True Monsters

by Shawn Raiford

  Chapter Eight

  Useless

  A god-awful taste stained her mouth.

  It tasted like she licked the ass-end of a donkey with diarrhea. Wincing, Miranda smacked her lips as if the physical act would dilute the taste, but it did not.

  A splitting headache wreaked havoc inside her head. Every slight move caused pain. Just breathing hurt. She wanted to open her eyes, but something prevented her from doing that.

  Wanting to move her hand, to remove the thing covering her eyes, but she couldn’t because something restrained both of her wrists.

  She couldn’t believe how bad her head hurt. She drank wine and from time to tie. Miranda had one or two glasses too many, and would feel it the next morning. She did not like being hungover—who did?—but this was a hangover times ten. “Ouch. Hello anyone there?”

  “Yes, I’m here.”

  Miranda thought she heard someone breathing near her, but could not see him or her. “What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know! I’m stuck to this chair!” Kenneth said with streaks of anger in his voice. "I think that I’ve been super-glued to this damn chair!"

  She struggle against the restraints, but it was no use. “Hello! Is anybody fucking there?”

  “Yes, I’m here.”

  The voice belonged to a little girl, and it was familiar. “Chloe? Is that you?”

  “Hee hee, yep it’s me.”

  Miranda did not like the tone in that answer. Chloe didn't sound scared. “What’s going on? Come over here and take this thing off of my eyes!”

  Chapter Nine

  Sandwiches

  She took off the blindfolds and stood in front of them.

  A few moments passed, Chloe did not move; she stared at them like an owl staring at couple of mice in a field at night. It started to creep Miranda out.

  Kenneth sat in the chair, not moving.

  Chloe was smart and shit but doing this took balls: big humongous balls. Most adults wouldn't do what she's done.

  More like the prey than predator, Chloe’s timing was curious. Why?

  They rented her out to Norman's friends for two years and she had never complained before. As far as Miranda was concerned, that little girl was earring her and her little snot-nose brother’s keep.

  In the past, some of the kids rebelled but nothing like this. Chloe had both her and Kenneth glued and bound in chairs. Naked, unable to move.

  She glanced at the little girl and Chloe smirked.

  That angered Miranda.

  Regardless of that little bitch's reason for knocking her out and putting her in this chair; Miranda planned on beating this girl senseless.

  Like a lioness, Miranda growled at the young girl. “Hey you little bitch why can’t I move?"

  Chloe kept staring like a mental patient in one of those funny farms.

  Miranda could feel her heart beating in her chest. "Are you listening to me, Chloe? Answer me!”

  The girl said nothing.

  I'm going to hurt her real bad.

  A few more uncomfortable seconds passed without a word.

  “Chloe what are you waiting for?” Kenneth asked, glaring at her.

  A tone of desperation tainted his voice. He was scared. Miranda couldn't believe that they allowed this little bitch to do this to them.

  Another wave of pain hit her, behind her eyes. God, her head hurt, bad. “You little whore, did you hit me in the head? Why does my head hurt so bad?”

  Chloe, with her right index finger, pointed at Miranda. “Kenneth and Miranda or should I just call you monsters? I must let you know that I have not enjoyed my stay here at your house. You two are sick people. You two got to go.”

  She winced, not believing her words. “What the hell are you talking about you little ungrateful little whore? We feed you, we put a roof over your head and Henry’s. We put clothes on your …” Miranda said right before Chloe punched her square in the nose.

  Blood spurted from her nose, Miranda screamed at the top of her lungs.

  The girl reached over to Kenneth and slapped him lightly. “Look at your wife, she’s in horrible pain!”

  Chloe let Miranda scream for a few minutes then spoke. “Miranda you get a check from the government. But you buy our clothes from Good Will and your church gives us clothes after you tell your fellow parishioners that you have hardly any enough money to feed us. This house was willed to Kenneth by his grandmother. Did you know that she’s the one that molested your hubby when he was Henry’s age?”

  Miranda’s face writhed not from the broken nose but from the tidbit of info Chloe just shared. “That’s bullshit! Kenneth was never molested as a child!"

  "Yes, he was."

  "We have been married for almost fifteen years I know my husband! He would have told me something like that."

  Chloe shrugged, and grinned.”I guess he hasn't told you everything."

  "You little slut. You’re just trying to fuck with my head. You're smart but you ain’t that smart. You little whore,” Miranda said, wanting to do extreme violence to her.

  “But you believe if he were molested it would’ve been a bad thing? Maybe you believe it would’ve been a good thing?”

  Miranda didn’t say anything.

  Chloe stared into her eyes. “No comment, monster?”

  Miranda returned the stare. All she needed was one arm free, and she would show the little cunt a thing or two about respect. “The only comment I have is that I'm gonna beat the shit and sin out of you when I get up from here you little fucking slut!”

  Chloe stepped down off of the bed, bent over, then stood up with a bat and raised it up with both hands on the skinny end only to come down hard on Miranda’s midsection.

  Miranda tried to scream bloody murder but lacked the air to verbalize anything.

  “Now, now—Miranda I think Jesus would be upset with you for using such fowl language,” Chloe said, placing the bat on the bed next to Miranda.

  “You feed us because you know if Annabelle, Henry, or I look skinny, get sick, or pass out from hunger, CPS would come knocking at your door and take away your government check."

  Chloe is only a child, what did she know about taking care of a family?

  "You make me go to church so that people will think that you are good Christians, soldiers for Christ, but almost every Sunday after church, you two piddle Annabelle in your bedroom! How sick is that?” Chloe asked.

  "Sick? We ain't sick! Society doesn't understand people like me and Miranda," Kenneth said.

  Chloe ignored Kenneth's words, waving her hand at him. She glared at Miranda and Kenneth as if she assessed the situation and a hidden smile pushed out of her mouth. “It seems like I will be beating the shit and sin out of you, Miranda.”

  An icy wave shot down Miranda's spine.

  The girl glanced at Kenneth as she moved over to the dresser, picked up something small from the top. Miranda couldn’t see what she grabbed.

  Miranda was breathing now. In and out, gingerly with some difficulty, trying to be alert as much as possible.

  Kenneth closed his eyes, Miranda could tell that he was angry. It'd be great if he could bust loose of that chair, and put a beating on that little slut. The thought of Kenneth making her suffer, gave Miranda comfort.

  “God damn it Chloe! What the hell are you doing? All you're doing is setting yourself up for a bad beating,” he said.

  Miranda paid attention the girl now, holding onto the bat. Thinking that she might use the bat again, she decided against antagonizing the little bitch.

  Kenneth said, “Okay, I promise if you let us go right now we won't punish you. We will forget this happened.”

  She changed her mind about speaking. “Yeah, Chloe, let us go.”

  “I figured you two would be a little stubborn. What I’m about to do will show you how serious this situation is.” The girl gazed over at Kenneth.

  Not quite sure why, but those words scared Miranda.

  She knelt do
wn in front of Miranda, studying the her feet. She glanced up and met Miranda's eyes. Miranda noted nothing in the girl’s eyes. No soul; no nothing.

  Chloe cut off Miranda’s right pinky toe with a pair of Kenneth’s wire cutters.

  She reacted to Miranda’s screams as if she listening to classical music and enjoying it. Her eyes closed; her mouth showcased a huge smile. Both her hands moved side to side, curving up and back down

  The pain in her foot was all consuming.

  “Why did you do that? Are you crazy?” Kenneth asked. His body tensed, tried to move towards his wife. His face reddened, cried out when he couldn’t get free.

  The girl went into the bathroom. She came back with a can of hair spray, and grabbed a cigarette lighter from the top of the dresser.

  ”I’m going to fucking kill you! You little whore!” Spittle flying from her mouth like little, white grenades. Miranda was so pissed the pain began to subside.

  Chloe had completely lost her mind.

  The girl held up the lighter about three inches from the bloody nub on Miranda’s foot where her pinky toe use to be attached.

  First, she lit the lighter, next she compressed the nozzle on top of the hairspray can with a finger. A flame ignited the hairspray. Flame engulfed the nub, the blood sizzled.

  “Are you crazy Chloe?” Kenneth asked.

  Miranda's foot throbbed.

  “I’m cauterizing the wound.” The girl stopped what she was doing, as if she remembered something. She turned and faced him. “Don’t worry, you’re next.”

  His face turned red, and he squirmed in the chair.

  When she was satisfied that the wound was cauterized, Chloe cut his toes off. She left them where they fell after severing them.

  Kenneth bellowed out as she cauterized the wounds.

  After the girl finished, Chloe fixed herself a sandwich. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich two inches thick. Miranda wanted to blow a gasket, because she never allowed the kids to eat sweets. Only her and Kenneth did.

  The pain in her foot subsided as a tick developed in Miranda's left eye. She did not like this little girl eating her sweets, and making a mess in her bed.

  “Oh my God! That was terrific. Please have patience, I will continue in a minute,” she said, her hand on her belly.

  After a couple of minutes Chloe got up and got a Coke from the frig, which Miranda never allowed. Only she and her husband drank soda in the house.

  A few minutes later, with a Coke in her right hand, she said, “Monsters, you do what I say, if not I cut more toes or other things off. Okay?”

  Pain swept over various parts of her body, her feet throbbed. Miranda whimpered. She didn't want anymore pain. She nodded in acknowledgement.

  “Fuck you!” Kenneth screamed.

  The girl jumped off of the bed walked to the left side of Kenneth with the wire cutters. She cut the bottom part of his ear then straighten her arm upward, ripping his left ear completely off.

  The girl flicked her wrist, the ear arced to the floor, landing with a splat.

  Kenneth screamed like a sissy. Miranda figured it hurt, but she wanted her husband to be a man and take. She could only think, better him than me.

  She picked up the lighter and can of hair spray. The girl sprayed the left side of his head where his ear had been attached, and lit the hairspray.

  He screamed hysterically as the side of his head burned under the flames. Mercifully, he passed out.

  Miranda’s heart race, but did not make a peep; scared of the pain this girl could inflict.

  Kenneth regained consciousness after ten minutes. The girl spent those ten minutes watching him, and grinning like a dumbass.

  Miranda had never seen this in Chloe; she was crazy.

  “You through crying you titty baby?”

  He whimpered. Chloe had broken him too.

  “Do I have your attention now you monsters?”

  Miranda and Kenneth, eyes wide open, nodded.

  “Awesome.” Chloe smiled.

  Kenneth glanced up. “Don’t worry baby. It will be okay.” Kenneth’s dismal attempt to reassure her.

  "What the …" Chloe grabbed the bat, and came down on his right knee.

  He screamed.

  If she had not known it was Kenneth, she would have assumed it to be a dying animal.

  Chloe stuck a finger in his face. “Will it be okay, baby?" She waited a few minutes, placing the bat down on the floor. "Just remember that you have one more knee. And you, Miranda, you still have both of yours."

  "Please, Chloe, don't do it," Kenneth pleaded.

  Chapter Ten

  Her Prey

  Two hours later and much more pain.

  Chloe pulled out a few of his teeth with a pair of Klein pliers—hurt more than his ear being torn off. She had used the Kleins like a hammer on his mouth before she started pulling his teeth out.

  Kenneth asked God to let him pass out again. He even thought that dying would be great.

  But darkness would not come this time.

  He glanced up at Chloe through the searing pain. She was sitting up on their bed, staring at him as if he were her prey.

  It dawned on him that Chloe was studying him and Miranda.

  God, how sick is she? he asked himself.

  Without waiting for another word from either him or Miranda Chloe jumped off the bed, grabbed the wire cutters and cut off the pinky toe from Miranda’s other foot.

  She did not bother with the hair spray this time she only used the lighter to cauterize the wound. The fire from the lighter caused the blood to crackle.

  The aroma of cooked blood brought back memories of being outdoors barbecuing in the backyard or cooking at camp. It took him a few moments to realize that he was smelling Miranda's burnt flesh. Strangely it was reminiscent of pork. He couldn't help it but his mouth watered.

  Miranda moaned again and Chloe slapped her. "Stop crying monster!"

  “Hey you fucking bitch stop doing that!” Kenneth said.

  She got in his face. “Hey child molester shut the hell up. Do you really want to lose the other ear?” Spittle launched from her mouth and landed on his face.

  He nodded.

  Miranda mewled. “Please …” Chloe cut her off.

  “You both know that you are going to die, right?” The girl viewed the roses outside the window.

  Chloe loved roses. Miranda showed her how to grow them.

  Then, as if a recorder played her words back in his mind: Die excruciating deaths, he replayed in his mind. “Die? What are you talking about? You can’t kill us?”

  A devilish grin moved across her face. “No, you’re wrong.”

  He shook his head. “You can’t! The cops will throw you in jail for the rest of your life. Do you want to go to prison?”

  The girl leaned over and spoke where both could hear her. “Do you know how I got Kenneth in that chair? I am not strong enough to pick his fat ass up. I told him I wanted to suck it and I would tie him up and whip him before you got home. I never seen him move that fast before. She aimed her eyes at Kenneth.

  Oh my God! Why did she tell her that?

  Chloe held up the wire cutters then cut off several of Kenneth’s toes. She left the toes on the floor while she used the cigarette lighter to cauterized the nubs.

  He screamed bloody murder at the top of his lungs while Chloe collected the digits from the floor. Toes in hands, she turned to Miranda. “Open up monster!”

  “What?” Miranda asked, voice cracking.

  “You’re gonna swallow them or I’ll cut your eyelids off.”

  She went to grab Miranda’s left eyelid when she said, “Okay! Okay! Don’t cut off my eyelids!”

  Chloe held the digit up, dangling it above Miranda as if she were offering a little doggie a treat. “Here you go!”

  Miranda peered up, towards Heaven. She closed her eyes, and opened her mouth.

  Chloe dropped it into Miranda’s mouth.

  Miranda swallowed
Kenneth’s toe.

  He couldn't believe that his wife swallowed his toes like a snack. Another toe, and another one, until they were all gone.

  Chloe popped her upside her head. “Chew your food!”

  A wave of cold reality came over Kenneth. He was truly scared now. This situation could end up with both him and Miranda dead. There was a way to survive. He pushed the pain aside and said, “Okay, Chloe I surrender. Call the cops I will tell them everything. We’ll go to jail and if Miranda doesn’t confess I’ll testify against her. We will pay for our crimes in prison.” He didn’t care, he could do time if it meant he lived. This little girl was definitely going to kill them.

  Wincing, Chloe popped him upside his head. “What? You sit in prison for a few years and get out with good behavior. Is that justice for me? For Henry? How will you suffer and how will I get to see you suffer for what you did to me? You two monsters would love prison. You’re both sick freaks and too lazy to work. Prison wouldn’t be punishment it would be a vacation for you!”

  Not wanting to upset her anymore, so he kept his voice calm. “Chloe, it is the law. You don’t have a choice. You have to call the police. We give up. We surrender. When a criminal surrenders you have to call the police, the law says so. You have to stop this, because it is torture. And torture is against the law.”

  The girl sit down on the bed, appearing to contemplate his words. She shrugged and pointed at him. “So Kenneth, you admit to being a criminal? You admit that you broke the law?”

  “Yes, Chloe. We do admit that we are criminals and we did break the law. But two wrongs don’t make a right. You’ve tortured us… torture is against the law Chloe,” Kenneth said in a lawyerly voice.

  She stood up, her hands curling up in fists. “Giving you pain, is not wrong.” She paused, looking over at Miranda. She smiled at them. “Do both of you realize that the law does not exist here in this room?”

  “But the law does exist here. Please call the police. Miranda and I will confess to what we did to you,” he said. His voice was calm.

  Miranda winked at him as if she agreed with his words. She said in a calm voice.“Listen Chloe please, you can’t kill either of us. Kenneth is right. It is against the law.”