Dead to Writes (April Almighty #1) (5 page)

Chapter 12

     Cletus stood by with his video camera recording his mom blowing Don. April watched with sick fascination as Don tried to close his eyes, squirm away and struggle as the old woman slobbered all over his dick with her gums. He had gotten rock hard in the process. April knew it was an involuntary reaction, but that had to be miserable.

     Although Don was an asshole. She looked over at Brenda who lay on the table. Brenda was still restrained but barely moving. April tried to make eye contact with her to see if she was ok, but it was clear Brenda had checked out. The lights were on but no one was home. In the back of her mind, April knew it would be her turn soon. She pushed that thought as far back as possible. A scream snapped her out of it as she looked over to see Don blowing his load all over the old woman’s bare, wrinkly, saggy tits. She wasn’t sure when the woman had taken her shirt off, but wished she could have unseen it.

     Once they were done, the woman stood and put her shirt back on while her sons high fived each other.

     “Damn Ma, you sure know how to handle a pecker!” Marty said.

     “Been doing it since I was twelve years old. My pappy showed me just how he liked it. Once you got it down, it’s like riding a bicycle,” she said.

     Don sat in the chair trembling as sweat beaded down his forehead. Cletus put the camera down and walked over to Brenda. He undid her restraints and dragged her back to her bench and tied her back up. He probably didn’t have to as she just sat there limp. Once she was put back, Cletus cut Don’s restraints. Don tried to throw a punch, but the older man was no match for the large redneck. Cletus caught Don’s fist in one hand and laid him out with a right cross.

     He picked Don up like a rag doll and strapped him to the table while Marty cut Don’s remaining clothes off. As they strapped him down April looked around the room to see if there was any way out. She also wondered if her dad had realized she was missing yet. He’d been with the FBI for almost twenty years; she hoped and prayed that he would get there in time to save her from this hell. If not, she’d have to find her own way out.

     He’d taught her for years various types of self-defense, but that still failed her in this case. Being ganged up on by two men while in her underwear was too much for her to overcome. Not to mention she had never been in a real fight. Sparring and hitting pads was one thing, fighting a real person was something new entirely.

     Looking back up at Don, Marty had taken an ice pick and shoved it under one of Don’s toenails. Don shrieked so badly it made April’s ears ring. Marty wiggled the ice pick back and forth, eliciting more screams. Once again, Cletus was filming. Once he was bored with the ice pick, Marty walked up to the front of the table.

     “Look, please don’t hurt me anymore. I have money, lots and lots of money. I can pay you guys, all of you. You’ll have everything you could ever need for the rest of your lives! Please?” Don pleaded.

     Marty looked around at Cletus and his Ma.

     “Wow that sounds like quite an offer doesn’t it?” Marty said before he laughed. “Just like you big city folks, you think everything is about money. Well I tell you what, we got everything we need right here.”

     Marty grabbed a set of pliers from the work bench and clamped down on Don’s left nipple. He pulled and twisted as Don writhed and screamed. April looked away, but felt like she needed to see. Marty had a knife and was using it to saw off Don’s nipple. It finally tore loose as Marty held up the severed nipple as if it were some kind of prize.

     “Now that’s what I call a titty twister!” Cletus said as they all laughed.

     April looked at Herbert who either was asleep or was pretending to be asleep. She figured he was faking since she had no idea how anyone could sleep in their current situation.

     Marty took the ice pick and lightly jabbed it against Don’s eye. After a few light jabs, he thrust it into Don’s eye socket. Don screamed and jumped so hard the whole table moved. Marty moved the ice pick around as Don screamed. Finally Marty pulled out the ice pick, popping the eyeball out of the socket. Marty cut the nerve with the knife and dangled the eye ball around like it were some kind of toy.

     “Well looky at that,” Cletus said. “Save the other one for me.”

     “No problem. I think I’ll make Ma a necklace,” Marty said as he tossed the eyeball aside. He grabbed a pair of tin snips and held up Don’s hand. Don instantly balled his hand into a fist. Without hesitating, Marty leaned forward and grabbed Don’s dick and put the tin snips against it.

     “Open your hand, or I’ll cut yer pecker off,” Marty ordered.

     Don’s hand opened right up.

     “Why are you doing this?” Don asked.

     “I told ya. You all wrote them horrible reviews. Said my Ma should have killed herself. I bet you’re the one who wrote that aren’t ya?” Marty said as he clipped off Don’s index finger. He screamed as blood squirted all over Marty’s shirt. “So did you say my Mama should kill herself?”

     “No! That wasn’t me! I swear!”

     “You’re the biggest asshole here. I’m findin’ that kinda hard to believe,” Marty said as he snipped another finger.

     April closed her eyes and tried to think of a song, a TV show or anything she could to drown out the carnage going on before her. She managed to focus on her first day of college, when her dad had dropped her off at school. They’d gone out to lunch together and caught a movie that evening before she got settled in. It had been a good day. But no matter what she thought of or how hard she tried, nothing could get her mind off the screams. Don was a serious asshole, but he didn’t deserve this. No one did. She only hoped her dad would find them before it was her turn.

Chapter 13

     Jack and Bobby walked out of Titties N’ Kitties trying to figure out just what it was they had encountered inside. Bobby’s anxiety over April’s safety and whereabouts was getting worse, but like the seasoned pro he was, he held it inside to stay focused. They looked around the tiny town which reminded Bobby of an old western ghost town. Some of the buildings looked like they had been around since then.

     Just catty-corner from the club and across the street was a building that said “Sheriff’s Office” on the front.

     “Guess we can see what the local law enforcement here is like. Maybe they’ll be more helpful,” Jack said.

     “We’ll see. I don’t see any police cars around, but worth a look I guess,” Bobby said as he started across the street.

     As he pushed the door open, it was rickety and loose on the hinges. They stepped inside to an empty office. The place looked like something out of “The Andy Griffith Show.” There was a single jail cell off to the left, and a couple of desks.

     “Hello?” Bobby called out. “Anyone here?”

     There was no answer.

     “Look,” Jack said pointing at one of the desks. There was a half a cup of coffee on the desk. “Someone has been here.”

     “You think they even have a sheriff?” Bobby asked.

     “I’d be surprised, but we’ll see I guess.”

     They wandered around the office a few more minutes, looking through some random papers but there was nothing interesting. As they headed for the door, the sound of a flushing toilet came from a room in the back. They turned back around and an older man in a sheriff’s uniform came walking in.

     “Oh well hey fellas! I didn’t know I had company. I apologize for the lack of welcome. I’m kind of a one man show here,” the man said. His uniform was khaki and had stains along the shirt. There was a star pinned to his chest. He was trying to tuck his shirt in, but the tail still hung out the back. He was short and rail thin.

     “You the Sheriff?” Bobby asked.

     “Yes sir. Sheriff Randall Higgins at yer service. Now you boys are obviously not from around here. You guys feds?”

     “What makes you say that?” Bobby asked.

     “You just look like feds. You all just have a certain way you look, talk, and stand. Y’all can’t help it I reckon.”

     “I’m with the FBI, he’s with Austin PD. We’re here looking for a girl, she’s twenty years old. She’s gone missing. We found a match book from Titties N’ Kitties in her apartment after she went missing,” Bobby said as he showed him her picture.

     “Goddammit,” Higgins said.

     “What?” Bobby said, trying to mask his excitement.

     “Fuckin’ McDougals.”

     “Who?”

     “Old lady McDougal and her boys. Those two got a thing for city girls. Sometimes they a, get a bit carried away. Plus they hang out at the..uh..establishment over there.”

     “Get carried away? That’s what you call kidnapping someone and holding them against their will?” Bobby asked.

     “Hey, now you hold on a minute. I’ve known them boys since before they could walk and talk. You don’t be comin’ into my town and throwing around accusations. For all I know, that girl is some skank they hired and tried to rip them off. That’s been known to happen before,” Higgins said.

     It took every ounce of restraint Bobby had to keep from punching this little clown out cold. His jaw clinched as his throat went dry. Despite his best efforts, he’d given himself away.

     “Oh, I get it. She’s your daughter,” Higgins said.

     “What?”

     “That girl. She’s your daughter. Why else would you look like you was about to punch my lights out? So this isn’t even an official investigation is it?”

     “Agent Kennedy is here assisting Austin PD as a courtesy,” Jack chimed in. “So yes, it’s quite official.”

     “All right then. Well I apologize for callin’ her a skank. But you know how girls are these days. Always wavin’ that beaver around trying to get men to jump at it. Sometimes it backfires. Anyway, they live a bit further into the hills, in the woods a ways. I can take you up there.”

     “You have a car?”

     “Yeah, but it’s easier to get there on foot. There’s a trail that leads up that way,” Higgins said as he grabbed his cowboy hat off a shelf and pressed it to his head. They followed him out the door and across the road. They walked between some buildings to where the woods began. There was a narrow foot path that began up hill.

     They started along the path as Bobby noted his black dress shoes weren’t ideal for trekking through the woods. At least they’d be somewhat shaded, but the temperature was already well into the 90’s.

     “How far is it?” Bobby asked.

     “About a half mile or so. Hope you boys don’t mind a bit of a nature hike.”

     He wasn’t sure if they could trust this supposed Sheriff, but he saw little other choice at the moment. Though barely ten minutes into the walk, his feet were already hurting as well as the burning in his calves. The hill got steeper once they were further in. His throat burned dry as well. He was in fairly good shape for his age; he just wasn’t used to this kind of exertion in these conditions. The incline leveled off some after several more minutes as the trail came to an end. There was a large thicket just ahead.

     “Their house is right through there just a ways,” Higgins said.

     “Behind all that? How do they go anywhere?”

     “They don’t.”

     “So how do they get into town?”

     “There’s another way in and out, but this one is the closest. The other way takes twice as long. You all can go ahead. I don’t want them to see me with you all. They can be kinda crazy.”

     “But you’re their Sheriff.”

     “I know, but this town is pretty peaceful. I don’t want to create any bad blood. You feds go in and shake things up and the rest of the town won’t be upset with me.”

     Bobby wasn’t trusting him but Jack was already headed for the thicket.

     “Come on, let’s just go Bobby. We’ll find her soon and get out of here. I’m sure we can handle it,” Jack said.

     Bobby nodded and followed Jack who had already started through. It was hard to see ahead at all with the thick brush and branches poking out. His dress shirt and slacks were already ripped up. He couldn’t imagine how scratched up his face must have been. He paused and noticed he could no longer hear Jack up ahead.

     “Jack?” he called out. “What’s going on?”

     No answer.

     “Jack?”

     He waited a minute and slowly pressed forward. After ten more feet, he was glad he’d slowed his pace. The thicket opened up and dropped off into a sinkhole. It was only about ten feet wide, but kneeling down to look in, it was pitch black. Wherever the bottom was he couldn’t see it.

     “Fuck!” He had no doubt Jack was dead. He had to have fallen right into that hole. Bobby drew his gun, stood and turned back through the thicket. This time he was running.

Chapter 14

     Don screamed as Cletus hoisted him by the legs onto a pulley system. April couldn’t stop staring at his severed fingers lying on the ground. For some reason she thought they looked like little Vienna sausages. Maybe it was because she was hungry. The thought repulsed her, but she couldn’t make it go away.

     Don was now naked and hanging upside down. Cletus smiled proudly at his work, though Marty had done most of the torturing. Don moaned as blood dripped from his severed finger tips.

     “Come on!” April yelled. “He’s had enough!”

     Marty spun around pointing at her.

     “You shut the fuck up girl, or you gonna be next!” he scolded.

     April wanted to say something else, but caught Herbert out of the corner of her eye shaking his head. She bit her lip and sat back.

     “Can I do this one Ma?” Cletus asked.

     “Now Cletus, you know what happened last time you tried to use power tools,” Ma said.

     “Come on Ma. That was a few years ago.”

     “She’s right Cletus. You’ll hurt yourself again,” Marty said.

     Cletus kicked the table and grabbed his camera as Marty walked behind the work bench and stood holding a chainsaw. Don wiggled and screamed again once he saw the large saw. The saw looked almost as big as Marty, but he seemed to have no problem handling it. With a pull of the cord the saw roared to life.

     Don screamed again, but the saw drowned him out. April screamed but no one heard her over the noise. Marty held the saw between Don’s legs moving it from side to side just to taunt the man. Finally he lowered it into his crotch, just barely touching the skin. Don jumped and wiggled as blood misted onto the saw blade. Marty cut in a little deeper, as Don’s body gyrated. He turned off the saw and looked back at the rest of the hostages.

     “See? Hardly any blood. Cause he’s hangin’ upside down, all the blood is going to his head, so I could cut at him like this for a long time and he won’t bleed out. Pretty neat huh?” Marty explained.

     “I’m so proud of my boys. Marty learnt this all by himself on the internet. Such a smart boy. Too bad you all couldn’t recognize that reading his book,.” Ma said.

     “His book was terrible,” April said. “I’m sorry but it’s true. I’m sorry some of these guys said such mean things. That was wrong. But torturing us over it doesn’t fix it. Your next book will suck too.”

     Marty’s face reddened as Don moaned in the background.

     “April, shut up!” Herbert said. “Don’t piss them off!”

     “Why? They’re already pissed. You don’t think we’re next? They feel we wronged them somehow so now they have the right to cut us up like pieces of meat. Oh, how the hell do you have the internet all the way out here anyway?” April wasn’t sure where “here” was, but was fairly certain they weren’t anywhere near anything civilized.

     Marty looked puzzled at the question. He finally responded after hesitating.

     “Cletus hooked it all up. He’s all good with tech stuff like that,” he said. It still wasn’t an answer, but the question was more of a distraction.

     Marty fired up the saw once again and continued to taunt Don, as he would cut into his pelvis, then back out, and cut a little deeper and back it out. Each time Don would flinch in pain as he screamed. After a few tries, Don was cut open all the way to his rib cage. His stomach and intestines spilled out onto the floor, as his legs were now hanging further apart, but he was still clearly alive.

     Despite her empty stomach, April began dry heaving. Some water and bile came out onto her lap as her stomach lurched. The twisted family watched and laughed as April tried to calm her body down. Don was now sobbing and crying hanging there. He had to know he’d be dead soon. She couldn’t imagine the pain he must be in.

     “Aww, I think I hurt the poor baby,” Marty said. “He’s all crying.”

     “Yeah, he don’t sound so tough now. Do ya? Mr. Moneybags?” Cletus mocked.

     “Please? I’m sorry,” Don whimpered.

     “This guy ain’t no fun no more. Go ahead Clete,” Marty said as Cletus pulled a large knife from a sheath on his belt, knelt down and cut Don’s throat. Blood sprayed like a geyser as Don gasped and twitched for a final time before going still. There had been very little blood earlier, but now it was pooling all over the floor, running through the floorboards.

     “Come on boys. This has been exhausting,” Ma said. “Let’s go take a break. I’ll fix you boys some snacks. You sure earned it.”

     “Sounds good Ma!” they both exclaimed as Marty sat the saw down behind the bench and they filed out of the shed. April waited to make sure they were gone while surveying the room. Brenda was still staring off into space. Nancy hadn’t said a peep since earlier. She was just sitting there, looking rather casual considering the situation. April couldn’t help but wonder if the woman had something wrong with her before they grabbed her.

     Once she was sure they were gone for a while, she looked to Herbert.

     “You ok?” she asked.

     “As ok as I can be,” he said.

     “My dad is an FBI agent. I bet he’s looking for us.”

     “I hope he hurries up. No telling which of us will be next when they come back.”

     “Yeah I know.” April looked around. “I can’t feel my hands at all. They went numb a while ago.”

     “Same here. I been trying to work my way loose, but that just made it worse.”

     “God we are so fucked. We need to think and fast.”

     “I know. I been trying to think but they seem to be pretty good at this. I’m sure we’re not the first.”

     “I have one idea, it’s a long shot, but it can’t hurt at this point,” April said.

     “What’s that?”

     “You’ll see. If it works, they won’t see it coming.”