Go and tell that long tongue liar
Go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the backbiter
Tell them that God is going to cut them down
Tell them that God is going to cut them down
-Johnny Cash
“You’re a sick fuck you know that right?”
Clint Barton shook his head in disgust as he took a long drag on his dwindling cigarette
Lester shrugged , his eyes never leaving the group of young girls exiting the school gym “Hey if they are old enough to crawl they are in the right position right?” He flashed a sadistic grin
Barton felt the bile rise up in the back of his throat. He opened the car door and stepped out dropping his smoke to the ground and grinding it beneath his heel “Scumbag” he said as he shut the door
His partner chuckled and went back to his watching.
Clint lit another cigarette and pulled deeply
He sighed as he let it out and watched the blue grey smoke drift away on the breeze
He wished he was on the way out of this town with it
It had been almost a week now
Watching
Observing
Learning routines
Munroe had a pretty basic schedule she adhered to
Early to the diner, day of work put in then back home out in the middle of the woods
Time to time they would see her with a few others. Some guy named Dayspring, big guy, works at the mines
Probably fucking each other. He did have to admit a certain envy for that. That woman was very nicely built
Legs that went on for miles, an ass that could balance a tray table, and a set of tits that made him wish he was a nursing babe again.
Unlike his “partner” Barton didn’t care to choose form what MacManus called the “fresh rack”
Casting a sidelong glance into the vehicle he could not hide the disdain on his face for the man there. MacManus was a one of a kind type psychopath, cold, remorseless, sadistic…and happy
Barton was good at his work and it would be a lie to say he didn’t enjoy it
If all of the bodies he had buried over the years were to stand up, those that could that is provided they were buried with all legs attached , then Jersey would have a hell of a population problem
He liked the look of fear in his victims eyes. That last plea that they would always make. The bribes they would offer, the promises they would make. It did give him a rush like no drug or woman could ever provide him
A quiet voice popped into his head then
Quit bullshitting yourself Barton
You are just as sick as that piece of crap
“I don’t torture people” he spoke aloud to it
What about that kid in Soho?
Come on you remember
The chains, the knife,
The hacksaw
“Little bastard got what was coming to him” he fired back
How old was he? 19? 20 tops?
Barton tried to ignore it but found the voice growing louder in his ears
Never even been with a woman he had said
Course after the ways you cut him up he wouldn’t have been able to do much with one anyway
“Shut up” Barton was whispering now in a venom drenched voice
Remember the sound that hacksaw made when it went through the first bone? How he screamed for you to kill him after every stoke of the saw? You were hard as Chinese algebra while you did it
“Go fuck yourself”
Maybe that’s the source of it huh? Forget stiletto heels and black lace panties. You need a bit of pain and blood to get off don’t you
“I’m done talking to you” The throbbing at his temple was like a thunderbolt
Can you imagine what the Munroe bitch must be like? Peel back the skin of that finely built back and really get inside of her huh Clinty boy?
Barton bashed the side of the car with his fist so hard the bone of his ring finger snapped out of place
“What the fuck?” MacManus yelled arching his head out of the driver window “What’s your problem”
Barton brought his hand to his chest and held it “Just watch for the fucking kid” he said between clenched teeth
MacManus arched an eyebrow and pulled his head back into the car “Somebody needs to get laid more” he suggested loudly
Barton took hold of his finger and felt for the break
It was clean
Sucking in a large breath he set the bone back without so much as a whimper of pain
He let out a haggard sigh and reached in the backseat for a roll of duct tape that was standard issue in their “kit”
He tore a piece off and wrapped it tightly about his finger
It hurt like the fires of damnation, but at least the voice in his head had stopped
For now
Sheriffs office
Raven Darkhome had not been able to sit in one place all morning. She checked her watch for the third time and sighed loudly as she noticed how slowly the arms were moving . She sat straight and smoothed the edges of her uniform down adjusting the badge over her left breast. She caught the look that Dukes shot her as she did so and gave him a raised finger at his gawking eyes.
The large man chuckled to himself and went back to the card game with Gargan and Toynbee
Ruckus and Marko stood by the front talking silently to each other and sipping at the stale coffee casting glances to their partners that spoke of their concerns
Raven couldn’t help but mirror their concern
Essex hadn’t come to work the previous day. That was not like him. The man got his rocks off by parading around town and showcasing his authority. You would have to shove that badge up his colon to keep him form flashing it around town day in and day out.
He had not made their meeting that night either
No call, no message
Nothing
Raven twirled her fingers in her hair in irritation
Even their usual night of debauchery did not happen
She rubbed at the bruises he had left her from last week
One on her inner thigh that stretched down to the side of her knee
She could still feel his teeth upon her breast. The lacerations there were slowly healing. He had taken a chunk of flesh with one of his “love bites”
The thought of it again sent her blood boiling
When it was clear He would not show up for the meeting that he himself had arranged she called the boys off and sent them home at around ten
She had waited until three in the morning at her house for him.
And not a single fucking call
There were times she wanted to see just how hard she could kick that man in the balls
Problem was he would probably like it
As she let a small smile crawl up the side of her mouth Marko walked over and placed his coffee upon the desk
“You heard anything from him yet?” Marko was big, very big. The man topped out at almost seven feet tall and was a wall of brick made flesh. He gazed down at her with impatient eyes.
“Nothing” she said not looking up at him, still twisting her hair into small curls
The large man threw his hands to his side “Of all the fucking times he decides to take a damn vacation”
Gargan nodded “This shit with Fisk is gonna get heavy if we don’t find out what’s going on Raven”
Toynebee threw his cards upon the table “I talked with Hugo last night, he wasn’t happy”
Raven rolled her eyes “As if I care what mood that two big coke pusher is in”
“He has obligations Raven just like the rest of us” Toynbee scratched at the splotchy beard he was attempting to grow. “That man doesn’t get what he needs all his west coat contacts don’t either and they are gonna start sending people out to “correct” the situation with Fisk”
Ruckus joined Marko’s side, not a small man himself at a solid six-three “And that just gonna lead to full on fucking war in the middle of this town”
Marko leaned down closer to Raven’s face “We are the mule point for the entire west coast contacts, shit comes in form Big Fisk, Little Fisk gets it to the buyers out there and we all get a to wet our beak a little” He slammed a ham sized fist upon the table making it creak loudly “And now its all gonna go down the fucking drain and the one guy who should give the most shit about it isn’t even fucking here”
“Lay off the juice Marko, it may swell your head but it does shit for your brain”
Raven looked form Marko to Essex
He had came through the front door and she hadn’t even noticed it
Apparently she was not the only one to miss his entrance
Dukes turned around in a startle at his voice “Shit boss you damn near gave me a heart attack”
Essex smiled, his bone white teeth flashing “Sure Dukes blame me and not all of those fucking cheeseburgers you shove down that fat fucking gullet of yours”
Dukes smiled nervously and stood along with Gargen and Toynbee
“How goes it boss?” Ruckus asked
Essex didn’t say anything for a moment as he scanned each of their faces
He felt a moment of disgust at his deputies
A moment of sheer loathing
Useless brainless sacks of meat
He slowly popped his neck and sighed inwardly
Well He would have to work with what he had
He could be resourceful
They had said they thought him a very resourceful man
They liked that about him
She liked that about him
“Where have you been?” Raven finally broke the silence and walked in his direction “I must have called you a hundred times since the other day, you were the one who wanted us all together last night”
Ahh sweet Raven
At least she still had her uses, as tame and fleeting as they were
“Business” Essex answered “All part of business”
He removed his hat and sat it upon his desk. He left his dark shades on. The weather outside was overcast, storms were moving in again, not exactly the kind of day where sunglasses were needed. The fact he was inside the office with its bunker like lighting fixtures made Raven take a mental note
“We have a lot to see to Sheriff” Raven said also taking note of his color. Essex was a pale man anyway, too long in the sun and it would seem he would shrivel like burning paper. He seemed even more so today, almost translucent, she could see the way the bones in his face moved with every small gesture. He appeared as almost a skeleton wearing a skin suit.
And his smile did mu8ch to enhance that appearance
“Are you ok?” she asked
That smile
That increasingly disturbing smile seemed to grow wider by the minute
“Of course” Essex gestured to Ruckus “Been keeping tabs on Munroe?”
“Cortez and me been taking shifts he is up there now, no sign of Fisk’s guys yet”
“Keep an eye out for those two and for those two mountains of dog shit Creed and Lincoln I don’t trust them any better” Essex pulled his chair out and sat “Get back up there with Cortez I want two sets of eyes on her, if Fisk”s dogs get out of hand I trust you know what to do”
Ruckus nodded his understanding and walked out
Essex turned to Toynbee “Set up a new meeting with Hugo, tell him there are some changes we need to make.”
This took the rest of them aback
“Fisk wont like that boss” Gargen put in
“I don’t give a turtle’s puckered asshole what Fisk likes” Essex smirked at the shocked look on the faces of his deputies “Leave Fisk to me Deputy this will work out in all of our best interests”
Toynbee didn’t seem reassured but left to go make the arrangements
“How about me boss?’ Dukes asked standing before him
So eager to please
Goooood
“I want you tons of fun and the walking testicle over here” He gestured to Marko “To hunt that little sawed off shit that’s been riding around this place like he fucking owns it down and bring him kicking and screaming to me”
Dukes smiled and happily went to leave
Marko was not so enthusiastic “We don’t even have a decent description of this guy”
“Short , stocky, rides a hog and wears something from the Clint Eastwood fashion line” Essex leaned forward “You are a police officer Cain, go do some fucking police work” The mocking in the tone was so thick even Dukes picked up on it
Marko shook his head and left grumbling “Shit gets more fucked by the minute”
When they were alone Raven finally asked “What in the hell are we doing Nathaniel?”
She walked over to his desk and sat upon the edge “I was never gung ho about all of this to begin with but if you try screwing Fisk we will all end up lawn mulch”
Essex heard her talking but paid no mind to the words she was saying. He was too caught up in the curve of her breasts, the way her uniform clung to the sides of her hips
He could feel the saliva forming in his mouth and drip off the end of his tongue
“Your going to start a war Nathan” She said louder
Essex stood up and walked around her and nuzzled at her neck
Raven felt her anger intensify but their was no point in resisting
That would only make him more ravenous
And that would in turn to the same for her
He nibbled none too gently at her ear and whispered in a low and edged tone “The war is already on Raven” he drew a drop of blood form her lobe which earned him a shuddered gasp of pain and arousal “Get on the winning side”
Raven turned and kissed him hard
Their lips met and she closed her eyes drawing in his breath
Essex turned her around and ripped the bottom half of her uniform off
He held her down and removed his shades
The eyes underneath were black as midnight, no iris no pupil
Just black
Soulless
The eyes of a shark
And they were hungry
Elsewhere
Cortez had been sitting in the car now for too long he needed a stretch.
He had been tailing this woman all day and honestly he had seen mold have a more diverse routine
Diner
Home
Diner
Home
Once in a while she would meet Dayspring at Hank’s bar they would come to her place bada bing bada boom and then wash and repeat
Two days never felt so long
He agreed to take the morning shift for Ruckus on the hope of maybe catching her taking her morning shower
So much for that
No perks at all
He stepped out of his well hidden cruiser and popped every joint in his body. He looked down at his watch and was happy to see that Ruckus would be here soon to relieve him. A chance for a decent meal would be nice aside form the fucking leftover pizza he had been forced to contend with lately
The ringing of natures call came through loud and clear
Stepping a bit further into the brush, he found a suitable spot to do his business
Gazing around the thick woods he noticed a leafless tree not far in front of him
And one big fucking bird sitting upon a lone branch.
Cortez squinted and saw that it was a crow
A damn big one
It was looking at him
He shook his head and smiled
Yea sure looking at me, like I was road kill
He tried to ignore it but found his eyes wandering back toward the bird
It wasn’t moving
Just staring with clear yellow eyes
Cortez thrust his crotch out at it “This sure isn’t no worm here pally and if ya even try to peck at it ill rotisserie your fucking ass”
No movement
No sound
Just staring
Cortez tried again to ignore it, zipping up his pants he turned and made to walk away
Those eyes though
He could feel them boring into his back
He turned
And there it was still staring
Picking up a loose stone upon the ground Cortez hurled it “Get out of here you shit with wings”
The stone flew far off its target and the bird sat motionless
Cortez found another and again made a wild throw that did not come close to connecting
He could feel the hair on his neck stand on end and the palms of his hands go damp with sweat. He could not tear his eyes away no matter how he screamed for it to happen. He felt his hand slip down to the holster of his revolver and grip the firearm firmly
Once more his body betrayed him as he could not bring it to bear, his hands were shaking too badly.
The crow spread its wings and made one low call
The sharpness of it cut into Cortez’s ears and he felt the tars begin to form at his eyes
The crow called once more
And this time it was joined
A guttural howl answered on the wind
No sound accompanied the beast’s approach.
No snapped twigs
No rustling of leaves
Not even the heavy falls of its paws
As silent as shadow
Cortez was sobbing now. The fear held him as one would embrace a dying lover. Upon his back he felt the cold and icy breath along his spine. The mental commands that were screaming in his mind to run were ignored. He found he could see nothing except those yellow eyes, feel nothing except that cold breath that was caressing his back.
And the smell
Oh God, the smell
So ripe and horrid, if the fear had not frozen even his involuntary actions, he would have vomited
A voice then
Hard and rasp, like nothing he had ever heard and prayed never would again spoke in his ear
“Run”
His bolted wildly, his body finally released from the grip of dread. He barreled through bushes, not feeling the cuts from the thorns or the branches that slapped across his face. He just had to go, get away from what was there
Cortez could still feel it there behind him though
His body was pumping to its limit, trying to outdistance the horror behind him. The image in his mind though he saw as clear as the sky, whatever was behind him was still there, effortlessly keeping pace
Smiling
Teeth like razors shone in a wicked grin, a gaping mouth dining on the rich fear that Cortez emanated.
It was not his imagination or the fear at work, Cortez could see it without turning around. Blinded by the abomination he did not see the tree that he ran into face first
The coppery taste of blood filled his mouth as he went down, the crunching of broken teeth enveloped his hearing. He flailed upon the ground until he managed to place his back against the very tree he had hit
And he saw it then, and had fear not clenched him within its grip once more, he would have gouged his own eyes out
Upon four legs it strode toward him, hair the color of night, and as hard as quills. A black and wart covered tongue lapping at its jowls, teeth long and dagger like……smiling
A true hound of hell
It stopped suddenly gazing at him with pale glowing eyes
Cortez reached down again for his firearm, the fear fueling his need for survival
“That wont even piss him off”
That voice
A mist had formed around him, dark and gray it surrounded him the tree and the beast before him. A figure strolled casually from the heart of it. Cortez could not make it out who it was at first, only the stocky outline of a man, wearing what appeared to be a cowboy hat
“Alberto Cortez” It whispered with the force of a tremor “I have come for you”
Cortez did not even have time to scream.
Elsewhere
Ororo swore she heard something just now, a shout, a cry….something
It gave her chills whatever it was. She looked back toward the house and thought of postponing her dip into the nearby creek. It was still early enough for her to enjoy a quick swim before she would have to go back and get ready for her date with Nate. She shrugged and continued down the half grown trail.
The creek was not large, but the water was clean and just cold enough to be invigorating. She had shown it to Nate and neither of them could resist the urge of skinny dipping in it on a few occasions.. She smiled as she thought of him. He was a great guy, kind and strong, a bit too serious sometimes but when he did smile it was to die for.
She wondered if she was falling in love
She wasn’t sure of that.
How could she be?
When she found that the majority of the time her thoughts drifted to Logan
“Logan” she said the name softly as she neared the creek’s edge and felt a chill flow over her skin
“Down girl” she said to herself again. “Nate is a wonderful man, and he doesn’t appear out of no where and disappear just as quickly, pick the safe choice”
She knew what she was saying
But that didn’t mean she would heed her own advice
She walked into the creek, clothes still on, wanting to drown the fire of her thoughts out as quickly as possible. Ororo ducked her head beneath the surface and let the chilled water caress her face. She stayed there for so long she could feel her chest about to burst.
Breaking the surface of the water she took in a sweet lung full of air, and let out a short scream of surprise as she saw Logan crouched by the creek edge
“Shit” she almost leaped from the water enough to stand upon the surface “Stop doing that”
He tilted his head to the side and the corner of his mouth almost raised into a smile “What?”
“Sneaking up on people like that” She walked toward the edge where he sat unmoving , shaking the water from her hair “How long have you been there?”
“Long enough to know you can hold your breath a long time” he answered not raising his head to meet her gaze
“And just what are you doing out here?”
He brought his head up and gazed at her, the force of her look reigniting the flames of the thoughts she had just tried to quench
“Hunting”
She arched a brow “Hunting?”
He nodded
“Don’t see a gun anywhere. You do it with your bare hands?” She asked in jest but not sure if he wasn’t capable of such a thing
“Not that kind of hunting darlin” he stood and lit a cigar form the pocket of his jacket. He inhaled once and blew a plume of smoke “your gonna catch cold like that”
She didn’t realize she was shaking, the wind had picked up, but she was not sure if that was what was doing it
“I could do with the break honestly, if it was to happen” she answered rubbing at her arms
The weather never bothered Ororo. Hot or cold it never seemed to phase her one way or the other, and this time was no different. The wind was not what was making her shake
Pulling his jacket off he placed it about her shoulders before she could object
“No need risking it” he said tipping his hat back and letting her take in the full features of his face. He was wearing a simple black shirt, no design or brand marker upon it, every movement accentuating the well developed muscles underneath “Care to take a walk?”
She pulled her attention away form his body and back to him “A walk?’
He nodded “you know one leg in front of the other in a slow rhythm”
“Thanks for pointing that out smart ass” She quipped
He laughed then
And Ororo could not tell if it was wonderful or terrifying
She looked back toward the direction of her house “I don’t know I have some plans for the night”
“have ya back in plenty of time darlin” He quirked the side of his mouth again “Cross my heart”
She thought a moment afraid to say yes and desperate not to say no
Finally she gave in
“I guess a nice stroll around the park wouldn’t hurt” She smiled
Logan felt that smile as if molton rock had ignited inside his chest He nodded and they started
“By the way” She asked “Did you hear something a little while ago? A voice shouting?”
He cast a side long glace at her shook his head “Quiet as death darlin” he smiled “Quiet as death”
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