The Pendulum

P.A. Nightmares

The Pendulum

Left to right, the pendulum swings it swings and swings to you feel freight. Left to right, the pendulum swings as you beg and plead to get free from your plight. Left to right, the pendulum swings long, long into the night. Left to right, the pendulum swings as you beg and plead until there is no more fight.

Swoosh swoosh is the sound that I heard as I opened my eyes. The room was cold and dark. A faint drip-drip of water could be heard. Where am I, and how the hell did I end up here. My eyes slowly adjusted to my environment. I attempt to get up, but I find that I am strapped down to something, and I cannot move. My heart rate quickens, but I calm myself down.

“If he wanted to hurt you or for you to be dead, you would be so. Just stay calm and find a way out.” I whispered to myself.

Just as I am finished reassuring myself. I can hear the slowly methodical foot steeps of who I am sure is my captor. I know this trick he is drawling out this little game, trying to make me sweat in hopes of scaring me. Whatever he wants from me, he will not get. After a few long and tedious minutes, he finally walks down the stairs. I don't wait for him to speak.

“Who the hell are you, and what do you want? Your little games do not work on me, you half whit. If you knew who I was, you would not be playing such games.”

“Oh, I know who I have, and trust me. What I have in store for you will make you beg for your life before the end.”

He says in a cold and disinterested voice. I hear the flick of a light switch, and blinding white lights come on. As my eyes adjust, I can funnily see what was causing the swooshing sounds. It was a massive pendulum that had a big blade attached to it. I actually laugh.

“What the hell is that? That is a new one indeed. What do you think we are in some fucking saw movie. You going to give me a way to escape so I can learn some big life lesson?”

My would-be abductor comes into the light, and I finally get to see the face of the person who made the ultimate mistake.....

“Look, man, you don't know what you just stepped in. Suppose you let me go now, no harm, no foul. I will leave, and we can chalk this up to a bad day for everyone." I said calmly and as friendly as the circumstances would allow.

The other man just laughs a cold and bitter laugh. “That's pretty funny why the fuck would I let you go. My employers told me you're a piece of shit and that the world would be better without you. Plus, the amount I am getting paid tells me I am better not fucking over my employers."

My eyebrows rise a bit at the word employers. “So you're telling me that someone has paid you to what torture information out of me and then kill me. I got some bad news for you, buddy; I will never tell you anything you want to know. And if I did, your employers, as you called them, would make sure you disappeared. Which you have to know if your not a fucking moron.”

My abductor looked at me, studying me carefully. “Why the hell would my employers kill me? They hired me to do a job. So as long as I keep my mouth shut, they will pay me and leave me be.”

He said this proudly like he had already thought of it and had revealed to me some big truth I was too stupid to see.

“Fucking moron right got it,” I said to him absent-mindedly.

He walks over and gets in my face “listen, you fucking piece of shit, you are not in charge here, and I suggest you stop talking before I get pissed off. I would not want to kill you too soon.”

“Look, man, I don't have use of my hands to get rid of that smell. So if your gonna be this close to me, can you either brush your teeth are not stand so close to me. Your breath smells like a dog's ass.”

The indigent look that crossed his face was comedy gold until he grabbed two of my finger and snapped them like they were twigs. I let out a scream that he muffles with his hand. A sick smile crossed his face.

“You were saying you smug bastard?”

“I was saying that you're a mommy's boy that could not torture information from a teenager that was wetting himself.”

“Oh, we will see about that.” He said with a smile on his face.

He walked over and pressed a button. “You seem to have forgotten about the little toy I rigged up.”

He said as he looked up at the swing pendulum. The button he pushed caused it to slowly lower.

“That will take some time to reach you, so until then, we can either have a more civilized chat, or I can have more fun, your choice.”

“So what do your employers what to know? I am sure there is not much they don't already know about me.”

He looked at me “well, I mislead you a bit. I have questions for you. My employers just told me to kill you, never said how or how fast. So I am going to have a bit of fun.”

“Oh,” I said, my interest piqued for the first time in this whole tedious exchange. “Well, then ask your questions and get on with it. Talking to you is causing me to lose brain cells.”

Anger crossed his face, and he walked over to a table that had some tools on it. He grabbed a pair of pliers and returned to my side. A dark expression crossed his face as he next spoke.

“Well, if you are going to keep your tough guy act up, then I will just have to start taking Pisces of you every time you smart off to me.”

He grabbed the other hand and started to slowly remove my fingernails. I screamed as he did so. But I swear that only caused him to slow down and enjoy it more. After he had removed my final nail on the left hand, he doused it in alcohol and wrapped my hand up poorly, I might add. After I no longer saw spots and collected myself, I asked him.

“What the hell was that, for I thought you were here to kill me, not bandage me up. Don't tell me your to incompetent to do the one job you have here.”

A dark and harsh laugh left his pressed lips, something I only heard for the worst of the worst, and it finally made sense. After he finished his cold laugh, he did reply.

“Oh, come on, now you know the answer. I don't need you blacking out of bleeding out until I had my fun. But time for a question of my own. Why do my employers want you dead so bad? What is so special about you?”

I looked at my hand and could feel it burning. I looked up at him and answered him. “They want me because I fucked their mothers. Yours is next.”

He walked over and squeezed the hand that he had just ripped the nails off of, and asked me again. “Why the fuck do they want me to kill you?”

“I don't know; I don't fucking know. I don't even know who the fuck hired you.” He just looked at me and spoke two words.

“The cooperation”

I thought back to how I used to work for them. I was not a hunter or collector, but I did research on the subjects they brought in. That was until they turned against me. I had to run. I took the odd jobs, Kept a low profile, and yet somehow, they found me. I heard my abductor's voice draw me back to my reality.

“So, do you need more motivation, or will you tell me why they want you dead so bad.”

“I used to work in the labs, and I learned what they were truly doing. They came at me to kill me, but I escaped. I assume they want me dead to clean up any loose ends.” He looked thoughtful and then spoke again.

“That makes sense, but I feel like there is more to the story. Tell me everything time is ticking away.” He looked up at the pendulum that had gotten much closer.

“I have told you all I know. Maybe they think I know something I don't. Or maybe they just sent your dumb ass on an errand so they would be rid of you for a bit. Either way, you are wasting what little time I have left. Can you shut up and let me die in peace.”

This earned me to get the nails ripped-off of my other hand. The pointless questions continued until the pendulum got so low that he could no longer stand near me without risking his own well being. He watched it, and without looking at me, he asked.

“Any last words make the quick you don't have long.”

“Just makes my words you will die before the night's end. The company is not to be trusted. And as for why they wanted me dead. You will find out soon enough. Well, it looks like it is time for death again.”

I whispered this last part, and my abductor asked me what I said, but it was too late> The pendulum had reached me and started to slick through my midsection. This death was slow and painful. I probably choked on my own blood long before the blad had finished cutting through my abdomen. Soon enough, my world was bathed in blackness. I always referred to this world as the waiting room. I sat down and awaited the inevitable resurrection. No matter how many times this happened, I never stayed dead for long. The company knows what I am. It's always surprising that they never sned their lapdogs to capture just kill me. I am starting to wonder what they are learning from my deaths. Time passed by so slowly in the waiting room, but it was always so peaceful and gave me a place to clear my head. And just like that, I am back inside my body. Well, it looks the same, but it's a new body all the same. My soon-to-be-former abductor is standing with his back to me on the phone with the corporation.

“Yes, he is dead. Yes, his body did burn up. How long did it take? Roughly around thirty minutes to combust. What do you mean longer than last time?” As he finished that, I walked behind him and slit his throat. I picked up the phone. And spoke to the person on the other end.

“Your dog is dead. I put down another one of them. I don't know what you are doing and why you are studying me, but it stops now. I am going to come for you. I will bring the fight to you. And I will destroy you. Mark my words.” They spoke to me after I stopped talking.

“Ah, phoenix, I am so glad to hear from you. You honestly save us so much money killing our retrievers. But I must admit you are getting slower to resurrect yourself. I wonder why that is. Does that mean after a certain amount of deaths, you stay dead? How does one kill a phoenix? After all, this is what we want to know? Maybe we will bring you in next time. To we meet again, you have a good life.”

He ended the call, and I left, ready to start my mission. I will find and end this vial cooperation. No more will I run. It's time to bring the fight to them.