Warnings: torture
As soon as they got into the ambulance, Frank and Joe were chloroformed, gagged and bound and were on their way to a facility. Half an hour later they arrived at a facility. Frank and Joe were pushed out of the ambulance and were greeted by a backhand to their faces which seemed to at least alert them to their surroundings. The backhand stung them momentarily dazing them.
"Where am I?" Joe looked around. He couldn't see anything and this seemed to unnerve him but he took a deep breath.
The men took off their blindfolds and Frank snapped, "let us go, you freaking bastards." Sofia of the men slapped him across the cheek hard. "Frank. Shut up. You're in my facility now and that means behaving like an obedient boy or slave."
"You didn't think that Emil would let you go that easily. We killed the real paramedics and took their clothes." Sofia explained, smirking as if they accomplished a task. The goons are waiting outside.
The clichéd words "you're not going to get away with this" was bursting at the seams ready to be blurted on any moment.. but Frank and Joe kept their mouths shut.
"Lets go inside. We're going to have so much."
Frank remembered that Joe was shot and he voiced it out loud.
"Come on. Joe will be useless in his tasks. If the bullet isn't extracted." Frank replied cruelly. He said this as if he's trying to drill a message into their brains but an evil glint seeped into his eyes.
"Take Joe to the operating room and operate him without the use of anaesthesia."
"Dont do that. That's cruel." Frank protested, struggling against the bonds.
Frank was tied to a chair and his elbows were tied together with a belt.
Joe struggled and struggled to escape but the men tightened his chains causing a small whimper to emit from his cracked lips.
Joe was taken to the operating room and the bullet was forcibly extracted from his leg. Despite the blood-curdling screams and convulsions,Joe was forced to endure the bullet shell being extracted. After ten minutes of agony, Joe was finally able to rest. Sofia gave him an injection so he couldn't feel the incessant pain radiating from his injured leg.
"Get up Joe. Time to work."
"Yes. Sofia." Joe responded without hesitation.
Sofia punched him across the lip hard, splitting his lip. "You can call me Ma'am"
Joe got up and was taken by his chains to where Frank was being held. Frank was being tied to the chair with his ankles tied to the hind legs of the chair. Joe was tied up, opposing his elder brother.
"We're going to pay a little game called a torture roulette." Sofia said, glancing at the fear that etched across the brothers' eyes. "Here's how the game goes. You answer a question and if you fail to answer, the other person gets torture and if you answered the question, then both brothers will be "free". Got that bitches."
"Yes. Ma'am." Frank and Joe nodded, not wanting the other to be hurt.
"Joe, you're up. Why did you hate Callie?"
Joe thought about his answer. "I hated Callie at first because she would always butt her nose into our business." I'm so sorry Frank. He would have rather died to protect his brother but if he didn't answer, Frank was going to be shocked.
"Excellent answer. Joe". The Sofia answered. Frank braced himself to be shocked but he breathed a sigh of relief when he wasn't shocked.
"Next question. Frank, you're logical aren't you?"
"Yes. Ma'am. " Frank responded,not liking where this is going.
"Tell me. Did you actually believe that Iola was alive. Or did you try to humour your brother?"
Frank didn't respond. He thought about how Joe had badmouth his girlfriend. so in a moment of anger and rage. He said, "I'm not answering your question." Not because he wanted to protect Joe from the heart ache but because he wanted to hurt Joe. No matter what they asked me. I'm not answering them. Joe, You know what's coming to you. The old Frank would have realised that Joe was forced to say those things about Callie. But Frank was grieving and out-of-control.
Joe's tone was raspy as he replied one word. "Yes". She burnt Joe's shoulder blade with his cigarette. Joe whimpered as the cigarette sizzled his skin.
"Actually I'll answer." Frank interjected coldly.
"Very well."
"Its true that I never believed that Iola was alive. I mean its obvious to anyone with half a brain. That Iola didn't survive the explosion. I hated every day after she died because Joe become needy. I wanted so much to cut him out of my life." Frank answered the question, trying to be as unkind as possible.
Joe's head sagged forward as unbidden tears gathered in his eyes and he didn't want anyone to see it.
"Good. You survived one round." Sofia said. "I'll be back in half an hour. As soon as he left
Frank turned despondent, brown eyes towards Joe. Joe I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done it. I shouldn't have answered after he tased you. If I answered them maybe.
"Frank. Stop." Joe snapped. "You think I care about what you said about me? I thought I moved on from that heartbreak of losing Iola. That if i hadn't flirted, then she would have been alive. Every day I asked myself that question. I answered his question to protect you from getting the same treatment but instead you stab me in the back."
"Joe..." Frank's tone was raspy and held a degree of sadness. Joe didnt answer him. "Frank, I know you're upset about Callie. I am too."
Half an hour later, Sofia came back with some tools.
"The next question is for Joe. Joe, do you blame Frank for not letting you save Iola." Joe pondered on the question and as much as he didn't want to answer; he had to protect Frank.
" No. I used to blame him and now I don't. I know he did what any good brother would. Stop me if I'm doing something reckless." Joe answered him, unbidden tears gathered in his eyes but Joe didn't let it show.
"I'm telling the truth. Sir." Joe responded.
"This question is for you: what does Joe mean to you?"
Frank responded. "Joe's my brother and partner but nothing more. Because of him and his trouble magnet status, my wife is dead and sometimes I wish I was an only child."
"Frank, what are you insinuating?" Joe demanded.
"Its your fault that Callie is dead. If you kept your word then maybe she wouldn't have done died."
Joe wasn't going to be goaded so instead he said, "Frank I can't believe I'm saying this. But that's an illogical statement."
" Frank. If you want to be an only child I can help you with that."
"Please. Frank. You're not acting like the brother I grew up with." Joe begged him.
Joe screamed and the screams settled into the crevices of Frank's mind latching on to his subconscious. Frank struggled out of his bonds and when he couldn't.
Frank doesn't know what he's saying. Frank was strapped to a bed and forced to endure itching powder on the soles of his feet and upperarms. He glanced over at Joe.
Sofia put electric pads on his thighs legs and waist and then switched the current on to the lowest setting. Frank convulsed violently on the table. Frank arched his back torturously and screamed.
Joe struggled against his bonds and didn't care that his wrists were raw.
"Frank. Stop it." You're going to kill him. Joe yelled,struggling against his bonds.
Sofia ignored him and gradually increased the current. Frank convulsed violently on the table until she switched the current off. Frank gasped for air.
She kissed Frank on the lips before she exited the room
"Frank, are you okay?" Joe whispered to his brother.
"We need to get out of here as soon as possible." Frank whispered back. Frank wanted to apologise for the things he said but now wasn't the time. He was still shaken from being electrocuted.
Sofia came inside and squeezed Frank's neck.
"Frank, I want you to kill your brother." Sofia said
"I refuse." He rasped. Sofia squeezed harder until Frank was on the brink of unconsciousness.
"Stop it. You'll kill him." Joe yelled.
Sofia let go of Frank and Frank coughed and coughed. "Frank for once. Be selfish and stop being so damn stubborn. Kill me. Frank."
Frank protested. " Joe, I can't..."
"Yes you can." Joe responded gently. "Frank. You don't deserve to be strangled in order to protect me."
"You expect me to kill you?" Frank replied, disbelief evident in his eyes.
"When the time comes, Frank." Joe responded, trying to hide his own fears.
"How touching. Your brotherly love makes me want to gouge my own eyes out. Tomorrow, you shall be killed and Frank will kill you."
Joe nodded. I'm so sorry Frank. He thought sadly. You shouldn't have needed to play executioner and remember brother, I don't blame you. You had no choice.
Sofia made her way closer to Frank and before she could kiss Frank, Frank jerked away from her. This served to enrage Sofia and a evil glint twinkled in her eyes. She turned to Frank and said, "for your insolence. You're going to take a scalpel remove the top layer and make an incision from his left shoulder blade to his right hip and vice versa." He slapped him across the cheek.
She slapped him across the jaw. "Do I make myself clear? If you do this, then you won't have to kill him."
Frank's eyes lit up. This was better than the alternative. But how could Frank hurt his own brother physically when he already hurt Joe emotionally.
She gave Frank the scalpel and Frank removed the protective layer and made an incision on Joe's back resembling an X. Joe started to scream which brought tears to Frank. The x-shaped incision was two inches deep. Joe was in a lot of pain.
Hope you guys like this chapter. I'm so sorry for the delay. Frank may sound OOC but he's grieving over his wife's death. Eleven more chapters and Joe's dilemma will be brought to a close. The reason why Frank hurt Joe is because he believed that if he hurt Joe then he would not have to kill him. Next chapter explains what happened to Joe. Will Sofia change her mind and kill Joe using Frank? Find out in the next chapter in Joe's dilemma.