Time Sensitive Target

Part 25 - Unquenchable Thirst

"I want you to know," Ant spoke softly, raising his hand to push limp strands of sodden hairs off al-Raheem's forehead. "I'm going to kill you in a moment." Ant could hardly believe how much he enjoyed saying the words out loud. "I'm not telling you this to try to extract any information, it's not a threat. I just... wanted you to know."

Al-Raheem grunted unintelligible words through his gag, wincing as the tension tightened throughout the length of his body. 

"Can we just take this out of his mouth for a moment, I want to ask him a question," Ant glanced up to Jase and Sonny from his squatted position. Sonny removed the fabric from between al-Raheem's teeth and forced the pressure of his restrained body down to his chin instead.  As soon as his mouth was uncovered he spat at Ant, who didn't even bother to move and avoid the aim. Ant smiled gently. 

"There's no moisture in your mouth, Bazish. Have they not been keeping you hydrated?" Ant looked up to Sonny and Jase once again. "Don't worry, I'll give you something to drink in a bit." Ant shifted his weight slightly and wiped a tiny froth of saliva from al-Raheem's beard with his thumb. "So- how would you like to die?" 

Al-Raheem was silent aside from wheezing breaths, his teeth gritted together in discomfort. 

"You don't have any preference? Hmm? It has to be quick, see, I don't have a lot of time to play with. It's... regrettable, you know if I had longer- pfft- god we could really come up with some great ideas. Sky's the limit," Ant waved a hand dismissively. "But... unfortunately I am bound by the restraints of time. You're a little tied up yourself, too. We'll get you out of that once you decide." Ant stepped back and sat in a chair, waiting patiently for al-Raheem to attempt to speak. The prisoner rasped in response, and Ant placed a cupped hand to his ear. 

"Sorry, didn't catch that. Do you want me to shoot you?" Ant gazed at al-Raheem nurturingly. "Yes? Would that be best? Nod if that's what you want." 

Al-Raheem nodded laboriously, the motion seizing every muscle from his neck to his feet. 

"Mmm," Ant nodded slowly with a thoughtful mouth. "Oh!" He cried suddenly, patting his hands down his thighs. "I didn't bring a gun! Do either of you have one? No? Well fuck! What are we going to do now Bazish?" Ant crouched in front of his prisoner again, pouring deep false regret into his eyes. "What are we going to do?" He murmured. "I know! You needed a drink of water, didn't you? You guys should really take better care of your prisoners," Ant admonished, focusing on Sonny as he pulled a hose across the ground. It was attached to the large water tank at the very far corner of the room, only a vague shape in the dim lighting. 

"Do we have a cup? No?" Ant pretended to look around for the non existent cup, and picked up the end of the hose slung to the concrete in front of him. "Are you thirsty?" 

Al-Raheem shook his head as much as he dared to in his current restraints. Ant took his chin and prized his mouth apart, al-Raheem not bothering to fight back with a bite. He swiped his index finger to the inside of his prisoner's cheek and tongue, feeling the sandpaper texture. 

"Dry as a bone, Bazish. You need some water."

"N-" al-Raheem began, shaking his head more vehemently and frowning deeply at the pain it caused. "No-" 

"You do. Funnel please," Ant glanced up to Sonny, who threw a plastic funnel over and retreated to the water tank to control the flow. Ant flipped al-Raheem to his back, still trussed up in the violently awkward position. He rammed the long stemmed funnel down al-Raheem's throat, the prisoner gargling and rocking in protest. 

"Shh, shh," Ant hushed. "Water please," he commanded; Sonny turned the tap on the water tank, striding back eagerly as the liquid snaked it's way through the hose. It began to pour out of the end, and as it did Ant aimed the stream at the funnel, watching it fill as al-Raheem spluttered. "Drink it now, you're thirsty. Besides, the only way to get rid of it is to drink it, it won't go anywhere else. This is how you will die, Bazish. Keep drinking it down, that's it," al-Raheem's Adam's apple worked furiously as he glugged down gulp after gulp of the endless onslaught of water. "You can't physically drink it all, it's impossible. You know in France they called this 'The Question'? As a form of torture you were put to 'The Question'- an ordinary question being one gallon of water, an extraordinary one being two gallons. See, you're starting to swell now." Al-Raheem's distended body puffed up alarmingly, his eyes bulging from their sockets, cheeks red and inflated with tumescence. 

Ant enjoyed watching him suffer, there were no two ways about it. As grotesque as it was; the sight of his swelling body as he choked and struggled within his restraints, funnel stuck in his mouth like a giant beak, brought Ant a tremendous amount of satisfaction. Ant knew that probably meant he was far beyond redemption, even when he did give up this life. How did you give up the thirst for blood and pain? 

Whatever al-Raheem gargled back up he was forced to immediately swallow until his yellowing eyes became pink and then red with burst blood vessels, his limbs growing in size as they bloated, abdomen swelling profusely until his naked flesh was mottled purple. Water streamed from every orifice of his body. Ant counted each second as it passed wordlessly, glancing up to the Americans. They were watching intently, Sonny held his chin in his hand, one finger pressed against his smirking mouth as he enjoyed the display. Jase stared vacantly with his arms crossed; not flinching, near unblinking, but devoid of emotion. His eyes were glassy yet focused on the dying man, who was now violently jerking as he reached his gruesome end. 

Al-Raheem gave one final heave of his chest, his fingers twitching slightly as the nervous system caught up. It never ceased to amaze Ant that a man could become twice, nearly three times his own size in a matter of minutes. If they were water curing for torture, he'd have pumped the stomach by stamping on the belly to force liquid out. But he didn't feel invested enough to prolong al-Raheem's death, he'd rather it was done and out of the way. 

Jase nudged the dead prisoner with his boot, rolling him to his side. He looked like a turkey, all plumped, basted and bound. 

"Get someone in here to pump him, then take the photos yourself. Put him in tarp but don't bury him, they may want his body. Store it in the shack. Give me the photos as soon as they're done," Jase ordered Sonny in a low levelled voice, still gazing at the lifeless corpse. Sonny nodded and made his way out, clapping Ant on his shoulder the shoulder as he passed by way of congratulations. Congratulations on the grizzly murder. Well done for making him suffer. 

"And Sonny-" Jase called as Sonny reached the door. "Get Matty to verify it ASAP; accidental drowning." Sonny gave another nod and exited the building, leaving the two leaders alone. "You need to go before my men get here. You could tell her he's dead," Jase tipped his chin towards the wall Paige lay behind. 

"Do you want her to know that?" Ant asked, hating himself for wondering if it was better that Paige thought al-Raheem was spilling secrets.

"You know I don't actually care if she knows anything else? I don't care about this. If there's something my government want to cover up, that's their problem. I did my job, established what she knew, and I don't believe she's any harm to anybody. I will do what needs to be done to prevent her from being in a worse situation, that's all I can do for her now," Jase crossed his arms again and stared blankly at the wall separating Paige from them.

"I know," Ant nodded slowly. 

"You need to mentally prepare her for what's coming," Jase recommended. He knew it was likely Paige would never be the same after this. Torture at the hands of a bad guy was one thing, but torture at the hands of people who were meant to protect and keep her safe, that was another thing entirely. Jase knew she would never look him in the eyes after what he had to do. He replayed the persona he'd have to assume again and again in his mind, knowing he would make himself sick to his core. But, if this was what it took to save her, he would do it.