Ben

The ocean crashing was enough to wake Paul from his slumber; his head was groggy, and he felt disoriented. As he tried to rub the sleep from his eyes and failed, Paul realised he wasn’t in his bedroom.

Looking around, he saw wet sand and, further out, the ocean crashing onto the shore. Sitting at the entrance of what was obviously a cave, a lone figure faced him.

“Oh, good, you’re awake.” The man stood, dusting off his shorts, smiling as he ambled towards him.

As the man's face came into view, Paul realised it was Hael. His brothers always scoffed when Paul tried to tell them to watch out for him, but he'd bet his month's wages if they saw the look on Hael’s face now, they would agree he was dangerous.

Hael sidestepped two mounds, and Paul didn’t pay them much attention; he just wanted to know what was going on.

“Do you know why you’re here?” He asked as soon as he reached Paul.

“I dunno, man. I went to bed and woke up here?” Paul tugged on the chains that he was hogtied with, confused, “Where the fuck am I?”

“All in good time.” Came Hael’s response.

He was shirtless, almost like he’d been surfing, and seemed relaxed as he went over to where a small table was. On it were different condiments. Hael picked one up, unscrewing the top, and after picking up a spoon he walked back to where Paul waited.

“Do you have a sweet tooth, Paul?”

“Kinda.”

“Taste this and tell me what you think.”

Paul opened his mouth and tasted the spoon.

“Tastes like honey, and something else that's a bit saltier?”

“Very good, I’ll get the next one.”

This happened two more times; each time, Hael would feed him a taste and wait for his response. 

It was unnerving. In the back of Paul’s mind, he was aware that the tide looked like it was slowly starting to come in, and he started to shake.

Before he could raise the issue, Hael shook the contents out of the first container, smiling as it splattered Paul’s legs, the other man powerless to do anything about it.

“Derek raises bees, does he not?” Paul nodded, suddenly afraid.

“I thought it needed a tang of salt to enhance the flavour. Lucky for me, Derek was able to help me out.”

Hael stepped away, moving towards the lumps from earlier. “Isn’t that right, Derek?” As he stepped closer to one, Hael picked something up, swiftly returned to his prisoner, opened his hand, and Hael showed Paul his treasure. It was Derek's family ring. Paul shrunk back in horror, realising that the lump must be his brother.

Hael grinned, “That’s not all I have of Derek, and now, thanks to me, you’ll also have a part of him with you always.”

What the fuck are you on about?!”

“The salty taste in the honey? Yeah, that was Derek's sperm.”

Hael clapped his hands in glee as he undid the second container, dumping sweet jelly over Paul’s head. “The texture in this that you liked so much? That’s Sam’s testicles and scrotum, don’t worry, he doesn’t need them anymore.”

Lastly, Hael took the biggest container filled with cream, dousing Paul from head to toe. “And for the finale, this tub of whipped cream would get you pregnant if you were female; we’ve all nutted one out into it just for you.”

Paul started crying, faced with both of his brothers metres away, dead, he knew this was his end.

“Caves by the ocean are a great source of food for scavengers. I used to play here as a kid until the day I got bitten by one of those.” Hael pointed over to the wall, and Paul could see the rats. His fate was clear: Rats enjoy sweet treats and were eager to stake their claim before the water came in.

He would be consumed by rodents, having no way of getting out of his chains.

For the first time in his life, as he watched Hael walk away, Paul began to pray.

4.

It was a long day, but worth it, as I dropped Max off at his Mum's place, grateful to be heading back to mine. My bones hurt, but my soul? That bitch was dancing like a drunk teenager, the adrenaline flowing through my veins like a drug. It needed an outlet, somewhere safe where I could calm down. First things first, I'm home for a shower and a change of clothes. As I pulled into the driveway, I noticed Jack digging up his vegetable garden, preparing for the Winter planting. He tipped his head in my direction as I killed the engine, coming over to the fence separating our properties.

Ariana’s father was    an impressive man, a giant who worked tirelessly to provide for his daughter, and I paid him the respect he deserved.

I’m lucky I had a spare T-shirt in my car, though. I don’t think it would have gone down well if I had greeted Jack in blood-covered clothes.

I reached over m to shake the hand Jack held out, surprised by the gesture, my attention piqued.

He looked me dead in the eyes, holding the handshake a little longer than necessary.

“Thank you for what you did for my girl.”

Fuck me, was I blushing? My cheeks were burning, and my hands were clammy. This is embarrassing, but wait, there’s more…

“Ariana’s been cooking, wanting to do something nice for you. It’s about an hour away, but you’re expected for dinner.”

Jack was a man of few words, backing away from the fence and returning to his garden. As he struck the dirt with his shovel, he looked back at me, almost like the old fella was sizing me up.

If only he knew what I’d spent the day doing.

“Has your daddy ever shown you how to plant a garden, Hael?”

I laughed before I could stop myself. “No, sir, Enzo wasn’t much for showing me anything.”

“No time like the present then, grab that trowel over there, and come give me a hand.”

I was tired, I was sore, and I’d spent the day on a killing spree, but you best believe I hauled my ass over that fence like an Olympic hurdler, and a few minutes later I was being educated on the finer points of composting. I wouldn’t have traded it for the world.