by S A Ison
There was a single lamp lit in the dining room. Hell waited for him to become coherent. She pulled up a chair in front of him. She’d had to zap him a couple times while she got him situated. He wasn’t as big as Cleves, but was still a big man and it took some doing. At least she didn’t have to change while manhandling him. There was a plastic sheet on the chair she sat on. She didn’t want to leave any kind of evidence.
He was now looking at her, his gaze blazing with impotent fury. Ellsworth was breathing very heavily. She didn’t need answers from him. She just needed him to listen and then die very slowly. She grinned at the thought and his eyes widened. She saw fear on his face.
Oops.
Her eyes must have glittered.
“I’ve a bone to pick with you, Ellsworth. I’m sure you remember some months ago, your man Mike killed a little old lady. Bludgeoned her to death.”
Ellsworth shook his head and she lifted a hand.
“Please, don’t. I’m the one who peeled Mike’s skin off. How do you think I’ve been able to connect all the dots?” she said and snickered at his shocked expression.
He tried to talk but she laughed.
“You’ve got nothing I want to hear. I’m only telling you this so you’ll know why all of this has befallen you. See, in killing my sister, you started a chain reaction. I’m pretty sure that Mike would have not done something so stupid without your say-so.”
Hell got up, walked over to him, and squatted down.
“You see, Mr. Ellsworth, I’m retired CIA. I’m a retired assassin.” She smiled as his eyes grew wide. He struggled and tried to loosen his wrists.
“Struggle all you want; you can’t get free. I’m very good at what I do. You took everything I had. My sister was the last of my family. So I took all you had. All that money you had, well, I’ve spread it out to charities, anonymous of course. The cash will go to after-school programs, anonymous of course. Figure it’ll keep the kids off the streets. I’ll be heading out in a bit to seek out Parker.”
Ellsworth’s eyes were bulging now. She stood and wiggled his big toe.
“Yep. I know where he is too. I’m going to pay Pouch a visit. But him, I’m gonna have a nice long conversation. I’m gonna find who is at the other end of the donor trade. I hope killing my sister was worth it. I’ve taken down quite a few people.”
Hell turned and retrieved her snips from the pack. She went behind Leon and clipped off his index finger. Ellsworth struggled and screamed through his gag. His legs bucked and his back arched.
She placed the fingertip in her baggie, then put it in her pack. She began to strip, staring into Ellsworth’s face as she did. She could see shock and confusion stamped on his countenance along with the pain. His face and body were sheened with sweat. His body trembled with fear and reaction to his situation.
She folded everything and then placed the pack in the kitchen. She didn’t want blood all over it. She was going to make a mess, and had a bunch of wipes ready to go. She’d have to clean before she headed outside.
Hellen walked back over to the man; his gaze followed every move she made. There was sweat pooling around his body on the floor. There was the stench of fear on him and she rubbed her nose.
“Okay, now we get to the fun part. Fucking with me and my family is really not a smart thing to do. But how could you have known? Right? You’re a piece of shit. You feed off the innocent. You hurt little girls and boys. Don’t think I don’t know. Cleve and Bojo were very informative. So. I’m going to start with your dick. I would love to feed it to you, but unfortunately, the neighbors are much too close, but I’ll be satisfied with ripping it off of you very slowly.”
Ellsworth was screaming through his gag, his body bucking and jerking. She smiled.
“Oh, wait a tick. I need to change, don’t I? Because I can’t talk when I’m in my other form, I’ll just let you know tonight’s agenda. After I rip your dick off, I’m going to bite you a little then maybe pull out your intestines. I kind of like that because you can feel them jerk out of you. Bump, bump, bump, bump, splat. Mr. Ellsworth, you fucked with a werewolf and now, the werewolf is going to fuck with you.”
Slowly, Hell began her transformation and his muffled screams filled the room.
She began to grow and fill out, the muscles and bones in her body popping and stretching. The fur punched out of her skin and Hellen noticed that the fur was coming back in fuller. There weren’t as many patches as there had been. With each turn she’d felt more powerful lately. Perhaps her wolf was healing? She saw the pink polish and groaned. Her wolf was incorrigible. She was pretty sure that Betty and Nora were behind it. Ah well, even her wolf liked to be pampered.
It wouldn’t matter if she got pink polish in the wounds. She now was in her full form. She snarled in a low growl, her face inches from his. Ellsworth’s eyes were rolling around wildly in his head and he was jerking, trying to escape the inevitable. The stink of urine saturated her senses. She lowered her large pink claws and cupped his testicles. A high pitched scream emitted from behind the gag as her claws closed over and slowly began to pull.
§
Parker sat in the back of the bar, sipping his drink. His hands shook. He had seen the news earlier that evening. Leon Ellsworth was found murdered in a beach house over in Myrtle Beach. He shivered.
He’d been down in the basement of his grandmother’s house. It was an old house with a dirt foundation in the basement. He had gone to the far back corner and taken a shovel and dug down about two feet. He hit a board and moved the dirt away. Once the wooden board was free of dirt, he lifted it. Beneath were two small skulls. The twins.
Alisia and Alice were his first rapes and kills. They were eleven years old and had disappeared years ago. Parker was seventeen and visiting his grandmother. He had watched the twins with unnatural urges. One day he’d found his opportunity and had lured them into the basement. The neighborhood was in an uproar and he’d helped look for the sisters, who had never been found.
He brushed the dirty skulls with his fingertips, a soft smile of remembrance on his face. Their bright red hair was dull now, after years underground. Fond memories, and so many more children after those two. The south was buried with his kills. He’d been smart enough to spread his hunting over three states. When he’d gotten on with Ellsworth, he stopped hunting. He’d found a home and an opportunity for his proclivities.
Parker was pulled out of his musing by a shout. Two men were arguing. He looked at his watch, it was near 2 a.m. and he needed to get home. He finished his drink and got out of the booth. He put his head down. Though it was dark in the bar, he was cautious. He kept his hands in his front pockets as he pushed out of the bar and walked around back to where his grandmother’s car was parked. He dug in his pocket and pulled out the keys. There was a sting in his rump and his hand went to rub and then he fell.
§
Parker blinked, confused. He was unsure what had happened and he tried to focus his eyes. He was on his back and it was dark. He saw the sky above him, the moon a sliver behind the moving clouds. He blinked again. There was someone above him.
He tried to move but found his arms were bound behind him and his heart rate shot up. He tried to move his legs and he began to pant when he realized that he was bound and in some kind of hole. The figure moved. It appeared as though the figure was high above him. The bright light hit his face and he jerked. Pain shot through his hand and when he wiggled his fingers, more pain hit him. His finger hurt. His hands and wrists hurt because he was laying on them. He tried to say something but realized his mouth had tape on it.
Another light was lit and he saw a small woman sitting above him and she was naked. Naked? Was he dreaming? Had he got in some kind of accident?
§
Hellen sat on a towel. She didn’t want to slip and slide on sheet plastic. Her legs dangled down into the large grave. She liked the cemetery, it was peaceful. When she’d heard Parker waking up, she waited a few moments for him t
o become coherent. Like Cleves, she’d had to turn into her wolf to get him into the vehicle. It had taken her three days to find the best opportunity to take him. It was tedious and quite boring. She just wanted to go back home now. She would take a few days off and then go after Pouch. She’d been on her laptop, following the events unfolding with Down and Waywood. They were not faring very well in jail. Both had to be put into isolation after each of the men were gang raped. She wondered if after sentencing they’d remain in isolation or put into gen-pop. She laughed.
“If they live that long,” she muttered to herself.
She noticed that Parker was starting to struggle below and opened a solar lantern. She opened another, to brighten the area. She was well hidden in the middle of the cemetery and she doubted anyone was out and about.
“Hello, Mr. Parker. Glad you’re awake. First off, I’m Hellen, My friends call me Hell. You can call me death.”
Her laugh filled the cool night air. She really should have brought a jacket along. Ah well, it would be over soon and she could head home. Once she killed him, she’d cover his body with dirt and when the casket was put on top of his body, Parker would disappear, never to be found again. She heard the muffled grunts from below as he struggled.
“I’m sure you saw the news about Ellsworth.”
She waited for the muffled screams to die down.
“Exactly. It’s your turn. I know, you had nothing to do with my sister’s death. Here’s the thing though. Your proclivities and horrendous treatment of those children have earned you a spot in my little black book. After I rip you apart, I’ll throw dirt over you and you’ll disappear from the face of this Earth.”
He was shaking his head and she stood up. She let the transformation move over her body as she listened to the screams below.
When she changed, Hellen was glad that she was no longer chilled. Her fur came in handy. She looked down into the grave, Parker’s eyes wide with fear as his head shook wildly in denial of what he was witnessing. She snarled savagely and jumped down into the grave, landing with her large feet on either side of Parker.
Parker squirmed like a worm on a hook and she knew he was able to see her silhouette hovering over him. She raised her hands, allowing the light above to illuminate her deadly claws. Parker’s body rocked wildly in a futile effort to escape. The last thing he saw was claws flying down to meet his naked body.
§
Hellen closed her eyes and nearly moaned as she sipped the coffee. It was good to be back home. Widget was ramming her head into her leg. Pouch had headed to upstate New York and she would be heading out in a couple days. She had just finished deleting his banking information and she’d emptied his accounts and canceled his credit cards. Unless he had an inordinate amount of cash, the man would be desperate shortly. She looked up as Wanda walked into the kitchen. The older woman came over and hugged her, not saying a word. Hell liked that Wanda knew when to let the silence be enough.
She’d never in her life known that it was possible to have a friend, let alone four friends. She’d never felt the need for them. Never understood the dynamics. Yet she had four now and they were her last connection to Vivian. Vivian had loved them.
Hellen still wasn’t sure what love was, but she did understand that she housed feelings for these women in her heart. It was enough. She didn’t need to know the whys or the hows.
Wanda topped off her cup and set a plate of Danish before her, then pulled out a chair and sat down at the table.
“Is it all done?” Wanda asked, sipping her coffee.
“Almost. At least for now. I’ll be heading out in a couple days to question the man responsible for transporting human organ donors. Then I’ll head down to Belize. There is a certain doctor who needs a little of my attention,” she said.
Picking up a Danish, Hellen bit into the flaky pastry. She groaned softly. It was so good. Before, sugar had hurt her lower GI. The cancer treatments had limited her ability to digest many foods. Or even have an appetite, for that matter.
“What will you do after that?” Wanda asked.
“I was thinking on a short vacation to Las Vegas. I’d like to watch some of the shows.”
“Sounds wonderful. You deserve a break. Will you be comin’ back here?”
“Yes. I was going to ask if you and the ladies can keep an eye on Widget while I’m away.”
“Of course, my dear. We love her too. Nora has become especially fond of her.” Wanda chuckled softly. Hellen nodded and both women were quiet for a while.
“I’m so glad you’ll be staying here, Hell. Truly. We’ve come to love you very much and it’s like havin’ Viv here as well. Thank you for savin’ our neighborhood. I’ve heard on the news that gang activity is down.”
“You’re welcome. Unfortunately, the activity won’t stay down for long. Give it a few weeks or months and things will be back to normal. But when I get back from Las Vegas, I’ll go out every few days and do a little hunting. That should cool their jets a little,” Hellen said.
Wanda got up and went to the sink to wash out her coffee cup.
“I’ll come back later with some lunch,” Wanda said and turned to leave.
Hellen sat back in her chair. She pulled up the surveillance cameras in Belize. There weren’t many of them and she put in Winter’s picture along with running her facial recognition software. She waited and after ten minutes, his face popped up, confirming his location. She smiled.
Now for Pouch.
§
Hellen wiped the blood from her instruments. Alvin Pouch’s eyes were open and his mouth gaped in a silent scream. He’d given her a wonderful amount of information. She would head to New York City once she got back from Las Vegas. She had lots to do and that pleased her.
She looked around at all of Pouch’s organs. The table was covered in a viscous pool of coagulating blood. She’d extracted each organ but had cauterized the cut while Pouch screamed. It had only taken the removal of his kidney to get him to spill his guts—literally and figuratively.
Hellen had a list of names and locations and procedures. She smiled. While she was in Vegas, she’d do the legwork on the financial aspects of these thugs. Hellen wasn’t fooled. It would take months or years. She was staggered at the scope of the organization.
She walked over to her pack and began to strip out of the bloody garments, placing them in a black plastic bag.
It would be a long drive back home. She had one more trip to make and she smiled softly in thought. Pulling on clean clothing, she turned and checked the room, making sure she left nothing of hers behind. When his body was found, they would simply find a man who had all his internal organs removed. They would find the IV that had kept him alive for hours and nothing else.
Exiting the room, she made her way out of the basement. She was sure that come Monday morning, whoever found the body was going to be in for a bad day. Not to mention the clean-up. It was a small price to pay for the destruction of a heinous operation.
§
Kevin walked over to the bar in his living room and poured a drink. He was positively giddy. He’d done it. He’d found a wonderful home in San Pedro, Belize. It was secluded and on the water. He walked to the low balcony that overlooked the water. It was peaceful and he could hear the rumble of an outboard, somewhere up the long river. He watched a lone egret soar across the river and it took his breath away.
He thought about the news of Ellsworth and his crew. He shivered. He’d gotten out of there just in time. He’d suspected that something was going on when he’d found that his DVDs were just a little out of line. He used a small length of hair that sat just in front of his precious DVDs. When he accessed them, he checked to ensure the hair hadn’t been moved. He was a cautious man. He’d found that the hair was moved, just slightly.
It could have been his carelessness, but he couldn’t take the chance. Winter had gotten rid of all his DVDs and had scrubbed his search history on the computer. He knew that it might be
time, sooner rather than later to leave his old life behind. He’d been correct. Not two weeks after he left, the whole thing fell to shit and ruin.
When he heard about Parker’s disappearance and Ellsworth’s horrific death, he’d felt nearly immortal, dodging that bullet. He lifted his drink in silent salute. He laughed at the thought of his wife losing her shit when she found out that he’d disappeared. He’d left her very little in the joint accounts. Bitch. She’d been an anchor around his neck, dragging him down. Now he was free of her and he did a jig on the balcony.
Kevin had to pinch himself. He’d gotten away. He’d gotten away with it all! Leon was on a sinking ship and he got out while the getting was good. He had to pat himself on the back. He laughed out loud. He’d only been here a few weeks, but he knew he’d love it here. It had taken time to find the right home for the right price.
There were so many small villages and so many children running around loose. It would be nothing to snatch one up from time to time, he was sure. The thought of this aroused him and he sipped his drink. He had the spare bedroom all fixed up for his would-be visitor. He was soundproofing it now, but that wouldn’t take much longer. He’d also gotten very nice video equipment.
He sniggered at the thought of Brenda and her sourpuss face, wrinkled and puckered with age and disdain. He laughed out loud again. It was perfect here, and no neighbors to hear him. He was anonymous. He’d driven a rental car down, under an assumed name, a throwaway. He’d covered his tracks well. He’d purged his computer at work. He’d brought plenty of pills; he’d have to figure out the correct dosage for a child, but that wasn’t a worry.
He floated back into the living room, sure that even dynamite couldn’t blow the joy off his face.
