I can't apologize enough for this being so very behind. Honestly, there is no excuse, I was putting it off on purpose. I got very upset about this chapter, but I know exactly what had to happen. I've known from the beginning. That didn't make this chapter any easier.
In the grand tradition of the Mac muse, this chapter ventured off into unknown territory and veered far away from my notes. That would be another reason this was so very late. I decided to split Day Four into three parts, not two as I originally planned, because this confrontation deserved to stand alone.
What happened is a bit unconventional compared to other chapters in the sense that this includes lyrics weaved into the action scene. I was very against this in the beginning, but it somehow just came into fruition. Songs included are Whore by In This Moment and Turning Violent by The Flaming Lips.
I will warn you that this is in no way the finale. I have at least one more chapter planned, possibly two. You know me, I finalize everything one chapter at a time so I will never know until I'm done.
I hope everyone who has stuck around likes what I've done, as hard as it may be. It's true to the story. Please let me know what you think, good or bad. It will definitely help speed things along if I know what everyone thinks.
I cannot stress enough how explicit and mature the following content is. This story contains language, violence, abuse, murder, and mutilation. Please heed accordingly.
Mutual Violent Control: this kind of violence may be what is thought of as mutual combat. It can be two parties using violence to control each other in a specific setting, or be more like two people attempting a kind of intimate terrorism with each other.
"It's fucking freezing out here." Aberdeen muttered.
Mac had already rolled his coveralls back up and was digging in his truck for a cigarette. He didn't reply.
Her jeans found their way back up to her rounded hips and she started searching the ground for her top. She found her bra by the driver's front tire well of Mac's old beater. The black lace was covered in red clay. "You couldn't keep it clean, could you?" She muttered and patted as much dust as she could off of the under garment and pulled her arms through the shoulder strap. The shirt was unsalvageable when she located it a few feet away from the truck by a rock formation. She sighed and decided to retreat to her Suburban to find a sweater.
On her way to the vehicle, she picked up the .45 that was earlier discarded. She opened the back door of the vehicle and pulled the safe out from under the driver's seat and put the gun back in its place before hiding the safe box again. Mac seemed otherwise preoccupied with something inside the confines of his truck cabin. She hoped in his drug induced state, he would easily forget the weapon and drop the topic. She resolved to forage through her bag for a new top.
Aberdeen vaguely remembered Mac's conversation with Devon. They were here for a purpose. Maybe the kids got lost. Mac said they had split up, probably another part of Devon's plan that was quickly unraveling around them. Regina was alone in the desert and, with any luck, she was coyote food by now.
This fact strangely comforted Aberdeen. She wasn't worried about the wild beasts, even with the mutilated body in her presence. The smell of death and blood would only draw them in, but Mac was nearby. She felt safe despite herself. She knew hours ago that Mac was supposed to kill her, but he hadn't. If she hadn't run when she did, Devon would have done the job for him. Her thoughts wandered to Harley, who was combing the other side of the desert. With any luck, he had found Devon and his girlfriend and half of their job was done.
"Want me ta start ye a fire? You can sit with yer boy over there." Mac snickered. She just realized she was shivering, having still not found a warm top.
"I'll pass." She sneered, grabbing the first sweater she found and shrugging it on. She was now cloaked in white and blue, horizontal stripes.
"Suit yerself. Yer cousin's late." He muttered. "Wonder what's keeping him..."
It took all of her strength to bit her tongue. The tears began to threaten the rims of her kohl rimmed eyes, but she blinked them away, drying her cheeks as undetectably as possible. "Maybe he found Devon?" She tried to sound as casual as possible.
"Doubt it. He should be free o' his college girl by now."
"That the plan?" She took a deep breath, shutting the door of the Suburban and turning to face him. He was leaning up against his truck. She tried to make out his figure but the only light they had was the full moon and the cherry bud of his cigarette.
"It was. We ain't exactly goin' by the plan now, are we?"
"I'm not sure. You never mentioned any of this shit to me." She scoffed.
"Ye weren't supposed ta be out here. That was Stan's idea. You were s'pose ta be at home, sleepin'."
She absorbed that information, trying to keep her emotions in check. "What's supposed to happen next?"
"Sorority girl's s'pose ta be next." He muttered. "She's the last one."
"Then what happens?"
"Nothin'. Devon gets Regina all to himself and we're off the hook."
"We?"
"Me an' my girl." He growled. "Devon gets what he wants. He always does. Had to get somethin' out o' this little deal."
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were being romantic." Aberdeen scoffed.
"'Bout as good as yer gonna git. Thought ye got used to it by now."
She rolled her eyes, desperately wanting to believe him. "You staying out here all night?"
"Gotta hold up my end of the bargain. Keep the old man happy."
"Want company?"
"Git some rest. Wake you up when the action happens." He smirked.
"Rise an' shine, bitch!" Mac hollered, grabbing Aberdeen's ankle and ripping her from the backseat of the Suburban in one quick motion, dropping her neck first onto the Utah desert.
"Mac, what the fuck?" She tried to pull herself up, propping her upper body up on her elbows.
"Should ask you the same God damn thing, conniving little cunt!" He screamed, throwing the open bag of her things in her face. Her clothes strewn across the desert as the bag had been opened. "You plannin' on fucking leaving me?"
"Mac, it's not like that." She pleaded, her eyes already filled to the brim with tears, a mixture of fear and anger welling up inside of her.
"Like hell it ain't. I look fuckin' stupid to you, bitch?" He growled, slamming the door of the SUV shut behind him.
"Want my honest answer?" She choked.
"Think yer real funny, huh?" He poised his leg to kick her, but she rolled over, instinctively covering her stomach so the tip of his steel-toed boot landed between her ribs.
"It's not what you think! Can I just say something?" She screamed. She pushed herself up to her knees, crawling a foot or so away from her attacker.
"Why bother? Waste o' fuckin' breath. Think you're tough shit, gonna fuck me and then fuckin' leave me?" He didn't put force into his next movement, merely placing a booted foot on her ass cheek and pressing with his weight. She fell back on her face in the dust. "Nobody leaves Mac."
"Where would I go?" She spat. "I don't have anything else, no where else to turn. You're all I have left, you made sure of that. Think I don't know that? I'm yours." She whimpered. Dust had kicked up, clinging in orange streams to the tears running down her cheeks. "I belong to you."
He paused for a moment, taking in her words. He let up, moving his leg and releasing his control of her body for a moment before his hand tangled in her hair and ripped her upright, flinging her back into the side of her car. His lips pressed against hers before she had a chance to breath.
She winced against the kiss, the pain in her back and the pulling at her scalp getting the best of her. His tongue snaked into her mouth, swirling around hers. Aberdeen could taste the bitter, noxious chemicals in his foul mouth. He was once again in the throes of a volatile drug fit, explaining his demeanor.
The hand not tangled in her long, tousled auburn locks snaked up her chest to her throat and locked tightly around her throat. "Say it ag'in."
"I'm Mac's girl." She rasped, her voice forced.
His hand released her throat, finding the collar of her now filthy sweater, ripping the material easily in his deft hands. He pulled the cotton fabric over her shoulder, looking entranced at the mark there. "God damn, right." He growled, placing a hand over her stomach, staring down at her.
That simple, involuntary action sent Aberdeen's mind racing. She wasn't in this alone anymore. There was a giant, life-altering mistake growing inside of her. Whether she let it consume her life or not, it was her decision. Mac wasn't going to let her live this one down. She had a decision to make.
She chose herself.
I'm the girl you've been thinking about
The one thing you can't live without
I'm the girl you've been waiting for
I'll have you down on your knees
I'll have you begging for more
She brought her knee up, hard and fast, connecting with Mac's groin, sending him doubling over in pain for a few seconds. He fell, howling as he dropped to his knees. It was enough time for her to wrench open the driver's side door to her right.
You probably thought I wouldn't get this far
You thought I'd end up in the back of a car
You probably thought that I'd never escape
I'd be a rat in a cage, I'd be a slave to this place
"Fuckin' bitch!" He growled, grabbing the back of her jeans and pulling her backwards, onto her back in the hard clay for the second time that day. He wasted no time straddling her hips and wrapping his hands around her throat. "Just full o' good ideas today, huh?"
You don't know how hard I fought to survive,
Waking up all alone when I was left to die
You don't know about this life I've led,
All these roads I've walked
All these tears I've bled
"Fuck you." She rasped, thrashing beneath his hips. She could feel his hard on growing, digging into her lower stomach. He was glaring down at her. She could barely make out his blazing blue stare from the sunlight, now high in the sky and fiercely hot against their skin.
So how can this be?
You're praying to me
There's a look in your eyes,
I know just what that means
I can be, I can be your everything
"Don't think I won't, Aberdeen." He sneered. "You're mine, I can do whatever the fuck I want." He applied more pressure to her already sore throat. The bruises from a few nights before were a painful reminder of how much she has had to endure. "Got half a mind ta fuck yer ass into the God damn ground and choke ye 'till ye quit fuckin' movin'. Leave yer sweet little ass for the coyotes."
She writhed beneath him, completely disgusted. She should have run when she had the chance. She was going to die in these canyons at the hand of her permanent aggressor. Deep down, she always knew this would happen.
"S'waste o' pussy ye ask me." He held her face, bruisingly tight, kissing her, hard. "Don't wanna lose ye. I'm gonna give ye the benefit o' the doubt. S'hot out. Ye ain't eaten. Yer dehydrated. Yer delirious." He observed. "Give y'a chance ta apologize t'ol' Mac."
I can be your whore!
I am the doll you created
I am your sin
I am your whore
But let me tell you something baby
You love me for everything you hate me for
"Sorry." She muttered under the weight of his grasp, her larynx nearly rupturing beneath his touch.
Mac seemed surprised, cocking his head at her before he replied. "Tha's m'girl." He snickered, shifting slightly on her hips.
I'm the one that you need and fear
Now that you're hooked, it's all becoming clear
That all your judgments that you placed on me
Was a reflection of discovery
The waistband of her jeans snagged on the dermal anchor in her left hip and tore, ripping the crystal stud loose from her flesh. Aberdeen screamed.
"Shut th'ell up!" He slapped her, clear across the cheek. Her face landed in the red clay beneath them. He gripped her hands at the wrists and threw her hands above her head. He had her completely pinned.
So maybe next time when you cast your stones
From the shadows of the dark unknown
You will crawl up from your hiding place
Take a look in the mirror
See the truth in your face
A shrill, feminine scream stopped them both in their tracks. The throws of emotion ceased as they both realized that the screams were close. They were no longer out there alone.
"S'about fuckin' time." Mac muttered, looking over the rock formations to see Terra stumbling upon their little camp. The vehicles were still shrouded by clumps of red clay and a steep hill. She didn't know they were there. "You stay put, sweetheart." Mac mocked, tapping Aberdeen's cheek and pursing her lips in his strong hand, pressing his lips to hers one last time. "Be right back."
Mac left Aberdeen there, rounding the corner and finding Terra in hysterics, screaming and crying erratically over Tom's mutilated remains. He quickly forgot Aberdeen even existed. "Well what do we have here?" Mac snickers. "Lost pussy? What? Did golden boy leave ye all alone?" He grabbed her face, kissing her roughly. She tried to push him away but Mac got the upper hand, flinging the girl to the ground easily. "Told that little bitch not to come here! Does he ever listen?"
"Don't touch me!" The brunette screamed, landing a sound punch to Mac's mouth. Mac spat up blood, noting that Devon's girl had loosened his tooth in the process. He proceeds to approach the girl, rolling up his sleeves. Terra jumps at him but he kicks her first, slapping her down to the ground. Terra managed to get up and tried to run, but Mac was too quick, catching her and dragging her back to him, holding her in a chokehold. "You're making me love you." He growled, pushing her to the ground.
You're making me fuckin' love you. Aberdeen's coherence was questionable at best. Those words alone resonated in her mind, spurring her to rouse herself, forcing herself up and forward to confront the monster who had captivated her here in this hell.
"You and your little friend. 'Cause all that matters is that at the end of the day, she wasn't the only one that got it." He kicked Terra's legs open. "That cave fucked us all." Devon's girl found a stick on the ground and managed to land another hit against Mac. She tried to make another escape, but once again, Mac was too quick. "Sick of this shit." He spat. Fists flew and Aberdeen had a hard time keeping track of which hand was whose. "You'll beg me, alright." Mac growled, ripping the girl's shirt off.
"You're not gonna do that to me!" Aberdeen screamed.
He stopped, turning his neck just enough so that he could see her. He spat again, more blood in the red clay, then ran the back of one filthy arm across his mouth. "Fuck you gonna do, girl?"
Turning violent
Tell me about it
Aberdeen's bright, sapphire eyes flit quickly between the two people in front of her. Terra had stopped her hysterics long enough to watch Aberdeen's calculating. It was time to make a big decision. "You really want her?" She asked, taking a few steps forward. Terra backed away, stepping closer to Mac. "Fucking have her." She growled, using all of her strength in her weak upper body to push the topless brunette into Mac's open chest.
Shocked by her actions, the two stumbled backwards and lost their footing, falling over the side of the canyon. They landed in a crumpled heap, right in front of Devon and Regina.
Turn, turn around
You aren't violent
Don't turn violent, turn