With the sun now risen over the Treasure State, Toki experienced rightful disappointment that they hadn't yet left the Northern Plains. He gazed at the scanty hills surrounding Billings outside the motel room, while Skwisgaar started his day with a cigarette.

"Since we needs to t'ink mores about money," Skwisgaar broke the silence, "how opposed woulds you be if I boughts a shitty guitar at a pawn shop?"

"Financiallys I don'ts really care, but I don'ts wants to listen to you playings all the times."

"Whats if I was considerates about it? It ams more abouts having somet'ing to do dan prackicing."

Totally empathetic toward how boring the car could get, Toki nodded. "Maybes wouldn'ts mind getting something for myself."

"You wouldn'ts want to plays de guitar?"

"Why woulds we both buy one, if I did?" Toki sidled up to the older man. "Wouldn'ts make much sense, ja?"

"What woulds you buy?"

"Don'ts know. Gots to see what's there, and all that." Courteous conduct on Skwisgaar's part heightened Toki's captivation threefold overnight. He saw every hour, due to how often he woke up to peer over at the other bed. As gratifying physical interaction with Skwisgaar was, Toki treasured these moments far more; anyone could sleep with Skwisgaar, but who did the man let get this close without that potential outcome? As result, Toki resisted the urge to kiss him when given a permissive glance. "Whats you think about finding some food, first?"

"I coulds get behind dat." Declination made Skwisgaar awkward. More than likely Toki emanated mixed signals after his confession back in North Dakota, but the upper hand supplied a giddy little thrill. "Really wouldn'ts mind somet'ing subskantials for breakfast. My stomach am a little upset after all de heinkeboigers."

"Sure. If you nots feeling good, maybes we buy some of that pink shits?" Toki grazed his fingers over Skwisgaar's stomach on his way back into the room. While he waited for the other man to match his level of readiness toward venturing out, he checked if Charles made a press release about their disappearance yet.

Skwisgaar gathered some clothes from the duffel bag he'd bought for himself in Fargo. "Anyt'ing?"

"Can'ts find it if there is."

"Outs of all de place we coulds be, what numbers on de list do you t'ink am dis city?" Rather than head in for the shower, Skwisgaar took a seat close enough for their hips to touch. Nice try; Toki could see from a mile away what he attempted. Skwisgaar never could stand being ignored, to whatever degree. "We ams, what? Nearlies twenty-five hundred miles away from Mordhaus, now?"

"Arounds there." Still, Toki wouldn't crack. "Ands in the middle of nowheres, far as I's concerned."

"You know whats would be crazy?"

"What?"

"If we gots fake ID, settleds down here, and saw how long it take for Charles to find us."

Toki scoffed. "Ja, that woulds be crazy."

"As I recall, its was your idea to possiblies not go back."

"When dids I ever suggest that?"

"Yesterday, in Chicago. Wonderings what we gonnas do if we go home." Skwisgaar laid back, propped up on his elbows. "Let's skip de possibility entirelys and just nots."

"Uhh. . ." Rather than grow excited at the prospect, as Toki assumed he would if the suggestion arose, he only swallowed his anxiety. "Maybes you should go haves your shower now, so we cans head to the restaurant."

No way would Skwisgaar ever so easily ditch his position as lead guitarist of Dethklok. Why else would he say that, then? All Toki could surmise was the challenge of getting into his pants. Surely, Skwisgaar would twist anything to get his way. Offended that Skwisgaar perverted his infatuation against him, Toki spoke only when necessary on their walk down the street. He stared into his coffee after they picked a place, and shifted his legs as necessary to thwart not-so-accidental contact between them and Skwisgaar's feet.

"Cans you quit that?" Finally fed up, Toki rebuffed his advances with a kick.

"Ow, dat was my shin!" Skwisgaar shot up on his side of the bench. "Fine, be dat way. Odin, you ams as tempkramentals as a lady on her period todays. What de hell ams wrong wit' you?"

"I's not tempspermentals, you are," Toki shot back. "I's sorry, though—"

"Screws you. I don'ts got de energy for someone so hots and colds, espesklies when I stucks way out here wit' dem. Lets me know when you backs to normal."

Toki deflated along with his dignity. Whatever Skwisgaar's intentions, he didn't deserve physical harm. Toki kept his gaze down as his plate arrived, glancing up as frequently as he could get away with. When he couldn't stand it any longer, he cleared his throat. "I really am sorries. I didn'ts mean to hurt you, Skwis."

"What de hell happen, anyway? Why ams you such a jerk, all de suddens?"

"I don'ts really feel like explainings it."

"Whatevers, den. Keeps you apolgesac."

With embarrassment or lonesomeness as his choices, Toki had to choose carefully. He hated how even with reservation toward Skwisgaar he couldn't resist catering to his emotional needs. "Why woulds you suggest that we nots go home?"

"Does it even fuckings matter, now?"

"Skwis, just answers the question, please."

"Why woulds you suggest it?" Skwisgaar turned it around. "Coulds it possiblies be dat maybes I'ms enjoyings myself? Coulds dat evens occurs to you?"

"I could sees for like a week or two, but indefinitlies? Since when doesn'ts you want to be in Dethklok no mores?"

"Who saids I didn'ts? De band will nevers be de band wit'out us, so dey ams going to catches up to us evenskallies. It ams just a game. What ams de big deal? Why woulds dat make you so pissy?"

"Thats is the parts I woulds rather not discuss."

"Fines." Skwisgaar dabbed the corners of his mouth with a napkin. "Be dat way. Pardons me, I needs to go to de restroom."

Face long, Toki stirred his cooling coffee. Couldn't Skwisgaar just understand? Toki already spilled his guts once, he didn't need to do it again. If Skwisgaar would sit still long enough, maybe they could maneuver around that.

The restaurant door slammed open hard enough to bounce off the wall, admitting a group of guffawing teenagers. No—men. Their voices were too deep to belong to kids. Annoyed, Toki looked up. Then, with all the colour draining from his face, he fought the urge to drop under the table. He obscured his eyes as alternative. No. All the way out here?

"Who was it?" Charles inquired when Toki's expression contorted into an unintended sneer.

"Pardons my language as I describes this guy. He was a totals asswipe dildo jack-off tits jerk douchebag. If Skwisgaar ever wanteds to up the ante on beings a dick, he woulds treat this guy likes his hero. His name was Ludwig Wikinger, and I mets him quite a few summers ago now, at the Rock-A-Roonie Fantasy Camp."

"What happened, there?"

"He nearlies killed me. I's diabetics, and he shoveds a whole bunch of cake down my throats. Then he broke something that was reallies important to me. He was just a miserables son of a bitch. I knew when Skwisgaar mentioneds we shoulds go to Billings that that name was familiars to me. And thats was why—I heards Ludwig braggings all the time abouts how much moneys his family had, and how he skinneds a bear to makes his ugly vest."

Thankfully unnoticed, Toki's heart rate somewhat resembled normal as Ludwig and his buddies chose to frequent a booth a couple down the line. How could they possibly exist in the same building right now? Fuck, fuck, fuck. . .

Skwisgaar slid back into his seat with a huff. "Cans you believe dem dildos? I coulds hear dem clear as day in de bat'room."

"We knows that guy."

"We does?"

"Don't look!" Toki whispered roughly when Skwisgaar made to peer over his seat. "He was ats Rock-A-Roonie withs me. He brokes my snow globe."

"Hey douchebag," Ludwig's deep voice resonated through the building as he addressed one of his friends, "pick up my spoon, you know my hand's shit for it."

"Fuck you—ow!" More guffawing. "Why'd you kick me in the fucking face?"

"Unleash the viking!" Every occupant in the restaurant pulled a face of disgust. The waitress approached with her lips pursed, but was cut off mid-request to lower their volume. "Whatever lady, bring us some coffee."

"I t'inks I remember him." Skwisgaar rolled his eyes. "Blond, right? T'inks he ams God's gift to de instrument?"

"Meaners than you, amazingsly."

"I'ms not goings to dignify dat wit' a response. You readies to leave, or whats?"

"Ifs we can sneaks out, ja."

Toki shook as he rose. Just like that, he retreated to the nervous mentality Ludwig evoked during his reign of terror. He concentrated on beelining past, gaze stuck to the cash register by the door. Unfortunately, he didn't see the piece of cutlery that neither Ludwig's friend or the waitress managed to pick up.

His diaphragm stuck as he slid flat onto his back. Guffawing turned his face red, then fear of recognition compelled him to rush back upright. Skwisgaar helped by brushing some dirt off his shirt. "Ams you okay?"

"Let's just gets out of here," Toki wheezed. As much as he'd love to pull Ludwig out of the booth by his hair and snap off the gimpy remnants of his left hand, Toki clenched his fists and leaned against the wall outside while Skwisgaar footed their bill. The man defied the expectation for further teasing by standing before Toki with crossed arms and a contemplative expression.

"I hopes you amn'ts going to takes dat to heart," he eventually stated, still stiff thanks to their earlier dispute. "You wants to get back to de motel, or dids you want to explore?"

"I don'ts really care—"

They both started as the restaurant door yanked open again. Much to Toki's dismay, Ludwig emerged on his lonesome. Toki cringed prematurely, bracing for a long-awaited, well-deserved beating.

"Skwisgaar Skwigelf, what the fuck're you doing in Montana?" Ludwig's gaze shifted to Toki, mouth widening into a cruel smile. "Oh and look, the diabetic tattletale. Thought I recognized you. What a clumsy faggot, huh Skwisgaar?"

The cold manner in which Skwisgaar regarded their intruder almost—almost—made Toki feel embarrassed for the pathetic attempt to impress. What he'd give, to clock this jackass a good one square in the face. "I t'inks you am mistaken about who we ams."

"Don't even try that. I don't give a shit about him, he's only trouble." Ludwig glowered at Toki. "But you and me, we're so alike. Well, we were, until this tattletale made it so that I can't play guitar anymore. . ."

He slipped his left hand deeper into his vest pocket. "So what do you say? There's a bar called Wooden Pints on thirteenth. My cousin owns it, and he'll give us as many free drinks as we want. No tattletales allowed. We'll meet there at ten?"

"Hm. Shore."

Toki had no idea how to fathom the degree of betrayal the older man just committed. When they rounded the corner, he shook Skwisgaar's hand off his shoulder. "What the fucks is wrong with you? You aren'ts really going to hangs out with that bully?"

"Pff, you jokings? I wouldn'ts be caughts in de same town as dat joke, if I didn'ts have de choice rights now." Skwisgaar scoffed. "You watch him tonights, he ams going to tell all he friend dat I ams going to be dere, and den he wills be all embarrassed."

"Goods for him." Embarrassment didn't seem nearly a bad enough punishment for all the bullshit Ludwig subjected Toki to. "And goods for you. Why don'ts you just go? Maybes you two deserve each other."

Skwisgaar jabbed Toki in the arm. "What de hells does you want me to do? Fucking hells Toki, I'ms on your side in dis and dat amn'ts good enough? Fucks you."

Okay, maybe Toki owed the older man a little more than a complete write-off. "Skwisgaar—"

"No, I's hads it up to here—" Skwisgaar held his flattened hand against his forehead, "—wit' you today. I ams goings to take de high road by nots goings tonight to spites you, so I hopes you can appreskate at least dat. But I stills don't wants you talkings to me until you'ves wiped all de blood out of you panties. Maybes we stop at de drug store on de way back to de motel and picks up a box of tampoons for you. Woulds dat help? Oh, or some Midols and chocklates! Hey, don'ts walk away from me, I's talking to you!"

Toki owed utter humiliation more than anger to his lowered head. A lump in his throat and prickling eyes made it impossible to face the other man. He thought he'd left this brand of miserability back at Rock-A-Roonie. He wasn't a regular jack-off dildo, but apparently whenever the shield of fame lowered he had no worth left to speak of. Fuck this day, and fuck this stupid place.

He retreated into the bathroom upon return to the motel. When Skwisgaar let himself in a few minutes later, Toki ran the shower in order to obscure his true activity. Skwisgaar probably knew what happened, but damn if Toki was going to admit it. And Skwisgaar could eat his fist if he had the gall to say anything.

Toki left that part out of his testimony. Even nine months later and with Ludwig six feet under, he still couldn't escape mortification. "Me and Skwisgaar didn'ts talk much the rest of the day. He was civils enough to brings me back dinner when he rans out to get some. So much for checkings out Billings, although our stops was more abouts resting than any real exploration. We weres both itching to gets back into mountains, or at least something differents than all the flat fields we'ds been looking at."

"Ludwig Wikinger was the second murder victim following Betty Manes, the woman that the defendant accidentally choked to death. How did this come about?"

Toki chewed on his bottom lip, stalling. After all the bullshit life shot in his face, he deserved some form of retribution. He'd already earned so much punishment, and for what crimes? Crimes he'd even had yet to commit. "The thought cames to me when I gots back to the room, and it wouldn'ts let me go. I tolds myself, if Skwisgaar goes, I'll sucks it up and leaves it alone. But ten o'clock cames around, and Skwisgaar had fallens asleep. So. . .I tooks the car keys and snucks out past him."