The Hunt (17 page)

“
You did well this evening,” he remarked as she fell onto the bed. “Now try to get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.” He shut the door quietly.

As she lay there in the dark, Mara's despair was devastating. She'd fallen into the clutches of a psychopath to whom there could be no appeal for mercy. She experienced a terror so overwhelming her conscious mind could not accommodate it, and almost immediately fell into a deep sleep which was more like a trance, or even a descent into madness. Mara dreamed she was back on the train, being abused by those sadistic young men. When she looked up at the ringleader, she saw Tyner standing there shouting,
“Banooseferoo! Banooseferoo!” as he tore pages from her copy of
The Aging Boy
and threw them in her face.

Chapter 11

Tuesday March 27th

Mara awoke with a start as light penetrated the window. There was no clock in her room, but she guessed it to be six or seven in the morning. Her breasts were still sore, though the throbbing pain had finally subsided. Reaching up to touch her neck, she was surprised to find it enclosed in a steel band. She'd completely forgotten about the collar. She stared at the locked door. Her captor could come through it at any moment and begin subjecting her to more torment. Tyner obviously saw her as a kind of doll he could play with as long as he wanted, twisting its head off or throwing it against a wall if the mood struck him. She had to make him see her as a human being.

She used the toilet and brushed her teeth, then drank two cups of water. The clothes she'd hung in the wardrobe had vanished. Tyner must have taken them while she was hanging from the cross. Or perhaps he came into the room while she was sleeping. There was certainly nothing to prevent him doing so. As far as she knew, her uniform was still in his backpack, and the robe had been left in the playroom. She took the bathroom towel and wrapped it around her. Then she sat on the bed and waited.

Several hours seemed to pass before Mara heard a faint click and saw the door swing open. Tyner was standing there, her robe in his hand.
“Good morning,” he said cheerfully. “You forgot this last night.” He handed her the robe, which she took without saying a word. “Get dressed. I've made you some breakfast.”

“
Where are my clothes?”

“
If you're referring to the clothes you shouldn't have been wearing, I've thrown them away. If you're referring to the clothes you should have been wearing, I've put them in the washing machine, along with your underwear. They'll be ready by Friday. Until then, the robe is all you'll need.”

Tyner held the door open and waited as Mara removed her towel and put on the robe. Then she followed him into the kitchen, where toast and coffee were waiting. Mara sat at the table and tried eating the toast. She still didn't feel hungry, but knew it was important to keep up her strength. The coffee tasted good, and when Tyner offered her a second cup, she accepted.
“Well,” he said, sitting down opposite her, “How do you feel about last night?”

Mara considered her words carefully.
“Look, I understand your viewpoint. But I think it must be obvious to both of us that I don't want this. Even you had to admit I wasn't turned on by what you did yesterday. I realise you've paid a lot of money for the right to do this. Maybe I could find a way to pay you back.”

Tyner shook his head.
“It's not about money, Mara. You know that. It's about testing your limitations.”

Mara tried to remain calm.
“But I don't want my limitations tested. I really don't. I haven't just...just...I...I don't exist so you can...can satisfy your desires. I have a life. I have friends. I have people who love me, people who are worried sick about what's happening to me right now. I'm...I'm a creative person. I know you don't think much of writers, but I'm a novelist. Maybe you're right when you say people like me are afraid of the real world, but if the real world is anything like your playroom, you can't blame me for being afraid of it. Please, just let me go back to my little world.”

“
You will go back to your little world, Mara. Only when you do, you'll be much stronger. I get where you're coming from. I wouldn't have said those things about writers if I'd, like, known you were one. But this experience will make you a better artist. And I know what I'm talking about. I'm an artist myself. I design video games.”

Mara couldn't help laughing, though she immediately regretted doing so.

“What's funny about that?” demanded Tyner.

Mara tried to change the expression on her face.
“Nothing, really nothing. It's just that after all those things you said about people writing books because they're afraid of living real lives, I...I just...I'm a little surprised to hear...”

For the first time, Tyner seemed genuinely angry.
“Video games are the most important art-form of the century. Do you actually know anything at all about them? Do you realise how much work goes into making one? No, you obviously don't. But that doesn't stop you assuming you're fucking superior to people who have the skill to...to...”

Mara took hold of Tyner's hand and tried to calm him down.
“I'm sorry. I'm genuinely sorry. I shouldn't have laughed. I don't think I'm superior to you. But I do know a little about video games, and...Stephen, I...Life isn't like a video game. When you get killed in real life, you don't jump up and start again. I'm a woman. A real woman. I'm not a collection of pixels. When you stick needles in me, I feel pain.” She drew aside her robe to show him her breasts. “Look. You can see the bruises on my nipples. They still hurt. Let's stop this. Maybe you could tell me about video games. I'm terribly ignorant. You could educate me. I'd be really interested.”

Tyner smiled.
“I shouldn't have lost my temper with you, Mara. I know it's not your fault. And I do appreciate that you're under a lot of pressure. If you'd like to discuss video games, look me up once the Hunt is over and I'll be happy to tell you all about them. But right now, it's time for us to spend out first full day in the playroom.”

He stood up and held out his hand. Tears appeared on Mara's cheeks. She saw this was inevitable. Placing her hand in Tyner's, she let herself be led to the playroom. Tyner opened the door and walked in, turning on the light as he did so, and Mara followed without having to be urged. After closing the door, Tyner removed Mara's robe. She allowed it to be taken without protesting.

Tyner approached a bench in the middle of the room. It consisted of a wooden frame with padding on top and straps designed to hold its victim in a bending position. He looked at Mara, standing naked near the door, and said, “This is a flogging bench. How does it compare with the one on which you received your judicial caning?”

Mara apprehensively approached the device and said,
“The...the one in the punishment centre was completely flat. Not like this at all.”

“
Bend over this one,” ordered Tyner.

Mara was too terrified to resist.

Tyner immediately placed her wrists in the restraints, then secured her ankles. He selected a cane from one of the shelves.

“
Does this look like the cane that was used on you?”

Mara stared at the cane, a tear running down her face.
“I guess so. I didn't see it that clearly.”

Tyner stood behind Mara, lined up the cane, and brought it down on her buttocks. Mara let out a scream.

“Was that harder, softer, or about the same as the strokes you received?”

Mara hardly knew what to say.
“I...I think it was about the same.”

“
Excellent. And when did this caning take place?”

“
A...about six years ago.”

“
So if you could take ten strokes then, you should easily be able to withstand fifty now.”

“
Oh no, please!”

“
And I'm growing tired of your begging. So here's a new rule. You may scream all you want, but every time you say 'no', or 'please' or 'don't', or anything like that, I'll add another five strokes to the total. Do you understand?”

Mara nodded, and Tyner immediately began beating her, leaving only a few seconds between each stroke: she inadvertently shouted
“No!” at one point, and ended up receiving fifty-five.

The rest of the day passed in much the same fashion. Donning a pair of surgical gloves, Tyner inserted first three fingers, then a vibrator, and finally a large dildo into Mara's anus. He beat her again, this time with a wooden paddle. After releasing her from the flogging bench, he returned her to the X-shaped cross, securing her so she was facing away from him, and flogged her with a thick whip until her back was raw, then turned her around and beat her
breasts with a leather strap. He initially announced he would give her twenty strokes, but when Mara complained her nipples were still sore from yesterday's treatment, he doubled the amount to forty. Mara didn't say anything after that. He whipped her stomach and the front of her thighs with a riding crop, attached a paper clamp to her clitoris, and walked out of the room, leaving her to stare at the reflection of her bruised body in the mirror.

An hour later, the door opened and Tyner reappeared, accompanied by an elderly bearded man.
“Here's the patient,” Tyner cheerfully announced as he gestured at Mara.

The stranger didn't seem surprised at Mara's condition, simply saying,
“Let's get her down and take a look at her.” While Tyner removed the clamp and started to undo the ankle straps, the stranger addressed Mara. “Miss Gorki, I'm Dr. Roberts. I'm here to see how you're getting on. Once we have you down from here, we'll go into the bedroom and I'll examine you.”

As Tyner undid the wrist straps, he asked Dr. Roberts,
“Could you check her to see if she can take electricity?”

“
No problem,” replied the doctor.

Mara was unable to stand, so Tyner and the doctor carried her out and laid her on the bed. Mara was surprised to find it was already night. After Tyner had left the room, Dr. Roberts opened his medical bag and said,
“How are you feeling, Miss Gorki?”

The question struck Mara as so ridiculous that she burst out crying.
“Look at me!” she sobbed. “Just look at me!”

The doctor asked Mara to roll onto her front, and as he cleaned her wounds asked,
“Has Mr. Tyner been doing anything he's not supposed to?”

Mara could hardly get the words out.
“He..he pierced my nipples with needles. He put a clamp...down there...beat me all over...he..”

The doctor interrupted.
“These are all approved activities. Has he done anything you believe may not be approved?”

And insane as it sounded, Mara had to admit he hadn't. Dr. Roberts removed a blood pressure monitor from his bag, attached it to her upper arm, and made a note of the reading, then used a stethoscope to check her heartbeat.
“All fine,” he declared, and tried to open the door. Finding it locked, he shouted impatiently. Tyner quickly appeared.

“
Sorry, I hadn't realised I'd shut it all the way. It locks automatically.”

“
I'm aware of that,” said the doctor. “I'm satisfied with our patient's condition, but I think she should rest until tomorrow morning. Try to avoid hitting her buttocks again. But you have my permission to use electricity. Let's go in the other room and I'll write you an official slip.”

The men departed, closing the door behind them. Mara stared into space. Eventually, the door opened again and Tyner came back in.

“Looks like I was a little hard on your rear. Sorry about that. I'll make you some supper.”

He returned an hour later, handed Mara her robe, and asked her to join him in the living room. She found a large pizza and a bottle of wine on the table, along with two plates and two glasses. The pizza evoked memories of her weekends with
Yuke, memories that were unwelcome in this context, and eating it was like trying to eat cardboard. The wine she drank gratefully, and quickly consumed three glasses, hoping to find the oblivion she craved. As she reached for the bottle to pour a fourth glass, Tyner took it out of her hand, saying, “I think you've had enough wine. We need to make sure you have a clear head tomorrow. Tell me what you made of today's session.”

Mara stared at him with contempt, then stood up and lifted her robe so he could see the bruises and welts which covered her body.
“What do you think I made of today's session?” she asked.

Tyner pulled a face which suggested she was being unreasonable.
“You're experiencing something new here. I wouldn't expect you to appreciate it right away. But wait and see what you feel like by the end of the week.”

Mara turned towards him angrily.
“You keep talking about what
I
have to experience, about testing
my
limitations. What about
your
limitations? Has anyone ever tested how much pain
you
can endure? Wouldn't it be fair for us to reverse positions? Why don't I beat you tomorrow?”