The Brutality Pack: An extreme horror collection

by Ian Woodhead

  After all these years, Anton still fussed over him like a mother hen. At least, that is how Kevin chose to look at it. In truth, it felt more like his boyfriend did not trust him.

  In all the time that he had been grabbing girls and young women for Anton, had Kevin ever bungled a job? No, of course he hadn’t. Anton would never take that into consideration. Kevin sighed, he just hoped that this time his boyfriend would appreciate all the work he put into pleasing Anton. There were a few hidden items stored in the glovebox and under the passenger seat. Anton didn’t have a clue that they were there. He had popped into a card shop earlier this afternoon and picked up a couple of rolls of dark blue wrapping paper and a spool of pink silk ribbon. Anton loved both colours.

  Anton was always accusing Kevin of having no imagination. He kept saying Kevin was boring and predictable. Well, he would show him alright. Kevin tried not to grin; Anton would just love his surprise.

  He pushed the young clingy tart off his lap and reached for his drink. Considering it had cost him money, Kevin didn’t intend to waste it. How was Anton going to react when he presented the corpse all wrapped up, complete with a pretty bow wrapped around it?

  Kevin spat the lager back into the glass. He couldn't drink this vile stuff even if it did cost him money. It tasted even worse than the last pint. He ought to report this club for breaching the trade descriptions act.

  “Oh my, haven’t you got really big hands, so strong and firm. I can’t wait to feel them caressing my naked body.”

  His hands were indeed going to be all over her body tonight. But she wouldn’t feel them. Kevin was going to spend a lot of time with this one; she needed to be just right for Anton. For a start, he needed to sponge her body down and dry it before wrapping it up. The last thing he wanted was for Anton to choke to death on her cheap perfume when he ripped off the paper.

  The girl suddenly ceased her crude attempts at seduction. She obviously must have decided that the hunt was well and truly over now, and that Kevin belonged to her. It wasn’t too difficult to reach that conclusion. Just listening to her rattle on about how her mother didn’t understand gave him the first clue. Kevin only listened with half an ear. He was too intent on getting her from the stage of being alive to being dead to give the silly girl his full attention.

  Kevin stood up and grabbed the giggling girl’s hand. “It’s time to go, darling,” he said, smiling. Thankfully, the club wasn’t so full now, so it didn’t take too long to get the girl outside.

  As he pulled her across the carpark, he realised the she was still going on about her stupid family. Kevin had made a mistake. She was going to be a screamer. The mouthy ones always were. As soon as she saw the interior of his van, the little bitch would wail like a fucking banshee. Shit, he should have spiked her drink before leaving the club. Well, he’d just have to resort to punching her. Anton got all pissy when he bruised his goods, but if he was careful Anton might not notice.

  Kevin then slowly smiled. He’d just thought of an amazing idea. “Do you like to play games?”

  She frowned. “I don’t know. What sort of games?”

  “What do you think I mean, honey?” Why could he not remember the girl's name? Kevin pushed that annoyance to the back of his mind. It didn't really matter. “I’m not talking about draughts or chess,” he continued. “I mean the games that generally involve handcuffs, black leather, and chains.”

  She didn’t reply at first. It didn’t look as though she was going to go for it. His van was now in sight, and Kevin clenched his fist, getting ready to hit her.

  “Fucking hell, Kevin. You really are a dark horse, ain't you! God, I love bondage.”

  He silently sighed with relief. “They’re not real, of course,” he said, lying. “They’re just quick release, but you can’t tell the difference.”

  “Is all that stuff in your van, Kevin?” She laughed out loud. “Oh my God! It is, I can tell by the look on your face!”

  Kevin gently squeezed her hand then nodded happily. This was going just great. It looked as though everything was going to turn out just fine. She wrestled her hand out of his grip and raced over to the vehicle. The girl leaned back against the black transit. Kevin ground his teeth when she placed her stiletto against the paintwork.

  “Kevin, I need you to kiss me.”

  He shrugged. He could do that again, it seemed like a reasonable last request. As he leaned towards her puckered lips, another sweet scent suddenly invaded his nostrils. Oh fuck, Kevin knew this aroma intimately.

  Someone grabbed the back of his shirt and dragged Kevin away from the grinning girl. He attempted to spin around and face his assailant, only to feel two pairs of rough hands wrap around both of his arms.

  “Will you stop struggling, you annoying man?”

  Oh, no, it really was his Anton! His aroma was unmistakable. What was he doing here? “Anton, is that you?” he spluttered. “What are you doing here? I have it all under control, I promise.”

  The young tart started to laugh. So did someone else. Kevin whipped his head around and saw the face of a grey haired stranger grinning right back at him. His heart began to race; he got the feeling that he’d just been set up. In fact, he was sure of it. Oh, bollocks, it all began to fit together, no wonder this girl matched Anton’s description.

  “Right then, Kevin. I have somebody who is just dying to meet you. That man holding your other arm is called Daniel. Don’t be rude, Kevin. I want you to stop staring, and say hello to him.”

  Kevin gave the grinning fat slob a single withering glance. So, this was his replacement. How could his Anton do this to him? How could he humiliate him after all of his faithful years? Kevin refused to allow the hot tears flow; he wasn’t going to stand for it, no way. There would be no more compliant Kevin from him, and they were both about to find out just how hard he could punch somebody.

  “Can we do the queer now?” asked the girl, giggling.

  “Shut your fucking hole!” the stranger shouted.

  Something wasn’t right with this scene. A huge slab of wrongness speared through Kevin’s feelings of hurt and betrayal. He then yelped in surprise as he felt something sharp pierce the small of his back.

  “Please don’t be mad at me, Kevin,” Anton whispered behind him. He ran his finger around the outside of Kevin’s ear. “I can always tell when you get all stressed out. Your forehead furrows up like a ploughed field. It’s very cute.” Anton moved into his vision, turned to face the man, and planted a single kiss on his cheek. “How long until the drug takes, Daniel?”

  “It’ll take just a few seconds. In fact, we should be able to release him now.”

  “Just what the hell is going on?” said Kevin. He was seriously confused and more than a little frightened now. The two men then let go of him. Kevin remained where he was. Try as he might, he could not move his arms.

  “I’m sure that you of all people are aware that there are a vast amount of dirty secrets in this town,” Daniel said. “The folk do their nasty little deeds either behind closed doors or out of plain sight. Well, I intend to bring it all out into the open. Just you wait until the others in town smell you, they’ll go crazy.”

  Kevin tried to tune the man’s whiny little voice out. He closed his eyes and tried to move his fingers. Those fuckers had injected him with something. Well, they weren’t going to beat him. Kevin put all the concentration he could muster in trying to move his thumbs.

  “We did have some good times, Kevin. I don’t want you to feel sad. You should feel privileged here. You’re about to wake up an entire town. You’re going to be our very own beacon of hope.”

  “More like a beacon of light,” Daniel said.

  The girl giggled. Kevin’s eyes shot open when he heard the sound of sloshing water. The ugly man waved a bottle of water in front of his eyes. He unscrewed the cap and emptied the contents over Kevin’s feet. The fumes hit him immediately. It wasn’t water. That stuff smelled like lighter fluid.

  “Oh God.
Jesus, God no. Anton! Please, don’t do this!”

  The man showed him another bottle and poured more of the liquid over Kevin’s trousers. The prostrate man screamed and raged as Daniel poured the remaining liquid over his head.

  The only man that Kevin had ever loved reached into his back pocket, brought out a Zippo lighter, flicked the wheel, and threw the lighter at Kevin’s shrieking form.

  Chapter Four

  The large flat stone just missed the cat’s head by about an inch. The missile bounced off a green wooden gate, rolled along the edge of the kerb, and dropped into an open storm drain. The black and white cat whipped its head around and hissed at the four of them before it shot across the road and darted under a hedge.

  “I could have got that fucking moggie good and proper if you hadn’t coughed, you stupid little turd.” Phil glared at Dave. “This is all your fault. I can't believe how noisy you are. You’re such a dumb twat.”

  Despite Phil's acid comments, Dave felt quite chilled out. Random acts of low level cruelty and insulting him was the closest Phil ever got to being happy. Dave supposed he should be thankful. Compared to some of Brutality's inhabitants, Phil was a frigging angel.

  The girl clamped on Phil's arm chuckled. Lisa had been creating that bizarre noise ever since they left the club. It sounded like a cross between a motorbike setting off, and a quacking duck. When he first heard it, Dave thought Lisa had got something stuck in her throat. That was five streets ago. Now whenever she made that noise, Dave wanted to punch her. Christ knows how Lisa's mate put up with that sound. She must have been listening to that girl’s annoying giggles for ages.

  Whenever Phil came out with something that he believed was funny, Lisa would inevitably laugh alongside him. So, his so-called best mate had finally found a soul mate. Why did it not surprise Dave to discover a female equivalent to Phil in Brutality? What did shock him was that the town wasn't all that big; surely by now this pair would have crossed paths by now?

  This is all he needed. Another person who enjoyed showing off and inflicting misery on those around him. Phil had been out with some nasty cows in the past, but this one took the biscuit. Dave just hoped that the novelty wouldn't last too long. Putting up with another Phil was liable to put him in the ground.

  “You really are a dumb cunt, Dave. Then again, I’ve known that for years, so I shouldn’t be that surprised.”

  Dave hadn’t coughed at all. He had no idea that he was going to throw the stone at that poor cat.

  “I bet you didn’t know that your new boyfriend was a cunt, Amber.”

  Amber gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “I’ve heard that opinion is also in the eye of the beholder, Phil. Somehow though, I suspect that a handsome chap like you has known that for a long time.” She waited until Lisa turned away and back to playing the role of Phil’s attentive girl before she gave Dave a sly wink.

  Bloody hell, that was just great. Amber had managed to appease the nasty gorilla and Lisa with that piece of borderline diplomacy. Even so, once he was alone with her, Dave would have to take the girl to one side and explain that sometimes it was just a better idea to keep quiet. If you confused the bloke, he did have a tendency to lash out with those hard fists. His policy was smacking them first, just in case they were taking the piss out of him.

  “As you fucked up my aim and let that bastard cat run off, I think that you deserve to be punished. I reckon that you ought to buy me supper.” He grinned at Lisa. “What do you think?”

  She giggled. “And what makes you so fucking special? I mean, if he's going to all generous with his money, then he ought to be buying my supper as well.”

  Dave silently groaned. He couldn't believe that he'd fallen for that one yet again. Why did he not see this one coming? The bastard had pulled this trick on him loads of times. This night out was going to cost him a bloody fortune. “Okay, Phil. Fair enough. We’ll have to stop off at a cash machine though; I don’t have that much money left.”

  Phil stopped dead. He ran over to a low wall and leaned over the top then stood up. He uncurled his fist, showing them a large round stone. “Oh, look what I've just found.” He rubbed his mouth. Thing is, Dave. I'm not sure that I believe you. Your wallet is always crammed with notes.”

  “Come on, man. How can it be full of notes? I only get the same amount as you.”

  Phil frowned. “Short of robbing you which, I might add, might be still happen, I'll assume you're telling the truth. It's going to cost you though. I expect you to but me my lunch at work for a few days.”

  Lisa released another one of her squeaky laughs.

  “There’s a hole in the wall on the other side of the street, Dave. Oh, and don’t even think of running off. I won’t miss this time.

  Dave sighed and then stepped out into the empty road. He allowed Phil’s threats to wash over him. Dave was used to his behaviour. How much was this going to cost him? He tried to work out how much of last month’s wage was left in his account, but his drunken mind refused to cooperate.

  “Oi, fuckhead!”

  Dave resisted the temptation to spin around and face Phil. The bastard had caught him out like this before. He’d turn around, and Phil would launch that stone right at his face. Phil would roll about the ground laughing while he’d be nursing yet another bruise for a few weeks.

  “Cloth ears, don’t you dare fucking ignore me.”

  Dave counted to three, told himself that it would only hurt for a few seconds before turning, getting ready to duck. He saw that Lisa had her slender hands on Amber’s shoulders. She then pushed the girl off the kerb.

  “What the fuck have I told you about leaving all your shite lying about?” shouted Phil. “Catch us up, you turd, and don’t take all fucking night either. I’m hungry.”

  He glared as Phil and Lisa took off hand in hand, giggling like a pair of school kids. “Are you okay?” asked Dave, picking Amber off the floor.

  She nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine, Dave.” She brushed some bits of broken glass from her jeans. “The bitch has done far worse to me.”

  He helped her across the road. “Well, I suppose I had better withdraw the last of my wage. It’s best not to keep him waiting.” Dave had finally worked out how much he had left in his account. It wasn’t good. He’d have to break into his board-money to pay for tonight. His parents weren’t due back until Wednesday; he was sure that he could find somebody to sub him the money before then.

  Amber grabbed his arm and frog-marched him over to the cash machine.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I thought it was obvious. I’m making it look as though we are going to the cash machine.”

  “But we are, Amber.”

  He turned his head and saw the others cross an intersection. Dave guessed that Phil would be taking his new piece of nasty arse over to the Spicy Meat Hut over on Scarman Street. It was their local takeaway. The food was cheap, and the owner knew them and always gave Phil extra portions. Dave then groaned in misery when he saw Lisa point up the side street. Phil turned and waved before following Lisa up that street.

  “Oh, this is just bloody great,” he muttered. “I can do without this hassle. Amber, that’s where all the posh restaurants are.” He would have to take out all of his board-money, and that fucker was going to bleed him dry.

  “Right, it’s okay, they’re gone.” Amber pushed him up against the wall. “Now, let’s sort you out before we sort each other out.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed Dave softly on the lips. She pulled back and grinned. “You don’t have to say anything; I can see your response on your face. You see, I took the liberty of going through Lisa’s purse while we were in the toilets. I think that she ought to be paying for this night out, don’t you? After all, it was her idea to go upmarket.”

  Oh God, this was so weird. Dave thought that he could be falling in love. Phil could keep the blonde, Lisa might be well tidy, but that girl really was a horrible person, just a thin coating of pretty over a rottin
g chunk of meat. Dave stifled a giggle. “Wait, you’re telling me that you stole some money from Lisa? Oh dear, you’re nothing but a dirty little thief.”

  Amber kissed him on the nose. “I’ll show you just how dirty I am later on, Dave.” She propelled him towards the cash machine. “Come on, we still need to make it look like you’re grabbing some money in case they’re still watching us.”

  It wasn’t fair. He wanted to take this lovely girl home right now. Fat chance of that happening, he wouldn’t dare leave Phil. That fucker knew where he lived. He tried to think of other things instead of his mate wrecking his life.

  “Don’t you feel guilty about running off with her hard earned cash?”

  She shook her head. “I used to but not anymore. Besides, it wasn’t hard earned. Her dad is stinking rich. All she has to do is flutter those pretty eyes and her old man hands over a couple of thick wads.”

  Dave slid his card into the machine.

  “I just see it as compensation now. It’s my way of getting my own back for her being a complete bitch to me all the time.”

  “Why do you stay with her then?”

  “Why do you stay with Phil?” she replied.

  He sighed, “Well, it can’t have escaped your attention that folk in this town aren’t very neighbourly to one another.”

  Amber shivered. “When my parents moved here last month, I thought we had arrived in hell.”

  Dave’s head snapped up when a horrifying shriek echoed through the cold night air. He looked at Amber’s frightened face.”

  “What the bloody hell was that?” she hissed.

  He shrugged. “Welcome to Brutality. Stuff like that happens a lot. You get used to it, eventually.”

  Dave placed his card back in his wallet. If his balance was correct, he should have enough money to last him until next week as long as he didn’t pig out on food. Dave took Amber’s hand and led her across the road.