Something_Violent Page 26

  Both of us looked at Trish, who’d managed to get Stacey in front of her, back pressed against her front. Trish no longer had her gun. Stacey no longer had the machete. Stacey squirmed and wiggled as she fought to turn around. Trish could do nothing but hold her in place.

  Running toward Stacey, I switched the gun to my left hand, then reached under my skirt, removing the knife stuck behind my panties. Stacey saw me coming, eyes bulging. She screamed. I silenced her when I punched my knife into her belly. Then I pulled up, opening her wide. Blood sprayed my face, chest, and stomach. I felt more blood flowing down my leg from where the bullet had nicked me.

  As I stepped back a few feet, Stacey’s innards sloughed from the gaping wound. They made sloshy sounds when they hit the floor. Her eyes, rounded and terrified, never left mine.

  Trish, realizing Stacey was no longer struggling, brought a hand up to the dying girl’s chin, gripped her jaw, and violently wrenched Stacey’s head to the right with a quick crunching sound.

  Stacey went limp.

  Smiling deviously, Trish gave Stacey a shove forward. The girl’s feet slipped in the gut pile on the floor, and she crashed through the coffee table before hitting the floor.

  Winded, Trish fixed her hair. “Well…that didn’t go how I’d planned…” She looked at me, saw I was raising the .41. She patted the air with both hands. “Whoa, now hang on a second.” Looking over her shoulder, she saw Seth squatting to grab his shotgun. He was standing up when she said, “Just chill out for a minute.”

  I thumbed back the hammer. It made ch-ch-clack sound.

  Trish jerked back, holding her hands up. “Just hang on,” she said. “We can work this out. Forget about all this, okay? I’ll help you clean up these bodies, and then I’ll be on my way. You’ll never hear from me again.”

  “I might’ve been willing to agree to that,” I said. “But Pappy…”

  “Pappy,” Seth said, jacking the shotgun.

  Trish jumped, hands now swinging in front of her. “I’m sorry about Pappy…Glenn did that…the moron. I told him to send the old man down to get you…I had no idea…”

  “Shut up,” Seth said.

  “Do you have any idea what we’ve been through the last few months?” I asked Trish. “No, of course not. While you’ve been busy assembling a little Seth and Jody Kill Squad, we’ve been to hell and back, were nearly killed more than once, and now you’ve pulled us back to hell again. I’m tired. Seth’s tired. We don’t have the patience for any more bullshit, especially yours.”

  “You’re right,” Trish said. “And I’m sorry. Sometimes I just lose all control. I’m sure you can relate.” I trained the gun on Trish. “No? No problem. I’ll leave. I’ll take Glenn, Stacey, and Ruth with me. I’ll leave and—”

  “Shut your mouth.” I said. Then I looked at Seth. “I’m sorry. I’ve been so selfish.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Seth said. “I’ve been an asshole. We’ve talked about it enough with the doc. Everything that’s needed to be said has been said. Let’s not talk about it anymore.”

  “We’ve both fucked up a lot, huh?”

  “Big time,” he said, smiling.

  “I’m ready to stop fucking up, if you are.”

  Seth nodded. “Yes, very much. No more fights?”

  “No more fights.” I smiled. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  “See there,” Trish said. “You guys worked it out. That’s great.” Trish had moved several steps to the left while Seth and I were talking. I saw her gun on the floor. A few more feet and she’d be standing above it. “Now, I’ll just start packing up, and I’ll be out of your hair in a few. No hard feelings, right?”

  Seth and I shared a shrug.

  “No hard feelings,” I said.

  Trish smiled.

  Then I shot her in the chest.

  The bullet made a large hole above her breasts and a broad splash when it exploded out her back. Eyes widening, she stumbled back, flapping her arms. Before she could fall, I shot her again. The bullet pegged her in the side, blowing her tank top apart, ripping her flesh.

  Trish spun around, her side pointing at me as she faced Seth. The shotgun made a loud blast that hurt my already ringing ears. The buckshot blew a softball-sized whole through her back, lifted her off her feet, and flung her against the couch hard enough to make the furniture tilt back and drop back down.

  Trish landed partway on the couch, legs hanging over the side, her face buried in the cushions. She didn’t move again.

  I turned to Seth. “Think that’s all of them?”

  “Right now, I don’t even care…” Throwing down the gun, he marched toward me.

  I dropped the .41 and met him halfway. He hoisted me off the floor. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I hugged his neck. We kissed. Our lips smeared together, tongues lashing. I nibbled his lip, making him groan into my mouth. We started moving, the speed making my hair flutter. Then my back pounded the wall. I let out a startled yelp that made both of us laugh.

  Pinning me against the wall with one arm, Seth used his other hand to rip my panties open. Then he unzipped his pants, pulled out his cock, and shoved it in.

  With dead bodies all around us, Seth’s sharp, powerful lunges brought us both to quick releases. Just how it used to be, our way to relish the kill in each other’s arms. And with my back against the wall, Seth and I held each other for a few minutes.

  We both cried. Some of it was from the loss of Pappy, but most of it was our way of banishing all the guilt, anger, and regret from our bodies. The other part was happiness. We were going to be okay, and neither of us could hold back how great it made us feel.

  While Seth went to the family plot to dig a space for Pappy, I went downstairs and handled Ron. We drove him back to the liquor store, leaving him in the backseat. Then we drove back to Pappy’s and took care of the other bodies.

  For a while, I expected the cops to show up. I spent hours staring out the window. After a few weeks, I was finally convinced they weren’t going to. And I felt reassurance in knowing that Ron was on our side. And he would be there for us, if we needed him again.

  The book will probably be out by the end of the year, which is exciting. I’ve told Seth that I feel like we’re living in a dream world. Things this good never happen to us. We’re used to fighting (to the death, sometimes) for everything we have. Used to fighting for each other.

  All that’s behind us now. Thanks to Ron, we’ll finally get the break we deserve.

  Which is good, because in a few months, we’ll have our hands full with little Tommy. We’re naming him after Pappy. Seth and I chose that name together. When I sent Ron that message earlier, I thought about telling him that Seth and I are having a baby. But now I’m glad I didn’t. We’re supposed to meet his wife soon, so I’ll wait till then. He’ll see how big my belly is and will know right away.

  Yes, that’s better. Can’t wait to see his face.

  Another cool breeze just whispered in my ear. Hey, another decent line! I’m getting good at this. I give the beach all the credit. I just feel so refreshed here, and creative. Maybe I can convince Seth to move here. Probably won’t be hard. He seems to enjoy it as much as I do.

  Uh-oh, looks like it’s time to stop writing for the night. Seth just gave me the signal that it’s time to head out. Tonight’s one of those nights where we just drive around, see who’s out there. It’s been a few weeks since we’ve had a little fun. And we need to get all the fun in that we want, since we’ve decided that when Tommy’s born, that side of fun has to take a backseat to parenting.

  And you know what? I’m fine with that. Seth is too.

  But tonight…well, Tommy’s not here yet.

  So there’ll be plenty of fun.

  About the Author

  Kristopher Rufty is the author of numerous novels. He has also written and directed the independent horror films Psycho Holocaust and Rags. But what he’s best at is being married to his high
school sweetheart and the father of three amazing children he loves dearly. Together, they reside in North Carolina with their endless array of animals.

  For more about Kristopher Rufty, please visit his website at:

  www.lastkristontheleft.blogspot.com.

  He can be found on Facebook and Twitter as well.