P.S. The brackets with italics indicate inner monologue.
(Is Mother, dead? This must be a lie—surely?)
(What is happening? One second, I was asleep; the next, it was like I entered into a new reality.)
(Who are these men???)
(Relax! Thorn! Observe! This is not your first time you've met pain.)
(I need to be composed; now is not the time to be plagued by rushing thoughts. I need to THINK!)
(So, more than twenty men in sight, all appear to be armed with strong physiques. Resistance is futile; only negotiation is at play here.)
(I have to finish this quickly. I love my mother. I don't want her to die. Please, just one time, be with me, fate.)
Bram, with silent tears running down his face. With fear enveloping his core. Blood dancing around his fear-stricken face. Bruises changing the race of his skin into a foreign one. Forced himself to toughen up for his children, and ask.
"What do you men want from us?"
"Simple, really, we want the method of production for your smell masker product; if you give it to us, we will maybe leave this place and spare your lives." Snake-Eye, spinning a curved dagger on his index finger, while calmly voicing his demands.
"It is in my room, under my bed; there is a hidden compartment there. You will find a book describing everything."
Light filled Bram's void-filled eyes. If this is all they were after, then this will be all over with; he can secure the safety of his family, and get out of this horror.
You might think Bram would be hesitant or make excuses; after all, what those men wanted was something akin to a treasure chest. But no, greed was not a heavy sin he had to carry. Not to mention, he was scared!
"You! Go and check." Snake-Eye commanded and stopped spinning his dagger.
Moments later.
"Boss, here it is; that's what I found." The man exclaimed while extending his hands to hand over the book to Snake-Eye.
Snake-Eye snatched the book out of the man's hands, quickly opening it and skimming through it.
Ten minutes later.
"Hmmmmm, genius, genius!!! This book is so precise on every single detail with tantamount clarity in it. But what's more, I never imagined it was that simple to make. We really lucked out this time; the effort paid off!" Snake-Eye was evidently enthralled; he was in awe of such wisdom coming from commoners.
Snake-Eye, for another ten minutes, continued to analyze the book; the silence emphasized the sound of the pages flipping one by one, the amazed glare in his eyes was apparent, and with time, it grew stronger and broader.
Snake-Eye closed the book, breaking the immediate silence in the air.
"Ok, I would say it's time to go now; the sun is starting to set soon, but before that, let me entertain my brave comrades. How about it guys? Are you up for a show?" Snake-Eye exclaimed, with a wide, sinister grin drawing his face.
"Yes, boss!!" The men shouted in unison, not with surprise on their faces, but expectation; they had already experienced Snake-Eyes show many times before, and yet every single time, these sadistic men never seemed to get enough of it.
(Ok, I am crazily fucked; this guy is definitely some sadistic piece of shit. Yeah, negotiation is practically thrown off the table now. Well, there's no point worrying about it; it's not like it's the first time it's happened. I've been through this an infinite number of times back on Earth.)
(But my mother—although I've only known her for a couple of years, it's unfortunate, really, but getting agitated is not going to solve anything—after a careful look, she only looks to be passed out. I swear when I get out of this shitty situation, these guys will embody the meaning of hell, it will be carved on these fuckers skin.)
(The best solution for me now is to accentuate the drama; I need to give cries that even the heavens hear. These men want entertainment, from what? Obviously from our pain, so I will highlight that pain and then pray to whoever the fuck there is; there's nothing else to do really.)
Thorn crying? No. Thorn in absolute distress? No. How could he?
What his father did to him was extremely agonizing. This small drama he was in could not remotely compare. So yes, firstly, he was in a state of shock; that's natural, living in peace for so long, but the continuous torture of sixty years is not easily forgettable. So simply, Thorn just returned from a vacation to his home country, one could say.
Clap!
Clap!
"Let's get this show started!" Snake-Eye clapped his hands, gathering the attention in the room.
"You, old man, what's your name?!" Snake-Eye exclaimed while raising his hand and pointing his index finger at Bram.
"It is Bram, sir, but didn't you say you were leaving now? Didn't we give you what you wanted?" Bram desperately pleaded, with tattered clothes and a beggar-like voice, with his knees sticking to the ground. In a way, he looked like a beggar asking for money.
"Fool, I said maybe. Lie one more time, and you will regret it!" Snake-Eye obviously knew that Bram was being honest and sincere and did not try to fool anyone, yet, he just wanted to toy with the poor father.
"I am incredibly sorry, forgive me." Bram could only be obedient and kind; what use would be rebelling? He is not some kind of hidden martial artist.
"Listen up, Bram, we are going to play a game. And if you win, we will walk out, and we will grant you and your family peace. How about it?"
"I accept your generous offer," Bram said obediently.
"What a good dog, anyway. Let me tell you the details for the game: for each limb lost, a life is saved. Understand?" Snake-Eye mockingly described.
Snake-Eye loved this game, very simply, and very traumatizing.
"There is a catch though; we will not be doing the limb cutting. One of you has to do it, oh, and."
Clank
"Here is something to help you."
Snake-Eye threw the metallic dagger he was spinning toward Bram.
"Just to clarify, if I cut off my two legs and my two arms, will my three sons and wife be spared?"
"Yes!" Snake-Eye responded with a wide smile.
"Sorry for asking, esteemed sir, but may we have a cloth or a towel or something to stop the bleeding or wrap around the lost limbs?"
Bram asked with his two arms and two legs trembling and already predicting the pain to come.
"This is a game, and this is not a game where you can win that easily, so I will propose a trade. We can give you a cloth and a towel. But, we will cover them with lava pepper, your choice, want it or not?"
Snake-Eye's intention wasn't for them to die, but it was to toy with them as long as they were alive. Except, obviously, they would bleed out sooner or later, so why not come up with an exhilarating method where the screams and duration are greatly enhanced.
"No problem, thank you for your kindness. I would like to accept your trade," Bram straightforwardly answered to finish this as quickly as he could.
"Hey, you. Fetch us some towels and cloth, and cover them with the lava pepper we brought; be generous!" Snake-Eye ordered.
Five minutes later.
"It's ready, boss." The men said while sprinkling the last touch of the hot lava pepper on the cloth and the towels.
"Throw it to this dog," Snake-Eye commanded.
"Yes boss."
The man proceeded to strongly throw the cloth near Bram, making a loud sound that added to his fear.
"So, you have two minutes to decide who goes first and another ten to cut off a limb," Snake-Eye explained.
Bram heard this and knew only one destiny would await if he didn't grab that knife. So he grabbed that knife with his hand, raised it up, and took deep breaths. And then...
"Father, wait!" Thorn shouted.
Thorn knew that the game would most definitely not be annulled. So, because of his scholarly knowledge and genius wits. He quickly attempted to halt his father before he did something risky.
"Thorn, close your eyes."
Tears jetting down, Bram's hand trembling, slowly losing the grip on the knife, he couldn't stand the pain of being so helpless in front of his children. He tried to at least prevent Thorn from seeing him in that helpless state.
"Father, please, I just want to talk with you for a second, please!" Thorn needed to advise his father and grab his attention.
"Son, no matter what you say, my mind is already made up," with hollowed eyes, Bram responded.
(This stupid fool, can't he do what I'm telling him to.)
"Father, I want to give you my guidance on how to cut your limb off properly. Understand? Remember the book you bought me for my birthday? Mom read it out for me, and I remembered most things."
Thorn, with the new knowledge he gained of the existence of slaves, certainly didn't want to appear too smart or someone who could be a potentially useful slave. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to subtly announce it. So he tried as much as he could to erase the worth that existed within him.
"Ok, but make this quick, and remember Thorn, you are only twelve years old and you don't even know how to read and write after the many lessons your mother taught you. So, just let the adults handle adult matters."
Bram immediately caught on. Firstly, he realized how smart his son is and that he could massively help him and the dire situation. Secondly, he knew that Thorn knew how to read. Albeit Thorn claimed he didn't.Additionally, he remembered the time when he told a fake age to Elias, so he realized that Thorn was trying to downplay his significance.
Bram proceeded to rub his butt against the floor while using both his hands to propel himself forward towards Thorn's direction. He certainly didn't want to stand; he thought maybe the men would take it as a sign of aggression.
"One minute remaining; you'd better hurry up, or you're going to be—"
Snake-Eye raised his hand and briskly moved it along his neck like he was going to slash it.
"I can't afford to waste more time," Thorn sighed.
"Father, I insist that Edward will cut your hand. You cannot do it by yourself; you have a big risk of not finishing the process or collapsing due to shock. Also, time can run out inefficiently, and don't worry about sealing the wound; I and Edward will do the job.
"Bu—"
"No buts Father! You want all of us to die?! If you want Edward to survive, then an uncomfortable experience for Edward will be necessary.
"Five, Four, Three, T—" Snake-Eye counted backwards with a playful voice whilst bending fingers from his hand after each count he made.
Slashh!!!