SHORT STORY: The policeman and terror suspect

He was called 'the butcher' in the police department. The top brasses kept him away on harmless duties most of the time. But when it came to giving the third degree, he was inevitably called in. His USP was that he was a total animal. He beat and tortured without remorse. In fact he enjoyed it. Dark rumours float about that after a good beating, the butcher would rush to the toilet; and not for urinating or defecating.

His wife had left him (run away would be describing it better) just after two days of marriage. She was horrified of his sadistic style of fornication. But when it came to breaking the most hardened of criminals, the butcher was the man for the job.

Tonight the call had come to 'interrogate' a young boy of eighteen. He had been picked up after it was suspected that he was involved in the recent city bombings. The boy was a computer whiz. His field of specialisation was hacking. The investigators believed that this boy was responsible for the emails send to the media after the bombings. Which was true.

The boy had grown up in a rich family and had had a good education. But he had uncaring parents that had made him rebellious in life. His obsession with computers led to hacking and making a lot of money. His motive was not the money. It was his anger at his parents and hatred towards society. He had never felt loved. Not by his parents nor by the string of girlfriends that he had. Girls were attracted to the easy money he made from the web.

It was pure accident that the boy came in the radar of the terrorist organization. The chief planner of the bombings wanted a hacker and the boy was suggested by someone. The leader started by brainwashing the boy. It was easy. he had a lousy, insecure childhood. And he was the rebellious types. The boy had initially felt honoured and wanted when first approached by the leader. Later he was hooked on the numerous stories of atrocities that the 'bad' government committed. This clicked with the rebellious nature of the boy. What finally clinched the deal was the rewards after death. Beautiful maidens waiting for him in the other world.

So he did as instructed. But he was caught, betrayed by another jealous hacker.

He was in the cell now.

He had been questioned by some police officers. But the boy was cheeky by nature. he was smart and had outwitted all questions. He hated his parents and he hated society. He blamed it for his loneliness. So he hated the police too. So he had stalled any attempt to extract information. After all he was a responsible person now, doing great work. And those lovely girls in the heavens? How could he betray the cause? He would miss out on the girls.

So he had stalled. He had taken some beatings. His smartness and his hatred for society kept him going.

That was when the butcher was called in. One can deal with humans with intelligence and emotions. But how does one deal with an animal that has none of the either?

Unprintable things happened in the cell that night.

As the butcher staggered out of the cell to go to the toilet, the other police officers glanced into the cell.

Inside was not a boy. It was the remains of a prey. The boy had gone insane. He talked a lot of things. He talked of his parents, his hacking triumphs and the innumerable girls he had bedded. And he told everything about the email send after the bombings.