Page 51 of Justified
“Do you know what it feels like to be eaten alive by this little critter?Can you imagine what that man went through as the rat ate a hole in his gut in order to get away from the heat inside that bucket?”
“Please don’t!I’m begging you, please no!I swear, I’ll never go back to that site, I’ll do good,” she begged.
I ignored her.Just a few seconds ago, she was talking mad shit, but now her fate was in her face and she was that scared little girl again.I wasn’t backing down whatsoever.
“First the rat panics and scurries about, trying to get away.But once it realizes it can’t break free of the canister, it goes for what it can break free of.Your flesh.It starts to scratch at it at first, but when the heat becomes too intense, it starts to use its teeth as well.It burrows itself a little hole inside your body until it eats its way out to freedom.You’d be surprised by how fast it does it, too.”
“Please don’t!I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”she cried.
Again, I ignored her.“It took that guy you murdered five minutes to die from the rat that killed him.Can you imagine what he felt that entire time?Five minutes must have felt like five years.”
“I’m sooooo fucking sorry.I was wrong,” she confessed.“Please, don’t do this to me.Please get it off me!”
“Well, you won’t have to imagine.You’ll know first-hand,” I said, then leaned forward.“I wonder how long it’s going to take you to die.”
I fired up my blow torch as Cecily’s full-on panic mode hit another level.The car rocked with her as she struggled to break free.She was slobbering, screaming, and crying as I held the canister to her body, keeping the rat trapped while I added the heat from the blowtorch.You could hear the rat begin to scurry as the canister grew hotter.I was glad I had the oven mitt, it kept my hand from burning as I did my duty.
The squeaks and squeals of the rat were matched by the loud, desperate sounds Cecily was making.After a few more seconds, I could tell the rat was starting to make its own escape plan.Cecily’s eyes closed tight as she screamed while the rat ate at her flesh.She begged again, over and over, for me to let her live.She begged for forgiveness and even prayed to God.I found that ironic, maybe if she had had a better relationship with God, she wouldn’t be getting eaten alive by a rat now.As for me, no forgiveness would be given.You reap what you sow; and I was dealing out an eye for an eye.
I could tell by how she cried and struggled that the rat was really doing a number on her.Blood began to seep from under the canister and the squealing of the rat sounded more muffled.I kept the fire on the canister and watched as Cecily grew weaker and her whimpering died down until her body ceased its movements.Before long, her head fell to the side and I watched as the light left her eyes.
I removed the canister to see that the rat had eaten its way inside of her torso.It chewed through skin, intestines, and organs in order to get away from the heat.Self-preservation was a motherfucker.It had to have been one of the grossest things I’d ever seen, but at least this time I managed to keep down my meal.Well, I hadn’t had a meal, but if I would have had one, I wouldn’t have puked it up, that was all I was trying to say.
I turned my blow torch off and began packing my shit away.I was going to leave her body just like it was.But first, I needed to leave my calling card.I carved the name “Cobra” into her left cheek with my knife, then took off my costume since I was nowhere near my car.I had to get back to it and in order to do that, I couldn’t look like some damn masked hero on the bus.I had female clothes with me and, as much as I hated having to do it, I transformed into the form of a woman I had used when I went undercover to recover some computer information a few months back.
The clothes fit perfectly and I was ready to go.I picked up my bags and left the scene.I had to walk about six blocks to a bus stop, but I managed to get back to my car thanks to public transportation.I drove home and all I wanted to do was sleep.
Chapter twelve
“Dideverythinggowell?”Jordan asked me as soon as I climbed out of the car.
“She got what she deserved, if that’s what you mean.Richard Tate is definitely someone I’m bumping up to the top of the list immediately.Apparently, he’d hooked her up with the Killing Game like he did with Mr.Jingles,” I said as I pulled off the feminine clothes.Jordan walked over to the table and picked up the clothing that was folded there.
“Here,” he said, handing me a t-shirt and pair of sweats.
“Thanks.Save them for me, I’m going to bed for a bit,” I said, kissing his forehead.I walked around him and made my way to the bedroom where I transformed back into my own sexy, male hotness, removed my contacts, and then crashed onto the bed.It didn’t take long for sleep to wrap me in its blissful arms.
I woke up to a growling stomach and a fierce need to piss.I also noticed that Jordan wasn’t in the bed with me.I went into the bathroom, handled my business, and took a quick shower.I grabbed my eyeglasses and donned a pair of boxer-briefs, then made my way to where I figured Jordan was… in front of his computer station.Yep, I was right.I came up behind him as quietly as I could.
“I can see you in my monitor, so there’s no point in trying to scare me,” Jordan said, turning around in his swivel chair to face me.To my surprise, he was stroking a skinny, gray cat that was purring blissfully in his lap.
“Well shit, there goes my plan… fucking nerdy ass taking away my fun,” I joked.“By the way, you look like a fucking Bond villain right now, sitting over there stroking Mr.Bigglesworth.”
He giggled.“Shut up with your silly ass.Besides, Mr.Bigglesworth is from Austin Powers, not James Bond.”
“Whatever.”I pointed at the cat.“Where did he come from?”
“Oh my god, this cat is sooo cute.I was coming back from Billy Goats and I happened to turn around and saw him following me.I stopped walking and he rubbed himself along my legs and as they say, the rest is history.He’s our cat now.”I could tell by Jordan’s tone that he was putting his foot down on the matter.
I walked over and reached down, rubbing the cat.He purred louder and Jordan just melted away.
“Awwww, just look at him.How could anyone abandon a kitty like him?”he asked.
“Because they’re assholes.Speaking of assholes, did you find out anything on Richard Tate?”
“He’s extremely protected, I know that much,” Jordan said, then he placed the cat on the floor and turned back around to face his monitors.
“What can you tell me?”I asked as I looked at his monitors, not really fully understanding what I was looking at or which monitor I should focus on.Ugh, looking at his monitors was some nerve-wracking shit.I gave up and made my way to the refrigerator instead.
