OMG! I've written! LOST FIC: Hail Mary
Sep. 8th, 2006 01:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
spankingfemmeI know, it's been forever and a day since I've been around, and it's been even longer since I've written! After many hours of LOST sleep (literally and meant as a pun :P he he) I've finally got something to share. I hope you all enjoy!
This story is a fanfiction based after the “LOST” episode the Long Con …
The humidity clung in the tropical air like a led weight. Charlie sat in the shade on the edge of the beach looking out at the ocean letting himself become mesmerized by the monotony of the waves.
It had only been three days since the incident in the woods had taken place. The whole encampment was on edge murmuring worried conversations about the “Others” and what attacks the group might suffer next.
Charlie’s guilt rose into the pit of his stomach as he thought about what he had agreed to do for Sawyer; for what? …to get back at Locke for not believing him about the drugs, and to be honest, it wasn’t even that which had bent him out of shape. It was more the fact that Claire had found out about his little secret and had disallowed Charlie to stay around her and the baby.
A flare of jealous anger coursed through Charlie as he thought about Locke taking his place next to Claire. Charlie let out a frustrated sigh realizing that after what he had done, he didn’t deserve to have the attentions of Claire let alone have the right to still be angry with Locke.
Charlie’s anger subsided quickly to be once more replaced by his overwhelming guilt. The baby he could justify his actions for, but Sun… Sun had no righteous motive behind his deed, and to the contrary, it was only petty jealousy that had fueled Charlie to team up with Sawyer.
Charlie shook his head in disgust as he rose up off the sand covered beach. It would still be a good four or so hours before the sun would be setting, and he figured he’d check out the progress Mr. Eko had made on the church he had started building. The building of the church seemed to be the one of the last redeeming contributions Charlie felt he could make to their little island community.
Charlie came upon Mr. Eko busily hacking away at a thick log. Mr. Eko glanced up and gave Charlie a small grin, “Good afternoon Charlie.”
Charlie returned the smile, “Thought I’d pop on by and see if’n you needed a bit of help.”
Mr. Eko let the hatchet remain buried in the log before looking Charlie in the eye and nodding, “After I finish up here, you can help me to carry back more sturdy logs to use for the foundation. I saw three about 2000ft or so away,” Mr. Eko finished his statement pointing off into the jungle’s canopy.
Charlie’s eyes followed Mr. Eko’s finger as he nodded in acknowledgement and walked over to the other end of the log Mr. Eko had been cutting and steadied it so as to make Mr. Eko’s task easier.
The two worked in silence only murmuring words that pertained to the job at hand. It had taken about an hour and a half to haul the first two logs, and by the time they had made it back to the third and final log, Mr. Eko held up his hand for Charlie to stop. Mr. Eko tossed Charlie a water bottle from his pack, and Charlie caught the bottle twisting off the cap and taking a deep drink grateful that Mr. Eko had suggested the break.
Mr. Eko sat down on one end of the fallen log, and Charlie joined him. Until he had sat down, Charlie hadn’t realized just how tired he actually was and didn’t relish the idea of getting back up again.
As the two relaxed, the wheels in Charlie’s head began to turn. What would Mr. Eko think of him if he knew that only three days prior he had crept up behind Sun, thrown a bag over her head, dragged her kicking and screaming thru the jungle, and then set her loose petrified out of her mind.
The worst part of the pretended abduction was that when he had set her loose, she had fallen in her mad dash to escape, and she had gotten a nasty gash on her forehead. It was bad, but it could have been a lot worse… especially on an island with no real hospital and not much in the way of medicines to fight infections.
Mr. Eko noticed the positively miserable look that Charlie’s face held, so he asked, “What’s bothering you Charlie?”
Charlie was taken off guard by the sudden intrusion to his thoughts and quickly stated, “Oh? Umm… nothing.”
Mr. Eko paused purposefully sizing Charlie up before replying, “For nothing, your face has taken on quite a strained expression. You do not have to tell me anything Charlie, but know I am a good listener if you choose to confide in me.”
Charlie glanced away to the ground feeling suddenly uncomfortable; it was as if Mr. Eko’s stare could pry his misdeeds out of him involuntarily. He responded softly, “Believe me when I say you wouldn’t want to know any part of what’s going on in my head.”
Mr. Eko answered, “Why don’t you let me be the judge of that.”
Charlie glanced back up to meet Mr. Eko’s serious expression thinking inwardly about the fact that Mr. Eko was a priest, and that he took the “word” very seriously. If Charlie told him what he had done under the pretense of that of a confession, then Mr. Eko’s vows of priesthood would keep the matter confidential. Charlie desperately wanted to release the burden of what he did; if only to admit how truly bad he felt over the ordeal.
“I could tell you, but if I did…” Charlie lost eye contact and trailed off still nervous about the prospect of how Mr. Eko would react, and as to whether or not he could really trust Mr. Eko would keep the admission private.
Mr. Eko sensing Charlie’s hesitance encouraged him to continue, “If you did…”
Charlie grasped at a stray blade of grass between his feet as his heart rate began to increase, “If I did tell you, I would want your word as a priest that what I say stays between you and me.”
As Charlie finished, he watched Mr. Eko’s face go thru the process of considering his words to a small but certain nod, “You have my word Charlie, whatever you have to say shall remain between us.”
Charlie took a long pause studying Mr. Eko as his heart skipped a beat in anxious anticipation of the reaction he believed would follow upon bearing his dark secret. Charlie sucked in a deep breath mentally preparing how to articulate his confession, “First off, I know what you’re going ta think… and I… I know no matter how bad I feel about it, I can’t take it back…”
Charlie returned his gaze to the lone strands of grass peeking out from under the log the two were currently sitting on as he was now unable to look Mr. Eko in the eyes due to his shame, but he continued his confession none the less.
Charlie’s mouth had become dry, and his throat felt tight as he continued, “I did it Mr. Eko… it was me… I let myself become so fueled by jealousy that I agreed to Sawyer’s little plan to get hold of the guns. I knew deep down it was a horrible thing to do, but… but I did it anyway.”
The words then came out like an avalanche, spilling out in rapid succession as if, if Charlie had stopped, he would be unable to continue, “I… I just wanted to get back at Locke for not believing me about the drugs and makin’ everyone think I was out of my blooming gourd! He took Claire away from me Eko… he took her away from me, so I had to do it, and now… now I know what I’ve done! And I’m so sorry Eko… even though it doesn’t matter now, I’m so sorry…”
Charlie ran his shaky hands thru his hair a couple of times before clasping them together between his knees which were now bouncing as his anxiety mounted.
Mr. Eko’s brow creased as he listened intently, and when Charlie seemingly sputtered to a stop creating a kink in the flow of conversation, Mr. Eko offered, “You say that you helped Sawyer to acquire the guns correct?”
Charlie nodded slowly, “Yeah… I helped him…”
Mr. Eko chose his next words carefully feeling Charlie was on the verge of clamming up, and he wished to make his best effort to help Charlie overcome his inner turmoil, “I can see this situation has rattled you greatly Charlie; why don’t you start from the beginning.”
Charlie chewed on his lower lip debating on just how much he wished to tell Mr. Eko before responding, “Well, I guess I could start when I moved to the outer reaches of the camp… you know, after the whole fire starting and baby snatching incident…” Charlie glanced up warily taking in Mr. Eko’s expression so as to get an idea of how Mr. Eko was judging his previous actions.
Mr. Eko’s features had not taken on a look of disgust, and as far as Charlie could tell, it hadn’t changed much at all since the two had started the discussion. Not that Charlie would have seen much of a change due to the fact that he hadn’t removed his eyes from staring off at anything that wasn’t Mr. Eko.
Mr. Eko only responded with a coaxing, “Alright, start from there.”
Charlie swallowed hard pushing himself to tell the rest now that he had already started, “Well… I guess I just started feelin’ a little lost and out of the picture with all the steers and jeers I was getting. Sawyer was the only one besides yourself who would even carry on a conversation with me for any length of time.”
Charlie paused replaying the next few days over in his mind before resuming, “Sawyer had this plan see, he wanted to control the guns so as to upstage Jack and Locke as well as to have a tradable resource, but if’n you ask me, that he’s trying to be the most hated on …”
Mr. Eko interrupted, “We are not here to discuss Sawyer’s motives, but rather yours. Sawyer did not come to me; it was you, so tell me about your reasons.”
Charlie let out a deep sigh, “I agreed to help Sawyer only to make John look bad… Sawyer assumed it was for the heroin, but it wasn’t… he told me that we had to create a reason… we had to create confusion… Sawyer said to leave the directing of folks up ta him, but we’d need a catalyst… something that would create a reason ta send everyone into a panic and wanting to get their hands on the guns.”
Charlie went silent not wanting to go any further knowing the worst part was to come next and admitting it in his head compared to saying it out loud was proving rather difficult.
Mr. Eko had not only seen the seedier side of life, he had been it. He understood now what Charlie had done, but he did not let the anger and disappointment he felt show on his face. Mr. Eko realized that even though he would not let himself be influenced in such a way; there was a time that he had done far worse, and if not for his brother showing him the light of God, he would likely be six feet under by now, burning in the lakes of fire.
It was his brother that cleansed his soul, and now he felt it his duty to his brother to save others from a similar fate.
Mr. Eko knew that in order for Charlie to absolve his guilt, he must first admit his crimes, and so he encouraged Charlie to go on, “What was your part of the plan Charlie?”
Charlie’s tongue felt like a swollen led weight as he formed the words in his mouth, “My part… I was the distraction… that was my part.” He paused as the bile rose in his stomach.
Mr. Eko coolly remarked, “I see. So then tell me about being the distraction.”
Charlie groaned inwardly aware Mr. Eko did not need the details for knowledge, and he only wanted Charlie to voice what he had done for his confession. He took in a deep breath and began, “Sawyer used everyone’s fear as a way to get to the guns… he had made me wait up next to Sun’s garden… and… and he had made me wrap a bag over her head and drag her into the jungle…”
Mr. Eko interrupted Charlie, “You keep saying that Sawyer made you do this, but I do not see any strings attached to your hands, and unless Sawyer has mind powers Charlie, I do not see him controlling your actions.”
Charlie gulped as he nodded in agreement, “You’re right Eko, I need to take responsibility for my actions. I chose to work with Sawyer; I could have resisted the temptation of revenge. …I could have backed out… but I didn’t.”
Charlie’s eyes began to water as he spoke now, “I didn’t mean for her to get hurt Eko; when I dragged her off, I only brought her about sixty feet away before I let her break free… I didn’t think …I didn’t think that she’d fall and get all banged up.”
Charlie stared numbly off into the distance letting his guilt wash over him in waves, “I …I wish I could tell Sun it was me and that I’m sorry for what I did… Claire would never forgive me, and Jin would probably kill me if’n he had the chance; not that I could blame him.”
Mr. Eko took all of what Charlie said into consideration, and under the circumstances he knew that telling anyone else about this incident could get Charlie seriously hurt or even killed, “Charlie, I can see that you are remorseful for what you’ve done, and I can see the logic behind your inability to apologize to Sun face to face. The fact that you have come to me tells me that you wish to be forgiven; correct?”
Charlie gave Mr. Eko a meaningful look as he shook his head yes, “Of course I want to be forgiven, but it’s kind of a moot point no?”
Mr. Eko shook his head no, “I agree that you could not at this time apologize for your sins to Sun and ask for forgiveness, and I don’t believe that even if you could apologize to Sun that you would or should be forgiven with just words spoken.”
Charlie’s heart sank for he knew Mr. Eko was right he could not expect forgiveness so easily from performing such an act, “What should I do Eko? I don’t really think any hail Mary’s will cut it this time.”
Mr. Eko shook his head in agreement, “You need to be punished for what you’ve done, so that you can pay for your crimes and let go of your guilt Charlie.”
Charlie who had been taking a sip off his water bottle almost choked at the moment Mr. Eko had responded. He sputtered, “What? Punished? Like punished how?” his voice started to take on a wary nervousness as he stared at Mr. Eko’s eyes which were unmoving in their seriousness.
Mr. Eko responded with, “Your heart is not evil Charlie, but you did do an evil act, and for that, you need more than just to admit you were wrong. I do not believe your guilt will be absolved unless you feel as if you’ve paid for your crimes as well.”
Charlie thought about Mr. Eko’s words, and agreed Mr. Eko was correct in his assumption. He did feel much better from just being able to tell Mr. Eko what he had done, but Charlie still felt like it wasn’t enough, “Yeah… I guess you’re right; I don’t think I ever could not feel bad about what I did…”
Mr. Eko agreed, “I don’t think you ever should not feel badly for what you’ve done, but you can feel better.” Mr. Eko stood, “Do you trust me Charlie?”
Charlie’s brow furrowed in confusion, “Well sure I trust you; do ya think I woulda shared all that with you if I didn’t?”
Mr. Eko’s features took on a very serious expression, “Then I will help you. Stand up.”
Charlie stood; he was curious and nervous all at once, and he kept wondering if Mr. Eko planned to beat the tar out of him like Locke had. Charlie stood squeezing his eyes shut to brace himself for the shower of pummeling fists, but none came.
Mr. Eko grunted, “Now give me your belt.”
Up until the current moment, Mr. Eko had never fathomed the idea that he would ever find himself about to deliver a spanking to a grown man, but he was at a loss for other swift punishments that would be a fitting recourse for Charlie’s actions.
If he decided to use his fists on him, the smaller man most definitely would show signs of a caliber that would create questions as to what had happened and for what reasoning. Not to mention, Mr. Eko had demolished men in fights that were much tougher than Charlie, and he had no doubt that Charlie would not fight back.
Mr. Eko thought he could do his best to control the impact of a well placed fist, but he was uneasy in the knowledge that he could seriously injure Charlie which was not what he wanted. So, Mr. Eko decided that with limited options available, a spanking would have to do.
Charlie looked more confused than ever as he processed what Mr. Eko just said, ‘Give me your belt.’ The first thing that popped into Charlie’s mind that Mr. Eko planned to use his belt to tie him up and keep him from running off once he commenced to blasting him with right hooks, “I’m not gonna take off Eko, just wail away.” Charlie muttered unenthusiastically as he stiffened once more in preparation for the blows.
Mr. Eko felt a sudden urge to laugh upon looking at the way Charlie’s eyes were squeezed tight, but the feeling dissipated by the seriousness of the situation, “I know you have no intentions of running Charlie; I need the belt to administer your punishment.”
Charlie was stunned momentarily and looked at Mr. Eko with eyes the size of saucers, “Ad… administer?” It didn’t take long to put two and two together before Charlie gave Mr. Eko in incredulous look, “What are you meaning to administer with my belt!?”
Mr. Eko felt awkward about the whole situation, but he did not let it show as he folded his arms across his broad chest and responded, “Do I really need to answer a question you already know the answer to Charlie?”
Charlie blinked as he backed defensively away, “You can’t be serious Eko… I mean, I’m a bit old for a thrashing don’t ya think?”
Mr. Eko shook his head as he replied, “In this instance, no. If you can think of anything better that would not raise eyebrows, I’m open to hear it.”
Charlie thought long and hard with no conclusions that were really practical, but he voiced them anyway, “Well I could do an insane amount of push-ups or something like they do in the military …or maybe isolate myself and pray intensely… or …I don’t know, there’s got ta be something that doesn’t involve me bum becoming target practice for my own belt.”
Mr. Eko paused thinking over Charlie’s alternatives before stating, “Let me ask you this Charlie, these options you’ve suggested, do you believe that they would make you feel you’ve paid your penance?”
Charlie grimaced whishing Mr. Eko wasn’t so wise and articulate in his wording since the truth be told, Charlie knew his suggestions of push-ups and isolation would not compare in erasing most of the guilt he was feeling.
He wondered if getting his hide tanned would be any better for releasing the guilt; all he did know was that his own suggestive punishments didn’t bring the all too familiar tightness in the pit of his stomach from the prospect of having to be punished in the same way as Mr. Eko’s suggestion.
It was fear, pure and unadulterated, and perhaps it was the thought of pain and the certain humiliation that followed the act that made the thought of a spanking particularly unnerving. Either way, Charlie knew a spanking would be far worse a punishment to suffer, and more disturbing to Charlie was the fact that deep down he knew he deserved to get a much more severe punishment to cleanse his soul of the evil act he had perpetrated.
Charlie surprised himself as he admitted, “No… I don’t think they would have the same effect, but I was hoping they would.”
Mr. Eko nodded in agreement, “Then need we say more?” Mr. Eko held out his hand, and Charlie swallowed hard looking down at his waist and with a trembling hand, he began to unbuckle his belt and slide it away from his pants.
In Charlie’s head, he was screaming, ‘WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING MATE! THIS IS INSANE!’ but he did, he willingly handed Mr. Eko his belt twitching slightly as he watched Mr. Eko fold it neatly in half.
Charlie kept asking himself why he had agreed with Mr. Eko and finally coming to the conclusion that the man before him was rather intimidating and that if Mr. Eko had decided this course of action was the one that would be taken, there wasn’t much that Charlie could do to stop it from happening. At least this way, he still in his mind, had the choice of acceptance.
Beads of sweat dotted Charlie’s forehead as he squeaked, “Well, what now?”
Mr. Eko was not at a loss as he doubted he might be when he had originally asked for the belt, but now that the belt was firmly in place in his right hand, he was confident he could do the task ahead of him and while saying nothing merely pointed at the log the two had just been sitting on.
Charlie instinctually followed the trail of Mr. Eko’s finger to the log and while wanting to protest that he didn’t want to go thru with this and that he really was feeling much better about the whole matter just letting it off his chest. It would have been a lie, and so Charlie, albeit regretfully, followed Mr. Eko’s silent order.
He turned to face the log, and as he leaned forward to bend over it, he took a quick pouting glance back at Mr. Eko before assuming the position.
As Charlie was bending over the log Mr. Eko told him, “Drop your pants as well.”
Charlie did protest at this, “What?! Oh come on Eko, it’s bad enough I’m letting you turn me bum rosy, but I’ll be damned if I’m gonna put it on display so you can watch it get redder on every lash!”
Mr. Eko very calmly stated, “You agreed to let me help you Charlie, and dropping your pants is part of your punishment.”
Charlie argued, “Why does that have to be part of the punishment? Isn’t the fact that I’m going thru with this punishment enough?”
Mr. Eko responded, “Your pants will take away from the severity of the blows, and I wish to be quite thorough in delivering your consequences otherwise I will not feel I have fulfilled my obligation to help you pay for your sins.”
Charlie whined like a petulant child, “But, it’s kinda embarrassing; can’t you spare me a bit of dignity?”
Mr. Eko retorted, “It was jealousy and pride that landed you in this mess; it would do you well to be a little humbled don’t you agree?”
Charlie didn’t verbally answer instead opting to reach around to unfasten the button of his jeans. He shucked them down to where his ass ended and his thighs began wishing that he had been the type of man not to go commando, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case.
Charlie leaned forward once more and gently placed his now bared ass across the log.
Mr. Eko waited for Charlie to adjust himself before moving up to his left. He could see it was taking a lot of control on Charlie’s part to do as he had told him. Mr. Eko asked, “Are you ready?”
Charlie thought to himself that he could never be ready and how the question somehow made his current predicament seem worse; he nodded yes, and his body went rigid in anticipation.
Mr. Eko wasted no time and let the belt land with a resounding ‘SMACK!’ that made Charlie’s back arch bolt upright before having to force himself back over the log with a muffled grunt.
Charlie had expected it to hurt, just not to that degree! As the second blow landed and seconds later the searing pain emanated thru his body, Charlie was having serious second thoughts about continuing to endure being on the receiving end of his belt and Mr. Eko’s arm.
The third lick wrapped around nipping the sensitive area on Charlie’s right flank, and Charlie whimpered involuntarily. As the next few lashes landed it was becoming increasingly hard for Charlie to maintain his stillness and remain quiet.
Mr. Eko continued a steady stream of licks; he felt bad for Charlie, but he did not feel sorry for him. Charlie had brought this upon himself, and he was being man enough to take the punishment for his actions.
Every time the belt connected, it had managed to strike an untouched stripe of flesh. But as the seventh blow struck, it ripped across already tender flesh, and Charlie could hold his tongue no longer and screamed out grasping a hold of the underside of the log as if at any moment he might fly away.
Charlie had hoped Mr. Eko would take the outburst as a sign that he’d suffered enough or that he should take it a little easier now that it was getting painful enough that he was unable to contain himself, but Charlie had no such luck, and it was then he felt more than just pain as his cheeks burned in embarrassment at the sound of his own squeals of pain.
Mr. Eko came down in a relentless flurry of blows spaced apart by about three seconds; it was just long enough for Charlie to feel the full extent of each swat. He could hear the whistling of air as the belt retracted leaving only moments to be able to anticipate the next one.
His mind raced as the pain swelled to new heights, and he kept thinking, ‘God! How many more is he gonna give me?! I don’t know how much more I can take!’ It burned so badly that Charlie couldn’t help but reach his hands back to shield the tortured flesh. He whined loudly, “Alright! Eko! No more! It’s enough! It’s enough!”
Mr. Eko stopped and calmly instructed, “Move your hands Charlie.”
Charlie’s voice took on a sound of desperation, “I can’t! ...Please Mr. Eko, no more. I’m really sorry for what I did! Believe me I am!”
Mr. Eko replied, “When you confessed to me, you felt sorry, and that is the reason we have come to be as we are now.”
Charlie stared up at Mr. Eko soberly before stating softly, “I … I know … but it hurts real bad now, and I think I’ve learned my lesson… really.”
Mr. Eko laid his left hand down on Charlie’s left shoulder replying, “Can you in all honesty believe that twelve lashes is enough to counter balance the guilt of your sins? Before you respond Charlie, I want you to seriously consider what I’ve just asked you.”
Charlie wanted nothing more than to have this horrible experience end, and end now! But he knew better, he understood what Mr. Eko meant. How could he be the one to judge when he’d had enough, if it was up to him, he’d have stopped it after the first lash.
He hung his head as he thought about the constant painful throb in his ass, and as he thought about his pain, his mind went back to waiting poised behind Sun in her garden and the events that had followed. It wasn’t enough, it wasn’t near enough.
Tears pricked his eyes and Charlie’s throat felt like it had closed up making it difficult to suck in air as he forced himself to say, “No… It’s not enough… and to be honest…” his words became lodged in his throat for a long moment before he was able to continue, “…to be honest I don’t know how many would be enough…”
Mr. Eko was pleased that Charlie did not justify to himself that it was enough just to end his punishment. He saw Charlie as inherently good; he had just made some poor decisions, and so he offered, “You told me once that you trusted me yes?”
Charlie nodded, his head still down, because he could not bear to look up. Mr. Eko’s hand lightly squeezed his shoulder, and this oddly enough sent a wave of comfort and security thru Charlie because deep down he believed Mr. Eko had his best interests at heart.
Mr. Eko took in a long breath before stating, “Then let me be the one to decide when you’ve been given enough.”
Charlie still had no voice, and once more just nodded in response as a tear streaked down his right cheek.
Mr. Eko continued, “I must warn you Charlie that if you agree to these conditions, there will be no going back. We will commence with the rest of your punishment until I am satisfied you have learned you lesson and not when you feel satisfied. That means we do not stop until I say so, is that clear?”
Charlie let Mr. Eko’s words sink in weighing his options and feelings on the matter, and though inwardly he screamed that it was a bad idea and that if he agreed to these terms, he would inevitably be at Mr. Eko’s mercy. He wanted to feel that he’d paid for his sins, all of them since as far back as he could remember sinning and having no accountability. He needed to be held accountable, this he understood, if only on a basic subconscious level, and so he hesitantly nodded his agreement.
Mr. Eko reassured Charlie, “It is good that you are taking this final step Charlie, I will not let you down.” And with that said, Mr. Eko gave Charlie’s shoulder one last squeeze before giving him a slight push in the direction of the log. Charlie took the queue and reluctantly reclaimed his position bent over the log, terrified of what he had agreed to undergo.
When Charlie was still once more, Mr. Eko thought for a long moment on how many lashes Charlie could take and how many he believed the sin warranted. Once he had decided, he moved back into position announcing, “Alright Charlie, you have taken twelve lashes, and I have decided that we will be at your punishment’s end when we have reached fifty.”
Charlie quickly sat up and exclaimed, “Wh… what!? Fifty! Fifty? Don’t you think that’s a bit too much? I… I mean…”
Mr. Eko answered, “Calm yourself Charlie, I have considered what is and isn’t too much for you. You will be fine albeit a bit sore for a few days.”
Charlie wanted to run screaming in the other direction, and mentally he imagined himself doing so, but in reality he remained frozen in indecision. He once more felt the weight of Mr. Eko’s hand guiding him down over the log, and he resisted slightly as to which Mr. Eko’s hand remained giving steady gentle pressure until his body agreed to give in, and he leaned forward. Thoughts of what was soon to come had Charlie trembling as the tears began to stream steadily down his face.
Mr. Eko knew this would be too much for Charlie to withstand without strength, and so he placed his left hand in the small of his back to keep him in place before taking aim and beginning to spank Charlie once more.
As soon as Charlie felt the hand’s weight bare down in the small of his back, he knew that his last chance to end this was gone, and now it was going to happen all over again, on already tender flesh, and at four times the amount. This realization really sank in as the thirteenth swat of fifty connected and the already unbearable pain was renewed to wash over Charlie once more, and he was now severely regretting his decision.
Mr. Eko silently delivered swat after swat, and when he had reached eighteen, Charlie’s squeals became more audible and his body bucked and writhed violently trying to avoid the nasty leather implement.
By twenty two, Charlie was wailing for Mr. Eko to stop, and telling Mr. Eko, vehemently, that he didn’t care that he’d agreed to take fifty lashes, the point was he didn’t want to take anymore now or ever again.
Mr. Eko ignored Charlie’s pleas and grabbed his flailing hands which were desperately trying to discontinue the onslaught of his punishment. Realizing it too be merely the pain speaking, Mr. Eko pinned Charlie’s hands securely behind his back, and once Charlie was properly subdued, Mr. Eko continued on.
Now that he was effectively immobile, Charlie could no longer think straight, and all he knew was that he wished Mr. Eko would listen to his pleas. Charlie pleaded until he grew hoarse from yelling and struggling leaving his only recourse to sob in defeat as the mantra of slaps from the belt continued to sting his very sore bottom over and over again.
Thirty seven, Thirty eight… Charlie had stopped struggling now and only lay limply over the log sobbing and jerking involuntarily as the belt bit its mark. It was now that he no longer resisted that he thought about the why. Thirty nine, forty… He earned this, in all of it’s agony; he deserved every lick he was getting, and he was fortunate enough to know someone strong enough to deliver it.
Forty seven, forty eight, forty nine, fifty! The final blow was delivered and for some reason it always felt the hardest, but Charlie was grateful it was the last.
Mr. Eko released Charlie’s hands stating, “You have paid for your sins now Charlie, and I want you to know that I respect you for doing so.”
Charlie could not control himself as he lay, still bent over the log, with his hands barely grazing the welted flesh of his sore ass, but covering it none the less. It hurt worse than anything he’d ever imagined, and the knowledge that it would hurt for quite some time after made more hot tears course down his cheeks as he hiccupped in breath after breath letting a discomforted moan escape in between breaths.
Mr. Eko sat down next to Charlie and offered him the water bottle he’d previously been drinking on.
It took Charlie a moment to collect himself well enough to accept the water opting to first gently push himself up and gingerly pull his pants back up. It almost felt as if his ass had swollen so much that his pants might not fit now, but this was just more an over active imagination than truth.
Charlie now took the bottle lifting it to his lips, and as soon as the water hit his throat, Charlie was surprised at just how dehydrated he had become downing the entirety of the bottle in one long drink. When he finally pulled the bottle away from his lips, he was suddenly aware of the awkwardness of what had just transpired between the two and hung his head in embarrassment, a loss for words.
Mr. Eko understood his shame and laid a hand on his shoulder before saying softly, “It’s going to be alright Charlie. You don’t need to feel ashamed for what has happened here today.”
The comforting squeeze from Mr. Eko was enough to send more tears cascading down Charlie’s face to which he quickly used his right arm to wipe away. Charlie realized that he did feel better now, well not physically so, but the guilt was washed away to a low clamor in his head now. He glanced bashfully over to Mr. Eko and back to the forest canopy before croaking out, “It’s a bit hard not to be embarrassed after all that, but I think I’ll live. I’m not gonna say thanks for spanking me, but I do want to say thanks for …for helping me deal with my guilt and all.”
Mr. Eko smiled, “No one ever said the road to forgiveness is an easy one, but I think you’re on the right path Charlie.”
Charlie genuinely smiled again for the first time in three days as he said, “You know Eko, I think you’re right.”
This story is a fanfiction based after the “LOST” episode the Long Con …
The humidity clung in the tropical air like a led weight. Charlie sat in the shade on the edge of the beach looking out at the ocean letting himself become mesmerized by the monotony of the waves.
It had only been three days since the incident in the woods had taken place. The whole encampment was on edge murmuring worried conversations about the “Others” and what attacks the group might suffer next.
Charlie’s guilt rose into the pit of his stomach as he thought about what he had agreed to do for Sawyer; for what? …to get back at Locke for not believing him about the drugs, and to be honest, it wasn’t even that which had bent him out of shape. It was more the fact that Claire had found out about his little secret and had disallowed Charlie to stay around her and the baby.
A flare of jealous anger coursed through Charlie as he thought about Locke taking his place next to Claire. Charlie let out a frustrated sigh realizing that after what he had done, he didn’t deserve to have the attentions of Claire let alone have the right to still be angry with Locke.
Charlie’s anger subsided quickly to be once more replaced by his overwhelming guilt. The baby he could justify his actions for, but Sun… Sun had no righteous motive behind his deed, and to the contrary, it was only petty jealousy that had fueled Charlie to team up with Sawyer.
Charlie shook his head in disgust as he rose up off the sand covered beach. It would still be a good four or so hours before the sun would be setting, and he figured he’d check out the progress Mr. Eko had made on the church he had started building. The building of the church seemed to be the one of the last redeeming contributions Charlie felt he could make to their little island community.
Charlie came upon Mr. Eko busily hacking away at a thick log. Mr. Eko glanced up and gave Charlie a small grin, “Good afternoon Charlie.”
Charlie returned the smile, “Thought I’d pop on by and see if’n you needed a bit of help.”
Mr. Eko let the hatchet remain buried in the log before looking Charlie in the eye and nodding, “After I finish up here, you can help me to carry back more sturdy logs to use for the foundation. I saw three about 2000ft or so away,” Mr. Eko finished his statement pointing off into the jungle’s canopy.
Charlie’s eyes followed Mr. Eko’s finger as he nodded in acknowledgement and walked over to the other end of the log Mr. Eko had been cutting and steadied it so as to make Mr. Eko’s task easier.
The two worked in silence only murmuring words that pertained to the job at hand. It had taken about an hour and a half to haul the first two logs, and by the time they had made it back to the third and final log, Mr. Eko held up his hand for Charlie to stop. Mr. Eko tossed Charlie a water bottle from his pack, and Charlie caught the bottle twisting off the cap and taking a deep drink grateful that Mr. Eko had suggested the break.
Mr. Eko sat down on one end of the fallen log, and Charlie joined him. Until he had sat down, Charlie hadn’t realized just how tired he actually was and didn’t relish the idea of getting back up again.
As the two relaxed, the wheels in Charlie’s head began to turn. What would Mr. Eko think of him if he knew that only three days prior he had crept up behind Sun, thrown a bag over her head, dragged her kicking and screaming thru the jungle, and then set her loose petrified out of her mind.
The worst part of the pretended abduction was that when he had set her loose, she had fallen in her mad dash to escape, and she had gotten a nasty gash on her forehead. It was bad, but it could have been a lot worse… especially on an island with no real hospital and not much in the way of medicines to fight infections.
Mr. Eko noticed the positively miserable look that Charlie’s face held, so he asked, “What’s bothering you Charlie?”
Charlie was taken off guard by the sudden intrusion to his thoughts and quickly stated, “Oh? Umm… nothing.”
Mr. Eko paused purposefully sizing Charlie up before replying, “For nothing, your face has taken on quite a strained expression. You do not have to tell me anything Charlie, but know I am a good listener if you choose to confide in me.”
Charlie glanced away to the ground feeling suddenly uncomfortable; it was as if Mr. Eko’s stare could pry his misdeeds out of him involuntarily. He responded softly, “Believe me when I say you wouldn’t want to know any part of what’s going on in my head.”
Mr. Eko answered, “Why don’t you let me be the judge of that.”
Charlie glanced back up to meet Mr. Eko’s serious expression thinking inwardly about the fact that Mr. Eko was a priest, and that he took the “word” very seriously. If Charlie told him what he had done under the pretense of that of a confession, then Mr. Eko’s vows of priesthood would keep the matter confidential. Charlie desperately wanted to release the burden of what he did; if only to admit how truly bad he felt over the ordeal.
“I could tell you, but if I did…” Charlie lost eye contact and trailed off still nervous about the prospect of how Mr. Eko would react, and as to whether or not he could really trust Mr. Eko would keep the admission private.
Mr. Eko sensing Charlie’s hesitance encouraged him to continue, “If you did…”
Charlie grasped at a stray blade of grass between his feet as his heart rate began to increase, “If I did tell you, I would want your word as a priest that what I say stays between you and me.”
As Charlie finished, he watched Mr. Eko’s face go thru the process of considering his words to a small but certain nod, “You have my word Charlie, whatever you have to say shall remain between us.”
Charlie took a long pause studying Mr. Eko as his heart skipped a beat in anxious anticipation of the reaction he believed would follow upon bearing his dark secret. Charlie sucked in a deep breath mentally preparing how to articulate his confession, “First off, I know what you’re going ta think… and I… I know no matter how bad I feel about it, I can’t take it back…”
Charlie returned his gaze to the lone strands of grass peeking out from under the log the two were currently sitting on as he was now unable to look Mr. Eko in the eyes due to his shame, but he continued his confession none the less.
Charlie’s mouth had become dry, and his throat felt tight as he continued, “I did it Mr. Eko… it was me… I let myself become so fueled by jealousy that I agreed to Sawyer’s little plan to get hold of the guns. I knew deep down it was a horrible thing to do, but… but I did it anyway.”
The words then came out like an avalanche, spilling out in rapid succession as if, if Charlie had stopped, he would be unable to continue, “I… I just wanted to get back at Locke for not believing me about the drugs and makin’ everyone think I was out of my blooming gourd! He took Claire away from me Eko… he took her away from me, so I had to do it, and now… now I know what I’ve done! And I’m so sorry Eko… even though it doesn’t matter now, I’m so sorry…”
Charlie ran his shaky hands thru his hair a couple of times before clasping them together between his knees which were now bouncing as his anxiety mounted.
Mr. Eko’s brow creased as he listened intently, and when Charlie seemingly sputtered to a stop creating a kink in the flow of conversation, Mr. Eko offered, “You say that you helped Sawyer to acquire the guns correct?”
Charlie nodded slowly, “Yeah… I helped him…”
Mr. Eko chose his next words carefully feeling Charlie was on the verge of clamming up, and he wished to make his best effort to help Charlie overcome his inner turmoil, “I can see this situation has rattled you greatly Charlie; why don’t you start from the beginning.”
Charlie chewed on his lower lip debating on just how much he wished to tell Mr. Eko before responding, “Well, I guess I could start when I moved to the outer reaches of the camp… you know, after the whole fire starting and baby snatching incident…” Charlie glanced up warily taking in Mr. Eko’s expression so as to get an idea of how Mr. Eko was judging his previous actions.
Mr. Eko’s features had not taken on a look of disgust, and as far as Charlie could tell, it hadn’t changed much at all since the two had started the discussion. Not that Charlie would have seen much of a change due to the fact that he hadn’t removed his eyes from staring off at anything that wasn’t Mr. Eko.
Mr. Eko only responded with a coaxing, “Alright, start from there.”
Charlie swallowed hard pushing himself to tell the rest now that he had already started, “Well… I guess I just started feelin’ a little lost and out of the picture with all the steers and jeers I was getting. Sawyer was the only one besides yourself who would even carry on a conversation with me for any length of time.”
Charlie paused replaying the next few days over in his mind before resuming, “Sawyer had this plan see, he wanted to control the guns so as to upstage Jack and Locke as well as to have a tradable resource, but if’n you ask me, that he’s trying to be the most hated on …”
Mr. Eko interrupted, “We are not here to discuss Sawyer’s motives, but rather yours. Sawyer did not come to me; it was you, so tell me about your reasons.”
Charlie let out a deep sigh, “I agreed to help Sawyer only to make John look bad… Sawyer assumed it was for the heroin, but it wasn’t… he told me that we had to create a reason… we had to create confusion… Sawyer said to leave the directing of folks up ta him, but we’d need a catalyst… something that would create a reason ta send everyone into a panic and wanting to get their hands on the guns.”
Charlie went silent not wanting to go any further knowing the worst part was to come next and admitting it in his head compared to saying it out loud was proving rather difficult.
Mr. Eko had not only seen the seedier side of life, he had been it. He understood now what Charlie had done, but he did not let the anger and disappointment he felt show on his face. Mr. Eko realized that even though he would not let himself be influenced in such a way; there was a time that he had done far worse, and if not for his brother showing him the light of God, he would likely be six feet under by now, burning in the lakes of fire.
It was his brother that cleansed his soul, and now he felt it his duty to his brother to save others from a similar fate.
Mr. Eko knew that in order for Charlie to absolve his guilt, he must first admit his crimes, and so he encouraged Charlie to go on, “What was your part of the plan Charlie?”
Charlie’s tongue felt like a swollen led weight as he formed the words in his mouth, “My part… I was the distraction… that was my part.” He paused as the bile rose in his stomach.
Mr. Eko coolly remarked, “I see. So then tell me about being the distraction.”
Charlie groaned inwardly aware Mr. Eko did not need the details for knowledge, and he only wanted Charlie to voice what he had done for his confession. He took in a deep breath and began, “Sawyer used everyone’s fear as a way to get to the guns… he had made me wait up next to Sun’s garden… and… and he had made me wrap a bag over her head and drag her into the jungle…”
Mr. Eko interrupted Charlie, “You keep saying that Sawyer made you do this, but I do not see any strings attached to your hands, and unless Sawyer has mind powers Charlie, I do not see him controlling your actions.”
Charlie gulped as he nodded in agreement, “You’re right Eko, I need to take responsibility for my actions. I chose to work with Sawyer; I could have resisted the temptation of revenge. …I could have backed out… but I didn’t.”
Charlie’s eyes began to water as he spoke now, “I didn’t mean for her to get hurt Eko; when I dragged her off, I only brought her about sixty feet away before I let her break free… I didn’t think …I didn’t think that she’d fall and get all banged up.”
Charlie stared numbly off into the distance letting his guilt wash over him in waves, “I …I wish I could tell Sun it was me and that I’m sorry for what I did… Claire would never forgive me, and Jin would probably kill me if’n he had the chance; not that I could blame him.”
Mr. Eko took all of what Charlie said into consideration, and under the circumstances he knew that telling anyone else about this incident could get Charlie seriously hurt or even killed, “Charlie, I can see that you are remorseful for what you’ve done, and I can see the logic behind your inability to apologize to Sun face to face. The fact that you have come to me tells me that you wish to be forgiven; correct?”
Charlie gave Mr. Eko a meaningful look as he shook his head yes, “Of course I want to be forgiven, but it’s kind of a moot point no?”
Mr. Eko shook his head no, “I agree that you could not at this time apologize for your sins to Sun and ask for forgiveness, and I don’t believe that even if you could apologize to Sun that you would or should be forgiven with just words spoken.”
Charlie’s heart sank for he knew Mr. Eko was right he could not expect forgiveness so easily from performing such an act, “What should I do Eko? I don’t really think any hail Mary’s will cut it this time.”
Mr. Eko shook his head in agreement, “You need to be punished for what you’ve done, so that you can pay for your crimes and let go of your guilt Charlie.”
Charlie who had been taking a sip off his water bottle almost choked at the moment Mr. Eko had responded. He sputtered, “What? Punished? Like punished how?” his voice started to take on a wary nervousness as he stared at Mr. Eko’s eyes which were unmoving in their seriousness.
Mr. Eko responded with, “Your heart is not evil Charlie, but you did do an evil act, and for that, you need more than just to admit you were wrong. I do not believe your guilt will be absolved unless you feel as if you’ve paid for your crimes as well.”
Charlie thought about Mr. Eko’s words, and agreed Mr. Eko was correct in his assumption. He did feel much better from just being able to tell Mr. Eko what he had done, but Charlie still felt like it wasn’t enough, “Yeah… I guess you’re right; I don’t think I ever could not feel bad about what I did…”
Mr. Eko agreed, “I don’t think you ever should not feel badly for what you’ve done, but you can feel better.” Mr. Eko stood, “Do you trust me Charlie?”
Charlie’s brow furrowed in confusion, “Well sure I trust you; do ya think I woulda shared all that with you if I didn’t?”
Mr. Eko’s features took on a very serious expression, “Then I will help you. Stand up.”
Charlie stood; he was curious and nervous all at once, and he kept wondering if Mr. Eko planned to beat the tar out of him like Locke had. Charlie stood squeezing his eyes shut to brace himself for the shower of pummeling fists, but none came.
Mr. Eko grunted, “Now give me your belt.”
Up until the current moment, Mr. Eko had never fathomed the idea that he would ever find himself about to deliver a spanking to a grown man, but he was at a loss for other swift punishments that would be a fitting recourse for Charlie’s actions.
If he decided to use his fists on him, the smaller man most definitely would show signs of a caliber that would create questions as to what had happened and for what reasoning. Not to mention, Mr. Eko had demolished men in fights that were much tougher than Charlie, and he had no doubt that Charlie would not fight back.
Mr. Eko thought he could do his best to control the impact of a well placed fist, but he was uneasy in the knowledge that he could seriously injure Charlie which was not what he wanted. So, Mr. Eko decided that with limited options available, a spanking would have to do.
Charlie looked more confused than ever as he processed what Mr. Eko just said, ‘Give me your belt.’ The first thing that popped into Charlie’s mind that Mr. Eko planned to use his belt to tie him up and keep him from running off once he commenced to blasting him with right hooks, “I’m not gonna take off Eko, just wail away.” Charlie muttered unenthusiastically as he stiffened once more in preparation for the blows.
Mr. Eko felt a sudden urge to laugh upon looking at the way Charlie’s eyes were squeezed tight, but the feeling dissipated by the seriousness of the situation, “I know you have no intentions of running Charlie; I need the belt to administer your punishment.”
Charlie was stunned momentarily and looked at Mr. Eko with eyes the size of saucers, “Ad… administer?” It didn’t take long to put two and two together before Charlie gave Mr. Eko in incredulous look, “What are you meaning to administer with my belt!?”
Mr. Eko felt awkward about the whole situation, but he did not let it show as he folded his arms across his broad chest and responded, “Do I really need to answer a question you already know the answer to Charlie?”
Charlie blinked as he backed defensively away, “You can’t be serious Eko… I mean, I’m a bit old for a thrashing don’t ya think?”
Mr. Eko shook his head as he replied, “In this instance, no. If you can think of anything better that would not raise eyebrows, I’m open to hear it.”
Charlie thought long and hard with no conclusions that were really practical, but he voiced them anyway, “Well I could do an insane amount of push-ups or something like they do in the military …or maybe isolate myself and pray intensely… or …I don’t know, there’s got ta be something that doesn’t involve me bum becoming target practice for my own belt.”
Mr. Eko paused thinking over Charlie’s alternatives before stating, “Let me ask you this Charlie, these options you’ve suggested, do you believe that they would make you feel you’ve paid your penance?”
Charlie grimaced whishing Mr. Eko wasn’t so wise and articulate in his wording since the truth be told, Charlie knew his suggestions of push-ups and isolation would not compare in erasing most of the guilt he was feeling.
He wondered if getting his hide tanned would be any better for releasing the guilt; all he did know was that his own suggestive punishments didn’t bring the all too familiar tightness in the pit of his stomach from the prospect of having to be punished in the same way as Mr. Eko’s suggestion.
It was fear, pure and unadulterated, and perhaps it was the thought of pain and the certain humiliation that followed the act that made the thought of a spanking particularly unnerving. Either way, Charlie knew a spanking would be far worse a punishment to suffer, and more disturbing to Charlie was the fact that deep down he knew he deserved to get a much more severe punishment to cleanse his soul of the evil act he had perpetrated.
Charlie surprised himself as he admitted, “No… I don’t think they would have the same effect, but I was hoping they would.”
Mr. Eko nodded in agreement, “Then need we say more?” Mr. Eko held out his hand, and Charlie swallowed hard looking down at his waist and with a trembling hand, he began to unbuckle his belt and slide it away from his pants.
In Charlie’s head, he was screaming, ‘WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING MATE! THIS IS INSANE!’ but he did, he willingly handed Mr. Eko his belt twitching slightly as he watched Mr. Eko fold it neatly in half.
Charlie kept asking himself why he had agreed with Mr. Eko and finally coming to the conclusion that the man before him was rather intimidating and that if Mr. Eko had decided this course of action was the one that would be taken, there wasn’t much that Charlie could do to stop it from happening. At least this way, he still in his mind, had the choice of acceptance.
Beads of sweat dotted Charlie’s forehead as he squeaked, “Well, what now?”
Mr. Eko was not at a loss as he doubted he might be when he had originally asked for the belt, but now that the belt was firmly in place in his right hand, he was confident he could do the task ahead of him and while saying nothing merely pointed at the log the two had just been sitting on.
Charlie instinctually followed the trail of Mr. Eko’s finger to the log and while wanting to protest that he didn’t want to go thru with this and that he really was feeling much better about the whole matter just letting it off his chest. It would have been a lie, and so Charlie, albeit regretfully, followed Mr. Eko’s silent order.
He turned to face the log, and as he leaned forward to bend over it, he took a quick pouting glance back at Mr. Eko before assuming the position.
As Charlie was bending over the log Mr. Eko told him, “Drop your pants as well.”
Charlie did protest at this, “What?! Oh come on Eko, it’s bad enough I’m letting you turn me bum rosy, but I’ll be damned if I’m gonna put it on display so you can watch it get redder on every lash!”
Mr. Eko very calmly stated, “You agreed to let me help you Charlie, and dropping your pants is part of your punishment.”
Charlie argued, “Why does that have to be part of the punishment? Isn’t the fact that I’m going thru with this punishment enough?”
Mr. Eko responded, “Your pants will take away from the severity of the blows, and I wish to be quite thorough in delivering your consequences otherwise I will not feel I have fulfilled my obligation to help you pay for your sins.”
Charlie whined like a petulant child, “But, it’s kinda embarrassing; can’t you spare me a bit of dignity?”
Mr. Eko retorted, “It was jealousy and pride that landed you in this mess; it would do you well to be a little humbled don’t you agree?”
Charlie didn’t verbally answer instead opting to reach around to unfasten the button of his jeans. He shucked them down to where his ass ended and his thighs began wishing that he had been the type of man not to go commando, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case.
Charlie leaned forward once more and gently placed his now bared ass across the log.
Mr. Eko waited for Charlie to adjust himself before moving up to his left. He could see it was taking a lot of control on Charlie’s part to do as he had told him. Mr. Eko asked, “Are you ready?”
Charlie thought to himself that he could never be ready and how the question somehow made his current predicament seem worse; he nodded yes, and his body went rigid in anticipation.
Mr. Eko wasted no time and let the belt land with a resounding ‘SMACK!’ that made Charlie’s back arch bolt upright before having to force himself back over the log with a muffled grunt.
Charlie had expected it to hurt, just not to that degree! As the second blow landed and seconds later the searing pain emanated thru his body, Charlie was having serious second thoughts about continuing to endure being on the receiving end of his belt and Mr. Eko’s arm.
The third lick wrapped around nipping the sensitive area on Charlie’s right flank, and Charlie whimpered involuntarily. As the next few lashes landed it was becoming increasingly hard for Charlie to maintain his stillness and remain quiet.
Mr. Eko continued a steady stream of licks; he felt bad for Charlie, but he did not feel sorry for him. Charlie had brought this upon himself, and he was being man enough to take the punishment for his actions.
Every time the belt connected, it had managed to strike an untouched stripe of flesh. But as the seventh blow struck, it ripped across already tender flesh, and Charlie could hold his tongue no longer and screamed out grasping a hold of the underside of the log as if at any moment he might fly away.
Charlie had hoped Mr. Eko would take the outburst as a sign that he’d suffered enough or that he should take it a little easier now that it was getting painful enough that he was unable to contain himself, but Charlie had no such luck, and it was then he felt more than just pain as his cheeks burned in embarrassment at the sound of his own squeals of pain.
Mr. Eko came down in a relentless flurry of blows spaced apart by about three seconds; it was just long enough for Charlie to feel the full extent of each swat. He could hear the whistling of air as the belt retracted leaving only moments to be able to anticipate the next one.
His mind raced as the pain swelled to new heights, and he kept thinking, ‘God! How many more is he gonna give me?! I don’t know how much more I can take!’ It burned so badly that Charlie couldn’t help but reach his hands back to shield the tortured flesh. He whined loudly, “Alright! Eko! No more! It’s enough! It’s enough!”
Mr. Eko stopped and calmly instructed, “Move your hands Charlie.”
Charlie’s voice took on a sound of desperation, “I can’t! ...Please Mr. Eko, no more. I’m really sorry for what I did! Believe me I am!”
Mr. Eko replied, “When you confessed to me, you felt sorry, and that is the reason we have come to be as we are now.”
Charlie stared up at Mr. Eko soberly before stating softly, “I … I know … but it hurts real bad now, and I think I’ve learned my lesson… really.”
Mr. Eko laid his left hand down on Charlie’s left shoulder replying, “Can you in all honesty believe that twelve lashes is enough to counter balance the guilt of your sins? Before you respond Charlie, I want you to seriously consider what I’ve just asked you.”
Charlie wanted nothing more than to have this horrible experience end, and end now! But he knew better, he understood what Mr. Eko meant. How could he be the one to judge when he’d had enough, if it was up to him, he’d have stopped it after the first lash.
He hung his head as he thought about the constant painful throb in his ass, and as he thought about his pain, his mind went back to waiting poised behind Sun in her garden and the events that had followed. It wasn’t enough, it wasn’t near enough.
Tears pricked his eyes and Charlie’s throat felt like it had closed up making it difficult to suck in air as he forced himself to say, “No… It’s not enough… and to be honest…” his words became lodged in his throat for a long moment before he was able to continue, “…to be honest I don’t know how many would be enough…”
Mr. Eko was pleased that Charlie did not justify to himself that it was enough just to end his punishment. He saw Charlie as inherently good; he had just made some poor decisions, and so he offered, “You told me once that you trusted me yes?”
Charlie nodded, his head still down, because he could not bear to look up. Mr. Eko’s hand lightly squeezed his shoulder, and this oddly enough sent a wave of comfort and security thru Charlie because deep down he believed Mr. Eko had his best interests at heart.
Mr. Eko took in a long breath before stating, “Then let me be the one to decide when you’ve been given enough.”
Charlie still had no voice, and once more just nodded in response as a tear streaked down his right cheek.
Mr. Eko continued, “I must warn you Charlie that if you agree to these conditions, there will be no going back. We will commence with the rest of your punishment until I am satisfied you have learned you lesson and not when you feel satisfied. That means we do not stop until I say so, is that clear?”
Charlie let Mr. Eko’s words sink in weighing his options and feelings on the matter, and though inwardly he screamed that it was a bad idea and that if he agreed to these terms, he would inevitably be at Mr. Eko’s mercy. He wanted to feel that he’d paid for his sins, all of them since as far back as he could remember sinning and having no accountability. He needed to be held accountable, this he understood, if only on a basic subconscious level, and so he hesitantly nodded his agreement.
Mr. Eko reassured Charlie, “It is good that you are taking this final step Charlie, I will not let you down.” And with that said, Mr. Eko gave Charlie’s shoulder one last squeeze before giving him a slight push in the direction of the log. Charlie took the queue and reluctantly reclaimed his position bent over the log, terrified of what he had agreed to undergo.
When Charlie was still once more, Mr. Eko thought for a long moment on how many lashes Charlie could take and how many he believed the sin warranted. Once he had decided, he moved back into position announcing, “Alright Charlie, you have taken twelve lashes, and I have decided that we will be at your punishment’s end when we have reached fifty.”
Charlie quickly sat up and exclaimed, “Wh… what!? Fifty! Fifty? Don’t you think that’s a bit too much? I… I mean…”
Mr. Eko answered, “Calm yourself Charlie, I have considered what is and isn’t too much for you. You will be fine albeit a bit sore for a few days.”
Charlie wanted to run screaming in the other direction, and mentally he imagined himself doing so, but in reality he remained frozen in indecision. He once more felt the weight of Mr. Eko’s hand guiding him down over the log, and he resisted slightly as to which Mr. Eko’s hand remained giving steady gentle pressure until his body agreed to give in, and he leaned forward. Thoughts of what was soon to come had Charlie trembling as the tears began to stream steadily down his face.
Mr. Eko knew this would be too much for Charlie to withstand without strength, and so he placed his left hand in the small of his back to keep him in place before taking aim and beginning to spank Charlie once more.
As soon as Charlie felt the hand’s weight bare down in the small of his back, he knew that his last chance to end this was gone, and now it was going to happen all over again, on already tender flesh, and at four times the amount. This realization really sank in as the thirteenth swat of fifty connected and the already unbearable pain was renewed to wash over Charlie once more, and he was now severely regretting his decision.
Mr. Eko silently delivered swat after swat, and when he had reached eighteen, Charlie’s squeals became more audible and his body bucked and writhed violently trying to avoid the nasty leather implement.
By twenty two, Charlie was wailing for Mr. Eko to stop, and telling Mr. Eko, vehemently, that he didn’t care that he’d agreed to take fifty lashes, the point was he didn’t want to take anymore now or ever again.
Mr. Eko ignored Charlie’s pleas and grabbed his flailing hands which were desperately trying to discontinue the onslaught of his punishment. Realizing it too be merely the pain speaking, Mr. Eko pinned Charlie’s hands securely behind his back, and once Charlie was properly subdued, Mr. Eko continued on.
Now that he was effectively immobile, Charlie could no longer think straight, and all he knew was that he wished Mr. Eko would listen to his pleas. Charlie pleaded until he grew hoarse from yelling and struggling leaving his only recourse to sob in defeat as the mantra of slaps from the belt continued to sting his very sore bottom over and over again.
Thirty seven, Thirty eight… Charlie had stopped struggling now and only lay limply over the log sobbing and jerking involuntarily as the belt bit its mark. It was now that he no longer resisted that he thought about the why. Thirty nine, forty… He earned this, in all of it’s agony; he deserved every lick he was getting, and he was fortunate enough to know someone strong enough to deliver it.
Forty seven, forty eight, forty nine, fifty! The final blow was delivered and for some reason it always felt the hardest, but Charlie was grateful it was the last.
Mr. Eko released Charlie’s hands stating, “You have paid for your sins now Charlie, and I want you to know that I respect you for doing so.”
Charlie could not control himself as he lay, still bent over the log, with his hands barely grazing the welted flesh of his sore ass, but covering it none the less. It hurt worse than anything he’d ever imagined, and the knowledge that it would hurt for quite some time after made more hot tears course down his cheeks as he hiccupped in breath after breath letting a discomforted moan escape in between breaths.
Mr. Eko sat down next to Charlie and offered him the water bottle he’d previously been drinking on.
It took Charlie a moment to collect himself well enough to accept the water opting to first gently push himself up and gingerly pull his pants back up. It almost felt as if his ass had swollen so much that his pants might not fit now, but this was just more an over active imagination than truth.
Charlie now took the bottle lifting it to his lips, and as soon as the water hit his throat, Charlie was surprised at just how dehydrated he had become downing the entirety of the bottle in one long drink. When he finally pulled the bottle away from his lips, he was suddenly aware of the awkwardness of what had just transpired between the two and hung his head in embarrassment, a loss for words.
Mr. Eko understood his shame and laid a hand on his shoulder before saying softly, “It’s going to be alright Charlie. You don’t need to feel ashamed for what has happened here today.”
The comforting squeeze from Mr. Eko was enough to send more tears cascading down Charlie’s face to which he quickly used his right arm to wipe away. Charlie realized that he did feel better now, well not physically so, but the guilt was washed away to a low clamor in his head now. He glanced bashfully over to Mr. Eko and back to the forest canopy before croaking out, “It’s a bit hard not to be embarrassed after all that, but I think I’ll live. I’m not gonna say thanks for spanking me, but I do want to say thanks for …for helping me deal with my guilt and all.”
Mr. Eko smiled, “No one ever said the road to forgiveness is an easy one, but I think you’re on the right path Charlie.”
Charlie genuinely smiled again for the first time in three days as he said, “You know Eko, I think you’re right.”
