Chapter 6
I dragged the screaming banshee by the scalp down the stairs and through the murky water into the basement. My body was pumping with pure adrenaline and I was ready to unleash some of that pent up rage. I hoisted the girl up onto the table and proceeded to strap her down, Tommy standing in the shadows, watching me with intriguing eyes.
"Please, God, no! Somebody help me!" I reached up and roughly grabbed the girl by her jaw, my eyes glaring daggers into her terrified blue orbs.
"You had better make peace with whatever demons you have left because you won't be alive for much longer." I seethed, watching the tears helplessly cascade down her cheeks. She whimpered as I finished strapping her down to the table, now reaching over to the workbench for some duct tape. I taped her mouth shut, reveling in her silence. I walked over to the wall of instruments of torture, my amber eyes scanning the wall to pick out which one to use on my new playmate. Tommy took a step forward, his giant hand coming into view to rest upon a gutting blade. I gave an eerie smile as I looked over at him.
"Nice choice, Tommy." I grabbed the blade off the peg, watching it glimmer under the small amount of light in the room. I turned to the girl and watched her eyes grow wide with horror. Her muffled cries of terror were music to my ears as I used the blade to trace her delicate tan skin. I felt the baby move and stretch himself out from his nap as he could sense the smell of live meat within his reach. Don't fret, little one. Dinner's coming. I reached across the table to take the girl's shirt in my hands and ripped it in two, exposing her bare skin underneath. Beautiful...A sick smile crept across my face as my fingers caressed her stomach and chest, her heart thumping rapidly against her chest cavity.
"Your heart will nourish him well. I thank you for your generous donation." I suddenly grabbed the blade and plunged it into her side, ripping it across her abdomen. Her body began convulsing as her intestines spilled out onto the floor as she slowly died, her eyes rolling around in her skull. She finally laid limp as I took the blade and opened up her chest cavity. Reaching inside, I disemboweled her heart, liver, and stomach with immaculate precision. Tommy stood behind me, watching me with curious eyes as I placed each organ on the workbench behind me. I turned to him and smiled, moving some of my short locks away from my eyes.
"She won't be a problem for us anymore. Have Uncle Monty burry her out back. I'm taking these upstairs for storage. I'll be back soon." I said as I gathered up the freshly harvested organs. He gave a simple nod of his head as he approached me. I glanced up at him with a curious expression, watching him stare at me with those soulless black orbs of his.
"M-Max...do g-good job. T-Tommy proud…" I smiled and stood on my tip toes, my lips pressing against his non-existent ones.
"Thank you, baby. That means the world to me." I walked past him and up the stairs into the main part of the house, the creepy smile still plastered onto my face. Uncle Hoyt lifted his head up from where he was standing at the end of the staircase and smiled.
"Well I see somebody had a good time." He said with a chuckle as I walked over. I nodded my head and made my way upstairs to my room. Once I stored the meat inside the deep freezer, I grabbed what was left of the lungs I had acquired. I looked to see Uncle Monty had also installed a microwave along with a small round dining table and chair. Perfect. Now I can get some peace and quiet. I popped one of the lungs into the microwave and waited for it to heat up. Beep, beep, beep. I sat down at the table and began eating, grabbing the pitcher of blood Mama had brought up and pouring myself a glass. I took a few sips and felt the baby stretch and move about in happiness. After finishing my meal, I headed for the bathroom for a shower. I stripped off my clothes and turned on the shower, adjusting the temperature accordingly. Stepping into the tub, I sighed contently as the hot water soothed my sore, aching muscles. I reached down to turn off the water after washing my hair and body. I then realized I forgot to grab a towel from the closet before coming into the bathroom.
"Fuck." I muttered to myself as I pulled back the shower curtain. I let out a huff of air as I stepped out and slowly walked over to the door. I poked my head out and saw Dr. Owens walking down the hallway towards the staircase.
"Hey! Um, I forgot my towel." I spat out, my face turning ten shades of crimson. He also turned red as he shyly walked to the closet and grabbed a towel and quickly passed it to me. He turned back around as I closed the door and wrapped the towel around my head to dry my hair. After drying off, I wrapped the towel around my body and cracked the door to see the doctor nowhere in sight. I let out a sigh of relief and quickly darted to my room, thankfully no one was watching. I opened up my suitcase and pulled out my black and red plaid skirt, black slim fitting tank top, dog collar, arm warmers, and knee high combat boots. I grabbed one of the purses that I had collected from my many female victims and dumped out the piles of makeup out onto the bed. I put on red eyeshadow, black eyeliner, mascara, and red lipstick. I found some silver hoop earrings and put them in my ears and took a look in the mirror. Whoa. I looked good. I smiled to myself before making my way over to my nightstand. I opened up my pill bottle and took out one of my pills, grabbing my glass of blood from the fridge from earlier. I swallowed the pill and began to head out of my room, the metal ring on my collar jingling as I bounced down the stairs. I walked into the dining room and saw Mama putting supper on the table. Perfect. Just in time. Uncle Hoyt took one look at me and his eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Lookin' sharp, baby girl. Feelin' ok?" He asked as I took out a glass from the cupboard. I opened the fridge, taking out the container of blood and pouring me a glass.
"Feeling better than I have in awhile." I answer as I take my seat at the table. Uncle Hoyt smiles and shakes his head as Mama began serving the food. After dinner, Dr. Owens announced he was taking his leave for the evening. He turned his attention to me and smiled.
"I'll be back later on this week. If you need me before then, just call me." I got a look on my face as I reached up and scratched the back of my head.
"Um, now that you mention it, I actually need your number again. I sort of...lost the first copy you gave me." I admitted, now embarrassed. He chuckled and quickly retrieved his pen from his shirt pocket. Mama gave him a napkin as he scribbled his number down on it. He passed it across the table to me and I took it. I stuffed it in my bra and nodded my head towards him to thank him.
"You look very lovely tonight, Max." He then proceeded to get up from the table and take his leave. I sat there, blushing from ear to ear. Uncle Hoyt looked me over, a smile stretched across his face.
"You alright there, sugar? Nicholas didn't hit a nerve did he?" I didn't respond but I simply stood up and retreated to my room. Why did that effect me so bad? He was a normal human being. Well, he was in cahoots with serial killers so he wasn't exactly what you'd call "normal". I shook my head as I turned on my T.V. to distract myself from my own thoughts. It was left on the news channel from the last time the television had been turned on. The banner across the bottom of the screen read: "MAXINE HEWITT PRONOUNCED DEAD AT TEXAS HOSPITAL" Wait, what?
"Authorities have pronounced notorious serial killer Maxine Hewitt dead in Texas by local authorities. Dr. Nicholas Owens who examined Ms. Hewitt said she sustained severe blunt force trauma to her face and head from a pick axe, causing bleeding of the brain and ultimately her death. Ms. Hewitt was found guilty of murdering at least 22 people and had been sentenced to life in prison but had managed to somehow escape and eelud authorities. The FBI has said that the announcement of her death is a huge sigh of relief for all of her victims and their families."
That reminded me of the girl I had killed earlier that week that Uncle Hoyt said he had "taken care of". They just saved my ass...A stray tear fell down my cheek as I quickly wiped it away. Damn these pregnancy hormones! I stood up and began pacing my room, my thoughts firing off like lightning bolts inside my head. I was in the clear. I was free to have my baby. So why was I so uptight? I took a deep breath and sat back down on the edge of my bed and ran a hand through my hair. I looked up to see Tommy standing in my doorway. He was looking at me with a wondering expression as he studied me close. I stared back, my amber eyes fixated on his soulless black orbs.
"Tommy…" I called out softly, hoping to break the grueling silence between us. He did nothing but stare at me as I stood my ground, my hands trembling. Fuck! What is wrong with me?! I'm a free woman so why am I so on edge?! Tears then began to make their way down my face as I whipped around to keep Tommy from seeing me. I gave a nervous chuckle as I wiped my face with the back of my hand, mentally cursing myself out for being so weak.
"Don't worry, Tommy. J-Just go back downstairs. I'll meet you down there. Go on." I received no verbal response from him for several minutes but heard retreating footsteps as I gave a sigh of relief. I grabbed one of the mason jars on my shelves and threw it against the opposite wall and let out a feral scream, alerting the entire house of how upset I had become. I walked over to my bed and sunk down onto it, my face buried into my palms. What the hell is going on with me? Why am I acting this way? I decided right there that I needed to do something that had needed doing for a long time. I stood up and walked over to my fridge and opened it up, snatching the cooler and thermos that were stored inside, making sure I had plenty of refreshments on hand. I walked downstairs and into the living room where Mama was ironing Uncle Hoyt's pants. Uncle Hoyt and Uncle Monty were sitting on the couch reading the newspaper when I walked in, looking rather flustered and hot under the collar. Uncle Monty looked up as his eyebrows knitted together.
"You alright there darlin'? You don't look too good." This caught Uncle Hoyt and Mama's attention as they too looked towards me as I stood in the threshold of the doorway. I took a deep breath to try and calm my nerves as I shifted my weight from foot to foot.
"I need to go to somewhere far away for awhile. Not for long, just for awhile. I want to take care of something. Got somebody back home I wanna...take care of." Uncle Hoyt got a look on his face as he stood up.
"Whoa, whoa, now hold on there, just a second, baby girl. Now, I know you're in a frenzy and all but we've gotta keep this thing contained. If we go outside of our area, police are gonna go sticking their noses where they don't belong." He explained as he slowly approached me, placing his hand on my shoulder. An eerie smile crept onto my face as I stared into his eyes.
"That's the beauty of it, Uncle Hoyt. He's a nobody. Garbage. Nobody on the face of this planet would miss him when he's gone, not even the rodents. I promise. I'll make it quick. I'll be in and out. Just let me do this one thing and then we can come back for good." I begged as I gave Uncle Hoyt the old puppy dog eyes. Uncle Hoyt stared at me for a moment before letting out a huge sigh of relief.
"Fine but we're not going to be gone no more than a week and Tommy stays here." I smiled and hugged his neck as he hugged me back. Uncle Monty stood up and looked at me with curious eyes.
"So who is it you're going after, baby girl?" I looked over to him, the setting sun causing my amber eyes to burn orange.
"My step father." I answer with a sick smile. An hour passes and I have my bag packed and ready to go for the trip. I go downstairs and slide open the basement door, walking down the stairs and through the water to see Tommy playing with an already dead toy on the table.
"Tommy? Can I talk to you for a minute?" I called out as he tore a limb off and threw it in a nearby bucket full of severed limbs. Tommy stopped what he was doing and walked over to me, looking down at me. I wrapped my arms around his waist, giving him a small smile.
"Listen, I don't want you to worry but I have to take care of something far away so I'll be gone for about a week. But I promise I'll come home to you ok?" He gave a slow nod of his head and slowly put his hands over my stomach, feeling our son sleeping soundly.
"M-Max careful...with baby…" He spoke as he rubbed my belly with a tenderness I had never seen before. I smiled softly and laid my hand on top of his hand in reassurance.
"You have nothing to worry about. We will be fine. I'll be back in a week. Hold the fort down while I'm gone, ok?" He nodded his head as I took my leave out of the room. I met Uncle Hoyt downstairs who already brought down my suitcase.
"Ready to go, sugar?" He asked as I walked over. I looked around to make sure I had everything I needed.
"Oh, wait! I almost forgot!" I dashed to the basement and hurried back up to the foyer to reveal I had almost left behind my very important Axel. I raised my chainsaw up to inspect it closely to which I saw had fresh blood splattered on the cold steel chain.
"Now how could I leave to go kill someone and forget to take you with me?" I gave it a small kiss on the handle, seeing Uncle Hoyt chuckle and roll his eyes.
"Killers and their toys…let's ride, baby girl." I followed Uncle Hoyt out to the car and packed my suitcase and cooler stuffed full of meat into the trunk. I put Axel on the back floorboard in the backseat under some blankets to conceal him from suspicious eyes. I waved bye to Mama and Uncle Monty and glanced at Tommy who was barely noticeable from where I was standing. We locked eyes one last time before I climbed into the car and shut the door. I put on my seatbelt and took a few gulps of my drink Mama had handed me before I walked out the door. She said it needed to be fresh. Uncle Hoyt got in the driver's seat and roared the engine to life as he stole a glance from me.
"You sure you wanna do this, sugar? You know, in your...condition?" I gave Uncle Hoyt a smug look as he smiled back at me.
"Alright, alright. You win. Let's go." I smiled back as we got on the road, the cover of night shielding us from any other passing vehicles and from the sweltering heat. We were headed back to my home state of Georgia. The drive was going to be long and rough but it was going to be well worth it in the end. I felt my baby boy begin to stretch and gnaw on his toes in a desperation for meat. Hang on, little guy. Mama's got you covered. I reached down into the floorboard and grabbed the cooler, pulling it up into my lap. I opened up the lid and picked out a spare kidney I had harvested about a couple days ago that was still quite fresh. I took a bite out of it and turned to Uncle Hoyt who kept his eyes on the road and paid no attention to the serial killing pregnant cannibal sitting beside him.
"It's best if we keep driving….no overnight stops in between. I'll drive too if you need to sleep some. We can't risk someone recognizing my face….even if everyone does think I'm dead."
"You heard about that, huh? That was Dr. Owens' quick thinking. In my opinion, I think he's taken quite a shine to you, baby girl." He replied with a slight smirk. I let out a huff of air, shaking my head as I stared out the window.
"I mean, he's nice and all...I appreciate what he's done for me but he's nothing more than…" I stopped myself because I couldn't bring myself to say the word. I haven't had a so called true "friend" since the day I was born. Could he really be a friend to me? Uncle Hoyt looked over at me and placed his hand on top of mine.
"Why don't you finish your dinner and take your pill? We'll finish this conversation later when you're feeling better." He suggested while petting my hair softly. I sighed heavily and nodded, taking another bite of my meat. I ate in silence as we drove down the long dark road with no other cars in sight for the last half hour. After finishing dinner and taking my pill, I laid my head back on the seat and rested my eyes, soon falling asleep. I awoke several hours later to the sun coming over the horizon. I yawned, stretching my arms out in front of me. Uncle Hoyt looked over at me and smiled.
"Oh, you're awake. I thought you were gonna miss seeing this lovely view of the Mississippi River." He joked as I rubbed my eyes. I sat up and looked out my window to see the clear blue water look orange under the glow of the rising sun. I kicked my feet up onto the dashboard as I pulled out my trusty old iPod out of my new purse I had acquired. I kicked back and relaxed with some music as we traveled until it got dark, now getting close to the Alabama border. One more state to go and we'll be back home. Uncle Hoyt pulled the car over on the side of the road and grabbed a gas can from the trunk to fill up the car while I decided it was now or never to go relieve my bladder. I made sure I had my trusty switchblade on me just in case I ran into any trouble. I ducked behind some bushes and did my business, watching for any signs of human life around me. I was in the clear. Sighing with relief, I hoisted my underwear back up and fixed my skirt as I made my way back to the car. Uncle Hoyt was in the driver's seat and ready to go. I climbed in and we took off down the road. After about another thirty minutes, Uncle Hoyt then made a turn into a motel parking lot. My heartbeat quickened as I shot him a look.
"What the hell are we doing here? I thought I was pretty clear when I said no overnight stops." I bellowed, my voice now starting to rise in anger.
"I know you did, sugar, but you can't drive all day and all night. You need your rest. And if I'm going to keep driving, I need my rest too. It's just for the night. We'll be there tomorrow, I promise you. Now let's go get checked in." He replied and put the car in park. I sighed heavily with frustration and pinched the bridge of my nose. Uncle Hoyt got out and went inside to deal with getting us a room while I sat in the car. I felt the baby move and stretch as if reminding me that it was dinner time. I reached down onto the floorboard and grabbed the other kidney from the cooler, taking a quick look around to make sure there were no gawking eyes staring at me. I bit into it hastily, feeling him stretch and coo in happiness. Wait...Did I just hear him coo? I then remembered Dr. Owens telling me I would start hearing him speak telepathically to me. Hey there, buddy. Can you talk to Mommy? I got no verbal response, only coos and giggles. I guess that part comes after. Uncle Hoyt came back out to the car, interrupting my little moment.
"Alright, honey, I got us a room. You'll have to sneak in though. Your best bet is to leave your little buddy in the back. Don't want nobody gettin' suspicious." He said, referring to my chainsaw. I nodded as we drove around the motel to the side of the building with our room number. Room number 13. Some killers have all the luck. Uncle Hoyt got out first and unlocked the door and opened up the trunk, taking in the suitcases, keeping an eye out for any suspicious characters. So far, so good. After everything was brought in, Uncle Hoyt nodded his head towards me as I slowly opened the car door. I climbed out, keeping my head down low. I hurried inside as Uncle Hoyt shut the door behind me. Phew. Nobody saw me. I took a seat on the edge of the bed, moving some of my hair away from my eyes, watching Uncle Hoyt unhook the phone jack from the wall. We took some extra precautions such as leaving the T.V. on all night and putting that little sign on the outside of the door that read "Do Not Disturb". After getting a shower and some much needed sleep, we were back out on the road before the sun started to rise. I felt my stomach roar with hunger and the baby coo at me, telling me it was feeding time. I hope you like your meat cold, baby boy. Ain't got much of a choice right now. I reached into the cooler that sat between my legs and grabbed ahold of a nice plump heart. I began eating, Uncle Hoyt never taking his eyes off the road. After finishing my breakfast, I cleaned myself up and reached in my purse for my daily dose of medication. Uncle Hoyt nudged my arm as I looked up to see the big "Welcome to Alabama" sign on the side of the road.
"We're almost there, sugar. A couple more hours and your step daddy will be singing like a canary." He said with that famous Hewitt smirk. I smirked back as I popped the pill into my mouth, taking a sip of the warm blood that was in my thermos.
"I'll make him do more than just sing. I'll make him wish he had never been born." I replied with a smirk more sinister than I had ever given anyone. Uncle Hoyt chuckled and ruffled my hair as we kept on driving. Immersing myself in my music, I relaxed as my medication worked it's magic in keeping my emotions under control. It wasn't long before we finally crossed the Georgia state line. A surge of adrenaline rushed through my veins as I could feel the big moment drawing closer with each passing second. We followed the signs for Atlanta, the sun starting to go down over the horizon. There it is. That dump of a hell hole. We made it into the downtown area, people bustling around, everyone too busy with their own lives to even notice us. Uncle Hoyt stopped the car on the side of the street next to an alleyway and watched the people with amazement.
"It's like we're not even here…" He mumbled, his eyes glued to the walking sacks of meat outside. I gave him a smirk as I slowly turned my head to look at him.
"That's city folk for you. Too busy with their own lives to even give you the time of day. Do you know how many people get killed in Atlanta on a daily basis? The police in this town don't even bother with funerals anymore. Too many bodies are piling up in the county morgue. Now...to find that sack of shit. And I know exactly how to find him." I climbed out of the car and made my way down a seemingly abandoned alleyway. Upon closer investigation, homeless people and junkies lined the brick walls of the apartment buildings that stood there. I approached a group of them who were gathered around a burn barrel, all bunched up together to keep warm, despite it being 85 degrees outside. They must be coming down off heroin. They were talking amongst themselves and didn't really seem to notice my presence until I cleared my throat. One of the men looked up and smiled a toothless grin. I held back a grimace frown as I reached up and moved some stray hair away from my eyes.
"Well hello there, beautiful. What's a pretty young thing like you doin' in this part of town? Lookin' for a good time?" He asked, his eyes scanning my body like I was a piece of meat. Sick fuck. I kept my cool as a sweet, charming smile swept across my face.
"Maybe later. Listen, I'm lookin' for someone. Someone in particular. Know where Daniel's hiding at?" He gave me a look before shaking his head.
"Sorry, sweetheart. Haven't seen 'em." The smile that was on my face was replaced with a scowl as I approached the man, now getting into his personal space.
"We can do this the easy way...or...the hard way...it's really up to you." I seethed as I pressed my blade into his inner thigh near his groin area. The man swallowed hard and began sweating profusely as he quickly nodded.
"Alright...alright. I'll take you to him. Right this way." He began walking down the alley, me hot on his trail. I looked back at Uncle Hoyt's car to see Uncle Hoyt was no longer in the car, but silently following me with Axel in hand. I smirked to myself and turned back around, keeping my cool as we walked further into the darkness. We stopped at a door to a building as the man knocked three times. The door cracked open, a pair of eyes peeping out the small opening.
"This woman needs to see Daniel. It's important." The junkie stated as the door was fully opened. We walked inside and down a couple of hallways before entering a large room lined with filthy mattresses and tents. It smelled of body odor and of hard drugs and it made me severely nauseous. The junkie approached one of the tents and smacked it a couple times. The zipper on the tent came undone as a rough looking bum came flying out, not looking the least bit pleased. All my senses came unhinged. It was him. I felt my blood turn to fire. I was ready to rip him to shreds...