Human Purity Alliance (Hypernaturals 4)

Torture, Day One

[Trigger Warning: If you are in any way uncomfortable with depictions of very personal injury and violence, are a rape survivor? Then the next few scenes might not be for you. Jump to 'Cleanup on the Center Aisle' or 'Loved from the Inside'. I have been informed these next few scenes caused loss of sleep and a panic attack. I have attempted to make this as real as I possibly could. You might argue that this is fiction and about evolved Vampires and their foes, but I don't know that matters for this. Not for this.]

I had Moonie and Slick somewhat backward. Both are true believers and all, but I pegged Slick as the sadist. The Bully. He isn't. Not that he pulled any punches for all that. He beat me till his knuckles bled, but the whole time he kept pleading for me to allow this to stop, and I could tell from his voice and his scent that he is sincere.

He also very sincerely beat me to a helpless pulp, so it is hard to like him.

"What did you say your name is?" Slick asked

"I didn't." I answered, and got my head snapped around. Stupid, but I am glad he is not wearing something like brass knuckles. His bare hands against my face meant he is taking punishment too. I have not had time to absorb as many metals as Helen, but my jaw is harder than any humans already.

"Is your name Adrian?"

I spat a bit of blood. "That's a girls name." I said with scorn. That did not earn me a smack. The truth of torture: I lied and did not get hit for it.

I have no identification with me. Nothing in my car either. My car is, at Helen's suggestion a while back, registered to a holding company, and that move was meant to part of getting ready for me to have many identities. The HPA go barking too far up that tree, they will be traced back and find that the company has fangs of its own. In fact, please please please go hunting about that car. Set off the electronic tripwires. Have Helen and Jessica descend on you so fast you won't know what happened. Please be that stupid and that smart.

"Why did the women all call you that? Adrian I mean." Slick asked, rubbing his hands.

"Same reason no woman at a bar knows your real name I guess." I replied and that earned a shot to the stomach.

"I am not like you, Vampire. I do not lie to women about my name. I don't need to." And again, Slick surprised me with his sincerity. "So: What's your real name?"

I couldn't help it. The song by Paul Simon floated into my head. "You can call me Al." I snarked, and then nearly saw stars from the full right cross. I guess he knows the song.

"Very funny." Slick said, shaking his hand out after the punch.

He kept after me, trying for a real name. They already have my first name and don't know it. Now that I lied about Adrian not being my name, they would not believe me if I told them it is.

As the beating continued, I drifted away from it. I thought about the time I fought William. I slowly and carefully hit him in every soft spot I could manage to reach, and I let the cumulative damage take its toll. Any given blow could land not all that much damage. William was ancient. He died of internal hemorrhaging from the hits as they had added up. I opened every knuckle to the bone applying that damage. I had been so intent on winning I did not even notice how badly I was also being hurt. The irony is not lost on me now: Slick is pounding the shit out of me with human strength, and I am feeling it. I am being taught how William felt when I did this to him. It is not good. Hopelessness filled my heart. I have no reason to tell them anything because they believe the lies and not the truth anyway.

Slick stood there covered in sweat and panting. "Why won't you tell me your name? Just your name? Is that so hard?"

I coughed. Felt blood roll down my chest from my cheeks and mouth. "Oh. Sure." I wheezed. "First my name. Then you'll want to go a little farther..." in a tone implying he is hitting on me.