5
Over the course of the next few weeks, I see Oswald again and again for reconditioning sessions in my office. I take notes that are really just drawings of me chopping him into pieces. I hook him up to the lie detector machine, drill him on his opinions and experiences then give him a nice painful shock when he says something that I don't like. Which is often. I find excuses to beat him which become stupider and stupider, as he becomes more and more broken and puts up less and less resistance. He expects to be beaten. He starts crying about it before I even strike him now, because he knows its coming. He murmurs things to himself like a mad man, trembling and rocking himself back and forth. If he had a psychosis before, it must be at least ten times more debilitating now. If he were any one other than the murderer of my precious Rebecca I might have felt sorry for him, perhaps even tryed to help him in the way that I was pretending to help. As it is, however, I am only working up to my ultimate revenge. I will slit his throat tomorrow and end his miserable life.
I examine the implement with which I will take my revenge: a long sharp hunting knife with a serrated edge. I will strap Oswald down to a table and saw right through his throat until he's dead. He won't resist being restrained. He's learned that he can't weasel his way out of punishments; that whatever pain that I choose to inflict upon him is inevitable. He'll think that I'm just going to hurt him. He won't suspect that I'm planning to kill him until its too late.
I glance over to the computer monitor on my desk. It displays a live video feet of Oswald's cell.
I watch him, fingering my murder weapon thoughtfully. He's laying on his belly on a cot in the middle of the darkened grey room. Unaware of the hidden cameras I've installed, he weeps quietly into his pillow, gingerly massaging what I imagine must be an unbearably sore and swollen behind.
I hear a barred door swing open and Nurse Kim walks into the room, looking distraught.
"Oswald, what's wrong?" she asks him.
Oswald answers her with more quiet weeping. She sits down on the edge of his bed and runs her fingers through his dark hair. He whimpers and then falls silent. She withdraws her hand.
"Don't stop," he sniffles. "It feels good."
Nurse Kim begins stroking Oswald's hair again. He's quiet for awhile and then turns his face toward her.
"Kim?"
"What is it, sweetie?" Nurse Kim replies.
"Would you mind terribly if I asked you for a favor?"
"I'd be happy to do you a favor. Whatever you need," says Kim, looking confused. I can practically see her little brain working, trying to figure out what he's about to ask her. Her expression becomes slightly concerned. She suspects as well as I do that he's about to ask for something unprofessional.
"Would you kiss me?" Oswald asks. He puts one of his hands over Nurse Kim's hand and she quickly withdraws it.
Nurse Kim stands up and takes a few steps away from Oswald's cot, facing away from him.
"H-honey, I can't. I'm sorry. It's not professional. I'd lose my job. I'm sorry," she blurts out nervously.
"That's ok. I understand. I wouldn't want to kiss me either," says Oswald, putting his face in his hands. "Forgive me, Kim. That was out of line."
He turns his head away from her and starts sniffling again.
"Oh...oh Oswald, I'm so sorry. Please don't cry," Nurse Kim says walking back over to him.
"Why'd you come in here anyway?" he asks her bitterly.
"Its time for your medication," Nurse Kim replies.
"Forget it. I'm not taking it."
"Sweetie, you have to take your medication," says Nurse Kim.
"I'm not taking it. It hurts," Oswald complains tearfully.
It hurts because it is a cancerous mixture of hot peppers and turpentine, designed to burn his insides like fire. I grin to myself, because as the person who both invented and prescribed Oswald's medication, I and I alone know of this gruesome secret.
"Oh, honey, I'm sure you're overreacting," Nurse Kim assures him. "Just do me this favor and cooperate, ok? I need to keep this job."
Oswald stands up and looks Nurse Kim in the eye. She takes a nervous step backward.
"Ok," he says. "I'll let you give me the suppository. I'll be very cooperative about it. But first...I want that kiss."
"I'm sorry, Oswald. I can't," says Nurse Kim. "If someone sees me kissing inmates, I'll be fired."
"Is that what I am to you? Just another inmate? I thought you liked me." says Oswald, sounding hurt.
"Oh, Oswald, I do like you."
"No you don't. You're just saying that."
"Oswald, I like you a lot," Nurse Kim tells him apologetically.
"No you don't. You're lying. You don't have to lie to me, Kim. You can tell me what you really think," said Oswald angrily. Tears spilled out from his blue eyes and over his pale cheeks. "You think I'm a pathetic, greasy, ugly, worthless son-of-a-bitch, don't you? Well you may be right, but I've got news for you, baby. One day, when I'm finally king of Gotham's underworld, you're going to look back on this day and wish that you'd done something different...because I'll be richer than any man you've ever seen or heard of and you'll still barely be scraping by, working in this abysmal shithole of a hospital!"
"Oswald...I...why would you say something like that to me?"
Oswald shakes his head.
"Forget it," he murmurs depressingly. "I'm just being stupid. Go ahead and give me the awful pill if you have to. I won't give you any trouble about it."
Oswald waddled back over to the bed and lays down on his stomach, burying his face in the pillow again. Kim walks over to him and puts a hand on his shoulder. She stares at him for awhile, her expression, thoughtful; distant.
"I changed my mind," she says after awhile.
Oswald sits up. His expression brightens.
"You did?"
"Yea."
Nurse Kim sits down next to Oswald on the bed and lightly kisses him on the lips. Oswald grabs the back of her blond head and sloppily makes out with her. I cringe. He's flopping his tongue around in her mouth like an insane, hyperactive fish having a seizure. The woman's lips grow sticky with his saliva. She pulls her head away from his and wipes her mouth off on the back of her sleeve.
She giggles.
"Wow."
"You like that? There's plenty more where that came from," says Oswald obnoxiously, wigging his eyebrows.
"You don't have too much experience at this, do you?" says Nurse Kim.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Nurse Kim leans in toward Oswald and locks her mouth onto his. He closes his eyes and groans a little bit. I suspect that the floozy slut is digging her tongue around in his mouth.
She breaks the kiss.
"Try it more like that," she says. "Calm it down a little bit."
Oswald kisses her again. I suspect that he's trying to follow her example, yet, again his tongue flops around wildly, spraying her with spit. Perhaps he's a little too excited about it.
"Mmph Mmmmph!" Nurse Kim gargles through a mouthful of his demented tongue.
Oswald breaks the kiss.
"Too much?" he asks.
Nurse Kim giggles again.
"You know what?...Don't change a thing," She says.
I watch in disgust as they wrap their arms around each other and continue making out. Oswald starts pawing Kim's breasts. Kims hands wander down Oswald's back toward his plush behind. He flinches as her dainty fingers lightly caress it and he pulls away from her, breaking the kiss.
"Ow!" he yelps in complaint.
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize you'd been paddled again," says Nurse Kim.
"Don't touch my butt. It hurts," Oswald tells her.
"Oh, sweetie, I'm sure its not that bad," says Nurse Kim dismissively.
"The doctor hates me. I get beatings every day," says Oswald as a means of trying to convince her that she shouldn't try to squeeze his butt again.
"Aw, sweetie, that's the crazy talking. The doctor is a very nice person." says Nurse Kim in my defense.
They start making out again. After a short time, Kim's hands wander down to Oswald's butt again.
"Ow! Stop it," squeaks Oswald, pushing her hands off of his behind.
"Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Your bottom's so squishy," squeals Nurse Kim.
"You know what, after I break out of here and the bruises heal. You come to my apartment. We'll have a nice dinner. Some fine wine. Afterwards, you come with me to my bed room, and when we make love you can touch my butt as much as you want to. Just please, not right now. It hurts too much," said Oswald.
"I bet you're not even bruised," said Nurse Kim teasingly. "You've probably just got a little redness that'll be better in no time."
"Don't patronize me, Kim."
"Let me see it," said Nurse Kim, grinning seductively.
"Fine. But just to show you how bad it is," said Oswald.
He lowered his pants and turned around to show her the bloody welts and deep bruises on his swollen purple behind. Then he quickly yanked his pants back up and turned toward her again. Kim's expression changed dramatically from jovial to crestfallen.
"Oh no...Oswald...I'm sorry. That is terrible. No wonder you've been crying so much. You must be in a lot of pain," said Nurse Kim.
She wrapped her arms around him. He rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes.
"This severity of corporal punishment can't be legal," said Nurse Kim angrily. "I'm going to call the cops and there will be an investigation."
An investigation, huh?, I think scathingly. That won't matter much tomorrow afternoon, because by then he'll be dead and I'll be far, far, away from this god forsaken place.