A/N: Hello and welcome to the new chapter of Dangerous Men, Dark Deeds. I'm not going to say much other than the usual tripe of "Sorry about the wait...blah, blah, blah...don't read this if you're squeamish...blah, blah, blah..." In any case, I am running out of ideas, so if you've got requests/ideas/etc. feel free to let me know... Hope you like this one because it was a fair headache to write.
Disclaimer: I don't own Simon Says. Do you think I'd be writing a fanfic if I did? Didn't think so... All other copyrighted material is listed at the bottom as usual.
As a great actor once said:
"It is a laser capable of emitting a beam of pure antimatter..."
Etherean shrugs and replies, "I guess we'll just head back up to our camp..." She then hops off the cot, hisses in pain and jumps back up. Stanley immediately rushes over to check on her injury and, after inspecting and rewrapping it, he looks up at her and says in a no-nonsense tone, "You're a-gonna hafta stay here for a week or so...I wanna see ya get healed right..." Groaning, Etherean flops back on the cot and mutters a sulky sounding "Fine..."
Kidonia chuckles ad shakes her head, "Don't worry, I'll get your personal stuff and bring it down for you." As she starts walking out, Simon rushes to catch up and impulsively grabs her hand. When she turns to look at him, he tugs her in the opposite direction and hits the switch to open the door to his and Stanley's room. He walks into the room and Kidonia follows him curiously, looking around in wonder at the large, strangely decorated chamber. Simon goes to sit on the queen size bed on the right side of the room while she is distracted. When she finishes gazing at the weapons hanging on the walls, she turns and sees him sitting on a sky blue sheeted bed and goes to sit next to him.
"So…" she begins, almost nervously, "This is your room?" Simon nods, softly amending her statement, "Mine 'n Stanley's…" Staring blankly at the wall in front of him, he musters up his confidence before asking, "D'ya-wanna-stay-too?" Kidonia turns to him and queries, sounding rather confused, "What was that?" Simon gulps audibly and says at a much slower pace, "I…I said…D'ya…wanna stay too? …Err…y'know, since yer friend is here an' all…" She reaches over, squeezes his hand reassuringly, and smiles before replying, "Sure…I mean, if you wouldn't mind…"
"Ya know…" Stanley says, walking into the room, his sudden entrance shocking them both. "We, uh, only have tha two beds," Here, he indicates the bed Kidonia and Simon are sitting on along with the blood red sheeted queen to its left. "An' the cot which Eth'll be occupyin' " Kidonia pauses in thought, shrugs, and responds, "Oh, that's alright, I'll just sleep with Simon…"
"W-What?" Simon splutters, a deep blush spreading across his cheeks. "Err…I meant share your bed…" Kidonia replies quickly, blushing as well, at the double entendre in her phrase, "If you don't mind, that is…I could just go back up to my campsite if it's not alright." Still blushing profusely, Simon utters a simple, "S'ok wit' me…" Kidonia's face lights up at this and she leans in to brush her lips against his cheek. As she opens her mouth to speak again, they hear a voice call out from the front of the shop. They both walk around to the stockroom that leads to the store portion of the building.
Simon motions for Kidonia to stay where she is and steps up to stand behind the counter. As the door swings shut, she sees four people talking to each other and hears Simon say, " 'Scuse me…" She doesn't want to upset him, so she strains to hear the conversation from her position.
In the front…
A girl with dark brown hair leans against the store counter, intentionally exposing the tops of her breasts, and says in a breathy, flirtatious voice, "Hi there, my name's Kate…" Simon, who is trying to keep his eyes averted, replies, " 'M Simon…" A buff, jock type grabs Kate's arm and pulls her away from the counter. "What're you doing?" He asks incredulously, "Can't you tell? He's a friggin' 'tard!" Simon's eyes blaze furiously at this and he expostulates in a steady voice, "I'm…not…retarded…"
At that moment, a young man with shaggy, dirty blond hair walks in. "Whoa…What did I miss?" He asks in a cheerful tone. Simon's eyes darken further and he quickly retreats into the stockroom. When the door shuts, he slams first his fist and then his head against the wall. As he reels back for another impact, Kidonia forces him to face her and she hugs him fiercely. He stands stock-still for several moments before slowly wrapping his arms around her, still breathing heavily.
Back in the front…
Stanley comes out after hearing the commotion and takes in the situation (scene?) before saying, "Forgive my brother, he's got good days and, uh, bad…" They all turn around, startled by his sudden appearance. "My name's Stanley, can I help y'all?" The jock type steps forward and engages him in a firm handshake. "My name's Riff…This is Zack," He points to the blond male, "Vicky," the blond female, "Ashley, " the Asian girl, "And—" Here the brunette steps up, batting her eyelashes, and says in the same flirtatious tone she used on Simon, "I'm Kate…"
"Well, we need directions to the camping area known as the Heathers and pay for these" Riff holds up two bottles of Jack Daniel's, "And for the gas." Stanley nods and, leaning against the doorway, he says, "Jus' head on up this here road an' follow it 'till ya get ta an empty campsite…"
Zack steps forward and says, "Hey, you've got a cooler around back, right? Mind if we go grab some beer or—" Stanley cuts in, glaring at him, "No beer." Shrugging, Zack moves forward as though to leave, but Stanley's arm slams against the opposite side of the doorway, effectively blocking the exit. Riff's eyes narrow and he steps forward threateningly, "That's it, man…" Zack grabs him and says, "Sorry, 'roids, ya know…" Riff pulls away and glares at him, but Zack mouths the words 'I have a plan…' to him. He points at the picture hanging on the wall. "Those must be your parents, eh? And you and your twin brother right? Dressed up as, uh, Billy the Kid, I bet? You know, they said, Billy the Kid, he killed like 19 men…"
Stanley's hand slips down and his eyes start to roll back into his head as he recalls murdering his parents, interspersed with images of his more recent victims. Vaguely, he hears one of the group in front of him ask, "Are you alright?" but he's completely immersed in the flashback.
In the stockroom…
"What happened out there, Simon?" Kidonia asks worriedly. He mutters something unintelligible into the crook of her neck. She grabs hold of the hair at the nape of his neck, forces his to look at her, and says firmly, "Tell me what happened." Simon looks into her eyes and then focuses on a point over her shoulder before murmuring half-heartedly, "Ya didn't say Simon Says…" She stares at him blankly for a few seconds and then starts laughing hysterically. When she gets her laughter under control, she replies, "Simon says tell me what happened out there…"
Begrudgingly, he relays the tale to her and her eyes darken considerably as he goes along. When he finishes retelling the events, Kidonia kisses him forcefully. As she pulls away, she snarls, "Don't you dare believe those idiots! Look at all the things you've made by hand, none of them could've thought of things like that." She smiles up at him and stage whispers, "Besides, the boys probably just jealous 'cause you're hot enough to distract his girlfriend…"
Blushing, Simon asks, "Ya think so?" She nods, wraps her arms around his neck and replies, "I know so…you definitely distract me…" She then brushes feather light kisses on his cheeks before giving him a brief, chaste kiss on the lips.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything…" Etherean says wryly, "but do either of you know where Stanley is?" Simon clears his throat and responds, "He's out there…" Kidonia queries, "How'd you know that?" He looks at her a utters a simple "Heard 'im"
"Oh, okay…" Etherean says before turning and walking, with the help of a pickaxe that she is using as a temporary cane, into the storefront. As she comes out, she notices the brunette, Kate, stroking Stanley's upper arm, trying to snap him out of his trance. Scowling, Eth stalks forward and flings Kate's hand off him. She turns to him and inquires softly, "Stanley, what's wrong?"
At her inquiry, his eyes open and he stares at her with a mixture of longing and wonder. When Vicky clears her throat, Stanley's gaze flicks up to her and he states, "Your money's no good here… Jus' consider it a gift." Riff rolls his eyes ad tosses $40 on the counter before saying "Keep the change" and almost storming out. Kate follows, but allows her eyes to rake over Stanley's figure again, completely oblivious to Etherean's death glare, before exiting. Ashley steps up and says indignantly, "This place is filthy…If someone called the health inspector, you'd be out of business!"
Stanley and Etherean glare at her, but before either could say a thing, Zack and Vicky push her out of the store saying, "Come on, doll, get in the van!" Stanley and Etherean share a glance at this. When he gets tapped on the shoulder, he turns to see Zack standing in the doorway. He proceeds to ask, "You got some Zig Zags? Double wide, smoke a fatty?" Stanley twitches before replying, "Ya know…smokin' can kill ya…Trust me…" Zack shrugs and says "We're all gonna die someday, might as well get high…" He then walks out with a dopey grin on his face.
Once they drive off, Etherean asks "What was with that trance-like state you were in?" At the same moment she put forth the question, Kidonia and Simon come walking out hand in hand. Simon stops and stares at Etherean at the same time that Stanley does. Stanley nervously ruffles his hair and says "It's sort of a…long story…" Simon tugs Kidonia's hand and jerks his head in the direction of the front doors. Nodding, she follows him outside and the start walking aimlessly.
Almost synchronously, Simon and Stanley tell Kidonia and Etherean the story of how they became murderers. When he finishes his tale, Kidonia asks, "Do you only use pickaxes or do you use other stuff as well? Have you ever used any of the weapons in your room to kill someone?" Simon gapes at her for a moment before replying, "Nah, we use all sorts o' tools…An', as fer yer second question, yeah…I have…" They continue to walk for a while in silence before Kidonia says, "I've got another question, if you don't mind answering it that is…"
Simon nods his acquiescence and Kidonia queries eagerly, "Have you ever used a cane sword?" He rubs the back of his neck and responds, "Once… but, uh, why'd ya ask?" Kidonia flushes lightly stares at the ground for a few moments, then says "I love cane swords, they're probably my favorite weapon of all time." Silence reigns again as they continue on their path. When they round a corner of the road that they were unintentionally walking along, Kidonia realizes that they are back at the campsite where she and her friends were staying.
Due to their silence, no one took notices of them until Enki barks and runs straight to Kidonia. Simon starts backing away slowly, unsure of how else to react. Despite being on the receiving end of an overly excited wolf's greeting, Kidonia notices and grabs his hand to stop his retreat. "Enki, enough!" She says forcefully, the wolf immediately responding to his owner's command. She stands up and shoots a reassuring look to Simon before she gets pulled into a bear hug by Mot.
"Where have you been? You disappear for hours and…wait a minute, where's Etherean? She said she was going to go find you…" Mot questions worriedly. Pulling back, Kidonia replies, "She did find me, she's alright…She's gonna be staying at Simon and Stanley's place for a bit, though, and so will I." Everyone looks like they're at a loss for words, so she adds, "Of our own will, so not a word about either of them forcing this on us."
Turning to him, Kidonia says, "I want you to stick around, Simon, so why don't you grab a branch or one of the dog toys in my truck and play with Enki while I go pack some stuff for me and Eth?" As he nods, she grabs his sleeve, pulls him close and whispers fiercely, "No pickaxes or dangerous objects, though." She then lets him go with a bright smile and walks over to the tents. Simon, who's looking a little shell-shocked, pats his legs and walks towards the tree line to get a stick.
Meanwhile, back at the Shop…
Stanley, who just finished telling Etherean about his past, is waiting with bated breath for her reaction. "Wow…" She finally responds, "I'd never have guessed that you didn't like Simon. You two get along so well now…" He shrugs before saying, "I guess ya feel diff'rent when ya ain't got nobody else ta call family…" A few moments pass in silence, during which neither of them seem to know what to say. Stanley casts a furtive glance at her and asks, "So…ya ain't gonna run screamin' or nothin'?"
Etherean grins and replies, "Nope, I like the strange and unusual…" Here she pulls the pickaxe necklace he made out of her shirt and pushes aside her hair to show the matching earrings. Stanley's eyes widen in surprise and he mutters a quick "Wait here…" before running off towards the back of the building. When he returns, he's playing with something small in his hand. He glances at Etherean and quickly looks away, a small blush flushing his cheeks.
"I was wonderin'…if, uh, well…would ya like ta be my girl?" He asks, stumbling over his words. After a few moments' hesitation, he extends his hand, offering her the silver ring resting in his palm. She gasps in shock, her gaze flickering between his eyes and the proffered ring. Sighing, she turns her eyes to the floor, staring at it as though it holds the answer to her problems. A puzzled, slightly worried expression finds its way onto Stanley's countenance. "I…Is somethin' wrong?" he asks, concerned.
"I really like you, Stanley, but it's just…well, I haven't had a boyfriend since I was a teenager." Confused, he queries, "Why not? Yer sure pretty enough…" Blushing at the compliment, she replies, "It's sort of a long story and it's rather sad, I don't know if you' really want to hear it. Nobody else ever seems interested and it's painful to recall…" Nodding, he says, "I told ya about my past 'cause I thought ya deserved ta know…'Least I could do is give ya my attention ta yours and I really do wanna know. Honest."
"Wow…" she murmurs, "Um, okay… Well, I was with this guy, Vincent, for 5 years. We had been talking about taking it to the next step, but, like things usually go when I'm happy, something went wrong…" Stanley scowls and asks, "Did he hurt ya? If he did, I'll make sure he meets his maker!" Etherean shakes her head and continues, "No, it's nothing like that! Besides, he's already dead." Stanley's expression softens at this and he puts his hand on her shoulder.
Somberly, she pushes on, "He…got into an accident. We were at my house and he said he forgot something at his place. He said he'd only be gone a few minutes while he went to go get it. He kissed me, told me he loved me, and was gone. I waited all night, but he never came back. I tried to call him, but his cell phone went straight to voicemail. I cried myself to sleep that night. The next morning, my mom woke me with the news…and a visit from the police. He had apparently clung to life long enough to tell the officer to make sure I got what he was going to give me. He also told him to let me know how sorry he was that he couldn't give it to me himself. The officer handed me a small jewelry box, inside of which there was a ring and a note. The note was basically him saying how much I meant to him, how much he loved being with me, and how sad he was when we were apart. It also said that he wanted to offer me his mother's wedding ring as a way of asking me to marry him…"
Etherean, who is now crying, shows him the ring, which she put on a necklace because it's not the right size. "I still have the note; I keep it in my journal…My journal! It's in the camp; I have to go get it!" She tries to get up, but Stanley pushes her back onto the cot. "Don' worry, I'll make sure ya get it…" After a moment's hesitation, he turns to leave, but Etherean grabs him and pulls him to her for a kiss. "Thank you…" she says when they break apart, "For listening and actually caring."
Elsewhere, with Kidonia and Simon…
"Oh, wow…" Kidonia gasps, "It's gorgeous… Can I hold it? Please?" Simon hesitates and pauses before saying "If…ya…really wanna, go ahead…" Grinning, she steps forward, lovingly caressing the length briefly and gives it a tug, pulling the blade from its disguised sheath. "It's in great condition; you must give it a lot of care." He shrugs noncommittally, murmuring, "Jus' regular maintenance…" Sighing dreamily, she runs her hand down the side of the cane sword. "Could you teach me how to use it?"
Simon nods yet again, but gently removes it from her grasp. "Not now, o' course… Need ta be gettin' back." Kidonia acquiesces and turns to grab the bag she dropped when she laid eyes on Simon's cane sword. "Let's get going then! The sooner we get back, the sooner I'll get to play with your cane sword!" As they head toward the shop, they are flanked by Enki and Deimos. Walking inside, they notice how curiously silent it is, so they go to the hospital-style room where Eth will be staying.
When they reach it, they both stare in shock at the sight of Etherean and Stanley kissing. They reluctantly separate, neither noticing Simon and Kidonia, and Stanley clears his throat to say "I'd better be gittin' if I'm gonna git yer journal 'fore nightfall…" He turns around, only to see Kidonia standing there, a small book in hand, "No need, Simon and I wound up walking up there, so I packed some stuff for both of us."
She walks over to Etherean and hands her the duffel bag she was carrying along with the journal, before following Simon back to the bedroom so they could deposit her stuff. When he opens the door, a silver blur shoots through and entering the room, they see that it was Enki, who is now lying on Simon's bed. "How…How'd 'e know which was mine?" Simon asks, staring at the 'intruder' making itself at home on the blue sheet covering his mattress. "I'd guess that it has something to do with the fact that everyone and everything has its own, unique scent…" Kidonia replies, "Looks like you'll have to get used to having two bed partners instead of one."
Confused, he looks over at her and queries, "What's that s'posed ta mean?" Smiling, she responds, "Normally, he sleeps nest to me, so I'm pretty sure he'll be curled up with us when we go to bed…" Stanley walks in at this moment, Deimos trailing behind him. He pauses with his shirt half off, realizing or perhaps remembering that Kidonia was there. "Doesn't bother me…" she says in response to his expression, but turns away to give him some semblance of privacy. After about a minute, she hears the squeak of bed springs and Stanley calls out, "Okay, you can turn around now…"
Upon doing so she sees that both twins are sitting, shirtless, upon their respective beds. She starts rifling through the contents of her bag, pulling out a t-shirt and a pair of loose fit sweatpants. She then picks up the bundle of cloth and walks out of the room, leaving the door cracked so she can get back in. When Kidonia walks back in, she's wearing the clothes she carried out of the room. As she closes the door, she sees that Stanley is under the covers of his bed, looking bemusedly at Deimos, who is curled up beside him. Simon, however, is still sitting on the edge of the bed petting Enki, who has moved to the foot of the bed.
Once she puts away her day clothes, she walks to the opposite side of the bed and slides under the cool sheets. Simon mirrors her action on his side of the bed and murmurs, "G'night." Smiling shyly, she responds "Night Simon…"
In the morning…
Kidonia drifts slowly awake, reluctant as she is to face the day; she nuzzles her head against the firm and warm pillow it is resting on. "Mornin'" Simon says softly, his hands gently playing with her hair. Turning her head so she can rest her chin on his chest, she stares up at him and asks wearily, "Do we have to get up?" A soft smile tugs at Simon's lips as he replies "'Fraid so… Stanley's already up n' about an' he'll be upset if we don' join 'im soon…" Reluctantly, she sits up, stretches and murmurs, "Alright…"
Looking at the foot of the bed, she smiles, seeing Enki laying there staring at her. "Enki, bag." She commands and, in response, he jumps off the bed and retrieves the bag, depositing it in her lap. Simon gets up and grabs a white thermal shirt from a dresser situated between the two beds. Glancing back at her, he sees her pull a fresh pair of jeans out. "I'll be out front when ya get done…" He states simply and walks out to give her privacy. Kidonia looks up as he says this and stares after him until he's out of sight.
Sighing, she mutters to herself, "Sweet AND sexy…how lucky can one girl be?" She then changes clothes, brushes her hair and pops a couple of breath mints in lieu of brushing her teeth. She then signals for Enki to follow her and leaves the room, making sure the door is securely latched before heading to the front. As she walks out, she sees a young girl conversing with Simon, Stanley, and Etherean. Curious, she makes her way over and stops when she reaches Simon's side. "So…Who's this?" Kidonia asks when there's a lull in their discussion. Stanley steps forward and responds, "Kidonia, this is Nikora. Nikora, this is Kidonia."
Smiling, Nikora steps forward, offering her hand by way of greeting ad says, "How ya doin'?" Kidonia reaches out and shakes her hand, replying cheerfully, "Not too bad, how about you?" They continue chatting amicably, that is, until Kidonia grabs hold of Simon's hand and smiles up at him. Nikora's expression sours as she sees this affectionate exchange. When she realizes that Nikora has been oddly silent, Kidonia looks over to her and sees the hateful expression on her face. "What's the matter?" Kidonia asks, befuddled. Nikora turns her face away and stalks out of the building without another word.
Still baffled, Kidonia queries, "What the hell did I do to piss her off?" Simon shifts uncomfortably before speaking up, "Ya were bein' affectionate…wit' me…" Kidonia shrugs and says "And what exactly is wrong with that?" Stanley coughs and retorts, "Nikora is, uh, very fond o' Simon…Now she sees ya as competition for Simon's attention…" Groaning, she mutters "Just great…I had to piss off someone who knows every inch of the land out here…"
Simon nudges her and says confidently, "She won' hurt ya… Me an' Stanley'll tell 'er not ta…" Nodding, she replies, "Well, thank you…that means a lot to me." He nods and opens his mouth to speak again when, suddenly, a service bell rings in the shop. Simon walks to the window to investigate and, after a few seconds, he turns around and says "Visitors…five of 'em…"
A few moments later, the new arrivals enter the building. "Hey…" A blond female says in an annoyed tone, "Tell us how to get to the Heathers." Scoffing, Etherean replies, "Think you could ask, maybe?" A young black man steps forward and asks in a light, friendly tone "Could you please tell us how to get to the Heathers? We'd really appreciate it." Smirking slightly, Kidonia says, "Just keep going up this road until your wheels hit the water, then you'll be there…" Both Etherean and Kidonia start chuckling and say synchronously, "Hope you guys have fun…"
"Um…thank you, creepily laughing ladies…" the young man responds before reaching out to shake their hands, "My name's Raven, by the way…everyone calls me Scooby, though…" Simon and Stanley step up next to 'their' girls, roughly shaking his hand in turn, saying in turn "Simon" and "Stanley." The girls roll their eyes and shake his hand firmly, but gently saying in a similar fashion, "Kidonia" and "Etherean." Smiling, Raven, AKA Scooby introduces the other people in his group. "The blond girl is Heather, the shy brunette is Lydia, the guy with no fashion sense is Alaric and this goofball, " here he slings an arm across the shoulders of a tall, skinny boy with auburn hair, "is Wybie…"
A perplexed expression finds its way onto Kidonia's face. "Wybie?" she asks incredulously, "Why do I get the feeling that's short for something horrible?" Rubbing the back of his neck nervously, he steps forward and replies "It's short for Wyborne…" Smiling lightly, Kidonia puts her hand on his shoulder and says "Not utterly horrible…it could be worse…" Nodding, he quietly turns and walks out, the rest of the group shrug and follow, waving goodbye as they go. After watching them drive away, Kidonia turns around and heads for the exit. As she walks, she calls out "Gonna go meditate, be back to make dinner…"
In the woods…
Riff and his friends are sitting around chatting after spending the day enjoying themselves. "What was with those weirdos in that shop anyway?" Riff scoffed. Chuckling, Zack replies "Who knows, I mean they're probably all uneducated…" Riff stands up, still angry about the events from the day before. "I'm gonna go see about getting more wood." He says before walking off into the trees.
Elsewhere…
Simon, wearing his ghillie suit once more, stalks quietly through the underbrush. As he moves, he glances over towards the riverbank, searching fruitlessly. When he reaches a clearing, he decides to take a break. After sitting down at an old picnic table, he looks around and realizes that he's at one of the old campsites, one that he and his brother had attacked in their early days. The tent that had been left standing was falling apart from years of constant exposure to the elements. Simon lets out a heavy sigh and, after shedding the upper portion of the ghillie suit, thinks back to why he was out in the woods.
*Flashback*
Etherean looks back and forth between Simon and Stanley. Finally, she gives up on conveying her message silently. "Shouldn't we either stop her or at least make sure she stays safe out there?" Stanley furrows his brow in confusion, "Whaddya mean?" He asks, "Why wouldn't she be safe?" Shaking her head, Etherean reply "Well, unless you have some mysterious mental link with her, Nikora's out there, pissed off, and hasn't been told NOT to harm Kidonia… Not to mention those guys from yesterday were not the most savory types…"
Scratching his head, Stanley mutters "Guess you're right there… Simon, go get changed and find her."
*End Flashback*
With Kidonia…
Kidonia groans as she fails to fall into a meditative state. Her mind is abuzz as she tries to sort out where her life is heading. She gets up and decides to wander in the forest instead.
Back at the clearing…
While Simon was distracted, he failed to notice the approach of Riff. Riff had, in fact, been gathering firewood, but had set the pile down a safe distance away after he caught sight of Simon through the trees. In his mind, his girlfriend's flirting was to be blames o the man sitting obliviously a few yards away. With his plan firmly decided, he stalked forward angrily, fully intent on strangling the freak who had gained his girl's attention. Upon reaching Simon, Riff grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around forcefully, swinging his fist and clipping Simon's chin.
Simon falls to the ground, dazed, turning to stare blankly at the jock glaring down at him. Riff grabs hold of Simon's shirt and pulls him upright. He then proceeds to throw Simon back onto the bench he'd been sitting at moments before. Riff begins to punch him repeatedly, landing hits on his head and chest.
Back with Kidonia…
As she wanders, Kidonia happens upon a pickaxe. "Those boys should really learn to pick up their toys when they're done playing with them…" She says, laughing, as she grabs it before continuing along the trail she found. She starts hearing a commotion up ahead and decides to rush over and see if she could be of assistance. Upon entering the clearing, she sees Simon being assaulted by the jerk who was at the shop the day before.
She races towards them, brandishing the pickaxe and swinging it when she gets close enough. The blade slides home into his shoulder, causing him to let out a pained shriek. Kidonia stumbles back a few steps at the sound, giving Riff enough time to regain some modicum of sense. He stalks over to her and gives her a powerful slap, sending her to the ground a few feet away. Before he can even blink, a searing pain shoots through him as the pickaxe is ripped from his shoulder. The force of the maneuver spins him around, bringing him face to face with an enraged Simon, who, despite his bruised and bleeding countenance, is the one with the upper hand. He begins to viciously stab Riff with his new weapon. Blood splatters him as each blow lands, slowly dousing him in the thick red liquid.
Kidonia takes a few steps forward once he stops stabbing the barely recognizable body of his newest victim. Simon breathes heavily, blood dripping from his chin, the furious expression on his face causes her to stop mid-step. The silence is nearly deafening, the only sound being the steady 'drip, drip, drip' of blood falling to the leaves on the ground. A full-bodied shudder runs through her as she takes in his blood-spattered appearance. She steels herself and walks towards Simon, relaxing with each step as he doesn't react negatively.
Upon reaching him, she reaches cautiously for his arm and slides her hand towards his own, which is still clutching the blood covered pickaxe. She raises her right hand up and cups his cheek before standing on tiptoe to lay a tentative kiss on his lips. Though he is unresponsive at first, she doesn't retreat, but instead kisses him again. He drops the pickaxe and crushes her to him in one swift motion. Hesitantly, he nudges her lips with his tongue and, as she opens her mouth, he plunges in, his fury transforming into mad passion. They continue in this fashion for several minutes, breaking apart only for air, neither one caring about nor paying attention to the corpse at their feet.
The sound of someone clearing their throat obnoxiously startles them enough to cause them to jump apart. They turn to see Nikora standing between two trees, blatantly glaring at Kidonia. She rolls her eyes, turns to Simon and says "I'm gonna head back now, so you go ahead and finish up here…Dinner will be ready in about an hour…" Simon grunts in acquiescence and wipes the remaining blood from his face with his shirtsleeve.
He turns around, walking to the picnic table to pick up the discarded portion of his ghillie suit. Shrugging it on, he looks over at Nikora, finally speaking up "Don' hurt her…" She steps forward and practically shouts her response, "But Simon! She's an outsider! She doesn't belong out here and she can't possibly be as right for you as me! I know you, I know the Heathers, and I know what life is like here!"
"When I said 'Don' hurt her'…" he begins, each syllable spoken slowly, filled with menace and barely suppressed rage. "It wasn't a request…no more arguin' either; I've made up my mind on this. She's mine 'n that's that…" With this, he turns away once more, pausing only to collect the dropped pickaxe, before sedately walking off into the trees. Nikora stands stock-still for a few moments, utterly surprised at the fact that Simon would snap at her. Though she knew his temper could be roused easily on most occasions, this was the first time she'd been on the receiving end of it. More surprising, though, was that it was a vocal rebuke and not a violent outburst.
"Maybe I was wrong…" She states at last, "Maybe she does belong here…with him…" Shaking her head sadly, she finally takes notice of the corpse in the clearing. Chuckling, she grabs one arm and starts tugging the body towards the river, intent on disposing of it. After dragging it a few feet, the arm was rent from the torso with a strange sound somewhat akin to the sound of wet cloth being torn apart. She stares at the severed limb blankly for a moment and then bursts out in laughter, the sound echoing merrily through the trees. She grabs the other arm with her free hand before continuing to the river, where she wades to the middle with the body and places a few large stones on the torso, legs and arm, tossing the second in the direction of the rapids, certain that it would be washed far enough downstream to cause no issues for them.
Later, at the shop…
"Alright, here's what I'm thinking…" Kidonia says before taking a bite of the stroganoff from her plate. "We can spare a few of the kids in the last group that came through, they didn't seem like they were too awful…" Etherean nods in agreement and says "But everyone from yesterday has gotta go…none of them should be spared, they were all jerks and that Kate girl is obviously a tramp!" Simon and Stanley have surprised looks on their faces; however, they merely shrug and dig into their food, not bothering to add anything to the conversation. Smiling, Kidonia leans over towards Etherean and whispers "Did you ever think we would be talking about killing people and actually mean to go through with it?" Shaking her head, Etherean murmurs back, "Not unless we were in some zombie apocalypse situation…"
Settling herself upright again, Kidonia glances over at the twins and queries "What do you two think? Any issues or questions?" Stanley looks up from his plate and pauses thoughtfully before responding, "No problem wit' yer choices...Would ya be wantin' ta take part in th' killin'? Think ya could handle it?" Gazing at Simon, Kidonia chuckles and replies "Oh, I don't think I'd have much trouble with it…Right, Simon?" Simon shifts nervously in his seat and says "Uh, right…" Etherean looks back and forth between the two with an eyebrow raised and shrugs, stating simply "No issues here…"
A/N: Guys, I am SO sorry about how long it's taken me to get this done and posted…My muse went on vacation for a while and I had several moments where I simply couldn't figure out what to do, whether or not to have one of my characters do something and if it made sense for certain things to occur… Many thanks to all of you for reviewing my story and encouraging me to keep going with all your kind words! I have to say that I was strongly considering giving up on this several times during the writing of this chapter, but right when I was about to simply quit and post a note telling you guys the story would be on hiatus until further notice, I checked my inbox and found that some kind soul had actually gone through and reviewed every chapter… In an attempt to show her my appreciation for giving me the push I needed to keep going, this chapter is dedicated to snowwhitealice. I hope that you are right about my abilities and that this chapter is, in fact, as good as the rest if not better. Positive news though, I've already got the next faux chapter pretty much mapped out, just need to figure out a few more details and then I can get to writing it. Here's the list of stuff I don't own: . As always, please read and review, I am much more hyped up for writing when I see those review alerts in my inbox.
~Kidonia