Gillian didn't want to look at the objects Finn was pulling out of his bag. She'd already seen the photos of his victims and that should have been enough for her to keep her eyes away but they pulled toward him as if magnetized. She immediately wished that she'd resisted. Terror seemed to split her in half but she feebly tried to hold on to the anger even as it paled in comparison.
She finally turned away to find that Cal wasn't looking at the man. He was looking at her, face serious, silently encouraging. You're a strong woman Gill. You're not like his other victims. He won't be expecting a fight. Take advantage of it.
Two more tools came out of the knapsack. An ice pick and needle nose pliers.
Her gorge started to rise but Cal gave a tiny headshake. No. Don't give him a chance. She concentrated on his face, drawing more strength where she could.
"Well, I probably don't have to go into any lengthy expression." Finn smiled benignly. "You know the drill."
"Yeahh, we knowww that you'rre one sickkk fuck who goes afterrr the weakkk."
"Some people might look upon it as thinning the heard."
"Orrr tryin' to compensate forr nott bein' able to get it upp when it commes to womennn."
Wide eyed, Gill laid a hand on his leg, knowing what he was doing. Knowing that he was trying to bring Finn's wrath onto himself.
The blood had run from the man's face as Cal apparently hit his mark. Fury radiated across him as he glared at the older man and took one step closer. He stopped and took a breath. "I know what you're trying to do."
"Annnd whas that? What coulldd I possibly be doin'? I'm tiedd to a fuckin' chairrr, loaded on God knowwws whattt and you're the one holdin' all the carrrds." Cal continued to blaze at him, unheeding of the pressure of Gillian's hand. "The wayyy I seee it is I donnne have a lott to lose. I cannn go aheaddd and telll you what a pathetic excussse for a mann you arrre…a beautifulll woman, nada…a womannn with blood, that's whattt does it forr youu. Thatt's wha gets yourrr motor runnin'."
"Shut up Lightman."
"…howww you torture and cuttt up womennn 'cause youurr pissed offff that youu can't havve one. Howww they'lll laugh 'cause of…"
Finn stepped closer, the pistol now rising and pushing into Cal's temple. "I told you to shut up."
"Orrr you'lll whatt? Killll mee? Isn't thattt the plann anywayy?" He attempted not to flinch as the barrel pushed harder against him and avoided looking at Gillian.
"How about if I shoot you and then take my time with your pretty partner?"
"I guesss youuu will have faileddd thennn."
"What the hell are you talking about?" The man was becoming increasingly agitated.
"Wasnn't the plann to make me sufferr? Youu kill me quickllyy and I'mm off the hoook. So thattt would juss be another fuck upp of yourrrs. No wonderrr your olldd man is ashamed of youu."
Finn's lips had disappeared into a thin line as his face whitened even more. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about."
"Youu and I both know that that's nottt trrrue."
The two men didn't break eye contact for several long moments.
Finally the gun lowered. "You know something Lightman? I'm thinking that you'd be a lot less talkative with your tongue cut out."
Cal kept his reaction in his gut where it immediately felt like it started to eat him alive. He continued to glare but he knew it was beginning to falter.
Gillian blanched as a noise of horror escaped the back of her throat. Finn gave her a tiny smile from below dark and stormy eyes.
(BREAK)
Gregory watched the cabin for a few moments before approaching. Two vehicles were parked in front. Berk's Blazer and Finn's BMW. That was good. Since Berk was still there, there might still be time. The fragment of phone conversation drifted back to him. "…I'll come back to help with clean up but I'm not going to stick around…" He hadn't wanted anything to do with Finn's sick games.
Keeping low, he ran across the weed filled lawn before flattening against the side of the building. Scooting close to the kitchen window, he craned his neck to surreptitiously peek inside. From what he could tell, there was no one in either front room.
Taking another breath, he moved forward, turned the corner and eased onto the front porch, stepping carefully in an attempt to avoid the creaking of the aging wood. The screen door was unlocked and Greg let himself inside.
(BREAK)
Finn's teeth shown like shark's teeth as he stepped back to the bureau, examining several of his knives that he'd pulled from his bag before deciding on one.
Cal's mind shifted as it suddenly began to gibber at him with nonsense. So much for rage stamping out his fear. The bastard was going to cut out his tongue. Felix the Cat with his bag of tricks… oh fuck…Felix the Cat, the wonderful wonderful cat. Whenever he gets into a fix, he reaches into his bag of trix…oh fuck…His head started to sink against his chest before he realized that he couldn't keep an eye on Finn. An eye. That's all he had. The other was swollen shut. He almost giggled. Oh fuck. Cut out his tongue.
"Please! Leave him alone already! Haven't you done enough?" Gillian's voice was trembling but still held a surprising amount of strength. She stood up and stepped in front of Cal.
Amusement flickered across the younger man's face. "Sweet. Attempting to defend your man." He held the scalpel up. "I can respect that. But I have to tell you that it doesn't change anything. Now, this is what we're going to do: I need you to go sit on the far side of the bed."
Gillian didn't move.
"Alright. Let me be more specific. If you don't go sit, I'll just cut his throat and you won't have anything left to protect."
"Gillll, gooo. Stayy awayyy from 'im." He shook his head and grimaced. Needed to keep his faculties. Almost lost them for a few seconds there.
"Ah. Sound advice from the good Dr. Lightman. At least for the moment."
Cal snapped back to himself and caught her eye. Almost time. His guard's going to go down. You'll have your chance.
Her eyes began to fill. "Please."
"GO SIT NOW!" The sudden scream had her flinching as if Finn had raised his hand to her. And it excited him. She could see it all over him. Power. Becoming overconfident.
She sat hesitantly on the edge, eyes wide.
"Thank you." He stepped up to Cal. "Now, let's take out that pesky thing."
Cal dropped his head, twisting his body as far away as he could as Finn's left hand attempted to grab hold of him. He threw himself and the chair sideways, crashing to the floor, landing hard on his shoulder, letting out a grunt of pain. The other man was almost pulled down as one hand found purchase in the front of his shirt. Finn stumbled forward before letting go and catching his balance. He looked down at Cal with disdain.
"That's less convenient." He tried to lean over before Cal lashed out with his boots, eliciting a sharp yelp as he connected with one shin. "Son of a bitch." Finn sprayed spittle as he rounded behind. "Maybe I'll cut off your fucking nose too while I'm at it." He suddenly dropped into a crouch, fisting one hand in Cal's hair, jerking his head back. "I'm going to really enjoy this." One knee pushed into the side of his head as he reached around to squeeze into the jawbone, forcing the man's mouth open, scalpel at ready.
(BREAK)
Gregory crept up the stairs, careful to stay flush against the banister to avoid creaking wood. Finn's sudden scream had startled him but he managed to keep his cool and not panic.
When he reached the top of the staircase, he did start to panic.
Berkley.
Slumped over and dead.
Oh shit.
He swallowed it back. He shouldn't have been surprised. Finn wasn't close to anyone. If the need arose, he'd probably kill his own father. This only told him that he needed to move his ass a little faster. He kept the rifle up and ready.
Somewhere he thought he heard the sound of sirens.
Am I torturing you?