“Don’t worry baby, I have one bullet left and mommy is a great shot. I won’t miss. Besides, Mountain Lions are scared of fire like most animals in the woods. So, we’re safe.”
Boom! As soon as the words left her mouth a loud gunshot could be heard sounding like thunder and a huge hole burst open in Joshua’s stomach. Blood squirted onto her face. “Mom!” Joshua moaned. “NOOOOO! NOOOOO! Not my baby, not my baby!” she screamed. She aimed her rifle in the direction that the shot came from. She heard footsteps coming from the left of her, then the right, and then straight-ahead. “UGGGHH!” she turned back around to check on Joshua as he groaned in pain, “Baby, please just hold on,” she said with her facial expression twisted up in despair as she fought back tears.
The one second she became distracted was the one second she wished she could take back as Timothy charged towards her. She aimed and squeezed the trigger just as Patrick rushed up on her from the left and hit her in the head with the butt of his rifle causing her to miss Timothy’s head and the bullet slamming into his shoulder. “You fucking bitch!” Timothy groaned dropping to his knees in pain as blood skewed out of him.
Samantha’s head was throbbing like a terrible migraine. She could feel the veins in her head pulsing and she couldn’t recall how long she had been unconscious. The sound of Patrick’s voice made her eyes open. She tried to move, but couldn’t. Her hands were zip tied behind her back and her ankles were zip tied together making it impossible for her to stand. All she could do was move her neck or inch around. She looked towards the tree that she was only two feet away from and could see Joshua groaning in pain and blood pouring out his stomach. The white snow coat he had on was far from white now and his leg twitched every so often.
“Fuck you! I’m not letting you do this. This is your family and an innocent child. Now, I’m taking Joshua to the hospital and there is nothing that you can do about it. I don’t care if you tell what happened in Afghanistan. And I’m not Diego y'all won’t drop on me that fast,” Murray shouted and punched Patrick so hard he flew sideways. He turned around and squeezed the trigger to his sniper rifle shooting Timothy in his left shoulder.
“Why? Why would you do that? You fucking bloody bastard! I just got done patching up the wound in my right shoulder and you shoot me in the left,” Timothy hollered in pain while rolling around on the ground.
Murray quickly punched Charlie in the face knocking him to the ground and kicking the gun out of his hand. He turned to Douglas, “Don’t you do it, Douglas. I’ll hate to have to kill you,” Murray shouted as Douglas raised his rifle and prepared to shoot. “Put the fucking gun down Douglas or I swear I’ll kill you where you stand. We don’t kill children no matter the debt we owe. This isn’t fucking right!” Murray shouted.
“Damn, you’re right,” Douglas said lowering his gun then dropped it to the ground.
Murray kept his eyes on Timothy, Charlie, and Douglas while he removed the large hunting knife from his holster on his waist. He cautiously bent down and cut the plastic zip tie off Samantha’s wrist. “Here you’re going to have to cut the ties from your ankles while I keep an eye on these fools,” Murray said keeping a close eye on Douglas, Charlie, and Timothy who were still rolling around in the snow on the ground in pain sinking into the white snow.
Murray turned around just as Patrick popped off the ground with an army knife gripped in his right hand about to run towards him with his teeth gritted in anger. Just before Patrick reached him, Patrick stopped dead in his tracks. “You take one more step motherfucker and I’ll put a bullet in between your eyes,” Murray said meaning every word.
Patrick just grinned showing off his perfect white teeth, “I knew in my heart that you would try to stop me. It’s always been you all of this time, my own best friend. I bleed for you, killed to protect you, and kept your secret safe. How could you do what you did to me?” Patrick asked as tears streamed down his cheeks.
Murray hesitated before speaking. He started to say I’m sorry, but then stopped. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. We are best friends so put the knife down. Don’t make me kill you,” Murray said with a straight face.
“You already killed me. You took the one thing I loved more than my own life, my family. And I can’t believe you’re going to stand there with a motherfucking straight face denying it all. You fucking snake! You’re the dirtiest kind of person in the world with friends like you. Who needs enemies? I took a bullet for you back in Afghanistan. And this…this is how you repay me?” Patrick shouted.
“It just happened. I’m sorry,” Murray said keeping his eyes on Patrick noticing he still hadn’t dropped the knife.
The huge all white Mountain Lion could smell the blood in the air. He kept his nose turned up sniffing while walking slow knowing he was closing in on its prey. It was as if a smile spread a crossed the lion’s face when he starred at Timothy’s back with his blood covered coat as he rolled around in the snow. The Mountain Lion looked past Timothy and could see Samantha on the ground with a knife in her hand trying to cut her own foot free of the zip ties. Then he could see Charlie, Douglas, Murray, and Patrick none of them were paying attention to Timothy. The white Mountain Lion licked its chops and took off running at full speed and was behind Timothy in a matter of seconds. He opened his large mouth and his teeth sunk in between the angle of Timothy’s neck and shoulder. Timothy’s eyes opened up in horror from the new pain now traveling through his body. “AHHHHHHH! What the bloody fuck!” he hollered in excruciating pain in an Irish accent as the cougar’s teeth sunk even deeper inside him.
The sound of Timothy’s scream caused all of them to turn their heads in the direction of the noise to see the huge white Mountain Lion that blend with the snow shaking Timothy from side to side like a rag doll. “What the hell is that?” Murray shouted as he aimed his rifle and squeezed the trigger sending a bullet towards the Mountain Lion and it slammed inches from his paw causing him to look up and stare Murray dead in his eyes. Murray’s heart felt as if it stopped or skipped a few beats, and then pounded hard trying to escape his chest. He nervously squeezed the trigger once more. The bullet flew out of the gun and slammed into Timothy’s thigh. “AAAAHHHH!” Timothy hollered in agony and pain. Douglas and Charlie snapped out the state of shock and disbelief they were in and grabbed their rifles and aimed at the overgrown lion. It noticed the movement and began to back pedal at a fast pace with his teeth still locked into Timothy’s shoulder. “AAAAHHHH…Motherfuckers! Help me! Don’t let this shit eat me. Help me! Shit shoot me! Anything’s better than getting eaten alive! AAAAAHHHHH! Help!” Timothy screamed at the top of his lungs as the cougar dragged him backwards. He was helpless to put up a fight. “Please! Please let them help me,” he prayed out loud. Douglas and Charlie ran forward while firing their guns, but missed the cougar every time. He was moving too fast dragging Timothy deeper and deeper into the woods away from them. Timothy grabbed at a thin tree with his left hand and held on to it for dear life. “AAAAAHHHH!” he screamed refusing to let it go. He could feel the skin on his left arm pull as the mountain lion tugged harder on his right shoulder and neck. “Help! Bloody fucking help me!” he repeatedly shouted and could see Charlie and Douglas getting closer. So could the Mountain Lion. He became furious that someone was about to disturb his meal. Bullets slammed into the trees past the cougar’s head. He released his grip off of Timothy and let out a loud roar that Douglas and Charlie felt travel through their bodies.
The Mountain Lion sunk his teeth into Timothy’s left arm that he was using to hold on for dear life. One bite from the lion’s mighty jaws severed his left arm ripping it off his body blood squirted out into the cougar’s mouth and onto the ground making the white snow red. “AAAAAAHHHHHH!” Timothy hollered. The lion licked his lips and wasted no time to bite into Timothy’s calf muscle and used his leg to pull him backwards. “NOOOOOO! NOOOOOO!” Timothy screamed while being dragged into the woods at an incredible speed until he could no longer see Douglas and Ch
arles.
Douglas and Charles ran up trying to follow Timothy’s screams, but they were becoming faint by the second. They stopped at the tree he was holding just a minute to see his detached arm and hand still locked on the tree. Murray couldn’t believe what had just taken place as he watched in horror.
“Ugghh! Ugghh!” he groaned in pain as he felt a long knife ripping through his flesh, piercing his rib cage traveling to his lung. “You lying motherfucker,” Patrick said through gritted teeth while stabbing Murray repeatedly in the back left side of his body. Murray dropped to his knees and the rifle fell out of his hand. He coughed up blood and finally fell face first to the ground. Patrick continued his attack. “You stupid ass, how does it feel to be backstabbed? How does it feel? Huh! Do you love it? To know that your best friend is putting the knife in your back,” Patrick shouted raising the hunting knife real high and coming down into the center of Murray’s back with full force. Murray’s body bucked from the force and pain, “Ahhhhhhhhhhh,” Murray screamed as Patrick twisted the knife while it was jammed deep inside him. “The pain that you’re feeling now is in no comparison to what I feel and how my heart hurts,” Patrick said then spit on the back of Murray's head.
Patrick turned around and walked back over to the tree his son was resting on. Joshua sat there holding his stomach fighting to stay awake. The bullet had torn a hole in his stomach and a big hole out from his back. Blood poured out of him fast. Joshua stretched out his bloody hand, “Father, help me,” he mumbled as tears streamed down his cheeks. In his mind, he couldn’t come to grips as to why his father, the man who took care of him, taught him how to walk, how to catch a football, and to carry himself with respect, be causing him so much pain. Patrick’s facial expression twisted up in despair as tears flowed out of his eyes like a river. He lifted up his white snow jacket and pulled out a 9mm handgun from his waistline. He aimed at Joshua’s heart. His head shook and the water from his eyes from crying made it almost impossible for him to see clear. “Dad why? Why are you doing this? I love you! Don’t hurt me no more, please? Please don’t hurt me. I don’t understand what I’ve done wrong. Why?” Joshua screamed.
“You were born!” Patrick replied and squeezed the trigger once. The bullet slammed into Joshua’s chest and ripped a huge hole into his heart. Joshua’s body shook and he dropped an outstretched hand. “Why daddy? Why are you hurting me?” he mumbled.
Patrick raised the gun a little higher and replied, “Blame your mother,” while squeezing the trigger sending a bullet crashing right into the middle of Joshua’s head splitting it in half. Patrick dropped to his knees and buried his face in the palm of his hands and cried like a newborn baby. "Noooooooo!” Samantha had watched everything while trying to cut herself from the zip tie from her ankles. Her stomach cramped up and ached. Her heart felt a pain it had never felt before. She broke free of the plastic zip tie. She popped up off the ground picking up a large rock and ran over to where Patrick was kneeled down crying. She swung with all her might knocking Patrick in the head with the rock. You killed our son she shouted repeatedly. The blow was so hard and caught Patrick off guard because he flew sideways and rolled three times making the gun fall out of his hand.
Samantha looked at her only child lying there dead with his head split wide open. She screamed at the top of her lungs and couldn’t stop the tears from falling. She looked down and noticed the handgun that Patrick dropped and quickly snatched it up. She aimed at Patrick who was rubbing his head as blood leaked out of it. From the corner of his eye, he could see Samantha about to pull the trigger. He scooped up a handful of snow and tossed it real fast. The snowball smashed into her nose and eyes making it impossible for her to see. Patrick rolled as the bullet slammed into the ground into the spot he was just in. Samantha listened to the sound of his movement and continued to fire wildly. Patrick hopped off the ground and took off running for dear life. Samantha wiped the snow away from her eyes and could see Patrick running low at top, stop towards the wooded area. “Ahhhhh!” she hollered and squeezed the trigger repeatedly.
Patrick leaped up in the air and jumped behind some bushes, then ducked fast behind a thick tree. He stuck his head out from behind the tree; pieces of the bark went into his mouth. He spit them out and ducked back behind the tree as Samantha came charging towards his direction while screaming, “Ahhhhhhhhh!” squeezing the trigger of the gun sending a spray of bullets wildly towards Patrick.
“Oh shit! Oh shit fucking crazy bitch!” he shouted.
“You killed our son! You killed our son!” Samantha screamed.
“Fuck you bitch! I killed your son, not mine,” Patrick shouted back doing his best to act as if he felt no remorse, but his heart hurt. He never knew pain as he felt today.
Samantha felt herself being tossed to the ground as a loud gunshot could be heard echoing through the air. Samantha looked up off the ground to see Murray standing there with over twenty knife wounds in his back and chest. His white snow coat was dripping red onto the snow. He looked down at his stomach to the newly fresh hole that ended his stomach and came out of his back. “Run, run!” he mumbled while coughing up blood just as another bullet slammed into his chest. The impact was so hard that it lifted him off his feet. He landed onto his back groaning in pain.
“I got his ass,” Charlie said with a huge smile on his face as him and Douglas ran for cover behind the same tree as Patrick. “Nooooo! You bastard,” Samantha shouted while continuing to fire in their direction and crawled over to Murray.
“You have to run,” Murray mumbled as blood leaked out of him.
“Not without you,” Samantha helped Murray up while still squeezing the trigger. She looked at her son one last time and took off running.
Chapter 7
“This is going way too far men. We lost Timothy and killed Diego. And if Murray’s not dead, he’s not far from it. You shot your own son. I just want out of this blood bath right now,” Douglas stated.
“Fuck! Timothy is not dead. I can still hear him screaming. It’s faint, but I can still hear it. All we got to do is follow the blood trail and it will lead us to him and that white man eating fucking Mountain Lion!” Charlie stated.
“No Douglas, you can’t piss out now! We’re in this till the end. Like I said at the end of all this, I’ll make sure the police will blame everything on me. I just can’t do this on my own. So stop acting like a bitch after all that I have done for you. As far as Timothy goes, he’s a done deal. Charlie we can’t save him. By the time we’d reach him, it would be too late anyway,” Patrick stated.
“How the hell can you say that? We can still save Timothy,” Charlie replied.
“Listen, the man’s arm was completely ripped off. He will bleed to death. It’s just a matter of time. If we go after him now, we’d reach him just in time to see the lion finish him off. Besides if we don’t stay on Samantha’s trail, we will lose her out here. She was a Marine for five years. She’s not as helpless as she looks,” Patrick stated.
“I don’t like it. We never left a man behind, but lets finish here. So I can hunt the white fucking lion and hang him on the wall,” Charlie replied.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!” Timothy’s voice became soft and weak from screaming as the cougar continued to drag him deeper into the woods by his leg. “Please guys fucking come! I don’t want to die like this. All they have to do is follow the blood smeared all in the snow and shoot this overgrown cat in the head,” Timothy thought to himself, as he looked at all the blood that was pouring out the whole where his left arm used to be. He could no longer feel the pain because the freezing cold had numbed some of his nervous system. He felt himself stop being dragged. “Please help!” he screamed in a weak voice in the direction he was taken from as a tear traveled down his cheek onto the snow.
He felt his body flip over suddenly. He was now on his back and his lips trembled in fear as he stared at the large Mountain Lion’s head as they now were face to face. The Mountain Lion’s mouth was covered in thi
ck red blood mixed with saliva. He opened his mouth wide. Timothy could see nothing but razor sharp teeth the size of fingers. “Ahhhhhhhhh!” he hollered, as his stomach was ripped open. He could feel the Mountain Lion tugging and ripping at his flesh swallowing pieces of him in one gulp. “Nooooo! No this can’t be happening!” Timothy cried out as he pounded weakly at the Mountain Lion’s face in hopes of getting him to stop. The Mountain Lion grinned with a mouth filled of what was left of Timothy’s insides. He sucked it up like linguine pasta then bit off Timothy’s right hand and forearm. He chewed four times before swallowing. “Ahhhhhhh! You bastards! You bastards! You could have saved me!” he shouted at the top of his lungs as the Mountain Lion opened his mouth and ate half of his face off.
Timothy’s body went into convulsions then bucked. His body stopped moving after a few seconds after his body went through shock.
Douglas, Charlie, and Patrick held their heads down in shame doing their best to pretend they didn’t hear Timothy’s final screams and calling them bastards when they knew in their hearts there was more than enough time to save him. Patrick quickly brushed the guilty feeling off. He dug around in his pocket and pulled out a small bottle of Jack Daniels. He opened it and took three sips. “Let’s go before we lose her trail. The sooner we kill the bitch, the faster we can kill that Mountain Lion,” Patrick said as he grabbed his rifle off the ground and looked back at his son one last time. He looked at the trail of blood Murray had left behind and took off running with Douglas and Charlie behind him.
“I can’t go on anymore,” Murray said while breathing shallow and coughing up blood. He dropped to his knees.
Samantha looked at him and knew he wasn’t going to make it. She knew it’s only been pure adrenaline for the only reason he was still alive now. She dropped down to her knees next to him. His body had gotten so weak. He lay backwards resting his head on her lap. “I’m sorry I let it get this far. We should have killed him months ago, but I couldn’t. He’s my best friend,” Murray said in a weak voice.
Deception Page 3
