by Crow Gray
“If this means the end of the Declans, you just try and keep me away, sugah,” Winter said.
Sugah? Oh, give me a break, thought Rosita.
“I know you say that now, but when people start dying--” Axl said.
Winter reached down into the front of the skiff, producing a double barreled sawed off shotgun. “Don't worry about me. There's a reason the Declans have left me alone while they've had their way with every other attractive female in the county. ‘Cept you, that is, sugah,” Winter said to Rosita, and smiled that smile. Rosita found “sugah” didn't sound as stupid when it was directed her way.
“So what's the plan? And how much do I owe you, anyway?” Axl asked.
“We'll worry about my fee later,” Winter said. “I'm going to take you, by water, right up to the edge of the Declan's property. Then you'll need to make your way by foot through the swamp. It's only about a quarter mile, but this is the bayou, and a quarter mile can seem like ten miles. Not to mention them Declans is sure to have some traps set. Are you sure you're up for this, city boy?”
“Yeah, don't worry about me. Just get me close and I'll handle the rest,” Axl said.
“Kinda cocky there, ain't ya city boy?” Winter said, her tone more flirty than insulting.
“Not cocky at all, I just know what I can and can't do. It's not cocky if I can make it happen,” Axl said.
Winter smiled and nodded thoughtfully. “I suppose that's right. I'm starting to like ya city boy,” she said.
“Don't like him too much,” Rosita said, a little riled.
“Oh, don't you worry, sugah, I like you too,” Winter said, and winked. Rosita felt her face flush and quickly became interested in a nearby cypress stump.
“So you remember what I told you, right? You'll know the kids if you see them?” Axl asked Winter, also glancing at Rosita to be sure she understood as well.
“Yeah, there won't be anybody else but those five out here, so I gotcha covered. But you know, I won't be able to take all eight of us out on this skiff,” Winter said.
“I know. We'll worry about that when we get to it,” Axl said. Axl had his .357 in a holster on his side, as well as a Bowie knife holstered on the other hip.
“You ready?” he asked Rosita, and she patted the .45 in her belt as well as the .38 in her pocket. “What about you?” he asked Winter.
Winter hefted the shotgun before putting it back in the skiff, then indicated a machete also in the boat. “I'm good.”
“Then let's get going,” Axl said.
The three rode in silence as Winter poled them through the creek. Axl had wanted to play the manly man and do it himself, but Winter assured him there was an art to it and he should let her handle it. Axl had learned long ago it was best to leave people to their expertise, so he let her do it.
Axl had a great sense of direction, and he'd been in swamps worse than this before, in places where no one spoke English and death was a way of life. But everything looked the same to him out here. If something happened to Winter, he knew it would take every bit of his skill to find his way out. He also knew it didn't matter, this was something he had to do.
It didn't take long before Winter put her finger to her lips to shush them. Axl took a second to examine her. He realized under any other circumstances she'd be hard to ignore, but he had more dire thoughts on his mind. He stole a glance at Rosita. She may have dire thoughts as well, but there was no mistaking the lust in her eyes. If he had any doubts about Rosita being attracted to women, they were gone now.
Winter poled the boat up to the shore, although calling the muddy bank “shore” was a stretch. She leaned down and whispered. “You get off the boat here and head straight north, it’s pretty much a straight line. About a quarter mile and you'll be able to see one of their sheds. They got a house and two sheds, and a gator pen. Be careful, I don't know what kind of traps they have set, but look for tripwires and bear traps.”
“Did you say gator pen?” Rosita asked.
Axl spoke before Winter could answer. “Okay, I'll be careful.” Axl opened the bag he'd brought and pulled up an HK MP5 9mm submachine gun. He unfolded the stock and then added a suppressor to the barrel.
“Impressive. I love HK's,” Winter said, surprising Axl with her gun knowledge.
He didn't speak, and then he pulled out a combat shotgun with a drum magazine. This one attached to a bandoleer covered with extra shells. He slid a few extra magazines for the HK into the bandoleer as well, one he'd specially modified himself just so it could carry both types of ammo.
“Do you have a first aid kit?” Axl asked, mentally cursing for not having brought one himself. He hadn't been on a true rescue mission in a while, as most of his recent cases just required shooting.
“Yes, do you want it?” she asked, pulling out a full size kit from the bow.
Axl debated but shook his head. “No, too big. Just keep it here, at least it's there if we need it.”
“Should I come with you?” Rosita asked.
“Or both of us?” Winter echoed.
“No, this is just for me. If I'm not back in 4 hours, leave and go to the cops,” Axl said, and the women nodded.
Axl gave Rosita a kiss, not a deep kiss but one with meaning. “I love you, and I'll be back,” he said.
“I love you too, and I know you will,” Rosita answered.
Winter felt a little awkward witnessing the exchange, but she was impressed at the true affection the two appeared to have for one another.
After breaking the kiss, Axl reached into his bag and pulled out a cylinder of makeup, rubbing it over his face and streaking it with black. When he was going on this kind of date, he always liked his makeup.
He climbed onto the bank and within seconds had disappeared into the green.
NOW
The girls were no longer having fun. Natasha was sitting in the corner of the “love shack” crying uncontrollably. Zoe was just gritting her teeth and squeezing her fists so tight her nails were biting into the skin. Jenna was doing nothing but sitting with her hands wrapped around her knees and rocking back and forth. Zoe was worried about her.
The girls were still naked, as they had been since they arrived, but what they had just seen had reminded them of the pure horror of their situation. They had seen the weird circular fence in the distance, but hadn't thought much of it. It was assumed to be a strangely constructed chicken coop, or something along those lines.
The girls had been brought in for a closer look. It was a circular cage, and the top had a walkway built all the way around. In the center of the cage was an alligator pit, with two of the largest, meanest alligators the girls had ever seen. They were all taken up to the walkway, and they knew they were going to die.
Instead, the guys had been brought up. They were also naked, and it was obvious they'd been beaten and tortured. Shame overwhelmed the girls, and not the type of shame they'd felt from the sexual acts. This was real shame. They had been having fun getting fucked while the guys had been going through hell. It just felt wrong.
“We wanted to cut your ties to the old world,” Amos began. “This is it. You will live the rest of your lives as Declans, so we wanted you to start over free and clear. You can only do that once your old lives have been erased.”
The other men were standing nearby, all of them with guns this time. They listened solemnly as Amos continued to make his speech.
“We found out this one was your mate, and this one was yours,” Amos said, pairing off West with Jenna and Natasha with Barrett. “Therefore, you have to cut the cords.”
Amos nodded to the girls and they were both handed a large knife. It was some type of butcher knife and the girls took them but stared at it as if it were alive.
“What—what do you want us to do?” Jenna said.
“I'm not killing him,” Natasha said, meaning it. They'd have to kill her before she’d kill her boyfriend with her own hands.
“Of course not, we wouldn't expect that
. What we want you to do is cut the back of his foot, right here,” Amos said, tapping West's foot to indicate the area. The two men had been beaten so badly they just stood quietly as their fates were discussed.
“I'm not doing that either,” Jenna said.
Amos pressed the barrel of his shotgun against Zoe's head, causing the girls to gasp and blubber. “Do it, or I'll blow this one's brains out.”
Natasha didn't really think Amos would give up breeding stock so easily, but these men weren't rational. She had no way of knowing for sure.
“I'm sorry, Barrett,” she said, cutting him deeply across his Achilles tendon.
“Ahhh!” he screamed, the first sounds he'd made since they'd brought him up.
Jenna was weeping but managed to cut West as well, and both guys were effectively rendered useless for an attempt to free themselves. Then they were kicked into the pit, right into the waiting mouths of the gators.
The girls screamed as the men fell into the pit. West landed right between the gators, his leg hitting one in the head while his back hit the other in the jaw. It was over quickly for him, as the two gators snapped him up and ripped him in two.
Jenna screamed and fell to her knees, the sight too horrible for her to stand.
“Whoo-ee did you see that?” Judd asked, and Zoe noticed he was holding a video camera. The sick bastard was filming this. They never filmed the fuck fest going on in the shack, but they filmed someone getting ripped apart by a vicious alligator? What kind of monsters were these men?
Barrett had landed in the mud, and managed to scramble to his feet. He fell right back down; his severed tendon allowing him no mobility. It wouldn't have mattered, as the cage was small and the gators were huge. Eventually, he was pulled into the water. The men held the girls, forcing them to watch, as the larger gator crushed Barrett's skull in his jaws. At least the suffering was over for the guys, but the girls suffering had just begun. The little games they'd started to enjoy in the shack would now be anything but enjoyable.
The men laughed as they watched the grisly spectacle taking place in the pit below them. The girls just closed their eyes and sobbed, their brains unable to process the sick savagery they had witnessed.
“I know that was hard to watch, but that was your baptism,” Amos said, although none of the girls were really listening. “You will realize one day this was necessary. But for now, you can go to the love shack and ponder your new beginnings.”
The girls were then dragged to the shack, where they proceeded to break down. Zoe knew they had to escape. She let herself become lost in the sexual fantasy, but this was no dark erotica novel. This was real life, and if they wanted to stay alive they'd need to act.
Winter's directions had been precise, and Axl saw what had to be the Declan's homestead ahead of him. She had also been correct about the traps. So far Axl had dodged both bear traps and trip wires on the way in. He'd seen traps built by the best, however, and while the Declan's snares would no doubt catch those who weren't looking for them, for someone like him they were easy to avoid.
He'd actually had more trouble with the damn cottonmouth moccasins. He didn't even know they could get that big, and several times he'd almost stepped right on top of one. He went around them when possible, but did have to kill a few who got aggressive, beheading them with his knife. He was thankful the mosquitoes weren't worse, as he'd been expecting to be sucked dry.
He pulled out the small binoculars he'd brought and surveyed the area. There were several shacks, just as Winter had described, and in the back of the yard was a 1978 Bonneville, dirty but in great shape. What bothered Axl the most was the massive amount of cars in the back of the yard. Judging by the junkyard, the Declans had been snatching people for years. The things that people got away with amazed him. It should be impossible for a family to keep murdering for years, but he'd seen enough in Diablo Vista to know it happened more than you'd think.
He scanned the yard, searching for any movement, and saw the men standing on top of some kind of circular pen. So she hadn't been joking about the gator pit. All four men were there, and they matched Winter's description of the Declans. They were all highly amused by something going on in the pit. Axl tried to see what was happening, but his vantage point left the bottom of the pit obscured. His stomach sank when he went over the possible scenarios. Then he saw all he needed to see. A human arm in the mouth of an alligator popped into view, and Axl grew sick.
He wanted to find the girls before he attacked. If the girls were guarded, a full on assault could put their lives in danger. Then again, it looked like all four Declans were right there, so maybe it was best to get it over with.
The decision was taken out of his hands, however, as Axl heard a hiss just to his right. He turned and saw a huge gator right beside him. He didn't know if it was aggressive or if he'd just startled it, but either way it was charging. He aimed the HK at the gator and opened fire, hoping the suppressor would keep the shots quiet enough that the men wouldn't notice.
He hit the gator several times and it waddled off. He allowed it to slither away, not wanting to waste more time on it. However, in firing on the gator, a few of his shots ricocheted and struck some pie pans the Declans put out as a primitive alarm system. Axl cursed his luck and checked on the men again. To his dismay, they were all staring in his direction and pointing. The first one started to climb down, and Axl decided to act.
He rushed from his hiding place, opening fire on the men with the submachine gun as he charged. The one who had been coming down the stairs dove to the ground and ran off into the woods before Axl could stop him. He concentrated his fire on the three men at the top of the pit, and managed to stitch Delacroix right across the chest. A bloody zipper appeared, and he looked down as if wondering where the blood was coming from. He then fell back into the pit.
“Delacroix!” Amos shouted, watching as the man was ripped into by the still ravenous gators. He was dead before he hit the water, so he never felt his body being shredded by the prehistoric beasts.
“Goddamn it! Who is that? Who would attack a Declan on his own land?” Amos shouted to Jeb. Judd had run for his life and abandoned his family.
“I don't know, but I'm gonna kill the fucker,” Jeb said, crouching low and dropping from the edge of the pit to the ground.
Axl had sprayed the entire clip at the men, and soon the gun clicked empty. He didn't bother to reload and instead swung the shotgun, diving behind a nearby shack just as Jeb fired at him.
The shotgun boomed and buckshot rattled the walls of the love shack.
“What the fuck?” Zoe said. The girls all tensed, listening.
“What's going on?” Jenna said, still hysterical.
“Gunshots?” Natasha said.
“I don't know what's going on, but get over here in the middle of the floor and stay low,” Zoe said. She was praying for a miracle, as it sounded as if someone may be giving the Declans a fight.
Axl circled the shed just as Jeb screamed and rushed him. It was obvious the Declans had never been in a real fight, and instead just ambushed people like cowards. Jeb rushed around the entire shack, screaming and firing off his shotgun as he did so. He couldn't understand why he hadn't found the attacker, not realizing Axl had just circled back and was following along behind him.
“Dammit, get down you idiot!” Amos yelled from his perch on the pit. He could see what was happening, but his shotgun didn't have the range for him to do anything about it.
After circling the shack three times, Jeb finally stopped running and scratched his head. “Where the hell did he go?”
“Boo!” Axl said from behind him. Jeb turned and Axl shot him right in the face at point blank range with the shotgun, a total decapitation.
“Nooooo! Goddamn you, no!” Amos yelled, still not having made his way down. He had always done best with backup, so he didn't relish facing this person one on one. He cursed Judd, deciding if he ever saw him again he'd kill him with his bare hands.
Axl held the shotgun tightly as he looked up at Amos, and then searched for the man who had run off. He had seen the chicken shit cut off through the woods, so he didn't think he'd be back. Or if he was, he may have brought friends with him.
Axl slung the shotgun behind his back and drew the .357. He stepped out and fired, catching Amos in the shoulder and causing him to drop his shotgun right into the gator pit. Axl walked towards him with purpose, still keeping an eye out for others but slowly making his way up the stairs to Amos. He also watched Amos, in case he had a backup piece.
“Oh, goddamn it, you shot me, you fucking piece of shit! I think my arm’s broken! Who the fuck are you?” Amos moaned. If only the girls could see him now, sniveling cowardly as Axl stalked him.
Axl stepped right up to Amos as he kneeled, kicking him in the wounded shoulder.
“AHHOOOWW!” Amos howled, falling back but being careful not to fall into the pit.
“Where are they? Where are the people who were in that Bonneville?” Axl yelled, keeping the pistol right on Amos.
I don't know what you mean!” Amos lied. “We found that car on the highway!”
Axl gritted his teeth and drew his Bowie knife, slashing Amos right across the cheek. “Where are they?”
The girls had heard the commotion from inside the shack, and Zoe decided it was now or never.
“Come on!” she shouted, grabbing one of the chairs and smashing it on the lock. If they died, they died, but at least they would die fighting. The other girls watched her a second, before joining in. All three girls grabbed chairs and smashed at the padlock, the wood splintering as the lock began to break free.
Axl heard something from one of the nearby shacks, and his attention was diverted. Amos saw this, and lunged for Axl in a last ditch effort to save his worthless life. Axl saw the punch coming a mile awayand easily blocked it. He then kicked Amos hard in the balls for good measure.