Lenore gripped the sides of Clive's head and quickly twisted it. She felt the bones pop and his body crumpled on the floor. All that time spent preparing and worrying, and it was all over in a second. With no mess this time! The adrenaline began to kick in, and Lenore fought a smile from curling up the sides of her face. She couldn't wait to do it again. Just as she was about to start lugging the body to the pit, she heard a branch snap behind her and spun around.
Before her stood a thin, scruffy looking young man, chewing on a toothpick. He was covered head to toe in a layer of filth and he had a smile on his face.
"I'd say 'I can explain' but ah, it wouldn't make me anymore innocent," Lenore said, her brain working overtime, trying to figure out how to get out of the situation.
The scruffy man scratched his head and whistled. "So you must be the guy, or the girl, that is. Hoo-wee lady, I woulda never suspected that a woman coulda done what you done."
"Uhhh, how do you mean?" Lenore asked, trying to act nonchalant.
"Don't play coy with me, I done seent what 'chu did to those two other bodies," He said, folding his hands in front of his chest, "Now to the average person, bodies that mutilated may have made them think what you dropped off here was roadkill, but honey I KNOW roadkill, and what you deposited in this here roadkill pit was H-U-M-A-N!" He said, spitting the toothpick out of his mouth. "I just want to know why you done it." His expression was that of a small child learning a magic trick.
"Does it really matter?" Lenore replied.
"It certainly does!" He giggled and wagged a finger at Lenore. "Why, a lady takin' the time to thoroughly rip these poor sons of bitches to bits lets me know there's more going on here than just a couple unfortunate accidents."
"It's none of your business, friend," Lenore began to reach into the pocket of her dress to pull out one of her throwing knives.
"Oh, we're friends now? I'm so glad. Tell me, are you one of them 'jilted lovers'? This your old man and his secret mistress or something?"
"Hardly," Lenore reached into her other pocket to grab onto another knife.
"This your family? Daddy hurt you really bad, and so one day you decided to make him and Momma pay?" You could practically see the cogs in his head turning.
"No. I-I didn't know any of these fellas that well at all. I just knew enough to know their lives needed ending real quick." Lenore offered as she began stripping Clive of his clothes.
The man stepped closer, "You gonna kill me now?" The smile still plastered on his face.
"That's something you gotta earn, buddy." Lenore stuffed the clothes in her duffel bag.
"What's to stop me from telling the authorities?" He asked, his breathing shallower.
"You can do as you like. I don't regret a thing I've done, and if they lock me up, my only wish would be to have stamped out a few more." She said, squinting as trees parted and sunlight hit her eyes.
"You're crazier than a shithouse rat, lady. They'll fry your brains when they get a view of all this!" His giggles seemed almost orgasmic.
"That's not so bad. Life is overrated. Pain and death? Criminally underrated to say the least."
The man practically skipped towards Lenore. He put out his hand and Lenore dropped one knife and put out her hand to shake it. "My name's Lester."
"Lenore, pleased to make your acquaintance." She cocked an eyebrow.
"As much as I like you, and believe me I surely do, I think my brother Bo needs to meet you."
"Lester, if you help me dismember my good friend Clive here, I will follow you to the ends of the universe!" She said yanking on one of the dead man's arms.
He gleefully agreed and together they quickly dismantled Clive.
Lester then ran off and came back driving a beat up old pickup truck with more roadkill in the back. He leaned his head out the passenger window.
"Hop in!" He excitedly waved her in.
"What about my car? I don't want anybody coming along and doing anything to it," She gestured to her rusted red Grand Am.
"Either me or my brother can bring you back here later on. Now would ya hurry? I can't wait to see his face when he finally sees who our competition is!"
Lenore threw her purse over her shoulder and hopped into Lester's rickety vehicle. Lester barely waited for her to strap in before tearing off down a bumpy trail.
"You're gonna love Ambrose. It's like a giant art piece my brothers and I have been working on. So many bodies. Hundreds of idiots we turned into art. Now how do ya like that?!"
"So, backwoods murder clan? Very original," Lenore commented, staring out at trees flying past.
"Yeah, I thought so too!" Lester said, not understanding Lenore's sarcasm. "So would you just tell me who all those people you've been mashing up are?"
"No."
"Gahhh, please?"
Lenore shook her head and put a piece of gum in her mouth.
"Come on!"
"Nope."
Lester stopped the truck. He pulled a knife out from his left pocket and pointed it at Lenore. "If you're not gonna be any fun, then maybe I should just cut your eyes out right now! Turn you into one of them Jack-O-Lanterns!"
Lenore turned towards Lester, not saying anything, only chewing gum. Lester tried to look threatening, but his hand shook, betraying his face. She leaned towards Lester, who retreated back against his door, but held the knife at Lenore's neck.
She licked her lips and reached her hand out to touch his knee. "Who says I'm not gonna be any fun?" Lester froze, his breathing harder and his expression softened to a confused one. "Turn the truck back on, let's go see this brother of yours. Unless you want to stay here, and I can show you just how fun I can be."
Lester quickly put his knife back and started the truck up again. He didn't look over at Lenore who continued to stare him down and giggle the rest of the ride.
They soon pulled into a place called Ambrose. A true ghost town. The streets empty, no traffic and no sounds aside from the wildlife. They drove past building after building until they came to a church.
"He, uh, he'll be in here," Lester said, snapping himself out of a daze.
They got out of the truck and headed up the walkway. Lester pulled open the church doors and Lenore followed him inside. The church had a high ceiling and very dim lighting. Dozens of people sat with their heads bowed. A priest stood behind a coffin as a man knelt in front of it.
"Bo, you-you can cut that out! There's somebody here you need to meet!" Lester called from across the room.
The kneeling man turned to look at Lester, his face hard. He quickly got up and rushed towards the two. "Let's take this outside," He says, shooing them out the door.
As they stepped back out into the daylight, Lenore got a clear view of Bo's face. Handsome, square jawed and blue-eyed. His dark hair was slicked back and he wore a finely tailored black suit.
"You want to tell me what the meaning of all this is? Interrupting a goddamn funeral?" He asked, lighting up a cigarette.
"Bo, you can cut the shit. This is the chick we've been talking about!" Lester said, gesturing with both hands to Lenore.
"First of all, don't you ever fuckin' talk to me like that. Now what the fuck are you on about?"
"Bo, this is the person whose been leaving all those remains in the pit! I caught her in there this morning trying to do it again!" He said, a huge grin returning to his face.
Bo looked over at Lenore, the cigarette dangling from his lips. He scoffed. "Bullshit. Boy, Lester you are dumb enough to fall for any damn thing aren't you?"
"Dammit! Now I watched this lady snap a guy's neck like she was opening a jar of mayonnaise! I'm telling you this is the person we been wondering about!" Lester shouted, stomping his foot.
Bo looked at Lenore again, staring at her longer this time, sizing her up. "What are you? 200 pounds?" He asked, taking another drag from his cigarette.
Lenore cocked an eyebrow. "250 pounds," She answered.
Both boys showed surprise. Lester laughed. "250, no shit?"
She shook her head, frowning. "And?"
"And there's just no way you could've done what we've seen done. You probably get winded checking the mail, " Bo said, Lester wheezing out a laugh.
"I'd love to show you my method some time," Lenore said, her face calm, but her eyes on fire.
"Honestly Bo, I seen what she's capable of. She done chopped up a guy in less than five minutes! Sawed through bones like they was tomatoes," Lester explained, wide-eyed.
"Uh huh," Bo said, putting his cigarette out. "So what the fuck does this mean? What do you want from us?"
Lenore put her hands up in the air. "Ah, I'm here strictly because your lackey asked me to come. I don't see a point to any of this aside from the fact that we both know each other is up to some shady shit."
Lester shook his head. "Don't ya'll understand what needs to be done?" Bo and Lenore shook their heads. "Obviously we've got to start working together! With Lenore here, we ain't gotta wait for some dumb college fucks to get lost in the woods! Lenore can just do whatever it is she does and bring them back to us!"
"HUH?" Uttered both parties in disbelief.