Chapter 59

His senses returning, Saim felt something cold pressing against his bare back. Forcefully opening his eyes the pain he felt, burning in the back of his head, was excruciating. Turning his head, he saw what was pushing him, and he was horrified. The uncontrollable growl that emerged came from deep within his stomach. Throwing his head around in all directions, he tried to comprehend his surroundings.

The pen he was in, about twenty feet square, consisted of planks of wood nailed together for walls. The straw, covering the floor, was old and stank of ammonia and rotting vegetables. He wanted to get up and run from the pigs dribbling snouts as they nuzzled into him, but he couldn't move. He was naked and bound. Some kind of metal strapping had secured his arms and feet behind him. A scaffold pole, running the length of his body and further, was wedged under the straps making any kind of movement virtually impossible. Rolling from side to side, to get his skin away from the disgusting creatures, made no difference. Every way he turned just gave their inquisitive snouts a new body part to investigate.

The sound of footsteps approaching the pens gate were his first sign of help. Manoeuvring his body, facing his head towards the sound, he calls.

"Is anyone there? Please help"

The vibrato in his voice, from a mixture of fright and the cold, made him sound like a small child whimpering from the monsters under the bed.

The wooden gate opened with a creak and for a second Saim felt the sense of freedom. Recognising the two figures approaching, his heart sinks.

"Nice of you to join us in the real world again" Dan says with loathing.

"Or is it the real world" Ray adds, "You are now looking at not one but two ghosts, so you thought"

"I hope our friends didn't disturb you too much. I didn't want you to wake up alone," Dan cruelly states gesturing towards the swine.

"Please get me out of here. Show some mercy I beseech you" Saim pleads

"Oh we are just about to do that" Ray answers abruptly.

"You will be shown the same amount of mercy you were about to give the girls, and me, a couple of hours ago"

"Please Dan. You know I would not have gone through with it. I just wanted to scare you"

"Oh just stop, Begging does not suit you"

The scaffold pole felt cold as they took an end each, lifting it onto their shoulders and taking the weight. The metal straps straining, holding Saim's body weight, cut into his skin and he let out a high pitched shrill.

Like hunters with their prized catch, stomping through the thick uncut grass, they arrive at the pyre. Raising Saim off their aching shoulders, they place each end of the scaffold pole onto the metal A-frame straddling the pile of petrol soaked coals and wood.

With his head hanging down, Saim believed that Dan would not give him such a horrendous end. In his mind, he knew that Dan understood the implications of this act and he was convinced it was just that, an act, and his confidence grew.

"How dare you degrade me like this? You have had your fun, you have heard me beg, and I have even pissed myself. Now get me down." Saim insisted.

Dan did not answer and just stared a blank, soulless stare. Reaching down into the long grass, he picks up the first thing that met his hand. As Saim's mouth opened to spurt another protest, Dan grabbed his jaw, and with force, wedged the item between his teeth.

Ray, nose to nose with Saim, sneered, "As we say, you live by the sword, you die by the sword"

"Or to quote a saying you use frequently Saim, Suer ka maut marna" Dan added

Saim's eyes widened with frenzy as Dan lit the match.

As the blazing flame took hold, Dan closed his eyes and let the match fall from his fingers on to the fuel soaked pyre. As the match met the petrol fumes, the ball of flame rushed skywards enveloping Saim's entire naked body. The crackling sound, and roar of the fire, drowned out any screams Saim may have made and Dan was glad not to hear any.

The fragrant smells of wild flowers had vanished and instantaneously replaced with the stench of singed hair. Dan and Ray pinched their noses tight as they turned and walked back to the barn. The feeling of shame and indignity, of the heinous act he had just performed, shot through Dan but he had his reasons why he chose that particular way.

Over thirty minutes had gone by since starting the fire and the silence was deafening between them. Dawn was upon them and the first rays of light began to pierce the tree line and creep across the open field.

With a bucket of water in hand, Dan made his way towards the pyre, with Ray following close behind.

The stench of burnt flesh was acrid and he had to keep swallowing as the bile tried to make its escape from his stomach. What used to be a body was now just a chunk of charcoal. Any feature, identifiable as Saim, had now gone. The black mass covered in melted body fat, hissing as it dripped onto the hot coals, glinted in the light of the new dawn. Slipping their hands into gloves, to shield them from the hot metal pole, they removed the scaffold pole and walked to the pigpen for the last time. Cutting through the straps with metal snips, the well-done piece of meat hit the floor with a squelching thud. As more boiled body juices seeped onto the floor, saturating the straw, the pigs came to investigate. It would not take them long to devour their meal, and finish the job Dan had started, leaving no trace behind. As the first squeal filled the morning air and the pigs began to fight over their feast, the two men turned and left.