Page 81 of Minus

“Try looking up your ass,” was clearly not the answer he was looking for.

Whack.

The crushing blow of the phonebook made the back of my head feel like it was on fire and my ears rang at maddening levels.

“That got his attention folks!” he said, addressing aninvisible audience. “Now, let’s see if our contestant wants to try again. Where will I find the girl and the book?” He raised my chin and got right up in my face. “I strongly advise you to think hard about your answer because the points double in this round.”

“Then… go fuck yourself twice.”

Whack. Whack.

He delivered two shots to the right side of my head. This was the moment I knew I’d never make it out of this room alive.

“Okay, anything… just stop,” I said, causing him to pause and lean in. “Stop… stop fucking around and start the interrogation already.”

Whack.

* * *

Cricket

According to the GPS tracker, and the rental car’s navigation system, I was at the spot where the creep’s car had stopped. I killed the headlights and coasted to a roadside clearing about fifty yards from where the signal was coming from. I grabbed the rifle from the car, and slowly made my way to a trail which led to a dilapidated old shack.

Nothing creepy about this place at all.

I continued, thankful for the clear night sky and full moon. At least I wasn’t stumbling around in complete darkness. As I got closer, I could hear voices coming from inside the dwelling. I recognized one as the creeps right away. I couldn’t make out what he was saying but could hear his sing-songy taunts.

I moved in closer, staying low and out of sight, to a window. I slowly peeked in and could see Minus tied to a chair. His head was swollen, and blood was pouring from his mouth, soaking his beard. My hand covered my mouth to hold back a gasp. My eyes flooded with tears and my jaw ached from fighting the urge to break down in sobs. I had to stop this animal before I was too late. That is, if I wasn’t already.

I composed myself as I crouched down and made my way to the front of the house where I found the splinters of the front door littering the porch. This was obviously not a planned-out location for the creep, so at least I had that going for me. This was unfamiliar territory to him, he was currently distracted, and I had the element of surprise. On the other hand, this guy was a professional killer and I was a girl with a marketing degree and a bolt-action tranquilizer rifle. It may not have been the wisest choice of all the guns I could have taken from Duke’s cabinet, but I’d never killed anybody, and I didn’t want to start today, if I could avoid it. I still had Minus’s pistol, just in case. Even though my brother’s club was clean, pretty much all the members carried guns. I grew up around them and knew how to defend myself, and was plenty handy with both handguns and rifles

I stepped into the house’s tiny entryway, crouched down below a low wall that ran all the way to the living room. The creep’s back was to me, and Minus was directly in front of him. I could hear Minus speaking; his voice low and muffled, and his words garbled. From where I was all I could hear was something about “sex with your sister,” before a loud crashing sound. I peeked over the top of the half-wall and could see Minus tied to the chair on his side with the creep standing over him, his back still to me. I used the chaos as an opportunity, popped up from my hiding place, and squeezed off a shot which went at least two feet high and right, missing him completely.

The creep spun around to face me, utterly confused at what he was looking at. I loaded another dart, and slid the bolt to chamber another round, as he reached behind him, producing a knife. I fired my second shot, this time hitting him squarely in the chest. He staggered back, tripping over Minus who lay motionless. I pulled out the pistol and ran to the two men, who lay of the floor in a twisted heap.

“Don’t move, or I swear I’ll kill you,” I said, my gun trained on the creep.

He looked down at this chest, already clearly disoriented from the tranquilizer dart.

“These things were meant for horses, but I’m pretty sure they work on assholes too,” I said.

He pawed at the bright orange end, but to no avail. He began to lose motor function and his eyes rolled back into his head.

“How does it feel, bitch?” I said and stomped his crotch with everything I had.

* * *

Minus

How was I in a car?

“Hold on, baby,” I heard Cricket’s sweet voice over the roar of the engine.

How the hell did Cricket find me?

“Jase? Can you hear me?” she asked.

I smiled, through great protest of my face, and gave her a ‘thumbs up.’ It wasn’t all the way up, but it was the best I could manage.

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