Lucky 17

Original Idea by: Scraps

Characters created by:

Chapter 5: Abduction

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I watched for a few minutes as the little one continued to set up rocks around the stump. It was clear that these were supposed to be "chairs" and the stump was a table for what I assumed is the "brunch" Seventeen mentioned. Aside from the chair she was sitting on, there were four other chairs surrounding the stump. The two chairs to the left and right of Seventeen were occupied by a small stuffed bug toy and the skull respectively, while the other two in front of her were empty. Seventeen's chair was pointing away from my hiding spot and she could not see me coming. It was at this moment that I decided to make my move.

I carefully and quietly crept through the bushes, slowly bending them so they would not snap and give notice to my location. Unfortunately, a lone branch flung loose and swatted me in the left eye. I quickly grabbed my eye and held in my yelp as I froze in place. After a few minutes of waiting, the pain dissipated and I could make my move. Pushing out from the bushes, I stood in the field, a good twenty feet away from my target. Seventeen was still distracted, apparently talking to the inanimate objects around her as if they were people. So much innocence and imagination in this one. God only knows why her folks abandoned her. Nevertheless, I crouched down and slowly began to sneak up her. Using all my experience playing stealth games on my PC, I began to make good progress. As the length of feet shortened between us, I could hear her voice more profoundly.

"…and then Malachi tried to get the rest of the campers to elect him president of the camp, only for them to ditch him in the river." Seventeen said with a totty laugh as she placed sever small stones on a flat rock and placed it next to a large rock that was apparently supposed to be a teapot. I had to admit that the kid had quite the imagination. "He nearly drowned in the current before he discovered that it was shallow. What a card, eh Love Bug?"

I was so close now, I was only five feet behind her. I quickly pulled out the bottle of chloroform and my handkerchief and doused the latter with the former. With my tool ready, I stood behind my prize, my breaths as shallow as they could be and my steps as quiet as possible.

"Now Mr. Skullyface!" Seventeen said as she smacked the skull lightly with her hand. "You know we can't eat until everyone's here. Brian and Malachi will be here any minute, you need to control yourself."

I now found myself standing behind her. The sweat on my brow trickled as I held the handkerchief in my hand, which was as stiff as a tree branch. I was standing behind my prize and if found myself hesitating, as if I was going to defuse a bomb. As I watched Seventeen twittle her thumbs and hum in apparent wait for her friends, I saw her head shift towards something on the table. She was staring at a small shimmering light, a reflection of light, on the table. I soon realized that the light was coming from my watch, and as she patted the light with her hand like a cat, she then stopped and noticed the large shadow covering her. She then turned around and looked at my chest before looking up into my eyes. Quick as a flash, I hid the handkerchief behind my back and gave a big smile. Oddly enough, Seventeen responded to me not with fear…but with a large open-mouthed grin.

"Hello!" Seventeen said with a huge wave of her hands. "My name's Seventeen, what's yours?"

I paused for a moment, thinking what to do next. Should I just attack her, or should I talk to her for a while. She did say her friends are coming and that could cause problems, but on the other hand, I would like to know more about this girl. Plus, I do have my gun if things go south.

"They call me John…" I said as I slyly placed the handkerchief in my back pocket. "John Wickum"

"Wow! You're pretty big for a camper." Seventeen said with a hand on her chin, making her look like a detective of sorts. "Where are you from?"

"The forest." I replied as I pointed to behind me with my thumb. "I'm a wanderer."

"Wow!" Seventeen gasped with saucer eyes. "Wanna join the table."

"Sure, I say with a shrug as I move around towards the front of the stump and sit down on the ground, the stump was short enough that I didn't need a table. Seventeen then took a large flat rock, plopped some greenish-brown mush and rocks on it, and handed it to me. The smell was terrible and nearly made me gag as I placed it on the stump and subtly pushed it away.

"So, what brings you to Weedonwantcha?" Seventeen asked as she made another "meal"

"I'm just passing through." I replied.

"Why?" Seventeen asked, looking at me with curiosity.

"To get to my next destination of course." I replied.

"Why?" Seventeen asked.

"Cause that's what I do." I replied.

"Why?" She asked again, now with a cheeky smile on her face.

"Cause I have no other option." I replied again, a little irritated with Seventeen's contact use of the word…

"Why?" Seventeen asked again, giggling a bit while asking. Knowing that this was a joke, I then decided to throw a low punch with my next response.

"Cause I don't have a home! Okay?!" I yelled in a falsely raised voice as I slammed my hand on the stump. "My family abandoned me on the street and I have nothing! Is that good enough for you?"

Seventeen flinched at the response, I watched as the smile quickly faded from her face and the lights dimmed in her eyes as they began to well up with tears. She then looked to the stuffed toy, clearly her family did the same, and it was quite a touchy subject for her.

Bullseye!

"My…my family abandoned me too…" Seventeen said quietly as she looked up to me with the saddest eyes I've ever seen. "I wanted to play "hide-n-seek, and then they left me at the camp."

"I see..." I said, trying to mimic the emotions that I was seeing. "I'm sorry you went through that."

"But it's okay now, cause I have Brian and Malachi and their my new family." Seventeen said with new vigor. "They're so nice and they take care of me…well mostly Brian does, but Malachi does too…well not so much…"

"Wow…you have such a wonderful family there." I said as I twittled my thumbs and looked down at them. "Do…do you think you have room for one more?"

Seventeen stopped and looked at me with eyes as large as the amount of people hating a racist youtuber, which was very large. Suddenly, this was followed by a large grin as the child began to vibrate intensely.

"OF COURSE YOU CAN!" Seventeen shouted as she jumped over the stump and grabbed me into a bear hug! "You can stay with us! Sure, you're a little bigger than the other kids, but Brian's big too, and I know that you'll be the best camper at Weedonwantcha!"

"Wow, thanks!" I said with a grin as I could not believe what was happening. This girl must be the naivest child I've ever met. The again, she was apparently a hick of some kind. It was then that I thought of an idea, an awful idea, I then thought of a wonderful, awful idea.

"Say…now that we're a family…" I said as I reached into my back pocket. "Is it alright if I give you something?"

"You have a present?" Seventeen asked with an excited curiosity as she grabbed my shoulders with anticipation. "What is it?! What is it?!"

"It's my most prized possession." I lied as I then pulled out my handkerchief and presented it to her, the cloth was still damp and I could smell the chloroform. Seventeen then looked at the cloth and then back to me. Her eyes sparkling with wonder at the small cloth.

"It's beautiful." Seventeen said as she looked at the cloth.

"I know it is." I said as I looked back to her. "But it's also magic."

At that moment, Seventeen looked back to me with shock and awe as she stood up and lifted the handkerchief into the air and began to laugh and dance on the stump.

"It's magic! It's really magic!" Seventeen shouted in wonder, before she looked back to me with a look of confusion. "What does it do?"

"Well, it grants any wish to those who use it." I explained to Seventeen "But you must have a pure heart and you have to do a good deed every day."

"I'ma both of those things!" Seventeen shouted towards me. "I give food to the animals and I help Brian with his temper and I keep Malachi company and I'm president of the nature club and I…"

"Okay, I get it." I interjected with my hands raised defensively. "You are worthy of the handkerchief and you may use it's magic to grant any wish."

"Hooray!" Seventeen hooted as she then looked to the handkerchief with confusion. "So how do I use it?"

"Alright, here's how you use it." I explained to the naive child. "First, close your eyes and speak your wish, then place the cloth over your mouth and take a deep breath, once you do these steps three times, your wish will be granted."

"Okay!" Seventeen replied as she placed the cloth to her chest and closed her eyes.

This was too easy.

"I wish, that Malachi, Brian, and me, that we all stay together, happy and healthy, forever and ever."

I watched with anticipation as Seventeen took the cloth and placed it over her face. As she took a deep breath, I felt a small gasp enter my lungs as I watched Seventeen lower the handkerchief. The girl shook her head and squinted her eyes as she looked around in confusion, but then placed the handkerchief to her chest yet again.

"I wish…that Malachi…Br..Brian…and me…" Seventeen slurred a bit as she then trailed off for a moment, her face looked woozy and her eyes droopy before she composed herself. "…we all stay together…f-f-forever…and…evr…"

Seventeen then looked back to the cloth and then to me. I nodded in sheer awe at what was transpiring. She then looked back to the handkerchief and then placed it over her face again. As she took another deep breath, she pulled away, dropping the handkerchief and wobbling around on the stump, before falling onto her knees.

"I…wshh…ma…alc…" Seventeen slurred, she tried to reach for the handkerchief, only to fall flat onto the stump, knocking over the assortment of rocks and sludge she placed there earlier. She then started to rise back up, wobbling erratically as she did. "brn…e…frrr…vr…"

Suddenly, Seventeen fell forwards off the stump. I quickly bolted forward and grabbed the child and lifted her into my arms. I then watched as he looked to me with lidded eyes and uttered a quiet and slurred "evr" before drifting into unconsciousness. It felt like hours as I looked at the child in my arms. Everything I've done, the weeks of planning, the lies, and the risks all led up to this moment. I finally had my prey in my arms, and now it was time to reap the fruits of my labors. I then suddenly found myself laughing quietly as I looked around at the field surrounding me.

"It's done!" I shouted with a tone of triumph as well as a little dance. "I've done it! I've finally done it!""

I then looked back to my prize and gave a sincere look towards her.

"My dear you have been a most excellent host today, as well as a wonderful friend." I said as I cradled her in my arms. "It would be a sin not to provide you with not only the same hospitality, but also a chance to free you from your torment. Rest assured, you won't have to worry about anything anymore. After all, what're friends for, right?"

I then decided to signify this moment by providing a kiss to my prey. As I slid my tongue down her throat, I was suddenly greeted with the taste of grass, mud and expired meat all mashed together, as well as the smell of an unwashed sweaty child. I quickly removed my mouth and spat out the vial fluids I had just sampled.

"Whew! But first you need a good washing." I said as I gagged and spat onto the ground. "I can't have you so dirty before we begin our meal."

As I carried her through the bushes and towards the car. I heard another voice calling out and I turned and looked through said bushes, I then saw another child standing around the stump from before. This child was a boy and had blue hair and he was a bit taller than seventeen. I then recognized him from the photo the EHC showed me and he must be one of the friends that Seventeen mentioned. I then noticed him looking towards my direction and walking in the same direction.

"Shit!" I muttered as I then began to quickly beeline towards my car. "Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!"

Normally this would not be much of a challenge, but it was difficult with a small child in my arms. As I dashed towards the car and opened it, I shoved Seventeen into the passenger side of the car and closed it. I then turned around to see the blue-haired child standing before me, a sight which caused me to yelp in surprise.

"Who are you?" the kid asked me as he leaned over to look at the car. What are you doing with Seventeen?"

I hesitated for a minute before thinking of a lie. This is a kid and while it would be of no problem killing him, I would like to be as discrete as possible. Besides, if Seventeen was dumb enough to fall for my lies, how hard could it be to fool him.

"I'm John Wickum, a ranger of the Environmental Health Company." I lied as I kneeled to the child. "You must be Malachi, right?"

"…Yes…" Malachi replied consciously. "How do you know that?"

'Why Seventeen told me of course, before she lost consciousness" I replied with a smile. "She told me you and Brian are good friends, is here with you by chance?"

"…No…he's catching up." Malachi replied as he looked at the car again, by the sudden widening of his eyes, he probably saw the unconscious body of Seventeen in the window. "He…he had to tend to a couple animals…why is Seventeen in there. What did you do to her?"

I sighed as I stood up and rubbed my face, thinking of a lie on the spot is tough, but given the environment, It should not be too tough.

"Your friend…is very sick…she's infected with a dangerous brain infection" I lied as I looked to the car window. "It's highly contagious and she needs to see a medical professional and we have one at the station."

"There's a station nearby?!" Malachi shouted in shock as he approached me. "So, there are adults here?!"

Damnit! This kid's a bit smarter than I though. Perhaps I was mistaken about the toughness.

"Well…not exactly…" I explained. "Your camp is on the border or our compound, and I was sent to collect samples and to find anyone in serious distress."

"What about the rest of the camp?" Malachi asked as he grabbed my legs. "We have barely any food or shelter or anything."

"I said serious distress…" I said as I shoved him off me, causing him to trip over and fall on his bottom. "…that means any contagious disease or injury. Your camp was abandoned for a reason, so go home and let me do my job."

As I walked around the van, I saw Malachi dash in front of me and blocked my way to the car door.

"Get out of my way boy." I said with a hiss as I reached into my coat. "I'm only gonna tell you once."

"I'm not leaving without Seventeen!" Malachi shouted at me with a look of suspicion and determination as he jabbed me with his finger. "You're no ranger, you're no ranger at all, are you?!"

I then gave a long sigh as pulled out my pistol and aimed it at the boy's head. Malachi's expression change to shock and fear as he looked to the gun and then at me.

"Keep in mind that I did warn you." I said with a patronizing tone as I felt my finger press the trigger.

Everything that happened next felt like it was a slow-motion scene in a move. I felt the cold metal of the pistol in my hand become warm as the gun went off. I felt the recoil shoot my hand back a bit as the slide of the gun shot back. There was no bang due to the silencer, but there was a small pop and a zip, much like in the movies. I saw the bullet, or what I though was a bullet, leave the gun and dig itself into Malachi's head. Boring through the left side and coming out the back with a small explosion of blood and matter. I also saw a tree in the distance get hit by the bullet, where it still resides to this day.

As the world, around me returned to a normal speed. I watched as Malachi just stood there, a bullet wound in his head and blood pouring down his shirt and pants. The gun shot passed through his left hemisphere and blue a chunk out of it as well as his skull. The boy just slumped to the ground weakly. His left eyes glazed over and blind as he stammered and gasped, sputtering and trying to comprehend what had happened. I then walked up to him and crouched down to examine the wound, wishing in amazement at what had happened.

"Wow, you really had more brains that I thought for a kid like you." I said as I took my hand and gently fingered the brain wound causing Malachi to shake and drone erratically. "But don't worry, you won't need them where you're going."

"Se…sebe…t-t-t…tien…" Malachi droned as his body seized.

"I know…" I said sympathetically as I dug my hands deeper into Malachi's brain, causing him to yelp and shake even more. "Don't worry, she's in "good hands". Case in point!"

I then shoved my hand as far as I could down Malachi's brain, causing the kid to scream violently and shake violently. I grabbed him by the shoulder and watched him as a small trickle of blood began to pour from his eyes and after a few minutes of seizing and crying violently, the lights in his eyes began to dim and his cries began to weaken and soon enough, he was gone.

I sighed as I ripped my hand, and a good chunk of Malachi's brain out of his skull and look at them. I smiled a bit before I tossed the brain matter onto the ground and wiped the blood off my hand onto my pants. I then sighed as I walked to the car and enter the driver's seat. As I started the car and backed it up, I heard the crunch of a body under my car, which made me choke out a laugh before I drove away.

"Well…that was cathartic…" I said to my unconscious passenger as I looked to her. "While I'm disappointed that I wasted my first kill on that brat, it does not mean that we still can't have some fun. Can't we?"

As I drove away, I stopped and looked back for a moment to look at something in the mirror. I noticed that a large kid with red hair was approaching the body of Malachi. I then saw him kneel towards the body and then look towards my car. I watched as he just stared at the car, at me, and I felt a menacing glare towards me. While I was not intimidated by the child's glare, I did feel a feeling of unease at such a look and as I drove off, I saw that he was still staring and for a moment, I almost felt sorry for what had happened and what I did…

…almost.

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