Intercepts

by T.J. Payne

They make this happen. They open my eyes to burn them with light. They open my ears to stab them with sound. They open my nerves to set them on fire. I do not know who they are.

I will find those he loves. I will torture them. I will bring pain to them. Then I will bring pain to him. To Joe Gerhard. The master of my Hell.

but because duct tape and twine were cheaper and easier than dealing with the crippling bureaucracy.

That was the power of parenthood; the protective instincts overrode everything else.

“Physical pain is fleeting. The mind closes it off, as best it can. But some pain runs deeper. Some pain lingers. It sticks to you in the darkness, and the mind cannot push it away. Pain such as the pain of watching your family suffer. And the pain of knowing they suffered because of you. That pain will never leave,” the voices said in unison. “Consider it not a punishment, but a gift. The pain will be your foundation as you swim in the black. It will be your light. Use it to find your way, Joe Gerhard.”