by Joe Zito
Liz let out a weak, shaky cry of terror and finally moved. Andi was a good little cunt and had already gotten the fuck in line.
Downstairs, a familiar intro to a very strange and sometimes disturbing cartoon that kids love and probably shouldn’t be watching, started to play on the tv.
“Now,” the sergeant said sounding almost pleased, “we’re gonna walk real slow like. No fuckin’ hero’s either you understand.”
No response.
“I said understand!”
A mumbled mix of scared voices said yes.
His simpleton partner, who was about five inches shorter, got behind Conner who was last in line. He shoved his gun, a sawed off rifle, into his back motioning for him to move.
Unwillingly Conner did, off into some unknown adventure of fear.
The lamp sitting on the end table by the wrap around couch was still on. It produced a nice, soft and warm glow to the living room, which had an earthy, brown tone to it from all the wood fixtures in it. A ceiling fan above spun around at a moderate speed. The bag of funions Liz was eating laid crumpled up on the floor.
Slowly the teenage prisoners made their way to the couch. The man nodded to them to have a seat and they did without hesitation. Those sawed off rifles aided well in that process.
Once they were all in the light, the frightened teens finally got to see those mysterious black shapes up close. The taller one looked to be about 6’1 and thin with a buzzed haircut and a scruffy, rough beard. His eyes seemed to almost bulge from their sockets as if he was high on devils nightmare pcp. He was wearing dark blue work pants that sagged at the waist a little. And Conner didn’t understand why in the hell the guy was wearing a thick, brown and black plaid wool jacket in the middle of fucking summer. He looked to be about forty two or forty three but looked more like fifty seven or fifty eight. The hard livin’ life was right before Conner’s young eyes.
The other fucking redneck resembled a jail bound, hard ass version of John Oats with greasy and curly black hair; his face a marked up mess of leftover teenage acne. He wore a dark, blue jean jacket and dark blue jeans.
The taller man paced back and forth in front of the kids. He never took his eyes off of them. They never took theirs off of him, or his gun. Finally he stopped his manic pacing and stood there staring at them. He said, “Let me introduce myself.” His southern tone drifted to the couch where the scared shitless teens sat wondering what the hell is going on.
“I’m you’re worst fucking nightmare kiddies!” He roared out laughter and his partner laughed stupidly and said waving to the teens, “Nitenite, nitenite.”
His laughter stopped.
“Let’s just call me the nightmare man. Or I can just go by Nightmare.” He talked slowly with an evil edge in his voice. Like a sinister version of the narrator for the dukes of hazzard.
He nodded to his partner who was holding his rifle like a baby and said, “And that’s Badman over there. His name fits him just well right, because I’ve seen him do some bad things that’s for sure.”
Badman chuckled stupidly once again. “Yeah, I’m fuckin’ badman and I’ll cut your throat, no problem. Yeah, yeah!”
Nightmare once again began pacing back and forth holding his shot gun closely to him and never taking his eyes off the kids in front of him.
“Now,” he said in a commanding tone, “yous all wonderin’ probably what the fuck is goin’ on right? Well let me tell you kiddies, me and the Badman over there had a plan. A real good one. We’re still stickin’ to that plan but from the looks of it,” he paused and wiped the side of his mouth with his hand, “we’s gonna have ourselves a little bit of fun first if that’s all right with yous all.” His insane eyes darted towards Megan sitting on the couch. He began to scratch his balls. She nervously repositioned her hands that were already covering her pubic area. A sick frown formed on her face.
“Oh no, this ain’t gonna be yours garden variety home invasion. We’s no what we came here for, but goddam what a fuckin’ bonus!” Nightmare gave a loud ‘whoooo’ at the ceiling.
Then Liz couldn’t keep it in any longer. A large dark spot began to form on the couch under her legs. She began crying.
“What the hell girl,” Nightmare said with a disgruntled look on his face.
Badman started in with his stupid sounding simpleton laugh.
“Girl done piss herself, yeah, yeah.”
Nightmare strolled slowly over to Liz. He had a grand ol’ smile on his ugly face.
He said quietly, “You scared baby girl?”
Liz broke down even more as her sobbing got louder.
“Shh, shh, now baby girl,” he said soothingly, “we’re not gonna kill you now, c’mon.” Then he lowered himself down to her quickly and got in her face and yelled “We’re just gonna fuck you up real bad that’s all!”
Her sob turned to a scream. Badman joined her and screamed along. Nightmare cackled a maniac shriek of laughter at the ceiling. Andi began to cry now to. Both Megan and Conner sat there looking lifeless and almost dead, white with fear.
Nightmare decided he had enough of Liz’s goddam screaming.
“Shut up now girly,” he told her as his laughter faded. She didn’t stop crying. She couldn’t. Fear had consumed her body.
“I said shut you fuckin’ mouth girl!”
His demands only made it worse and she kept on crying.
“Cunt, I’m only gonna give you to the count of three to shut your fuckin’ mouth! ONE!........TWO……Fuck this!’
He violently shoved his saw off shot gun into her mouth. Her eyes exploded in terror. Her sobbing now was a muted mix of screaming and gagging.
“Shut up!” He yelled.
His thumb pulled the trigger back on his gun.
“Liz, please. It’s going to be all right. Please.” Megan finally got the nerve to speak up to the madman.
Nightmare jerked his head over to her.
“Bitch I said no fuckin’ heroes!” He forcefully pulled the gun out of Liz’s mouth and slapped her face hard. She shut up.
“You wanna be a hero baby doll?” He started in for Megan. She pulled away from him as he got in her face.
“Huh, you wanna save your cryin’ bitch friend?”
She leaned back as far as she could trying to get out of his reach. But his tar breath blew right into her.
His face was right up in hers and then he said, “Open your legs.”
Megan looked at him in disbelief as a terrified frown fell upon her face.
“I said open them pretty legs bitch!”
His rough hand went into the crease of her closed legs and pried them apart. An evil, sick smile formed on his face when he gently began caressing her soft patch of pubic hair with his shot gun.
Her body was trembling with horror. Her mouth formed an O of shock.
“Feels good don’t it,” Nightmare said and then he raised it to his nose and began smelling the tip of his gun. He inhaled a long breath of her scent.
“Don’t you dare shut’em,” he warned her as he brought the gun down again to her opened legs but stopped just before he reached them by the sound of a car pulling up in the driveway.
He jerked his head around to the front room window. Two headlights shined dully through the light tan curtains on the window.
“What in the shit is this?” He scowled and then stood up. Megan’s stiff as a board body loosened and she covered her mouth and cried silently. If she only knew that this was only the beginning of a very long night.
“What’d we do?’ Badman asked Nightmare.
“Turn off all the lights.”
They began shutting off all the light and the tv.
Conner finally caved and began crying lightly to himself because he was scared shitless and terrified but was incredibly relieved to know that his dad had decided to come home early from his trip and was going to open that door any second now and save all of them from this horrendous ordeal.
The golden door knob slow
ly started to turn. The music of the night buzzed in for a moment when Conner’s dad opened the door but then was blocked out when he shut it.
“Conner?” He said to a dark and empty living room.
The sound of his keys jingling sung throughout the house. He threw his coat over a kitchen table chair.
“Conner, you around buddy? I saw all the lights go out.”
Silence.
“Yoohoo, Conner.”
No response.
He chuckled and said, “Ok, I got it. There’s a car I’ve never seen in the driveway and I saw all the light go out just before I came in.”
The refrigerator turned on.
He cupped his hands over his mouth and said loudly and sarcastically, “To the young lady hiding in my son’s room right now; it’s totally fine, I’m not gonna go ape shit. I was a kid once to.”
Dead silence.
His dad threw his arms up.
“Conner, c’mon.”
He began walking around the house, looking here and there but there was no sign of his son. He trekked down the hallway and peeked inside the bathroom but found nothing.
A light flipped on.
He heard the pop of a light switch and made his way back out to the living room. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a young girl wearing only a white t- shirt and bare on her bottom half, standing there in his kitchen with her hands tied together and her mouth duct taped shut. Black mascara tears falling down her cheeks.
A silent show of horror and dismay showed on his face when his mouth slowly opened up to say an inaudible “What the fuck”
Then he turned around quickly hearing the soft thud of footsteps coming at him.
“HI DAD!”
Lights out.
He awoke, lying on his back on the pool table in the living room unaware of where he was and what had happened. Then he remembered the grimy, rough face of the man coming at him with the backend of a gun aimed at his head.
His hands were tied tight with rope. The ceiling fan was spinning and he realized he was in his own home. A sudden wave of relief washed over him at this thought but he knew he was in some kind of danger.
As his vision became clearer, two faces appeared above him like two surgeons gazing down on their patient.
“Wakeee, wakeee, eggs and motherfuckin’ baceee!” Said Badman.
“Hi there dad. Have a nice trip?” He broke out into a sick laughter.
We wasn’t expectin’ you home so soon. But now since you’re here, you may as well join the party,” said Nightmare.
“Yeah, yeah, join the party,” said Badman.
Conner’s dad looked at the two men standing above him with fear yet hate in his eyes.
“Wanna see who else showed up?” Nightmare asked.
He and Badman pulled him up to a sitting position and in front of him sitting on the couch were his son and three females he’s never seen before in his life. His mind went reeling for an explanation of what the fuck was going on. His last thought before getting out of his car just fifteen minutes ago was him asking his son if he wanted to go fishing tomorrow and now he was sitting in his living room on his pool table staring at four terrified looking teens, one being his only son.
They all had their mouths taped shut and their hands were tied as well.
“Who the fuck are you!” Conner’s dad demanded with hateful eyes glaring at Nightmare.
“Settle down dad. They ain’t hurt….yet.”
“Son, are you ok. What’s going….”
Nightmare punched him hard in the jaw.
“Shut your fuckin’ mouth!”
“Dad!” Conner cried out through his taped mouth.
“Boy!” Nightmare pointed the shot gun at him from across the room. The threat worked. Conner shut his stupid ass mouth.
“Now look here dad,” Nightmare said walking into the middle of the living room, “let me introduce myself. They call me the nightmare man because I will make your ever lovin’ pathetic life a goddam nightmare. Or you can just call me nightmare.”
His cunning smile revealed his sick, yellow and crooked teeth.
“And that man there with that pretty rifle almost kissin’ your head goes by Badman.”
The simpleton nodded and revealed his nasty teeth similar to his partner in corruption.
Nightmare continued, “As you can see, those little shit’s sittin’ over there are just fine. A O fuckn’ kay. Maybe a little shakin’ up but fuckin’ peachy. See dad we know all about you and your money. In fact we’ve been followin’ you pretty close now for a couple of weeks. Ya see we like you rich folk a whole lot. So I think you know why we’re here.”
“ Take whatever you want I don’t care, it doesn’t matter. But please don’t hurt these ki….”
“Oh, don’t worry dad, we’re gonna take all your shit but first we’re gonna have a little fun if that’s ok with you. Now me and my partner seemed to have stumbled upon some peculiar activities goings on round here,” Nightmare smiled again, “if you know what I mean.”
He looked at Nightmare in confusion and then to his son.
Nightmare walked over to the couch and ripped off their duct tape mouths. Each one cried out in pain as it came tearing off their skin.
“Ladies,” he said smiling at Conner’s dad, “Why don’t you introduce yourselves to dad here.”
The girls were silent. Nightmare pointed his gun at them when he didn’t get a response. That knocked them out of their dazed state of fear real quick.
“I’m Andi.”
“Speak up girl, the man can’t hear ya!”
“My name is Andi.”
And then, “Liz.”
And finally, “Megan.”
Nightmare looked at the girls and said, “Why it sounds like you’re all at a funeral. C’mon girlies show some spizazzz! Now you daddy-o, introduce yourself to these fine lookin’ females here.”
Hesitantly Conner’s dad said, “I’m Edward Evans. Conner’s dad.”
“Motherfuckin’ Conner’s dad!” Nightmare yelled and began clapping his hands. “Now ladies, why don’t you tell Mr. Evans what you were alls doin’ upstairs in I presume Conner’s bedroom. Go on now don’t be shy, tell the rich big shot lawyer what his baby boy was up to.”
None of the girls said a word. They just all had a terrible look of guilt on their scared yet still pretty young faces.
“You sweetheart, why don’t you tell us all what was goin’ down.” Nightmare was looking right at Megan. She didn’t know what to say. Her throat seemed to freeze up. Her face was a hysteria mask of regret, embarrassment and a deer caught in the headlights of a fast moving semi.
“Get to talkin’ dollface.” Nightmare pointed his shot gun right at her. She spoke.
“Mr. Evans, please, I’m so sorry.” Her voice was delicate, shaky and on the verge of breaking down. “We weren’t doing anything wrong….i mean….it was only,” she was at a loss for words but Edward knew exactly what she was trying to tell him. He put his head down, unable to look at her much less his son. And then Megan broke down into tears. Liz and Andi also held their heads down in shame. But fear was still at the forefront in their minds.
“Dad,” Conner said in his own shaky tearful voice, “I’m sorry. I don’t what I was thi….”
“Boy, I don’t believe I was talkin’ to you. You let that pretty little bitch talk.” Nightmare made his point. “Go on darlin’ tell the man what you did to his son.”
“Look, I can write you a check for however much you want,” Edward said to Nightmare. “Please just take what you want and leave.”
“Daddy-o, I think you’re gonna sit there and listen to what the girl has to tell you, now shut your fuckin’ mouth! Get talkin’ girl!”
Megan had her head down and to the side. She couldn’t look at Conner’s dad. But she knew if she didn’t tell him what happened she was going to get that shot gun forced into her head by that fucking madman by the name of Nightmare.
Finally sh
e looked up and said very quietly, “I had….sex with your son.”
“Speak up girl the man can’t hear ya!” Nightmare commanded.
“I….I….we had sex.” Her voice was chocked by tears and humiliation.
“Well goddam! Whooo buddy. She done fucked your son daddy-o!” Nightmare started clapping his hands again.
Badman joined in to and said, “Yeah,yeah, fucked your boy!”
Edward held his head down with his eyes closed. He looked up and shook his head at Megan and silently mouthed “it’s ok”.
Nightmare looked at Edward like he was the crazy one.
“What the fuck you say dad? That shit ain’t ok!” Nightmare turned his attention to Conner who was crying and said, “How old are you anyway boy?”
“I’m sixteen,” Conner said reluctantly and after being threatened by Mr. Nightmares sawed off shot gun.
“Holeee shit! You hear that Badman!” Nightmare howled with a sick grin.
Edward shook his head, eyeing Conner. He said pitifully, “son.”
“Ok, I’m….fif….fifteen.” Conner held his head down and began bawling.
Megan’s eyes widened and both Liz and Andi raised their heads simultaneously. All three girls turned their heads sharply at the boy sitting next to them.
Nightmare let out a long, wheezing laugh. “Goddam girl, you done fucked a baby! Holeee shit!” He continued, “And how old are you pretty little cunts if I may ask?” Liz told him eighteen and he doubled over in wild, insane laughter. Spittle flew out of his mouth onto the beige carpet. After about forty five seconds of everyone staring with fear and disgust at Nightmare he finally stopped and stared at Megan. He was breathing heavy from laughing so hard but he kept looking at her and she could feel her stomach tighten with anxiety and sickness.
“You know what,” he said and then, “I don’t believe you.”
Silence.
“Show me.”
Everyone’s mouth drew open slowly in disbelief at what they just heard and Megan had a fright mask of terror on her face when she said, “What,” breathlessly.
“You fuckin’ heard me. Show me. I don’t fuckin’ believe it.”
Conner was speechless.
