They\u2019d rearranged the ropes so that they had easy access.
\nThat was necessary; the needles weren\u2019t very long, after all.
\nHe\u2019d tried keeping track of how many they\u2019d driven into him but he lost count when they moved past his arms and shoulders and into the area between his collarbone and neck. It had all been very quiet, though; the things seemed to be very serious about what they were going and aside from sucking his breath in past his teeth, he wasn\u2019t making any noise.
\nDamned if he\u2019d make any noise.
\nEventually the sky was dark and they were done with the needles. He couldn\u2019t look down properly but he didn\u2019t think they\u2019d missed too many places. He looked up to see the taller thing standing in front of him. Its eyes were glinting sharply and its lips were pulled back just about to its rear molars in a rictus grin.
\n\u201cGood. Ver\u2019 good,” it murmured almost to itself, then turned away. \u201cMUD!<\/i>\u201d
\nThe hell? <\/i>
\nHe had time to puzzle it over. Several of the scrawnier creatures shuffled forward and began to wrestle the foul-smelling cauldron off the fire, dragging it through the dirt towards him.
\nWhen they started packing the hot, stinking mess onto his body, using the pins as a sort of anchor to prevent it all from sliding off, Steven still didn\u2019t make a sound.
\nBut it was much harder this time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
They\u2019d rearranged the ropes so that they had easy access. That was necessary; the needles weren\u2019t very long, after all. He\u2019d tried keeping track of how many they\u2019d driven into him but he lost count when they moved past his arms and shoulders and into the area between his collarbone and neck. It had all … <\/p>\n