Warning: Disturbing scene ahead, proceed with caution.
Luke stood beneath a tree, rinsing the blood from his hands with water from a clay pitcher. Crimson swirled into the dirt before disappearing beneath the roots. His clothes were soaked through as well, but changing them could wait until he returned to his family.
After cleaning his hands, he tossed the empty pitcher aside and turned to his left.
A man hung from the tree.
Completely naked.
His body was a grotesque ruin of blood, bruises, and torn flesh. Every limb had been broken beyond recognition. His swollen eyes bulged from their sockets, while spiked metal wire, the very kind he had once used to trap others, had been wrapped around him, biting deep into his flesh and pinning him against the trunk.
He should have died long ago.
Yet even after ten relentless minutes of torture, Luke had made certain he stayed alive.
The reason was simple.
