TORTURED

I woke up to see myself tied to a chair, the room was dimly lit.

I kept my eyes tightly shut, somehow hoping that it would all go away if I played dead.

The burning flames in the nearby old oil drum made me feel uncomfortable.

I know very well what they're used for.

Torture!

Burning the skin of the offenders alive after pouring corrosive chemicals on them.

Sweat poured down my body as I wondered what tempted me to enter such a situation.

God why did you let them catch me?

I thought we were in this together.

God come and save me.

I swear, I will not steal again.

I'm doomed.

How can I die at my age?

They even brought me to the questioning room, instead of the cell where they dump minors whom they don't wish to hurt.

It only makes their intentions clear, they intend to torture me.

Rex, you're a bastard.

"Why is she still like that?" I heard his ominous voice reverberate in the room.

"She's still passed out, boss. She's probably frightened out of her mind. Are you really going to kill her?" I heard his assistant say.

I held my breath waiting for his answer.

His answer will determine if I should open my eyes or not.

"Why won't I kill her? If I spare her, others will think they can steal from me and also go scot free. Max, you should know my method by now. I don't show mercy, and I definitely don't joke with my money. I intentionally gave her a second chance and warned her, after she stole my money. But she hardened her heart, showing she's a criminal mind. Since she has no problem dabbling in crimes, I won't treat her like a little angel either. When I caught her stealing money, I wrote it off as a teenager's mischief. But she obviously can't appreciate kindness" he said lazily, sitting down.

At once, my heart began to palpitate in fear.

He already knew I was the one stealing the money, that was why he stared straight at me during his warning session.

Damn! 

I'm stupid.

Why didn't I realize I already got caught?

He probably set a trap for me, and I fell into it.

He is determined to end me.

I felt someone caress my face and bite my ears, making my eyelids flutter.

His hot breath fanned out on my face, but I was determined to stay unconscious.

"Little rabbit, playing dead won't save you from this. Open your eyes, I know you have been awake for sometime" I heard Rex whisper in my ears.

Tears ran down my cheeks as I opened my eyes.

"Please sir, I had no option. Spare me. I won't do it again" I whispered in tears, looking at his face which was mere inches above mine.

He licked his lips and smiled evilly at me.

"Now, why would I want to do that? You should have been dead hours ago, I don't know why I keep sparing you, every single time. Is it because you look like a frightened little bird? But I have seen lots of angelic birds that turn out to be monstrous fire birds, after being nurtured by their masters. So forget it, that innocent look on your face won't make me pity you. I don't have a conscience after all" he whispered, patting me softly.

His loving smile and tender pats made it all the more creepy.

Is this what they call killing while smiling?

"Start the torture! She must tell me who sent her to steal my drugs" he said coldly, moving away from me.

At once, two of his men unstrapped me from the chair and tied my hands, attaching it to a hook dangling from the ceiling.

My feet were barely touching the ground.

I saw one of his men walk towards me with a whip which he picked from the metallic table.

It had dangerous teeth-like protrusions on it.

"No! No! Don't touch me with that thing!" I shouted in horror as he walked menacingly towards me.

The first stroke landed on my back making me scream and shout.

Warm liquid spewed out of my back.

I felt my skin break open and blood flowed freely down my back.

Some of the men had looks of pity on their faces while others were expressionless, looking at me with disdain.

I was still crying and wailing when I saw the man lift the whip again.

My heart skipped a beat.

Just the first stroke, and my back is already torn beyond repair.

If another one hits me all my bones will probably be crushed into nothingness.

"No! Please don't hit me! You don't have to do this! I'm not a thief, I swear! Have mercy! I had no option!" I shouted in a loud, croaky voice as tears and snot ran down my face.

The second lash hit me and I screamed loudly.

I felt hot urine running down my legs as I shouted and cried.

I danced on the tip of my toes, shouting, screaming and crying for mercy.

I only knew I was begging for mercy, however what I was babbling was not even making sense to me.

The pain and terror was messing with my head.

I continued jumping and dancing in pain, crying like a wounded puppy.

"Ew! She urinated on herself again. Are you sure we should continue? What if she poops on herself if we hit her again?. She's obviously a damn baby. Boss, there should be some other way to punish her'' I heard one of his men whisper.

However, the embarrassment of peeing on myself was not what I'm worried about.

The pain was making me unable to think straight.

"You said you had no option, so who mandated you to steal from me?" Rex asked coldly, tapping his hand against the armrest.

"No one. No one sent me!" I wailed.

"She's not serious! Continue!" He growled, his face a mask of cold fury.

He seemed pissed off and impatient.

"I said continue! If she doesn't want to tell me why she stole, it can only be because of greed. And greedy people deserve no mercy because it's the foundation for other crimes" he said in an emotionless voice.

The man raised the whip again, making me scream in fright and horror.

"I meant that no one asked me to steal. My grandma was sick. She's the only family I have after my mom was shot! The surgeries required lots of money and I couldn't raise it no matter how much I tried. That's why I was tempted to do it. I swear I will not steal anymore. Just spare me this once" I wailed, jumping and trying to avoid the approaching whip which filled me with terror.

However, being tied restricted my movements, making my efforts to dodge futile.

I screamed in fear as I saw the whip approaching me, calling on God to take my soul.

However, the whip never landed.

I waited for the pain that was sure to come.

But even after a minute, I didn't feel anything.

There was only a heavy silence in the room.

I opened my eyes only to see Rex standing before me with narrowed eyes.

I gasped in fear and shifted my face away from his.

God please!