The Watch – Part 250:

(Tom’s perspective)

Dr Amanda steps away entering my peripheral vision, but then disappears completely. I don’t move my head to see what she is doing. I know what she is doing. She is preparing to break me further. I need to tell her that I am going to tell her everything. If I don’t, I will only be subjecting myself to unnecessary beatings. What does it matter if I am, though? She knows when to stop. I’ll tell her then. I just don’t care anymore.

She re-enters my peripheral vision, and then she resumes her place in front of me, holding something in her hands. It isn’t a hammer, but it’s something that I don’t want to find out, but I am going to anyway.

I attempt to get her attention, but I have no voice. I didn’t realise that I had given up that much. I try and say something, anything, but all that comes out is a raspy, light breath that amounted to inaudible sounds.

I’m so tired, weak, defeated. I’ve never felt this way before in my entire life. Why am I even caring about all of that? This is my life from now on, and if I don’t say anything, things will only get worse.

Dr Amanda says something. For the first time in what felt like a long time, I can hear her say every word. ‘Are you ready to talk?’ she asks, giving me one last chance to say something.

I do everything that I could to nod my head, to say yes, to do anything that indicated that I was ready to talk, but nothing.

‘Shame,’ she said blandly. ‘I’ll say it for the third time, just in case you didn’t understand it the first two times, everyone has a breaking point. All I have to do is fine yours.’ I have a breaking point. You’ve found mine. Please stop this. I beg of you please stop this. I’ll do anything, say whatever you want, just please don’t do this.

But those are only weak thoughts in my head. I didn’t say any of those words. And even if I did, then they would have been too quiet for her to hear or understand.

‘This,’ she said, holding up something. I didn’t get a chance to see what it was, but her description was all that I needed, ‘is a clamp. All I have to do is slip this over one of your fingers and slowly but surely wind it up, until it clamps over your fingers, and tighter it gets until it breaks.’ And then she attached it to my ring finger. I could feel the cold metal pressing against the bones, and then she started to turn the handle. Immediately, the clamp started shutting up, slowly crushing my fingers, sending immense pain shooting up my arm. And tighter still, until, even with my weak ears, I could hear a crushing sound. Please stop. I’m ready to tell you everything you want to know. Please stop. Please.

But she continued to tighten the clamp. The pain became unbearable. Tears started rolling down my cheeks, and yet she continued, turning and turning and turning and turning, until… that one, sickening snap. My entire hand went numb. She loosened the clamp. I could feel the blood rushing towards my finger, swelling it up, trying to repair the damage as soon as possible. Then, she placed it over my other ring finger, and started to copy her actions.

And then…

‘What the…?’

‘How did you…?’

‘Stand back, or I’ll shoot.’

Three of her people shouting at a complete stranger who had apparently appeared out of nowhere. Could that be? Has he finally arrived to come and rescue me? He’s finally here. Please be him. Please be him. Please be him.

‘I said stand back or I’ll shoot,’ one of the guards ordered again, and then there was the sound of three people yelling as they were tackled to the ground, beaten with ease. Then, silence.

Dr Amanda knew that something wasn’t quite right. She looked at the door, then at me, her expression deadly.

‘Is this the person who you were talking about? Your friend,’ she said that as if it was the most offensive word on the planet, ‘Sebastian has come to rescue you. You really think he can defeat me. He doesn’t know who he is messing with.’

No, you don’t know who you are messing with. There’s no part of me who’s questioning whether this is a dream or not. I know this isn’t. Sebastian is the type of person who doesn’t appear in dreams. He is as real as it gets. And he is someone who Dr Amanda should step aside for. She will regret it if she gets in his way.

‘You tell me everything that I want to know and you won’t see your friend die a painful, slowly death, with you watching every second of it until the light in his eyes slowly fade away…’

‘Oh, do shut up,’ a familiar voice ordered from the other side of the room. His voice gave me the motivation to lift up my head, and his appearance made me smile. There he was, in all his glory, wearing an incredible suit, and standing with more confidence than I’ve ever seen him have. He was angry. I could feel the power radiating from him. Dr Amanda noticed him standing there.

‘You stay away from him or I will kill him.’ I never thought she could say anything with emotion, but it appears Sebastian’s appearance can make her have some. He stepped forward, not a care in the world, directly towards me, hell-bent on getting me out of here.

‘Stand back. You dare mess with me.’ The closer he came, the more I could see it in his eyes that he has seen more than he’s fair share of stuff.

Dr Amanda picked up a gun and fired it without hesitating. I don’t know where the bullet went, but Sebastian stopped in his tracks. He looked at her and advanced towards her. He didn’t say anything, he just walked up to her, and flicked her on the end, knocking her out. She slumped to the floor, unconscious.

Sebastian then turned back towards me and stood before me.

‘Come on,’ he said softly, sympathetically, as if all this was his fault, ‘let’s get you home.’

TO BE CONTINUED…

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)