Cons-ED-quences
By Brenna "Snakelady" Dawkins
Disclaimer: All characters are owned by Danny Antonucci, aka Cartoon, and Cartoon Network. I own nothing. Nothing I tell you! No money was made from this fic. Rating: R
Summary: Kevin loses it and tortures Eddy in order to teach him a lesson.
(AN: My first EEE fic! But I'm a longtime fanfic writer, so never fear! And don't worry, Eddy really is my fave character which is pretty much why he's made to suffer so!)
For the millionth time that day, Eddy had wished he'd stayed in bed. Crap, his nose itched and there was no way he could reach it to scratch. Kind of difficult to scratch ones nose when you were strapped down to a table, he mused to himself. His head still hurt from getting clobbered from that two by four he'd been knocked out with.
He heard the shed door creak open and slam shut. Eddy had to crane his head at an uncomfortable angle to see the only person who knew he was tied up in there--- Kevin.
He nervously laughed, "Listen, Kevin. I really am truly sorry for that last prank. I didn't mean for it to go that far! Forgiveness is divine and all that, after all--- right? Right?"
Kevin scowled and walked up to the edge of the table where Eddy lay strapped down tight. He'd made sure the twerp wouldn't be able to struggle free. "Listen, jerk!" The angry youth growled all business-like. "How many years have you scammed off of the kids in the cul-de-sac? How many times have you played us for dupes? I'm sick of it and now, I'm just going to make sure you learn your lesson to never pull that crap on anyone again!"
The tone in his neighbor's voice made Eddy wince. Kevin wasn't just blowing smoke here--- he really meant to do something to him!
"Listen, Kevin. A deal, how bout it? I'll do whatever you want for a week, no, two weeks," he glanced at the angry face, "a month! Eat worms, do your homework, clean your cat!"
"I don't have a cat. It's summertime, so I have no homework, and I get a penny a worm from Rolf for his chickens when I go digging." Kevin held up a roll of duct tape and unrolled a piece. "So no one can hear you. And I SWEAR, once this session is over, if you tell anyone, you wouldn't want to be you after I'M finished with you!"
"Come on, Kev!" Eddy tried to struggle but the knots held true and Kevin successfully taped Eddy's mouth shut.
Eddy felt the first pangs of anxiety hit him now. Sure Kevin would use him as an actual punching bag every now and then, but he never saw the youngster act like this before. So full of rage. It sort of scared him and he couldn't ask Kevin what he was planning on doing to him anymore. Stupid tape! He tried to struggle again and knew it would be in vain. Kevin tied a good knot.
All he could do was lay there and wonder and hope that Kevin didn't do anything too terribly painful or humiliating. Of course, Eddy was always one who never liked to let hope, no matter how slim, die.
Kevin dug into his jeans pocket and pulled out a pocketknife. He flipped it open and tested the keenness of the blade. Eddy's eyes widened. Just what was he going to do with that? He tried to struggle again, but the bonds held. Kevin smirked and approached him as the knife glinted menacingly.
"Oh, don't be such a wus, you think I'm going to soil my favorite blade on you're tiny carcass?"
Eddy scowled at the short joke, but there was little he could do to retaliate against it.
Kevin smirked and proceeded to slice Eddy's shirt off his person then, thankfully, put the knife back into his jeans pocket.
Eddy tried to utter the word 'pervert' to Kevin, but perhaps it was just as well that his mouth was taped. His ability to make a bad situation worse just wasn't in his best interests in this situation.
"Now, the trouble is, just what should I do to you first?" Kevin pondered aloud, mostly just so he could enjoy seeing the fear grow in Eddy's terrified eyes. He already had a faint idea of what he wanted to do, but if there was one thing Eddy had taught him, it was how to build things up for the big finale.
Meanwhile, Edd was wondering why he hadn't seen Eddy all day. It was well past noon and he wondered why his friend hadn't been by to try to wrestle him into creating some sort of fantastic contraption for his latest scheme. So he went over to see if Ed had seen the shortest of the Ed's.
Edd found Ed sitting cross-legged on the lawn with a Johnny-less Plank in his lap. Suspicious, Edd inquired about it.
"Ed, what are you doing with Plank?"
Ed, with his permagrin on and vacant stare casting about anywhere and nowhere, preformed his trademark laugh then replied, "Babysitting Plank! Please, will take good care of Johnny's friend. Is that buttered toast I smell?"
Of course there was no buttered toast in sight or scent, but Double-D was used to the inane ramblings of his friend. "I see. What about Eddy? Have you seen him?"
Pause from Ed. "Plank says Eddy and Kevin are playing together."
Edd quirked an eyebrow at that. "Oka-a-a-a-ay." Not quite believing, but then again, Plank did tend to say the oddest things. However, with Ed at the helm, who knew if it was actually Plank talking or not. Then Double-D berated himself for allowing himself to believe that the piece of wood was something it was not. But darn it if looking at that cheerfully smiling face didn't lull one into actually wanting to believe as Johnny did.
"U-u-um, thank you, Plank." Edd said with all due politeness. It never hurt to be polite, after all. "Well, I guess I'll go clean my room. If you see Eddy, you can let him know, okay?"
"Will there be turnips?" Ed asked excited.
Edd sighed, "No, Ed."
"M-m-m-m, steamed turnips!" Ed muttered to himself happily, seemingly unaware that his only audience now was a silent Plank.
Back in the shed, Eddy was writhing against the pain. Kevin had taken off his own belt and had the end looped around in his grip. The buckle part dangled just above the ground. Welts were already starting to appear across Eddy's bared chest where Kevin had struck him repeatedly with the heavy metal buckle. Eddy did his best to hold back the tears. It had hurt a lot more then it looked like it would have. Kevin had put so much force into the blows that it had been an excruciating experience. Now, at least, Kevin seemed to pause and Eddy tried to collect himself the best he could. No way was he going to cry. It was probably what Kevin wanted. No way was he going to give that jerk that kind of satisfaction!
"How 'bout some lemon juice mixed with a bit of salt water added to those nasty, new cuts of yours?" Kevin smirked while holding up a glass of what looked like lemonade, only it was something a bit more sinister.
Eddy frantically shook his head. No, he didn't want that at all. He'd gone into the ocean once with a fresh cut and it had burned like fire. He'd also gotten lemon juice squirted into his eyeball once while drinking tea. That had been extremely unpleasant too. But Kevin just grinned and began to pour. Eddy bit down on his lip and his eyelid twitched as he winced, but did not make a sound.
That made Kevin unhappy. Eddy was supposed to be screaming and crying. He guessed he wasn't being effective enough. He had to go back for phase two then. It would take a moment to prepare, so he decided that somehow, while he was out, there must be a way to keep torturing the dork. Then he grinned again.
Eddy didn't like hearing construction and not being able to see what was going on. His curious nature brought all sorts of horrible possible images in mind. Who knew what atrocity Kevin would test him with? Then he noticed a rubber garden hose being lowered just a few inches above his temple. Eddy would have scowled but the tape didn't let him. A drop of water fell, and then another, and another until they began to drip steadily, but never quite reaching a constant stream. Eddy furrowed his brow. What, THIS was supposed to be terrifying? He wanted to laugh. Good thing he was unable or a laugh would only set Kevin off more.
Kevin smirked and thought to himself, 'Hell, if it worked for the Chinese!' Then left, making sure to lock the shed door behind him.
'Cake!' Eddy thought. 'This was nothing!' Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. 'I could do this all day!' Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. 'I could do this in my sleep!' Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. 'I wonder if Kevin will come back soon?' Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.
Kevin took his time in his house preparing, knowing with Eddy's patience, what the effect his little water torture would soon have. So he decided to watch a show on TV for a while. Afterwards, he thought a bit of a snack would be nice. And so he lingered over that too. Oop, his little present needed a reheat now. So he took his time. Once he came out again, it was hours past. He entered the shed.
"So, Dork, how'd you like my little water torture?" He said all smiles especially when he came face to face with his victim.
Eddy was twitching and squirming and trying desperately to escape the water. One of his eyes was closed because the water had started to run down into his eye socket and pool there, making it uncomfortable to leave that eye open. Seemed like that had affected him more so then the lemon juice and salt had. Good.
"Well, wait 'till you see what I have in store for you now!" He raised a pot from his mothers stove above Eddy's chest and he had mitts on to keep from burning his hands. "Mmmm, still nice and hot!"
Eddy looked up at Kevin with his one eye and cringed. This couldn't be good. What was in the pot? It was almost worse, this not knowing. Then Kevin began to tip the pot and the hot liquid dribbled out. The moment it splashed onto his skin which was already smarting from the last application and the welts made Eddy momentarily forget the torturous drip, drip, drip of water that never stopped. It felt like whatever it was seared right through his skin and muscle and bone. He writhed. His hands clenched and unclenched spastically and though he tried, he could not keep the scream from escaping.
Kevin inwardly rejoiced at the sound of Eddy's muffled screams of agony as he poured the once boiling olive oil onto Eddy's bare skin. He drizzled it slowly and moved the pot over Eddy's body so that most of the bare skin got a good coating of searing oil. He giggled insanely. But still, Eddy's current pain was not enough. Never enough for all those horrible scams and pranks he'd pulled on him and the rest of the kids in the cul-de sac. Once he emptied the pot, he let the oil sit, knowing that it would continue to scald without any effort from him.
But still--- it wasn't enough. He racked his brain for another method of torture. Eddy's sad sounds were a merry melody to Kevin. Then the light bulb went on in Kevin's brain. Giggling some more, he went for a box in the shed and dug and dug, knowing what he was looking for. He found the small box of straight pins and nearly skipped back to where Eddy writhed against his bonds.
"That Chinese water torture had given me an idea. Acupuncture!" He held up the box of pins and shook them so Eddy could hear.
Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Eddy inwardly sighed. He didn't know how much more he could take of this. Kevin had clearly lost it and was taking it all out on him. So his beloved bike got totaled, did that constitute to physical torture? Tears were threatening but he tried to fight them. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Stupid water! Stupid hot oil! Stupid acupuncture! Stupid Kevin! Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. The oil still burned on his skin. Excruciating. He'd never felt pain like that before. And he hoped never again. The question was, when would Kevin let him go? Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.
Kevin picked out the first straight pin, the kind his mom used when she used to sew a lot. He pinched a bit of Eddy's skin in between his fingers on Eddy's stomach that was still covered in searing oil.
"Wonder how long it will take me to get all these into your body, dork." Kevin wondered and jabbed the lip of skin that peeked up between his finger and thumb.
Eddy jerked and yelped at the sudden new pain as the sharp needle- like point went through his skin. That made Kevin smile more.
"Aaah! So you like that, porcupine boy!" Kevin jeered.
And very slowly, he continued sticking Eddy with pins until Eddy glinted in the light from all the excess metal. Eddy was bleeding now from all over. He felt every separate puncture and felt lightheaded from it. The water continued to drip, the oil continued to sear, and the pins continued to make Eddy bleed. Eddy twitched and had given up against struggling. He was feeling worn out. Most of that came from being worn out mentally. From the stress he was dealing with. The rest was from the physical pain. He didn't know which was worse, but it was a double knock out and it didn't show any signs of stopping anytime soon. He was ready to say he was sorry. He was getting to the point that he'd denounce any further shenanigans. If only it would all stop. He wouldn't even tell on Kevin. Who'd know what Kevin would do to him if he did tell?
The last pin finally found a home on Eddy's puckered skin. Eddy wanted to be able to feel relieved, but he couldn't. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. And the oil still seared into his welts and now into the pinpricks.
Edd had finished cleaning his room long ago. Not as if it took much work since he always kept it pretty immaculate anyway. He was bored. He hadn't realized how much Eddy had often stymied his boredom with his outlandish plots. Sure, it wasn't clean fun, but it had always filled his days insuring boredom could not take hold. He searched for Ed. The oddball youth was easy to find. He was reading another one of his insults to the art form of comics.
"Ed, have you seen Eddy at all today?" Edd asked worriedly.
Ed gasped as he looked up from his comic. "Maybe the Sea Monster From Alcatraz ate him!"
Edd sighed. "How would the Sea Monster From Alcatraz get all the way over here?"
Ed thought for a moment then blurted, "The bus?"
Edd shook his head. "No, Ed. Eddy is missing. I'm worried about it."
"But Plank had told you where he was. With Kevin."
"That doesn't make any sense at all." Edd mumbled and walked off in search of any of the other neighborhood kids to see if they had seen Eddy at all that day.
Kevin was getting bored. The spark of torturing Eddy was wearing off as the day wore on into late afternoon. Plus he was running out of ideas.
"Well, dork. Have you learned anything from today?" He asked the still bound and gagged Eddy.
Eddy nodded his head feverishly.
"Things are going to start changing around here, right?"
Eddy agreed whole-heartedly. It seemed as if things were finally over! Eddy allowed a sense of relief to wash over his still pain-wracked body. Hope renewed and he quivered with anticipation of being freed.
Kevin grinned. "Okay."
But upon seeing Eddy's obvious display of hope, gave him another idea. He just left. Without a word and without freeing Eddy. He flicked off the light in the shed before he locked the door shut. His smile widened as he imagined that new sense of hope Eddy must have felt being suddenly and cruelly dashed to bits. Delicious! He laughed to himself and was about to go into his house when Edd stopped him.
"Have you seen Eddy at all today, Kevin?" Edd asked nervously. "No one else has seen him except earlier this morning."
Kevin shook his head. "Not seen the dork." He lied openly. It was so easy to lie to Edd. Took no effort at all. Such a shame sometimes. "I've been busy all day."
Edd sighed. "Okay. Thanks, Kevin. I guess my last hope is-"and he gulped, "the Kanker sisters." And he ambled off to the dreaded trailer park and the lair of the Kankers.
Kevin smirked and went into the house.
Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Eddy was confused. Wasn't Kevin going to free him? Wasn't it over yet? What was he up to now? The uncertainty was nothing but an agony. And his newfound hope had been dashed. Just how long did Kevin think he could keep him there without someone finding him? Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.
It was time for bed. Kevin yawned and slipped underneath his covers, his smile still curling his lips at the thought of Eddy spending a very uncomfortable night alone in the shed. He would have nice, peaceful dreams and wondered just what sort of dreams if any Eddy would have.
It was dark. He was alone. Still bound. Still gagged. Still in pain. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. And STILL that blasted water kept dripping slowly atop his forehead. There was no way he could fall asleep though he was tired and hungry and feeling very scared. What if Kevin's intentions all along was to never let him out again? What if he was going to end up dying there? Would anyone find him? Then a horrible thought entered his brain, was anyone even attempting to find him? He might have alienated everyone in the cul-de sac so much so that not even his best friends would be looking for him. Why would they? He thought of all the things he'd done to them and cringed. The more he thought about them, the more dejected he felt. He knew he was going to be at Kevin's mercy until he died--- and what an unpleasant death that would be. No one was going to come for him. No one would want to. Eddy began to cry at this realization. He'd never felt so alone.
It was morning and Edd gnawed on what was left of his fingernails. He'd been chewing on them nervously all day the day before. No one had seen Eddy. Even his dreaded venture into Kanker territory proved to be fruitless. Painful, but fruitless. He couldn't muster anyone to help search either. Not even Nazz who usually seemed so above pettiness. Edd decided to look in the woods again. He wasn't quite sure if this was a prank or if Eddy was really in trouble.
He passed Sara and Timmy who looked as if they were playing hide and seek. He wondered if Eddy was playing some similar yet elaborate game with him. But he shrugged that off. It was known Eddy hadn't come home last night. Ed hadn't seen him and no one else would harbor Eddy willingly. Double D sighed and continued his search.
Sara was looking for Timmy, who usually found really crummy hiding places, but this time she just couldn't find him anywhere. Grumbling to herself, she searched in everyone's yard. She searched high and low, in every tree, bush, and garage. She reached Kevin's yard. What would be a good spot to hide in there? Didn't Kevin's parents have that shed? She snapped her fingers. Yes! That would be a perfect place to hide! So she rushed over to the shed and yanked the door open.
She was not prepared for what she saw there. Eddy's body tied down to a table with water trickling on his seriously damp forehead and from what she could see from where she stood, it looked as if his shirt was torn open. Double D had not been kidding after all! She inched her way over to his side and when she got a clearer view of Kevin's handy work, she gasped. This brought Eddy out of a semi restless doze.
He never thought he'd be happy to see Ed's younger, sadistic sister. But he was too worn out to do anything except stare blearily at her.
"Eddy? What happened?" Sara stared at Eddy's blood encrusted, pin pricked, and scalded until it was red chest and stomach.
Eddy sighed. Couldn't she see he couldn't say anything? Was she there to help him or was this also part of Kevin's scheme? Eddy, feeling drained, hungry, thirsty, and in pain closed his eyes again and turned his head away from Sara. He couldn't expect her to want to help him out anyway. It depressed him that it hadn't been Edd or Ed who had found him, but Sara. He didn't trust her. He didn't think she was even there to save him. Probably she was sent by Kevin to weaken his will even further. Eddy sighed hopelessly. He was surprised to feel a tugging on the piece of tape that covered his mouth. Then he yelped as Sara ripped it off. He didn't even have the energy or the heart to berate her for it.
"Eddy?" Sara asked still in a form of shock.
"Are you here to get me out of here or are you here to ask stupid questions?" Eddy croaked through a cottonmouth. He couldn't help it. He was under great stress.
"Give me a moment!" Sara snapped back and tested the rope. There had to be a knife or some kind of blade in the shed somewhere. She went digging for one. Anything sharp at all would do. She triumphantly held up a pair of scissors. Hurrying back to Eddy's side, she began to work at his bonds. "Who? It's Kevin's shed--- was it him?"
Eddy opened his eyes again tiredly, "Promised not to tell." He mumbled.
As she cut away at the rope, she happened to look up and got too close a look at Eddy's exposed front and winced. "Do you want me to remove the pins now?"
"Rope first. I want to get far from here, then we'll see what happens next." Eddy uttered exhaustedly.
Sara nodded. Made sense. Who knew when Kevin or whom ever it was would return and catch her trying to set his victim free? She hurriedly cut away until finally Eddy was free.
"Can you stand?" Sara asked actually concerned.
Eddy slowly sat up and slumped forward. "I don't know. I may need help." When Sara reached for him he cringed.
"Come on, Eddy!" Sara said sharply and grabbed him, nearly pulling him off the table. He stumbled and Sara tried to keep him from falling, but he hit the ground and, having upset Sara's sense of balance, she fell on top of him. Grumbling to herself, she stood up and pulled Eddy up to a shaky stand. "Let's get a move on!" She commanded gruffly and pulled on Eddy some more to get him to follow her.
They made it to the shed door. Sara cautiously opened it a crack and peered out to see if anyone was coming. It seemed clear so she opened it fuller. Still tugging on Eddy's shirt, she drug him across the yard and towards her house. All those hours playing nurse with Timmy were going to finally come in handy.
Safe inside her house, she forced Eddy to her flowery room. Eddy had never been in there with her permission before. She shoved him onto her bed and made him lay on his back. Sara hopped onto the bed with him and studied his chest and stomach. Then she hopped off and went out of the room for some supplies. Eddy sighed and closed his eyes. He actually felt safe. Which would have been a crazy thought to him a day and a half ago. Safe in Sara's room, Sara knew he was in there, forced him to be in there. He wasn't going to fight her on that. He didn't have much fight left. If she had more torture in mind, he wouldn't fight that either. He let himself slowly relax as he lay there, eyes closed. He should have asked her if she could fix him something to eat or at least get him a drink of water. But he didn't have the energy.
He didn't even hear her return. He felt the bed shake and opened his eyes to see her back on the bed with what looked like a bunch of bandages, towels, ointments and a glass of water. He propped himself up on his elbows and greedily took the glass Sara offered him. She began to pull out the pins that still stuck into his skin. He winced each time but allowed her to continue. Sometimes fresh blood would begin to flow again and Sara would mop it up with a towel. The bloodied pins she threw into the trash. Once Eddy was metal free, she began to wipe him down with a damp towel. Eddy grit his teeth but said nothing throughout the entire treatment. Once his blood and what was left of the oil was wiped away, she applied some ointment to the affected area. Eddy did his best to keep still. It was a curious feeling to have Sara of all people touching him all over--- without hitting him, that is.
"Were you really looking for me?" Eddy asked.
Sara shook her head, then paused in her ministrations "Um, actually, Timmy and I were playing hide and seek and--- OH MY GOSH! I totally forgot about Timmy!"
Eddy sighed. It figured. No one had really been looking for him after all.
He finished the water then laid back down again, that feeling of dejection hitting him full force again so that tears found their way down his cheeks.
Sara noticed. She'd never seen him cry before. But after all he'd been through--- she couldn't really imagine all that might have happened in that shed, she supposed it was reasonable for him to cry. Awkwardly, she patted his shoulder, "Hey, it's okay now. You're safe! I can go get Ed and Double D if you want to see them! Double D's been looking for you since yesterday."
Eddy opened his eyes. "You're--- serious?"
Sara looked at him perplexed. "What? What's with you?"
"It's just--- I thought--- no one cared."
Sara bit on one of her nails. She hadn't cared when Double D had come to her yesterday and even today asking her if she wanted to help search. She'd been too busy with whatever it had been she had been doing and anyway, it wasn't as if Eddy was her friend or anything.
"Double D does." Sara said at last.
Eddy sighed. "Look, I know you don't like me and I know you know I find you just as annoying---" He stopped. He didn't know where he was going with that so he just shut up and closed his eyes and turned his head to the side away from her.
He suddenly felt a kiss upon his cheek. Then the bed jiggled and he heard the door open and close. He opened his eyes and felt his cheek where Sara had kissed him. He felt confused. He wasn't up to this. Sara had left him alone in her room again and this time he was glad. A mushy Sara was nerve-wracking to witness. He lay there with his eyes closed and dozed off, waiting to see what Sara had planned next. Probably was off to find Double D. Eddy curled up on the bed in a fetal position. So, Edd had been looking for him after all. It helped. He didn't feel like the whole world had turned its back on him like he'd thought. If just one person cared, then all was not lost, wasn't it? That was the thought that helped him in his dreams. It was the one thought that had mattered to him. If there was one thing he'd learned from all this was that Double D was a true friend. And true friends were very hard to come by. Especially in the cul-de sac and especially when you were a kid named Eddy.
The End
By Brenna "Snakelady" Dawkins
Disclaimer: All characters are owned by Danny Antonucci, aka Cartoon, and Cartoon Network. I own nothing. Nothing I tell you! No money was made from this fic. Rating: R
Summary: Kevin loses it and tortures Eddy in order to teach him a lesson.
(AN: My first EEE fic! But I'm a longtime fanfic writer, so never fear! And don't worry, Eddy really is my fave character which is pretty much why he's made to suffer so!)
For the millionth time that day, Eddy had wished he'd stayed in bed. Crap, his nose itched and there was no way he could reach it to scratch. Kind of difficult to scratch ones nose when you were strapped down to a table, he mused to himself. His head still hurt from getting clobbered from that two by four he'd been knocked out with.
He heard the shed door creak open and slam shut. Eddy had to crane his head at an uncomfortable angle to see the only person who knew he was tied up in there--- Kevin.
He nervously laughed, "Listen, Kevin. I really am truly sorry for that last prank. I didn't mean for it to go that far! Forgiveness is divine and all that, after all--- right? Right?"
Kevin scowled and walked up to the edge of the table where Eddy lay strapped down tight. He'd made sure the twerp wouldn't be able to struggle free. "Listen, jerk!" The angry youth growled all business-like. "How many years have you scammed off of the kids in the cul-de-sac? How many times have you played us for dupes? I'm sick of it and now, I'm just going to make sure you learn your lesson to never pull that crap on anyone again!"
The tone in his neighbor's voice made Eddy wince. Kevin wasn't just blowing smoke here--- he really meant to do something to him!
"Listen, Kevin. A deal, how bout it? I'll do whatever you want for a week, no, two weeks," he glanced at the angry face, "a month! Eat worms, do your homework, clean your cat!"
"I don't have a cat. It's summertime, so I have no homework, and I get a penny a worm from Rolf for his chickens when I go digging." Kevin held up a roll of duct tape and unrolled a piece. "So no one can hear you. And I SWEAR, once this session is over, if you tell anyone, you wouldn't want to be you after I'M finished with you!"
"Come on, Kev!" Eddy tried to struggle but the knots held true and Kevin successfully taped Eddy's mouth shut.
Eddy felt the first pangs of anxiety hit him now. Sure Kevin would use him as an actual punching bag every now and then, but he never saw the youngster act like this before. So full of rage. It sort of scared him and he couldn't ask Kevin what he was planning on doing to him anymore. Stupid tape! He tried to struggle again and knew it would be in vain. Kevin tied a good knot.
All he could do was lay there and wonder and hope that Kevin didn't do anything too terribly painful or humiliating. Of course, Eddy was always one who never liked to let hope, no matter how slim, die.
Kevin dug into his jeans pocket and pulled out a pocketknife. He flipped it open and tested the keenness of the blade. Eddy's eyes widened. Just what was he going to do with that? He tried to struggle again, but the bonds held. Kevin smirked and approached him as the knife glinted menacingly.
"Oh, don't be such a wus, you think I'm going to soil my favorite blade on you're tiny carcass?"
Eddy scowled at the short joke, but there was little he could do to retaliate against it.
Kevin smirked and proceeded to slice Eddy's shirt off his person then, thankfully, put the knife back into his jeans pocket.
Eddy tried to utter the word 'pervert' to Kevin, but perhaps it was just as well that his mouth was taped. His ability to make a bad situation worse just wasn't in his best interests in this situation.
"Now, the trouble is, just what should I do to you first?" Kevin pondered aloud, mostly just so he could enjoy seeing the fear grow in Eddy's terrified eyes. He already had a faint idea of what he wanted to do, but if there was one thing Eddy had taught him, it was how to build things up for the big finale.
Meanwhile, Edd was wondering why he hadn't seen Eddy all day. It was well past noon and he wondered why his friend hadn't been by to try to wrestle him into creating some sort of fantastic contraption for his latest scheme. So he went over to see if Ed had seen the shortest of the Ed's.
Edd found Ed sitting cross-legged on the lawn with a Johnny-less Plank in his lap. Suspicious, Edd inquired about it.
"Ed, what are you doing with Plank?"
Ed, with his permagrin on and vacant stare casting about anywhere and nowhere, preformed his trademark laugh then replied, "Babysitting Plank! Please, will take good care of Johnny's friend. Is that buttered toast I smell?"
Of course there was no buttered toast in sight or scent, but Double-D was used to the inane ramblings of his friend. "I see. What about Eddy? Have you seen him?"
Pause from Ed. "Plank says Eddy and Kevin are playing together."
Edd quirked an eyebrow at that. "Oka-a-a-a-ay." Not quite believing, but then again, Plank did tend to say the oddest things. However, with Ed at the helm, who knew if it was actually Plank talking or not. Then Double-D berated himself for allowing himself to believe that the piece of wood was something it was not. But darn it if looking at that cheerfully smiling face didn't lull one into actually wanting to believe as Johnny did.
"U-u-um, thank you, Plank." Edd said with all due politeness. It never hurt to be polite, after all. "Well, I guess I'll go clean my room. If you see Eddy, you can let him know, okay?"
"Will there be turnips?" Ed asked excited.
Edd sighed, "No, Ed."
"M-m-m-m, steamed turnips!" Ed muttered to himself happily, seemingly unaware that his only audience now was a silent Plank.
Back in the shed, Eddy was writhing against the pain. Kevin had taken off his own belt and had the end looped around in his grip. The buckle part dangled just above the ground. Welts were already starting to appear across Eddy's bared chest where Kevin had struck him repeatedly with the heavy metal buckle. Eddy did his best to hold back the tears. It had hurt a lot more then it looked like it would have. Kevin had put so much force into the blows that it had been an excruciating experience. Now, at least, Kevin seemed to pause and Eddy tried to collect himself the best he could. No way was he going to cry. It was probably what Kevin wanted. No way was he going to give that jerk that kind of satisfaction!
"How 'bout some lemon juice mixed with a bit of salt water added to those nasty, new cuts of yours?" Kevin smirked while holding up a glass of what looked like lemonade, only it was something a bit more sinister.
Eddy frantically shook his head. No, he didn't want that at all. He'd gone into the ocean once with a fresh cut and it had burned like fire. He'd also gotten lemon juice squirted into his eyeball once while drinking tea. That had been extremely unpleasant too. But Kevin just grinned and began to pour. Eddy bit down on his lip and his eyelid twitched as he winced, but did not make a sound.
That made Kevin unhappy. Eddy was supposed to be screaming and crying. He guessed he wasn't being effective enough. He had to go back for phase two then. It would take a moment to prepare, so he decided that somehow, while he was out, there must be a way to keep torturing the dork. Then he grinned again.
Eddy didn't like hearing construction and not being able to see what was going on. His curious nature brought all sorts of horrible possible images in mind. Who knew what atrocity Kevin would test him with? Then he noticed a rubber garden hose being lowered just a few inches above his temple. Eddy would have scowled but the tape didn't let him. A drop of water fell, and then another, and another until they began to drip steadily, but never quite reaching a constant stream. Eddy furrowed his brow. What, THIS was supposed to be terrifying? He wanted to laugh. Good thing he was unable or a laugh would only set Kevin off more.
Kevin smirked and thought to himself, 'Hell, if it worked for the Chinese!' Then left, making sure to lock the shed door behind him.
'Cake!' Eddy thought. 'This was nothing!' Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. 'I could do this all day!' Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. 'I could do this in my sleep!' Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. 'I wonder if Kevin will come back soon?' Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.
Kevin took his time in his house preparing, knowing with Eddy's patience, what the effect his little water torture would soon have. So he decided to watch a show on TV for a while. Afterwards, he thought a bit of a snack would be nice. And so he lingered over that too. Oop, his little present needed a reheat now. So he took his time. Once he came out again, it was hours past. He entered the shed.
"So, Dork, how'd you like my little water torture?" He said all smiles especially when he came face to face with his victim.
Eddy was twitching and squirming and trying desperately to escape the water. One of his eyes was closed because the water had started to run down into his eye socket and pool there, making it uncomfortable to leave that eye open. Seemed like that had affected him more so then the lemon juice and salt had. Good.
"Well, wait 'till you see what I have in store for you now!" He raised a pot from his mothers stove above Eddy's chest and he had mitts on to keep from burning his hands. "Mmmm, still nice and hot!"
Eddy looked up at Kevin with his one eye and cringed. This couldn't be good. What was in the pot? It was almost worse, this not knowing. Then Kevin began to tip the pot and the hot liquid dribbled out. The moment it splashed onto his skin which was already smarting from the last application and the welts made Eddy momentarily forget the torturous drip, drip, drip of water that never stopped. It felt like whatever it was seared right through his skin and muscle and bone. He writhed. His hands clenched and unclenched spastically and though he tried, he could not keep the scream from escaping.
Kevin inwardly rejoiced at the sound of Eddy's muffled screams of agony as he poured the once boiling olive oil onto Eddy's bare skin. He drizzled it slowly and moved the pot over Eddy's body so that most of the bare skin got a good coating of searing oil. He giggled insanely. But still, Eddy's current pain was not enough. Never enough for all those horrible scams and pranks he'd pulled on him and the rest of the kids in the cul-de sac. Once he emptied the pot, he let the oil sit, knowing that it would continue to scald without any effort from him.
But still--- it wasn't enough. He racked his brain for another method of torture. Eddy's sad sounds were a merry melody to Kevin. Then the light bulb went on in Kevin's brain. Giggling some more, he went for a box in the shed and dug and dug, knowing what he was looking for. He found the small box of straight pins and nearly skipped back to where Eddy writhed against his bonds.
"That Chinese water torture had given me an idea. Acupuncture!" He held up the box of pins and shook them so Eddy could hear.
Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Eddy inwardly sighed. He didn't know how much more he could take of this. Kevin had clearly lost it and was taking it all out on him. So his beloved bike got totaled, did that constitute to physical torture? Tears were threatening but he tried to fight them. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Stupid water! Stupid hot oil! Stupid acupuncture! Stupid Kevin! Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. The oil still burned on his skin. Excruciating. He'd never felt pain like that before. And he hoped never again. The question was, when would Kevin let him go? Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.
Kevin picked out the first straight pin, the kind his mom used when she used to sew a lot. He pinched a bit of Eddy's skin in between his fingers on Eddy's stomach that was still covered in searing oil.
"Wonder how long it will take me to get all these into your body, dork." Kevin wondered and jabbed the lip of skin that peeked up between his finger and thumb.
Eddy jerked and yelped at the sudden new pain as the sharp needle- like point went through his skin. That made Kevin smile more.
"Aaah! So you like that, porcupine boy!" Kevin jeered.
And very slowly, he continued sticking Eddy with pins until Eddy glinted in the light from all the excess metal. Eddy was bleeding now from all over. He felt every separate puncture and felt lightheaded from it. The water continued to drip, the oil continued to sear, and the pins continued to make Eddy bleed. Eddy twitched and had given up against struggling. He was feeling worn out. Most of that came from being worn out mentally. From the stress he was dealing with. The rest was from the physical pain. He didn't know which was worse, but it was a double knock out and it didn't show any signs of stopping anytime soon. He was ready to say he was sorry. He was getting to the point that he'd denounce any further shenanigans. If only it would all stop. He wouldn't even tell on Kevin. Who'd know what Kevin would do to him if he did tell?
The last pin finally found a home on Eddy's puckered skin. Eddy wanted to be able to feel relieved, but he couldn't. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. And the oil still seared into his welts and now into the pinpricks.
Edd had finished cleaning his room long ago. Not as if it took much work since he always kept it pretty immaculate anyway. He was bored. He hadn't realized how much Eddy had often stymied his boredom with his outlandish plots. Sure, it wasn't clean fun, but it had always filled his days insuring boredom could not take hold. He searched for Ed. The oddball youth was easy to find. He was reading another one of his insults to the art form of comics.
"Ed, have you seen Eddy at all today?" Edd asked worriedly.
Ed gasped as he looked up from his comic. "Maybe the Sea Monster From Alcatraz ate him!"
Edd sighed. "How would the Sea Monster From Alcatraz get all the way over here?"
Ed thought for a moment then blurted, "The bus?"
Edd shook his head. "No, Ed. Eddy is missing. I'm worried about it."
"But Plank had told you where he was. With Kevin."
"That doesn't make any sense at all." Edd mumbled and walked off in search of any of the other neighborhood kids to see if they had seen Eddy at all that day.
Kevin was getting bored. The spark of torturing Eddy was wearing off as the day wore on into late afternoon. Plus he was running out of ideas.
"Well, dork. Have you learned anything from today?" He asked the still bound and gagged Eddy.
Eddy nodded his head feverishly.
"Things are going to start changing around here, right?"
Eddy agreed whole-heartedly. It seemed as if things were finally over! Eddy allowed a sense of relief to wash over his still pain-wracked body. Hope renewed and he quivered with anticipation of being freed.
Kevin grinned. "Okay."
But upon seeing Eddy's obvious display of hope, gave him another idea. He just left. Without a word and without freeing Eddy. He flicked off the light in the shed before he locked the door shut. His smile widened as he imagined that new sense of hope Eddy must have felt being suddenly and cruelly dashed to bits. Delicious! He laughed to himself and was about to go into his house when Edd stopped him.
"Have you seen Eddy at all today, Kevin?" Edd asked nervously. "No one else has seen him except earlier this morning."
Kevin shook his head. "Not seen the dork." He lied openly. It was so easy to lie to Edd. Took no effort at all. Such a shame sometimes. "I've been busy all day."
Edd sighed. "Okay. Thanks, Kevin. I guess my last hope is-"and he gulped, "the Kanker sisters." And he ambled off to the dreaded trailer park and the lair of the Kankers.
Kevin smirked and went into the house.
Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Eddy was confused. Wasn't Kevin going to free him? Wasn't it over yet? What was he up to now? The uncertainty was nothing but an agony. And his newfound hope had been dashed. Just how long did Kevin think he could keep him there without someone finding him? Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.
It was time for bed. Kevin yawned and slipped underneath his covers, his smile still curling his lips at the thought of Eddy spending a very uncomfortable night alone in the shed. He would have nice, peaceful dreams and wondered just what sort of dreams if any Eddy would have.
It was dark. He was alone. Still bound. Still gagged. Still in pain. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. And STILL that blasted water kept dripping slowly atop his forehead. There was no way he could fall asleep though he was tired and hungry and feeling very scared. What if Kevin's intentions all along was to never let him out again? What if he was going to end up dying there? Would anyone find him? Then a horrible thought entered his brain, was anyone even attempting to find him? He might have alienated everyone in the cul-de sac so much so that not even his best friends would be looking for him. Why would they? He thought of all the things he'd done to them and cringed. The more he thought about them, the more dejected he felt. He knew he was going to be at Kevin's mercy until he died--- and what an unpleasant death that would be. No one was going to come for him. No one would want to. Eddy began to cry at this realization. He'd never felt so alone.
It was morning and Edd gnawed on what was left of his fingernails. He'd been chewing on them nervously all day the day before. No one had seen Eddy. Even his dreaded venture into Kanker territory proved to be fruitless. Painful, but fruitless. He couldn't muster anyone to help search either. Not even Nazz who usually seemed so above pettiness. Edd decided to look in the woods again. He wasn't quite sure if this was a prank or if Eddy was really in trouble.
He passed Sara and Timmy who looked as if they were playing hide and seek. He wondered if Eddy was playing some similar yet elaborate game with him. But he shrugged that off. It was known Eddy hadn't come home last night. Ed hadn't seen him and no one else would harbor Eddy willingly. Double D sighed and continued his search.
Sara was looking for Timmy, who usually found really crummy hiding places, but this time she just couldn't find him anywhere. Grumbling to herself, she searched in everyone's yard. She searched high and low, in every tree, bush, and garage. She reached Kevin's yard. What would be a good spot to hide in there? Didn't Kevin's parents have that shed? She snapped her fingers. Yes! That would be a perfect place to hide! So she rushed over to the shed and yanked the door open.
She was not prepared for what she saw there. Eddy's body tied down to a table with water trickling on his seriously damp forehead and from what she could see from where she stood, it looked as if his shirt was torn open. Double D had not been kidding after all! She inched her way over to his side and when she got a clearer view of Kevin's handy work, she gasped. This brought Eddy out of a semi restless doze.
He never thought he'd be happy to see Ed's younger, sadistic sister. But he was too worn out to do anything except stare blearily at her.
"Eddy? What happened?" Sara stared at Eddy's blood encrusted, pin pricked, and scalded until it was red chest and stomach.
Eddy sighed. Couldn't she see he couldn't say anything? Was she there to help him or was this also part of Kevin's scheme? Eddy, feeling drained, hungry, thirsty, and in pain closed his eyes again and turned his head away from Sara. He couldn't expect her to want to help him out anyway. It depressed him that it hadn't been Edd or Ed who had found him, but Sara. He didn't trust her. He didn't think she was even there to save him. Probably she was sent by Kevin to weaken his will even further. Eddy sighed hopelessly. He was surprised to feel a tugging on the piece of tape that covered his mouth. Then he yelped as Sara ripped it off. He didn't even have the energy or the heart to berate her for it.
"Eddy?" Sara asked still in a form of shock.
"Are you here to get me out of here or are you here to ask stupid questions?" Eddy croaked through a cottonmouth. He couldn't help it. He was under great stress.
"Give me a moment!" Sara snapped back and tested the rope. There had to be a knife or some kind of blade in the shed somewhere. She went digging for one. Anything sharp at all would do. She triumphantly held up a pair of scissors. Hurrying back to Eddy's side, she began to work at his bonds. "Who? It's Kevin's shed--- was it him?"
Eddy opened his eyes again tiredly, "Promised not to tell." He mumbled.
As she cut away at the rope, she happened to look up and got too close a look at Eddy's exposed front and winced. "Do you want me to remove the pins now?"
"Rope first. I want to get far from here, then we'll see what happens next." Eddy uttered exhaustedly.
Sara nodded. Made sense. Who knew when Kevin or whom ever it was would return and catch her trying to set his victim free? She hurriedly cut away until finally Eddy was free.
"Can you stand?" Sara asked actually concerned.
Eddy slowly sat up and slumped forward. "I don't know. I may need help." When Sara reached for him he cringed.
"Come on, Eddy!" Sara said sharply and grabbed him, nearly pulling him off the table. He stumbled and Sara tried to keep him from falling, but he hit the ground and, having upset Sara's sense of balance, she fell on top of him. Grumbling to herself, she stood up and pulled Eddy up to a shaky stand. "Let's get a move on!" She commanded gruffly and pulled on Eddy some more to get him to follow her.
They made it to the shed door. Sara cautiously opened it a crack and peered out to see if anyone was coming. It seemed clear so she opened it fuller. Still tugging on Eddy's shirt, she drug him across the yard and towards her house. All those hours playing nurse with Timmy were going to finally come in handy.
Safe inside her house, she forced Eddy to her flowery room. Eddy had never been in there with her permission before. She shoved him onto her bed and made him lay on his back. Sara hopped onto the bed with him and studied his chest and stomach. Then she hopped off and went out of the room for some supplies. Eddy sighed and closed his eyes. He actually felt safe. Which would have been a crazy thought to him a day and a half ago. Safe in Sara's room, Sara knew he was in there, forced him to be in there. He wasn't going to fight her on that. He didn't have much fight left. If she had more torture in mind, he wouldn't fight that either. He let himself slowly relax as he lay there, eyes closed. He should have asked her if she could fix him something to eat or at least get him a drink of water. But he didn't have the energy.
He didn't even hear her return. He felt the bed shake and opened his eyes to see her back on the bed with what looked like a bunch of bandages, towels, ointments and a glass of water. He propped himself up on his elbows and greedily took the glass Sara offered him. She began to pull out the pins that still stuck into his skin. He winced each time but allowed her to continue. Sometimes fresh blood would begin to flow again and Sara would mop it up with a towel. The bloodied pins she threw into the trash. Once Eddy was metal free, she began to wipe him down with a damp towel. Eddy grit his teeth but said nothing throughout the entire treatment. Once his blood and what was left of the oil was wiped away, she applied some ointment to the affected area. Eddy did his best to keep still. It was a curious feeling to have Sara of all people touching him all over--- without hitting him, that is.
"Were you really looking for me?" Eddy asked.
Sara shook her head, then paused in her ministrations "Um, actually, Timmy and I were playing hide and seek and--- OH MY GOSH! I totally forgot about Timmy!"
Eddy sighed. It figured. No one had really been looking for him after all.
He finished the water then laid back down again, that feeling of dejection hitting him full force again so that tears found their way down his cheeks.
Sara noticed. She'd never seen him cry before. But after all he'd been through--- she couldn't really imagine all that might have happened in that shed, she supposed it was reasonable for him to cry. Awkwardly, she patted his shoulder, "Hey, it's okay now. You're safe! I can go get Ed and Double D if you want to see them! Double D's been looking for you since yesterday."
Eddy opened his eyes. "You're--- serious?"
Sara looked at him perplexed. "What? What's with you?"
"It's just--- I thought--- no one cared."
Sara bit on one of her nails. She hadn't cared when Double D had come to her yesterday and even today asking her if she wanted to help search. She'd been too busy with whatever it had been she had been doing and anyway, it wasn't as if Eddy was her friend or anything.
"Double D does." Sara said at last.
Eddy sighed. "Look, I know you don't like me and I know you know I find you just as annoying---" He stopped. He didn't know where he was going with that so he just shut up and closed his eyes and turned his head to the side away from her.
He suddenly felt a kiss upon his cheek. Then the bed jiggled and he heard the door open and close. He opened his eyes and felt his cheek where Sara had kissed him. He felt confused. He wasn't up to this. Sara had left him alone in her room again and this time he was glad. A mushy Sara was nerve-wracking to witness. He lay there with his eyes closed and dozed off, waiting to see what Sara had planned next. Probably was off to find Double D. Eddy curled up on the bed in a fetal position. So, Edd had been looking for him after all. It helped. He didn't feel like the whole world had turned its back on him like he'd thought. If just one person cared, then all was not lost, wasn't it? That was the thought that helped him in his dreams. It was the one thought that had mattered to him. If there was one thing he'd learned from all this was that Double D was a true friend. And true friends were very hard to come by. Especially in the cul-de sac and especially when you were a kid named Eddy.
The End