Chapter 1
It was strange that the first thing that he noticed as he woke, or maybe came around would be a better way of putting it, wasn’t the fact that he he was naked, or the fact that his wrists had been bound tightly together in front of him with duct tape. It wasn’t that his ankles had also been taped tightly to some something so that he couldn’t move them either. Nor did he immediately notice that he was laying on his back on top of a metal table, the wheeled table that he always used when moving the heavier bottles and cans around behind the bar. He didn’t immediately notice any of that. Nor did he realise that his torso was covered in more in duct tape, in fact that he was wrapped in the stuff, and that that wrapping held him firmly in place on top of the table. He didn’t notice the metal against his back, or the way that sticky substance on the taped pulled at his skin as he breathed. He didn’t even notice that more tape had been applied across his forehead, effectively fixing his head, and stare facing straight up. Amazingly, the first thing he noticed as consciousness returned wasn’t the fact the entire lower portion of his face was covered in more sticky duct tape!
No, the first thing he noticed was how odd the the open ends of the beer taps looked from this angle. There were four of them directly above his face. All seemed to be small eyes staring unblinkingly at him with stark accusation. he watched, fascinated as the hole in the tap up above his forehead began to change colour, the deep black slowly morphed into a deep rich brown as a drip of beer slowly made its way down the tube towards freedom. He watched as it grew fat and bulbous with gravity pulling it ever closer to the end of the pipe. The drip swelled slowly and he found himself holding his breath as gravity won the the tiny battle with surface tension and the drip fell.
As it dropped instinct took over and he tried to get out of the way. He tried to pull his head to one side, but the tape held him fast. He stared, his eyes widening as the drop hit him right in the centre of his forehead, just below the tape.
Realisation hit him like a meteor impact in the centre of his chest. His position suddenly dawned with such clarity that he could now feel the hairs around his ankles stinging as the taped tried to pull them free of his skin as he strained against his bindings. He tried to twist sideways and drop to the floor but he was held fast to the table. Panic was building in his chest, his heart rate climbing rapidly towards a dangerous high. The pulse at his temples amplified by the tape.
He tried to speak, scream, shout, all at the same time. Thats when he noticed, at last that his mouth was taped shut! In fact the whole of his chin and jaw were covered in the stuff!
Suddenly he knew he was going to throw up, it was as inevitable as rain on holiday. He started to convulse as his stomach got ready to expel its contents up his throat and out of his mouth. Not a good idea in his current position. He would choke, drown! What the fuck was going on! Panic really started to get a hold on him now. sweat was starting to bead around face, under the tight tape, making it more uncomfortable.
“I would try and control that urge to puke if I was you!”
The voice floated in from somewhere on the other side of the bar.
“Throwing up now would be a mistake, don’t you think?” said the voice, male, gentle, almost sweet in its timbre. “you’ll just choke and die all the quicker!” Was he, and it was a he, laughing under that sweet voice?
“You and me are going to spend some time talking, you piece of shit!” spoken quietly and softly that he almost didn’t hear it, the lack of anything like hate in the tone of voice made the simple statement all the darker! Panic started to settle into fear.
“WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU? WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?” He tried to shout, but all he managed to do was to make himself start to gag again!
“Whoa there big fella! Easy now!” said that voice again, “breath through your nose, nice and deep. Thats it slowly, slowly, in and out, in and out, calm down now. Thats a good fella!” he said from the darkness. “I bet,” said the voice, now cheerfully, “I bet, you’re wondering whats going on? Course you are!” The voice said.
He strained his eyes from side to side, up and down looking for anything that would give him a clue as to what was going on. He became aware that the only light left on was the one over his head, so that he was alone floating in an island of light in the sea of darkness that was his public house! He started to strain more violently against his bonds stretching the tape and rattling the table on the floor. The tendons in his neck popped out as he strained to move his head! Suddenly, something appeared in his field of view, in his peripheral vision, just inside the circle of the light! He forced his eyes down and to the left, in the direction of the object. What?, what was it? He couldn’t quiet get a bead on it! Just at the very edge of his view! What? What the fuck?
The object moved, just slightly, a small twist towards the right, so that the top edge of it pointed towards the light. As it twisted it caught the light, just enough, just enough to glint. For a fraction of a second it sought the light and shone like a beacon in the darkness. Like a light house keeping the ships safe at night! Only this light, this glint, this sudden shine, didn’t make him feel safe. No, not all! This one just made the fear settle deeper in his chest, this one, this little light in the darkness could be only one thing. The sharp edge of a blade!
Just as quickly as it appeared it was withdrawn from his view!
“ Know what that is?” Came the voice again from out of the darkness. “Sure you do, sure you do.” the voice said, velvet dripping form the words like Guiness from a drinkers lips as they take that first draught from the glass at the end of a long day! “Its my knife! I call him Justin! Why Justin you ask? Of course you want to know, why wouldn’t you. Its kind of important after all!” The nice was slipping from the voice now, just a little, he had to listen closely to spot it, but he was listening closely, oh so very closely.very closely indeed. “ I call him Justin in case I find myself in this kind of a situation of course. Just in case,” the voice said, and then it laughed, “get it? Just in case? Justin case? I crack my self up sometimes,” still laughing, “ I really do!” Giggling now. “Of course, Justin can be used in a number of ways, oh yes, yes indeed!” No laughing now. I can use Justin to open doors, or Windows. To scratch my name on a table! To cut my my dinner, or you. Its big enough to cut twigs and branches, should I ever find the need to do so! It also very good at cutting through duct tape!”
The silkiness was back now, the friendly tone. But he hadn’t missed the words “ or you” just dropped into the middle of that little speech. Those two words sent a chill through him, right down to his core! who was this fucking maniac, is he going to cut me? Oh God! Oh God Oh God! Please no! Why? Why is this happening?
“Of course, thats not the only reason I call him Justin!” Said the voice cheerfully from the void over the bar. “There’s another reason as well. Would you like to know what that is? Would you? Whats that? oh you would!” the tone of the voice was changing now, deepening, still silky smooth, but now more menacing, more threatening. “Its because,” dropping lower now, “its because,” so low now, so very low, hate starting to fill every syllable. “Its because!”
The blade flashed as it came over the bar and stopped just above his tape covered abdomen. “its because.” The hate in the voice, the menace, was undeniable now. “Its because, Hahahahahahahahaha, its because, your going to love this!” The voice was veering towards manic now, the sudden laughter in the middle of the last sentence adding to his fear! “Its because, I can stick it Justin in your Belly!”
The knife dipped down and cut through the tape just knicking the skin below!
“Or Justin in your arm!”
The blade flashed in the light as moved oh so quickly across space and slashed across his bicep opening up a small shallow cut. He tried to scream, couldn’t of course, the tape around his face was too tight!
“Justin your leg!” The blade flashed and liquid fire burned down his leg!
“Or Justin your eye!” The knife flew up towards his face as the terror in his chest grew even larger. he could see the reflection of the tape that was holding him in place in the blade as it came towards his face along the side of his body, floating just above the skin. He could make out the texture of the tape in the reflection, see the little bits of string sticking out from the edge of the tape. But he couldn’t stop looking at the knife as it came towards face and the promise of puncturing his eyeball. He had time to think about how that would feel. How it would sound. Would the jelly in his eye squirt out, or just dribble down his cheek mingling with blood as he tried to scream through the tape. He saw and thought all of this in the fraction of a second it took the blade to fly from leg to face. He started to weep without being aware of it.
“Please!” he tried say, “please“ he begged, but of course there were no sounds other than muted grunts and groans forcing there way past the tape. He felt his bowels start to loosen, but they didn’t give way, not yet.
The knife, point down, stopped about an inch above his left eye, and, mercifully stayed there. He tried to focus on it, but couldn’t, it was too close and his tears blurred what he could see. His breathing went up another notch as did his heart rate which was speeding like a bullet train now.
“I could, you know!” came the voice, from much closer than before, “I could just finish it here!” No silkiness in that voice now, more of a snarl, almost a growl. “Stab you through the eye, and right into your brain! All over in a flash, a sharp pain and then…. Nothing!” The voice had dropped in volume again, still growling, but almost a whisper, a trace of the smoothness coming back. “would you like that? You might soon, probably not yet though eh? But keep it mind? OK?”
The knife moved away from his eye, down and suddenly the pain was back, in his cheek as the knife scratched a pathway down to the tape around his mouth where it stopped. He watched as the knife withdrew over the bar and back into the darkness. His breathing slowed and his heart tripped downwards.
“Oh! Im an idiot! Im so sorry! I’ve forgotten the main attraction! Are you thirsty?” Said the voice in the dark.
Thats when he became fully aware of the pipe in-between his lips, he had noticed it of course, knew something was there, but because he couldn’t see it, had dismissed as un important! After all, he had a lot on his mind!
This time when something came over the bar, it was just hand, groping towards his mouth! the hand moved closer, no sleeve, just a bare arm. The hand crawled, using the fingers as legs towards his head, then dropped of the side of his body.
“Ah, there it is!” came the voice, silky smooth again. the hand reappeared with a piece of rubber hose in it! About half an inch in diameter and black.
It dropped away from the hand down the side of his body, he could feel his pulse rising again. What was this maniac going to do now? Batter him with a hose? Whip him with it, what?
The pipe lifted further up and and could see that it was bending towards his face. Then he felt the tug at the tape around his mouth and realised that it was the pipe in his mouth! He watched in fascinated terror as the hand moved the other end of the pipe towards the pipe from the beer tap above his head, the one that had dripped on him earlier. this one dispensed bitter. The one next to it lager. The hand paused, moved to wards the lager pump and then back to the bitter, pushing the pipe firmly over the end of the tap.
OH Fuck, he thought, as it dawned on him what was about to happen. He saw a second hand appear from out of the gloom and grasp the handle that would start the pump. Panic hit him deep this and he tried struggled against his bonds again! Trying to thrash from side to side. The hand holding the pipe let it go and slapped him back handed across his face.
“Stay still buddy, or Justin comes out again!” Said the voice, smoother than silk once more.
He blinked tears from his eyes and wasn’t sure if they came from the slap or if he was crying again. He tried to plead again, but couldn’t even move his jaw, the tape was that tight! He peered pleading into the dark trying to convey his desperation to who ever it was hoovering the dark above him, out of sight!
Movement caught his eye as the hand on the pump moved it into the position to deliver the drink he sold day in and day out!
He felt his eyes bulge as the cold liquid rushed into mouth carrying the unmistakable taste of rubber with it! He swallowed as his mouth filled, swallowed again. And again. and again. And Again, but the liquid kept coming until it threatened to choke him. Suddenly it stopped and it swallowed the last of it in his mouth.
“Like that Chief?” Came the smooth tones from over bar.
He tried to shake his head no. But couldn’t move. He tried to shout it out, but couldn’t of course.
“You did?” Enquired the voice. “Wonderful! Have some more!”
The hand reached out and switched on the pump again. The beer rushed back into his mouth and he swallowed again twice.
“Whoops! Slow down there chief, you’re going to get drunk!” Said the voice as the hand lifted the pump handle up about hallway slowing down the flow.
He swallowed again and again trying desperately not choke! Before long it became apparent that choking wasn’t his only problem! He couldn’t breathe and swallow at the same time! The more liquid that flowed into his mouth the more he swallowed, the more desperate he became for air! The liquid continued to flow and could feel his face getting red as he struggled not to breathe in the beer that continued to flow into his mouth.
Suddenly, mercifully the liquid stopped coming and he managed to stop swallowing long enough to take a deep breath before he finished drinking what was in his mouth. He took another deep breath through his nose, and another, and another.
“You didn’t think Id let you drown did you?” Asked the voice joyfully from the darkness. The hand however didn’t move from the pump. “ I believe you’ve just drunk about 3 pints from my guess. I think one more? Maybe two should be enough for now!” And the hand on the pump dropped again!
This time he didn’t swallow quick enough and the beer caught in his throat. He started to gag again as the beer locked his throat shut, it kept coming and then stopped.
“Careful chief! You’re choking, that’ll kill you every time.”
He continued to gag as the liquid had no where to go! Suddenly he coughed and the liquid shot out of his nose, coughed again as his nose burnt while the liquid cleared his throat out of his nose! he managed a breath.
“ Well done Chief!” said the voice, “thought Id lost you there!”
Then the pump had switched on again! This time he managed to swallow in time as the liquid once more coursed down his throat. He kept swallowing for what seemed like an age until the flow stopped again.
“That should do it! Well done chief!”
He heard footsteps walking across the wooden bar floor moving away from the bar! Was he leaving? Was that it, was this nightmare over he wondered?
“Very soon chief,” came the voice again from further into the darkness, “your going to discover you have another problem! I’m surprised you haven’t spotted it already! But I suppose you have been other wise occupied haven’t you?” It said. “Im going to let you be for a while now, oh I’m not leaving, not yet! I will, soon enough. And you will be pleased to hear that I intend to leave you alive! Unless you want the knife in the eye that is? That offer stands. No? You sure? I’ll ask again in hour, you may have changed you mind by then.
The light went out!
It happened so suddenly that he almost screamed! Or would have done if he could. The darkness settled around him like a quilt. Soft, almost warm, he felt safe. Then he tried to move and found he couldn’t . He tried thrashing again! rattling around on the trolley as much as he could to try and free himself!
“Still here Chief”, came the voice out of the dark! “And so is Justin”!
He stopped moving, and lay there listening, looking up into the darkness. Wondering where that lunatic had gone? He could be anywhere couldn’t he? It was so dark, he could be right above his face and he would have no idea! That fucking knife, Justin? Could be punching down towards his gut, his face, eye at any time and would know nothing until the pain!
Slowly he became aware that the alcohol in the beer was getting into his head. He started to feel light headed and his senses swam a little.
Time passed, he had no idea how much, or how fast, or slowly it passed as he lay on his trolley in the dark, feeling more drunk by the minute. as the seconds turned into minutes he realised that he need to take a piss, all that beer of course. Well that shouldn’t be a problem he thought, and almost giggled as mind sank into drunkeness, I am fucking naked after all! Just need to let it flow and clean it up later after this fucker has left! He relaxed his bladder expecting a wet stream to pour forth as he was quite desperate to go by now. Nothing happened. no relief, no wetness, no feeling of the liquid rushing through his dick. No sound of the piss hitting the floor! He couldn’t go! The need was getting worse and just couldn’t get it out, no matter how hard he pushed nothing was happening!
It was about that time that he noticed the pain was mostly centered around his penis. He started to struggle again, more violently than before, shaking as he realised that something tied around his cock stopping him relive himself. The pressure was becoming unbearable as 5 pints of alcohol fuelled liquid tried to move from his stomach through his bladder and out into the world.
“Ah”, came the voice from the dark, “I do believe you’ve discovered your latest problem!” It said. “you see, I’ve tied a piece string round that fucking awful cock of yours. So you cant piss! Must be getting quite painful by now? Its going to stay there by the way! Im not touching that thing again. Im not sure how I managed to touch it to close it off. After all the times you made me touch it when I was a kid you sick fuck!”
“Bet you thought you had gotten away clean didn’t you? You twisted prick! 3 years you abused me while my mother knew nothing! I always knew I’d get you back, even then! And here it is, my sweet revenge! I’m not sure why I was ever scared of you, you fat fuck! Look at you laying there!”
The light came back on.
“You don’t even have the strength to move your head, do you? Whats that? You want another drink? OK, if thats what you want? The hands appeared again and moved the pipe from the bitter to the lager pump. This time though they paused long enough to put a butterfly jubilee clip over the pipe before pushing over the tap. The hands spent some time tightening the clip so that the hose wouldn’t come off. Then suddenly flew to the tap and switched it on!
This time the liquid was cold and full of bubbles so that it filled his mouth even quicker! No matter how hard he tried he couldn’t swallow fast enough, the lager kept coming, bubbles bursting out through is nose. all the time adding to the pressure in his bladder and against the tie around his cock.
The flow stopped! And Justin flew back into view.
“Remember when I told you all the uses I have for Justin?” The voice inquired? “One of them was cutting remember? Cutting Duct tape? I bet you’d love that right now wouldn’t you eh? Well… tough shit! It cuts through all kinds of things, tape, cloth, skin, cocks!”
The knife moved slowly down his body and he watched as best he could as it disappeared from view towards his genitals. Now he knew real panic, was this lunatic going to cut his manhood off? Oh God please no! Not that! Of course he remembered abusing kids, he done for it years and none of the little fuckers had the nerve to stand up and tell. He’d made sure of that with enough threats to keep em scared for the rest of their lives. But who the fuck was this lunatic?
He felt cold metal against his flaccid cock and tried to scream as total gut wrenching terror over took him. His bowels nearly went this time, not quite, but nearly. He felt the knife move, and then….
Blessed relief as the piss poured out of him and his bladder emptied. He hadn’t cut off his manhood, he had removed the tie around his cock and let him piss! He was going to let him go, he knew it! Why else would he do that! Why!
“you fucking disgust me!” said the voice, “look at that fucking mess you just made! Really makes me wish I didn’t have to touch again to put another tie on your pathetic little prick!”
What? another tie? NO! Please no! But he could feel his manhood moving and constricting as a new binding was wrapped tightly around it. Fuck No! Please no. Please. Heard a plastic ripping sound in the dark and then something hit his chest! He looked down as best he could and saw two surgical loves resting on his chest.
“You didn’t think I was going to let my skin come in touch with that fucking maggot did you? Never again. Now, a drink I think!”
A hand reached out of the dark and pushed down that tap to let the lager come flowing through again. He swallowed frantically for what seemed like an age, until the flow stopped and he could take a breath. No sooner had the second breath hit his lungs when the liquid hit his mouth again, the pressure forcing him to swallow!
“Drink deep fucker! Drink deep!”
The flow stopped again, allowing him to breathe. but he could feel pressure building his bladder again. Again more drink flashed towards his mouth forcing him to drink! And again it stopped.
“Had enough fucker?” Asked the voice. “you never asked me that did you?”
The pump started again, but this time much slower, just a trickle of fizzy beer dribbling into his mouth. The pressure in his bladder was reaching the point of pain again and he didn’t want to drink anymore. The liquid however slowly filled his mouth until he had no choice but swallow or choke.
“Im going to leave now”, said the voice. “Im going leave you to drink your fill. Until you fucking drown or choke. Or until your bladder fucking explodes! I said I’d leave you alive didn’t I? I didn’t say you would stay that way though did I? Bye fucker!”
He could hear footsteps walking across the floor towards the door all the while the liquid filling his mouth until he was forced to swallow again, adding to the pressure! The door opened and swung shut! He was alone, he knew it. Just as he knew he was going to die. Die slowly and painfully, terror gripping his heart as every second that passed was a second closer to death! Jesus! What the fuck!
The door opened again. Thanks Christ he thought, someone here to help, someone here to save me! He struggled again against the tape that held him prisoner, making enough noise to attract who ever it was that had come in. So they could find him. Save him. Help him.
“Hello again fucker”! the voice said.
Fuck its him again! The lunatic is back! All hope left him in that instant.
“ I bet, I bet you thought that was help didn’t you chief? Didn’t you, you fucking bastard? Well guess what? Just me and Justin again! You didn’t think I’d forget did you?”
The voice said as the knife suddenly flashed back out the darkness straight at is eye! It stopped, of course, just short of penetration!
“Your choice chief! I said I’d give the option? Whats it to be, its a one time offer! You got to be in it to win it chief! The knife through the eye, or slow painful death with an outside chance of rescue! Whats it to be? Blink once for the knife, twice for a longer, if only slightly, and somewhat more painful, life!”
He couldn’t do it. The pain was getting worse and the lager kept coming, but he just couldn’t do it! He blinked twice rapidly.
“OK chief Your choice”!
The blade lifted away and then suddenly came flashing back towards his eye! It stopped again just short of cutting him, this time his bowels finally gave way and the room was flooded with the stench of human excrement!
“Oh Jesus, you dirty fucker chief! You shit your self didn’t you? You dirty bastard!”
The knife came up one more time and when it came down it plunged into his lower stomach and right through his bladder. The relief of the pressure going was only momentary as the pain hit next. One more time he tried to scream and the liquid in his mouth rushed into his throat making him choke and cough. The pain lessoned slightly and felt his lower body getting wet and warm. A mixture of piss and blood soaking him.
His mouth was filling again as he heard the door open.
“Bye fucker!” said the voice as the door swung slowly shut and darkness enveloped him one last time.
