Antecedent (Tex Sawyer)

Antecedent 14

I was unsure how much time had passed. Roger's body sat before me still slumped down on the edge of the table, what was left of his blood now stained and sinking into the wood of the table. The buzz of a fly showed that his body was no longer all that fresh. It was quiet other than that and all I felt was pain. Each and every breath ending with the same anguish and discomfort as the last. Moving my hands only ended in further torment, the tip of my smallest finger completely black and very clearly broken. Nine unbroken fingers...I remembered Tex's words as if they were branded inside my mind. Nine unbroken fingers, a finger a day. I didn't doubt him. I didn't try to fool myself otherwise, any form of hope I had was snuffed out when he had taken the cleaver against Roger's neck and ended him right there. I closed my eyes and kept my head down feeling no form of relief. Death would have been kinder. Death would have been welcomed. I was envious of the poor boy who sat before me as a warning. They didn't even take him away to carve him up, he was paraded right in my eyesight as a reminder on how if they wanted me dead it would be the case. The fact I was breathing still meant they had no intentions to do so.
Fliching I inhaled slowly trying to make a distinction of time, whether I had slept. I was rather sure I had passed out after Tex had annihilated my finger. The sound of laughter before I closed my eyes and woke up to an empty room...empty room if you took away the two corpses. I lifted my head a little, resting my cheek on the stained wood to peer at the decomposing corpse in a wheelchair.
"Enjoy the show, Grandpa?" I questioned weakly getting only silence as a feasible response knowing if a word had come from him then dehydrated and exhausted or not, I most likely would have screamed some more. "Thought so." I was under no illusion if he still had a pulse in him then he would have been as bad as the other Sawyers and chuckled away to the torture and show Tex had put on. Giving a small moan, I found myself unwilling to move, no position was comfortable and while I twinged and ached I knew that further strain would end badly. The gnashes on my back remained their own source of warmed up pain and I had had enough. It wasn't enough though, no matter how many times I closed my eyes and begged for the darkness and liberation of death I had only found myself disappointed to wake once more. Through the walls, there was the odd creak on the stairs, a murmur of conversation but nothing I could fully translate and I was positive it was better that way. I didn't want to know what they were up to, what was next and what I had missed. I'd much rather remain here even surrounded by death and left alone in the quiet. I grudged that they had had the sense to take the knives and other weapons away knowing that if I managed to reach far enough I could have ended it here no matter how difficult.
"Anyone checked on her today?" Tinker's voice broke through the murmurs. There was movement outside the door as someone responded. "Well don't come crying to me if those cuts get all infected and we have another body in the house." I doubted very much that having yet another corpse would be of any cause for concern in the disgusting mass grave the house was in general. Hearing his boots move and leave from the door with a small hiss of wood. I closed my eyes once more, there was a tap running. The stream splashing seemed more therapeutic to listen to than oncoming people. The darkness was welcoming.
"I told you I was about to check in." Tex spoke more clearer in response now as I kept my eyelids sealed knowing the miniscule ambience I could grasp was over with. The handle to the door gave a relenting squeak, his hum filling the room. "Wakey wakey Lori." He greeted me cheerfully. "Can't be sleeping the whole day away now, you don't know what you will miss." I remained still as he gave a sigh and moved closer. "Still sulking with me, huh. Well that's no way to treat somebody who is about to clean up those marks on your back now, is it?" I bit my tongue from arguing about how he had been the one to give me the injuries. Talking to him was an effort, responding to anything at this moment a hassle. "She's still huffing away."
"That doesn't surprise me." Tink replied to his brother's comments, the splashing of water now more obvious along with whatever contained it thudding against the table at my side. "Not so tough today, are you little girl? No matter, you just sit there."
"Not like I think she could walk." Tex commented idly as his brother chuckled.
"Unlikely." He agreed.
"We warned you sweetheart. We were being nice before, you just had to make us the bad guys by being all unruly." Bad guys was an understatement, they were savages and killers. I groaned gently as I felt my hand get pushed down on the wood. "It's day two honey."
"Don't you want her to wake up a bit more first?" Tinker inquired, the sound of the water rinsing and splashing against the bowl was made clear. "Bit more aware."
"Oh I think Lori is fully aware of what's going on." Tex stated simply. "Are you able to get this thing off her, Tech?"
"You sure you want her to have the freedom to move?"
"Heck best she'll do is crawl when she's like this. She ain't going far."
"On your head." Tink remarked with a small breath and put down the cloth he had been filling and rising with back in the basin. His wet hands left small drops against my skin as the gadget pushed against my back and neck, keeping me pinned down. Giving a small grunt of a struggle, I felt my body protest, chest heave against the edge of the table as my bound hands clenched against Tex's hold. "Easy now girl, made it tight for a reason."
"Reason being that you're full of tricks." Tex said and despite the exaggerated sigh, he sounded more amused than anything else. "A whole bag full of them." Squeezing my eyes shut tighter, I felt a bead of water escape the corner and down my face before Tink clapped and the pressure eased off me. A shuddered breath left my lips but whatever strength I clung to in an attempt to sit up straight left me in a moment and my body crumbled further onto the furniture. "That's right, give it a moment."
"Least it'll be easier to get to these cuts without it on her."
"Oh I don't think our little sweetheart is going to be a hassle anymore, are you Lori?"
"Doesn't seem like she's going to be a conversationalist either." Tink said with another chuckle. "Cat got your tongue little girl?"
"More like I have her finger." Tex laughed as I watched as his grip focused on my ring finger. He tightened it and I knew he was watching and waiting for a reaction as he clicked his tongue. "Have to teach you a lesson a day at a time sweetheart, unless you have something to say?" Keeping my dry and quivering lips together tightly, I hung my head further allowing a blanket of auburn to hide my face from his view before screaming out as he pushed it back. A crack and the inability to use it even feebly left me already in the know that I was down to eight unbroken digits. "Took that one real well." Tex applauded once he had released me and choking on a sob I remained still where I lay. "Tough little cookie you are darlin'."
"Taking it like a grown up." Tink further complimented as I felt myself shudder and focus on my auburn strands which were matted with sweat and dried blood. I could practically smell and taste the metallic coating and it only disgusted me further. "Like a fine young lady, now let's get you all cleaned up."
"Then fed." Tex added as I flinched but was unable to protest. "Can't go skipping meals now, the last thing we want is you dropping on us." I moaned once more and struggled to lift my bruise and battered face.
"Just kill me." My voice was barely audible and despite the shield of hair, I saw Tex's hand reach forwards and cup at my cheek in tight but tender hold. Pleading did nothing for him, nothing for myself in turn but there was no denying I wanted it to be over. Each second of lingering existence hurt too much and there was no forgetting when I couldn't leave this place and have it be a bad memory. Turning my head, Tex ensured I could make contact with his blue hues as he remained grinning. Tink too was in view as he once again took to wetting the cloth and bundling it up into a ball.
"Now why would we go doing a thing like that?" He asked, puzzled.
"This is going to sting now." Tink warned as I bit down on my lip with whatever strength I could manage but Tex kept my focus on him.
"You look after family Lori." He explained idly as if it was the most obvious thing in the world as another tear leaked down my chin. "And you are family." Shaking my head meekly I yelped as the wet sting of the cloth touched my wounds.
"Don't be such a baby, it's just salt water."
"Please kill me." I pleaded once more as Tex shook his head.
"Uh uh. We're just teaching you manners is all. Once you start behaving these punishments will be a thing of the past. No reason to worry even more. Heck we'll even let you out a few hours a day when you're trustworthy. Might even let you come with me for some bonding time. We'll be spending a lot of time together after all." There was nothing I dreaded more as he moved closer and breaked the distance between his face and mine and despite the weeping he placed his lips on mine.