Page 65 of Unhinged Cain

Tears pricked at my eyes, and a soft sob escaped my lips. I didn’t even know who to cry for anymore, the girl I’d been or the one I wanted to become.

CAIN

“Yeah, man,” Abel said, clapping me on the back as we made our way outside. “Glad you decided to come. I didn’t think you could get stuffier, but since you brought that purple-eyed girl home, you’ve really turned into a bore. Oh, how did it go with the FBI? On my way home from work, I saw them on the security app and decided to stay in town longer, which is also how I scored these girls. They aren’t sisters, but they are best friends.”

“The FBI wasn’t an issue, they are asking questions of everyone in the area, but it was a good idea to stay away,” I said and was impressed that he thought of that on his own and didn’t need his handheld to make a good decision for a change.

The stones from our gravel driveway crunched under our feet as we neared his house.“What’s the matter with you, man? You look like someone killed your puppy. Oh, wait… I did that. Well, it wasn’t ours, but fuck! It’s just a saying. Don’t look at me like that,” Abel laughed hard and smacked his hand off his knee.

I couldn’t find it in me to offer even a smirk for his effort. Sunshine had struck a chord, one I hadn’t been aware of until I saw myself through her eyes. How ironic that I took her for her unique colored eyes, but they could to see far more than I’d been able to see inside myself. No one had done that before, not my parents, not the therapist, not my school teachers, and not even my brother. I glanced at Abel and understood that his needs were selfish and self-motivated. Our relationship was about him having fun and me making sure we didn’t get caught but did he truly understand me? Did he see the things that Sunshine did?

“Abel, how do you see me?”

“Dude, with my eyes.” Abel screwed up his face and stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “Is this a trick question?”

“No, I mean, when you look at me, what do you see?”

Abel shook his head. “I don’t understand what you’re asking. I see my brother, and you have a poor choice of clothing, too boring. What else should I see?”

“Nothing,” I answered.

When I took Sunshine, I knew she’d see more of me than anyone other than my brother, but I didn’t think she’d see to the depth she’d depicted in her art. It had shocked me, and very little ever shocked me, but my Sunshine had managed to do it a few times.

“Man, what the fuck is wrong?” Abel shoved my shoulder, and I looked over at my brother.

“I have things on my mind, and I’m not interested in sharing them.” We walked up the front stairs to Abel’s house, and he turned around and shook his head.

“You need to dispose of that girl. Kill her, and feed her to the pigs. If you wanna keep her eyes, cut ‘em out and sit them in your display case, but she needs to go. You’ve been fuckin’ weird ever since you laid eyes on her, and it’s only getting worse.” Abel shrugged, his eyes lighting up. “I’m happy to do it for you if you want? I know how to make her scream.”

Anger roared through my body and felt like a million fire ants marching under my skin. I grabbed Abel by the arm before he could walk inside and hauled him back until we were face to face.

“You don’t touch her, not ever, or you’ll find yourself on the wrong end of my blade, brother. I’ve tolerated your insubordinate behavior for years, but if you do what I saw in your eyes, it will be your eyes that I mount.”

Abel tried to pull his arm away, but my fingers dug into his bicep. “What the fuck, man?”

“Say it.” I got up in Abel’s face, our noses almost touching. “Fucking say the words, brother.”

“Fine, I won’t fucking touch her. Are you happy?” For once, I couldn’t tell if Abel’s promise was legit or if he was playing me, but I let him go, and he crowed like a rooster as we stepped inside his home. “Now come on, I can feel our dicks shriveling up and getting ready to fall off from lack of use.”

He already had the girls tied up in what looked like a crazy game of twister on the table. Pouring myself a drink, I took my usual seat in the corner to watch the show. The music blasted through the speakers, and the girls were a mix of moans and screams as Abel got to work. Normally, watching my brother work and knowing that I’d get to join in on the fun would excite me, but my cock lay dormant in my jeans. This show was overrated. I’d watched it a thousand times like a bad television rerun, and it no longer held interest.

Was I the kind of guy that only had eyes for one woman?

How would I even know?

It wasn’t exactly like I’d ever dated or had feelings for someone. The idea of anything more than fucking them, making my artwork, and displaying them for the world to see had been the extent of my emotional connection.

The screaming in the room got louder as Abel pulled out a gas-powered tree trimmer. He looked like a mad scientist, pretending to ride the bladed piece of equipment like a horse. I stood, downing the drink in a single swig, and Abel hooted louder until I turned to head upstairs.

“Where the fuck are ya goin’, man? I’m just getting warmed up. Tell me a spot you want to try fucking, and I’ll cut you a hole.” He revved the saw, and the girls screamed and tried to pull away from the noise.

“Not in the mood. Maybe another night,” I said.

Abel stomped around the girls, his face livid. “This is what I mean. Look at you. What the fuck is wrong with you? He tossed down the saw and grabbed the knife off the large table.

The girl closest screamed as he grabbed her hair and yanked her head back. Shoving the sharp tip of the blade into her mouth, he forced her to keep it open as he grabbed her tongue and ripped it out of her head with a roar. She flopped forward. She was either dead or passed out as I watched my brother have his childlike temper tantrum. The piece of long flesh sailed through the air, and I stepped out of the way before it could hit me.

He was now completely coated in blood splatter, his eyes wild, and I shook my head at him.