I walked to the next street over, knowing exactly where I was going. Looking around at the array of houses, I heard a bird cooing. Looking up and around, I noticed it was a single crow sitting on the power lines, it cooed again. "You've come to the right place, my dear friend."

Going back to what I was doing, I stopped in my tracks when I noticed I was already in front of my friend's house. Walking up to the front door, I knocked loud but firmly, hoping to see my friend that I haven't seen in awhile.

"Oh, hey, Tate, is your father home?"

"Who's at the door, sweetie?" Tate's mother called out.

"Matty is here!"

"Hey Constance, is your husband home"

Her face dropped and her whole demeanour changed. "You should come inside, you'll need to sit down for this."

I walked inside and closed the door behind me. I followed Constance into the kitchen where she offered me a cup of coffee and I accepted it.

We sat and talked for a while about everything. How Tate had started school and is doing fine. How it has been rough these times for her and Tate. How her husband died in a tragic car accident the other month.

Once I heard that he had died, it kinda broke me but it didn't affect me much. I listened to everything else she had to tell me and I listened.

She had gotten up and walked away, these subjects were too much for her to handle. After she left, I finished my coffee and placed it in the sink and filled it with hot water. As I stood there, I cut the phone line.

Walking into the living room where Tate was sitting on the couch watching cartoons, I kneeled down to his height and talked with him for awhile before gagging him and tightly tying his legs and arms to the legs of the coffee table.

I walked back into the kitchen and waited for Constance's return. She came back wiping her tears away and blowing her nose with a tissue. She sat down with her arms crossed on the table and her head on her arms. I got up to comfort her before I unexpectedly gagged her and tied her to the chair.

I'm only doing this to make the torture even more fun. Separating them will be fun for me but mentally torturing for the both of them.

I gently stroked her soft cheek. "I'll be back quite soon. Don't you dare move or..." I grabbed a steak knife and stabbed it into the wood of the table. "...I'll lacerate you."

Exiting the kitchen, I started to laugh menacingly as I entered the living room. Tate turned his head to look me with confusion and fear in his eyes. I once was this man he knew, who he looked up to but now, I'm his worst nightmare.

I strolled up to Tate and looked down at him as I started a normal conversation with him, like nothing was going to happen. He looked nervous while I looked intrigued.

I gently grabbed ahold of his left hand and looked at him with a general stare. "These are some nice fingers, it'd be a shame if someone..." I bent all four of his fingers backwards, a breaking sound echoed throughout the house with a muffled scream following soon after. "...broke them." I then bent them back to normal, another muffled scream was heard.

I clung onto the knife as I slowly left cuts on his knuckles, teasingly. I dropped the bloody knife on the white carpet and viciously ripped his fingers off, one by one.

I picked up the knife once again and left him there as I went to the kitchen.

When I entered, I went up to Constance and slowly stroked the knife against her cheek. "I'm having fun with your son." I laughed like a maniac and slit her cheek, giving her a Glasgow smile.

I went to the cupboard where all the spices are stored and grabbed the salt. I sprinkled some on Constance's bloody cheek. I saw the pain in her eyes. She wanted to scream. To scream from her belly and lungs, that would echo. But she didn't, she just cried.

I tapped her cheek before I left the kitchen. "I'll be back."

I entered the living room and went and sat next to Tate. "This may hurt." I grabbed his fingerless hand and sprinkled salt on his hand where the fingers used to be.

Oh my, how much he wanted to scream and have all this to end.

I grabbed the lighter from my pocket and ignited it, bringing it closer to his hand. I've never seen someone retract their hand so quickly as much as he just did. I held his hand with a tight, firm grip and started burning his hand where the fingers used to be. He squirmed and tried to get out of the grip of the rope and me as well, but that wasn't happening. He whined and he cried but this had to happen.

I left him be for a while, I didn't want him dying on me. I ruffled his hair. "I'll be back, mate." I went back to the kitchen.

"Hey, Constance, I told you I'd be back." I pulled out a chair and sat down.

Her arms and legs were tied to the legs of the table, so it made it easier for me to torture her without her squirming. I teased and tickled the bottom of her foot. A laugh echoed out of my lungs as she looked scared for her life. I instantly stopped laughing and looked dead at her with a smirk slowly forming on my face. I quickly slashed her Achilles' tendons.

I got up and walked over to her, kissing her cheek and whispering: "I'll be back, sweetness. Gotta go finish something." I left her in pain and came into the living room and I saw Tate weaseling out of his grip. "You can't leave that easily."

I grabbed his other hand and held it tightly. "You squirm or even move the slightest, this will be worse than what I have planned." I gripped the knife as I severed his wrist tendons, making his hand limp and motionless. I sprinkled some salt throughout the cut for extra pleasure.

I patted his face making sure he's still conscious, he was. "I'll be back with a question. Don't get too comfortable."

I walked up to Constance and tapped her on her face, making sure she's still conscious too. "Hey! You still awake? You better be, I have a question for you." She moaned and turned her head. "Okay, good! Now, after all this, would you like to live or die? I didn't come here to kill you but show you a different perspective on life. So, do you want to live or die? Nod your head to live. Shake your head to die. Remember, you still have Tate out there." I pointed out to the living room as tears rolled down her have, stinging her cheek. She nodded her head and looked away. "Okay, you can live. Now I gotta ask Tate the same question."

I went out and kneeled down in front of Tate as I gently tapped his cheek with the cold blade of the knife. "Hey! You awake? I need to ask you something? After what just happened, would you like to live or die? Nod your head to live. Shake your head to die. Pretty simple. Now make your decision." He didn't move for a bit. He was going to shake his head but turned it into a nod. "That was a close call, matey. You get to live."

I gathered my items and walked to the front door. "It was nice seeing you guys again, sadly I couldn't see Benjamin but he's in a better place. Also, you guys might want to hurry up and ring someone before you guys die."

With that said and knowing that they won't be able to call anyone, I left and stood outside. I breathed in the heavenly air as I walked off their property, but just as I did so, I heard the same crow from earlier. "I guess crows don't signify death." Just after I said that, the crow got comfortable and cooed again.

Maybe, it was the wrong house. I continued my journey down the street to find another house.

A/N: please spot out any mistakes, I'm really trying my hardest with this book. I'll probably edit this book in about a year, not 100% sure though. Anyway, I hope you're enjoying this book so far.

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