Talia's Torment

Chapter 25: Educations in pain.

                Talia awoke again in a state of pain.  She couldn’t tell if it had been days or weeks since she had woken up in that chair and her ordeal had started.  She was trying to pace the time by the regularity of Laurent’s visits to her.  She could hear him coming with that whistle and she would cringe and take a deep breath to prepare herself for whatever fresh hell he had come up with now.  She knew from what he had done to her back that she had been here more than one night.  It would take longer than that for the first rounds of skinning to have healed.  The monster had thought she would like the patchwork weaving he had managed to scar her back with, he had shown it to her in the mirror he had brought in before he started on his next project.

                She shivered as she remembered that experience, a barrage of passing out and being revived over and over again as Laurent paused in his process to make sure she was aware enough to suffer.  He imagined himself an artist with her as his canvas.  She now had the patchwork weaving of scars across her back, starting at her shoulders and making its way down to where her bra had been strapped onto her body.  He had stopped there with that pattern and had moved on to the lower half of her back with a new theme in mind.  He had told her at that point that he had a different idea and tool picked out for each section of her body that he had mapped out in his mind.   She dreaded the days as he worked his way through the plan in his twisted mind, all the while whistling that damn song like some sick TV show on re-run.

                Remembering how she had gotten the sprinkling of star patterned scars across her lower back she rubbed at them absentmindedly.  They were deep but they at least had healed quickly.  Laurent had grabbed a scalpel of the workbench after showing her the patchwork in the mirror and telling her of his plan to section out her body like a human quilt.  She had been afraid of what he planned to carve out this time since she was currently strapped to the table contraption with her face open and visible.  Then she had let out a breath in relief when he had tipped the table so that she was now facing the floor and watching his wing tips go around the table till he got to the section of her body that he wanted to start on tonight.  He laughed and told her that he wasn’t going to mar up her face since it was what had drawn him to her in the first place.  He had laughed then and explained that the shy smile and outright stare into his eyes when he had given her that first complement is what had cemented his decision to take her as his next art piece instead of another.  She had started to blame herself then for having been so bold at their first interaction, but slowly the pain would start to melt that thought away and leave hate burning there instead.

                Laurent had painstakingly carved several star patterns into her back then.  Taking his time and strapping her down completely so as to avoid unwanted cuts.  She had mistakenly laughed under breath at the use of the word unwanted, well none of this was unwanted so what did a few more really matter.  Laurent had made sure that the next cut that made contact with the top of her hip bone had been especially painful.  Now she had a complete set of the night sky on her back, with several constellations added.  He had made sure to point out that Orion’s belt was included because a hunter could never forget another hunter.  Laurent seemed to be hell bent on using symbolism and explaining each one to her when he had worked them into his masterpiece on her flesh.

                She knew that she had the backs of her legs that were supposed to be worked on today.  She cringed as she thought about the little bit of covering she had left on her body.  As Laurent had worked a new piece he had carefully removed her clothing in the process so that it would not hinder his workspace.  She had lost her shirt first and then her bra as the straps got in the way.  She was down to a hospital gown style covering and her shorts left.  He had long ago taken her shoes and socks to prevent her from leaving, he had shown her how her doorway was hooked up to some system that would shock her without the rubber clogs that he gave her to wear each time he started a new project on her body.  Her feet now sported some burn patterns that vaguely reminded her of a type of cheetah or leopard print pattern.  He had been ever so precise with his mini torch to ensure that the pattern remained only on the tops of her feet and that each spot would not run into another.  Those were some of the more painful areas that he had worked on besides the large patchwork weaved pattern on her back.

                She jumped as she heard the lock scrapping out of its hold in her door.  The door slowly slid open to reveal Laurent starring at her with a sick smile on his face.  He had one every time that he came to collect her.  She slowly got up from her small cot and walked over to him, she had learned that making him come in the room for her was not a good idea.  If she was quick and lucky enough she could get out of this night with just a new “art” on her body and could avoid his touches and attempted kisses this time.  As if the torture he did to her body with his tools wasn’t enough he kept trying to touch her and get her to kiss him or smile for him.  He acted as if they were still in a relationship and this was a project he was doing for her rather than to her.  The thought made her want to vomit, but she kept herself together as much as she could when he reached to hold her hand while she put on the rubber shoes.

                “Let’s get those legs of yours done now love.  You know I always loved those legs and getting to look at them, and now I will get to touch them as well without you pulling away.  This is going to be so good, I promise.”  He dipped his head down as he said those last words and pecked her cheek like he was giving her a present and not a new nightmare to both dream and live until he granted her the mercy of ending this all for good.  She looked down quickly before he could see the tears in her eyes.  Her only solace was that he was almost done with his artwork and soon he would end her miserable existence.

                When they entered the room that he liked to work in the lighting that was on was a softer type rather than the harsh clinical glare she had been used to seeing every time they came for a session.  She was startled at first by the change but she shrugged it off as maybe a bulb being out and needing replacing. Laurent pulled her in close to his body and she resisted the urge to stiffen as she knew it would not go over well.

                “Well here we go now.  I am going to need to get rid of those pesky shorts; I can’t possibly do my art work with such a large obstruction now can I.”  Laurent clucked at her like he was reprimanding her for not having already removed the last bit of clothing from her body before getting here.  She had known that they would need to be removed but she was not about to make it that easy.  Yet, as he started to slide his hands around her hips to the clasp on her shorts she wished she had done it so that he would not have been touching her in such an intimate way.  His whole demeanor had been different this time, as if he felt they were on a date and not just heading to another of his art sessions.  He acted as if he was treating her and cherishing her today in his own sick way.  It made her blood run cold as she felt his fingertips brush the skin of her stomach just below her ribs.

                Laurent grabbed the top of her shorts with his hands and slipped his thumbs under the band of her underwear.  She froze, not realizing that her underwear would also be obstructing his next planned piece of work, and then he hooked his thumbs into the material and peeled both her shorts and her panties from her body in the same motion.  Feeling his breath on the backs of her calves caused her to inhale in a sharp gasp as fear gripped her.  Then she felt him lead her to the table contraption and strap her into the various straps on the frame.  He strapped her in so that her arms and torso were secure and her body wouldn’t sag through the opening when she was suspended.  Her legs were then secured at the ankles and knees.  He trailed his fingers across the backs of her legs and then he added another set of straps that secured her thighs to the framing as well making it impossible for her to wiggle or move in the slightest.  She knew that she had been at his mercy the entire time he held her captive but this time made her feel completely vulnerable like none of the other sessions had ever done.

                “I promised you that we would make it last and that you would enjoy our time together did I not?”  He whispered in her ear, his hot breath tickling her ear lobe as his words froze her heart.

                “I have enjoyed our art sessions Laurent.  I promise you don’t have to surprise me with any more presents.  What did you want to do today; the art has me wondering what our final piece is going to look like.”  She was trying desperately to change his mood from where it was going and back to the art piece.  She knew that this was supposed to be the last piece and that meant her end, but she was hoping to rush it to completion and get him out of the area of sick seduction he seemed to be heading this time. 

He trailed his hand down her jaw line as he tskd her.  “Didn’t you know, good things come to those who wait?  It’s a surprise, but I promise you will enjoy this one so much more.”

Her heart began to beat against her chest, determined that since she couldn’t leave this place it would.  Laurent went to his table on the far side of the room and began to look over his tools for the one that would best accomplish his task.  Panic began to fill her as she saw him unbutton his shirt as he looked over his precious tools.  He then removed it along with his watch and set them to the side as if he wanted to ensure that they stayed pristine while he worked.  He began setting an assortment of items onto a tray and covered them with a towel before grabbing his other instruments and placing them on top of the towel so she could see them.  She was wondering what was under the towel when he came up to her and gripped her face in his hand.