Mandy- Part 6

    The quivering lump of useless flesh we called Mandy looked up at me and begged for mercy. The irony wasn’t lost on me. I knew for a fact Cory had begged Mandy to leave him and Sherry alone. He would receive no such kindness from me. Every time I closed my eyes I pictured Sherry’s tear-streaked face when Jinx was found dead on their porch. Rage bubbled up inside of me and I smashed the sledgehammer down on Mandy’s right ankle. The bones shattered and splintered through his skin. Numb to his screams and cries, I watched the tiny streams of blood trickle down his bare foot and pool in his flip-flop. I snatched a bottle of Isopropyl Alcohol from the shelf and poured it over the broken skin.

            “Wouldn’t want that to get infected, would we?”

Mandy ignored my words, shrieking when the liquid poured over his wounds. Howls of anguish died as my captive lost consciousness.  I was tempted to use smelling salts to revive him but I resisted. I wanted his torture to last. If I had my way, he would be down in the cellar for a very long time. I wanted him to feel the despair of every single one of his victims every minute of every day for the remainder of his pathetic life.

    I left him locked up in the insulted root cellar while I went to bed. I knew no one would be able to hear him, provided I kept the door was closed. I had experimented by blasting highly offensive music through my amped up stereo. I had played that same music in the living room once and received multiple calls from outraged neighbors so I know how loud it gets. I had turned it up full blast and couldn’t even hear it in my living room. I checked outside too and not even the faintest hint of guitar riff was present. I was confident that the only way I’d get caught was if I screwed up.

    I woke the next morning with a renewed sense of purpose. I ate a leisurely breakfast and filled a travel mug with coffee before heading down to check on my guest. 

            “Rise and shine, Sleepyhead!”

Mandy’s eyes snapped open and fear registered immediately. I think there was a part of him that believed he had dreamt the whole thing. Again, I ripped the duct tape off. I popped a straw into the mug of extra-strong coffee and held it to his lips. He slurped at it hungrily, only stopping when he choked, hacking and spraying warm liquid all over himself. I gave him a couple of firm whacks on the back to help expel the blockage and slowly the color of his face changed from bright red to his normal shade of pale. He glared at me with contempt in his eyes but his words were weak and trembled with fear.

            “Dude, I gotta go to the bathroom.”

Damn! A flaw in my otherwise perfect plan…I’d forgotten to think ahead for toilet usage. Furious that I’d forgotten something so significant, I stormed out of the cellar and went in search of a bucket.

            “Here, you’re going to have to make do while I think up something better.”

I released one of his arms so he could undo his own pants. I didn’t want any parts of touching his private areas and I stepped out long enough for him to relieve himself. I’ll admit, I considered letting him sit in his own filth after what he’d done to Cory but I didn’t want to deal with that nasty stench. Not to mention it would eventually stink up the whole house. Grandma had surely turned over in her grave as it was; I didn’t want her house to smell like a sewer on top of everything else. When he was done, I secured his restraints again. Just to make sure he knew I wasn’t having second thoughts, I poured more alcohol over his bloody foot. His shrieks were loud enough to wake the dead.

    I left him to his pain while I went online in search of a new restraint system to allow Mandy a way to empty his bladder and bowels without giving him a chance to escape. I was mentally kicking myself for not factoring normal bodily functions into my plans.

    My first internet searches turned up some disturbing images. Human harness was a poorly worded search, I suppose. I eventually found some harnesses for rappelling and search & rescue at the Army Surplus Stores. I called the one downtown and they had several models in stock. I jumped in my car and drove straight there. The sales clerk was extremely helpful and I settled on a tactical full body harness. According to the product insert it was virtually indestructible so I bought it. I was still pondering the logistics of it when I was struck with inspiration. I had the perfect plan to make sure Mandy could relieve himself as necessary but still not jeopardize my grand scheme.

    When I returned to the root cellar Mandy eyed my shopping bag with fearful suspicion.