Devil to PayPart � 4They came for Lighe about three am - just as we'd started to hope....bastards! He went. What else could he do? The look he gave me as he went through the door will stay with me forever. So much love. So much sorrow. I sobbed like a baby. I'm not ashamed of it. To lose something so precious to him in violence would affect him all his life. Fuck! They were in the next room! The walls were thin - I could hear their voices through them - we all could. Then the noises began. Smiley shouting. Then a blow. Then Lighe shouting "No!" Then more shouting. Then another blow. Then silence. Viggo, Billy and Orli were all holding me. I was shaking like a leaf. My love. Then they brought him back. He walked in. I heaved a sigh of relief - until I saw his face. He was so bruised, even his own mother wouldn't have recognised him. His face was one huge blue mask. His lips swollen, his eyes nearly shut. The sound that came out of me when I saw his face made Viggo weep. Smiley grinned. "Not so pretty your little boy, now - is he?" He winked at Lighe, who couldn't even see him. "Tomorrow!" he said, and went out. "I swear I'll have the cunt if its the last thing I fucking do!", I said, into Lighe's hair. I was afraid to touch him - afraid I'd hurt him. He just leaned against my chest, and closed his eyes. Billy's eyes gleamed like green stone chips. "We're all with ye on that one, Sblomie!" "Yeah!", the other two said, fervently. I started to speak, but he stopped me. "Don't, Sblom - just hold me!" He came into my arms, and stayed there. I held him all night. We didn't talk. We didn't kiss - couldn't - because of his poor mouth! We didn't move. We stayed in each others arms, and just loved. I whispered to him, as we lay, curled together in the little bed, as the morning light filtered through the chink in the boards. "He didn't ..." I could hardly make myself to ask. "He didn't ...touch you, Lighe, did he?" Lighe shook his head. "He promised that for later today! Said he'd have my ass." He buried his face under my arm, as if he could hide there from it all. I felt sick. Smiley was a real sadist. Liked drawing out the agony. Making his victims sweat. Lighe wasn't sweating. He was shaking. My heart went out to the poor little bugger. Fuck! If he - Smiley - forced Lighe, he'd tear him to ribbons! - he'd enjoy tearing him to ribbons! He's so fucking small. I tried not to think about it. Viggo came over to us. He'd saved half a mug of water for this morning, and had shared a mouthful with Bill and Orli. He glanced at Lighe's damaged face, but didn't comment. He just offered me the cup. I took a small sip, and gave it to Lighe for the last couple of mouthfuls. Lighe shook his head. "No thank you, Dom." What?? Viggo sat on the bed, took the mug from me, and lifted it to Lighe's mouth. "Lijah - drink it!" Lighe shook his head, again. "I've had my share, Viggo. That's yours. Please...don't!" He bowed his head. Shit! I looked at his mouth. His lips were swollen, and dry. Viggo lifted Lighe's head, and stared into his eyes. "Lij - you will drink it - or I'll pour it in the slop bucket - trust me!" He would, too, the mad fucker! Lighe drank the water. Viggo smiled. "Good boy!", he said, without the slightest hint of a patronising tone in his voice, and everything in it of love. The door opened, and Lighe started shivering - but it was only one of the younger men, who, flanked by an Uzi wielder had brought breakfast - a loaf and an onion - and fresh water. He replaced the slop buckets with clean ones, and put a newspaper on top. He coughed and slid his eyes to the newspaper, then to me, then back to the paper. I met his eyes. Not a flicker, but I got the message. When the bolt snicked, I leapt for the paper. The front page proved interesting. "Hollywood Stars Go Missing In Mountains - Believed Dead!", I translated.There was a picture of us all from Return of The King, underneath the headline. Zeitung, the German paper was called. It was dated today. Bless that lad - give him a fucking gold star! He was risking it, bringing us that. I read it out to them. They (unspecified) thought our bus had driven off a cliff, because there was no sign of us, or our vehicle. Did this mean the police thought there was a chance of getting us back? Did they even know, yet, what had happened to us? We talked about it - glad to have something other than Smiley and his intentions for Lighe to concentrate on. About an hour later Smiley came with a camera, and today's newspaper. I felt like being funny and telling him thanks, but we've already got one, but didn�t. I was learning to button my lip. Judging from some of the things Smiley said, we would have been photographed earlier, but the newspaper they were going to use to verify the date (and which proved to the world that we were still alive) had mysteriously vanished. We were glad we'd placed it upside down on the bucket, so's he couldn't see the fucking front page. Dead giveaway that would have been. And we had one friend in the camp - we knew that, now. Viggo the Brave, always intrepid, asked Smiley a question. "Why'd you beat Elijah? Surely you'd want your merchandise in good order? Fuck it! Our families and friends aren't going to be too happy about that pic, man!" Smiley smiled. "My friend - that is a foretaste of what will happen if your families don't pay up. Or the film company. Or the government. We do not care who pays us - as long as we're paid. And as for your little catamite, here, (pointing at a drooping Lighe), they will expect a little damage. We are ruthless men. They will expect it. He will heal - eventually. We did not cut him. Bruises will heal!" But what about the bruises to his spirit, you cunt? I felt like shouting. What about them? Smiley's eyes rested on Lighe, again. "Later, my sweet. After dinner. I will have you!" He went out. "Fucking bastard!" Orli spat. "Fuck him, the cunt!" Billy put a consoling hand on his shoulder. "Ssh, lad! Greetin' about it will get you nowhere! Besides (in a low voice) you're upsetting..." Bill threw an expressive look in Lighe's direction. Orli nodded, and sniffed back his tears. Viggo began talking about a funny incident that happened during his last shoot. It involved a nun, a french stick and a bicycle pump. He tells a good story, does Vig. Even Lighe laughed. Around three o clock, dinner arrived. We thought it was lunch - Billy joked about "second breakfast" - but the young lad said it was dinner. God! After dinner!... I thought! - what then? His name was Constantine - the boy - I asked. He looked shyly at Lighe, as he put the tray on the chest of drawers. "Are you all right, Elijah?", he asked...in English - shit with sugar on! The guard stood by, impassively. He didn't stop the boy from talking to us. Lighe nodded. "Not too bad, thanks. Aches a bit!" He rubbed his shoulder. I wondered what Smiley had done to that, as well. "A bit of advice, my friend. Do not cross him. He is mad - and he likes to...hurt. You understand?" He looked as if he'd had personal experience of Smiley's gentle ways. Lighe sighed, and nodded. My heart was breaking for him. "I too", the boy continued, quietly, "was a virgin when he took me. If I had known better, I would not have...I would have given him what he wanted. He enjoys tears and moaning and crying. He enjoys the power of pain. I remained silent. I suffered for it. Now, when he wants me, I cry, and it is easier...quicker. Remember it!" The guard shifted his feet, restlessly. Constantine took the hint, and left us. Gloom descended, once more, on our little family. Our youngest was going to be hurt, and there was fuck all we could do about it! |