Robin jogged along the trail, keeping an eye out for Jesse coming through the bushes and an ear for his feet on the trail behind. Robin thought about what exactly she would do if she reached the north cabins.
“Knock on doors,” she whispered.
She kept up her pace and continued to listen for Jesse. Nothing. No gunshots or insults. The trail had gained elevation for most of the journey. Now it was flattening out as it had when she, Wes, and Brandi had found the boat. As the path became smooth she picked up her already considerable tempo. She increased to a run and after about twenty-five minutes she was approaching the end of the trail.
She stood at the edge of a gravel road that was barely wide enough for two vehicles to pass. She looked both ways. Was she seeing things or was a cabin only a few hundred yards ahead to her right? Was there also the smell of wood burning in a stove?
Robin jogged along the road and up the walkway to the front door of the first log cabin. It was much like the one Wesley had rented only smaller with a deeper yard. Pain sliced through her lower back and she stretched it out for a few seconds. Then she pounded on the door with both fists until her hands hurt and then turned and jogged for the next door.
Again she banged and thumped on the door. It opened slowly and she saw an old man standing in front of her.
“What’s going on?” the old timer asked. He looked to be at least 80. Stooped forward with bright blue eyes and almost snow white hair. He looked Robin up and down and said, “What happened to you, young lady? Do you need help?”
“Yes! Do you have a phone?” Robin asked patiently.
“What’s going on here? You have a fight with your husband or something?”
“Please, can I come in and use your phone?”
The old timer hesitated and then began to stand aside. Robin looked behind her and her heart sank.
“I think that is far enough, Robin!”
“Did you do this to her, son?” the old timer asked.
“No, my wife did,” Jesse said. “You know women; they just can’t get along.”
“This is quite peculiar,” the old timer said. “Why don’t you come in for a cup of tea?”
“Oh, fuck this!”
Robin saw Jesse pull something metallic from inside his jacket. She quickly realized it was another pistol and she watched Jesse level the weapon at the old timer in one long, smooth motion. The shot exploded and as the bullet struck him it lifted the old man off his feet. Jesse pulled the door closed and then grabbed a fistful of Robin’s hair and yanked her down the walkway to the dirt road.
As she was pushed and shoved down the trail, Robin couldn’t help feeling responsible for the man’s death.
“You happy, Robin? Hmm?” Jesse said in a voice full of anger. “That poor ol’ bastard is dead because of you.”
For the next hour Jesse forced Robin along the trail for the cabin. He never let her forget it was her fault the old man was now laying in a pool of blood.
“Is Wesley dead?” Robin asked.
“I don’t know. Brandi and ol’ Wes have quite a history, you know, so she mighta slit his throat by now.”
Robin had no idea what Jesse meant about a history between Wesley and Brandi. The pair had met only a few hours ago when Brandi had joined their romantic evening.
The return hike to the cabin seemed to take hours. For a few seconds before Jesse shot the old man, Robin believed she might survive. Any existing hope had now vanished.
Jesse grumbled on and on about how pissed off he was that he did not get the death of the old man on film. Robin didn’t listen to him anymore. She knew Wesley was dead and now she couldn’t get the old man from her mind. She couldn’t shake his look of shock and disbelief when he was struck by the bullet and then the horror in his eyes as he realized he was about to die.
She stood at the foot of the front steps of the cabin for a few seconds without moving. Jesse gave her a shove. Her stomach lurched when she noticed drips of fresh blood up the entrance steps.
Jesse swung open the door and announced their arrival. “Honey, I’m home!” He guided Robin toward the chairs near the couch.
Immediately, Robin saw Wesley slumped in a chair with his arms behind his back. She pulled away from Jesse and moved quickly to Wesley. His chin was on his chest and he didn’t move right away as Robin knelt in front of him.
“Wes, baby?” she whispered. Her stomach lurched again when she saw the pool of blood on the floor behind the chair. Wesley’s left hand was wrapped in a cloth that had once been white but now was bright red. “Wes?”
Wesley raised his head and met Robin’s eyes. She couldn’t believe how pale he looked. “What happened?”
“Shot me—in the hand….”
“Oh, God!”
“Sit down, bitch!” Brandi ordered. When Robin refused to move from Wesley’s weak embrace Brandi took fistfuls of hair and yanked Robin to her feet before she was slammed into a chair next to Wesley. Brandi quickly tie-strapped Robin’s hands and feet to the chair legs.
“What—what happened with you?” Wesley’s voice was weak and soft.
Robin looked around and noticed Jesse and Brandi were not in sight. She heard giggles from the bedroom. She looked at Wesley and knew he had lost a lot of blood.
“I made it to the north cabins.”
“Yeah?” Wesley attempted to sit up. “But?”
“I didn’t know Jesse was so close. I knocked on a couple doors and had this old guy about to take me in and he had a phone….”
“Rob?”
“That fucking bastard shot the old guy,” Robin whispered. “He’s dead, I’m sure.”
“Jesus.”
“I was that close to getting help and then….”
Jesse came straight for Robin. “Yes, it was all quite dramatic. Wish I’d had my camera but I caught it piece by piece on my cell.” Jesse moved a small table close to Robin. He set the phone on a book for Robin to see and played back the footage.
Robin looked away as the scene with the old man unfolded. She heard the shot and the startled moan of the man.
“No, no, no! You watch it, bitch!” Jesse pressed his boot against Wesley’s mangled hand and ground it as though he was extinguishing a cigarette under his foot. “You watch every second!”
The shot rang out and Robin looked away. Jesse began to crush Wesley’s wrist. Wesley screamed. Jesse reached over and twisted Robin’s head toward the phone screen. “You watch what you did. I didn’t want to hurt the old guy but what choice did I have? Hmm? He saw me and you and he knew that something fucked was going on.”
The footage was on some kind of loop and Jesse roared at her to watch as he played it again and again. Robin gritted her teeth and would not watch the entire clip. Each time Jesse ran the scene she turned away.
Jesse stomped away from the chairs and marched into the kitchen. He came back in twenty seconds with a small white box in his hands. He cut Wesley’s hand free and quickly unwrapped the blood-soaked cloth.
Wesley knew what was in the box and struggled to free his hand from Jesse’s grip. Jesse held Wesley’s arm out straight and maneuvered it so Robin could see what was happening. He opened the box and began to shake table salt into the bullet hole in Wesley’s hand. Wesley wailed.
“Watch the clip, you stupid cunt. All of it!”
“Don’t do it, Robin!” Wesley said. “Don’t….”
“Fuck you, Jesse!” Robin screeched. “Just fuck off!”
Jesse’s face grew red. He flung Wesley’s arm out of his way and marched back for the kitchen.
“Just kill her, baby. Just shoot the bitch in the face!” Brandi said as though she was saying ‘have a cup of coffee.’
“Hold your hand up, Wesley,” Robin said. “Try to keep it raised. It’ll slow the bleeding.”
Jesse stomped into the room again. He put the phone in his pocket and opened an envelope. “Take a look at these, you stupid bitch.”
Jesse set several photos on the t
able where the phone had laid a minute earlier. Jesse moved the table up close to Robin so she could see the pictures. He placed the barrel of the revolver at her right temple.
“Have a good long look at these pics, Robbi,” Jesse said. “You take a look or I’ll blow your head out into that goddamn lake.”
Robin heard the hammer click back on the revolver and she began to look at the photos. She was surprised they weren’t of some grotesque murder scene. They appeared to be amateur pornography, a very young girl performing fellatio on an older man. Disturbing but not what she expected from Jesse’s warped mind.
“Look closer,” Jesse whispered into her ear.
It couldn’t be. She stared at the face of the man. It was Wesley! She looked over at her husband and then back at the photos. “Oh, Wes. What did you do?”
“Yes, Wesley, what did you do with this pretty young thing?”
“Who is she?” Robin demanded.
Wesley was silent and then Jesse spoke up. “Tell her, Wes. Tell her about the little arrangement we have.”
Robin noticed a sick smile on Jesse’s face and a shocked look on Wesley’s. “Wes?”
“Do you remember Shelly? Shelley Longley from a few years ago at the restaurant?” Wesley asked.
She nodded. “Jesus, she was just a kid. How long did this go on? Is that why you let her go?”
“Oh, he didn’t fire me, bitch. I quit,” Brandi said. “Fucking job was a joke.”
Jesse was giggling. “She didn’t need the money now, did she, Wes?”
“No….” Wesley started.
“Why? Did you get her pregnant or something?” Robin asked.
“No, nothing like that. It—it was this one time. I drove her home and she was groping me while I was driving and then when I stopped at her place….”
“You screwed her?” Robin said almost in tears.
“Fuck no!” Brandi said in a loud, irritated voice. “I sucked him off and Jesse caught it on film.”
“Oh, Wes.”
“Then Jesse cooked up this little scheme where good ol’ Wesley paid us to keep it quiet. I quit and disappeared.”
“That’s why we were struggling. You were working all those hours and then giving away our money to these two.”
“Yes, Wes, my boy, did a brilliant job. Never fell behind.”
“Jesus Christ, Wes. Why didn’t you tell me? They set you up from the start….”
“I know that now,” Wesley said.
“How much did you pay them?” Robin demanded.
“Oh, fuck off, you stupid bitch,” Brandi said. “You’re no smarter than him. I Facebook friend requested you and you didn’t even recognize me but you confirmed me anyhow. I knew you were planning this trip because you’ve been spouting off about it for weeks on Facebook!”
“We knew when and where and everything, dear Robin, because of the ol’ F-B!” Jesse said then allowed a few seconds of silence. “Your fine hubby paid more than enough to keep me and the missus going without needing much of a day job. Wonderful of you both to help us out.”
“Thank you Mr. Tate,” Brandi said in child’s voice.
Robin’s fear was replaced by disappointment. She had no idea how much of their money Wesley had given to these people. She guessed that it began a few months before Shelley or Brandi or whatever her real name was quit the restaurant. Five or six years ago, she mouthed the words silently. Shelly had been a skinny, unhealthy looking, and seemingly innocent girl, not at all like this horrible, insatiable woman.
None of it mattered now. Nicole and Rebecca and their husbands were on their way and would walk straight into this nightmare.
“Okay, everyone. Now that we know how we all got here, let’s not forget we’re shooting a movie here,” Jesse said with a sadistic grin on his face.
Robin did not realize she had it in her to hate another human as fully and completely as she did this man. She knew that if she got a chance she would kill Jesse. It seemed like the only way to escape was to kill the killers. And it didn’t look like Wes was going to be much help.
“The two trailers I uploaded to Youtube are going crazy,” Jesse said as he walked to the window and looked out toward the parking area. “Ben may have lost his head but his clip is about to pass 200,000 hits. The old geezer getting greased at the north cabin is also doing well. It’s just perfect.”
“You expect us to believe that you put that on Youtube?” Robin asked.
“Don’t give a shit if you buy it or not. The fact is that this flick is gaining momentum and the best is yet to come. This will be a cult classic. People will talk about it for years and even if Youtube pulls every upload fans will post the clips on their blogs and shit.” Jesse paused to look at his lap top and then continued. “Listen to the comments. They love it.”
“Looks so fucking real. Sick but awesome. Thanks for posting. Great shit more please….”
Wesley sighed.
“My website is piling up the hits and soon I’ll post the entire thing in 10 minute bite size bits.”
Robin heard vehicles outside. At least two. With a bit of luck it was the police showing up to investigate the gunshot and homicide of the old timer.
“Our guests are here!” Brandi said feigning excitement.
Jesse moved to the window and pulled the curtains aside. He moved to the front door and looked out the window. He then began to check all the windows. Jesse pointed to Brandi and she took the pistol from him and headed out the side door. Robin shuddered when she recognized the weapon that had killed the old man now in Brenda’s grip.
“You scream or try to warn your friends in any way and I’ll shoot them all in the head and you two fucks can bury them,” Jesse said as he pushed his revolver into its holster in his jacket and then walked out the front door.
Robin heard Jesse say hello and then she heard Nicole ask if Jesse knew Wes and Robin Tate.
“Of course I know them. They’re inside cooking lunch for us all. It smells awesome, so hurry in.”
Robin then heard Thomas introduce Rebecca, Derrick, and Nicole to Jesse. Jesse made small talk and offered to carry in luggage and then he appeared at the door with two suitcases and a huge, ugly grin.
Tom and Rebecca and Derrick and Nicole didn’t notice Robin and Wesley in the living room. The four friends stood in the entrance area. Robin wanted to shout out to them to run away.
“Oh, by the way,” Jesse said. “The beauty behind you with the Glock 23 pointed at your skulls is my wonderful wife, Brandi.”
“Hi, everyone!” Brandi said as though pointing a loaded pistol at strangers was as normal as waving.
“Welcome to the Fright Factory!” Jesse pulled out his revolver. “Smile for the cameras.”
Chapter 9
Jesse shouted again, “Sit down!” He jammed the revolver into Thomas’s ear and whispered. “You is one big ass fucker, Tommy. But this here is a .44 Magnum and it don’t care how fucking big you are…you get it?”
Thomas stood defiantly.
“You dumb fuck! I could drop a bull moose with this thing. You get it? Now sit!”
Wesley sighed when Thomas sat in a chair that didn’t look strong enough to support him. Tommy glared at Jesse as if daring him to put down his weapon.
Wesley hated to watch Brandi tie-strap the others to four chairs. As Brandi secured ankles and wrists, Jesse caught his wife’s handiwork on camera. When she was done she took the camera.
Jesse walked through the room and just outside the door and quickly returned. In his hands was a scythe, the one he’d used to kill Ben the caretaker.
Jesse began by informing everyone they would soon become internet film stars and that he was recording every minute and would edit and upload the entire movie.
“What the fuck is this?” Thomas said as she struggled against his bonds. “Wes, is this some kind of fucking joke?”
“Is this one of those murder mystery games?” Nicole asked.
“Well, Wes—is this a game?”
Jesse asked. “Answer me!” Jesse roared when Wesley didn’t answer soon enough.
“No,” Wesley said quietly. “It’s no game.”
“Bullshit! Untie me…I’m not into this shit!” Thomas continued his struggle.
Wesley looked at his friend. His height of over 6’5” and his over three-hundred-pound build, along with his shaved head and goatee gave him a menacing look. However, strapped in the chair he looked as meek as everyone else.
“Put away the Magnum and enough of the reaper routine, pal.”
“Hmm, you want me to untie you all? You think this is a joke or something?”
“Wes, what the fuck is this, huh?” Derrick asked, ending his silence. “Me and Nicky didn’t come all the way up here for this kinda shit—you know?”
“Yeah, come on guys, this isn’t funny,” Nicole said.
“Fun? You wanna have us some fun, Nicky?” Jesse set the scythe aside and moved close to Nicole. He moved his hands up her legs and stopped his right hand in her crotch while he glided his left hand up under her blouse. “Very nice, Nicky—some potential here.”
Wesley saw the look of disgust on Nicole’s face. He glanced over at Derrick’s face growing red with anger.
“Get your fucking hands off her, you piece of shit—fuck!” Derrick shouted.
Jesse had both hands under Nicole’s blouse and then in one sharp movement he jerked her top off and tossed it onto Derrick’s face. One of her breasts was free of her bra and Jesse knelt to give it a long kiss. “Mmm, tasty!”
“You fucking sack of shit—fucking let me out of this—I’ll….” Derrick said and then abruptly stopped as Jesse had the dull edge of the scythe across his windpipe.
“You’ll what?” Jesse pushed down on the handles. “Hmm?”
“Stop it!” Nicole screamed. “You’ll kill him!”
“Kill him? But this is a game a joke, isn’t it? How can I possibly kill him?”
“Please…stop….” Nicole pleaded. Derrick choked.
“Stop? Why would I do that, Nicky? Hmm?”
“Please stop, he’s turning blue!”
Jesse had a smile beyond evil. The level of insanity was beyond anything Wesley had ever witnessed.
The Fright Factory Page 5