Once again, mot really Texas Chainsaw Massacre as mentioning it. Stars two of my OCs, yet to make their debut. A story that got me into a writing contest.

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"Poke it."

I looked up at my companion with an open mouth. On any other day, I might have, if I had a stick and it was daylight. Now...I don't think so.

If you found yourself in the middle of a swamp, suspended by a fallen tree, with noxious swamp gases billowing up around you (honestly, it burns your nose), not to mention random floating body parts, would the best thing you suggest to your best friend be to poke a disembodied head?

Baron looked a bit taken back. "What?" she asked, her head cocking to one side like a curious puppy. I shook my head and returned my gaze to the swamp. A mauled arm bobbed by like a little plastic boat in a bathtub. I grimaced.

"I often wonder," I said slowly. "Why am I stuck with the crazies."

"Are you saying I'm crazy?" Baron asked, hiding a small smile.

"No, I'm not," I replied defiantly.

"Yes, you are."

"Yes I am." I paused briefly. "You're not like the other crazies."

She looked at me. "What do you mean?"

"Well, take our brothers for example. Drayton's a cook and he makes chilli out of human meat; Vilmer's got a freakish bionic leg; Tech's got a hook for an hand and he tags us all, like we're animals or something; Alfredo's got a weird eye and a speech problem; Tommy--!"

"No, Jack, calm down," Baron interrupted. "Let's not talk about our demented family and their cadillac chainsaws and their fancy trucks."

I threw a rock into the swamp, causing a small wave of toxic water to ripple throughout the surface. "Wait...are you insulting me?"

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "No." Baron shook her head slightly. "Why are you so negative?"

I shrugged. There was a moment's silence. "What if you could go back in time?" I asked thoughtfully.

"I wouldn't want to," she said softly, picking at a bit of bark on the tree.

My head shot up. "I thought you always wanted to go back in time. To sail the seas on a great big ship. Back when it wasn't owned by anybody." I waved my hands for drama.

Baron laughed softly at my antics. "I changed my mind," she concluded simply. "What if I did go back in time? What if I got stuck? I'd die before you or Bill or the Sawyers or the Hewitts were even born. If I was reincarnated, I still would have never met you ." I patted her arm sympathetically before she continued her rant. "I'd be on the street, just like before you an' Bill found me. People don't change. Did you know that? They don't, Jack. Did you know when you're reincarnated, your personality barely changes? Kinda facinating."

"Are you alright?" I asked, concerned. "You look like you're gonna cry." I watched the younger woman's eyes water and spill over with tears. I blinked several times and relised something: I've seen Baron cry a number of times, but she's never seen me cry. I had cried before, but that was only around my [adoptive brothers and sister. Minorly embarrassing, but I digress. I had cried even more before I met them. Back when I still lived with my parents. That's another story, though.

"I noticed something," Baron ranted coincidentally. "I never appoligized for your eye. Tommy went crazy! I mean, how worried can you get?"A bit of laughter broke through. "Pretty much everyone lost their minds that day! Like I said--"

I cut her off, annoyed, "I'm alright. I'm fine. I've dealt with it, I've coped with it, I've run into walls..." Baron giggled. I cast a glance at the rapidly darkening sky. "We should start going home now."

Forgetting the fact we were in a truly disgusting swamp, we both stood, somehow causing the log to over balance and throw us both into the water. I surfaced quickly, covered in swamp goo and decomposing body slime, coughing and sputtering. When I opened my eyes (eye, rather) I found myself face-to-face with the very head I'd been dared to poke.

Our screams echoed dully through the forest along Route 17.