Ash was the colony's head doctor, and he oversaw every case requiring medical attention. Usually, he just patched up cuts and scrapes, and the occasional broken bone. He mostly saw children, but knew the medical history, or lack thereof, to everyone by heart. He was all, pale grey, and seen as a bit eccentric, though overall, he was a good guy. He also had an apprentice, Alexander, who was slightly younger, and nearly as knowledgeable as his teacher. At the moment, however, Ash was alone with Sarah in the examining room, who sat on an observation table. After her encounter with Jenner, Orion had insisted she get looked at, just in case.
"Well," he began, checking her wrists. "For the most part, everything seems fine," he moved them in all directions, looking for any sign of pain. "It doesn't look like anything's broken; I think all you're looking at is a couple bruises."
She hummed in agreement, staring off into space. Ash stopped moving her wrists, putting his hands on hers.
"Sarah," he said earnestly. "Now please, tell me the truth. I'm a doctor, I can help. Did Jenner…" he paused. "Do anything else to you, something you haven't told me, or Orion?"
She blinked. "No," she said simply. At the very thought of it, her hands began shaking.
"All right, I believe you," he said, after staring at her a moment. "But if you need anything, anything at all, please, feel free to ask for it. I only want to help."
She shook her head. "No, Ash," she started. "I'm okay, really."
"If you say so," he glanced away. "I have a few others to look at, but remember what I said."
He gave her hands a gentle pat, the sounds of thunder rumbling through the ground. "Boy, that was a big one," he said. "Sounds like it's going to rain pretty soon."
He glanced at her once more, letting Orion in for the first time. Orion ran to her, taking her hands in his.
"What did he say?" he was in a near panic. "Are you okay? Is everything all right?"
"I'm fine, Orion," she said softly. "I'll be okay; it's just a small bruise."
"Oh, God, baby," he reached out to hug her. "I'm so sorry for what I did. I never should've said those things to you; I didn't mean any of it. You know that, don't you?"
She settled her shaking hands in their embrace. "I know."
"I never should've left you," he continued. "I shouldn't have left you alone. If I'd gotten there sooner, I would've stopped him from doing anything. I coulda stopped him…"
"You didn't, Orion," she settled her face in his chest. "None of us knew, it's not your fault."
They stood there in silence for a moment, just holding each other. "I guess now we know what became of poor Jessica," she said quietly.
"Yes, now we know," he held her more tightly. "If it wasn't him, at least, it was definitely one of his men."
"What happens now?" she lifted her head. "What's he going to do with Mrs. Brisby?"
"I don't know, but he harms a hair on her head, I'll cut him in two." His voice held a low growl, then flattened again. "We haven't heard a thing from him y—"
Just as he spoke, the lights went black. They came back to life a moment later, noticeably dimmer.
"Shit!" he snapped, staring at them.
"What was that?"
"He's cut the power," Orion said angrily. "He's cut the lines to the solar panels; we're running on batteries now."
"How long do they last?"
He shook his head. "Not long enough."
Just then, a large rat stumbled in, out of breath.
"He cut the power, Arthur," Orion informed him.
"That's not the worst of it," Arthur panted a second. "He's killed the exhaust fans."
"What?" Orion gasped. "Just now?"
"No," Arthur shook his head. "A few minutes ago. I've been looking for you. He set off an explosion of some kind, took out the fans and buried them rubble."
"An explosion?" the guard looked confused. "I didn't hear anything."
"Yes, you did," Arthur assured them. "Though you probably just thought it was a clap of thunder."
"Yes, I heard it too," said Sarah.
"Well, what does that mean?" asked Orion.
"Without those fans to circulate air, and with the main gate sealed, the only air getting in here is from the back entrance," explained Arthur. "He can't suffocate us, but after a while, it's going to get pretty damn unbearable in here. Of course, by then, the power cells will be drained."
Orion grit his teeth. "Shit."
"Well, w-what does that mean for us?" Sarah said nervously.
"It means we're screwed," Orion told her. "We have the defensive advantage, but he's gonna try to smoke us out, and it's probably gonna work."
"What does he want?"
"I don't know," the guard shook his head. "But he's got Mrs. Brisby, and he's got us by the balls."
"And he's got a huge supply of explosives," added Arthur.
"Damn that too," Orion thought a moment. "Okay, here's the plan: obviously, we can't open the main gate; it'd be too hard to defend. We'll have to position ourselves at the back entrance, set up a barricade of some kind, make him fight to get to us. Then, we need to move everyone into some kind of central location; the library and cafeteria sound good. Let's get everyone there and huddle up. Then shut down all unnecessary power, lights, whatever, and let's keep the plumbing down to a minimum—that'll drain those batteries right away. Then, we'll just have to wait, and see who caves first."
"But, what about Mrs. Brisby?" asked Sarah.
"I don't know," he said regretfully. "I can't do anything for her right now. He'll probably keep her alive for something. He could've easily escaped without her, so, for now, let's just hope he needs her for something."
(****)
Justin and the others had managed to climb the ventilation shaft to the master bedroom, and were stationed in an air conditioning vent. It was locate high on the wall, allowing them to look down over the entire room. Apparently, the phone line there was of greater quality than the others in the house, as there was a high-speed laptop up and running, the room having been transformed into Schultz's makeshift office. For the latter half of the evening, Schultz had been alone at the computer, clicking and typing away. The rats had given up on learning anything then, when she suddenly called for Valentine.
Justin perked up as the scientist entered the room.
"This could be interesting," he said.
"You wanted to see me, ma'am?" said Valentine.
"I think I've got an idea here, Valentine," Schultz leaned back in her chair. "Those rats pulled out of here pretty quickly, right?"
She didn't get a response.
"So, that means they must be working as a group, like an ant colony, or something."
Valentine scoffed.
"Well, obviously," he said. "How else could they have escaped in the first place?"
"Exactly," she smiled. "So, our rats are thinking, living as a group, as a community. There're going to want to do whatever they can to ensure the survival of the group as a whole, unlike, say, a pack of wolves, who'll leave the sick and weak behind."
"What are you driving at?"
"My point," Schultz now sounded irritated. "Is, I think these rats had an idea of where they were going. They were tapping this family's water and electricity for who-knows-how long, and I think they knew they'd be discovered someday, so they started scouting around for a new place to live, some place safe."
"I assume you have an idea where?"
Schultz stood, placing a large map on the bed. She pointed to the nearest city, then the farmhouse, and finally, to an area circled by red ink.
"Thorn Valley?" Valentine read the words next to it. "You think they moved to a nature reserve?"
The rats held their collective breath.
"Think about it, Valentine," Schultz told him. "These rats are smart; they probably know as much about this land as we do, and I'm sure they know just as much as you or I do, bout that valley being off-limits. What better place could there be for them to hide from human sight?"
"I don't understand," Valentine scratched his head. "Why don't they go back to the city, or wherever else there's a lot of rats?"
"Probably because they don't fit in," Schultz sighed. "Other rats might not except them, or vice-versa, maybe they think they're better than the average street rat. But I'm almost certain they moved to Thorn Valley to get away from us."
"How can you be so sure?"
Schultz sat at the laptop, pulling up a screen. "By this."
"Jesus, Schultz," said Valentine, realizing what it was. "This is a top priority satellite feed. How'd you even get access to one?"
Schultz smiled again. "By taking the necessary means."
"How? You can't even ask for clearance on a satellite unless you've done something like…" he trailed off, knowing what he was saying.
"Like a sweep-and-clear," his boss finished for him.
He groaned. "Does Stavros know about this?"
"What Stavros doesn't know won't hurt him."
"Are you telling me you're using a top secret government satellite illegally?"
"Get a grip, Valentine," Schultz told him. "How do you think I got the green light for this sweep-and-clear so fast? This is practically a Black Ops mission; we have to move fast, before we're caught up with, and the only way to do that is to get those rats back."
"Schultz, you're crazy," Valentine shook his head. "Even if you did get those rats back—this is serious shit here. You're not just looking at a court-martial, you're looking at a life-sentence."
"All of which will become meaningless," Schultz said calmly. "Valentine, I've never criticized you for your skills as a soldier, but you do lack a very important ability needed to make it big: vision. You can't possibly imagine the ramifications that'll be brought about once I can duplicate these rats. Think of what we can learn, of what we can accomplish! The secrets of this world can be ours!"
"I still think you've lost it," Valentine told her. "In fact, I don't want to wait for Sinclair to shut this project down. I demand to be reassigned immediate—"
"You think it's that easy?" she interrupted. "Valentine, this isn't the kind of thing you can just walk away from; you're my second in command. You know just as much about this as I do, and if shit hits the fan, you're coming down with me; don't even think of weaseling your way out."
"Fuck you, Schultz," the man spat. "I didn't come this far just to go to jail over some Goddamn rats."
"Those 'Goddamn rats' are going to make us a fortune."
"If you can find them!"
"I have found them!"
"All you've found is a valley that's off-limits to every human on the planet. Even if you've managed to cover up this sweep-and-clear, as well as using this satellite, people are really going to notice you poking around a nature reserve all day; no one's allowed in there. Flying a helicopter up and down that valley is going to attract a lot of attention."
"Not if we're in and out in no time, which I think we can manage," Schultz turned to the laptop. "I'm certain I've pinpointed the rats' location, just look here," she pointed to the monitor. "What I was getting ready to show you before your sudden attack of conscience is this."
She punched a key, and the view of the map closed in.
"This is on thermal imaging," she continued. "I was scanning the area for anything unusual. With a large area populated by many different animals, the heat signature, more or less, tends to balance out; it's basically even across the board. But, then I found this, one hot spot with nothing surrounding it, at all."
"That doesn't mean anything."
"As a matter of fact, it does," Schultz smiled again. "It means all other living creatures in the area are avoiding it. There are no large predators in the area, so that's ruled out, but that's not all." Again, she pointed at the screen. "This heat signature is much too high to be some group of animals, this kind of heat comes from a power supply. There's some kind of machine down there, even you're smart enough to do that; all you have to do is the math.
"Think about it, the distance from here to the lab is evidence enough the rats could've traveled safely to the valley. There's something there that's driven off all other animals for quite a distance, and there's enough heat coming from there to realize there's more than a little burrowing going on."
Valentine stared at the image as her words sunk in. He realized a long time ago that Schultz had crossed the line, that it wasn't safe to be associated with her anymore. But he also knew his career depended on this project, more than anything, and that he'd indeed crash and burn with Schultz once it fell apart. Finally, he gave a hard sigh. "Okay, I'm listening."
"We'll take the chopper out tomorrow morning," she began. "Early, assuming they still have normal sleeping patterns. We don't even land at first; we'll gas the place from the air. They're just as good dead as alive. Most probably won't be killed by the gas anyway, they'll just get knocked out. We'll swoop down, scoop up what we can, then blast whatever we leave behind. No one will ever know we were there."
Valentine stared at her, then at the screen, then,
"You better have this right," he said at last. "We'll only get one shot at this. Someone's bound to spot that chopper going in, and the transponder will give us away for sure. The only way we'll get off the hook to with those rats."
"Valentine, I'm willing to bet my life those rats are there. They may be clever, but they're not that clever." She clicked the screen off, once more leaning back. "Trust me, Valentine," she continued. "The day after tomorrow, you can forget about court-martial, and start thinking about counting money."
"When do we leave?"
"O-seven-hundred sounds good; get two men ready for then. And fuel the chopper tonight," she continued. "I want it fully prepped for tomorrow…"
Justin turned from the scene, looking back to see creatures just as wide-eyed as he was. He motioned with his head, telling them to get away from the open vent.
"Good God, Justin," said Max. "We're fucked! What're we gonna do?"
"That's a good question." Justin gazed at him, then his eyes moved to Pollux, Dietrich, Mason, and finally to Ages. "We'll have to stop her somehow," he continued. "We're gonna have to sabotage that helicopter, keep them from taking off."
"And then what?" questioned Pollux. "Wait for her to call out another?"
"You heard Valentine's voice in there," Justin told him. "He said whatever Schultz is doing will get them into a ton of trouble. We've got to find a way to distract Schultz until her mistakes catch up to her."
Pollux crossed his arms. "That's not good enough."
"Well, then what kind of plan do you have?" Justin asked sarcastically.
"He's right, Justin," said Max. "If Schultz has covered her tracks to this point, then we'll have to assume she can do it forever. We need to think about the colony."
"Goddamn it," Justin snapped. "I am thinking about them!"
"Then I think we all know what we have to do to protect them," Pollux said flatly.
It took a second for the words to sink in, then,
"Are you crazy?" Justin spat. "I am not about to take a human life! We're better than that," he continued, glancing at the vent. "We're better than…her."
Ages put a hand on his wrist.
"Justin, listen," the old mouse began. "Max and Pollux are right; you have to think about the greater good here. Schultz will stop at nothing, until she sees the rats of NIMH destroyed, or worse. It may not be right for us to harm her, but it certainly isn't right to allow her to exterminate all of our friends. She cannot be allowed to complete her mission."
Justin was silent for a long time, brooding in this dark decision.
This isn't happening, he thought. This can't be real, it just can't be! He didn't take the thought of killing lightly. When he'd fought Jenner, he'd seen it as self-defense, but to kill Schultz was practically murder. No, it's not, he told himself. It's self-defense; we're protecting ourselves from her. She is the one who's attacking us. He said this to himself over and over to calm his emotions, then,
"It has to look like an accident," he said at last. "It has to be done there are no suspicions, so no one will be compelled to follow her work."
"Justin," said Max. "I think we can all tell that Schultz is her work. With her out of the picture, this whole NIMH thing will die. You heard the way the others were talking about it. Valentine wants nothing to do with it, and that Stavros character said they were getting ready to shut it down, anyway. Face it, as long as Schultz is alive, we'll be threatened," he gave a long pause, emphasizing the graveness of his next words. "She cannot be allowed to live."
Justin sat in silence again. The debate was horrible, the life of a, somewhat, innocent, yet delusional, power-mad human, against the lives of hundreds of rats. How could it possibly be weighed? One life was just as valuable as any number, no matter how vile the one holding that life was. He didn't feel at all comfortable with the task ahead, but after thinking of Elizabeth, and her children, he made up his mind.
"All right," he said gravely. "What do we know about helicopters?"
(****)
Night had once more fallen over the valley, and Orion's men had set up a string of defended barricades. They started at the rear entrance, moving back, deeper into the lair. Even if Jenner's men rushed with a full-on attack, there would be several opportunities to slow them down, and eventually stop them. The hallways were blocked by construction equipment, heavy crates stacked like ramparts, allowing his men to fire in safety from behind. All of those not involved in battle had been moved to central areas deep within the lair, far from Jenner's attacks. Orion's men had even created a pipeline of halls, making it easy to take any of those wounded back for medical attention. A group of rats was stationed to protect the main group, as the bulk of the fighting unit was closer to the lair's one weak point. There were six of them stationed at each barricade, allowing for easy backup, and replacement if needed.
By protecting themselves, and by forcing Jenner's men to squeeze through a bottleneck-like opening, Orion and his men had the advantage. Jenner had made a major tactical error, it seemed to Orion, by not attacking immediately, but he knew that, if anything, Jenner was clever. He was more concerned about what the rat was waiting to do than anything else. He thought about it as he checked his men's' positions. Each of them had a crossbow, an extra clip, and a sword, in case of any combat at close-quarters, though he planned on falling back far before that would've been necessary. He noticed that, as he moved through the ranks, that his men seemed edgy, nervous. The closer he got to the entrance, the worse off some seemed to be. He moved cautiously to the final barricade, even though it was still some distance from the entrance, staring at the other end of the tunnel, the gaping wound where night poured through.
"Hey, you got a nice breeze up here," he put his hand on Sean's shoulder. "Seen anything yet?"
"No, nothing yet," Sean told him. "I mean, there's been movement in the shadows, but nothing definite."
"Well, keep your eyes peeled," Orion told him. "They could charge at any second."
"We're gonna do our best, sir," Sean told him. "But all this waiting and anticipation is wearin' us out."
"Don't let it get to you, hear me?" Orion said sternly. "That's exactly what he wants."
"I hear you," Sean nodded. "But, hey, cap, how many did you say there were?"
"We're still not sure," said Orion. "But around fifty or sixty."
"And he's the one who killed Jessica?"
"We can only assume so."
Sean tightened his grip on the crossbow, holding it at the ready. "Then, we'll just have to make him pay for it."
Orion admired the younger rat's courage, but then the familiar sound of whips cracking echoed through the air. The volley of arrows whistled like banshees, colliding with anything within range. They crashed into the stacked crates, bounced off the walls, slammed into the ground. The lethal snapping sounded again and again, Orion and his men ducking just in time.
"Down, get down!" he shouted, as wood became splinters. He glanced through the cracks, seeing Jenner's men slowly advancing, some being replaced as they stopped to reload. The bolts flew like sideways rain, an evil river that made a thunderous impact with every hit. He then looked to his men, pinned behind their shrinking cover, thinking quickly.
"All right everyone," he began, readying his own weapon. "On three, find an opening and start shooting. Don't aim," he continued. "Just shoot! Ready?"
They nodded.
"One…two…three!"
The seven of them lifted their crossbows just above the barricade, shooting blindly. They hoped to slow Jenner's advance, and it worked. The amount of fire they were taking immediately reduced, as Jenner's men had no form of cover. The air cleared a moment, and Orion rose just enough to see his targets, put aim behind his arrows. His men followed suit, unleashing all their pump-action could throw.
Two of Jenner's forces fell quickly, one getting peppered by ten arrows and flying back to land in a twisted heap. The other took a shaft to his leg, groaning in agony until Orion fired a shaft between their eyes. He'd trained them both himself to be great guards, and the fact only made it harder. The rest of them soon fell back, retreating from the return-fire, and Orion figured that at least two others had been wounded.
Still tense, Orion surveyed the tunnel, hearing men reload their weapons. The barricade was battered, though still intact. Splinters lay everywhere, dozens of arrows strewn loosely about. The walls were scratched to hell, as though they'd been scorched by dagger-like flames. Two rats lay dead toward the end of the tunnel, signs of blood visible on the walls and floor. Not far beyond was a black hole, the blot of night serving as a portal through which Jenner's men again passed.
"Everyone okay?" he asked. He was kneeling, chambering a fresh magazine. He stood, slowly and cautiously, staying back behind the crates. The sounds of his men assured him they were all right, but the snap of a crossbow spun him around. He trained his weapon on a single form and fired, but the rat retreated too quickly. The arrow jammed into a crate right of the barricade, spinning the loose box just enough to reveal a small stick of TNT. His eyes grew wide. The fuse was burning fast.
"Move!" he shoved his men away. "Fall back now!"
He wasn't quick enough. The explosion echoed in the confined space, the sound a deafening blast that shattered half the barricade. Those who didn't move quickly enough were thrown back, tossed through the air like rag dolls. Smoke, fire, and screams filled the air, everything being swallowed by a thick cloud, fragments of burning wood dropping like rain from hell. They stumbled about, the explosion having rendered them deaf and blind, those that had escaped getting those caught in it back to their feet.
Orion choked on the dust.
"Fall back to the next position," he ordered, coughing. He was about to move when he realized someone was missing, and he looked back to see Sean. He was lying face down near the point of the explosion, a large splinter of wood driven into his shoulder. He threw down his crossbow, going back for his fallen comrade. Thankfully, Sean was still breathing, though he was unconscious, and blood was beginning to seep from his wound. He'd just knelt to pick him up when a body vaulted through the smoke and fire, Castor's shouts audible from the other side. The rat he yelled at charged Orion, a bolt aimed at his head. Orion deflected the shot, though not before it fired, and he felt hot pain shoot across the left side of his head. Blood splashed across his eyes, he couldn't hear. Everything slowed down, blurred and distorted, highlighted by flames and scorching wood. He watched the rouge once again chamber an arrow, aiming at Orion's head, and a maniacal laugh filtered from his lips.
Suddenly, the world snapped back into place. He dodged a second arrow, driving his fist into the other rat's gut. He felt the breath leave his adversary, then quickly grabbed the rat's head. He viciously broke the rat's neck, throwing the body aside like an unwanted illness. A throbbing sensation overcame him, as he vaguely became aware of someone shouting. His mind was on edge, and he shook his head free of cobwebs. He then picked up his bleeding comrade, heading for safety. The second barricade was just a short ways down the corridor, and once he'd gotten through the gap in the center, his men filled the void with wooden crates, taking their positions. Orion handed Sean's limp body to one of the others.
"Shit, is he alright?" the rat asked.
"He's breathing, that's all I know," said Orion. "Take him back to the med lab, and take this too." He slapped something in the rat's hand. It was small, fleshy, and covered in blood. "Put it on ice and don't lose it!"
Kyle shuddered in disgust. "God, what is it?"
"It's my ear," said Orion. "Now, get moving!"
Looking at his captain's head, the rat nearly gasped. Where Orion's ear should've been was a raggedly torn stump. Bright, thick blood oozed from the gash, coating the entire left half of his face. Kyle nodded silently, then rushed off.
Another guard glanced at him. "Sir, you okay?"
"I'm fine," Orion turned. "Just keep your eye on that corridor, and shoot the shitout of anything that moves."
"Hello?" Arthur's voice came through the speaker. "Hello, is anyone there? Orion, can you hear me?"
Orion stumbled to the voice box, hand pressed to his laceration.
"Yeah, I hear you, Arthur."
"What the hell just happened?"
"Jenner attacked us," Orion snapped. "First, it was just arrows, but then he threw a bomb at us. The first barricade is gone. We took a couple hits, but no casualties; I'm sending a couple back to you now. We got at least three of his men, though."
"We felt the blast back here," Arthur told him. "Has he moved further in, yet?"
"Not yet, but I'm expecting him to." He thought a second. "Keep everyone tight, this could get uglier than I'd imagined."
He clicked off, taking up a spare crossbow. He'd started to join the others, when the intercom clicked on again. He sighed, grabbing the speaker.
"What is it?" he snapped impatiently.
The familiar hiss of Jenner's voice filtered through the speaker. "Now, is that any way to talk to an old friend?"
For a split second, Orion panicked, thinking Jenner had gotten inside, realizing there were two intercom boxes outside.
"What the hell was that, Jenner?" he yelled back. "What do you plan on doing? You blow up the whole place, but then what good would it be?"
Jenner laughed. "Actually, that was just a small effort to get your attention," he began. "My intentions for the rest of you will involve something much more…slow, very slow, and very painful."
"Are you sure that's gonna work out?" asked Orion. "I mean, we're just a little scratched up in here, but you've already lost three men. You're being careless and sloppy, Jenner," he continued. "That'll be the end of you."
"Ah, that was but a small sacrifice."
"You're bluffing."
"Am I?" Jenner's laugh was all too clear. "Tell me something, Orion," he added. "What's it like?"
"What's what like?" the guard spat back.
"Fucking my wife," he was still laughing. "I was just curious. I never really enjoyed it much myself, but I was just wondering if she's ever accidentally cried my name out, as I'm sure she secretly yearns for me still. As I tied her up, I detected a look in her eyes, a sign of longing for something she couldn't get from anyone else." The laugh grew louder.
"Fuck you." Orion killed the transmission.
(****)
"What the hell was that?" demanded Castor.
"Just creating a little tension," replied Jenner.
"Ugh, or stirring the hornet's nest," Castor told him. "Orion's dangerous, Jenner, and driving him into a corner will make him hard enough to handle. But if you get him pissed off it'll be twice as hard to take him down. I've already lost three men—"
"Your men were stupid and careless," Jenner snapped. "A child could have defeated them."
Castor ignored the comment.
"Where do we go from here?" he asked. "He's right, you can't just blow up the place; it'd be useless."
"For now," began Jenner. "I want you to send some of your men down that tunnel, to keep Orion busy for a while, nothing drastic. Just hold him down, advance if you can, but not too far; just keep them busy and wear them out."
"And then what?"
"I'll tell you, then."
Half pissed and half frustrated, Castor turned to leave, then motioned to Mrs. Brisby. Her hands were tied with rope, the other end held by another rat.
"What about her?"
"I don't know yet, perhaps she'll become useful, later on." Jenner shrugged. "Just go, do what I told you, and tell your men not to be stupid again."
He motioned Castor away with a flip of his hand, walking over to the captive mouse. He then took the rope from the guard's hands, motioning for him to join the others, and Jenner dropped to one knee, to look at her face to face.
"Well, Mrs. Brisby," he began. "Once again, we meet during a…rather difficult situation."
She tried to look away, but he simply wrapped the slack rope over his hand, pulling her close, and gripped her chin to force her to face him. "It's not a good idea to turn your back on me, Brisby," he said. "Bad things happen to those who do."
"What are you going to do with me?" she questioned, almost defiantly. "Kill me? Hold me for ransom?"
He yanked her up roughly by the collar.
"Don't tempt me mouse," he hissed angrily. "I could do things to you that're far worse than you could ever imagine. You might still be alive when I'm through with you, but you may wish you were dead. I could do things to you you've never imagined in your worst nightmares; I could redefine violation with your little body. Your puny frame would probably split in half beneath me," he continued, smiling. "But I'd give it a try. Who knows," he leaned closer. "You might even enjoy yourself."
She spit in his face. "You're disgusting."
"Fine, have it your way," he was unfazed, wiping his cheek. "Like I said, you could turn your back on me, but then you would find out exactly what happened to your husband."
"What?" Her voice was thick with contempt.
"Oh, that's right," he smirked. "You don't know what really happened to him."
"I know what happened," she snapped. "You can't frighten me. It was—"
"It was Dragon who ate Jonathan's corpse," he began. "But that was after I drove my blade through his lungs. I was there, Mrs. Brisby," he added. "I was at the farmhouse, waiting for your husband to complete his mission, which he did. He always did. Dragon didn't kill your husband at all, Mrs. Brisby."
He swung her around, imitating his actions.
"He planted the drugs without a problem, then, as he crawled through the hole, I grabbed his throat from behind. I shoved my sword between his ribs, punctured his lungs, so he couldn't scream for help. Oh, he tried, he tried very hard, but he didn't have the breath. It all rushed out through the hole in his back. He began to struggle, but he was too weak to do anything, then I ran my blade all the way through his chest," he chuckled, caressing her cheek. "His eyes grew wide, he panicked, and, for a split second, his face registered the utter terror he felt, the realization that the hot blood that'd splashed across his face was really his own. Then, he fell limp in my arms—dead, never knowing what hit him."
Jenner unsheathed this same sword from his belt. The starlight glinted from its curves as he ran the edge beneath her cheek.
"His body was still skewered here," he continued. "And I lifted him back through the hole in the floor. His blood had begun to run down, over the hilt, and onto my hand. It was still hot, coming in spurts as his heart continued to beat, not yet realizing it was dead. I could only get my shoulder through, but that was all I needed. I swung out, flung his body out to the kitchen floor, and Dragon immediately pounced upon it. Mrs. Fitzgibbons screamed at the sight, throwing him and your half-eaten husband outside, where Ages saw it. He reported back, only able to guess as to what really had happened."
He held his arm out, holding the blade in front of her, letting the dim light bounce from its blade. He then pulled her stiff body back to his, hissing in her ear, "The sound his body made as it slid free was strange, like rotten meat between your fingers, but it landed with a simple thud. But when Dragon tore into him," he laughed again, even more cruelly. "Just imagine that same rotten meat, tearing it apart as quickly as you can, just ripping it with your bare hands. That is how Jonathan really died, and all because he turned his back on me, so don't you ever make that same mistake."
Elizabeth could only shiver at his words, tears filling her eyes as she tried desperately to cling to her sanity. But she could do nothing as sheer terror began to devour her very soul.