Kael saw as Rahzel plucked his father's fingernails, one by one, in sequential order from left to right. When his father's supply of fingernails ran out, Rahzel took off his father's shoes and ripped out his toenails instead.
Kael saw as Rahzel broke every joint in his father's fingers and toes.
Kael saw as Rahzel forced open his father's mouth with a mouth gag, only to reach inside with his now very bloody tweezers and, one by one, tear out every tooth he had.
Kael saw as Rahzel positioned a nail above his father's throat and hammered the nail inside, destroying his voicebox. By the time it was done, all his father could muster out were strained wheezes.
Kael… saw… as… Rahzel… Clamped pliers onto his fathers tongue, before twisting it around three times and ripping the tongue out.
Kael… saw…. as… Rahzel… took out a small swiss army knife… and slowly, painfully, carved away at his father's nose until the skin was no more, before chopping both the remains of his nose and his ears off.
Kael… saw… as… Rahzel… using his lovely tweezers… reached inside… the remains of… his father's ear… and manually ruptured his eardrums.
Kael… saw... as…. Rahzel… carved out… an x shape… on his father's eyeballs… and… pluck… them… out…
Kael… Kael… Kael… saw... as Rahzel... in… his… sick… cruelty,… take off… his father's pants… with his bloodstained gloves… and… and… de-skin… his…
Kael... Kael... he saw.....
—---------
The screams of his father that day will come to haunt Kael in his future. Not once was he allowed to rest, as Rahzel mercilessly moved from one sick fantasy to the next.
—--------
'How long has it been?"
Kael thought feebly. At one point, the sky had turned dark, the vehicle had stopped moving, and his father stopped being able to make those horrid screaming sounds. All that remained now was a pitiful wheeze that his father painfully coughed up every few seconds.
He dared to look up at his… father.
And as soon as he got a glance, he lowered his head again, being reminded of why he had looked away in the first place.
That… thing… was too horrible to see.
Tears gathered in his eyes, at first gradual, then pouring out like a river.
Somehow, he thought that if he didn't see the creature, that it would disappear from his world.
"No, no, that's not right." The voice of Rahzel came from behind. Suddenly, two hands clamped themselves on Kael's head, forcefully moving it to face what had become of his father.
"See that? That's going to happen to you as well." Rahzel, with an uncharacteristically warm smile, said to Kael. He had already taken off his blood-stained surgical gown, mask, and gloves.
Rahzel saw as Kael's eyes grew wide in terror.
"Just kidding." Rahzel smirked. "The Null Order has much better uses for you."
Kael just cried.
"Did you like my show?" He pointed at Kael's father.
"It's an initiation present. The Null Order would like to extend an offer for you to join our organisation."
Kael continued crying. Even if he wanted to say something, he couldn't, because he still had the gag.
"And, as a new member of The Null Order, this is your first task."
Rahzel gripped Kael's shoulders and leaned into his left ear.
"Kill your father."
The words rang in Kael's ears. He had to do what? Kill… his father?
Rahzel straightened back up.
"I shall give you time to ready yourself. By the time I return," he walked over and opened the truck door, "You will complete the task, whether you like it or not."
He slammed the door shut, leaving Kael in the silence with a living mound of flesh, to ponder in his own thoughts.
—--------------------
"Hey boss." Rahzel's mouth reverted back to a monotonous line as he closed the door behind him. Whipping out his phone, he called the boss.
"I completed your task. Now all that's left to do is to make the kid kill his father."
"..."
"Yes, I know how important this is. After all, if this is successful…" he paused. "Our power will grow once again."
"..."
"I'm currently at collection point B." He looked around. Everywhere he looked, were rows upon rows of trees. They were in the forest. "We'll return to the hideout in the morning."
He hung up the phone and gazed upwards, where the moon hung in the sky, casting dim light onto their region.
"Um, are you done?" Rahzel turned to the side. The grunt that had driven them the truck had gotten out and approached him.
Rahzel gave a curt nod, not saying anything.
"Um, so, how was it?" The grunt asked awkwardly. It was obvious he was trying to get on the good side of the higher-up.
Rahzel faced the grunt yet again, ready to warn him to stop.
Except this time, he noticed one detail that he had missed the first time.
He looked past the Grunt, where the light of the moon had cast a shadow of his figure, and stared at it intensely.
Then, his eyes widened slightly as he realized something.
"So anyways, what does The Null Order give y-" The grunt's head fell off.
But it was too late.
From within the shadow, a man in a cloak wearing black gloves jumped out and charged at Rahzel.
—---------------
'Kill… my father?'
Kael stared down with hollow eyes, utterly defeated.
'What does he mean? Kill my father?' Kael forced himself to stare at his trembling legs.
His eyes quivered.
'Kill… my father?'
His heart beat skyrocketed. His breathing quickened. All he could draw were shallow, rapid breaths.
'Kill… my father?'
He bit down on the paper ball and clenched his fist, forcing his nails to sink deeply into his skin. Pain didn't matter now. Not when… not when….
'Kill your father.'
The haunting words endlessly repeated in his head, a constant knocking in his mind.
Kill.
Your.
Father.
Kael felt the blood rushing into his head.
No, Kael forced his blood inside his head.
And his mind trembled.
It doesn't matter what happens to him.
Right now, he just wanted to escape from this cruel world.
He wanted to disappear.
He wished to never see that thing ever again.
He wished… to die.
Adrenaline rushed into his head.
The pain did not matter.
He wanted the pain to take his mind off of the world.
He wanted the pain to kill himself.
So he forced the pain into his head.
His entire body trembled.
And then, he closed his eyes - and screamed. And thrashed.
Around, in his chair.
The screams came out as muffled screeches.
The chains that bore into his wrists - they didn't matter.
The chains that bore into his legs - they didn't matter.
The chains that bore deeply into his chest - they didn't matter.
All that mattered was that he must feel pain.
To escape this cruel world, he must feel excruciating pain.
But pain has its own limits.
And as his adrenaline died down, so did his energy.
And as his energy died down, so did his outburst.
'Kill your father.'
It returned to his head.
'Why…'
Kael opened his eyes again with his head down.
'Why…'
His eyes blurred. Watery tears welled and clung stubbornly to his eyelashes.
'Why…'
The surface tension broke, and tears poured down his face and dripped onto his lap.
'Why do I have to go through this?'
What had he done?
Why did he deserve this?
And most importantly…
'Why am I so weak?'
Too weak to move.
Too weak to talk.
Too weak to escape.
Too weak to save his father.
Too weak to kill his torturer.
Too weak to kill himself.
Too weak to do anything.
He was too weak to even look at his father.
His world turned black.
He was weak. He was useless. Looking back, all he ever did was burn his father's life away. To raise a worthless son. Unable to do anything for his father.
The cries have been reduced to pathetic sniffles as he wallows in self pity.
And yet…
'The least I can do right now is look up.'
To look up. To look into his father. To stare into the empty eye sockets of that thing, and proclaim directly to it, that he was sorry for being useless.
The shame and disgust had held him back.
'But that doesn't matter now. Shame, disgust, for fucking sake Kael, you pathetic shit, your father is about to die, so stop being selfish and look up.'
'…'
He didn't have the will to look up.
But a quote that his father used to say materialised in his head.
"Kael, you need to know that the weak remain the weak because they never strive to be strong."
That day, Kael had asked his father why he chooses to work so hard in his workshop everyday, even when their life was plenty bearable with just the weekly excursion.
"We, as weak people, need to learn to strive. Keep on striving, to higher and higher ground, keep on working, harder and harder. If fate doesn't acknowledge us, it just means we must work harder. If fate still doesn't acknowledge us, we must still work harder. If we work hard enough, eventually fate will be forced to compensate us for our effort - and then, we will finally become strong. That's why, Kael, you must also always strive to be strong."
'But why does that matter now?' Kael thought feebly. 'My father is no more.'
'No, Kael, your father is still there, in front of you.'
'But I am too weak to do anything.'
'Don't you remember your father's words? You are weak now, but you must strive to be strong. Thus, you should be strong, overcome your shame, and look up at him, not as 'that thing', but as what your father wishes for you to do."
'...'
Kael did not want to admit it, but his words made a lot of sense.
He should at least be brave enough to look at his father.
To overcome his weakness.
And become stronger.
So that one day, fate will be forced to make him strong.
He stared at his lap.
The world around him was black.
It was weakness that caused this fiasco.
So he must learn to grow strong, so that no weakness can bite him.
And he had to start by looking up.
He closed his eyes.
Slowly but surely, he inched his head upwards, until his head was perpendicular to his body.
He braced himself.
And he opened his eyes.