《The Beautiful People》 1. The House Around two dozen miles from the nearest town stood a small house nestled amongst a sea of waving grass, it sat with a forested expanse to its back with the vastness of the surrounding land keeping it hidden away from prying eyes. This was a place rarely witnessed by those who didn¡¯t call it home. The ill tended fields surrounding it on all sides were befitting of its archaic nature, its walls looked almost wrinkled, with the flaking paint giving it a look more akin to weather worn skin. The family who called this their home had lived there since the turn of the nineteenth century. Three generations had come and gone inside those walls with each burying itself further into solitude. They had lived mainly off of the land, keeping human interaction down to the bare minimum, with those who knew of their existence seeing them as little more than eccentrics, and they took no shame in the label, they used it like a shield and it had allowed their more private actions go on unheeded, The grass swayed in the wake of the breeze, its blades scratching past each other being the only sound to break the silence, the soft rustle moved across the field as if it were chasing the wind. This tranquillity was finally broken when a truck slowly rumbled its way to the foot of the house. In keeping with the houses aesthetic it was suitably worn down, over the years its red paint had grown pale, flaking around spots of brown and orange rust that over the years had crept up from its wheel arches. With the truck coming to a stop, the driver¡¯s side door swung open with a sharp metallic screech, after the driver had dropped down into the soft dirt he took a second to gaze up towards the sky and take in a deep breath. Barry had always taken pleasure in simple beauty of a clear blue sky, and coupled with a deep lungful of fresh air the allure of its placid serenity could easily arrest his attention for hours at a time. Still, he knew he had a long day and night ahead of him, so breaking his long stare with a quick blink he turned his attention back to his truck. Stepping around to the passenger side door he pulled it open and reached inside then with a hard pull he dragged a young woman out from the foot well and watched as she fell against the ground with a hard thump. As Barry stood over her he took a moment to take in her fearful visage as she whimpered softly into the dirt. His eyes slowly moved across the curvatures of her body before settling on her hands bound behind her, he noted how they seemed rougher than most women¡¯s, he wondered for a second what she did out in the world, he knew that rough hands tended to be indicative of hard labor and though she had a soft face her body looked taut with lean muscle, almost like an athlete. It seemed strange when he remembered how easy she had been to catch. She hadn¡¯t had much fight in her; still he knew fear could make the strongest person crumple like paper so he gave it little mind. Bending down he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to her feet, they locked eyes for a moment when she began to shake as he grabbed her shoulder to keep her steady, his grip tightened as he felt her soft skin tremble against his fingertips. The pain of anticipation often had such a reaction and he had always enjoyed the trembling, he held her for a few more seconds as he soaked in the feeling, then releasing his grip he again grabbed a hold of her hair and pulled her into the house. The door creaked closed behind them and once again the soft rustle of swaying grass filled the air and nothing else moved besides the silently drifting clouds over head. Eve had taken and awkward tumble out of the truck and her shoulder throbbed as she struggled to keep pace with Barry, hunched over as she was with his hands still tightly gripping her hair it proved difficult to avoid the sharp tugging as she failed to match his hurried speed. She caught brief glimpses of her surrounding, browns and deep reds blurred past as her eyes were met with the rot and decay that had consumed each room, once white walls had over the years taken on a pale yellow tinge and the floorboards beneath her feet were caked in layers of filth; it was as she had expected, her present company hadn¡¯t been likely to keep a cleanly home. She struggled against her captor¡¯s grip as she was dragged up a flight of stairs, a few second later they reached the top of the staircase and rounded a corner and she found herself once again tumbling awkwardly as she fell into the grime ridden floorboards as she was thrown against one of the doors lining the upstairs hallway, it had given way easily and after crashing into the room she took a second to shake off the fall before she struggled to her feet. The room had the same decrepit lacquer as the rest of the house, its walls stained the same pale yellow as those she had passed on the ground floor, then she saw the deep brown stains streaked in arcing lines flecked with groupings of spattered spots. Eve knew that when blood dries its vibrant colour fades quickly, and with the rack unevenly screwed to the wall at her left laden with power tools, knives, pliers and even long shards of broken glass, it wasn¡¯t hard to puzzle out where the stains had come from. Turning to the back of the room she saw a steel framed chair bolted to the floor against the back wall, but unlike everything else in the room it appeared unblemished, the shine of its frame stood a stark contrast to the muddy browns and faded yellow of its surroundings. Barry stepped forwards and Eve felt his finger worm their way over her scalp before he gripped a fistful of her hair, again she struggled against his grip as he dragged her over to the chair. Her hands were cut free from behind her back before she was forced into the chair as her wrists were secured to the arm rests, she felt zip ties pinch against her skin as he pulled them tight. Gripping her fingers tight around the cold steel armrests she watched as he stepped back to look her over, slowly he dragged a set of deep sunken eyes up and down her body, then with a deep breath of satisfaction he turned and left the room. Eve used the break to focus her breathing and settle the rapid beat of her heart. As she grounded herself in the brief moment of respite she heard voices followed by hurried footsteps from the hallway. The door swung back open with a loud crack as it bounced back of the wall barely clinging to its hinges as Barry stepped back into the room accompanied by two others as he splayed out his arm in a show of self-congratulation, proudly presenting her as his trophy. To Eve the three of them looked almost interchangeable, all of them sported the same unkempt hair, unwashed coveralls and what appeared to be hunting boots, though they were too caked in mud for her to be certain; clearly the three of them were products of their environment. Barry turned to his companions and smiled, although the brown and yellow shades of grime that caked his teeth made it appear more like a streaked stain across his face, ¡°She was broken down a few miles back,¡± his words were laced with a loud breathy rasp, like two sheets of sandpaper scraping past each other. Dropping his smile he turned back to Eve, ¡°Davis and Pate caught one like you a few months back, had a guy with her, they lasted nearly two full days, he went out before her as it happens.¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Davis¡¯s took a step forward, ¡°She looks soft,¡± he said as his gaze meandered over her lips. His voice sounded a little smoother but it shared Barry¡¯s rasp. The room dropped into silence for a few minutes as Eve felt their eyes all over her, keeping her view fixed to floorboards she did her best to ignore their lecherous glares. Pate broke the silence as he spoke out over Barry¡¯s shoulder, ¡°They¡¯re all soft.¡± Eve looked up from the floorboards to take in his face as his voice rang out in her ears, unlike the other two it had a soft delicate quality, almost like a child, as such it was the most unsettling of the three. Barry Turned back to them, ¡°Ok, so now you¡¯ve seen her, give me some time.¡± Pate nodded as he and Davis turned and left the room with Davis pulling the door gently closed behind him as he stepped out. Barry drummed his fingers against his waistband as again he took in the sight of her, ¡°I¡¯ve always liked looking at you people.¡± She met his gaze as her bottom lip slowly began to tremble. He cracked another smile as he let his excitement settle a touch. Fear while being one of the most potent of feelings took such little effort to evoke, especially in these people, to him they were all much of the same, the pleading, the crying and the whimpering, it never changed, they all had different voices but they all screamed the same, but over the years he had never tired of it, it was always so elating. Eve shifted nervously, her vision blurred as tears began to swell in her eyes, ¡°Please.¡± She began. He sighed; a look of disappointment tore through his smile, ¡°Why don¡¯t you say something different? It¡¯s always the same, it¡¯s please or no and don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Please let me go.¡± His face dropped as he gritted his teeth, ¡°There you go again¡­ you know what¡¯s happening here, and still the only thing you can think to say is let me go, look around you, do you think I let anyone go.¡± Eve¡¯s eyes moved to the walls, glancing back across the stains as tears trickled in zig zags down her cheeks. Barry moved towards her placing his hand under her chin as he jerked her head up to face him, ¡°Look at me, do you think begging has ever worked, do you think screaming has ever worked,¡± he felt his excitement peak as he let his eyes follow one of her tears as it snaked its way down her face. Closing her eyes for a few seconds she let her thoughts sink away and as her emotion faded she readied herself for the next few minutes. Centering her hate helped to temper her rage, bringing it to focus before she let it out with the same brutal precision of a sledgehammer slamming against a railway spike. Barry¡¯s painfully tired attempts to illicit her fearful tears had clearly worked in the past, but to her the sloppy way his lips flapped as he spat out his words only seemed comical, the dead air around her that he had no doubt attempted to fill with perceived dread had only brought forth a sense of overbearing impatience, she had sat through his murderous spiel and through crocodile tears she had dangled the carrot of anticipatory pleasure in front of his cold dead eyes and now she was going to reel it in, ¡°Ok enough,¡± all of the pantomime fear had left her voice as she blinked her tears away, ¡°You know what I find constantly surprising about you people.¡± He tilted his head slightly as confusion wracked his brain, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Your lack of imagination.¡± His face screwed up with bewilderment as he pondered her words. Eve took a little pleasure in the confusion rolling over his face, ¡°Hey, look at me,¡± she called out, ¡°Have you ever seen a ghost?¡± as the words left her mouth the sound of windows shattering emanated throughout the house. She shot him a small smile as he turned away and pulled the door open. ¡°What¡¯s going on down there?¡± he called to his brothers, a few seconds passed with no response, gripped with concern he moved into the hallway and called out again ¡°Pate, Davis what¡¯s happening down there?¡± a few more seconds passed and still nothing, moving to the staircase he called out again, ¡°What¡¯s going on down there?¡± Relief and frustration came at once as Pate called back, ¡°There¡¯s nothing down here just a few broken windows.¡± With a grimace he called back, ¡°When I ask you a question, give me a damned answer, don¡¯t be making me call out three times.¡± he turned and headed back into the room where he found himself a little stunned; she was gone, the chair was empty. Incredulous his eyes darted around from wall to wall as his fingers drummed furiously against his waistband, his lack of comprehension muddied his thoughts as his confusion reached its apex. In the corner to his back Eve stepped around from behind the door, as he turned towards her he caught a brief glimpse of her face as her foot came down on his knee, the crunching sound of snapping bone filled the room as his knee cap ruptured from the impact and his leg cracked thirty degrees in the wrong direction, before a scream had escaped his mouth he felt the crack of cold iron across his jaw as Eve swung a six-pound lug wrench into his face, she felt the tremors of impact rattle her forearm up to the elbow as teeth and bone were shattered in kind. As he stumbled backwards a surge of excruciating pain lanced through his leg as his knee buckled under his own weight and splintered bone tore through cartilage and skin alike. He attempted a gurgled scream through his broken and bloody jaw as he slammed into the ground. His vision began to fade into black as intense nausea warped his senses, with the room spinning and his focus fading in and out as bright lights danced in front of his eyes, the taste of copper filled his mouth as he began choking on his own blood. With loose shards of broken teeth stabbing at his tongue he began to splutter violently. Eve dropped down on top of him as she slammed the wrench deep into his throat. She watched his eyes bulge as the wrench buried itself in his face, then twisting it down further the scraping Squeal of his broken teeth dragging across its metal surface filled her ears, blood bubbled its way out the corners of his mouth as he let out a frantic garbled breath, finally Eve tore the wrench away and dropped it to the ground. Straightening her back she took in a deep breath as she looked down to her would be aggressor with utter contempt, ¡°How does it feel?¡± He spluttered again as blood and broken teeth filled is throat, Eve stood and took a step back to look down at her wrists, thin purple bruises ran across her skin where she had twisted free of the cable ties, glancing back to him she said, ¡°Say hi to Mr. Healey for me.¡± The man¡¯s arms waved limply in the air as he feebly attempted to defend himself, she kicked them away and brought her foot down hard on his face, then again and again, over and over until She felt his skull crack under her heel, then stumbling backwards she slumped into the chair. After catching her breath she glanced over at the rack decorated with all the devices he would have undoubtedly used to slowly tear her open, ¡°Not today.¡± 2. Pop Eve had made little effort to remain silent but any commotion Pate and Davis had heard was passed off as standard fair. They were both stood in the kitchen looking over one of the broken windows. Davis looked on at his brother as he stared past the broken shards of the window into seemingly nothing, though with his lips pursing into a smile it was clear that wherever his mind had wandered off to, it must have been a happy place. As amusing as it often was to watch Pate blink in and out of reality, Davis wasn¡¯t going to ignore the Matter at hand, ¡°Pate, quit fucking around.¡± he called out. Pate said nothing; he just continued his silent stare. ¡°Wake up,¡± Davis barked as he whipped his hand across the back of pate¡¯s head. In turn Pate swung his arm out behind him catching Davis sharply around the ear, ¡°Don¡¯t smack me, I¡¯m not blanking out, I¡¯m thinking.¡± Davis rubbed his throbbing ear as his mind wavered into thoughts of violent retaliation, but in light of the broken windows he maintained his frail composure, ¡°Hit me again and I¡¯ll pike you in the stem.¡± Pate turned to shoot Barry a smirk, ¡°You come at me with one of your sharp sticks and I¡¯ll cut your other ball off.¡± Davis collected himself as he was overcome with the sudden urge to put a bullet through his brother¡¯s foot, for now he would have to remain content with the thought alone, as the fact that windows don¡¯t break themselves was still a more pressing concern, ¡°Just wait here, I¡¯ma go check on Barry.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Pate said as his attention returned to the broken window, ¡°I¡¯ll wait here.¡± He stood there for half a minute as his eyes traced the remnants of broken glass that still hung to the sides of the window frame. The glass around the frame had caught a slight glisten in the glow of the sun and Pate unlike his brother wasn¡¯t blind to the wavering shadow that dulled the subtle gleam as it passed by. ¡°He¡¯s gone, you can come out,¡± Pate whispered, though the pretense of his friendly invitation was rendered transparent by his inability to mask the sinister nature of his voice, but still he hoped for some kind of response, ¡°I know you¡¯re there.¡± Stepping closer Pate reached out to pluck a slither of glass from the base of the window, he rolled it lightly between finger and thumb, smiling again as the sharp tickle rolled across his skin. As he flicked the small shard out the window he called out, ¡°Come on now, it¡¯ll be ok.¡± Marcus Bastiel stood at six foot and five inches and weighed in at a little over one hundred and eighty pounds, and as he stepped out into Pate¡¯s view he watched as fear scrubbed the glee of anticipation from his face. In the shadow of Bastiel¡¯s towering figure Pate quivered much in the way a Labrador might if confronted by a wolf.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Pate watched as Bastiel¡¯s hands shot in through the window, one grabbed his collar as the other locked tight around his throat. As he tried to dig his fingers under Bastiels palm he felt his feet leave the ground as he was torn through the window, then he felt hard soil thud against his chest as he crashed into the ground. Spinning gawkily onto his back he recoiled as Bastiel turned and moved towards him, ¡°Please I¡­¡± his words caught in his throat as he was again grabbed by the collar and pulled to his feet. Bastiel unsheathed an eight-inch combat knife and sunk just below Pates bottom rib as he clamped a hand over his mouth, feeling the desperate breathing lap at his palm as he twisted the knife a little deeper, ¡°look at me,¡± he said catching Pates eyes in his glare. Pate heard himself whimper as the knife left his flesh with a wet squelch. ¡°I want to show you something,¡± Bastiel said as he kicked Pate¡¯s legs out from under him and began dragging him across the dirt. In the house, Davis shook in disbelief as he looked down at Barry¡¯s body as blood still pooled around the broken remains of his skull, his face transformed to an unrecognizable mass of wet red pulp. Davis felt his stomach churn as butterflies danced below his ribcage, the shock, rage and horror crashing over him all at once culminated in the screaming of, ¡°Bitch!¡± Running from the room he scrambled down the stairs calling out ¡°Pate, Pate, he¡¯s dead!¡± He crashed into the kitchen, disbelief still swimming through his head, ¡°That bitch, she killed him!¡± His eyes darted back and forth wildly, ¡°Pate, where the fuck are you?!¡± Staggering backwards he made for the front door, tearing it open he ran outside as thoughts of violent vindication filled his head. Dust kicked up behind him as he came to a stop at the sight of his brother knelt down fifty yards away. Pate tried to call out but his voice was weak, barely audible. Struggling to keep his focus, his eyes strained as he watched Davis break into a run, ¡°Davis wa¡­¡± Before his warning finished gurgling its way from his lips Davis¡¯s chest exploded into a red cloud as flesh and blood erupted from the shattered splinters of his ribcage before pattering softly indo the ground around him. Pate winced as Davis¡¯s corpse crumpled limply into the dirt. Johnathan was laid on his front three hundred yards away nestled amongst the tall blades of glass, his left eye staring through the scope of a high caliber rifle as he shifted his aim to the back of Pate¡¯s head, he took in a deep breath, then on the exhale he pulled the trigger, the bullet exploded out of the barrel as the butt of the rifle kicked back into his shoulder, through the scope he watched as Barry¡¯s head flew to pieces as the round smashed through his skull and ripped its way through the soft tissue beneath. As the hunks of flesh and bone smacked into the soil around Pate¡¯s body Johnathan softly whispered, ¡°Pop,¡± and with that he got to his feet, then shouldering his rifle he took a slow walk towards the house. Reaching the top of the stairs Bastiel moved through the hallway, as Eve came into view through one of the doorways the two of them exchanged a look, she was once again sat in the chair across from Barry¡¯s body as she pulled in slow breath after slow breath. ¡°Messy,¡± Bastiel said as he stepped into the room and took a glance at the Barry¡¯s corpse. ¡°You think,¡± she said back as she gestured to the walls stained with years¡¯ worth of dried blood. ¡°I guess not.¡± Eve stood and stepped over the body, brushing past Bastiel she moved into the hallway, ¡°I need a shower; I¡¯ve got that guy all over me.¡± ¡°Hey, are you ok.¡± Eve stopped, Turning back she said, ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± even as the residual spikes of fear and aggression had begun to fade, she had no way of verbalizing her feelings, so instead she decided to dismiss the question, ¡°I¡¯m fine, I just need a minute.¡± 3. The Trunk Looming tree tops were silhouetted against the moonlight as they stood either side of a stretch of highway, the blacktop roads split from the tree line by fifty yards of knee high grass. Four long hours had passed since Chris and Dean had pulled their stolen car off of the road and into the grass and while Dean had sat without complaint, Chris was growing visibly restless, his dark skin was given brief illumination by the tip of his cigarette as he took in a lung full of smoke, but the bloom of light faded as he blew the smoke out the passenger side window. Dean had taken note of the steadily rising mound of cigarettes in the ashtray, he could handle the constant smoking, it gave him a break from Chris¡¯s incessant tapping as he restlessly drummed his fingers along the dashboard, and so, he let out a small sigh as Chris mashed the fresh butt into the ashtray and leant his palms along the dashboard, Dean pinched the bridge of his nose as he readied himself to endure more of the pointless tapping, but to his relief Chris instead pulled back and lit another cigarette, ¡°What¡¯s taking this guy so long?¡± Chris asked, With each word a small billow of smoke left Chris¡¯s mouth, Dean was grateful that he had at least been courteous enough to roll the window down. Dean had known chris long enough that his aggravating displays of impatience were tolerable, though still aggravating all the same. ¡°He¡¯ll be here,¡± Dean answered. Chris watched the embers collect at the tip of his cigarette as the flame slowly sank towards the filter, ¡°How many of these have we done now?¡± Dean was aware that Chris knew the answer, but for the sake of easing his apparent boredom he humored him by answering, ¡°Four, not including this one, you¡¯d think they¡¯d have gone dark by now.¡± Chris let out another small billow of smoke, ¡°Do you think they ever get the feeling that they¡¯re gonna die.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just I¡¯ve always thought I¡¯ll know when I¡¯m gonna die,¡± Chris answered as he watched more smoke woft out of the window. ¡°You mean you¡¯ll get a feeling?¡± ¡°Sort of,¡± a small ounce of enthusiasm returned to his voice as he continued, ¡°I remember a few years back, I got into it with this guy, but he walked away and I thought that was the end of it, then I heard him get into his car and rev the engine and I turned back just as he started speeding towards me.¡± ¡°Did he hit you?¡± ¡°Yeah he did, but in the split-second I had after seeing the car and it hitting me I remember the only thought I had was, this isn¡¯t going to kill me, you know, like I knew. Have you ever had that before?¡± Dean¡¯s eyes drifted from the road as he rolled through his memories, ¡°Maybe once,¡± he answered as his focus returned to the road. With his interest peaked Chris probed further, ¡°What happened?¡± Dean maintained his gaze as he contemplated the emotional efficacy of giving the answer, ¡°Nothing,¡± he finally said. ¡°Ok, if you don¡¯t want to talk about it, it''s fine, but you knew right, that you weren¡¯t gonna die?¡± In an effort to help stave off Chris¡¯s boredom Dean gave him the answer he wanted to hear, ¡°Yeah, yeah I think I did.¡± Chris smiled, ¡°Cool, so I wonder if when it¡¯s your time to go, you get a feeling like, this is it.¡± After giving it a little thought Dean answered, ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± A little dejected Chris asked, ¡°How would you know without ever feeling it?¡± ¡°Because we''re human, we think about survival, people can accept their own death, but not I split second.¡± Chris mulled over the answer before hitting an impasse, ¡°What if you got your foot caught in some railway lines and there was a train coming?¡± ¡°You¡¯d be thinking, I need to get my leg out before I die, and if you did die, it¡¯d be as you were trying to tear your foot off at the ankle.¡± ¡°You think so?¡± ¡°Yeah, People aren¡¯t hard wired to accept their own death, it¡¯s why people on death row turn to god, they don¡¯t have a revelation, they just can¡¯t accept that the end is coming.¡± Chris took another drag on his cigarette as he connected a few mental dots, ¡°I used to have this spider in my room called hippo, he wasn¡¯t a pet or anything he just used to live under my TV stand, he was a wild I suppose. Does work with bugs?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure yeah.¡± ¡°Right, anyway I called him hippo because he was kind of huge and he used to walk with a bit of limp, kind of like a waddle. I used to leave fly¡¯s and stuff at the edge of the TV stand at night, whether he ate them or not they were always gone in the morning. So this one time he just ran out into the middle of my floor, He never really came out too much so I couldn¡¯t help but look at him and I don¡¯t know if he knew I saw him but he just stopped, then a few seconds later my mom walks in and she sees hippo on the floor, she screamed and then stomp,¡± with that Chris smacked his hand down hard against his knee, ¡°And he was gone, I always wonder if hippo knew he was gonna die when he saw that huge foot looming over him, if he thought he could make it he would have moved right?¡± Dean looked at him quizzically, ¡°He was a bug Chris.¡± Chris Slumped back with a slight huff, ¡°Yeah I know that Dean, I¡¯m not special, but it plays into my point, maybe he didn¡¯t move because he knew it was over.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m not sure what bugs think about, I¡¯m not even sure if they do think,¡± Chris stubbed his second cigarette butt out in the ashtray, ¡°Be messed up, being alive but just not thinking about anything.¡± Dean smiled, ¡°I don¡¯t know, thinking drives me crazy some days.¡± Off in the distance the dim glow of headlights appeared over the horizon, Dean¡¯s eyes chased them along the road as he said, ¡°speaking of crazy.¡± Chris gave a half smile, ¡°You think this guy know he¡¯s about to die?¡± Dean felt his muscles grow taught as the headlights drew closer, ¡°I hope not.¡± The other car made its way along the road roughly another hundred meters before it pulled off onto the grass and made its way towards the forest, coming to a halt thirty meters or so ahead of the tree line. Exiting the car they flanked the other vehicle as they moved surreptitiously through the grass. Freezing briefly as the driver¡¯s side door swung open, they watched from the darkness as he moved around to the back of his car, then continued on until they were in earshot. ¡°Hello,¡± Chris called out as he and Dean closed the last fifteen meters. The driver jumped, letting out a flustered yelp as they appeared, ¡°Jeez, you scared me there,¡± he said as he pulled in a startled breath, his voice was warm and inviting, befitting the cordial expression that worked its way through his lingering sense of shock. Chris shot him a smile as he looked him over. He wore a pale brown jacket zipped up to the neck, formal brown shoes and black pants, very inconspicuous, the sort of look that rendered you almost invisible in passing. Glancing up to his face Chris noted his soft features and coupled with his wide-eyed expression they gave him the look of a much younger man, though his hands bore the wear of age. Still a little flustered Tony backed away from the trunk, ¡°Where did you guys come from?¡± he asked as he edged towards the driver¡¯s side door. Dean stayed quiet as Chris continued his small smile. Tony¡¯s nerves spiked as their silence persisted, ¡°what are you doing out here? It¡¯s pretty cold,¡± he said, noting the quake in his voice as the last few words left his lips. Dean replied, ¡°It¡¯s kind of warm actually.¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Tony shifted nervously as he looked back and forth between the two of them, ¡°Yeah I suppose it is, so uh, do you fellows need something?¡± As Chris¡¯s mind wavered briefly back to his and Dean¡¯s conversation in the car he couldn¡¯t help but grow a little curious as he watched the guy¡¯s hands fumble behind him, no doubt trying to find the door handle, ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± ¡°Sure, I guess, what is it?¡± ¡°Are you getting a feeling?¡± Thinking it was an odd question Tony tried to puzzle it out, he was almost certain his feelings were slapped bare across his face, like almost anyone he could usually hide behind a veneer of stoicism, but being caught in such a precarious position, he was sure his discomfort was obvious. He wanted to run, he could break for the forest, or could he? With his car at his back and the two strangers at his front he found himself cornered, ¡°I¡¯m getting a little uncomfortable,¡± he finally answered. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Chris responded with disappointment. Tony turned away, ¡°Listen, I''m just gonna get back in my car and leave ok, you two have a good night.¡± If he could get into his car he¡¯d be safe, he¡¯d get his key in the ignition and a few seconds later he¡¯d have some distance from these two, if they had a vehicle he could simply drive for a mile or so and just pull off of the road; they¡¯d never see him with his lights off. Looking through his window into the glow he felt the mechanism inside the handle click as he pulled it back. Dean¡¯s voice came from over his shoulder, ¡°Tony, do you think you¡¯re allowed to leave?¡± Tony¡¯s felt the handle rattle in his hand as his arm began to shake, but quieting his nerves he took in a breath and let the frustration sink away. He could still just open the door, he could still just get into the car and leave, but some strange concoction of curiosity and arrogance took hold which spurred on a yearning for confrontation, ¡°Ok what¡¯s going on? If you two are here to¡­¡± His voice dropped off as Dean spoke over him, ¡°You know why we¡¯re here.¡± So they knew his name, but it was never something he had hidden, dozens of people knew his name, maybe even hundreds. he straightened up, ¡°I have got no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± he stifled a wince as his voice betrayed him, he had never been caught before, and while he had always assumed himself to be just as competent a liar as anyone else, he knew now that his inexperience was clear, as while his face bore a veil of confidence, his voice was laced with concern. ¡°Does the number seven mean anything to you?¡± Chris asked. ¡°Seven, why would it?¡± he knew now he had been discovered, but being the man he was, he maintained his fa?ade. Chris reached around behind his back to the pistol holstered at his waist, ¡°We found them, all seven of them.¡± With great difficulty Tony maintained his composure, all his senses were urging him to flee but he remained rooted as though his legs had sunk into the ground beneath him, even though every inch of him was spurring him on to run, ¡°Found who?¡± Dean smiled ¡°Who, don¡¯t you mean what? He never said they were people.¡± Finally a little anger boiled over in Tony¡¯s voice, ¡°ok look this is¡­¡± ¡°Shush now,¡± Chris said as he placed a finger over his lips. Tony¡¯s eyes snapped shut as he quashed his aggravation with a sharp breath. ¡°Give me your keys,¡± Dean ordered as he raised his hand. Tony scoffed, ¡°Listen, I¡¯m warning you¡­¡± Chris shook his head, ¡°You¡¯re warning us, really?¡± with a smile he finished, ¡°That¡¯s cute.¡± Dean gestured again with his hand, ¡°Give me your car keys.¡± As his Gaze switched between the two of them, he weighed up his options, he could attack them, but they looked strong, capable, they¡¯d overpower him for sure. Taking a moment he let his anger subside, ¡°Ok, ok, I don¡¯t know what you think you know but this is¡­¡± Tony was cut off yet again as Dean asked, ¡°What do you think we think we know?¡± He knew exactly, but as thin as his veneer of innocence was, he was going to hide behind it until the end, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Dean cocked his head slightly as the constant denial began to grow absurd, ¡°You must have some idea.¡± ¡°Something bad?¡± Tony said feigning a guess. Chris laughed, ¡°Something bad, well he¡¯s not wrong.¡± Dean¡¯s eyes drifted to the trunk of the car ¡°No, no he¡¯s not wrong; not exactly right either; it¡¯s pretty south of bad.¡± Shifting his gaze back to Tony Dean again said, ¡°Give me your keys.¡± With resignation Tony fumbled around in his pocket and pulled out his keys ¡°Here,¡± he said as he tossed them through air and watched as Dean caught them midflight. Moving around to the back of the car as Chris stood watch over Tony Dean slid the key into the lock, popped the trunk and glanced down for a second, but that was all he could he manage. Dean was familiar with the uglier side of the world and even more steps beyond that then he¡¯d ever cared to tread, but accustomed as he was the sight of it, it was never something he could stomach. He¡¯d always taken a little solace in this lack of tolerance, he knew that it at least kept him human, but Tony was something else. The dim light of the car cast a pale glow on the twisted face of a young girl locked in an expression of pain and terror, her throat had been cut almost back to the spine, and her skin having lost any sign of its once youthful exuberance, in death was drained to a milky white, she had clearly been dead a while. Dean turned to Chris and shook his head. Both of them had been sure that he killed at the dump sites, if Tony had a kill room he had kept it hidden well enough that the two of them had missed it. As Dean lifted the trunk Tony knew that any small chance of maintaining his innocence was gone, that was obvious, but oddly it was also a little liberating as now his lack of options gave him only one clear goal, he was going to run. When he saw Chris glance over to Dean he took his chance, breaking into a sprint he bolted for the tree line, he felt the soft crunch of grass beneath his feet and as the tree¡¯s drew closer. As his legs pumped furiously beneath him and the quiet darkness of the looming tree¡¯s drew closer he allowed himself to smile. Then in a split second all that hope was taken away as a bullet punched into the back of his leg and exploded out of his kneecap before continuing on into the tree line taking any chance he had of escaping with it, the wound itself didn¡¯t hurt right away; what hurt was when his foot hit the ground and the weight of his body landed on his shattered kneecap, he felt the delicate prickle of the grass brushing against his face as his body slammed into the ground. Gasping as the pain took hold his face screwed into a tight wince as he looked to the tree line, it was only a few feet away and in a futile attempt to continue his escape he began to crawl, his fingers clawed into the ground as he pulled himself forward, the pain from his mangled knee spiked through his leg as he dragged it along the ground. When Chris and Dean caught up to him Chris holstered his pistol and placed his foot over the back of Tony¡¯s knee and leant down with all his weight. The spasm of pain shooting through Tony¡¯s body was serenaded by his screams of pain as ruptured tendon and cartilage mashed together when Chris twisted his boot into the wound, but after a few more seconds he eased off. Dean kicked Tony onto his back and watched him grimaced with pain, ¡°She was just a girl.¡± Meeting Deans gaze and in spite of his pain Tony forced a smile, whoever these two were, they seemed to care, so he¡¯d hurt them however he could, petty as it seemed it was the only kind of escape he had left, ¡°Well she screamed like a woman!¡± he yelled before breaking down into laughter ¡°I watched her, she took it like¡­¡± His words broke into another scream as Dean pulled a pistol and put a bullet through his other knee, his whole body appeared to clench as the pain speared up his leg, it was unbearable and as the agony consumed him he struggled to both think and breathe simultaneously. ¡°You¡¯re a funny guy.¡± Dean said flippantly as he let his gun fall to his waist. Flecks of spittle bubbled through Tony gritted teeth as he screamed, ¡°Fuck you, Both of you!¡± Chris shrugged and put another bullet through his shoulder. Tony let out yet another scream, ¡°Jesus Christ! Ok, fuck, ok what do you want.¡±. Chris lowered his gun and thought for a second, ¡°Can you make it back to your car?¡± With hot flushes running through his body as he battled the pain, any from of comprehension escaped him and the question left him dumbfounded, his car may as well have been half the world away, ¡°What?¡± he uttered through a choke. Chris repeated himself slowly, ¡°Can you make it back to your car?¡± ¡°No, no I can¡¯t,¡± he said with a painful huff as he clamped a hand over the wound on his shoulder, as more blood soaked into his shirt as it ran across his chest he felt a steadily rolling tingle pass from his finger all the way up his arm that left his flesh cold and numb. Chris looked over to the car then back at Tony, ¡°Try, it¡¯s only twenty-five meters, give or take.¡± Tony winced, the thought of moving made him nauseas, his skin grew clammy as more and more blood flowed from his wounds. Chris pointed his gun at Tony¡¯s face, ¡°Get up and walk back to your car.¡± Tony looked at him, the words ringing in his ears almost as if in slow motion ¡°How?¡± Chris gave a half smile, ¡°Use your legs.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t I¡­¡± his words fell away to a guttural growl as Chris put another bullet through his thigh, ¡°Fuck! fuck ok, ok,¡± he rolled his head towards his car, then with a great deal of pain he slowly turned himself over onto his front, then lifting himself up with his good arm he tried to move his legs, with a wet crunch sharp pain stabbed at his knees and his teeth clenched shut as he fought the urge to vomit. The tortuous exercise of holding himself up grew too much and his arm went limp and he thumped back into the ground, ¡°I can¡¯t, please I can¡¯t,¡± he whimpered. ¡°Walk,¡± Dean ordered. ¡°Please.¡± ¡°Walk.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± Tony muttered as he began to weep Chris took the keys from dean, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll bring the car to you,¡± he said as he stepped away. The grass grew wet with blood beneath Tony¡¯s cheek as he continued to cry ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry just please, don¡¯t kill me.¡± Dean looked back to the trunk as Chris stepped inside the car, then back to Tony, the girl had looked no more than eighteen, ¡°Do you really think you don¡¯t deserve it.¡± he got no response as he heard the car¡¯s engine rumble to life as the girls face flashed in his mind, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anyway, even if we didn¡¯t kill you, you¡¯d bleed out long before help arrived.¡± Tony clenched his eyes shut as he replayed the last few minutes over in his mind, then the last few hours, then the last days, it all flooded through him at once, and his thoughts were clouded with flashing images of his last kill, her face, her eyes, her breath against his skin; as these thoughts began to drown out the world around him, his vision began to pulse along with his fading heartbeat as it slowly narrowed into nothing. Chris pulled the car up a few feet from where Tony lay, as he stepped out he swung the door open as far as it would go. Dean nudged Tony¡¯s leg with his foot, there was little reaction, ¡°He¡¯s gone into shock, not much point now.¡± Letting out a small sigh Chris slammed the door, ¡°We should try putting a few less bullets in them next time.¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Dean said as he shot Tony through the back of the head, his skull splayed open as the bullet punched its way in through the bone before exploding from his face and embedding itself in the earth, and blood and brain matter sprayed outwardly in semi-circle across the grass. ¡°Well no more than are needed I suppose,¡± Chris said over his shoulder as he walked back to their car. Dean lingered for a second, with the girls face still present in his mind, he kicked Tony¡¯s corpse over and took a moment to let the sight of his dead expression settle in his thoughts, there was little catharsis in his deathly visage but if a corpse was to linger in his memory, he¡¯d prefer it be that of a man who deserved his end. Finally turning away he muttered, ¡°smoke and mirrors,¡± as he made his way back to the car.