Four Crows

by Lily White

  Shaking his head a low whistle emitted from his lips.

  “…damn that bitch could give head. After we were done with her, I gave her an hour or two to cool down. You see, it had been hours that her body was used. Sneaking back into the room with a glass of ice water, I mentioned I could save her son if she was nice and did me a special favor. She believed me and she sucked my cock like it was the best tasting dick in the world.”

  A grin pulled at his thin lips. “Did you teach her how to do that?” Lowering his voice, he ran his hand ran up Maggie’s body. “Have you taught Maggie the same tricks?”

  When I didn’t answer, he shrugged a shoulder. “Guess I’ll be finding that out in a little while.”

  Jutting his chin in the direction of the small cabin, Finn barked orders at his brother. “Take the piece of shit into the cabin. Strip him of his weapons and find him a comfortable seat to watch the show. Might as well let the fuck see what we did to his wife before he takes his last breath.”

  Maggie cried out when Finn’s hand moved between her legs, the threat made obvious by the sickening lust in his eyes.

  Grinding my teeth, I focused on the problems that surrounded me, and I hoped like hell I would find a way out of this mess before they killed me and had their way with Maggie.

  I always knew it would end this way.

  It was in the back of mind the entire time we’d driven, the crushing feeling that nothing would go according to plan.

  After Brody stripped Elliot of his knives and guns, he tucked the weapons into his own pockets and slung the rifle over his shoulder. With a shove that almost sent Elliot to the ground, he forced him to take the first few steps in the direction of the cabin. Elliot didn’t meet my eyes before allowing himself to be led away, didn’t give any indication of what he was thinking or feeling.

  Behind them, Finn led me along the same path, laughter rumbling from his lips every time I stumbled over a root, or my own feet. I hated to admit that I was scared shitless at that moment, but there was nothing I could do now that Finn had taken all my weapons.

  It was an impossible situation, and one that I knew would end horribly. Elliot would most likely die a painful death tonight, but I wasn’t sure my brothers would make it that easy for me. Brody might have after he’d gotten what he wanted from me. But Finn? He was too sick in the head to make things quick. It pleased him to drag out the inevitable, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if he planned to fuck me for days until my body gave out and I died right there beneath him.

  Remembering back to what my father had told me, I wanted to cry. From the minute I was born that man tried to protect me from the evil he swore was following me, but he was too blind to see the sickness in his sons’ eyes. How long had they been planning to do unspeakable things to me? How many nights had they stayed up late, most likely drinking, and planned the worst kind of torture they could commit against my body?

  I supposed the answers to those questions didn’t matter much. It’s not like they would save me. But the mind has a funny was of shielding itself from the horror that stood before it. It had a way of distracting you with nonsense, if for nothing else but to keep you from going insane. It was a one of the wonderful things about the human body, but terrible as well because it kept you from focusing solely on the problem at hand.

  Before long, Elliot and I were led into the dark interior of the cabin, the scent of decay assaulting me as soon as I stepped foot inside. It was readily apparent that nobody had been here since the last time my father had taken us camping, and nature had begun the process of reclaiming the space that had once been hers alone.

  “Be sure to tie him up nice and tight. We wouldn’t want the fucker getting brave and interrupting all the fun we’ll be having.”

  Finn continued to bark orders in Brody’s direction, and it wasn’t until that moment that I realized just how scared of Finn Brody was. How had I never noticed the way he followed every instruction his older brother gave without complaint or argument of any kind?

  “It’s pitch fucking black in this dump,” Finn muttered while shoving me towards the ground. Once he had me settled in place, he didn’t bother binding my hands or feet, just simply assumed that fear would keep me trapped in place, a helpless victim to whatever cruel deeds he had in mind. Rather than fighting against him, I played the scared little sister, the girl I’d once been while Daddy was still alive.

  Anger blossomed inside me to remember the stab wound to my father’s stomach. They’d betrayed their own family, a man who’d done nothing but love them, and I didn’t know the reason why.

  “Brody. Why don’t you go outside and fetch some lanterns from the truck? I’d like our boy here to have a nice view of what a woman can do for a man if she’s given the proper encouragement.”

  Knowing exactly what type of encouragement he had in mind, I kept my mouth shut and mimicked the blank expression I’d seen on Elliot’s face. There was no better way to endure a battle than to learn from the soldier who’d seen plenty in his time.

  Brody followed his instructions like a little punk. He didn’t even scoff at the way his brother was ordering him around. Now that I was really watching how the two of them were with each other, I couldn’t help but wonder what Finn had done to Brody to scare him into submission. I would probably never know the details, but it dragged Finn into an entirely new level of evil. It wasn’t just women that he tortured and raped, it was most likely his brother, too.

  While Brody was gone fetching the lights, Finn took the opportunity to toy with Elliot.

  “Here we are, just the three of us camping in a dark cabin in the middle of nowhere. Who would have thought that so much would change between us in only four short days?”

  That slimy laughter of his filled the room, sliding off the walls and dripping from the ceiling like some kind of malicious ooze.

  The air moved when he knelt down beside me, a small gust that felt like Finn’s fingers brushing across my skin, disgusting me. It wasn’t long before I felt disgusted again. Except this time, I was being touched by the real thing.

  His palms were sticky and warm, his fingertips tangling in my hair as he cupped my face. “You know, even in the dark, I can see the fear behind your eyes. I already told you what I planned to do you.” He laughed. “You know what’s coming.”

  My thoughts raced back to the night they’d whipped me. It struck me then that large parts of that night were hazy, mostly the pain of the beating. It was as if my wonderful mind and body had instinctively sheltered me from the worst parts. I couldn’t help but wish my mind had been kind enough to also hide the details of the vile threats he’d made.

  “I can’t find the batteries.” Brody burst back into the small cabin. Soft light shone in from the outside, illuminating Elliot where he sat. I studied his sitting position, the expression on his face, the distance he was from me, and every other detail that could be important. But when he looked up at me, his eyes locked onto mine.

  “They’re in the truck where the lanterns were stowed, you stupid shit.”

  “They’re not there. I checked everywhere.”

  Pushing up from the floor with a huff of frustration, Finn crossed the room to the door. He pointed his finger in Brody’s face. “I should kill you next for being so stupid. Watch these two while I go find them.”

  In the soft light, Brody’s expression hardened. “I dare you to try.”

  My eyebrows shot up my head. For once Brody was standing up to Finn.

  “You want to challenge me on that, little brother? I’m all yours.” Raising his arms to his side, Finn took a step into Brody’s space.

  They glared at each other for a few seconds, and then both of them walked out the door. I stared open-mouthed as the door swung closed, returning us to darkness.

  “Maggie, there’s a knife in my boot that your brother didn’t find. I need you to cut me loose.”

  Whisper-shouting the words, Elliot didn’t waste any time.

 
Scrambling over the floor, I didn’t think, I just moved. My hand wrapped over the handle of the knife and I yanked it free. Moving around Elliot, I sawed at the rope that bound his wrists, my hands working furiously to cut through it. I’d made it down to the last quarter inch of rope, but heard Brody and Finn just outside the front door. Shoving the handle of the knife into Elliot’s hands, I crawled back to my place on the floor. The door burst open and the two men entered with lit lanterns in their hands.

  “It’s starting to feel like a party now,” Finn shouted, his voice exuberant and loud.

  Brody, on the other hand, was far more subdued, even with the line of anger that creased between his eyes.

  “It’s too bad we didn’t think to pick up some beer while driving here. Would have made for a better night all around.”

  Canting his head to the side, he grinned at me. “And would you look there? Maggie is in the exact same place I left her,” his eyes darted to Brody, “just like I said she’d be. It appears you were wrong about that, too.”

  Not surprised by his belief that I wouldn’t move, I thought back to the woman I’d been before now. Timid and obedient, I never openly defied my family’s demands. However, I wasn’t that person any more. The timid mouse in me had been chased away by every act of violence I’d endured. The naïve girl opened her eyes to the evil that constantly surrounded her. And the hopeless romantic, who thought all romance was happy and carefree, had learned that a stronger form of love could be forged through tragedy.

  Elliot’s love strengthened me by making me feel secure; not because I thought he would always save me, but because I knew he was the type of man who would stop at nothing when he tried. Nothing but death would ever stop him.

  Swallowing down a festering lump in my throat, I breathed deeply and slowly, attempting to settle my heart and mind. Darting my eyes between Finn and Brody, I chanced a glance at Elliot. One small muscle frantically twitched in his arm, his grey eyes locked to mine. Before I had a chance to process what he was doing, he winked at me before dropping to his back on the floor and taking out Brody’s legs with his feet.

  Brody dropped to the floor with an audible thump. The room was suddenly filled with the sound of Finn’s voice screaming at his brother to get up.

  Brody was fast, but I was faster, and thankfully he was easy to take by surprise.

  Falling down like a sack of bricks, he grunted when his body impacted the floor. Recovering quickly, it only took a second for him to turn over and push himself from the floor.

  I lunged forward before he had the chance to balance on his feet and pulled him back to the ground. With one hand, I held him in place, smiling down at the shock in his expression. It was unfortunate there wasn’t any time to tell him everything I thought of him, and I hated that this lucky fuck was going to get a quick death.

  Finn started towards me as my free hand swung around. He didn’t grab me in time. The knife I held angled down to Brody’s face, and I shoved the steel blade into his eye. His body twitched a time or two, but the steel lodged deep in his brain killed him within seconds.

  “You son of a –“

  Throwing his weight on me, Finn tackled me to the ground. I was at a disadvantage with my feet still tied together, but I took Finn’s weight and rolled him to the ground using his own motion against him. Pinning him with my hands on his shoulders, I brought my forehead down a few times against the bridge of his nose, blood bursting when it broke beneath his skin.

  He roared out his anger and managed to slip out beneath me, immediately moving towards Maggie. For a split second, panic raced through my veins, but my beautiful girl hadn’t missed the opportunity to prepare herself. A hunting knife in hand, her feet were planted in a battle ready pose, her lips pulled up into a snarl as she faced down her brother.

  Kicking out with my bound legs, I barely missed his feet. The bastard turned like the coward he was and bounded for the door, Maggie’s knife slamming into the wood just as Finn made his escape.

  “Throw me the knife, Maggie!”

  Without hesitation she dislodged the steel from the door, tossing it my direction, handle first. I caught the knife in mid-air and moved quickly to saw away at the binds across my ankles. Pushing up from the floor, I shoved Brody’s body aside and removed my rifle from where it was still slung over his lifeless shoulder.

  “Elliot,” Maggie cried out, stopping me before I ran outside in pursuit of Finn.

  Glancing over at her, I nodded my head once before saying, “I’m taking him down, Maggie. I want you to arm yourself with the guns they left laying around and if anybody comes through this door, I don’t want you to hesitate to shoot them.”

  “What if it’s you?” Her eyes were rounded with panic and trepidation.

  “I’ll yell out to you before I come in. If you don’t hear my voice, don’t trust what’s walking inside.”

  I was proud of her for moving quickly to follow my instructions and I knew I didn’t need to worry about her refusing to pull the trigger if it came to it.

  Making my way outside, I scanned the distance looking for Finn. The forest surrounding us was far too still for this hour and I wondered why even the nocturnal creatures hadn’t yet scampered out from their beds. The wind blew softly through the boughs of the trees, the leaves rustling gently. From the corner of my eye, I saw movement behind a thick stand of trees and I crouched down to eye my target. From one second to the next the forest was still and then one large son of a bitch was making his run for it.

  Finn was fast, I’d give him that, but I had patience and training on my side. Realizing that I was simply in another type of battlefield, I scanned the perimeter as I stalked my prey, identifying and categorizing every shuffled sound and frenzied movement. I wasn’t moving slow until I lost sight of Finn, and I crouched down again waiting for him to make his next move.

  Knowing he was unarmed while I held a rifle put a smile on my bruised face.

  Maggie hadn’t been wrong about his strength in hand to hand combat, but I had surprise on my side and, together, we’d managed to run him off without too much of a fight. Keeping my distance, I decided to use his lack of a weapon to my advantage.

  Settling myself behind a low lying shrub, I was a hawk watching for a foraging mouse. With one eye closed, I scanned the forest around me through my scope waiting for the smallest movement or sound.

  “You know,” a deep voice called out, the echo through the trees making it next to impossible to pinpoint where the sound was coming from, “I didn’t get to finish telling you what I remembered about your family.”

  Finn’s voice was breathless, most likely from running. I was sure he was resting to regain his strength. Why the fucker would call out was beyond me, but I decided it proved that the son of a bitch was crazy.

  “Your boy, he told me his daddy would come save him. He actually tried to hit me when he heard his mother cry. I broke his hand for it.”

  My teeth ground together so hard that pain shot along my jaw, but I refused to let Finn rattle me. Still unable to pinpoint him on sound, I kept my eyes trained on any movement in the distant shrubs and trees.

  “That boy squealed like a pig when his fingers popped. Bet he squealed again when the farmer had his way with him. Did Maggie take you to the farm?” His sick laughter drifted maliciously through the forest. “Bet there’s a lot in those shacks you’d want to see. I used to love dropping off a new one, just so I could go inside and shove him in the cage the farmer kept them in. Your boy cried so hard when that happened. And you should have seen his face when we dragged his mother away for the last time.”

  More laughter crawled through the darkness, clinging to my skin like fungus.

  “But Daddy didn’t come and save him, did he? You left him there to be the farmer’s new pet. You should have seen the things he did to those kids. Even my father was disgusted by it. But not me. I thought it was fascinating. Even tried some of those tricks on my kid brother.”

  This fu
cker wasn’t just crazy. He was certifiable.

  The one thing he wasn’t was stupid, and I wouldn’t let him rattle me enough so that I spoke or moved and gave away my location.

  Every so often, I’d see a shadow bound from behind one tree to another, and I set my sights on those trees waiting for when he made a run for it. While moving quickly to stay hidden, he wouldn’t let me have a clear shot of him. But as soon as he took off running, he was mine.

  A few seconds passed with weighted silence, but Finn wasn’t able to keep his trap shut for long.

  “And your wife. Man, I wasn’t lying about how sweet she was. After she dropped Maggie off to our house, we invited her inside. She didn’t want to come in, but we forced her regardless. Your stupid kid walked off with Maggie like nothing was wrong, and that’s when the party started.”

  It took all the self-control I had not to charge through the trees straight towards him. Forcing myself lower to the ground, I peered through the scope and waited.

  “Jonah had her first, as usual. Fucker always was selfish. But Brody and I didn’t mind the sloppy seconds. Her body was prime, too. And that blond hair? I enjoyed wrapping my fingers around it. Kept her exactly where I wanted her.”

  My finger slid behind the trigger guard and landed squarely on the trigger. With my other hand, I searched the ground at my feet for anything heavy and a grin tugged at my lips to feel the smooth, cold surface of a large rock.

  “That woman could scream. I remember that. She cried out your name a time or two. At least, I think it was yours. But who the fuck knows, right? You never can trust bitches. They always run around playing when their man isn’t there to see what they’re doing. Fuck man! My dick’s hard now just thinking about her. Best pair of tits I’ve ever held in my hands.”

  Lifting the rock from the ground, I threw it in Finn’s direction. It hit a tree hard enough to knock away some bark, and the Crow I was after flew out from its dark nest.

  As soon as I had him in my crosshairs, I pulled the trigger. The Crow went down with a cry of pain, his body impacting heavily with the ground.