Mars watched the girl with a cold gaze the way she held the knife told him she knew how to use it, it fit perfectly to her grip showing it had been used rather often. Its sharp blade pointed at the other boys. However she stood motionless as the guns pointed at her.
Mars watched as she whispered Jenifer's name, soft loving, yet there was a small hint of fear in her voice. Mars smirked slightly as examined the small teen. Her blue eyes concentrated upon the other girl until Denise said something harshly.
Her mussels tensed and he put his gun into his belt and grabbed his knife as she lunged forward, her knife aimed to gut Denise.
Mars moved forward and grabbed her by the waist and held his cold knife to her small throat. It was positioned right above her collar and she froze once again but did not drop her knife.
Then she spoke dangerously "get that away from my throat or I'll cut off your fucking balls." Marshal just shrugged and released her waist but pressed the knife tighter to her throat. She swallowed and he felt the knife cut slightly into her pale skin.
He reached out his hand and grabbed her small fist before twisting it. She gasped and reflexively opened her hand dropping the knife to the floor. He watched it fall before glancing at her face, she seemed scared for a couple seconds before hiding it under a blank expression all emotion wiped from her face.
----
Jenifer was surprised to see Haley there, she had just remembered that they where to play a gig tonight. Looks like they wouldn't make it though, however was Marshal paying attention to Haley she tried to make her get away, she only got as far as the door before Denise grabbed her and held the gun to her head.
"Just try running bitch," he said harshly into her ear.
----
As the blade fell from my hand I felt fear truthfully for the first time, now I was in a way defenseless, however I could feel his gaze upon me and hid my feelings.
I turned my head towards him to give him a look of sheer hatred I hoped he fucking died.
---
Denise looked at his brother. "Tie up the kid, then help me with that one." He said pointing at the newest member of their hostage collection.
Kevin picked up the tape glancing at his brother and tied up Tommy quietly trying not to get it to tight, he didn't want to hurt the kid. But he needed to make sure he didn't get loose. He overlooked the blood and finished as quickly as he could before walking over to Denise.
"Here you take this girl." Denise said to Marshall pushing Jenifer over at him. Marshall took the knife from the girls throat and took Jenifer by the wrist walking out of the room leaving the smallest girl to the other two boys.
Kevin still had the tape and they dragged her down to the kitchen. They forced her down onto the floor and tied her up also putting tape over her mouth, while they had tied her up she had used every foul word possible to describe them. However Denise sighed in relief when she was unable to talk. That would deal with her for a while.
---
They did a trade off, giving me to Denise and the other boy and letting the other man take Jenifer away, she glanced at me and a tear rolled down her face silently.
They dragged me down the stairs and into what I knew to be Jenifer's kitchen. Denise applied all his weight to me making me fall to the floor, he was much stronger than I. Rather easily they had my hands taped together behind me and my legs taped together in a couple places.
I used every word I could think of to cuss at them before they taped my mouth shut. I glared at them, they would die, I would see to it.
And that was that, they left me there. I struggled for a while the tape cutting deep into my wrists rubbing them raw and finally I stopped exhausted I slowly closed my eyes…
----
Marshal went to the kitchen to get something to eat after tying up Jenifer to a chair near the pool. He had taped her mouth shut just to keep her quiet for a bit, just a bit. However what he saw when he walked in surprised him, that small teen that had been in Jenifer's bedroom was tied in a way she looked helpless sitting there eyes shut. He stood there taking in the sight her fight seemed to have drained away.
Her pale skin had a sort of beauty to it, and her chest rose slowly with steady shallow breaths. Her body wasn't overly skinny and was far from obese. Something seemed to pull at his heart strings and he walked over to her sitting in front of her studying her closer.
Finally after about a half an hour he reached out and stroked her hair it was soft and fine. Well taken care of…She moaned softly in her sleep and slowly he pulled back his hand as her eyes began to flutter open. They fixed on him and she hid any emotion she may have felt.
He took out a cigarette and lit it watching her, she glanced away from it and then he finally said something.
"We're not here to hurt you." He reached out and slowly pulled the tape away from her pale lips, trying not to pull to hard.
The girl rolled her eyes and showed her teeth briefly still not looking at him.
"You want some?" He asked her holding out the cigarette.
---
I woke to find the man sitting in front of me, he pulled out a light and began to smoke. I glanced away, my nerves where so high right now, though I was against smoking it was one of those times where all you could think was 'damn I want one'.
He said something, his voice was soft caring in a way, yet it veiled a sort of menace. He then offered me the cigarette. I only nodded my head slightly. Though he had removed the tape I really didn't feel the need to talk to him.
The man moved next to me and slowly took a long drag of the smoke before blowing it into my face, I inhaled deeply before coughing, and turned back to him.
He slowly reached up a hand and began to stroke my hair softly. He took another drag and blew it out for me to inhale. I did so again and held it in before letting out my breath. He smiled slightly still stroking my hair.
"Good girl," he said softly to me "good girl." I closed my eyes for a few seconds in a way enjoying the moment.
It felt like he was trying to claim me as his own, yet I was helpless to protest, I could try but I knew it was futile. I was small, defenseless, he was bigger and stronger, he could overpower me easily. I then moved my head to actually look at him for once. However my collar jingled in the process.
It drew his attention to it. He lifted the tag in a hand and examined it. Reading the engraved word.
"So your name's Haley?" He asked looking at me.
I nodded once looking at his eyes, they where deep green brown staring right into her blue white eyes.
"I'm Mars." He said keeping his eyes fixated upon hers. However his hand traced the letters upon my dog tag. Slowly he slipped his finger in the loop that was meant for leashes to clip on and pulled me forward slightly towards him. As though to get a better look at my face.
-------
Mars stroked the girls hair and she closed her eyes as if in pleasure, like a cat getting its head petted. She seemed so helpless, so fragile, his skin seemed tanned compared to hers. She tried to look at him but the object around her neck made a sound drawing Mar's attention to it.
For the first time he noticed the collar around her pale skinny neck, and the dog id hanging from it. However the collar was small delicate, with a bandana sewn into it, yet it was the dog id he paid attention to.
Mars took it in his hand and looked at it reading the word it read. HALEY….Could that be the girls name or was she wearing a collar of one of her old pets?
"So your name's Haley?" Marshal asked and she nodded. Haley, it was a nice name, however he felt a need to let her know his name, just as a courtesy he told himself.
"I'm Mars."
------
The phone upon the father's body kept ringing, but Kevin only sat upon the couch with a pillow in his hands. The fish in the tank behind him flitting back and forth. His eyes moved over to watch his brother walk into the room like he owned the place. Feeling smitten about the money, Kevin was sure.
"He keeps ringing." Kevin said sulkily pointing at the father.
Denise turned his head in a you got to be kidding me manner and after sliding the gun in the back of his pants walked over to the tied up knocked out man and knelt down. He picked up the cell phone and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Denise this is Jeff Talley" his voice sounded panicked. "Listen to me watch the security channel."
Denise started to walk to the office.
"Denise can you hear me?"
"Yah I don't really know what your talking about." Denise lied.
"THE HELL YOU DON'T! Shut up and listen to me! Just watch the TV, keep watching the outside cameras."
Denise heard Kevin following him as he entered the room with the flickering TV flipping through the security films.
"Yah what am I suppose to be seeing?"
"SHUT UP! Get your ass on the floor and watch the outside camera's Denise" Talley screamed into the phone.
"I'm watching, OK? I'm watching."
Suddenly all of the camera feeds lost signal. Someone had shot out the camera's. "What?" He asked no one really. "What what are they doing?"
Denise heard something wiz through the air and dragged Kevin down to the ground with him.
"Talk to me Denise." Talley ordered.
"Yeah, Yeah I'm here." Denise said mentally panicking.
"Listen to me, listen to me very carefully. The sheriffs playbook is to make you dead."
Something else flew in the air and Denise forced Kevin's head down on the floor.
"First their going to shoot out those camera's then their going to shoot you. Am I clear?"
"What are you talking about?" Denise asked confused.
"I'm trying to save your life!"
I don't understand…"
"Shut up I'm trying to save your life."
But you said you weren't the guy!" Denise and Kevin exchanged looks and looked around wildly.
"I am the guy Denise. I am the guy." The line went dead and Denise hung up the phone.
Denise picked up the other phone as the other man called and ignored the greeting. "I don't trust you any more mother fucker, I'll shoot the girl if I can't talk to Talley, I want to talk to Talley…RIGHT NOW!"
The man hung up and all Denise could do was wait.
----
I tried to pull back as he pulled me forward but hissed as the tape cut into my arms even more. Mars seemed to realize this and stopped pulling me before glancing at my wrists.
It doesn't look that bad." He said softly in my ear before standing up and taking a dish rag, he ran it under the water and knelt back down. He looked into my eyes before moving behind me and wrapping the cloth around the tape trying to cool the burn.
Then I heard the yelling and so it seemed did Mars. He slipped one finger on my lips before putting the tape back over my mouth and leaving.
-----
Mars walked into the room from god knows where and sat on the sofa relaxed in a way.
Soon enough the phone rang. It was Talley.
"Hey Denise, its Jeff everyone ok in there?"
We're buggin' in here man."
"I know. I know. I'm trying to help."
"Denise I really need to talk to Walter Smith."
Denise began to grow frustrated once again. "Smiths not talking." He heard Talley wet his lips.
"Is smith not talking because you won't let him? Or is he not talking because he can't?"
"Its not my fault." Denise shouted. "I've hit people harder and they haven't fallen." Denise had a crazy smile imprinted upon his face.
"I know, I understand." Talley said. "Your under a lot of pressure in there. But come on man I just saved your life, and you know it. All I'm asking is that you help me save his life. Come on…"
Denise covered the phone with his hand and feeling a need to ask Mars said. "He wants me to give up the old man…"
"Its your spin." Mars said calmly not looking at him, as though thinking about something.
"Yeah, good idea." Kevin stated.
"Ok, but you need to strip so we can see that you have no weapons. But just you."
"Walters Smith is a big man, its going to take two of us to lift him."
"Fine, but no more." Denise said to Talley.
----
Mars, Denise and Kevin all carried Walter Smiths stiff body outside in front of the house by the gate. However only Denise and Kevin ran back inside the house.
The gates opened and the ambulance moved backwards and Talley and another man got out.
"He's MOI, Lets load and go."
"Ok, one, two."
"Three," mars appeared in the shadows only enough to show part of his face and his gun. He felt a thrill at how Talley jumped away. The other man looked like he needed to change his pants, Mars turned off the trigger and aimed before slowly saying. "Bang." And with a smile he disappeared once again.
----
Mars returned back to the house and took his spot on the sofa once again.
Denise was insistent on taking the money with them, "hey we take the Benjamins, we use the rope we climb up over the rock wall." He suggested.
"That's so stupid." Kevin said, "They got helicopters, they got night vision and shit."
"Don't be a dumb ass we're not going to walk out of the front door."
"How are you going to get the Benjamins over the rock?
"What are you going to do? You've done nothing, do something!"
"You think we're going to get out of this your crazy!" Kevin shouted at his brother.
"Then do something, anything, do something Kevin! Huh? Something."
"I want to hear your plan, come on tell me your plan! Please."
Mars kept his back to this whole conversation. However when Kevin didn't say anything Mars finally did.
"Burn it." He said remembering Jenifer's shirt.
"What?" Both brothers looked at his back.
"The house, we burn it. Lots of smoke, helicopters can't see through smoke." Mars took a drag of his cigarette.
Kevin looked back at Denise. "What about the brother and the two girls? Huh?"
Denise turned away.
Kevin walked behind mars and questioned.
"Huh? What about the brother and the two girls? Your not killing any more people."
Mars was getting sick and tired of this little boy.
He leaned to the side and turned his head to look at Kevin, before getting up and leaving the room.
Mars walked over to the security monitor, he had two different rooms up on the screen. The kitchen and the pool room. Both held beautiful girls, both where susceptible to changing. But he could only take one, who would it be. However something caught his attention, the kitchen was empty the tape and the cloth laying on the floor.
---
I used the yelling and the noise as a distraction, I managed to roll on my side and reach my back pocket with my hands, pulling out my knife. Then I cut the tape, it took a long time but finally I was free, now all I needed to do was find Jenifer. When they left I checked upstairs, Tommy wasn't in his room neither was Jenifer. I got back downstairs just in time to avoid being caught by them. Then by chance I glimpsed the security monitor when their backs where turned. She was in the pool room. So that was where I went.
----
Mars went to Jenifer not knowing where to look for the other girl first. Truth was he didn't see her hiding behind the chair near the entrance, at least not until to late.
"It sucks your mom died, my mom walked out on my old man, and he died, died of a broken heart." Mars said walking towards Jenifer.
He lit another cigarette before squatting next to her, to them. He looked at her "I know your scared." he said softly removing the tape from her mouth.
"But I'm scared too."
----
I crept out of my hiding spot as Mars talked to Jenifer, I had a rock in my fist, I wouldn't hit him with it but it would harden my blow so it would knock him out better. He was about to take a drag of his cigarette but instead offered it to Jenifer.