It was spring of 2009 and I was now entering my final year of deployment. 3 years I had spent in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, fighting, defending and searching the desserts and small villages for anything commanding officers told us to, worn soles of my boots having now walked across possibly hundreds of miles in my time here. The sweltering heat of this country was unbearable in my first year but now no longer affected me, my body having gotten used to it after so long.
I was currently sat in a dark and dingy room, my troop's latest prisoner securely held in a chair on the other side of a small table between us, two of my fellow officers standing stock still at either side of him. Sand and dirt covered every possible surface, the few small windows almost impossible to see out of, which suited me perfectly; prying eyes was not something I desired to have to deal with in this moment. We had been questioning him for a number of hours, all of us had lost track by now, but he still refused to let up any useful information. I had my own methods of course, but tended to use them as a last resort, though I had to admit, my patience was wearing thin, snide comments repeatedly spilling from the man's lips at every question was riling me up.
Leaning back in the chair, I raised my right leg, resting my ankle over my left knee as I stared him down, face stony and expressionless "I will ask this /one/ more time. What were you doing snooping near our camp, and so heavily armed at that?" My right fist slammed down on the table as I suddenly lunged forward out of my chair, lips curled into a vicious sneer as I brought my face closer to his. The man visibly flinched, but no words escaped his lips, only a dry laugh could be heard from him which only served to increase my irritation further. With an angry snarl, I brought my left hand round with all the force and speed I could, the back of it connecting with his left cheek with a loud crack as my voice echoed loudly in the small room. "ANSWER ME!" His head snapped to the side, anger and pain clearly contorting his features. I watched through narrowed eyes as he slowly turned back to face me, his teeth clenched together as he spat his words at me ["I will tell you NOTHING. You and your families will pay dearly for this, mark my words, we will find you all"]
My resolve finally snapped and I stood with squared shoulders, right hand closing around my pistol as I threw the table across the room with my left hand. Within seconds I had my pistol drawn and pressed against his temple, his threat having caused anger so fierce within me, that I felt my blood boil. Many of the men in this room had wives, girlfriends and children as well as parents and siblings at home, who they loved dearly. And of course, I had my own parents, and if anything ever happened to them, I would bring unbearable pain to the person responsible. Closing my left hand around his throat, I brought my face closer to his, words escaping me in a vicious hiss "You just made a big mistake. One little squeeze of my finger and you're gone, but then maybe that's what you're angling for huh, a quick and painless death?" Tilting my head slightly, I searched his features for any sign of a fear of death; there was none whatsoever. "No, I have a much better idea for you" Releasing my hand from his throat, I lightly tapped his cheek as I placed my pistol back in its holster and dug in my right pocket, taking out the blunt pair of pliers that I carried everywhere with me as I moved behind him, eyes flitting down to his hands that were cuffed at the back of the chair. "That was a very silly threat to make, family is cherished dearly by all of us, so I think I speak for everyone here when I say that a quick death is too good for you" Glancing around the room, a small grin curved on my lips as I watched every man give a single nod, incoherent words now spluttering from the prisoners mouth.
"If you won't give us the information we want, then you are no longer of any use" Reaching for the man's hands, I closed the pliers around his left index finger, twisting and squeezing until the loud crack of bone filled the room, blood slowly beginning to drip to the floor as the skin broke. Muffled screams came from his lips, my grip tightening as I continued my assault until I tore his finger clean off and let it drop to the floor. "By the time I'm done, if you survive the night, which I doubt, you will have no fingers left, at the very least anyway"
Taking my time, I worked on each finger, a pool of blood now rapidly expanding at my feet. The sounds that had come from him made a couple of the officers visibly cringe at times, but he had begun to quieten, his head lolling forwards as his eyelids half closed in his weakened state. The room had grown ever darker in the space of time we had him in here and it was now close to nightfall, an eerie silence now surrounding the small building. I was going to make sure no threats ever came from his mouth again should he survive this. Slowly striding round to face him once more, I gave a brief glance to the officers at his side as I spoke in a calm voice "Hold his head up and his mouth open" They immediately complied with no resistance from the prisoner, his strength almost completely faded now. With the pliers still clutched in my hand, I quickly closed it round his tongue, pulling it as far from his mouth as possible as I reached for my flick knife. Fear flashed in his eyes as he attempted to struggle free with his last ounce of strength. "No point struggling, you'll just delay the inevitable" Lifting the knife, I slowly traced the sharpened blade over the back of his tongue, my face showing no emotion as with one swift motion, I suddenly sliced through it, the cut quick and clean, blood immediately spilling from his mouth as a gut wrenching scream emitted from him. We may have got no information from him, but in turn, he would not be giving away any about us or this camp either. Breathing a heavy sigh, I motioned for the officers to release their grip before turning to the door, wiping the blood from my knife and pliers and placing them back in my pocket "Let him go, he'll not make it through the night, and if he does he can't tell them anything. However, I want patrols doubled with immediate effect, he was searching for something or someone, and I don't doubt that someone else will be sent in his absence" With that, I quickly stormed through the door and out into the night, not waiting for a response as I made my way back to the camp, thoughts drifting to my parents at home.