Deceptions

by Dana Mansfield

  “Penelope, stay still,” he said.

  “But you’re hurting,” she replied, panting a bit from her exertion. He couldn’t help but let a small, sad laugh out.

  “I am the one hurting?”

  Penny just shook her head.

  “I’ll heal but you’re hurting where it counts the most and I don’t want you to hurt anywhere. I know it’s hard but you need to stay strong here,” she said and reached out to touch her bloody fingertips to his heart. She grimaced when she did this. “I should have anticipated the Employer might try something like this; I should have prepared you.”

  “You do not go and try and blame yourself for my reaction,” he said. “My reaction was mine. And I was prepared for something like this. Remember, I grew up in Siberia under the eyes of the KGB. Using family members to torture was not unheard of; I guess I just was not expecting it here in America.”

  “I’m sorry you have to go through something like that again,” Penny said. She wilted a bit in her half-sitting up position. Seeing her so injured, vulnerable, and trying to keep her modesty also helped to pull him out of his pity party. “They left medical supplies for you to patch me up but could you help me put some clothes on first? At least the t-shirt.”

  “Of course,” he said and took the blood spattered, pale blue shirt from her.

  “Just be careful of my back,” she said with hesitation. He was sickened when he saw the shredding she took. There were many long, bleeding welts along with several bruised knots.

  “Oh, my God,” he breathed and it was with those words that Penny lost her composure she had been trying hard to hold onto. Her cry was based in pain. All Jack wanted to do was pull her into his arms, hold her tight, and comfort her. She was so broken and battered that any type of physical comfort would just cause her more pain. It was just another form of torture.

  Eventually, Penny calmed herself and he started working on her injuries. It took over an hour for him to clean and bandage her. He took care of her back and then slipped her t-shirt on. There were several wounds, like the ones on the side of her head and on her cheek, that might have benefitted from stitches but he knew asking for that service was unwise. Butterfly bandages would have to do.

  Penny explained her feet had first been cut by the broken glass but William chose to slice her up more after he repeatedly used the sledgehammer on her hands, knees, and ankles. The anger Jack had for the megalomaniac was severe yet he felt so helpless because he could do nothing to retaliate. William had used his belt on her back and beaten her face ‘as a cherry.’ Penny explained the torture to her hands was a specific request from the Employer and after he broke them, he lit the magazine on fire and forced the flame on her hands over and over. The Employer relished seeing Penny have to rely on Jack even for her basic needs. The Employer liked to humiliate Penny.

  Jack finished and he worried about what needed to be done next. Penny said to forget the pajama bottoms; it would be too painful for her to maneuver them on. The t-shirt was too big anyway and covered her private areas so she was okay with just wearing that. Jack, however, couldn’t leave her on the blood-smeared floor. He would need to pick her up and move her to the bed.

  “Just do it slowly, please” she requested.

  “I will need to carry you but your knees…,” he explained and lightly touched one. Penny sucked in her breath and bit her lip. “I do not think I can do this without causing you pain.”

  “I don’t think you can either,” she agreed. Penny’s voice shook as tears ran down her face again and she turned away from Jack.

  “You went through hell,” Jack said and Penny nodded. Anger built within him; he would need to be careful. Any retaliation would more than likely result in Penny’s death. “Promise me something, Penelope. Promise me you will never, ever volunteer to take a punishment for me. Promise me, moy prekrasnyy drug.”[16] He cupped her battered face in his hands and looked into her brown eyes. “Promise me.”

  “I promise,” she whispered as her chin quivered. She had to be in such immense pain. “I just didn’t want them to hurt you.”

  “I know and I would have done the same if our roles were reversed,” he admitted. “Let us try and move forward. Now, to get you up off the floor, no? Are you ready?”

  “No,” she replied, “but let’s get this over with.” Jack stood and then as gently as possible, he picked Penny up. She cried out in pain which tore at his heart but there was no choice. Even as skinny as Penny was, his body was just not used to this much exertion and he barely got her to the bed. Penny was trembling and her eyes were closed.

  “You are in so much pain,” he noted and she nodded. Her breathing became a bit erratic and her shaking worse. Jack checked her pulse; it was racing and not even. “Penelope,” he said with calm words. “I know you are in a lot of pain but I need you to try and slow your breathing. Your heartbeat is very irregular.” Jack worried about her slipping into shock. It took her several minutes but she did as he requested.

  The afternoon ground along as Penny’s awful injuries overcame her as her adrenaline dried up. Jack worried for the better part of an hour as she was semiconscious, whimpering and having difficulty responding to his simple questions. He breathed a slight sigh of relief when she came out of the episode but there was so much to worry about. Infection, circulation issues, nerve damage from unset bones. The cuts on her feet would not stop bleeding. He would wrap them in gauze but within a few minutes, blood soaked through.

  “The bleeding will not stop,” he said with a note of desperation in his voice. She was sitting up – lying down with her beaten back would be too much – and her eyes were drooping. Her face was very pale. He didn’t think she would bleed to death but she was losing more blood than she needed to. The cuts needed stitches. Jack felt he had no choice and stood in front of the camera.

  “Ivan, what are you doing?” Penny asked in a weak voice but Jack just waved her off.

  “The cuts on the bottoms of her feet are deep and she will not stop bleeding. Penny needs stitches and I will accept whatever payment is requested for her to get them,” he said.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Penny demanded. She was clearly angry but also frightened as indicated by her next words. “They’re going to hurt you. You can’t do this,” she insisted.

  “I will be fine, Penelope,” he insisted right back. “The bleeding needs to stop.”

  “But Jack…”

  “Nyet,” he said, “no buts.” She wanted to continue the argument but gave up. She tried to slump backwards against the headboard but the minute her back touched the wood, she cried out. It broke her. Jack did his best to comfort her as she sobbed.

  Vivienne entered the room a few minutes later with her medical kit. William and the others followed and Jack couldn’t help but feel fear. He knew when he made his plea it would cost him but Penny was worth it to him. He hated seeing how awful they were treating her and she needed the medical attention. But, Vivienne being Vivienne, made the stitching job as painful as possible. Penny was soaked in sweat by the time Ms. Mengele was done closing the cuts on Penny’s sensitive feet without any numbing agent.

  “Time for you to come with us, Jack,” William said in a calm voice. Jack’s stomach felt as if it was about to turn itself inside out.

  “Jack…,” Penny whimpered. She looked even worse but he forced a smile onto his face.

  “I will be okay,” he insisted.

  “Don’t worry, Pretty Penny,” William said with fake sweetness. “He’ll be back soon.”

  It pained Jack to leave with William but he knew if he hesitated at all, bad things would happen. The madman led Jack downstairs where he was secured tightly to the heavy wooden chair. Jack was scared.

  “You miss your children, don’t you?” William asked as Landon fussed around in the stainless steel cabinets.

  “Of course I miss my children,” answered Jack, his heart pounding away.

  “And we understand that, Jack,” Willia
m said, again with fake sincerity. “The Employer has instructed us to give you something to remind you of your children so there is no repeat of today’s ugliness.” James unlocked Jack’s left arm and then relocked it with the inside of his forearm facing upwards. There was a deliberate purpose for placing it in such a way and as Landon approached with the instrument, Jack figured out why. In Landon’s hand was a crude tattoo gun.

  “You’re a bit odd when it comes to rock and roll. You’ve had a couple articles written about your lack of tattoos, haven’t you?” William asked.

  “Yes,” Jack replied.

  “It’s because of your faith, correct?”

  “Yes, tattoos are frowned upon.”

  “Leviticus?”

  “Correct,” Jack replied. He didn’t want to get into a theological discussion.

  “So you follow every little rule of Leviticus?”

  “Well, no,” he replied. This was not the first time the subject came up. Jack had been called a hypocrite in the past because he found some of the Leviticus laws a threat to basic human rights. He believed those that made sense and he had a number of discussions with Rabbi Frank over the years about why he chose to believe some but not all.

  “Tattooing is one you follow even though it sets you apart from your peers,” William said. “But you don’t just cite an archaic book. You have another reason.”

  “You know I do,” Jack replied. His tone was testy. “Why have me talk about it?”

  “Because I’m calling the shots here,” William replied with anger and slapped Jack. He tried not to react to the act of violence even though it was a hard hit. “Now tell me your other reason.”

  “My maternal grandparents were survivors of Auschwitz,” he explained. “I was brought up with great respect for them. They were tattooed against their will. Even a tattoo by choice would feel like I was dishonoring their memory.”

  “Honorable. We know your family history. Your grandparents survived Auschwitz but then relocated to the Soviet Union. Probably not the best choice but c’est la vie,” William said with a shrug. “Let’s begin,” he stated with a nod towards Landon. Jack tensed with anger and then with a little pain as Landon began working on his arm. Jack only looked down when he finished. Alexsandr 9/20/93 was written in messy block letters about a half an inch tall, the skin around the lettering pink. “A first born son,” drawled William. “Tell me about him.”

  “No,” Jack said without thinking and William retaliated by slapping him again.

  “It wasn’t a request,” he growled. Jack’s anger and fear fought within him. His children were his life and he didn’t want to share them with this madman but what William did next scared the hell out of him. He took out a photograph from a file folder. It was a picture of Sasha. Jack recognized the background as the parking lot of Eastern Regional High School where both Sasha and Natalya went. Jack strained against the leather restraints as the date in the corner of the picture indicated it was taken just a week earlier.

  “Are you watching my children?” Jack growled.

  “Did you think we wouldn’t?” William pulled a lighter from his pocket and touched the flame to the corner of the photo. Watching Sasha’s face burn away killed Jack inside. “Now, tell me about your Sasha.”

  “He is unbelievable,” Jack started in a shaky voice. “He’s caring and athletic and so, so smart. He reminds me a lot of my brother.” And with that, Jack was forced to talk about his kids he held so close to his heart after each name was tattooed onto his forearm. He didn’t want to appear weak, especially after Landon tattooed death dates for Ellie and Baby Freddy. Jack closed his heart down and spoke in a monotone voice. He did so to protect himself.

  Two agonizing hours passed but finally, the deed was done. Jack was spent and exhausted. His arm hurt from the needle and his body ached from tensing up. All he wanted to do was get back to Penny and thankfully, that’s what he was allowed. To use the cliché, she was a sight for sore eyes.

  “What did they do to you?” Penny demanded as soon as the door closed. He approached the bed and sat on the edge.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked, deflecting. Penny was a pro, however.

  “What did they do to you” she repeated with irritation, worry, and pain. He didn’t want to add to her misery so he held his left arm out to her. “Oh, my God,” she breathed and reached out with a bandaged hand. Tears rolled down her face. Nothing could be said.

  . . .

  The rest of the day was numb. When Penny could hold out no longer, Jack had to pick her up again and carry her to the bathroom to use the toilet. It was agonizing for her and when he got her back on the bed, she passed out. He was delicate as he positioned Penny on her right side. The pain would be just too much if she were on her back.

  She was still unconscious when William and Vivienne entered with dinner. Jack wanted to throw himself at William and it took an immense amount of self-control to keep himself from doing that. As had become habit in the situation, Jack put himself in between Penny and whoever walked into the bedroom. It was the only thing he could do. William pulled out a small bottle and tossed it at Jack. He caught it and read the label – Vicodin.

  “The Employer has allowed Penny ten pills,” William explained and then left with Vivienne. Jack looked at the bottle but a new worry entered the picture. Were the pills actually Vicodin? He opened the bottle and shook one out. The tablet was white and oval and sure enough, on the side was the name of the drug. Jack, however, was still hesitant. He just didn’t trust William or Vivienne and he couldn’t take the chance of giving Penny something that might exasperate her pain.

  There was just one thing he could think of to do so he walked into the bathroom, filled their plastic cup with water, and took one of the pills himself. Jack hid the bottle in the medicine cabinet next to their toothbrushes and went back to the bedroom.

  His meltdown had come at lunch and he’d tossed their Sunday dinner away and despite the horrific afternoon, his stomach growled. Jack wouldn’t eat, not just yet. On an empty stomach, the Vicodin would take effect pretty fast and he would know if it was unadulterated. He sat on the floor against the wall to keep from jiggling the bed and waited. Very slowly, a warm fuzziness filled him. It was familiar. After the car accident, Vicodin had been a close friend for several weeks. Jack took a deep breath and let it out in relief. Penny had pain medication.

  * * *

  Chapter 20

  The next couple weeks were hell for two reasons. The first, and obvious reason, was the pain Penny was in and the second was the fact the Employer demanded Penny, despite having both wrists broken, be handcuffed. Jack was stupid and before he thought, demanded to know why. Thankfully, he took the punishment for that stupidity and his beating lasted less than five minutes. He earned a black eye, busted lip, and sore stomach muscles but considering what Penny was dealing with, he complained not one word.

  She struggled with the pain she was in and after using the remaining nine pain pills, William announced there would be no more. Penny sucked it up but it was difficult. At bedtime, just Jack was given the sleeping pills since if Penny took them, they would allow her respite from her discomfort. Jack hated the fact she had to suffer by herself while he was out. She slept a little but admitted most of the time, she was in too much pain to drop off. Exhaustion rode her hard but the pain often kept her from any sort of restful sleep. This did not help her healing.

  Penny’s appetite was hindered and if she ate too much, the pain caused her to vomit. This was excruciating for her as it required Jack to scoop her up and rush her to the bathroom. The first time she was going to vomit he brought the wastebasket to her but then William, the sadist he was, took it away so that Jack had no choice but to move Penny and her broken knees and ankles.

  It was so painful for her to be moved she refused to relieve herself more than twice a day once she got past the pain vomiting and by the end of the first week, she had another UTI which added to her misery. She was allo
wed the same two antibiotics as before. It was torture on Jack that he forced her to drink a lot of water so she peed several times a day but Penny got over her anger at him.

  Jack was in charge of changing all of Penny’s bandages daily. Her hands were worse than before both from the burns and broken bones. “He used the sledgehammer more than three times,” Penny confessed. The handcuffs exasperated the pain of the broken bones and made changing the gauze difficult for Jack. They also restricted movement in her arms and shoulders and painful muscle spasms hampered her even more. She dealt with all the pain and discomfort without complaint and Jack was once again amazed at her strength.

  . . .

  A month passed since Leo’s birthday. The stitches came out of Penny’s feet and the burns on her hands healed but her skin was scarred and tight, leaving her with reduced movement. Jack was also worried about tendon and/or nerve damage. The swelling and bruising went down in her wrists, knees, and ankles but there was still too much pain for her to see if she could bear weight on her legs. Her wrists bothered her but not as much but now she was dealing with the painful rubbing from the cuffs. Her back healed although she was left with ugly scars. Because her hands were bound, she had to rely on Jack to help her in the bathroom and just as before, this bothered her. Penny put up a façade that it didn’t but Jack saw the pain and humiliation in her eyes. It hurt her spirit but she refused to talk about it.

  “No matter what they do,” she said one day, “you’ve just got to take it so you can survive.”

  “I do not like it,” he said from the floor where he was doing pushups. Exercising was Penny’s idea after he took the beating for questioning her handcuffing. She decided he needed an outlet for the pent up anger he had so she told him to do pushups and sit-ups. It worked, for the most part.

  “I don’t like it either but you have no choice. Remember, you have got to make it back to the kids,” she said. “You have to do whatever it takes to survive so you can see your deti[17] again.”