Page 13 of The Flesh That Binds Us

“Christopher Allen, aged thirty, a father of one, disappeared approximately two months ago after failing to return home from work. His vehicle was later found abandoned, with the note located in his mailbox. As of today, we are announcing a reward of one hundred thousand dollars for information that leads to the location of Liam Anderson or Christopher Allen, or leads to the arrest and conviction of the individual responsible for their disappearance. We urge anyone who may have seen something to come forward.”

Time stood still as the older version of my brother spoke through the screen. I stared at the TV, unblinking, before I clamped a hand over my mouth to contain the sobs that tore through my chest. I…I couldn’t even begin to comprehend what I was seeing. He had aged so much over the years, I could barely recognise him. My once-lanky teenage brother was nowhere to be seen. He was now tall and muscular, with an air of authority he hadn’t had before.

“Now. There is something further I need to address,” Peter said, shuffling some papers in front of him. “Seven years ago, in December of 1985, my younger sister, Evelyn Rosen, was abducted.” A low whine escaped my throat, and I squeezed my eyes shut. No. It’s not real, it’s not real. Wake up, Evie. Just wake up. But when I opened my eyes, he was still on the screen.

“Like the others, a note found at our residence indicated the involvement of the same offender we are discussing today,” he said, referring to an image showcasing the written taunt Wayne had left behind. I clutched my chest as I struggled to breathe, darkness creeping into the corners of my vision.

“Unlike some of the other cases, Evelyn has never been found. For seven years, her case has remained cold. So today, I am also announcing a separate reward of ten thousand dollars for any information that may assist in locating Evelyn Rosen or determining what happened to her. If you knew something back then and didn’t come forward, now is the time. If you saw something and dismissed it, now is the time. If you’ve been holding onto something for years, unsure if it mattered—it does. Please call crime stoppers at 0018-000-333.”

An old photo sat propped beside the microphone of me and Peter at his seventeenth birthday. Beside it was a crude sketch of what I could only assume was supposed to be me today. Peter glanced at it, just for a second. But I could see the way his jaw tightened before he looked straight into the camera.

Looking at me.

“Evie…” His voice faltered. “If God is willing, and somehow you’re watching this, know that I love you, and I miss you beyond words.” I struggled to look away, even as my heart broke and shattered into millions of shards in my chest. “And I’m not stopping. Do you hear me? I’m not…” His voice cracked, breaking through the composure he was trying so hard to hold. “I’m not stopping until I bring you home.”

“I’m here,” I cried, my fingers tightening around the remote. “I’m here. I’m right⁠—”

“What do you think you’re doing?”

I gasped as I lurched up from the floor so fast the room tilted, and my thumb crushed down on the remote. The sound cut out instantly, the screen still flickering but silent now. Peter’s mouth still moved, still calling for me, but I couldn’t hear him anymore. Wayne stood in the threshold of the lounge room, the light from the TV illuminating his face in pulses.

His expression was…still.

But his eyes…his eyes were locked onto the screen.

I swallowed, the sound loud in the silence. “I-I didn’t mean to,” I said quickly, the words tangling together. “It just…it came on⁠—”

“Is that right?” he mused, his voice dull and detached.

I couldn't move as a cold sensation spread throughout my body. “I’m s-sorry,” I whispered, taking a step backward.

“What was that?” he questioned, tilting his head.

“Please, Wayne,” I begged. “I’m sorry⁠—“

In an abrupt move, Wayne lunged forward, grabbing fistfuls of my hair. I cried out as he pulled me to my knees and dragged me down the hallway towards the basement door. “No! No! Please, I'm sorry!” I pleaded as he stumbled over my chain.

“You little fucking bitch,” he spat as he opened the door and pushed me down the stairs. I tumbled down, limbs flailing, crying out as my head hit the concrete at the bottom. The wind was knocked out of me as darkness cloaked my vision.

“Hey, what the fuck?” the man whose name I now know was Christopher exclaimed as Wayne trudged down the stairs. I moaned in pain as I rolled onto my back, my head pounding from the impact.

“I’m sorry, Wayne,” I mumbled, my head spinning as he stood on the landing, a large grin marring his face.

“You haven’t fucking seen sorry. I’ll fucking show you sorry.”

I attempted to scramble backwards, my palms slipping on the concrete. But he was already on me, his fists tangled in my hair again, and he yanked hard enough to tear a scream straight out of my chest. My scalp burned as he dragged me across the floor to his torture square—a stained patch of concrete where he usually did all his punishments.

“You’ve forgotten your place,” he growled as he lifted me up underneath my armpits and forcefully pulled my left arm up to the gambrel hook before repeating the same with my right.

“No! Please, I'll do anything!” I cried, terror overwriting the pain in my body.

“Getting too fucking comfortable.” He slapped me before squeezing my cheeks, his fingernails digging into my flesh. “You think you’re fucking special to me or something? Think you can ignore what I say, and do what you want in my house?” He laughed, spit landing on my cheek.

“You’re nothing but pussy, darl. Never forget that,” he said as a keening sound escaped me. I desperately thrashed my body, trying to unhook my arms. Wayne chuckled with a shake of his head and released my cheeks to move towards his desk. And when he pulled open the top drawer, my stomach sunk, knowing exactly what was in there.

“No! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!” I was hysterical, my fingers going numb above me, my legs swinging inches from the ground.

“Leave her alone!” Christopher shouted from somewhere behind me.