Chapter Seventeen

It's death or death. There's no way out of it, Kill or be killed.

Warnings:  This is probably the worst in the way of violence and gore I've written.  There's torture, mutilation, brief but descriptive gore, murder, violence, threats of murder, suicidal thoughts, mental breaking, physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. And just a lot of s**t that'll probably disturb people, upset people, and/or trigger people.

I wondered how long he had been doing this to me, and how long it had been since I saw Rema.

He tortured me the whole night, used every minute to cause me pain. He purposely aimed for my leg, hit my stomach with a crowbar so many times I threw up blood, and tied my hands together above my head with barbed wire.

He brought Rema inside that same day, and threw her down the basement stairs, locking her in there alone.  Hours later, she pounded at the door, screamed and cried for what felt like days, begging him to just stop and leave me alone.

He locked me in the closet at night and wouldn’t let me see Rema since the night outside.  The closet was small, stuffy, and I hated small spaces because of this closet.  It made me feel like I couldn’t breathe.  Like all the air was running out, and all I could do was lie there and cry until I fell asleep.

I didn’t know how long he kept us apart, but he said he didn’t want us around each other for a while, saying she was a bad influence on my “training.”  She cried at the door every single day.

“Frey… Frey! Wake the f**k up!  Ya don’t get to doze on me!”  A sharp slap snapped me back into reality, and I was met with his hateful face.  “You listen to me when I’m talkin’!”

“You’re only talkin’ s**t at this point…” I muttered weakly, a part of me still wanting to fight, to hold onto what little pride I had left…  I was breaking.  I knew it.  But I had to hold on as long as I could.

He slapped me again, “Frey, yer really pissing me off with this s**t…”  He gripped my leg, making me scream again and I heard Rema beg from the locked door, pounding on it again.

He kicked me in the face, then disappeared from my view for a moment.  When he returned, he had nails and a hammer.  He set them down on his old coffee table, and lit a smoke.

He chained smoked for about an hour, ranting about how useless and stupid I was being and how I was only making it worse for myself.  Each cigarette he finished, he put out on me like I was an ashtray.  On my back, stomach, sides, neck, my face.

Then, after he finished the last one, he stood and grabbed the hammer.

“So, I’m going to have to take this to the next level…” He bent down next to me, and held a nail to my leg.

I stared with wide eyes, unable to speak a single word before he hammered it right into my broken leg.  I screamed, and he added another.  I tried to pull away, protect my injured leg the best I could, but he just held it there with an iron grip, hammering nail after nail into my skin.  I screamed so loud I lost my voice, then the tears came again.

By the time he finished, he had put at least a dozen nails in my leg, and I was a whimpering mess.

“What are you doing to him? Stop! Please, stop!” Rema’s sobbing echoed through the house, but he ignored her.

“Well, ya had enough yet, you stupid kid?” The Man bent down, right in my face as I shook and cried silently to myself. He smacked me upside the head to make a point. “You gonna respect me now?”

“I… I f****n’ hate you…” I whispered, my voice somehow managing to sound strong, “I’ll never respect you, you sick b*****d.”

“Nope, you’re gonna keep being a damn brat…” He sighed, shoving me onto my back, “I swear, it’s like ya like being treated like this or somethin’...”

I could hardly keep my eyes open, the pain was overwhelming...

“More nails then, I guess…  Lemme get the front of that leg now.” He drove another nail into my leg, and I felt it hit the pieces of bones.  I felt the next one go right through the skin and muscle, deep into my leg and cause even more pain with every hit of the hammer.

With a knife in the other hand, he slashed my upper thigh, then drove another nail.  The cut was wide, and bled openingly.  He cut me again, higher on my leg.  Then another nail.  Then another cut.  Then another nail.  He left the knife after the nail was driven in, and didn’t reach for it again for some reason.

I let out a sob when he ran his fingers up my leg, stroking my inner thighs, getting closer and closer, higher and higher.  I was already so sore and I knew I was bleeding and torn.  I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Ple…” I whispered, my back arching when he pushed his fingers inside without any remorse.  I wanted to squirm away.  I wanted to kick him in that disgusting, smirking mouth and get the hell away from him.

“You’re nothin’ Frey… Do you get that yet?  This is the only thing you’re good for…” He smirked at the pain on my face, and pushed harder. “You’re useless in every other area, besides maybe killing and being a reckless moron… This here, this is all you’re useful for… Ah, it’s like you were just made for this…”

“Don’t… Not again…”

I couldn’t handle it, not now.  I wasn’t given any time to cover in between each assualt, and I was so sore and in so much pain, I just didn’t want to have to deal with being raped again.

He slapped me, “See, right there… You act all tough now, like you’re some kind of man… But you’re really just a b***h.  You’re the same person inside that you’ve always been.”

I sobbed harder as he pinned me down.  I screwed my eyes shut tightly so I didn’t have to look at him.

“Stop f****n’ cryin’ and screamin’ already! You’re giving me a headache.” He shouted, slapping me across the face. “You really are pathetic, you know that Frey?  You really thought you could kill me?  Thought you could take me on like you were some kind of badass hero… Frey, You are nothing.  You’ve always been nothing and you will always be nothing!”

“Please stop…” I grasped, my voice was so sore, it didn’t even sound like me. “Please.”

“What happened to “You can’t break me”?” He mocked me, “What happened to being stronger?  Or was that just a show?  A stroke to your ego?  This is what I mean, Frey, you’re completely pitiful… So useless it’s almost a waste to keep you around.”

“Then kill me!” I shouted, “Just kill me, I don’t care anymore!  It hurts! It f*****g hurts and I can’t take it!”

I heard Rema scream my name, but it fell on deaf ears… I didn’t care anymore… I just wanted to die… I wanted it to be over.

“You want me to stop, you’re saying?” He spoke clearly, actually pulling away.

“Yes.” I curled up, trying to protect myself in case he decided to start kicking the daylights out of me again.

“You give in? Hmm?” He bent down, his hand running over the welts and cigarette burns on my back.  

“I can’t… I can’t take anymore.  D****t, you broke my f****n’ leg and drove nails into it for f**k’s sake!  Why can’t you stop and let me sleep?  I’m… I’m so tired...” My body hurt all over.  I couldn’t feel or think about anything but pain at this point.  I didn’t even know how long he’d been doing this, days? Weeks? Months? I didn’t even remember, I couldn’t think straight.

“Alright… I’ll stop.” He said, straightening.  He sighed and looked down at me, then spit. “You really are pathetic, Frey.”

He disappeared from view again, and when he returned he was dragging Rema behind him and he threw her to the ground in front of me.  She was covered in dried mud, fifth, and blood. Her eyes had dark circles under them, and she was pale with tears all over her face. She just stared at me in horror.

“What… What the hell is wrong with you!” She screamed, making me jump. “Why would you hurt him like this? What did you do?”

“Well, I guess I was playing with him a bit too rough and he broke.” The Man said, a nonchalant tone to his voice. “Begged me to stop like a little b***h child… So, that means I’m going to play with you for a while, darlin’, then kill  you.  That should teach him never to run again.”

My head snapped up, and for a moment, my breath caught it my chest and I couldn’t breathe. “What?”

“You should know by now, Frey, I’m a man of my word.  I said if you got in my way, I’d break yer leg… and I did.  I also made that deal with you that I wouldn’t touch Rema unless you broke, and you did… So I’m keepin’ my word.  Honestly, I’m surprised you lasted through half of the s**t I did to you.  I really thought you’d give up the first couple days, but it’s been almost two weeks now!”

Rema’s face went from worry to panic and she reached for a knife, lunging at him.  She managed only a few slashes at him before he grabbed the knife from her hands and threw her down.  She hit the floor hard, groaning as she tried to get up, only to be kicked in the face.

“Don’t fight me, you’ll lose.” He growled, “You’re too weak-minded, small, and honestly… You’re just a little girl.” He stabbed the knife through her hand, pinning it to the floor.

She let out a horrible scream, that shook the whole house and made my ears feel like they’d bleed.

He reached for the crowbar on the table, patting it against his hand as he circled her.

“Stop…” I pleaded, I tried to free my wrists from the wire, but the sharp edges just cut deeper into my skin. “Just stop… I’m not broken, I… We can do it over again, please…”

“No, Frey… You’re completely broken.” He laughed, and the crowbar connected with Rema’s stomach. “So shut up and stop lying.”

He hit her again, and I heard her ribs break.  She gasped for air, blood bubbling over her lips.  She looked over at me, her green eyes half-lidded and teary.  She mouthed “it isn’t your fault” and more blood gathered under her face.

The crowbar connected with her arm, and I heard her scream in agony.  Tears beginning to fall down her dirty face.  She was choking on her own blood, fear in her eyes.  She kept staring at me, this unreadable expression on her face.  She took another hit, and another to her stomach, and the blood was steady pouring from her mouth.

Her hand flexed and twitched unconsciously, blood dripping from around the blade.  It was turning pale and I could see the veins pulsing under the skin.

He smacked it across her face, and her forehead split open, she couldn’t even scream anymore.  Her eyes fluttered open and closed, bloodshot and dull as the blood pool got larger and larger.  She grasped in wheezing breaths, still staring into my soul.

It was that moment that I knew if I didn’t do anything, she was going to die right in front of me and I would be alone.  I would be alone with a sick man, chained in a basement until the day I died, killing whoever he wanted me to, doing whatever he wanted me to, living as nothing but a puppet and a toy for him to break over and over and over.

I called on the monster.  I pleaded for it, begged for it, promised it my soul if it just f*****g gave me the strength to stop him and finally put an end to this nightmare.  I’d give it everything, if it just helped me… helped her.

“Ya see, Frey… Humans are nothing but burdens… Useless bags of flesh and meat, meant to be crushed.  No one will ever love you… They’ll all leave, they’ll all die… and the only person you will ever have will be me…” He kicked her again, and she barely moved.  The impact busting open her cheek and breaking her nose.

Everything went red.  My body rose even with a broken leg and too many injuries to count - but I couldn’t feel them.  I stumbled forward, his back turned to me.  The Monster growled through my lungs, it’s demonic laughter starting to echo through the house… growing louder and louder.

I unwrapped the barb wire that was binding my wrists enough to put it around his neck.  He gasped in surprise, blood and flesh gathering on the sharp twists of the wire as I moved it back and forth slowly.  

He clawed at my arms, pulled at the wire so hard it tore through my skin, but I couldn’t feel it.  He was spitting blood, gasping and screaming by the time I let him fall.  He crawled backwards, holding the squirting gashes on his neck as blood splattered out of his mouth.

“Frey… Frey… Stop.”

I cocked my head to the side, a strange smile twisting across my face, “Why?  You never stopped?” It wasn’t my voice… It was the monsters.

“Fr...ey?” He whispered, eyes wide and confused.

“He’s here, but doesn’t want to talk to you right now...”

“No… No!” Blood flew from his mouth with every word, “I gave you... what you wanted!  Is...Isn’t he enough?  Why... Why would you…. after me… I…”

I reached down, pulling the blade out of Rema’s hand and ignoring her scream.  I stuck the blade into his chest, and bathed in the shout of pure agony it drew from The Man.    I cut into his face, stabbed into his neck, sliced chunks of flesh off his face and dismembered the man who caused me so much pain in so many years.

He begged and begged, but was dead in seconds.  Yet, The monster and I carved his face until there was no skin left, skinned the flesh off his bones and laughed at the sight.  I cut out both his eyes, removed his tongue.  He was just blood and meat under the skin.  The skin was just plastic covering and without his face, he wasn’t so scary.  

It felt so good… It felt so damn good, I was sobbing by the time I was done…

Author's Note

Multiple chapters, so go back and read previous... Or I just looked fucked up.

Okay... So... The worst is finally over. Frey got really fucked up here, Rema got fucked up and almost killed, but they escaped and killed that son of a bitch with the help of Frey's Monster.
I have to admit, the whole carving the skin off the man's face and shit was fun to imagine and write... Same with nails being hammered into Frey's leg. Okay, maybe I'm a little fucked up in the head...

But now the worst is finally over, and shit'll be much less intense and gory from here on out. This volume's wrapping up in the next few chapters, sooo... Yeahhhh...

Feedback's awesome, despite this being fucked up I hope people did enjoy(?) it?? Hey, at least my characters are okay now...
I feel really bad for doing this to them.
I love my little tortured serial killers, I swear! I do! I'm just really mean to them sometimes...

Reviews

[CAPOLAVORO]

This is it! This is part where Frey is getting all psycho again. When someone gets psycho they could instantly speak any languages and could even do something which is beyond and this is Frey now. I love it. Even how it ends bloody I love it. :)

[Sinbulvinter]

(I'm sorry it took so long for me to reply to your review here. I lost internet in June and had been unable to get online for a month)

Haha, yeah, this is basically where Frey goes all psycho again, or where he lets his Monster take control - however you wanna look at it.
I'm glad you enjoyed the bloodiness. Thanks for reading.

[Kesha]

Whoop finally he is gone! Haha a great chapter, enjoyed the carving of the face! Nicely written :)

[Sinbulvinter]

Yep, I finally killed the man off. I was enjoying the gore a little too much. haha jk but not really XP
The face carving scene was actually a lot of fun to remember.

[Kesha]

Haha that's funny

[Island Hippy]

Aloha, holy hell that was insane. That made me shudder and tense up.
This line "The Monster growled through my lungs, it’s demonic laughter starting to echo through the house… growing louder and louder." that was like armageddon reading those words and I loved the power shift and how he just went to work. That was such incredible writing. Everything I hoped would happen played out. Insane :) Izzy

[Sinbulvinter]

Thanks for reading. Sorry it took so long to actually get to this point - but yeah. I got a little carried away here. XP
I had a lot of fun with the imagery in this, especially killing the man and the Monster coming through

[Dr. YumnaKay]

Ooooh so finally justice haha I love that the Man was killed at the end lol and that carving his face scene was soo good! Really sums up how Frey felt after killing him.

So, the scene where the Man puts nails in Frey's legs, that was horrific to read but yeah I didn't pass out and still holding up :P

I loved the dialogues here and the way Frey's monster just unleashes was pretty cool to read. The Man's shocked expression and his pleading was well brought out too.

I just wish Rema had been more useful than being a pain in the a*s for Frey but she just let everything happen, total s**t lol

I'll finally rest knowing the worse s**t is over for now :p but I'm wondering... Who's gonna be the villain now?

Oh, and this line here:
"The cut was wide, and bled openingly."
should be "bled openly".. other than that everything perfect :) I loved this chapter :))

[Sinbulvinter]

Yeah, I had so much fun with the gore scenes in this chapter, and the carving The Man's face was epic to imagine in my head.
I kinda wish I didn't have to kill the man, because he was so much fun to write, but if I didn't... well, then I woulda had to kill Frey and Rema. hah!

Yeah, Rema was like, utterly useless during this whole storyline arc here. In reality, she's just too small and physically weak to do anything. Kinda made me feel bad for her just being an idiot and letting s**t happen without really being able to stop any of it. She just got swatted away like a fly every time she tried. haha.

Well, the next "villian" isn't really a villian. Haha. You'll see.

Thanks for reading and reviewing, and being able to stomach all this in the last few chapters.
And thanks for the correction as well.

[Dr. YumnaKay]

That was cool!
And lol I caught a glimpse of someone's review on the last chapter. You did kill Rema in the end 😶
And yeah that was it. She just got played around lol

Ahh don't tell me it's gonna be Frey 😛 I like him a bit would be a shame if he turned super psycho haha 😛😂 but yeah of course I'm gonna keep reading 😊
You're welcome. A pleasure it has been to follow this story 😊

[Dr. YumnaKay]

Hahah well I didn't intend to but that review cropped up in my feed and I was like wtf lol but I guessed so that one of them would die and good thing that Frey is alive 😂😛

Oooh Kacia? I figured she would have some role but villain? Hmm I'm excited and curious af haha 😛😛

[matrixmark]

Just seen this - Delete it before people see it. Dont spoil the book.

Just trying to help.

Mark.

[Dr. YumnaKay]

Haha trying to help? Lol now more will be reading this 😂 I'll let Sinbulvinter handle the s**t haha 😛😂

[Sinbulvinter]

Yeah, I'll probably delete the spoilers anyway, since I read comments on other people's stories, and I know other people read them as well.
D****t, that one chick spoiled two people, man!
But yeah, like I said, Irony, Frey's the only one who wants to die, yet he's the only one who lives. Hah!
But yeah, those comments are being deleted.

[Dr. YumnaKay]

Hahah cool! That's okay for me 'cause I can breathe now 😛😉

[matrixmark]

Its interesting how you started off with Frey being concerned about Rema rather than himself. It's actually a wonder that Frey is still with us, after all the battering he has taken. I feel for the guy in an odd way BUT its like we have talked about before - Rooting for the Bad guys is the way to go instead of the good guys taking all the limelight; its about time someone gave the bady guys a chance. COME ON FREY - unleash the monster. Must of been quite harrowing for Frey to hear Ream outside crying and he was helpless to do anything, but also the same applies for Rema - You gotta think to yourself what must be going through her mind - will she be raped again, will 'the man' kill her or even will she somehow take her own life.
I LOVE THE GRUESOMENESS Freys beating. Awesomely done - So glad you didn't hold back on any of it. Well written.
The pain for Frey was well written and the mental pain Rema was going through must have matched it too. I really enjoyed reading about the 'the man' and how demonic he really got. He is seriously fucked in the head. But thats what I like about him. I have a bad feeling hes gonna be killed though by Freys 'sleeping monster'
It was quite a sad scene to see that Rema tried to put up a fight but we all know that 'the man' would easily overpower her. At this point it leterally did feel that the devil was in the room with some puppy dogs and was just having some kind of evil play time with them.
And then the monster came.
I lked the speech you did when he came - really cool. It was like - Freys not here right now, please leave a message after the beeps...lol
A very satisfactory end to a very well written chapter.

Mark.

[Sinbulvinter]

Yeah, I feel really fucked up in the head for going into such detail with the torture and gore here, with the nails being driven into Frey's leg, The Man's face getting skinned and his eyes removed, the barbed wire. I feel like I went a bit overboard. lol. But with this being the last chapter of the Man storyline arc, I felt like I had to go all out. And I'm glad you approved of me not holding back. haha
And that was the best part about this arc, in my view, because up until now, Rema and Frey have been shown as dangerous and basically monsters, yet, when compared to The Man, they were just victims he could overpower. Rema was too physically weak to fight back, and Frey was too mentally weak to fight back. It made them look less like the killers they are.

The Monster scene was so much fun to write actually, and I had been waiting to have the monster finally f**k up the man completely. It was really fun to imagine all the gore of The Man being murderered and dismembered, I hope I was able to put the details in enough to give a good image. XP

Thanks for reading. Glad you enjoyed it so far! And I'm impressed you didn't get uncomfortable by all this. Lol.

[matrixmark]

Uncomfortable I don't do. I seem to be pretty immune from it all, hence why I can read stuff like this and not let it bother me. The images, fighting and FINALLY 'the monster' awakening were great. Pen to paper flowed like a current down a stream. I can tell you were itching to write about the monster and it worked - holding back was so worth it.
Rema as more like a rag doll in the room.

Of course I am going to enjoy it - this is what we both do - Bad guys rock.

Mark.

[Sinbulvinter]

Well, I'm glad you don't get uncomfortable. Most people can handle a little blood and violence, but some people get real screamish with torture and gore, not to mention how uncomfortable people get by male on male rape now a day. lol.
I had a lot of fun with this storyline though, the imagery and just thinking of new creative things to do. I feel like I was holding back on killing the man for a while to actually make the death more worth it, but mostly I feel I just did it to draw out the fucked up s**t. I'm really screwed up. lol.
And yeah, Rema was utterly useless during this thing. Hah. I feel kinda bad for making her seem so weak and unable to do anything to defend herself or Frey. But yeah, that's kinda Rema's character, either snaps under pressure or freezes up, and she's described as small and not very physically strong, so she's easily overpowered.

Yes, bad guys do rock! That's why all my characters are really just bad guys and really bad guys. Hah. Bad guys for the win!

[Jisad Oneida Cho]

Oh my f**k, this book is Goddamn amazing.

Your characters have so much depth, I feel them throughout completely, and I just couldn't wait to see what the f**k would happen to Frey (and Rema) next. I honestly couldn't put my phone down until I was done reading this all!

I write some fucked stuff too but yours is much better and more fucked, I love it, I need to get better at writing longer stories.

My only criticism would be don't be so apologetic about your fucked-up-ness, embrace it!

[Sinbulvinter]

Wow, I am so flattered that you read all the chapters I have posted so far in one go! You just made my day right here, and I was having a bad day so you just turned that around. Thanks so much!

I'm glad to hear you're enjoying my story and my characters, and that it really kept you reading. That was what I was hoping for!

I'll def check out your work as well, I like fucked up writing and it makes me feel like I'm not alone.

Haha, Thanks, I'll try. I can't help but feeling a little bad for torturing my characters so badly and doing such fucked up s**t to them, but for some reason it's a dark obsession of mine. Plus, I'm a fan of gore, messed up topics like torture and rape (which makes me sound like a sicko, but oh well.), and really anything that disturbs me. I also like writing about taboo things and going over the top with it. So I'll try not to be so apologetic. Lol. XP

I'm actually about to upload the eighteenth chapter now. This volume ends at chapter 22, so it's actually almost over, but then there's a second volume coming out afterwards that will pick up where this leaves off (after a pretty big twist), so readers can look forward to that.

[Jisad Oneida Cho]

Awesome, I can't wait to read the rest!!

And I totally get what you mean, I was drawn into your story because it's right up my alley like that, all my writing is about good people who get bashed down and eventually crack.

I totally dig the torture/rape angle (we're probably all a bit sick, but hey whatever, that's life!)

Keep writing!

[Sinbulvinter]

Chapter Eighteen is up now, btw. =)

Yeah, I'm only good at writing stuff like that. Basically people getting fucked up then breaking at some point, expect in my case, the people usually aren't all that good. Haha. In fact, none of my characters are really "good" everybody's either crazy, sadistic, angry, or a total a*****e... Or all the above like Frey. Lol.
But Yeah, your stuff sounds right up my alley too, so I will check it out for sure!

And Yeah, torture/rape is a pretty messed up thing, but I've always digged it in some weird way. I remember stumbling across a story online somewhere with Rape in it when I was like, fourteen and I think it really fucked me up in the head 'cause now I can't even write normal sex. Lol

[Jisad Oneida Cho]

Damnit! Guess I gotta stay up for a bit longer then!!

Haha and ya Frey is definitely not a good person, but I'm sure at one point, in those ages he doesn't remember (before 10) he had some good in him. It was stolen away by his crackhead mom and then completely destroyed by The Man... but that little bit of good in him seems to peek out every once in a while, pulled a bit by Rema, until life (or The Man) crams it back inside him.

[Sinbulvinter]

Yeah, Rema's a decent person, just a bit damaged and that makes her dangerous, but Frey's really just a pretty fucked up dude. As a kid, he was a good person, quiet and s**t, but he was good like most kids, but he doesn't remember any of that so... Now he's just a messed up, borderline sadistic, loudmouth a*****e all the time. But I love him, despite the fact I put him through so much s**t. haha.
He does have some good still in him though, like you said, little peeks of it. All my characters are kinda like that. They're grey, not completely good or bad.

[Jisad Oneida Cho]

Haha I think you need to love them to put them through s**t really!

And yeah grey is the right way, it makes them more realistic, I don't think any one of us in reality is fully black or white, we'd be way too one dimensional, so characters need to be too.

That loud mouth is going to get Frey into even more s**t in the future, I'm sure of it!

[Sinbulvinter]

Yeah exactly. We aren't perfect, so it's dumb to make characters that way. Thats why I like characters that are more Grey, or have their own demons even if they're good people.

Yeah, That's Frey's biggiest downfall, he runs his mouth too much and ends up getting shot or tortured for it. Lol.

[Oneluv]

Bravo, 👏 you get a standing ovation!!! This chapter was brilliantly amazing!!! You have out done yourself!!! This was the climax of the story, and might I say it was better then an orgasim...hands down lol but Im serious this chapter has given me so much life! When the moster came out, I was cheering. I was happy that the monster also gave the man a taste of his own medicine by torturing him. Im so happy for Frey and Rema! I know that everything is going to change but atleadt they are free! I wonder what will the monster ask for in reture for helping him. Overall great chapter. It had me on the edge lol

[Sinbulvinter]

Better than an orgasim? Whoa, I am truly flattered. Lol.
This chapter was a lot of fun to think out and write, and I enjoyed finally having the man get what was coming to him, and allowing Frey and Rema to escape. The Monster is a wild card, and what it plans to do isn't going to be pretty, but the Monster is so much fun to write.
I'm really glad you've enjoyed the chapter so much. Thanks for reading and reviewing.
I'll be uploading the eighteen chapter tonight or tomorrow, I'm currently finishing up the last couple chapters of the first volume, thinking it'll end and set up for Volume two around Chapter 22 or 23.