Saturday January 19th, 2013 11:30 A.M.
Outside the Smith's Cabin
Samantha had been gazing at the outer portions of that cabin for what felt like a century. Her eyes were straining and fatigue had been plaguing every inch of her body. Had Dianne not been there to help her as Klyde ran a scouting mission, she would've collapsed. The temperature had seemed to rise a tiny bit, though it still made her shiver like she was dying of hypothermia. "I know that you're cold, honey, but please hold on. Klyde will be back soon and we can finally exact our revenge. It'll be worth it, for what that pig has done to you!"
"I know, but I'm s-so f-fucking c-c-cold…" Her heart kept beating, though it felt as if it had slowed down significantly. She couldn't even feel her feet anymore, though they were buried halfway with snow. "How'd a f-fucking s-snow s-s-storm hit s-so f-fast?!" "That's New York for…" "D-Don't e-even s-s-start w-with th-that b-b-bull…sh-shit!" She saw the shock in the woman's face. "I'm s-sorry. D-Disrespecting is s-something I-I w-was r-raised n-n-not t-to do." "It's fine. I understand that you're freezing and you want to get somewhere warm. My sarcasm can kick in at the worst times."
Off in the distance, Samantha saw Klyde as he rounded the corner of the cabin. He stopped, just beside it and started waving them forward. "Th-Thank G-God!" Her muscles ached from the squatting position she was in. The cold only intensified the agony that her legs were in, but she pushed through it. The thought of being inside a warm cabin with a roaring fire seemed to melt away the frigidness in her bones. She and Dianne had already passed the gate and were on their way over, when Klyde waved them back. "What?" Samantha hissed.
"Go back… He's in the bathroom; he can see you from there!" "Lower your voice," Samantha replied. Dianne was hauling her back to the fence. That dreaded piece of wood that seemed to taunt her for the last day or so. She slipped back through as irritation began to run wild throughout her. "Stay calm honey." "I-I'm t-trying s-s-so hard D-Diaaannnneee…." Her body refused to stop shivering. She could practically feel all of her internal organs shutting down. "Klyde? Honey?! I…I don't think Samantha's gonna make it much longer!"
"He's signaling for us to come back. Hurry!" The woman yanked on her again, forcing her to jog. She couldn't feel her feet anymore and her legs kept wobbling. "We're almost there, just a bit farther." "Keep to the wall and be quiet. I think Corey's gone to sleep. We should have a few hours to hang out by the fire." She could see him jogging back around the corner. The side of the porch gave her a burst of energy as she ran past it. Klyde had already been opening the door as she jumped every other step. Just standing a few feet from that opening blew out gusts of heat.
It was thrust over her, welcoming her with open arms. As if the fireplace itself had been a mother, hugging her fear away as a cold storm passed by. A fire crackled just ahead, to the left. Her shivering body nearly lunged for it, but she held the urge back. I don't think I should talk out loud. I don't want to wake Corey. The two who she's grown to love nodded at her. The first of her clothes to go were her boots, followed by her soaked socks, and gloves. "The fire seems as if it was only lit an hour ago," Klyde stated. She heard his voice echo around in her brain, but ignored it.
All she wanted was to feel that heat burrow into her frozen pores. To lick away all the sub zero iciness from her skin so she could finally feel comfortable again. My fingers and toes are stinging like hell… "I know honey and we're sorry." What do we do then? "I guess we wait until he gets up. That could be a good while," Klyde stated. She ignored the words and kept her attention focused on the flames as they danced. Their choreography seemed only to entrance her as she continued to stare. Out of nowhere however, sleep slammed into her.
"What're you doing inside my cabin?" "What…?" Her ears rang and her eyes were straining from the abrupt light in them. Standing before her was a tall man, with a bright flashlight. All she could make out were a pair of long legs, and white boxer briefs. The connection was being formed as she pictured Corey's face in her head. "C-Corey?" she asked. "Samantha? What're you doing here?!" She felt him hoisting her to her feet. Had he not been holding her, she knew she'd have fallen over. "Why are you here?" His questions only made her ears ring with pain.
"My head is killing me…" Her brain pulsed angrily from the lack of blood. "You were asleep long after the fire went out. That's a damn good five hours… What the hell are you doing in here?!" She couldn't find the words to reply; his voice only seemed to echo around her. Where are you two? "Answer me damn it! I'm gonna call the cops…" "I-I let you go…" "What was that?!" the light flashed back in her eyes. "I-I let y-you go," she replied. Please get that light out of my face. Suddenly she felt something tight wrap around her throat.
"I should've known you'd be back. You're too much of a bitch to just walk away! Don't you think I feel guilty enough already?! I wallow in my own guilt day in and day-fucking-out! Yet here you are to just punish me some more!" "I-I can't br-breath…" She could feel her airways being cut off as Corey continued to crush her throat. "Get off of her!" Klyde's voice came out of nowhere. As if her attacker had been hit from behind, he dropped her to the ground. She couldn't stop the coughing, but she wasn't allowed much time to recover.
"You won't touch her again you fitlhy pig!" Dianne screamed in her head; Corey collapsed to the floor as his left shin was kicked in. "How're you…?" Samantha slinked back up to her feet, resting against the wall. She could see the man who violated her cowering in her wake. "You don't have to do this…" "Do what? You didn't have to fuck me when I said no, but ya did. DIDN'T YOU!" He cowered away from her which only made her feel stronger. "You never thought I'd be back? Who the fuck are you to violate a person like you did and expect total freedom?!"
She kicked him as hard as she could right in the stomach. "I-I'm sorry…AAHOOWW!" She stomped on his privates over and over again. Soon thereafter, she grabbed a nearby firepoker. As she brandished it around the man's horrified face made the satisfaction she felt all the more sweeter. "It's different when the shoe's on the other foot!" "OH GOD!" The poker stabbed straight through the side of his right foot. She pulled as hard as she could, tearing it straight out. He got to his knees, prayin for her to stop, but all she could see in those eyes were lust.
"Even now as I torture you…You have fucking lust in your eyes! You think of nothing but that; that…dick, don't you?! Well…DON'T YOU?!" "FUUUUCCK!" His leg gave away easily as the poker dug deep into his left calf. "Wh-What do you want from meee?" She couldn't get over the worry that Corey displayed. "AAAAAHHHH!" Samantha screamed as loud as she could muster, and struck him across the head with her weapon. He collapsed instantly, as blood poured from the open wound in his head. He's not dead is he? Worry began to plague her. The blood wouldn't stop pouring.
"Get him up to the table!" Klyde's voice just ran through her. She struggled with her humanity as the bloodied body of her violater lay before her feet. Her stomach squirmed from the sight, but Samantha refused to throw up. She needed her integrity, so she swallowed it back down. She grabbed his wrists and pulled him over to the nearby dining room table. It felt nearly impossible to lift his giant form, but finally his body slid across the surface. A sudden jolt of pain cracked through her brain. "Tie him down," Dianne said.
"Maybe we should let him go," Klyde replied. "Let him go?! Are you serious?! He violated her. He…He impregnated her after raping her and robbing her of her dignity!" The grip Samantha had on the poker was lost as it clanged onto the floor. She tried to force the pain away, grasping her head as hard as she could. "I know he did darlin', but maybe he's learned his lesson. Maybe he's…" "HE HASN'T LEARNED A GOD DAMN THING! NOT UNTIL HE'S DICKLESS, HAS HE PAID HIS PRICE!" Dianne had screamed so loud, that it continued to ring in Samantha's head. She nearly collapsed, held onto the table to keep her upright.
The smooth wood was her anchor to the real world. It was proof that she wasn't losing her mind, or tripping on coke like so many times before. The room around her blurred in and out; her ears started to ring and her head felt like it was going to explode. "Dianne, castrating him won't prove a damn thing. All that'll do is make it so he can't have kids. And I understand your want for revenge, but he's been hurt enough. I mean… Maybe rough him up a bit more, cut him a bit; break a few bones… Don't castrate him. He doesn't deserve that."
"He does too deserve that! That…That filthy, disgusting… GAH! Cut his dick off Samantha! You know he deserves nothing less!" "Stop…Please…" "Do it! Castrate him like the fucking pig that he is! Make it so he'll never violate and impregnate another woman again!" "Don't do it, girl. Dianne has lost her ever loving mind. If you do this, there's no going back. You'll head down a long dark road where you'll lose your humanity."
"I asked you to…Please stop…" "YOU AND I BOTH KNOW, AS WOMEN, THAT WHAT HE DID CANNOT GO UNPUNISHED!" "Dianne, honey. Please… You; You can't do this. Listen to me, girl. I'm going to be your last right move. If you go any further…I won't be able to be there for you any more. I love my wife, but she's going crazy. Rape does not deserve murder. If you cut off his dick, then he'll bleed to death." "Please! STOOOPPPPP!" The front door slammed, jarring her back to reality. A fresh blood trail lead off of the table, across the floor and outside.
"Oh shit…" Samantha muttered. She sprinted out the door, following the blood trail as it ran down the driveway. Off in the distance she could see Corey sprinting through the thick snow. "If you don't catch him, he'll tip off the police," Dianne muttered. She ran after him; her jogging legs taking control of her entire body. Not even the unforgiving snowy tundra against her bare feet would make her stop. The adrenaline was already coursing through her veins as she descended the long hill. Corey had taken a sharp left, just around the bend of the forest.
The distance between them had shrunk over the next few seconds as she closed in on him. She could hear his breathing; how shaky and sporadic it was. They rounded another corner, which lead to an open lawn and the highway. An old rusty trailer appeared, covered mostly in snow, though she saw how clear the front steps were. Did someone clear it out recently? She thought. Corey sprinting through the doorway, broke her concentration. The moment that the door slammed shut, Samantha knew he had sealed his doom.
"Yes. He's ours!" Dianne yelled with glee. Klyde's voice was no longer there. She couldn't even pick up on his breathing, like he would do as he thought deeply about something. Klyde? Klyde, are you there? She stopped just outside the structure, holding herself up by the cold steel. Please don't ignore me. "He's being a piss pot, honey. Just go on ahead. We both know that it's for the best," Dianne stated. Samantha nodded, before she was thrust into the somewhat dark interior of that trailer. The flickering of candlelights to her right, only made Corey's horrified expression look all the more contorted.
As if instincts kicked in, she found a butcher's knife resting just beside the sink. Corey tried to run, but she stood in front of the door. "You're not going anywhere." "Please. You don't have to do this." "Your pleas for forgivness are touching, but disgusting." She pushed him back to room of candles, bypassing the frame covered wall. Corey fell to his knees once more, this time she could see the beads of sweat as they fell out of him. "You like to be in that position quite a bit, don't you?" His trembling lip; his tear streaked eyes; his shaking hands; it all made her power trip grow.
"Do you remember that night that you raped me?" Samantha asked. She slid the blade across the wall, which made her victim wince. "I love it when you cower like the fucking dog you are!" "You don't have to do this. You can still walk away and I swear I won't tell anyone. I swear it." "Ooohh. I'd love to believe you Core, but I guess my sanity flew out the window…That-day-you-raped-me!" With each word she slashed the knife across his chest.
"Ahh…P-Please. I'm; I'm begging you. You're b-better than this!" Blood spewed out of his deep slashes. She held onto the blade with her fingers. The candle's flames bounced off the reflective surface of the blade below it. "You know, if you got to know me, you'd figure out that I'm one hell of a knife thrower. My father taught me; yup…When I was growing up, he trained me to throw knives up to over fifty yards away… and hit the target as if it were right up close." Her victim was reduced to whimpers now as he cried towards the ceiling.
"Three. Two. One… Annnnd x marks the spot!" "GAAAAAHHAAAAAA!" The knife landed with a sick crunch and thud as it penetrated Corey's privates, sticking into the floor beneath him. "Th-This isn't reeeallll!" "YOU KEEP BELIEVING THAT CORE! YEAH! JUST KEEP ON BELIEVING THIS IS A NIGHTMARE! ONE BIG FUCKED UP NIGHTMARE!" "I-I'm so sorry." Samantha dropped to her knees, still not taking her eye off the knife. He had been bleeding profusely out of the wound, and the knife was in deep.
"I think he's truly sorry, girl." Oh. Now he replies. Where the hell were you?! "I was gone; I'm sorry! Can't you see the pain in his face? In his eyes? He's sorry. He's paid his dues, now let him go." The sound of Klyde's voice seemed to be the waters she needed to extinguish the inferno that had taken over her soul. Splatter. "OHHHH MY GODDD!" Samantha peered back; Corey had ripped himself free of the knife, but so did his privates. Half of his penis lay on the floor in a small pool of that red liquid she's come to know.
I-I didn't… Oh my god! Ohhh god! "Don't freak out, girl. You didn't know he was gonna break free," Klyde answered. What have I done?! I didn't want to do this… Oh my goddd! "Did you hear that?!" the sound of Lizzie Grace's voice shook her back out of her head. "Yeah, it came from the trailer." Emmy Yates? "Get out of here, Samantha! GO!" Dianne was screaming at her, so she ran as fast as she could away from that location. Away from the forest and cabin entirely and away from the trailer for good.
* * * *
Emmy continued to follow in her sister's wake as they trekked up the steepest hill she had ever climbed. It got to the point where she had to use the trees to try and keep herself from slipping into Lizzie, who was stammering behind her. "How…How far is it now?" Emmy asked. Her sister just waved her forward and kept rising upward. Tree upon tree kept on going in a never ending loop. Her sister had gained a bit more speed, but it was hard for her to keep up whilst holding that vile jar in her free hand. Minutes passed when finally, he feet met solid, flat ground.
A moderately huge lake rested straight ahead. All around it was a small bank, and a dock straight ahead. "Come on. You two can take the boat," Eli said excitedly. Emmy hurried as much as she could, despite her joints freezing. Sure enough she spotted a small boat bobbing in the water. Her sister was floating beside it, yet her attention was locked on the center of the water. She kept holding her arm, and sniffing all the while. "We'll find it, sis. Trust us, we don't give up on something we want. Right Liz?" She turned her head, to see that beauty nodding all the while, despite her flushed face.
"Damn r-right… We; We don't back d-down for n-nobody! Oh god…" Emmy felt a fit of laughter escaping her before she could even stop it. "Thanks you two. Let's get going so we can both be put to rest, properly." A pair of ghostly hands appeared before Emmy's eyes as her sister grabbed the jar. She and Lizzie hopped into the old, crusty boat, following in Eli's wake. With each passing second, as they rowed away from the bank, Emmy's stomach churned. Her sister just floated majestically above that water, barely touching it, yet not being affected. She glided along as if these murky waters didn't trouble her anymore.
They arrived at the center, where Eli stopped them. "Somebody's gonna have to go in to get my body out of there. I can guide you down, but I'm telling you it's cold. If you don't surface fast enough, you'll either drown or freeze to death." Emmy heard these words of sacrifice hitting her ears, but all that entered her mind was the site of a skeleton floating. A set of bones with its flesh all picked away either by fish or natural erosion, attached to a cinderblock. The corpse of her twin sister all rotted away because of a piece of shit man who murders to get himself off.
"I'll do it." Lizzie looked over at her; a state of horrified dismay took over her face. "You could die in there." "I know. But I have to. I have to get my sister out of this piece of shit burial grounds and properly taken care of. I have faith that Eli will lead me right to her body, and then it's just a straight shot up. Do you have a blade I could borrow?" She watched as Lizzie rummaged around in her coat pocket, before pulling out a switchblade. It was eight inches long, with four of it being in the handle.
"How long were you carrying that badboy?" Emmy asked. The girl before her just laughed a bit, before shoving the blade over to her. "Just take care of it, okay? It's my dad's." On normal circumstances, she would've figured the handle was cool. But since her hands were long but numb by that point, it was just a heavy object in her hand. She took off her coat; the instant it fell to into the boat, the temperature dropped. When she was down to her pants and first shirt, Emmy turned her attention to her sister. She saw a small grin on her face, before she nodded.
"Here goes nothing." She took a deep breath and plunged deep into the water. It didn't take long for the pond to stab into her like unseen blades. She wanted to scream from the top of her lungs, but knew she must preserve her oxygen. Thank god I can hold my breath for a couple of minutes. She thought. The waters were relatively clear under the surface; she could nearly see straight to the bottom. A bright blur of blue and white swam past her. Thank you sis! You're my guiding light down here. She continued to push forward, ignoring all the agony she was in and caught up.
Her sister's sillhouette became bigger and brighter with each kick; with each breaststroke. She could see something floating just ten feet away. That must be her… Oh my god… A ravaged cadaver floated lifeless in the motionless liquid. The ankles were still tethered to the cinderblock and her hands were tied together. The clothes had still been somewhat in tact, but were tattered due to the fish. My lungs are on fire… I-I gotta cut now! Eli gazed over at her; the tears were back. "Thank you." She mouthed. Emmy nodded and began slicing away at the rope.
The knife easily sliced into it, splitting it strand by strand. Her lungs were screaming in pain now, but she pushed through it. She kept hacking and hacking, until there was only a few strands left. Finally it broke free and the skeleton shot up to the surface. Emmy fought like hell to follow it, kicking and thrashing, but the cold had seeped deep into every aching muscle. She screamed from the sudden burning, losing the last bit of oxygen she had. Just when she was about to take in that breath of death, something was hoisting her up. "Stay with me, sis. I'm not gonna let you die too! Damn it! STAY WITH ME DAMN YOU!"
I-I love you Eli… She thought. Everything became dark as the water started to seep into her lungs. Just then she broke through the surface; she heard Lizzie's panicked voice from behind. "I saw the skeleton… G-Get her in here! I know CPR." "Don't die on me…" Lizzie's voice reverberated throughout Emmy's brain. She couldn't see a thing other than that eternal abyss. "One. Two. Three. Four. Five. BREATH!" "Liz? I never got a chance to say that I love you…I've loved you for so long." "She's not breathing. Starting mouth to mouth. Come on…" Something forced air down her throat. "Come on. Come on! Why won't she breathe…?"
"She was breathing the water in halfway up to the surface…God, please don't take her. I was already taken too early. She must keep using her gift. Please help her." Eli's voice took over. Something bright appeared; it started out as a small pinprick and then exploded into a shower of bright white snow and dark clouded skies. A huge burst of air flew down her throat.
The liquid forced its way out of her lungs before exploding out of her mouth. She couldn't stop coughing, despite her will to want to. Her throat kept burning as she was forced to continue rapidly inhaling the sub zero temperatures. "Oh my god…It's…It's a fucking miracle!" Lizzie began to come into focus; tears dripped off her face. "L-Liz…" She felt her cheek; Lizzie held onto it, instantly warming her skin. "I-I thought I l-lost you Em…" "I'm… Ugh. I'm not going anywhere! Not that easy." That blonde angel just smiled down at her and then, their lips locked. "We may wanna stop sucking face unless we wanna be frozen together."
"You almost died…At least try to be serious." Lizzie pushed her a bit. "I'm glad you're okay, sis." Eli had been pulling the skeleton into the boat with them and then set them all off towards the bank. Lizzie began rowing; the sky flew by nice and slow. Emmy could practically see each individual snowflake as it fell upon her face. It only took them a minute to reach the bank again. Lizzie had assisted her out of the boat, where her body continued to shiver. She sighed a bit as Eli carried the skeleton over to her. "Where would you like to be buried sis?" she asked.
For the first time since they met again, the girl teared up whilst smiling. "Despite being killed in that pond, I'd like to be buried somewhere nearby. Only because when it's Fall, I assume the trees around here make it look beautiful." Emmy watched her sister as she spun around before them. She could hear the digging going on behind her; Lizzie was already placing the jar of body parts into a hole. She than began digging a larger one. Emmy dropped into the hole and ripped the frozen ground out with her bare hands.
She couldn't stop shivering, but she didn't care. It only took the two of them a short while, before the hole was large and deep enough. Slowly she set the skeleton down, and crossed the hands over the chest."This is the ultimate way of burying the dead. I know most people lay the arms at their sides, but I want Eli to look like she's feeling her heart beat. I don't know…It just looks better to me." "I agree with her," Eli added. The same ghostly hand was before Emmy's eyes as she was pulled out of the hole. She and Lizzie started burying the jar first. Once the dirt was packed, a bright light appeared, burning through the darkness above.
Dozens of small light blue orbs flew out of the dirt. Emmy could hear them speaking to her, though none of them had a face. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much! Thank you Emmy! We'll always remember you girls," they said. Emmy's heart ached as a larger spirit rose from the burial site. A little girl appeared; she didn't look more than seven years old. She had a mousy nose, a small yet bright smile, tiny ears and long black hair. "You've saved me. Thank you to everyone! Thank you…Thank you…Thank you…" Her voice went on for a while before she was absorbed by the light of God.
"Em? You're crying," Lizzie muttered. She gazed over at that girl, unable to describe how good she felt. "Let's bury my sister!" Lizzie nodded and they were off. Emmy's fingers refused to stop protesting against her; she kept throwing more and more dirt on top of that cadaver, until it was mounded up. She started to stomp on the ground over and over until it flattened down to her liking.
Then, the light reappeared. It actually hit her face and instantly all of the cold escaped her body. The blue hue around her sister dissolved, leaving only a light skinned, dark haired woman, in her old skirt and fishnet stockings. The tears could truly be seen now as they glimmered against that immaculate light. Eli waved at her and then nodded away, towards Lizzie. "Thank you guys! Thank y-you s-so much!" Watching her sister just leave her like that; it tore her up inside. Emmy refused to look away; her sister started to rise up until she disappeared into the brightest part of the light.
The clouds reconnected and the light was long but gone. Though she was dry now, the cold already started to seep back into Emmy's body. A warm embrace from her lover was all she needed to push forward. "Wait…I gotta give them a headstone." Emmy found some nearby rocks and used the switchblade to start carving letters into them. As they walked away, Emmy finally could feel joy once more. Lizzie had begun her trek downhill, whilst she lagged behind. She couldn't leave without saying a proper goodbye, so she headed back to the sites to wish them peace. A smaller light shined down upon them, as if God was thanking her. You're welcome lord. She thought. On the small site's headstone, it had the words: Here lies the poor souls of the women and child who died far too young. R.I.P. I'm so sorry.
A same sized stone rested at the head of her sister's burial site. It read: Here lies Eli Elizabeth Yates. A Journalist major; a daughter; a sister; a friend. Her life ended far to fast. I hope to meet you again soon. R.I.P. I'm so, very sorry. With that, she left the sites forever, knowing she'd give them the room and respect they deserved.