AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The trapdoor leading into the dungeons was concealed inside a nondescript room. Only those who were marked for death were brought here.
Opening the trapdoor set against the floor, I stepped onto the first step leading to the bottom. The temperature dropped sharply as I descended the short flight of stairs. Only a few bulbs hung from the ceiling, keeping the place immersed in permanent shadows.
Walking along the narrow corridor, I reached the cell where the traitors were being kept. Three young men hung from chains attached to hooks on the ceiling. Their knees barely supported their sagging weights.
My footsteps sounded loud in the underground chamber. The noise was enough to rouse them. Blinking against the darkness, they peered at me.
To make it easier for them, I stepped into a shaft of light coming in through the bars of the cell.
Gasps rose in the air along with the slinking of iron chains as the three men acted on their instincts. Their fear made me smile.
Moving nearer, I took a closer look at them. All three men were badly beaten up and sported bruises on their faces. Their clothes were soaked in sweat. Strands of hair stayed stuck to their foreheads. None of them were bleeding just yet.
“Please, Master Leon,” one of them pleaded in a shaky voice. “P-p-please, give us one more chance.”
The others nodded vehemently.
My butterfly knife appeared in my hand. Rotating the handle along my fingers, I slowly circled them.
One of them broke into halting, gasping sobs. “It’s all your fault, Samuel!” he screamed. “I should’ve never listened to you.”
“Stop blaming me,” spat Samuel. “You wanted the extra cash and were happy to take it.”
I looked toward the third guy. He was the oldest among them. His silence was sobering. The bastard knew what was coming for him and made no effort to beg and plead.
Smart, I thought wryly.
The sound of approaching footsteps got closer and soon, both Yakim and Mikhail appeared at the cell’s door.
“I’ve been waiting,” I said with a nod toward Mikhail who was carrying a tripod with him. “Let’s get this show started.”
“You okay, bro?” Mikhail asked as he started setting up the tripod.
“Yep and looking forward to getting better.”
The three men watched with bated breath as Mikhail fixed a camera onto the tripod. This way, we could do a livestream for our staff without having them all crowd in here.
Everyone was going to watch what happens to those who betrayed us. This was a message I needed to sink into all our men’s minds.
My knife whizzed around my fingers. My patience was starting to thin now. I needed to cut some skin and see the blood oozing out.
Moving closer to my prey, I slashed at the clothes the traitors were wearing.
All three started struggling against their chains to move away from me. All it did was get them cut everywhere. My knife was so sharp, even a small brush against the blade would cut skin.
Within minutes, strips of their shirts and trousers lay scattered at my feet. I tore at whatever hung from their shoulders and waists, exposing their nakedness to my brothers and everyone else who was watching the livestream.
Rivulets of blood flowed from the numerous cuts that resulted from their incessant struggles to get free. I hadn’t even started and they were making a mess already.
“Leon, wait,” Yakim said in a low, commanding voice. “I need some answers before you get started.”
“Ask away,” I said, stepping back to stand beside him.
“Who else is on your team?” Yakim asked. “You’re all going to be dying today, so there’s no point in lying. Whoever was involved with you deserves the same punishment as you.”
“I didn’t want to do any of this!” The man called Tom shouted. He was the youngest among them. “It was Samuel who made me take the money. I didn’t ask for it!”
“He’s lying!” Samuel spat. “He saw the cash in my hands and wanted to know how I got it. When I told him there was more to make, he said he’d join me. Don’t believe a word he says. He’s a greedy bastard.”
