blinking. “I guess you don’t recognize me anymore. But I recognize you, Dad.”
His appearance hadn’t changed much from the image burned into the back of my mind, though the skin on his face had begun to sag and wrinkle and the once black bristles above his upper lip were speckled with flecks of gray. The whites of his green eyes showed, and all color left his face.
“No. It…it can’t be,” he stuttered. There was no doubt about it now; this man was my father. I took a step toward him. “Don’t move,” he shouted, his aim wavering. “I’ll pull the trigger.”
“Dad,” I said, almost pleading with him. “Please, I got help. I got better.”
“Why did you come?” he asked, snarling. “You should know you’re not welcome here anymore.”
“I just want to talk.”
“Well, start talking.”
I reached into my jacket pocket, wrapping my fingers around a thin gold chain. “And I wanted to return something.”
“I said don’t move,” he yelled.
I ignored his warning and pulled the locket out, dangling it in front of him.
“That’s…I thought it was lost forever.” He closed the distance quickly between us and snatched at the necklace, holding it in his open palm.
“I took it before I ran away. I wanted to keep a piece of Mom with me.”
His fist snapped shut, and I fought to keep the anger welling up from within from showing on my face. To see his grubby fingers touching the only memento I had of my mother made my breathing shallower. Heat flushed my cheeks. But I’d have it back soon enough. That one thought was all that allowed me to keep my cool, even as the sickly stench of whiskey on his breath caught my nostrils. Same as always.
“Don’t you speak of her,” he growled. “It’s because of you that she’s gone, or did you forget that?”
I hung my head, grating my teeth. “How could I forget such a thing? I have to live with that every day of life, and I know you’ll probably never forgive me, but please, just hear me out. A couple of minutes then, if you want, I’ll go and never come back.”
David sidestepped around to my back, pressing the gun up against my spine. “Inside. You got three minutes.”
I walked inside the musky cabin. A layer of smoke hung in the air, stinging at the corners of my eyes. David trailed closely behind, kicked the door shut after him and shoved the shotgun into me once more. Amateur mistake.
I turned and grabbed the barrel, snatching it clean from his hands. With a wide grin, I smashed the stock into his face, and his body crumpled to the floor. I knelt down next to him, prying open his filthy fingers and retrieving the locket. Fumbling with the clasp, I opened it to reveal a small picture of Mom in sepia tones. I smiled, and a single tear trickled down my cheek.
My gaze darted back to the unconscious bastard in front of me, and the moment was gone. I snapped the locket shut and placed it back in my pocket before hauling his body onto the nearby table in the center of the room. I dropped the backpack from my shoulder and rifled around the contents for the roll of duct tape and my knife, which had been cleaned and sharpened after my last adventure, the surface of the blade as smooth as a mirror reflecting the dull cabin light. Minutes later, I had my father stripped bare, his clothes haphazardly tossed to the floor. Then I began to wind the adhesive tape around his body and the table, binding him in place but leaving more than an ample amount of flesh left exposed for what I had planned.
With there being no chance of him escaping, I set my tools neatly across the counter at the edge of the room. My gaze roamed over the shining set of metal, my mind bombarded with images of all the wonderful things I could do with them. The body parts I could cut and chop, stab and slice…my blood raced at the mere thought. I closed my eyes, clutching my right hand around the necklace in my pocket, and I shivered. Finally, it was time for my payback, and I was going to enjoy
His appearance hadn’t changed much from the image burned into the back of my mind, though the skin on his face had begun to sag and wrinkle and the once black bristles above his upper lip were speckled with flecks of gray. The whites of his green eyes showed, and all color left his face.
“No. It…it can’t be,” he stuttered. There was no doubt about it now; this man was my father. I took a step toward him. “Don’t move,” he shouted, his aim wavering. “I’ll pull the trigger.”
“Dad,” I said, almost pleading with him. “Please, I got help. I got better.”
“Why did you come?” he asked, snarling. “You should know you’re not welcome here anymore.”
“I just want to talk.”
“Well, start talking.”
I reached into my jacket pocket, wrapping my fingers around a thin gold chain. “And I wanted to return something.”
“I said don’t move,” he yelled.
I ignored his warning and pulled the locket out, dangling it in front of him.
“That’s…I thought it was lost forever.” He closed the distance quickly between us and snatched at the necklace, holding it in his open palm.
“I took it before I ran away. I wanted to keep a piece of Mom with me.”
His fist snapped shut, and I fought to keep the anger welling up from within from showing on my face. To see his grubby fingers touching the only memento I had of my mother made my breathing shallower. Heat flushed my cheeks. But I’d have it back soon enough. That one thought was all that allowed me to keep my cool, even as the sickly stench of whiskey on his breath caught my nostrils. Same as always.
“Don’t you speak of her,” he growled. “It’s because of you that she’s gone, or did you forget that?”
I hung my head, grating my teeth. “How could I forget such a thing? I have to live with that every day of life, and I know you’ll probably never forgive me, but please, just hear me out. A couple of minutes then, if you want, I’ll go and never come back.”
David sidestepped around to my back, pressing the gun up against my spine. “Inside. You got three minutes.”
I walked inside the musky cabin. A layer of smoke hung in the air, stinging at the corners of my eyes. David trailed closely behind, kicked the door shut after him and shoved the shotgun into me once more. Amateur mistake.
I turned and grabbed the barrel, snatching it clean from his hands. With a wide grin, I smashed the stock into his face, and his body crumpled to the floor. I knelt down next to him, prying open his filthy fingers and retrieving the locket. Fumbling with the clasp, I opened it to reveal a small picture of Mom in sepia tones. I smiled, and a single tear trickled down my cheek.
My gaze darted back to the unconscious bastard in front of me, and the moment was gone. I snapped the locket shut and placed it back in my pocket before hauling his body onto the nearby table in the center of the room. I dropped the backpack from my shoulder and rifled around the contents for the roll of duct tape and my knife, which had been cleaned and sharpened after my last adventure, the surface of the blade as smooth as a mirror reflecting the dull cabin light. Minutes later, I had my father stripped bare, his clothes haphazardly tossed to the floor. Then I began to wind the adhesive tape around his body and the table, binding him in place but leaving more than an ample amount of flesh left exposed for what I had planned.
With there being no chance of him escaping, I set my tools neatly across the counter at the edge of the room. My gaze roamed over the shining set of metal, my mind bombarded with images of all the wonderful things I could do with them. The body parts I could cut and chop, stab and slice…my blood raced at the mere thought. I closed my eyes, clutching my right hand around the necklace in my pocket, and I shivered. Finally, it was time for my payback, and I was going to enjoy
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