Return to Hell Texas

by Tim Miller

  “What’s that?”

  “That plate. Not totally weird I guess. It’s false and fictitious. He’s driving what looks like a 2007 or 2008 F-150. The plates go to a Dodge van from 2004. The owner of that van, Clayton Rodriguez went missing around 2005. According to the report, he was on his way to El Paso. Neither the van nor he ever made it here.”

  “Son of a bitch.”

  “Yeah. It’s bad isn’t it?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “Who you think that guy in the truck was?”

  “He may have been a Hell, Texan. Maybe they’ve moved. Further into the rocks and hills. Hard to say.”

  “So why would one of them be coming into town?”

  “Unless they saw us looking around up there.”

  “Did the folks from the old town ever come down like that?”

  “I guess one or two of them made occasional supply runs. But as a whole, everyone up there stayed put. But yeah, the fact we were up there just yesterday at the old town, and today this weirdo just happens to be at my motel driving around with the plate of someone who happened to vanish around here in 2005 is a bit suspicious.”

  “Kinda spooky if you ask me,” Doug said.

  “Why you say that?”

  “From what all you told me about that place, these fucked-up hill people live up there, catching people, torturing them, eating them and doing weird ass experiments on them. Sure you killed them or most of them. Now there’s a new bunch of them who, I guess we can assume, do all the same things. But these ones, they don’t just lure you into their traps. I mean we know they do by the disappearances. But no, they will actually go into your town, right into your back yard to come after you.”

  “I’m not sure he was after me.”

  “He was spying on you, at least. Fuck, Garrett. This is getting fucking weird!”

  “Yeah. It is.”

  “So what should we do? Go back up there and look for them?”

  “We could. Or make them come to us.”

  Chapter 14

  Kevin Heath struggled against his restraints but it was no use. He wasn’t even sure where he was. He remembered this big guy with crazy skull makeup hitting him in the head repeatedly. Lacey was nowhere in sight, which worried him. He was sorry he’d been such a dick to her earlier. Sometimes she could be a real pain in the ass, but he cared about her. At least enough he didn’t want her raped and killed by whoever these people were.

  “Help! Someone help!” he screamed. The building he was in looked like some kind of old barn. The wood was dry and rotting along the walls. It was so hot inside he could barely breathe. Sweat ran into his eyes, stinging as he tried to blink the tears away. He’d been stripped naked and his arms were tied to a wooden beam stretched out to his sides as if he were on a cross. “Anyone there? Help!”

  “Will you shut the fuck up!” A woman screamed from his left. “If they hear you, they’ll come back and fucking torture the both of us!” He turned to see a woman with long, red hair. She was also naked and tied up the same way he was. Except she had blood running down her face and her body was covered in blood and bruises.

  “What’s going on?” he asked. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Meagan, Meagan Morris. Who the Hell are you?”

  “Kevin Heath. Where are we?”

  “We’re fucked is where we are.”

  “I can see that.”

  “The people here call this place Hell, Texas. I believe them. If there is a real Hell after they kill me, it will be a gravy train compared to this.”

  “What did they do to you?”

  “You mean, what haven’t they done.”

  “How long have you been here?”

  “I don’t know. A few weeks I guess. They grabbed me and a couple of my girlfriends when our car broke down. I haven’t seen either of them. I’m guessing they are being tortured somewhere or are dead. I’m hoping they’re dead.”

  “Why do you hope they’re dead?”

  “God, you are fucking stupid. Look at me! Look where you are. You think this is a fucking summer camp? You have no idea what you are about to go through.”

  The door in front of them swung open and in walked the older woman Kevin had seen earlier. Jade was her name. Meagan stopped talking and looked down at the ground.

  “Hi,” Kevin said. “Um, excuse me? I think there’s been some mistake. I know that other guy said we were trespassing. But we didn’t mean to, honest. No need for all of this, whatever this is.”

  As he spoke, Jade paid him no attention as she fumbled around with a set of tools on a table. She picked up a set of pliers and played around with them.

  “So if you could just cut me loose, I’ll be on my way. I won’t tell anyone about this. I mean, even this girl over here, you can keep her. I won’t report you to the cops or anyone.”

  Meagan looked up at him.

  “Fuck you, asshole!” she yelled. Jade continued to not speak as she walked up to Kevin and looked him up and down. She stood mere inches from him. Her dry, wrinkled face just a few centimeters from his own.

  “Uh. Hi,” he said. “So what do you think? Do we have a deal?”

  Jade took the pliers and thrust them into his nose. She squeezed them around his septum. Kevin grunted as pain shot through his nose all the way into his brain. Tears ran down his face as the cartilage crunched while she pulled and twisted.

  “God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Please stop! Fuck!” he screamed but she ignored him while pulling and twisting until the flesh and cartilage tore free. The pliers ripped from his nose holding a huge chunk of flesh as blood poured from his nose into his mouth and down the front of his body. Kevin hung there screaming and panting as Jade walked to the table and set the bloody pliers down and picked up a drill. She pulled the trigger a few times so the bit rotated as the motor buzzed.

  “Wait,” he said, though his voice now sounded nasally. “What are you going to do? Please! Don’t do this.”

  Jade walked up and pressed the drill against his bicep and pulled the trigger. Kevin howled as the drill dug through his flesh and muscle. The smell of burning skin and tissue filled his damaged nose, causing him to heave. He threw up all over Jade, getting chunks of vomit in her face and hair. She didn’t react as she continued to drill, and the steel bit struck bone. Kevin screamed again, and his whole body shook as the drill dug into the bone, through his triceps and hitting the wood.

  Kevin tried moving, holding still, and screaming. Nothing would stop the pain, which kept getting worse. Jade ripped the drill free from his arm. He heaved, trying to catch his breath as she picked up a knife and this time walked over to Meagan. Meagan, who had been staring at the floor, suddenly looked up as her eyes went wide.

  “No! Wait! No! No! No!”

  Jade reached up and began cutting at her restraints. Meagan was tied so her toes were barely touching the floor. Once Jade cut both ropes loose, Meagan fell face first to the floor. Kevin watched, dizzy with pain as Meagan tried to crawl away while Jade stood over her. Jade then knelt down and pressed onto Meagan’s back forcing her to her stomach while taking the knife and thrusting it into her asshole.

  Meagan screamed as Kevin looked away. He couldn’t watch, but still opened his eyes to see what was happening. Part of him was glad Jade was leaving him alone for the moment. When he looked again, Jade had her hand on Meagan’s ass cheek and was cutting away as if she were carving a roast. Her hands were soaked with blood as she cut away in between Meagan’s legs as the girl screamed and struggled, but had no energy to mount any real resistance.

  Kevin watched as Jade’s arm was elbow deep into Meagan’s ass. It was surreal as Meagan lay there screaming and twitching as Jade pulled her hand out, but dragging a trail of intestines with her. She stood and stretched them all the way out as Meagan’s screams turned to gurgles as she coughed up blood and chunks of tissue. Jade continued pulling on the bloody, greasy organs until it pulled tight. Meagan shook and trembled as Jade put her foot on
Meagan’s leg and tugged.

  Finally, she gave up and cut the end of the intestine til it broke free. Blood and brown sludge oozed from the end of it as she threw it to the ground. At some point in all this, Meagan had stopped screaming and stopped moving. Jade walked up by her head and bent down, looking her over. She stood and grabbed Meagan by the arm and dragged her out of the barn, leaving a trail of blood and pile of guts behind.

  Chapter 15

  Cole sped away from the hotel looking at the Ranger in his rearview mirror. He hadn’t intended on being spotted, but had gotten careless. Not that it mattered. The Ranger didn’t scare him. He’d take care of things before anything happened. Even though he was raised in Hell, he spent enough time in the cities to know how cops were. They were cocky and stupid. Most importantly they thought they were indestructible. Sure they wore bullet proof vests, but those vests wouldn’t stop knives.

  As Cole’s truck left city limits, he stepped on the gas, accelerating through the freeway as the hills and wilderness began to surround him. Just ahead, there were a couple of cars along the shoulder of the road. Cole slowed down and shook his head when he recognized the pair. Livia and Oz. Idiots. Cole pulled up behind Oz’s truck and put it in park and climbed out. The hood on Oz’s truck was open as Cole walked by.

  As he walked up, Livia was talking to a middle-aged man who was obviously looking her up and down. Oz was in the passenger seat of the truck but ducked down beneath the dash. His usual hiding spot. Livia didn’t see Cole come up behind her, and jumped when he spoke.

  “What are you doing?” Cole asked.

  Livia turned and her eyes grew wide at first, but then she tried to keep her act up.

  “Uh, can I help you?”

  “Cut the bullshit. What do you think you’re doing? It’s the middle of the day and you’re too close to town.”

  “I’m not real sure what you’re referring to…”

  He pushed her out of the way and stepped in front of the man.

  “Hey, is there a problem, big guy?” the man asked. He was wearing a polo shirt and khaki shorts. There was no one with him from the looks of it.

  “Get out of here. This woman doesn’t need your help,” Cole said.

  “What? She said her truck broke down. I was going to call her a…”

  “Shut up. Her boyfriend is hiding in the truck. They were going to hurt you. If you don’t get out of here in the next minute, I will hurt you. Now go.”

  The man laughed as he looked at Livia who was looking down at the ground with her arms crossed. He looked back at Cole who had the same glare as usual. The man’s smile faded.

  “How do you know…what is…who are you people?”

  “You have thirty seconds,” Cole said.

  The man scrambled around the front of his car and climbed in. Seconds later he sped down the road and out of sight. Livia looked up at Cole as Oz climbed out of the truck.

  “You’re a fucking asshole!” she said. “Why did you do that?”

  “Because you’re stupid and reckless. Now get out of here. Go hunt somewhere else, preferably closer to evening or at night. Not this early. Too many people driving by. Very likely the cops could drive by.”

  “Ain’t no cops driving by, you psycho.”

  Oz stalked up to Cole trying to get nose to nose with him but he was a few inches shorter.

  “What the fuck is your problem with us, Cole?” Oz asked.

  “I don’t have a problem with you. I hate everyone. You two just happened to be putting our whole town at risk. You’re too close to the city, too much traffic coming along and too easy for help to get here if someone calls for it.”

  “Ain’t no one ever called for help on us. We’re too good. They never see it coming.”

  “You’re not good. You’re lucky.”

  “What about you? You go right into town stealing kids and shit!”

  “Because I am good. I’m also quiet. Not to mention they’d never take me alive. You two hunt either too close to the city or worse, too close to Hell. If the cops showed up and got the drop on you, both of you would fold like lawn chairs. It’d just be a matter of time before you gave us all up.”

  “I’m really sick of your big fuckin’ mouth.” Oz said stepping closer to Cole who didn’t budge. Cole looked down at Oz and spoke softly.

  “You really want to step up to me? Let’s go right now. You and me.”

  “You for real?” Oz asked.

  “Yes. I’m for real. You think you can take me? Let’s do it. You beat my ass, I’ll leave you two be for good. You can hunt or do whatever you want wherever. I win, you do what I say from here on out.”

  Oz laughed and looked over at Livia.

  “You hear that, baby? Fucker thinks he can whoop my ass!”

  “I heard him. Fuck him up good Oz! He’s just big and slow.”

  Cole took a few steps back and stood with his hands on his sides. Oz stepped back, raising his fists into a fighting stance. He pranced around on his toes like a boxer and took a jab at Cole who moved his head to the side. He shuffled side to side and took another jab and missed.

  “Come on!” Oz yelled. “Fucking fight if you’re gonna fight!”

  He threw a left jab and caught Cole in the shoulder. He circled behind Cole who kept his hands at his sides. He followed Oz around so he was continuously facing him. Oz threw two more jabs, connected with the side of Cole’s face, who still didn’t flinch. Oz then followed through with a right cross. Cole moved out of the way, hooked Oz’s right arm and pulled him to his body, with Oz facing away. Cole reached up with his left hand and grabbed Oz’s throat and squeezed, holding Oz’s right arm behind him with one hand while crushing his windpipe with the other.

  Oz gasped for air while kicking and thrashing about. Livia looked on in horror while trying to process exactly what was happening. Oz’s throat made a squishing, crunching sound, and blood oozed from his mouth while his body did a final set of thrashing before doing completely limp. Cole let him fall to the ground and looked at Livia. Livia’s mouth hung open until Oz’s lifeless body flopped to the ground. Then she screamed.

  “Help me put him in the truck and get back to town,” Cole said as he bent down and picked up Oz’s foot and began dragging him along in the dirt.

  Chapter 16

  Lacey tried to scream but the snake’s venom had paralyzed her. She wasn’t sure if it was real paralysis or if she was just so horrified at having been bitten on the labia by a rattlesnake that she couldn’t move. The teenage boy was still on top of her. He’s inserted his penis into her swelling vagina and had been humping away for almost an hour. The boy had ejaculated inside of her at least twice already and was going for a third.

  She had thrown up three or four times, the last two being dry heaves. Her body shivered as the chills worked through her while she sweated through the fever. Lacey had never even known anyone who had been bitten by a snake. She’d only watched stories about it on TV. Would it kill her? If so, how long would it take and how bad will it hurt?

  “Damn baby!” Rufus said. “That sure is some tight pussy you got!” He thrust a few more times before grunting as he unleashed yet another load inside of her. She was so numb and sore down there, all she could feel was the pressure and throbbing of his stiff member. Once he finished, he stood and walked around.

  “Damn, you all sweaty.”

  “I was just bit by a fucking snake! I’m fucking dying!” she screamed.

  “Yeah, you’re dying all right. Don’t worry though. I’ll kill you before the venom does.”

  Lacey’s breathing was becoming labored as the swelling in her crotch worsened.

  “Just kill me then!” She yelled. “Or take me to a hospital. Whatever you’re gonna do, get it over with!” She wondered if angering him would make things worse for herself, but was hoping if she did he’d just hurry and kill her out of rage instead of inflicting more suffering.

  Rufus walked to his table and picked up a rusty pair of s
cissors. He came back toward Lacy and sat down by her head.

  “What are you doing?”

  “You talk too much,” he said as he cradled her head under the chin and shoved the scissors into her mouth. She tried to fight him off, but the sharp metal cut into her cheek as he placed the blades around her tongue and squeezed. There was a sharp and wild pain that shot through her face, skull and entire body as he cut her tongue out. Her mouth was filled with the hot, coppery taste of her own blood.

  She turned her head to the side and tried to spit as much blood out as she could while also gagging. He stood and tossed the severed tongue aside.

  “There. That should shut your dumb ass up.”

  Lacey tried to speak but could only make incoherent blubbering sounds as blood ran down her throat and chin. Rufus took the scissors and thrust one into her eye socket. She screamed as he opened the scissors, rotating it around as Lacey felt her eyeball puncture as the white fluid oozed down her face while her vision went fuzzy. Rufus giggled as he used the scissors to scrape the tissue out of her socket.

  “This is kinda fun. I never took biology, you know. Living out here I didn’t go to high school. So instead of dissecting frogs, I just like to cut people up. After I fuck ‘em a few times anyway.”

  He shoved the scissors into her other eye as the world went black while more pain shot through her skull. As she screamed, it only came out in a gurgling sound while more blood filled her mouth. She spit it up, but continued swallowing it. Soon she began gagging, unable to breathe. Her body thrashed as she gasped for air. Staring up into darkness, Lacey couldn’t help think of the irony the very blood that gave her life was also in the process of killing her.

  Before she passed out, Rufus rolled her onto her side and hit her in the back of the neck several times as clumps of blood shot from her throat and air finally rushed in. She gasped for several breaths, glad to be alive for a second, but quickly wishing he’d let her die. As she lay there heaving, she heard Rufus stand and walk around the shack for a moment before she heard something clanking. She didn’t bother trying to talk again as that would only cause more pain and gagging.