by Quil Carter
Even though he knew better, Sasha couldn’t hold himself back. He scrambled to his feet, resisting the urge to attack Kheva. “You saw Jobe and Lex!” Sasha snarled, his fists clenching. He was standing by the foot of the bed now, the chill of the room stinging his flushed skin. “You fucking tortured my god damn uncle!” Sasha’s chest heaved with anger, his own beacon charged and ready to instill as much pain on Kheva as he could. “They didn’t do anything to you! How could you? They fucking love me, Kheva. How the fuck could you hurt my uncle like that? You fucking permanently damaged him, didn’t you?”
Kheva’s eyes narrowed to small slits. “How do you know this?” he growled, and slowly he drew off the covers and stood on the other end of the bed. “Tell me right now, how the fuck did you access that area of my mind?”
“It doesn’t matter! What the fuck did you––”
“TELL ME HOW YOU ACCESSED IT, SASHA!” Kheva roared, the gold in his eyes suddenly brightening like two road flares just got ignited. The master was a thousand feet tall in that moment, a towering and intimidating deity that had come down from Valhalla to bring the apocalypse. “I will not ask you twice!”
Then, behind Kheva, there was a laugh, a familiar laugh that Sasha knew all too well.
Sasha didn’t think Kheva’s eyes could get any more crazed, any more angrier, but when he heard that laugh they became downright demonic.
Kheva turned, and Sasha looked past him, and they saw the original owner of Kel’s body, leaning against the door frame.
And Rob was smiling.
“You!” Kheva bellowed, his voice a lion’s roar. “What the fuck have you been doing?” Kheva was trembling with rage, from his head of messy black hair to his toes, the Master’s naked body was shaking.
Rob chuckled, and leaned against the door frame. He was fully clothed, the only one out of the three of them. “Just doing a little digging, my lovely,” he said guilefully. “I do love watching your home movies and Sasha was just tucked so tight up against your body.” His blue eyes brightened with crazed hostility, and with the swift change, the smile on his face turned into a sneer. “So many memories. Which one is my favourite? You clawing the cum out of your ass as you sat on the toilet… or perhaps the day Abram sold you to that lovely bearded fellow and he proceeded to half-choke you with his seven inch––” Rob then paused, as if listening for something, then released a cackled laugh. “Oh, sorry, angel. Your little mind melt doesn’t work on me anymore. Too bad, so sad.”
What…? Kheva’s abilities…
Sasha’s eyes shot to Kheva, whose teeth were now pressed so tightly his jaw was thrumming; Sasha could even hear his rattled breathing.
Did… I have something to do with that? Sasha thought, a cold dread sitting in his stomach like he’d swallowed spoiled meat. He had no idea how the inner workings of a nightcrawler’s mind worked. But he suspected that what he’d been accidentally accessing in Kheva’s mind had something to do with Rob now being able to block Kheva’s mental advances.
“How did you manage that?” Kheva asked, his gravelly voice frozen and stiff.
Rob chuckled. “Call me Daddy, baby, and I’ll tell you.”
Sasha could almost hear the mental snap inside of the Master. Kheva let out a terrifying mixture of a scream and a roar, and ran towards Rob, his arm swinging back with his fist clenched. Rob laughed, but to Sasha’s terror and confusion, made no motion to move away from Kheva. He stood there, a dangerous glint in his eyes, and when Kheva struck him, punching him hard in the face, he spun backwards and landed on the floor.
Kheva glared down at Rob, his chest heaving and his lips retracted in a clenched snarl. “Has he ever spoken to you?” Kheva snarled, his eyes still fixed on Rob who was writhing on the floor and spitting up blood.
Then Kheva turned around, and Sasha realized he had been talking to him. “Has he spoken to you!?” Kheva suddenly screamed, his face twisted insanity, contorted to the point where Sasha didn’t recognize him. “Answer me!”
‘Deny it,’ Rob yelled. ‘He will kill you if you say yes, or at the very least, kill Lex and Jobe. Deny it, the Dead Zone will do the rest.’
“No!” Sasha stammered, and he realized he was trembling just as badly as Kheva was, but Sasha’s was from fear. “N-never.”
As he said this, he could feel Kheva inside of his mind, searching and shifting around strings of thoughts and pulses of memories. The mad nightcrawler was seeping desperation––fearful, scared desperation.
Kheva… Kheva was scared?
Was he just scared because his buried secret had been revealed? Or was there another reason?
Then, from the floor in front of the master bedroom’s entrance, there was a low laugh. “Do you see how strong I’m getting, my angel? You sense it, don’t you?” Rob slowly crawled to his feet, blood falling like rain from his mouth. It was still bizarre to see this person inside of Kel’s body. There was no spastic nightcrawler, completely unhinged and capable of horrific abuse, but oddly… sweet, just the old owner hell-bent on revenge. “You can’t keep stuffing me down. The longer I’m in here, the more I learn this backseat you’re forcing me into.” With a stumble, Rob managed to stand, but he was still unsteady. “You do know that Jobe and Lex are working with Nate now, right? It’s only a matter of time before they come for me, for Sasha––and for you.”
Sasha stared at Rob, then his gaze went to Kheva. The Master hadn’t moved, his stance was of a man ready to fight the world, from his raised chin to his clenched fists. Whatever Rob had said, hadn’t rocked him, or if it had, he wasn’t going to show it.
Rob saw this. He walked towards Kheva, his arm raised and wiping the blood dribbling down his mouth with a blue sleeve. The man inside of Kel then leaned forward, and hissed into Kheva’s ear: “You know you miss me, angel. Let’s just give it one more shot.” He raised a hand, and to Sasha’s shock, clasped Kheva’s chin. “You know you missed me, baby, you missed us.”
Then Sasha watched with confusion as he kissed Kheva’s lips, and pulled back.
And suddenly, Kheva let out a throttled scream. His hands flew up and grasped his head, then he stumbled to the left, and crashed into the credenza dresser, his head smacking against the corner before he tumbled to the floor.
Sasha cried out, both hands cupping his mouth. He didn’t know what the fuck to do. What the fuck was he supposed to do?
But he had no time to process an answer, Kheva screamed again, his body thrashing with both hands clawing at his now bleeding scalp.
Rob laughed and walked around the bedroom, his head shaking back and forth. “This was so worth the wait!” he cried jubilantly over Kheva’s screams, both arms spread out as if welcoming the world. “Look at him, Sasha! Isn’t it nice to see him on the ground for a chance?” Rob raised a foot and pressed it against Kheva’s throat. “Tell me this isn’t fucking nice?”
Sasha could only stare at Kheva and Rob, stunned and with both feet rooted to the floor. He didn’t know what to do. Kheva had hurt Lex, he’d taunted Jobe. They were both in danger, but he still didn’t want to see Kheva get tortured.
“His resistance is down, Sasha,” Rob said, both eyes glaring blue comets. “Hurt him. Hurt the little cocksucker like he hurt you.” Kheva’s scream died down, but he remained on the floor gasping like a fish caught in a drawn-up net.
Rob’s head turned to Sasha, his eyes narrowed. “Want a reminder of what he did to Lex?” he snapped. “Don’t you fucking show him empathy, you stupid weak boy, or you’ll be right there with him.”
Lex… he’d tortured Uncle Lex.
He’d… just remember what he did to you, did to your family. Just keep remembering…
Sasha hastily drew that mental control panel up to the front of his head, a technique Kheva himself had taught him, and he tried to force down the guilt he was feeling.
Shaking from head to toe and still bare naked, he saw Kheva’s beacon in front of him. It was different than it usually was, radiating static and fri
ction, Sasha could feel the pain pouring from it, and not just that… despair, and so many more emotions that filled Sasha full of guilt.
He hurt Lex. You saw it, he hurt Lex. After this, you can go home.
Sasha, you have to go home to them. This isn’t your fight, you can’t get involved in this.
I have to go home, Master. I’m sorry.
Sasha’s lips pursed tight, and with wetness stinging the corners of his eyes, he focused on Kheva’s beacon, the bright orb of light that made up everything his master was… and with a hard push of energy, he disrupted it.
The scream that burst from Kheva’s lips, was one that Sasha had never heard come from a person before. It was full of such agony, the tears that had stung Sasha’s eyes fell and he released a choked sob.
And it wasn’t only that, as Sasha attacked him, he could feel Rob’s presence right beside his in Kheva’s mind. But he wasn’t only observing the attack on Kheva through their own inner mind’s eye… Rob was pulling more memories from Kheva’s brain.
Rob was using Kheva’s weakened state to extract the terrible memories that Kheva had kept hidden. The memories involving a boy sold from man to man like he was an object.
And what Sasha saw was terrible. They were brief flashes of horrific rapes at the hands of that bearded man and two other men as well. Starting from a young child, all the way up to a skinny, battered teenager.
Unable to take any more, Sasha pulled away and began to step backwards, horrified over what he’d just let happen.
“More!” Rob demanded, his tone a snarl. He stalked towards Sasha, a fiery rage coating him like his own beacon had become a bonfire. “Make him scream for mercy! Make him fucking suffer!”
“I can’t!” Sasha cried. He clasped his hands behind his neck. “I just want to go back and make sure Uncle Lex is okay! That’s all I want! I didn’t want to leave; I just don’t want him to hurt my family!” Tears streamed down his cheeks, his trembling legs barely able to keep him steady. “That’s all I wanted. I just wanted to make sure Lex and Jobe were safe.”
Sasha let out a scared cry as Rob roughly grabbed him. “If you don’t fucking punish him until he’s screaming for his fucking Daddy Andrei, I’ll be the one killing them!” Rob snarled, his expression crazed. He had both hands on Sasha’s shoulders, the tips of his fingers digging into Sasha’s flesh. “Now DO IT!”
Sasha stared at Rob, now a trembling mess unable to control any part of his body, not even his ragged breathing. What the fuck had he just done? What the fuck had he just unleased?
“I know where they are, boy,” Rob spat. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Sasha’s, Rob’s eyes glaring into his. There was pure sadistic madness on him, one with a familiarity to it that told Sasha this was nothing new to the crazed man. “Do it, and don’t you fucking tempt me––”
Sasha’s teeth locked, the anger coming so quickly he had no idea where it had erupted from. He drew up Rob’s beacon, and using the burning rage as fuel, he pushed every ounce of energy he had into it.
But nothing happened, the insane nightcrawler in front of him only laughed.
Sasha’s abilities had been blocked too. Rob had been building a defence against him as well.
“You think I’m stup–”
Kheva came out of nowhere, and the thick hardcover book he was holding also seemed to appear out of thin air. The Master, holding it with both hands, swung it at Rob’s head.
Rob was thrown off of his feet. And as he stumbled backwards towards the entrance to the bedroom, Kheva and Sasha both advanced on him. Sasha punched Rob in the mouth, his neck snapping back and hitting the door frame, and before the man could even get his senses, Kheva grabbed him and the two of them stumbled backwards into the hallway––and towards the flight of stairs.
“Kheva!” Sasha cried. With his heart pounding, he dashed towards the two, and as he ran, he realized that Rob had wrapped his arms around Kheva and was deliberately taking steps backwards towards the flight of stairs.
Rob was going to make the two of them fall down the fucking stairs.
In what seemed like slow motion, Sasha thrusted a hand towards the two and grabbed Kheva’s arm. He yanked it back and used the momentum to push himself forward, and with his free hand, he retracted it and punched Rob in the mouth.
The impact of it, had Rob taking the last backward step needed, a step that would have his foot landing on nothing but air.
One moment he was there, the next he was gone, and though Sasha turned away, unable to watch, he heard the sound of thumping as Rob tumbled down the flight of stairs.
This was followed by the low, sickening snap of bones, and the last impact, a loud echoing thunk, followed by silence.
Dead silence.
Sasha didn’t realize he had his hands clasped over his ears and his eyes shut tight until Kheva touched his arm. He opened his eyes and saw the hardwood floor, speckled with blood and saliva.
Then he heard a faint whimper down the flight of stairs. “Master?” Kel cried weakly, there was a sharp inhale and a choking sob. “Master?”
Sasha’s blood ran cold. He turned his head and looked down the wood stairs, and cried out when he saw Kel at the bottom.
Not Rob… Kel.
He was lying on his side, his arm at a horrible angle and his leg… Oh fuck, his leg was bent. There was blood around his head, already pooling, and he… fuck, he didn’t look good.
“Kel!” Sasha cried. It was Kel now. Rob was gone. They had to help him! They had to help him! “Kel, it’s okay!”
“No.”
Sasha looked towards the sound of the voice and saw Kheva standing near the flight of stairs, a distant, vacant look on his face that had Sasha all the more terrified. “No?” Sasha whimpered.
Kheva’s eyes found Sasha’s, but the distant stare remained. “He let him in,” Kheva said, his tone deadpan, there was nothing behind it. “Kel let him in. I… I was wrong. I was wrong. It’s time… it’s time.”
“W-what?” Sasha cried weakly. “Kheva, we have to help him. It’s Keluva.”
Kheva’s head shook back and forth. “No,” he said again, his body was twitching, almost convulsing like it was unable to handle this horrific experience. “It’s time, Sasha. I’m – I’m ready now. I’m ready to let go. I’m finally ready.”
“Kheva?” Kel cried confused. “Master, help me. Master, I’m scared.”
Kheva turned from Sasha and looked down the stairs. “I’m… going to put you to sleep for an hour. I – I won’t subject you to this.”
“NO!” Sasha said panicked. “Kheva, Master. It’s Kel, it’s Kel. Master, it’s––”
Then, like a thick blanket of darkness was being draped over his mind, Sasha fell into unconsciousness.
Sasha’s awareness didn’t come back to him all at once. The first thing he was made aware of were the sounds of the room he was in, which consisted of two things: One, was light breathing, and the other, lips breaking the seal of a cigarette, before lungs slowly exhaled smoke.
For several minutes, Sasha listened to this breathing, too stunned by the events that had taken place to open his eyes.
He felt like a child who’d just had a scary nightmare, and was worried that when he lifted his eyelids, the monster would still be in the same room.
There was also a sense that Sasha’s own mind was shielding him; that it had formed a protective barrier around its most valuable resource, numbing down the worst of what he’d experienced as to not damage him more than he already was.
But his mind could only shield him for so long, as Sasha lay on what he believed was the couch, the events that had transpired got more vivid, and the consequences of those events became all the more real.
Did Kheva do it… is Kel dead?
Sasha’s heart burst with ache, and he felt himself have to bite the inside of his cheek. Oh god, he thought. This is my fault. This is all my fucking fault. Kheva thinks Kel was letting Rob have control over him, but
it was me. I’d been giving Rob the strength to break through, I’d been giving Rob Kheva’s terrible memories. I have to fucking tell him.
I can’t fucking let Kel take the fall for this. I’ll take my punishment from Kheva.
Sasha’s eyes shut tight, and he bit harder on his cheek. He felt empty, gutted, cold and alone in an isolated place.
Again, Sasha heard lips break away from the cigarette filter, and this time the exhale brought a smell of cigarette smoke.
Sasha opened his eyes slowly, and saw that he was indeed in the living room. He was lying on the couch facing the television and the hallway to the bathroom and office, the coffee table in front of him, and then the taxidermy bear rug.
Sasha’s eyes first went to the bottom of the stairs, but he saw nothing there now, not even the pool of blood that he’d seen form around Kel’s head. It had been cleaned entirely, not even a damp spot had remained.
Then, as Sasha slowly shifted himself to the sitting position, he looked over to Kheva’s black chair, and he saw the man himself.
Kheva was hunched over, his eyes fixed in a stare Sasha could only describe as the stunned look soldiers had after coming home from war. It was so unsuited for Kheva’s features it was startling, like something else had put on Kheva’s skin and was pretending to be him.
Without acknowledging Sasha, Kheva put the cigarette to his mouth, the red ember flared then dimmed, and then the Master pulled the nearly finished cigarette away, and as he exhaled the smoke, he leaned forward.
Kheva extended his arm and extinguished the cigarette in an ashtray that was now overflowing. He then picked up a red and white package of smokes, and drew out another one.
There were only three left, but beside it was a new pack, one with the cellophane still on.
The whole scene had Sasha’s body filling with packed ice. It was like he’d woken up in an alternate reality. That couldn’t be Kheva in front of him; Kheva didn’t act like this.
Off-kilter and unsettled, Sasha felt compelled to speak, to do something to break this disturbing picture. He couldn’t just sit and watch this, it was worse than any of the terrifying scenes he’d encountered in his time here.
