by Brett McBean
Eddy remained still. He couldn’t move.
“Pick...it...up,” Wayne seethed.
“I can’t,” Eddy said softly.
Wayne laughed. “Oh yes you can.” He aimed the gun at Eddy’s face. “And you will.”
For some silly reason, picking up that rope seemed the ultimate act of defeat. If he picked up the rope, that meant he had given up and Wayne had won.
He knew it was ludicrous, but he just couldn’t reach down and pick it up.
Almost in tears, Eddy shook his head.
Wayne thumbed back the hammer. “You are a fucking idiot. Pick up the damn rope, boy.”
“Pick it up yourself,” Eddy grumbled. He spoke quietly, yet loud enough for Wayne to hear.
Wayne slowly released the hammer. Still with the gun pointed at Eddy’s face, he bent his knees and snatched the rope off the ground.
He straightened back up and snarled, “You’ll pay dearly for this.” He slipped the coil over his head. It hung like a dead snake around his neck and chest.
Eddy felt like smiling, but didn’t dare.
Wayne took off the headband, switched off the light, then threw it into the boot. With everything now in darkness, Wayne slammed the lid shut. He pocketed the keys.
“Move,” he said, and motioned with the revolver to the front of the cabins. “And don’t try anything, okay? I won’t hesitate to shoot everyone here. Then I’ll leave you alive and torture you beyond your worst nightmares. Understand?”
Eddy didn’t nod.
He started walking. Wayne followed close behind. “We’re going to my cabin. That’s the one on the right, next to yours.”
“What about your son?” Eddy said.
Wayne laughed. “Oh, he won’t mind.”
“Probably takes after his old man.”
Wayne ignored the comment.
They ventured out of the darkness to where the light from the distant office spilled over the courtyard.
Eddy saw her first.
A second later, he heard Wayne gasp from behind.
It was the owner, Madge. She was standing by the white Ford, two cabins down.
The woman looked up and over at the two men. “Ah, hi,” she called out. “Up early?”
“Damn bitch,” Wayne muttered. “Yeah,” he called back. “Thank God the storm’s stopped.”
Eddy knew this could be his one and only chance. He didn’t give it any thought as to why she was standing by the man’s car. He had to act now, or he might not get another chance.
“Help! He’s got a gun!”
As soon as Eddy shouted, he knew it was a mistake. He really didn’t know what he hoped to achieve. But he felt he had to say something – he had to try.
“Fucking idiot,” Wayne growled. He grabbed the back of Eddy’s jacket with the hand that held the gun. Eddy lurched back, but managed to stay on his feet.
Eddy saw the woman hesitate for a second, then she dashed towards the lighted cabin.
“Stop!” Wayne yelled.
But the woman was already at the cabin door.
Wayne heaved Eddy forward and started running. Eddy had no choice but to run too. Or else he would have crashed to the ground.
By the time they made it to the cabin, the woman was already inside.
At the open door, Wayne shoved Eddy into the cabin. He toppled to the floor, hard, banging his head on the base of the bed.
CHAPTER SIXTY
Wayne darted into the cabin and found the woman by the table. She was holding a rifle, hurriedly trying to load the magazine. A few boxes of ammunition were sitting on the table.
“Put down the fucking gun,” Wayne told her. He had his arm extended, gun aimed at her face.
Then he saw what was tied to the bed. “Holy shit,” he gasped, a grin blooming across his face. “What have we got here?”
Wayne slammed the door, then turned back to Madge. She had placed the gun and magazine on the table and had her hands raised. “Don’t shoot,” she said.
“Sit down on the bed,” Wayne told her.
Madge walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge.
“Shoot her, man. She’s fucking crazy,” the man who was tied to the bed cried.
Still smiling, Wayne lifted the rope over his head and placed it on the table. Then he picked up the magazine. He took the rounds from the magazine and slipped them into his trouser pockets. He turned around and stepped up to Madge.
“Give me the rest of the cartridges.” He held out his hand.
She reached into her jacket and pulled out a handful of cartridges. She gave them to Wayne, who put them in his pockets.
“And the rest,” he said.
“That’s it,” Madge said, staring up at him.
“Untie us!” the man cried again.
“Shut up,” Wayne warned and pointed the gun at him.
“Jesus,” he gasped.
“Shoot him,” the woman next to him said.
“What?” Wayne chuckled. “Isn’t he your husband?”
“Not any more. He fucked that old bitch.”
Wayne began to laugh. “That’s disgusting,” he said. He soon calmed down. He turned back to Madge. “Give me the rest of the cartridges.”
“I told you, that’s all I’ve got.”
Wayne put the gun point blank in front of Madge’s nose. “I don’t believe you,” he snarled.
Slowly, Madge reached back into her jacket and pulled out two boxes of ammunition. Wayne took them.
“Well, well. Seems you were lying to me.”
Tears ran down her cheeks. “That’s my husband’s gun, you know,” she choked out. “You stole it.”
Wayne wandered over to the table and placed the two boxes of ammunition alongside the other four boxes and the rifle.
He picked up the magazine and shoved it down the front of his pants. Turning around, he shook his head. “Oh contraire. This is my friend’s gun. I stole it from him. Unless...” Wayne shook his head. “Naughty boys. But I wouldn’t put it past them.”
“Where is the other one?” the man asked.
“Still up in the mountains. Got lost, so we left him up there.”
“Hey, can you please untie us?”
Wayne sighed. “Could you please shut the fuck up? I’m not going to untie you, okay? What’s wrong with your knees?”
“Woman bashed them with the baseball bat.”
Wayne looked down at Madge. “I’m impressed.” He turned around, picked up the rope and threw it over to her. She managed to catch it before it smacked her in the head.
“Madge, tie Eddy up. Good and tight like those two.”
“I’m not going to do that,” she said.
Wayne rolled his eyes and pointed the revolver at her. “Don’t make me tell you twice. Besides, he stole your husband’s gun, didn’t he? He’s a no good thief.”
“How?” Madge said flatly.
Wayne had to think.
“What are you, some kind of psycho...?”
Wayne aimed the gun at the man. His eyes went wide and he began breathing hard.
“Seriously. I will shoot you if you don’t pipe down.”
Wayne resumed his thinking. Eventually, he said, “Tie him up by the pipe under the sink. The one in the bathroom.”
Wayne motioned for Madge to stand up. She did as she was ordered, and went over to Eddy.
“You grab his shoulders. I’ll grab his feet.”
Wayne walked over and took Eddy by the ankles. “Déjà vu,” he muttered, and chuckled.
Madge looked over at him. She had a blank stare on her face.
“Pick him up,” Wayne said.
They lifted him off the ground and shuffled towards the bathroom. They placed him on the floor.
Wayne stood up, and holding the revolver in the direction of Madge, said, “Okay, tie him to the pipe. With his hands behind his head.”
Madge looked over her shoulder, at the gun pointed at her. She turned back and began binding Eddy’s
hands to the pipe.
It took her five minutes.
Wayne didn’t help. He stood back and watched, keeping the gun aimed at the back of her head
When she had finished, Wayne told her to go back out and sit on the bed.
As Wayne walked out of the bathroom, he heard Eddy moan. “Welcome back,” he quipped, then left the bathroom.
As he wandered back, he saw the husband and wife eyeing him. Madge, on the other hand, was staring down at the floor.
“Now,” Wayne said to Madge. “Your second assignment is to untie her.”
“What!” the man cried.
“Why?” the woman said.
“I need hers and Madge’s help to untie something in my cabin. It takes three people, and I don’t trust him.”
“You’re the father, aren’t you?” the man said.
Wayne frowned, then remembered. “Yeah, sure.”
“What’s tied up?” Madge asked.
“You’ll see. Now go up and let her loose. What’s your name?”
“Judy.”
“Hurry up,” Wayne told Madge.
Madge hopped up and went over to Judy.
From in the bathroom, Eddy groaned.
“Why are you doing all this?” Judy’s husband asked.
“The same reason you fucked old Madge here.”
When he said that, Wayne saw the hate in Judy’s eyes. He watched the man cower back with guilt.
“Remember,” he said to Judy. “Don’t do anything stupid. I’m the one with the gun.”
Judy’s hands fell from above her head. Madge then shuffled down to her feet and worked the rope loose.
Free from constraints, Judy sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Madge stepped back and Judy stood up.
“I bet you would love to run, wouldn’t you?” Wayne taunted.
Judy suddenly sprang forward. Although it wasn’t to run away.
She lunged at Madge and they both fell to the floor.
“What the...?”Wayne chuckled. “A cat fight.”
The two women wrestled on the ground. Judy was on top and was pulling Madge’s hair and slapping her. She was sobbing, “You bitch,” and, “Slut,” and “You knew he was married.”
Wayne knew that most men got off on watching women fight and wrestle. Maybe not women as fat and old as these two, but there was obviously something erotic about watching women belt and slap each other.
But to Wayne it was simply tedious. Sure it was amusing watching two old women fight over some fat oaf, but in terms of excitement and eroticism, Wayne felt nothing.
“GET UP!” he shouted. “NOW!”
Quickly, they stopped fighting and Judy stood up. Madge followed.
“Crazy woman,” Madge muttered.
Both had their hair messed up, and Madge’s jumper was torn on the shoulder.
They were huffing and sweating. Their faces were flushed.
“All that over you,” Wayne said to the man. “Must be a real special guy.” He shrugged. “Or maybe you just have a real large dick.” He laughed. “You two, move over to the door. And no more fighting.”
Judy and Madge hurried over to the cabin door. Wayne followed behind, the gun aimed at their backs.
“Madge, open the door. Then both of you go outside. Slowly.”
Madge opened the door and stepped outside. Judy went next, Wayne last. Before he shut the door, Wayne glanced back and grinned.
“Be back soon, boys. Behave.”
* * *
The cabin door closed and the room fell silent
Morrie glanced at the bathroom and saw Eddy tied to the pipe. “Hey, Eddy. You all right?”
There was silence. Finally, Eddy answered. “Got a bitch of a headache,” he sighed. “Where have they gone?” He still sounded a bit groggy.
“He took Judy and Madge to his cabin. To help him with something. Hey, man. What the fuck happened? Who is he?”
He heard Eddy moan. “Oh man, you won’t believe it. You know that serial killer that hasn’t been caught yet?”
“The one who has killed, what, seven or eight people?” Morrie asked with apprehension.
“That’s the one.”
Morrie felt his stomach churn. “Oh my god,” he breathed. “You’re kidding?”
“Afraid not. Fucker shot Al.”
“That your friend?”
“Yeah,” Eddy sighed.
“What are we going to do? He will surely kill...”
Two gunshots stopped Morrie mid-sentence. They came from outside.
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
Wayne grinned.
“Good riddance,” he said down at the two bodies.
Now that the women were out of the way, Wayne could concentrate on having his fun with the men.
Boy, is the husband gonna be pissed, he thought.
He gazed up. The sky was now a light charcoal colour. Dawn was only an hour or so away. Wayne looked at his watch.
He could just read the time – 5:01 a.m.
Although his body felt tired from all the work he had done, he wasn’t overly sleepy.
He ached to get back to his two victims.
He turned his back on Judy and Madge, who were lying side by side, both with half their heads strewn along the muddy earth, and headed for the cabin. When he opened the door and stepped inside, the man immediately screamed, “You fuck! What did you do with Judy and Madge?”
“Don’t worry about them,” Wayne said.
“Fuck you! Where are they?” He thrashed his arms and upper body around. His legs were all but useless.
“You bastard,” Eddy called out.
“Hello, my friend,” Wayne said, turning and gazing into the bathroom. “How’s your head?”
Eddy grimaced.
The man was now crying. He had stopped yelling and trying to get loose. His sobs were loud and wet.
“Stop ya blubbering,” Wayne huffed. “You’re better off without them.”
“I’m gonna kill you!” he screamed, then continued to cry.
“Why’d ya have to kill them?” Eddy said.
“I had no use for them,” Wayne answered coldly.
“Judy...I’m so sorry...Ju...you killed her...”
Wayne was getting tired of the man’s continual whining and sobbing.
“I didn’t mean to…it just happened…and…and…now you’re…de…de…”
“Jesus,” Wayne sighed. “That’ll get on my nerves.”
He took a pillow case, stuffed it into the man’s mouth – which took a while and almost two of Wayne’s fingers – then bound it with the spare rope.
After he had finished, Wayne stood back and nodded. “That’s better. Now I can think.”
The man still screamed and cried, but now they were muffled.
Wayne went over to the table and placed the revolver down. He dug his hands into his jacket pockets and started pulling out the spare cartridges. He placed them onto the table, making sure that they didn’t roll off onto the floor.
When his pockets were empty, Wayne stood still and frowned.
“Where the hell is my knife?” he mumbled.
He remembered placing it into one of the pockets in his jacket, but now it was gone. He checked his trouser pockets, and the sheath – empty.
Just like his wallet earlier, it was nowhere.
“Just great,” he said.
Unlike his wallet, however, he didn’t have any idea as to where the knife could be. He guessed that it could have fallen out anytime while carrying the body up the mountain.
Maybe during the struggle with Al.
He wasn’t going to look for it. He loved that knife, but it wasn’t worth the time and effort.
Could be anywhere, he thought.
Wayne picked up the revolver and started for the door. “Don’t go anywhere,” he called back.
“Where are you going?” Eddy asked from the bathroom.
“Somewhere,” Wayne answered.
“Well, don�
��t come back.”
Wayne grinned and then stepped outside. He wanted a weapon, any sort, and knew he had some in his car. He liked to use the knife best, but since that was now lost, he had to settle for either a hatchet or a crowbar.
He walked around the side of the cabin, around to the back, where he hurried over to his Bluebird.
The wind had died down, but it still retained its bitterness. It whipped at his short hair as he approached the car.
He opened the right passenger door, leaving it ajar so the roof light would stay on, and hopped inside.
He searched the back but couldn’t find either the crowbar or the hatchet.
“I’m sure I put them back here,” Wayne mumbled to himself.
He hopped back out, closed the door, then hopped into the driver’s side.
He breathed a sigh of relief. They were both sitting on the floor of the front passenger side. “Thank God.”
He didn’t want to lose all his weapons tonight.
Since he was sitting in the driver’s side, anyway, Wayne decided to drive around to the front. He didn’t like his car being stuck around the back. Besides, if for some reason he needed, or wanted, to put another body in the car, he would have less distance to carry it.
He placed the revolver on the passenger seat, pulled the keys from the pocket of his trousers, slipped the car key into the ignition and started the engine.
He left the headlights off, and drove between the sides of the cabins, and parked it in front of the office.
He killed the engine then reached over and picked up the hatchet.
It was a heavier, clumsier instrument to use, but it did the job. Wayne then took the revolver and slipped it down the front of his pants, alongside the magazine. He hopped out, slammed the door shut, then proceeded up to the cabin.
He had left the door open, so he walked straight inside, lifted up his jacket and placed the magazine down on the table. He left the gun jammed down his trousers.
The man eyed the hatchet with a look of fear.
“Holy shit,” Eddy said when he saw what Wayne was holding.
Wayne closed the cabin door, turned around, and walked up to the man. “Now we have some fun,” he said.
The man vehemently shook his head, shouting and yelling into the pillowcase.
