Chapter 37 Safety of Familiar Walls

Another hatchling, no bigger than my hand, was kicked with such force that it crashed into the splintered wall of the shed. Its tiny body, so light and frail, crumpled on impact, the sound of breaking bones barely audible over the sharp intake of breath that followed. It lay there, twitching, its little chest heaving as it tried to draw air into lungs that were likely punctured. Its eyes, wide and filled with terror, rolled back in its head as it struggled to stay conscious.

Slasher, seeing their suffering, grinned with a sick satisfaction, his eyes gleaming with a twisted joy. To him, their pain was nothing more than entertainment, a way to pass the time. He kicked another hatchling, this time catching it in the side with a brutal force that sent it skidding across the floor. The little creature let out a sharp squeal of pain, its body curling in on itself as it tried to protect its soft underbelly. But there was no protection to be had - its skin, thin as paper, tore easily, and a thin line of blood marked the path it had taken across the ground.

"You pathetic little worms! Out of my way! Off with you! Go and cower in the corner like the worthless shits you are! I'm not here for you today!" he sneered, his voice dripping with malice.

Slasher strode toward Kaka, a malicious grin spreading across his face. He delivered a swift, powerful punch to Kaka's gut, the impact was so forceful it cracked his spine. Kaka's eyes bulged in agony as he vomited violently, splattering the ground with his filth before collapsing, clutching his deformed belly. But as instructed by Slasher, Kaka did not shit himself. He knew well that if he did the hatchlings would be punished even more.

Slasher turned his attention to me next, grabbing my hand with a vice-like grip. He pushed it against the wall, the rough wood digging into my skin. From his pocket, he produced a long, rusty nail. He held it up to Kaka, who lay writhing on the ground and taunted him.

 “You shitty slave, remember this nail? It’s one of the nails that was used to pin one of your precious hatchlings to the wall for the crows to feast on. Remember that? Huh? You shitty slave! Now, I will nail your favorite shitty hatchling and make you watch as I beat him.”

Bursting into a sadistic laugh, Slasher jammed the nail through my palm and into the shed wall. The pain was excruciating, shooting through my body like lightning. I convulsed, squealing in agony, "WREEEEEE!" tugging desperately at my hand in a futile attempt to free myself. Slasher’s laughter grew louder as he delivered brutal blows to my face, each punch whipping my head from side to side. Blood splattered on the wall, leaving streaks as my vision blurred with each strike.

Kaka writhed on the ground, his body wracked with physical and emotional pain. He was forced to watch as I was mercilessly beaten. His eyes filled with tears, and his broken spirit cried out in silent agony. He tried to scream, to vent his torment, but his throat was clogged with bile and blood from Slasher’s vicious punch.

The brutal beating continued, each punch landing with a sickening thud, each drop of blood a testament to our suffering. Slasher finally stepped back, admiring his handiwork. I hung limply from the wall, my body a canvas of bruises and blood, my mind teetering on the edge of consciousness. Kaka lay motionless, his eyes glazed with despair.

Slasher stepped out from the shed through the creaky wooden door, his face twisted with a cruel grin, and picked up a bucket that had been sitting outside, its contents rattling ominously as he lifted it. He let out a low chuckle, amused by what was about to unfold. The bucket swayed in his grasp as he headed back inside.

"Oh, shitty Kaka! I got you another present," he sneered, his voice dripping with malice as he sauntered back into the cramped, filthy shed. His boots scraped the ground, grinding against the uneven dirt floor, kicking up the dust and grime.

Slasher placed the bucket on the ground with a thud, causing Kaka to flinch, his large eyes wide with fear as he caught sight of the bucket in Slasher's hands. The sound of the metal against the dirt floor seemed unnaturally loud in the silence that followed.

"Please, no more drowning, please," Kaka begged, his voice trembling. 

"I-I can’t take torture like that anymore… p-please, mercy… let us drink water like normal creatures. Please, I beg, I do."

Slasher laughed in his face, a cruel, mocking sound. 

"Oh, don't worry! You bag of shit! This time you get something more fun, like old times. We will play a little game of choice!"

Kaka's eyes widened in terror as Slasher lifted the lid of the bucket, revealing its contents. Inside, hundreds of red ants swarmed over each other, their tiny bodies writhing in the dirt. Dozens upon dozens of writhing, red ants, crawling over each other in frenzy. The dirt inside the bucket shifted as the tiny creatures swarmed, their small but powerful jaws clamping onto anything in their path. 

Kaka gasped, his body recoiling instinctively, his mind racing with terror. He had felt their sting before, back when Slasher had first found the cruel pleasure of using the tiny creatures to torment him. Their bites burned like fire, the venom sending waves of searing pain through his frail body, the agony lingering long after the ants were gone.

“P-please,” Kaka stammered, his voice choked with fear.

 “No torture, please… I beg you, not the ants, not the ants! They sting and bite… it hurts a lot! Mercy! We just want a little peace, a calm evening, and a bit of rest, please, grant us this. Torture no more, we can't take it, we can't.” His entire body convulsed, his hands gripping his filthy, frail form, his eyes darting between Slasher’s menacing grin and the writhing mass of insects below.

Slasher’s eyes gleamed with sadistic joy as he towered over the cowering goblin. He bent down slightly, just enough to bring his face closer to Kaka’s, his breath hot and foul as he hissed, “Choose, you shitty little slave. Either you shove that ugly head of yours into this bucket and let the ants have their fun… or I start dropping your precious hatchlings in here instead. Which one do you like?”

The words struck Kaka like a physical blow. His heart seemed to stop in his chest as the image of his tiny hatchlings getting hurt filled his mind. Even though these were only red and not the killer ants, the helpless little creatures, barely able to open their eyes, their soft, vulnerable bodies were no match for such cruel torture. He could imagine them now, tossed into the bucket like discarded scraps, their tiny cries silenced by the savage swarm of ants, their tender skin ravaged by the merciless bites.

His stomach twisted in knots, and he felt bile rise in his throat as the choice loomed over him. There was no decision to make, not really. He couldn’t let them suffer. Not his hatchlings. Tears welled up in his eyes, spilling down his filthy cheeks as he gasped, “I-I do it! I’ll do it, just don’t hurt the little ones! Please! I’ll suffer for your fun, just leave them be! I beg you! I do it, I do it, I will! Just leave the little ones be.”

Slasher’s laughter echoed through the shed, a sound so twisted and malevolent that it made Kaka’s skin crawl. 

“Alright then,” Slasher sneered, stepping back slightly to give Kaka room.

 “Go on, shove that ugly head of yours into the bucket! Let’s see how much fun you have with those ants. Hurry up, you worthless piece of shit!”

 Kaka wobbled pathetically on his trembling legs, barely able to hold himself upright as he inched toward the bucket, his head sheepishly hovering over the rim. His entire body shook uncontrollably, each moment more agonizing than the last as he forced himself to look closer. His eyes, wide with terror, locked onto the mass of ants that seemed to writhe even more intensely as he approached, their tiny legs skittering across the dirt as if they could sense what was coming.

Kaka hesitated, his breath in panic as he knelt beside it. His face hovered above the writhing mass of ants, his mind screaming at him to run, to do anything but what he was about to do. But he couldn’t run. Not if it meant saving the hatchlings. His tears dripped down into the bucket, landing softly among the ants as they crawled over one another, their tiny bodies squirming in a dirty bucket.

Kaka’s body sagged, his face lowering slowly toward the swarm, but before he could make the final move, Slasher stomped forward with brutal force. His boot came down hard on Kaka’s head, driving his skull downward with such force that the goblin’s face plunged deep into the bucket.

"Here! Let me help you!" he shouted.

Kaka’s screams were muffled as his face was shoved into the dirt, the ants swarming over him immediately, their tiny jaws latching onto his skin. The bites were instant and brutal, the searing pain ripping through his entire body as the ants crawled into his mouth, up his nose, and over his eyelids. His body convulsed violently as he tried to pull away, but Slasher’s boot held him firmly in place, his cruel laughter echoing in the shed as Kaka’s muffled cries filled the air.

Slasher watched with a twisted sense of pleasure as Kaka writhed in pain, his body convulsing uncontrollably.

 "Enjoying the game, are we? I knew you would like it! Just look at you go! You're having so much fun! Just like the old times!" he taunted, his voice dripping with malice.

Kaka could barely breathe, the ants filling his sensitive sniffer and mouth, their bites multiplying the torment. The agony was unbearable, each bite like a shard of glass being driven into his flesh. He could feel the ants crawling everywhere, their tiny legs skittering over his skin as their venom coursed through him, burning like fire. His vision blurred, his mind consumed by the pain as he gasped for air, his screams drowned out by the swarm of ants that now covered his entire face.

But through it all, one thought remained clear in Kaka’s mind. He saved the hatchlings from this brutal fate.