I FELT THE HEAT. The glowing embers of the cigarette were inches away, drying my eyeball. In my peripheral I saw a bottle of bleach in their hand without a cap.
Blinking rapidly, I squirmed in my restraints. Whatever they thought I’d done I hadn’t. Whoever they thought I was, I wasn’t.
“Ever drunk bleach before?” they asked in deep notes. “Now, before I use your eyeballs for ashtrays, and force-feed you this, killing 99.99% of bacteria, and reducing your oesophagus to a bloody yet clean mess, you might want to consider your family, and what they mean to you..”
The burly Glaswegian moved his head closer, his broad pockmarked face unflinching as he examined me for a reaction, beady eyes searching from behind oversized glasses, his lank hair hiding the ends of the frames.
He reached out and pulled the sock from my mouth, quenched by my saliva, the very sock that he’d peeled off his foot over half an hour ago, salted and reeking.
I breathed heavy, relieved at being able to inhale through an airway not blocked by watery snot.
“Aye, you enjoy that.” He took a draw on the half a cig, blowing a smoke ring into the near naked darkness. “That’s you,” he said pointing at it as the circumference grew, then chopped at it suddenly, reducing it to fragmented wisps. “And your family. Them in particular.”
My throat felt sandy, my tongue searched for moisture, then words.
“I don’t…have a family…” I rasped, blinking rapidly.
The Chief Inspector took a moment to react, his eyes widening, eyebrows meeting indirectly. “And that, is what they all say.” Glancing at the cigarette, he then took an unnerving interest in my eyes again… “I know you know who took my stash. Sorry pal, but I cannae have the likes of you running about, with the truth ready to trip off your tongue.”
He rammed the sock back in, and I wriggled helplessly on the settee he’d duct-taped me to, my joints aching.
Reaching down he raised a dirty pint glass in his hand, and cigarette still burning between fingers, he united the glass with bleach, carelessly filling it, the smell thicker than danger, cleansing already.
Standing up, he towered over me, a wry smile on his face. “Bleach anyone?”
I’M NOT WHO YOU THINK I AM! I’M NOT WHO YOU THINK I AM! I’M NOT WHO… The sock killed my words. I screamed as the glass hovered near my mouth. I watched as the liquid neared the rim, ready to spill over, and then, then, it poured onto the sock that absorbed it, filling my mouth with a burning sensation, the liquid searching out tissue to dissolve, my eyes closed in horror.
Then it stopped.
“You woulda squealed by now,” he said gruffly, yanking the soaked gag from my mouth. “Who the fuck are you really?”
LionAroundWriting 
I thought the poor guy was destined to die a horrible, painful death. He’s not going to get the bleach treatment, but I see him still getting a bullet between the eyes…he saw too much. Love that twist you always put at the end. 🙂
Great piece of flash fiction, Lion.
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Thanks Mary 🙂
Yeah I’m not sure if he’ll survive, like you say he’s seen too much, might do a follow on at some point.
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It would be interesting…. 🙂
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Just left me………… 😟😰!!
Amazing one Lion. Loved it as always! 😉
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🙂
those are good emojis to get after a story, thanks!
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What would I do? You left me speechless, so I put up emojis depicting my state! 😉
Always a pleasure to read your work and feel this kind of …….. Confusion?!?! 😯
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😀
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You do these shorts well. You had me wondering if he would partake in the bleach cocktail.
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Appreciated.
He kinda did 🙂
I might create a second part to it if the inspiration takes me.
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Good. I hope so. Very creative. I need to get more into these shorts. Hopefully your posts inspire me.
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Great story. You really need to pull these stories together into a collection. They are very good.
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Thank you.
And once I get my main project, the book, sorted, a short story collection is the next one on the list 🙂
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Cool
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OMG. This is a scene taken straight from a thriller or a crime novel or something. Your writing is hands-down fantastic. I was so gripped and taken into the scene that it took a second to realize I can’t flip the page to see what happens next. I hope you have plans to write more…and if you don’t have plans, might I suggest developing some :p
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Thanking you much, kind kind words.
Sorry there’s no more 🙂
Maybe some day 😉
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