Chapter 17: chaos before pain

Authors note* unfortunately I cannot take credit for putting Mort in the story. I wasn't going to and didn't even have Mort in the idea box but some of you lovely people wanted him, so I adhered to the reviewer's royal wishes. Your wishes are my things I might put in my story. please review and let me know what the royalty (reviewers and readers) so desire. Hope y'all like it!

Jess stared with eyes full of burning anger and hate at the man who unconsciously inched closer, the hate which was something that delighted the man to no end. Jess whispered mental encouragement for the man to come in close enough for Jess to strike him with his tied, booted feet. Jess didn't care he wasn't sure what he was going to do next. All he cared about was hurting this monster who had beaten and tortured Slim for 2 weeks. All because he thought that Slim might have been the soldier that had killed the man's baby brother.

3 feet… 2 feet… keep staring, just got to keep staring Jess waited for the monster in front of him to come just a little closer. Closer, inch by inch, Jess could feel a bead of sweat start at his neck and run down his spine sending a shiver of pure adrenaline through his body. He stiffened in an attempt to conceal the adrenaline rush as the shadow man was almost exactly where Jess wanted him to be.

Just as Jess was starting to tense his muscles even more for the attack on the shadow man an ear-piercing scream of agony echoed throughout the air. Slim… Jess lost focus on the shadow man and his plan of attack as his thoughts turned to Slim. Why was Slim screaming? If the shadow man was here with him then who was with Slim? And where was Slim? Was there a house nearby? Or maybe another barn?

The shadow man saw that Jess was becoming overwhelmed with thoughts and he smiled cunningly as he slightly shook himself and as light and silently as a cat went around the hanging body of Jess and went to go check on the branding iron and grab a necessary bandanna. It should be just the right degree of hotness the evil monster thought with sadistic smile and a little skip to is silent step.

Was Slim hanging in the air arms feeling like they were going to be ripped out of their sockets just like Jess was? Jess's eyes glazed slightly over as he found himself lost in thought and probability. Slim always made Jess lose focus whenever he was in trouble. Jess couldn't help it and Jess didn't think Slim could help it either. They loved each other like brothers too much and whenever a brother was in trouble it always made the other brother lose all focus on anything else except how to help his brother.

Jess almost smiled at the thought, but his features were immediately twisted up in pain as a gag was whipped into his mouth and pulled tight until Jess could only feel the upper part of his face. Damn it Jess silently cursed as Slim's scream had made him lose focus on his plan and now he was helpless as the shadow man got ready to do whatever horrifying things he was going to do to Jess.

Jess could feel the increasing pressure as the gag was knotted behind his head. The hair on the back of Jess's neck bristled as he felt warm air brushing up and hitting it softly. The shadow man was behind him, Jess tried to control his body and not start to jerk around. The man whispered softly up towards Jess's ear, uncontained glee flowing through it.

"that's right Jess. I tortured your what is he? Partner? Best friend? No, no, see I think he is more like your brother. What do you think Jessy boy? Huh? Would you do anything to get your precious brother back?" the shadow man's disgusting breath softly hitting upon Jess's neck and the putrid smell wafting up to his nose. If Jess hadn't been gagged, he might have lost whatever was left in his stomach.

"Now I was going to surprise you with your brother when I had finished with him, but it seems that I have to hurt you before I hurt your brother". The shadow man chuckled as he saw the hair on the back of Jess's neck stand up in horror, which showed just how close the shadow man was to Jess. The shadow man continuing on in a fashion that to Jess seemed that the shadow man was getting drunk on his verbal hectoring of Jess and if he continued on Jess's plan might still work.

"Oh, my, my, silly me I forgot to add the again part. Hurt your sweet, lumbering, dumb ox of a brother. Really Jess did you have to pick such a heartwarming, handsome, tall, freezing cold murderer?"

"When I heard what the town folks of Laramie said about you, well I almost felt sorry that you had fallen prey to that monster called Slim. I rather like you Jess in another life we could have been friends maybe." The shadow man sounded almost wishful if Jess hadn't been heard the blatant hate, and evil in the monster which stood behind him.

Jess held his breath as he heard the man retreat behind him. He blew a muffled, disgusted, and angry sigh out through the coarse bandanna which covered his mouth, quite tightly. The man had talked so close to his face that Jess didn't think that disgusting smell from him was ever going to leave his nose. Jess snorted softly then louder as a different smell seemed to permeate the air.

Jess twisted his head looking in all directions and sniffing trying to determine the smell that he couldn't quite seem to place. Jess heard the advancing footsteps of the man as the stink found its name in Jess's brain. He knew that smell. It was the smell that white hot iron gave off when It had been left on the fire too long. He had smelled the exact same smell when he had dozed off at the ranch and the branding iron had fallen into the fire. Slim's branding mark. He is going to do the same to me, Jess was horrified at the thought. Not for himself but for what Jess knew Slim would feel when he saw Jess's branding mark.

Slim would blame himself and that was something that Jess never let Slim do, ever. Jess gasped and almost chocked on the gag as the shadow man went to Jess's back and roughly with immense pleasure ripped Jess's shirt off. Jess would have screamed if he were able to. His shoulders were ripped raw and the pain was even worse. Jess bit down hard on the gag as the shadow man came face to face with Jess and finished ripping his shirt off. The shadow man laughed at the picture of pure pain that had settled itself on Jess's face.

He is close enough. That was the only thought Jess had before he bit down the pain and quickly raised his feet and kicked the shadow man square in the chest, as hard as his burned-out muscles could. The shadow man fell onto his butt gasping for air and sitting with a dazed expression on his face. Jess tried to move the chain off the hook and drop to the floor below, but his body wasn't responding. Jess gave a hurried glance towards the shadow man as he seemed to be collecting his wits faster than Jess wanted.

Jess tried again. He slowly pulled himself up using his hands gripping the chain and raised his legs up to his stomach he then tried to push his body upwards using his arm muscles and get the rope to get high enough so that it would jump off the hook. His body fell back into a hanging position with a loud groan of pain as Jess realized that he probably popped his shoulder out when his body had been jerked when it fell, still trapped hanging from the hook.

Jess looked towards the shadow man and saw that he was gone. Jess's only thought was branding iron right before he felt the most excruciating, burning pain he had ever felt in his entire life burst on the right side of his body. Jess screamed as loud as the gag allowed him to and tears of pure pain dripped down his face. The tears soaked the bandanna and started to make it harder too breathe through. Jess screamed even louder, and the tears fell almost faster then they could be produced as the white hot iron was cruelly thrust deeper into the already burnt flesh on Jess's body.