The Interrogation
Erik
It has been two days since I woke up in the hospital. One of the doctors has tried to convince me that I should stay here for at least another week. I don't need to waste my time on that. There is an important issue that needs to be handled. My time is running out, and I cannot allow myself the luxury of letting more time pass.
Throughout the entire process, I have been guarded by my security team. We are also investigating the attack. It's a sensitive and delicate case, and I have to make my decisions carefully.
Nevertheless, one thing is certain – they will pay the price with their lives. There will be panic in people when they hear my name. Henceforth, I will ensure it does. Any individual who wishes to cross paths with me will have to think about it more and not be afraid of losing everything.
Right now, my mom and Thomas are speaking with the doctor in charge of my case. Mom insisted that she will take care of me in person, and she would not leave my side until I was completely cured.
Half an hour later, Thomas returned to my room, “Boss, everything is ready, we can take you home.”
I nodded and waited for one of my soldiers to help me out of bed. They already had the wheelchair ready. Seeing it made me want to throw up, but the doctor warned me that the damage suffered to the muscle and the ligament was quite severe, and if I did not allow it to heal properly, permanent sequelae could remain. I cannot take any risks.
I was already in the wheelchair and about to leave the room when Tomas's radio rang.
“Go ahead.”
“Tomás, we already have the four suspects. Tell the boss that they are already in the abandoned building.”
On hearing that, I immediately turned around to see Thomas. He looked at me and I motioned him to proceed by moving my head.
“Okay, Daniel, we will be arriving with the boss in about an hour. The four suspects should be tied to the crucifix, naked, as he demands.”
“Understood, we will carry it out.”
The volcano inside me was about to erupt, so I closed my eyes in order to contain it. I'll save it for when I'm in front of them.
All my men followed me when I said, “Come on.”
Even though my mother refused to leave my side, she was sent straight to my house. What is going to happen is not for her eyes to see.
The abandoned building, I purchased, is a property that I acquired through a lender. No relation can be found to my name. There is no one living there, as implied by its name.
Nonetheless, my men monitor it 24 hours a day. My basement has been set up as a torture chamber, and there are cells to hold my enemies until their day comes. In a sense, the place is like a fortress. It is impossible to enter or exit without being detected. Here I have stayed more nights than I have at home, taking care of my business, which requires a strong hand, and I have that hand.
Along the way, my mind kept going back to the attack. As much as I could recall, I analysed every detail. There were some coincidences and there were some that didn't. There were several voids that needed to be filled before another attack is planned against me. I need to solve this puzzle.
Good thing is that these unfortunate people who crossed my path will help me find the answers I so desperately need, since my life and that of my family depends on them.
It took us less than an hour to reach the destination. In the centre of what seems to be a deserted street, a building stands abandoned. The area is one of the poorest in the city, and the police are not stupid enough to enter this territory, nor do people come here. Only criminals can enter. All of us are criminals here.
The three vehicles that accompany me are parked at the rear of the building. When I acquired the property, we made a special entrance, so we wouldn't draw attention to ourselves.
Two of my men assisted me out of the car. They pushed me in the wheelchair until we got to the building. From the outside, the building looks like it is about to collapse, but from the inside, it is another thing.
As we get into the elevator, we head straight to the basement. My fists were clenched and unclenched as I grew anxious. There was a desire to kill in my hands. On this occasion, I am not dealing with a regular enemy. It's treason, and it cuts deeper than a sharp knife. I will have no mercy, and it will certainly end in death. However, before it gets to that, seeing and hearing the faces and the screams of pain will be my pleasure, and when the floor is covered in their blood, I will then watch how it goes down the drain.
The image that greeted me when the elevator doors opened made me smile. Four bodies were tied to the crucifix. This is a tool of my creation. This crucifix, as the name implies, is slightly steep towards the front.
The bodies are tied with the arms extended to the sides of the horizontal board. Their feet are tied to the base, ramping down. This will push the person's body forward, putting pressure on the shoulder joints. With only five minutes of being there, we can begin to see and hear the groans of pain. That is only to of being tied to the cross.
And, like music to my ears, I listened to their moans, sobs, and screams of pain. They already had an hour here, so their ligaments must be about to burst.
They were all blindfolded and naked. What a perfect image.
Seeing me arrive, Daniel approached me. “Boss, it's good that you are here. We haven't touched them yet, we were waiting for you. But from what I've heard, two of them already thundered before we started.”
“Who?” Daniel points to the second man in line. Ah! When I got to the restaurant, that's the parking ballet looked at me weirdly.
“What did he say?” Daniel nodded and said, “He said, half an hour before you arrived, a man came up to him and offered him money to let him know the moment you arrived. They even gave him a photo of you so that it would be easier to identify you.”
“And surely, he doesn't know who this person was, I figured.” Daniel thought for a moment, and then he said, “No, that's for sure, but he did give us the description of the man who gave him the money. And to me, boss, it sounds exactly like the description of the man who got away from us.”
I closed my eyes to contain my anger. It was not yet time to release it. If I don't hold back enough, I could destroy all of them and be left with nothing.
“What about the waiter and the manager?”
“The waiter does not know why he is here. Apparently, he has nothing to do with the matter. And neither does the administrator. But that could change when we start with them.” I nodded in acceptance, that's right, that could change any second.
My eyes focused on the fourth person.
One of my men was about to push me forward when I stopped him, raising my hand and shaking my head. I pushed the wheelchair myself until I reached where this person was hanging.
I watched her from head to toe and shook my head. Then I got closer until I reached her ear and in a low voice I said, “Hi Claudia.”
Hearing my voice, she raised her head. Claudia couldn't see me because she was blindfolded.
“ERIK, GET ME OUT OF HERE. WHAT'S GOING ON? AAAAHHH HELP ME!”
“TSK, TSK, TSK, Claudia. Don't yell, I hear you perfectly.”
“Erik, please, my arms can't stand this any more. HELP MEEEEEE PLEASE.”
I raised my hand to remove the blindfold from her eyes, and what I saw made my heart bite with appreciation. Her eyes were red from the pressure her body was doing to not support the full weight on her shoulders. The veins in her temple were raised, and she no longer looked like the million-dollar lover. No, she now looked like the rubbish she's always been. A traitor, who got into my bed and later betrayed me by gaining my trust. And I was stupid that I fell for it. But no more.
Seeing my eyes, I gave her a smile. I was very pleased to see her in this position, and what I was most happy about was that this was the beginning.
“Claudia, Claudia, Claudia, look what happened to you for playing crooked. Did you really not think that one day I was going to see through your lies? How deluded you are.”
“Erik, please, this is a mistake, tell me what did I do? Please, Erik, don't do this to me. GET ME OUT OF HERE, AAAAHHHH, GET ME OUT OF HERE.”
I watched her for a few seconds, as she writhed and screamed in pain. Seeing her like this, I didn't feel anything, absolutely nothing, but loathing.
I stood back and pointed to Thomas with my hand, that the fun was about to begin.
∞∞∞
The basement felt silent. You could even hear the drops of blood falling to the ground. And of course Claudia's sobs. She will be the dessert in all this.
I left her until the end, so she can see what will happen to her. It is quite a terrible torture for the mind, knowing that this will be your destiny, and not being able to do anything to avoid it. It's frightening.
The corpses that are still hanging from the crucifixes were not of much help to me, and despite the torture, they said nothing. The conclusion I reached is that they participated without knowing it. The manager received a reservation for several people, which is why the place was almost empty when we arrived. And the waiter had nothing to do with Claudia spilling her drink on her dress. Everything was on her.
The two poor devils were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Bad luck, I will send compensation to their relatives for the trouble.
The only one left is Claudia, and I'm going to enjoy this a lot. Her betrayal cut me deep, and to think that I even argued with my mom about her. But no more.
This only taught me that the people who are faithful to me are counted with the fingers of only one hand. But now it was Claudia's turn.
I approached her in the wheelchair, and with pleasure, I saw her eyes widen open in pure panic and her skin turned paler than it was. My presence terrified her now, good.
She began to shake her head uncontrollably, she knew her end was near, but I was going to take my time with her. Just to commemorate the good old days.
“Stay away from me, NO, NO, you monster, monster.”
"Ah! Now, you call me a monster, but not when you had me inside you. What changed? I'm still the Erik you know."
I moved closer to her, eliminating the distance between us. A musty smell reached my nose, so I sniffed at Claudia. Her fear was so great that she peed everywhere.
“Ha ha ha! Claudia, the woman who didn't lift a plate, who didn't get her hands dirty at all. Look at you now, peeing in front of us all. Isn't it true, boy?”
“Yes, boss, that's right.” Several of my boys agreed with me.
“You see, Claudia, we all could see how you wet yourself. You are a dirty woman. But let me tell you a secret, I even think you could have an accident worse than this. No, I don't think so, I assure you. That always happens to all of my guests. Everyone who comes here does the same, and you, I don't think you, are an exception.”
“I'm going to ask you something Claudia, who sent you, and please don't tell me, no one. I already know you were the bait that took me to that place. Who is behind this?”
She shook her head. Stupid woman.
“Daniel, bring the tweezers and the torch.” He immediately went for what I asked of him. Unfortunately, I am in a wheelchair, thanks to this woman, and I cannot do it with my hands.
“NOOOO, NOOO, NO, I know nothing, no Erik, noooo don't.” Without hesitation, Daniel grabbed her foot, pulling her big toe. Claudia kicked and moved her legs, but despite all of her efforts, none of them was successful.
A sharp “CRUNCH” sounded throughout the basement as he cut her.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.”
From her toe, a torrent of blood was pouring out, then I said, “You know what to do to stop the bleeding.” I nodded for Daniel to proceed. He used the torch to cauterize the wound and stop the bleeding.
The flames began to burn her skin, as she continued to scream. Her chest rose and fell with the breath so forced because of the pain. Meanwhile, I looked at her with disdain. She lost the right to live the moment she united with my enemies. Her life is mine, and her suffering, too.
Daniel followed with the other foot, but she didn't give me anything. This smells bad to me, her behaviour is not typical of a woman. Knowing that they would be tortured would be enough for them to say what they know, but not Claudia.
“Who are you, Claudia?” Her tired eyes could barely focus on me, but what she said made my blood run cold.
“You have little time left, enjoy it, f-uke-r. I am not leaving empty-handed. Remember my f-ace well when you f-all, you'll remember me.”
Spatting on her face, in her, I said, “Go on,”
I watched as Daniel ended up with one of the most beautiful faces in the country. My most beautiful accessory.
After a couple of minutes or more, one of her eyes fell to the ground and rolled to my feet. I'd seen enough already, so I turned the wheelchair around, squashing the eye in my way.
“Get rid of everything, Thomas,” I said before heading to the elevator. One of my men was there to help me. We head to the exit and board the car.
My men stayed behind, to take care of the bodies, and clean the place. Even though no one would dare to enter here, we cannot afford to leave evidence.
On the way home, I was analysing everything that had happened. I've known her for four years. Now that I think about it, our first meeting was planned.
That day at the bar, Claudia fell on my lap out of nowhere, apologizing over and over for her clumsiness. I already had a few drinks on me, which made it easier to take her to a hotel. From then on, Claudia inserted herself into my life in a very skilful way. Only so far am I seeing the big picture. I also remember what my mother said, and it was possible that she had ulterior motives for being with me. Only then would a woman be with a man like me, knowing that I would never take them seriously.
Now I know that Claudia never wanted to be with me. In any case, I was her mission.
“Thomas, look around Claudia's house for something that will tell us who she was and who she worked for. Also searches the official archives if she had any other properties. Or if she lived under the name of an alias. Check everything. I want answers and most importantly, I want to know who she worked for.”
“Yes boss, right now, I am contacting the specialized team. If there is something to find, they will find it.” Thomas instructed my tram to look for everything related to Claudia. The only thing I could do now is wait for the information to appear.
I leaned my head on the back of the seat and closed my eyes. This day took all my strength. Her betrayal hit me hard, and I was tired. Claudia was one of the few people with whom I could converse freely. I am disappointed in myself because I fell for the oldest trick in history. The Trojan horse, but in this case, it was her.
