FLESH AND BONE

Maddie was back at the bunker and was laying on the couch reading a book on ninjutsu. Then, a she received a text message from Brandon. He was outside the bunker door. Maddie rushed over to the door and opened it. Brandon walked in as Maddie hid behind the door.

"So what did you want to tell me?" Brandon asked.

Maddie closed the door and locked it. She turned around and had on her face paint, outfit, and her hair was in pigtails. Brandon looked at her and was stunned.

"Maddie?" He asked, "I knew it. I knew it was you."

"So now you know my secret," Maddie said as she walked towards him.

He backed away as she walked towards him.

"You're doing a good thing," he said. "You hunt down criminals. You're the Night Slasher.

Brandon stumbled back onto the couch and Maddie got on top of him. She pinned his arms down.

"Bad people deserve to die," she told him.

"I agree on that."

She kissed him, smearing some of her paint on his lips. She put her hand on his chest and felt the beating of his heart.

"So soothing," she said, "The way the heart pounds when someone fears me. It has a special rhythm to it."

Brandon kissed her.

"It's not fear, it's excitement," he said.

Maddie chuckled.

"I know fear," she said.

"I want you right now. I can't get you out of my head. All day I've been thinking about you."

"I have work to do. Bad people are out there. I made a promise to fight evil and I intend to keep that promise."

Maddie got off him. Brandon stared at her and Maddie smiled.

"Do you just scour the night, hoping to find something?" He asked.

"That's right. I used to have help from my father. He would listen to the police scanner and find crimes."

Brandon looked at the nearby police scanner.

"You think you're up for it?" Maddie asked him.

"You bet I am. I'll do anything for you."

"Do it right, and I'll reward you."

Her seductive eyes caused Brandon to go into a momentary trance.

Maddie was now on the rooftop of a tall building. She had equipped her knives as well as her katanas. It was after midnight, the air was crisp, the moon was full, and Maddie had an urge that needed to be satisfied. She looked upon the city. The darkness of the city made her feel strong.

"Maddie can you hear me?" Brandon said over the earpiece.

"Codenames Brandon," she replied.

"Right, secret government agents. Okay, Slasher I just received word of a burning building on West Burlington Avenue. Another arsonist. A bomb also went off at a construction site on Cactus Parkway."

She ran across the rooftop and leaped to the next building. She rolled on the rooftop and ran across, once again leaping to the next building.

"Slasher," Brandon said, "There's a robbery going on at Western Savings and Loan. Witnesses claim group of mercenaries blew open the vault."

"Wait, the fire and the bomb must have been a diversion. The police will be too busy with those to even care about the bank. I'm taking on the mercenaries."

"And Mad…Uh, Slasher, please be careful," Brandon warned her.

As Maddie ran across the rooftops, she noticed that Tim never gave her a warning to be safe. She thought the reason was Brandon did not know how she handled herself. She descended the building and was closer to the streets. The darkness was her ally that would never betray her. She used it to her advantage as she scaled down the building. She was now close to the bank. Two black vans and a large black SUV were parked outside. This part of the neighborhood contained a lot of dangerous thugs and had very little cop presence during the night. She was now on the street and peaked around the building. It was very tall. The bank was located on the bottom and the offices were on top. It was quiet. She resisted the urge to go inside and kill them all. Maddie inspected the vehicles. She saw assault weapons in one of the vans. The other van did not have windows in the back and the SUV looked like an armored vehicle.

"Brandon, I need you to keep quiet for a while okay," She whispered.

"Got it."

Then, the bank alarm went off. A group of 10 armed mercenaries ran out the door, each of them holding a large sack. Maddie immediately disappeared. The mercenaries loaded the vehicles and sped down the street. They got their weapons ready in case the police showed. Maddie had held on to the windowless van and climbed on top. She held on to a side rail on the top. She enjoyed the wind blowing in her face and hair but realized she needed to get inside. There were only three mercenaries inside. Knowing they had guns, Maddie had to find a way in, killing everyone but the driver. She knocked on the back door. The vehicles drove over a bridge and it was at least two miles before there was a tunnel. The streets were empty. The door opened and Maddie jumped in, kicking the masked man down. She quickly stabbed him with her boot knife and then killed the passenger by throwing a knife at his head. The driver reached for his gun but Maddie stopped him by placing a knife to his throat.

"Move and I'll slice ya up!" Maddie said.

"What the hell do you want?" The driver said.

"Keep driving idiot!"

The driver was scared out of his mind. He tried to get a good look at her, but was too scared to try. Maddie took the gun from his holster and tossed it to the back. One of the doors was still open. She removed the dead body from the passenger seat and sat down. She unbuckled his seat belt.

"Just take the money, all of it," he said.

She looked at the three sacks of money.

"I told you to drive," she said

She sliced his forehead and he screamed. The vehicle swerved and Maddie laughed. Blood rushed into his face and it was hard for him to see. He wiped it away.

"You wipe away the blood and I will slice your head off and drink your blood," she commanded.

"We'll crash!"

"Maybe. Maybe not. That's what makes this so fun!"

Maddie laughed. He continued to drive, despite the blood in his face.

"So, what's your name?" She asked.

"J-J-Jimmy," he said.

"Hi J-J-J-J-Jimmy," she mocked.

"And who are the two with blood spurting out of them?"

"Dave and Sal."

Maddie stared at him, embracing the fear he had and watching him shiver.

"Just take the money," Jimmy said.

"You and that damn money! Fine."

She got up and grabbed a bag. She emptied it out into the street and grabbed the other two sacks and did the same. The money poured out into the bridge. She closed the door and returned to her seat.

"You see, there is no better pleasure than moving a blade though someone's flesh," she said, "I love when the blood comes out."

"Oh please, don't kill me," Jimmy begged.

"Oh, I love when people beg me. The feeling I get when the blade slices through someone's neck and into their bone. Flesh and bone and blood and a blade makes me feel good. Hard to control, hard to resist."

Maddie began to ramble incoherently, making Jimmy shivering even more.

"Flesh and bone and blood and a blade. Flesh and bone, blade and blood. Flesh. Bone. Blade. Blood. Everywhere. All over me. Flesh, bone, blade, blood."

Maddie laughed maniacally. Jimmy shivered violently. Maddie's insanity and the passing cars caused him to panic. Maddie grabbed him by the throat and laughed. He could not see ahead. He tried his best to avoid traffic.

"We're gonna die!" Maddie shouted.

She let him go when they made it the tunnel. Maddie laughed.

"Crazy bitch!" Jimmy said.

Maddie continued to laugh.

"The look on your face!" Maddie said with laughter.

Maddie stared at him with evil eyes.

"Ever hear of the Black Mesa massacre?" Maddie asked.

He nodded.

"A psycho went in and shot everyone," she continued. "He went crazy. The victims, they all screamed, they all begged, they all died, and they all deserved it. They were bad. My daddy told me they were. I know all about the massacre. I was there. He made them beg. He enjoyed killing them. I saw him. I met him. I wanted to be like him. I am him. I fell in love with him."

"You're sick as hell."

"There's gonna be another massacre," she whispered.

"Oh please, don't kill me. I've done what you asked."

"You are gonna die. But I'll go easy on you, I'll kill you quick."

Maddie laughed as they exited the tunnel. She sat with her legs on Jimmy's lap as he drove down the road. The two vehicles in front drove up a hill and into a wooded area. Maddie activated her boot knife, startling Jimmy. She then retracted the knife.

"I'm still wondering what to do with your head," she said.

"Oh man," he whispered in fear.

"Don't worry, you'll be dead before I do it. Remember, because you've been a good sport, you'll die without even realizing it."

"Please, don't. I'll give you anything."

Maddie smiled and took a breath of satisfaction.

"Begging. Oh, I love it," Maddie said.

"I'll do anything for you, I swear to you."

"Anything?"

"Yes."

"Well okay. You have something I want, something I need."

"What is it?"

"BLOOD!"

Maddie laughed. Jimmy began to violently quiver. The vehicles came to a stop at the parking lot a large industrial building. It was dark and gloomy and appeared to be abandoned. The mercenaries got out and carried the large sacks with them. The last van pulled up. A large man looked at the van.

"Jimmy, let's go," he yelled.

The lights on the van flickered.

"What the hell are you doing?" He yelled.

Then, the van sped towards him, he jumped out of the way and the van crashed into the armored SUV.

"What the fuck?" the large man said.

The mercenaries got out their guns and pointed it at the van. They slowly approached the back door. One of the mercenaries approached the driver's side. He used the flashlight on his gun and saw that Jimmy's head was missing. Before he could scream, Maddie came behind him, covered his mouth and stabbed him in the chest. The rest of the mercenaries opened the door and saw Jimmy's head on the floor of the van.

"Ah, shit!" the large man yelled. "Who the fuck did this?"

A laugh was heard.

"It's that damn bitch!" One of the mercenaries yelled

"Fucking kill her!" the large man said.

One of them shot bullets at the sound of laughter. Then, a knife penetrated his throat, killing him. Maddie laughed again.

"You better kill that bitch!" the large man yelled.

One of the mercenaries was near a large gas truck. He was suddenly pulled to the ground and dragged under. He screamed, but Maddie slit his throat slowly. This attracted the attention of the others. One of them was about to shoot, but the large man stopped him.

"You fucking idiot, you'll blow us all up!" He yelled. "Split up and find this bitch."

The remaining four looked around for her.

"Okay little girl, come on out and I'll be extra nice to you," the large man taunted.

Maddie snuck behind one of them and cover his mouth. She ran the knife from his stomach to his throat and snapped his neck. One of them was nervous and shaking. Maddie smiled. The man stood still. She quietly went behind him, feeling the aura of fear and embracing it. She stood behind him for a few seconds and then smiled. She grabbed him by the hair and pulled him back.

"Nervous about something?" She whispered.

The man tried to scream, but couldn't. Maddie laughed.

"Scream," she whispered into his ear, "I love the sound of screaming."

She put him in a chokehold and squeezed him until he was no longer moving. She laughed, getting the attention of the remaining two. She hid behind one of the vehicles and felt their fear as they ran over.

"Damn it!" the large man said.

"This fucking bitch is crazy!" the other mercenary said.

Then, Maddie threw a knife into the large man's leg. He screamed in pain and tried to pull it out. He fell to the ground. The mercenary frantically looked around for her as he heard laughter.

"You better kill that bitch!" The large man said.

He pulled the knife out. Maddie laughed again. The large man got up and limped away near the other van. The mercenary followed the sound of laughter near the wreckage. Maddie was on top on the wrecked van and quietly jumped down behind him. She stabbed him repeatedly in the arm, causing him to drop his gun. He screamed in pain. He tried to punch her but she ducked and he hit the glass on the van and shattered it. Maddie stabbed him in non-lethal areas, causing him to scream. The large man heard what was occurring. Maddie grabbed his throat and choked him, bringing him to his knees. She took out her machete and with one swing, it sliced completely through his entire neck. She walked away as his head fell off and his body fell to the ground.

The large man was still in shock from the knife. Maddie went back to the wrecked van. She picked up a rebar that was on the ground and opened the door. She smiled at Jimmy's head. The large man was leaning against the armored SUV. It was just him now.

"Where are you?" Maddie said in a taunting voice.

He wiped the sweat away from his face.

"I can sense your fear," she continued, "I know where you are."

She laughed as the large man ran out into the open area. He fired his rifle and quickly reloaded. He saw that the van door was open and Jimmy's head was gone.

"You're gonna die," he yelled, "I'll fucking kill you."

He heard a laugh behind him and emptied the clip. He heard another laugh near the gas truck and emptied more bullets, missing the gas tank. He was breathing heavily and violently quivering. There was a dead silence. He walked closer to the armored SUV. Suddenly, Maddie appeared out of nowhere and frightened him. He fell to the ground as she laughed. He shot at her, but Maddie quickly disappeared. He went around to the front of the SUV and looked around.

"Yoo-hoo!" Maddie said.

He turned around. Maddie was standing in front of the SUV. She was holding the rebar with Jimmy's head impaled on it.

"You remember him don't cha?" She asked.

The large man fired the gun but it was empty. She laughed.

"Jimmy was so nice; he gave me a ride. We talked and talked. In exchange for his services, I killed him quick. It's a shame he went out begging for his life."

Maddie wedged the rebar in the grill of the SUV. She sat on the hood, crossing her legs. The man looked up and was startled by the impaled head.

"What's the matter with you?" Maddie said.

The man was getting more scared.

"You are the sorriest excuse to ever disgrace this earth," Maddie said. "I'm gonna drink your blood."

That caused the man to drop the assault rifle and have a panic attack. He was breathing heavily as Maddie laughed. His hands were shaking so badly; he could not pick up the assault rifle.

"Please don't drink my blood," he said with an incoherent quiver, "Don't drink my blood. Don't drink my blood. Don't drink my blood. Don't drink my blood."

Maddie laughed and clapped. She got off the SUV and walked towards him. He picked up the assault rifle and desperately tried to load the clip. Maddie stood right in front of him and looked at her nails. She grabbed his hair and kicked him back. She picked up the assault rifle and clip and quickly loaded it. Then, she tossed the assault rifle at him and laughed. He picked it up, but Maddie stepped on it. Next, she used her boot knife and sliced his throat. She kept slicing him, moving the blade back and forth as she laughed until he was decapitated. She looked at the building ahead and decided to infiltrate it.