Chapter Eight
The Chainsaw
Shortly after I entered the woods again, I realized that Morgan was following behind me. I didn't pay him any attention as he jogged to catch up, my mind completely on Andy; I couldn't believe he had just left me. But it was more then that, it was something much deeper; I could feel it in my stomach, gnawing away like a hungry rat, a nervous feeling that was slowly working itself upward. Something wasn't right, about any of this and Andy was just walking into the heart of the wrongness.
For a moment, the knowledge that I would never see him again was so strong in my heart that I nearly turned around and jogged after him. Don't be an idiot! I snapped to myself. He's just going to go find Kemper, what could be wrong with that? I tried to push the thoughts from my head, but my worry for Andy and Erin both (but Andy most of all, what can a girl do?) was still gnawing away.
The thoughts slipped from my head easy enough when Morgan caught up with me and grabbed my hand. I wrinkled my nose at him and pulled my fingers free from his. "What are you doing?" I questioned, looking at him. He a dopey grin on his face that would have looked cute on some guys but only managed to make him look creepy and stoned.
"Just making sure that you didn't fall again." Morgan answered with that grin still on his face.
"Great." I grumbled. "Thanks." I walked a little bit faster. I wasn't looking forward to being stuck alone with Morgan, even for ten minutes. Or longer, that little voice in the back of my head reminded, it's going to be much longer.
The van was in sight again and I jogged the rest of the way, leaving Morgan a few feet behind. I sat down on the metal crate I had been using as a chair earlier and glared at him when he joined me.
"So, is Pepper your real name?" Morgan questioned. I wasn't surprised, someone was bound to raise that issue soon enough; I'd been getting that very same question ever since I started kindergarten.
"Yes." I answered with a sigh. "I was named after my aunt Pepper who died in World War II." The same story every time. Most people were actually interested, but I figured this was Morgan's bizarre, stoned way of trying to hit on me.
Morgan nodded almost thoughtfully. "Interesting." He muttered, though it was really anything but. There was silence, for which I was grateful for; I looked out into the woods again, looking for any signs of Andy and Erin. How long had they been gone? How long would it take to find Kemper?
"So," Morgan started again. "What do you want to do?" What a strange question; he really should lay off the pot.
I rolled my eyes. "Wait for Andy to get back." I answered, making sure he heard the stress I put on Andy's name. "What else is there to do?"
Morgan seemed to be waiting for this question. "Well..." He drawled. "I'm sure we can think of something." He leaned toward me, expecting a kiss and I wrinkled my nose, backing off the crate before he could get any closer.
"Morgan, what the hell are you trying to do?" I asked, crossing my arms over my shoulders and glaring at him. He narrowed his eyes as well and straightened himself, muttering something that I couldn't quite catch. "Just keep your lips to yourself." I added, heading back over to the van.
With the body gone, the smell was finally starting to fade away but flies and other scavenger bugs still buzzed around the van, hopping around on the blood and other parts of the girl's head (which I did not want to think about) that was matted to the walls and backseat. Maybe there was something we could do about the car now that the stink wasn't so bad.
"Maybe we should try and clean the van." I called back to Morgan, who was still pouting on the crate. "I'm not looking forward to getting back inside with all that blood around."
Morgan sighed. "You can clean it." He grumbled. I was tired of Morgan being such an asshole; did he always act that like that or just when he didn't get his way.
"Yeah and you're going to help me." I commanded. When he looked at me, I added, "Can you really think of anything better to do?" My eyes dared him to say something else. For the first time in his life I was sure, Morgan did the right thing and remained silent.
I peeked back inside and picked up the rest of the newspaper that hadn't been used to cover the girl's body hours ago. I carried the paper back over to Morgan and dropped it in his lap. "Try and find a river or something to wet that paper with." I suggested.
Morgan glared at me, silently for once, and picked up the paper; I half expected him to toss it back to me but he just stood and headed off in the direction I had traveled earlier. I nodded, satisfied with myself; no one ever listened to the idiot girl named Pepper and it was about time that things started turning around.
But now what was I going to do until he got back? Maybe sending Morgan off wasn't a very good idea; it was starting to get dark and now I was all alone in this creepy mill. Alone... I shuddered, telling myself not think of it that way. At least I was finally going to get some peace and quiet from Morgan and if Andy came back without Erin and Kemper (though it wasn't like I wanted them to be dead or anything) we would finally have some privacy. Besides, it wouldn't take Morgan very long to find a river or something and then get back to the Crawford Mill. I wasn't going to be by myself for very long.
I started whistling to get rid of the silence that seemed to have surrounded the mill; no birds chirped, no insects hummed. I even would have taken Morgan's chatter right about now.
Something scraped against the side of the van and I cried out in surprise, the theme to The Beverley Hillbillies (I had thought that was fitting) dying on my lips as I spun around. I listened again, not realizing I was holding my breath until I exhaled sharply when the sound repeated, and this time the van rocked slightly.
"Who's there?" No answer, was I really expecting one? I thought it could that possum again, or maybe even a nice bunny rabbit but those animals wouldn't make a heavy van shake now would they?
The van shook again, slightly this time, I could tell that whatever was causing it to do so was hiding beneath the car. I swallowed and took a deep breath, trying to psyche myself up enough to bend down and see just was under there. "If that's you Morgan," I started, hoping that it was. "You're not funny so quit being an ass."
There was no reply of any kind and the van was still silent. So it wasn't Morgan, he was too stoned to keep from laughing anyway. Okay, here goes, just bend down for a quick look and then run like hell. It probably was just a rabbit or something, those animals grew freakishly big out here after all.
I squeezed my eyes shut and dropped to my knees in front of the van, forcing myself to slowly open my eyes and peek beneath the car. I screamed when two round eyes were peering back at mine; I scrambled backward, trying to get away from the van and whoever was beneath it. I screamed again when I backed into someone. This was it, it was all over for me.
"Pepper!" I knew that voice: Morgan. I balled my fists, pressing my fingers into my palms with so much force that they left crescent shaped marks. Please don't tell me that I had another freak out in front of Morgan, that would just complete the day.
I learned around, sneezing slightly from the dirt that I had kicked up in my scramble and saw that it was indeed Morgan and he looked like he was having the greatest time on Earth laughing at my momentary heart attack. "Gee, a little jumpy?" He remarked. "What the hell is the matter with you girl?"
At least I had an answer this time. "There is someone under the van." I poked toward the car, only to see that little brat Jedidiah crawling out from beneath the van a great big smile on his face.
"Yer fun to scare." He grinned and his words only made Morgan smile even wider. Jedidiah laughed at the look on my face.
I kicked some dust and rocks in his direction. "Get out of here you little jackass." I commanded but that only made Jedidiah laugh even harder. What was it? Pick on Pepper day? I'd had enough; at least when Andy was around I had a little bit of a defender.
Morgan chuckled and dropped the pile of newspaper into my lap as I started to stand up. "There ain't no river around here, Pepper." He said by way of explanation. He winked at Jedidiah and the kid scampered away again.
I glared at them but then returned my attention to Morgan. "You are such an asshole, did everyone ever tell you that?" I snapped, pushing myself to my feet and retrieving the papers.
Morgan grinned and shrugged; now I understood why Erin couldn't stand him. I shoved the paper back at him, making sure I hit him low enough to make it hurt. "Well, I suggest we get started cleaning." I said, smiling at the look of pain that crossed his face. "It's almost dark."
"You can clean." Morgan grunted, gathering together the paper and tossed it into the van. "Your the woman."
"And you're a sexist pig." I retorted. "If we work together, when can have the van clean in half the time." I pointed out, hoping to change the subject.
Morgan sneered. "How very Sunday School." He muttered. I glared at him; I had reached my limit, how much more of Morgan could I possibly take? In a moment of childish (sure, I'll admit it) anger, I stomped on his foot as hard as I could with the heel of my cowboy boot. "You bitch!" Morgan snapped and made as though he was going to slap me in the face.
"What are you going to do?" I questioned, narrowing my eyes. "Hit me? Of course not, you're a sexist pig who doesn't believe in hitting girls." Okay, I was asking for it.
Morgan looked like he really did want to whack me in the face but instead, he just gave me a push, knocking me into the van, something he probably wouldn't have done if he wasn't stoned. My elbow landed in something wet and matted and I shuddered in revulsion, not even wanting to see what I had landed in.
Though the sun had nearly set by now, I could still see the look of almost pleasure on Morgan's face. I jumped out of the van and dove for him, feeling like I was one of those girls in one of those soap operas where all they did was fight and drink. I guess all those fights on the playground were about to pay off. I tackled Morgan and we both crashed into the ground; Morgan seemed shocked that we were actually fighting and, truthfully, so was I; I hadn't actually gotten in a physical fight with anyone since the tenth grade when Becky Sawyer had called me fat and told everybody that I was a lesbian. I had gotten expelled for a whole month for that one.
Morgan was trying to push me off of him when a sound I hadn't heard but once in my life screamed through the growing night air: the squeal of a chainsaw. At the sound, we both froze instantly, we with my hand around his neck and Morgan holding onto my hair and I felt my heart skip a beat in my chest. A chainsaw? What was a chainsaw doing all the way out here?
I sat up, letting go of Morgan and he sat up as well; we both looked in the direction of the sound. The woods that we had come out of earlier started to tremble, as though they feared the thing that was wielding the chainsaw, which was growing closer every second. I felt my breath hitch in my chest; why was that sound getting closer? I knew somewhere deep in my heart exactly why, however, it was coming for us.
As those words flew through my head, I saw that horrible chainsaw for the first time that night and I knew it wasn't going to be last. The blade screamed through the thick net of tangled thorns and branches and they fell away easily, giving way to the hulking monster of a man that held the saw in his arms. I screamed, my throat feeling like it was going raw and Morgan clamped his hand over my mouth; I somehow couldn't stop the scream from escaping my lips as I stared at the man. He didn't have a face! It was impossible but true, that man had no face!
The chainsaw continued to screech as the man turned in our direction and started rushing toward us. Morgan gave me a shove. "Under the van, now!" He commanded and I scrambled beneath the car, my cheeks already wet with hot tears. I was shaking so much I could barely move but somehow I managed to huddle beneath the car, trying to suppress the scream that tried to escape from my lips.
Morgan was beside me in an instant, putting his arms protectively around my shoulders. "Pepper, be quiet." He commanded and I clamped my hands over my mouth to keep from screaming again.
It was difficult, however, when the chainsaw finally was silenced and the large, lumbering legs of the man carrying it suddenly appeared; he was standing directly in front of us. It seemed impossible that he didn't know that we were hiding beneath the car but I wasn't about to look the gift horse in the mouth (what did that saying even mean anyway?) and prayed that he was going to give up and go away.
I continued to shake, stirring up the dust around us that wasn't soaked with sweat and tears; the dust tickled my nose and I knew right away that I was going to sneeze. I started to cry then, even as I sneezed, because I knew that I was going to die. "I don't want to die." I cried even as the chainsaw started up again.
Sparks flew as the blades whirled through the metal undercarriage of the van, churning just inches away from our faces. I screamed, feeling terror so complete that I understood now how people could die from fear. Morgan started pushing me backward and before I knew it, we were backing up, out from behind the van. Once we were out from beneath the car and the whirling blade of the chainsaw, I grabbed onto Morgan as tightly as I could, shaking so much that I was making myself sick.
"Pepper," Morgan forced me to face him. I was dry heaving with fear, unable to see his face through the constant tears in my eyes. I didn't want to die, I was too young to die! I didn't want to die! I didn't want to die! Ididn'twanttodie! "Pepper!" I looked at him. "The road is that way," he gestured, "I want you to run-" The rest of his words were swallowed by the roar of the chainsaw as the man ripped through the back of Kemper's van as he lumbered toward us.
I tore away from Morgan and somehow leapt to my feet, tearing away from the man with the chainsaw. "Pepper!" I heard Morgan shout but didn't much care, nothing was going to stop me now.
The chainsaw buzzed behind my back, I could feel the small breeze that it stirred up like someone breathing right behind me. I screamed as the tiny teeth on the larger blade found the area between my shoulder blades and tore into the skin. White hot flashes of pain streaked across my eyes and I could feel my own blood beginning to poor from the jagged gash. If I hadn't tripped because of my cowboy boots right that minute, the chainsaw would have been able to dig deeper and I wouldn't be tasting the chalky dust that floated into my mouth as soon as I hit the ground. I screamed again as I imagined the chainsaw drilling into my back since I was laying there, with the wind knocked out of me, helpless.
"Hey!" Morgan shouted from behind me. The chainsaw sputtered as the hulking man turned around in his direction. "Hey, get away from her!" A rock bounced against the ground after knocking into the man.
I lifted my head. "No...Morgan." I whispered. Didn't he know that the man was going to kill him now? My back screamed in pain as I rolled over, forcing myself to my feet even as I watched the man swing the chainsaw in Morgan's direction through the tears in my eyes. "Run!" I choked out but it was too late.
The chainsaw dug into Morgan's chest, and his scream died on his lips as quick as it had started; bone, blood and gristle went flying through the air as the blade spun into his stomach and chest. I screamed and threw up again, flashes of pain and terror streaking across my field of vision. I had to run; Morgan had died so that I could run and soon that man was going to be through tearing poor Morgan to pieces.
With the sound of the chainsaw, now tangled with blood and flesh, roaring at my back, I headed into the woods, running on blind panic.
So, I thought I'd give it a little change from the movie; the story is almost over, so really let me know how you're liking it!