'm unique, all right.” Erik shook his
head to clear
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