Chapter 24

Then a new message appears from an account you have never encountered before. "Now that's a wife Max could have some fun with before she's completely worthless." The comment attracts immediate attention, and the discussion takes on an uglier, more enthusiastic character. The men begin evaluating your wife's photograph with the coarse familiarity of livestock buyers at a meat judging competition.

They comment on her beauty, her tits and ass, and how different she might look after an encounter with their monstrous idol. "Pretty little thing," somebody writes. "Max likes them pretty." Another responds, "She won't be so pretty when he's done with her." The conversation fills with vulgar jokes, laughter, and increasingly unpleasant predictions.

These men are not horrified by Mangler Max. They adore him, and the prospect of another beautiful married woman being delivered into his hands seems to delight their cruel appetites. You discover that several of the most enthusiastic contributors have been involved with the underground scene for years. They speak about Max with the proprietary pride of men who have helped arrange his appearances.

You see them referring to former performances by dates, locations, and the names of women you have never encountered. They dismiss newcomers like you who ask too many questions and ridicule anyone who suggests that the performances are staged.

One contributor remarks that your wife might be worth putting forward, provided you are serious. Another demands more photographs, insisting that Max doesn't waste time on men who merely want to watch. The others enthusiastically agree, and you begin to realize that these crude, predatory strangers may be more than spectators. They may be the people who find women for Mangler Max.

The demands become increasingly insistent. They want recent photographs, confirmation that you are married, and some indication that your wife would actually attend. They mock your hesitation and threaten to dismiss you as another fantasist if you cannot satisfy them. You can’t determine whether these men possess any genuine authority.

Their casual references to private events and former participants suggest a familiarity with the underground world you have been trying to find For the first time, the prospect of meeting Mangler Max seems to depend not upon solving a mystery, but upon winning the approval of a collection of thoroughly unpleasant men.

Then somebody posts a crude composite image placing your wife's smiling face beside the enormous, rubber-clad figure. The replies arrive in a frenzy of vulgar enthusiasm. Several contributors speculate about how long she would endure his attentions, while others argue over whether she would be frightened immediately or not until Max began abusing her.

One remarks that Max has a particular talent for making beautiful women regret their decisions. Another writes, "Tell her to wear that pretty dress. Max will leave it in shreds." You stare at the image, disturbed by the ease with which these strangers have transformed your wife into a prospective attraction.

At last, one of the more established contributors sends you a private message. "Enough talk. You want to see Max, or don't you?" You answer that you do, although you are not certain what you are agreeing to. The reply arrives almost immediately. "Then stop asking stupid questions and start following instructions. Nobody gets near Mangler Max without putting their own wife on the chopping block."

The message ends with a final, unpleasant assurance. "If Max wants her, he'll have her, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it, pussy." You remain at the computer, staring at the conversation and the photograph you have foolishly surrendered to these strangers. Until now, you have imagined Mangler Max as a monstrous figure concealed somewhere beyond the reach of ordinary life.

You had not considered that an entire network of crude, eager accomplices might exist to supply him with women, arrange his appearances, and cultivate the curiosity of husbands willing to deliver their wives into his hands. These men are not interested in understanding the mystery.

They know enough to enjoy it, and they seem perfectly willing to help you become part of it. For the first time, you suspect that your investigation has brought you to the threshold of something real, and that the people guarding the entrance have begun deciding whether your wife belongs on the other side.