Chapter 11: Dark Waters
"Dutch isn't picking up," Benny announced, joining the anxious Rock on the pier. Flames billowed into the night sky from the wreck of the warehouse further down the waterfront, casting a lurid glow over the bay and the docked PT boat. Fire trucks and police cars with their sirens squawking crept slowly by towards the fire.
"You have to admire their caution," Benny said, running a hand through his tousled hair and adjusting his glasses. "No one in their right mind wants to walk into a gun battle. Remember how they didn't even show up till the next day when it was our place?"
"I'm going back," said Rock with frustration and worry overcoming any innate caution. "Revy's in trouble. She should have been here by now. Something has gone wrong. Last I saw she was going head on with a bulldozer."
"What do I do with them?" Benny jerked his thumb back at the anchored boat. "I'm not very good with children, you know. I don't have your magic touch. They seem... rather traumatized."
"Get them below deck and out of sight," Rock said as calmly as he could. "I'm going. I'll be back as soon as I can."
"No, there she is!" burst out Benny, and he pointed as two figures stepped out of the shadows by the corner of the Black Lagoon warehouse and made their way slowly around towards the dock. "Hey, check it out, looks like she rounded up another one of your kiddies."
"That's no child," said Rock. An absolute tidal wave of anger and disbelief coursed through him. He went directly towards the two women, clenching his fists. Sawyer looked at him blankly, not expecting the punch that sent the small woman reeling back. She fell and almost tumbled off into the shallow waters lapping at the piles of the dock.
"What the hell?!" shouted Rock. For a moment he forgot himself and swore profusely in Japanese, then he switched back. "What's she doing here?"
"Rock," said Revy.
Sawyer rolled and sat up. Still clutching the chainsaw with one hand, she wiped blood off her mouth.
"She's a murderer!" Rock continued angrily. "What kind of a sick person, even in Roanapur, hunts children and kills them? Get her the..."
"Rock, shut up," Revy said hoarsely, her voice rising. "Saw Girl and I made a business deal. We're taking her for a boat ride."
Furious, Rock spun about and then stopped. He had been so focused on meting out justice on Sawyer, he had neglected to even check out Revy. Horrified, his breath caught in his throat and he bit his lip.
Mud and dirt streaked the unkempt black hair and grimed her face so her hollow eyes started out. Her black top was half torn off, the cut off shorts barely kept together with a few threads. Innumerable cuts and scrapes turned her legs into a bloody patchwork.
"I know," slurred Revy with a demented titter, reading the look in his eyes. "I'm gonna be a walking scab for the next coupla weeks. Not every day I fight a bulldozer ya know. Lots and lots of painkillers and I'll be as good as new. Screw yaba. Codeine, oxycontin, morphine.. oh yeah, I want morphine."
"Revy," he said and made to assist her, but she pushed him away with an almost embarrassed look at Sawyer.
"Make sure Spooky gets on the boat," she said in a low, eager tone and then lurched past him towards the boat and the waiting Benny. "I gotta call Dutch. I'll clean up quick."
"That... hurt..." said Sawyer. She had propped herself against a dock piling, her face shadowed by the electrical box above.
"How could you?" cried Rock beside himself with rage. "How could you even think about coming to us for assistance after what you've just taken part in?"
"My cousin... is a predator," she said finally. "Predators hunt... the weak ... the ill ... the young. And when... we're in a pack ... we'll take even the strong down... It's what my family does .... did."
"How does that justify anything," asked Rock. Sawyer regarded him dispassionately.
"I'm small... and I'm weak... so I do what is necessary... to survive... Now.. I need a getaway... Help me up."
Warily, and with half his attention on the chainsaw, Rock reached out a hand and pulled Sawyer up. Her grip was surprisingly strong. But then she sagged, and dropped to one knee as if in distress.
"Give me ... a moment," she panted. "I'll be right there."
A thought struck Rock, "What did you mean back in the warehouse: that if you die, we all die?"
"I've taken precautions..." murmured Sawyer. "That is all you get... from me."
--
The tableaux was sharply lit by the dock and boat lights: The two men shouting at each other. The Japanese man on the dock helping the the small remnant of the street children onto the boat – the greater majority had fled to whatever refuge they could find elsewhere in the city. The blonde man stood on the deck, with his hands on his hips. Two Hands was nowhere in sight.
Sawyer's eyes narrowed.
"Keep thinking... I'm small... and weak,"she said to herself, unheard over the tumult. The boat engines had been switched on. "But... I'm not stupid."
Sawyer smashed the heavy metal engine block of the chainsaw down on the lock on the electrical box. The metal door swung open. With the edge of the palm she swept all the switches off.
--
"What the hell happened to the dock lights?" snapped Revy coming out of the day room. She pulled the replacement black cutoff down with a finishing wiggle.
"Maybe something to do with the fire, I'll turn on the rest of the boat lights," said Rock. Before he could say more Parang touched him tentatively on the shoulder.
"Where's Gaavrila?" burst out Parang. "Is she okay? Is she hurt? Why didn't you bring Gaavrila?"
"Where's my brother?" Chaiyo asked with a catch in his throat. Then he ran back and forth on the deck in a panic before collapsing with a cry.
Revy barely gave them both a dead eyed flicker of a look. Without hesitation, she tore the duffel bag away from the startled Niken, unzipped it and licked her lips.
"Why are ya here, Benny?" she rasped at Benny, head still down as she contemplated the bundles of cash.
"Swabbing the decks," Benny said dryly. Revy swept past him towards the side. "Seriously, though, I was working on installing some new..."
"Dutch is out, I left a message," she interrupted. "I'm in charge. Rock, get these brats below deck. Benny, we're going now. Make a run out of the harbor. Silent running Rock, forget about the lights. We'll get in touch with Dutch when we can and meet up at Makhonem Cove fifteen clicks south of here. C'mon Saw Girl, what's it going to be?" "
Sawyer had come up to the boat. She looked down at the oily water swirling between the side of the boat and the posts of the pier. She gripped the chainsaw protectively till her knuckles cracked.
"What'sa matter?" jeered Revy. "Can't swim? Chief Watsup likes to do full cavity searches – or so I've been told."
Silently, Sawyer took the extended hand and was pulled up on deck.
"Why the hell is she here?" shrieked Niken, still smarting over the loss of the duffel bag. "What the fuck? Are you going to doublecross us?"
"That one... is the doublecrosser,"Sawyer said. "How do... you think... the man with the knife... found you so easily?"
"No!" whimpered Niken as Parang and the rest looked accusingly at her. She dropped to her knees. "I had no choice! They were going to kill me! You don't know what they did to the doctor."
"You bitch," hissed Parang.
"Fuck," snarled Revy. "What a fuckin' loser. And I thought - I thought - never mind. Rock! Benny! Let's get this show on the road."
--
"Am I.... pretty?" asked Sawyer coquettishly. She spun about in the chair kicking her feet, one booted sole swinging perilously close to Niken who huddled against the bulwark, her eyes blank. The two were not welcome below, the remaining children had objected violently to Sawyer's and the now shunned girl's presence.
Benny gave Sawyer an alarmed glance. He was busy at the controls; piloting the boat through the channel, guided by the red lights blinking on the buoys. "Yeah, you certainly are. The first aid kit's over there if you need it."
Sawyer looked out the side window. The boat slid past a cluster of junks and snake boats towards the massive statue of the Buddha at the harbor entrance. She focused on her reflection and shook her head disapprovingly.
Two Hands had beaten her badly back in the Hell Garden. Her lip was split, the left eye was swelling shut. It was difficult to take a full breath, she might even have a broken rib. Her foot stung from the shot Revy had taken. Her outfit was encrusted with blood and filth and she was beginning to stink like one of Uncle Nubbin's creations. No, she thought, definitely not pretty. She twirled a finger in the thick mass of hair, a nervous habit she had never been able to break.
"Why aren't you with the other kids?" asked Benny in a distracted tone. He turned on the radar and sonar, intent on the other gauges, monitoring temperature and pressures
How amusing, the Black Lagoon mechanic thought she was one of these children.
Sawyer smiled, a mere twitch of the lips that was enough to cause a drop of blood to dribble down her chin. With the back of her hand she flicked it towards the cowering Niken.
"We're clear, over," Benny said, adjusting the headset. He shoved the throttles forward and the large boat shuddered as the Packard engines powered all the way up. The Gulf of Thailand lay open before them.
Through the side window, Sawyer could see Gunny Tom pull himself up out of the shadows over the torpedo casing. Her cousin had been lying in wait between the port gunnel and the tube for the right moment. Somehow right before they had cast off, he had managed to slip aboard as expected, unnoticed in the darkness and confusion. Sawyer knew he would follow to the bitter end; desperate for the money. How pathetic, how predictable the jackass was in the end.
There was a wrench, tossed aside on the deck by her chair, right by where she had carefully placed the chainsaw. Sawyer bent over at the waist with a slight mechanical gasp and picked up the tool. Niken watched wide-eyed, too terrified of the Ghost Woman to utter any word of warning to the mechanic.
"Do you have any... gas canisters down below?"
--
"We got a problem, Rock," Revy said grimly. They stood at the bow with the reflection of the moon dancing on the waves as the boat drove south along the coast away from the island city. "We were all supposed to lay low after the fuckin' Maid's shoot-em-up until Bangkok lost interest in us. You can't even imagine what a clusterfuck we're in."
Rock stepped to her side and lit up a cigarette, his hand cupped over the match. "If it's such a mess, why'd we bring Sawyer along then?"
"'Cause she's gotta go." Rock blinked at the statement. "Oh, it's fucking payback time. I had my suspicions, but ya can't ask... Hey, do ya remember killing my only friend, ya inbred little runt? Well do ya?!"
"I'm not keeping up," murmured Rock. "So you met Sawyer before coming to Roanapur?"
"Eh, Rock, it's like this," Revy said. "I had a friend once, can you believe it? Someone who didn't want to use me or abuse me. And she was my friend for what, four hours? And because of me, she got torn to pieces by Spooky's sicko family. Think about it, a clan of Texas chainsaw murderers! And nobody cared, nobody missed my friend. Hell, I checked the news afterwards – there was nothin'. Fuck, I don't think she even told me her real name..."
Revy swayed from fatigue. She began to speak slowly then.
"I'm tired ... so tired. But I can't sleep yet... sleep without dreams. Rock, cause it's worse than you want to know. You can't see it, but I do...
"I know where you stand... but Colonel Travis is drawin' the line in the sand. I need to know if you'll step out with me - not just sellin' me no wolf tickets, you know, blowin' smoke and talkin' the talk this last year. Now Bangkok's gonna come looking for me this time, and there's not enough grease in the world for Chief Watsup's ass. There's a pile of bodies back at that warehouse, and a bunch of brats running about who think they saw me with a chainsaw. There's ten too many on this boat right now.
"I won't let them hang me, I won't be strapped down to a chair up in Bang Kwang, and I won't be dragged into little miss horror's meat locker. Got too much of a taste of that for my liking tonight. The only way I'll go is with my finger in the air, a cigarette on my lips and the Cutlasses red hot and smokin'. That's my terminal ticket; the way I'm punchin' it.
"You got the right to call me a murderer.... You have a right to do that... but you have no right to judge me, after all you've seen. So they're kids... so what? I remember when I was in New York. Two boys... on the sidewalk of Canal Street in Chinatown... I was told to cap their asses, and I wanted to do it... to prove I had it. They were my age, maybe thirteen... I don't know... so I walked up to them, cause who's gonna watch out for a girl? And I shot 'em... I shot 'em dead... and I remember it... I never want to forget it. I didn't feel a damn thing ... cause I knew they woulda done the same to me... laughed with their crew about slaggin' the bitch. So I'm all grown up now... and now those kids down below can kill me with a story to the man... nothin's different. They gotta go, like kittens in a bag.
"My mind's been all messed up the last day or two, but it's clear now. I was seeing things, believin' shit meant somethin' when it didn't. The doc's dead, Wheelie's dead, and that Niken's a snitch -- so the the deal's off, time to dump the cargo in the South China Seas.
"'Cause you see Rock, we're fuckin' pirates. Sometimes you roll up your sleeves and put out the plank. And when we get back home, I'll hunt down the one eyed walking piece of shit and do him good. And we make a cool hundred grand. End of story."
"That's your solution then?" Rock said quietly, though he was appalled at her rationale.
"It didn't work out the way you wanted, so toss the children overboard?"
"Yeah. Not like it's never happened before."
"You told me not to look," he rebuked her sharply. "And I did. Balalaika eliminated the entire Washimine group at my request, and that included Yukio in the end. But now you want me to plunge in all the way, go far beyond the pale? You know something though, this isn't about any choice I need to take. It's all about you."
Rock took a deep drag on the cigarette and then exhaled. Without looking at her he said, "When's the sun going to shine for you, Revy?"
She flinched as if struck and then slumped, her chin drooping. "You bastard. Using my own words."
"No, it's good business," said Rock firmly. "We honor the deal, we get these children free and clear like we were paid to do. And we can't touch Sawyer, she said she's taken precautions, like a dead man's switch if she ever disappears. So we go into hiding until Dutch clears the air with Hotel Moscow and the Triads. And it looks to me as if Lee Kwan's the one who has some explaining to do."
"You're going to be the death of me," burst out Revy. Her hands moved in a frantic pattern. "Shit, Rock – we're the hired help! Do you really think Mr. Chang's gonna listen to me over a fellow Triad boss? Hell, he tossed me aside to Dutch first chance he had. Nothing I've done for him in the past counts now. We gotta clean this up, even goth girl knows that – she knew the risk when she stepped aboard – and boy, did she take one chance too many. Sawyer goes first, her and that chainsaw – and damn the torpedoes."
"No," said Rock. But Revy had drawn the Berettas. Oblivious to everything except the need to satiate her desire, she began to turn towards the chart room. But then their eyes met and her face crumpled.
"Don't you look at me! Don't you look at me like that!"
--
"All together now," snickered Gunny Tom stepping into the cramped quarters of the chart room. Sawyer tossed aside the wrench and stood up. The mechanic lay crumpled on the floor at her feet. Niken made a distressed sound and scrabbled at the bulwark.
"Nothin' like a little salt air," snickered Gunny. He raked Sawyer with a beady glance. "Heh, looks like those Triad boys had themselves a good time with ya,"
Sawyer cast a quick look through the port windshield of the chart room. Two Hands and her man stood at the bow. Judging by the impassioned movements Two Hands was making with her hands, they must be in the middle of an argument. Everything with that cow was high drama, she thought. What did the man see in that creature?
"I killed them... all of them..."said Sawyer. She kept the chair between herself and her cousin as he looked over the instrument panel and peered out.
"Sure ya did," sneered Gunny dismissively. "Probably ran about squeaking like a mouse, waving your little toy. Fuck it. It's just those two out there? The last of those little shits are down below right?"
"Yes."
"I'll kill the man," said Gunny licking his lips, his face ghastly from the phosphorous glow of the instrument panel. "Then we'll have a little game of hunt and gut with the brats till this barge is painted red. But that skank of a bitch-hog in the shorts. Something about her... I wanna to make her howl. Did ya see how she tried to jump the dozer?"
"Apo...logize," croaked Sawyer. She leaned against the panel, a hand resting close to the throttles.
"Fer what?" asked Gunny. His attention was focused on his prey. He pulled the sawed off shotgun out of the back holster. "Oh, that! Ha, ha – whatcha worried about? You survived didn't cha?"
"Apo...logize!"snarled Sawyer, dropping her head down. She tensed up like a steel coil. Still she watched Two Hands through the window.
"What's your problem?" Gunny glared back. He pressed back on the break open switch on his sawed off shotgun and reloaded. Satisfied, he snapped the barrel and stock together with a click. "We gonna get the money. Ah, don't tell me you're still in an uproar about what happened to your daddy's girlfriend?"
"APOLOGIZE!" Sawyer made an attempt to shriek, but the volume on the ultravoice stayed the same. Two Hands had started to turn around. Sawyer grabbed the twin throttles and pulled them down, shutting down the engines.
"You little shitter!" howled Gunny stumbling and off balance
Sawyer dived towards the chainsaw, picked it up off the floor in one swift blur of motion. She bolted past Niken and over a storage bin with no regard for safety. Feet first, she dropped down the open hatch that led below-deck.
--
"What's Benny doing?" exclaimed Rock. The engines fell silent and the boat began to turn against the waves of it's own momentum.
"Don't look at me!" gasped Revy. She pulled away. "Fuck you!"
The blast of a shotgun tore the stillness of the night apart, followed by screams.
"Benny!" shouted Rock. He scrambled past Revy towards the port side of the chart room and the stern.
Wearily, and with none of her usual vigor, Revy walked slowly towards the starboard side. What did it matter anymore? The look Rock had given her had said everything, he had finally judged her over the choice to do in the children. She was nothing more than a cold-blooded killer even in his eyes. It was over.
Revy shook her head and slid past the forward torpedo tube and the day room. If killing was all she was good for, then she'd do some more. Only killing would keep the dreams at bay. She brought both guns up with a sigh and dropped into a crouch as she came around.
Gunny Tom stood by the aft torpedo on the port side, with Niken held in front as a shield. The girl whimpered in pain as the blade of the bowie knife pricked her throat. Within the corner of her peripheral vision Revy saw Rock pulling Parang back across the deck. There was a dark smear on the deck. The two were far too close and exposed. Gunny Tom had the smoking shotgun pointed at them.
"Been waitin' for ya. Drop those pretty little guns of yours, do it now!" Gunny Tom snarled when he saw Revy, his one eye gleaming with satisfaction. "Or I will kill these two and the girl right now."
Niken screeched as the blade glided across her cheek. Rock shouted in frustration.
"Do you think a hostage means shit to me?" smiled Revy. Such a simple matter, pulling triggers. In less than a second she could riddle the man and the girl, drop them twitching to the deck in a heap, the threat eliminated. But in her mind's eye she saw again the look in Rock's eyes and hesitated. She stepped to the left, both Cutlasses on target
"Don't do that," snapped Gunny Tom, head turning to keep her within sight with his sole remaining eye, his left eye. For a moment, the shotgun wavered away Rock and Parang.
"You know what I fuckin' hate?" Revy sneered. "Janis Joplin. Hate all that sixties shit. Rock and roll shouldn't be about fuckin' peace and spaced out freakos. It's about balls to the wall, heavy metal noise."
"What are ya talkin' about?" Gunny Tom asked suspiciously. Behind him, from the lazarette hatch at the stern of the boat rose a shadow. The moon glinted off the blade of the chainsaw lifted in a guard position as Sawyer crouched behind the cover of a ready box.
"I'm talkin' about how I really liked the way you sang Joplin back in the day," mocked Revy. She spread her feet a little further apart, adjusted to cover the unexpected appearance of Sawyer with the left Cutlass. What was Goth Girl about? "I liked how you hit the high notes when I rammed that pitchfork through your flabby gut. C'mon Tommy! here's the original bad-ass China girl. Take a piece of my heart if you can, you son of a bitch!"
"NO!" Gunny Tom gasped, his sole eye widening in shock. "Damn you, Fred-Fred! You set this up!"
Niken sensed an opportunity. With a desperate kick the girl struggled to break free of the murderer, throwing herself to the side against the restraining arm. Instantly Revy stepped forward and put three shots into Gunny Tom's chest. His shirt blossomed with blood. Shrieking, the man fell back against the torpedo tube. The knife fell with a clatter to the deck.
"Damn it!" The Cutlass in the right hand had stove-piped, the cartridge stuck in the ejection port. Caught off guard by the unexpected malfunction Revy dropped the gun and threw herself to the deck as the shotgun roared, the spray missing her by inches.
Sawyer held still, watching, waiting for the right moment. Rock leaped forward and wrestled with Gunny Tom, driving his shoulder into the man's chest in an attempt to knock him over the torpedo tube. Cursing, the man clubbed Rock with the shotgun and broke free. He fumbled at his belt for the lariat.
Revy staggered to her feet and passed the remaining gun to the right hand Before she could raise the gun for a shot, something whistled through the air. The noose dropped over her head and arms before she could react and tightened immediately. With a heave the man reeled Revy towards him, the length of the lariat snapping tight.
Frantic, Revy instinctively resisted and threw herself away, pulling the gun hand free. She tripped over the prone figure of Niken and slid over the casing of the torpedo tube. Her head hung over the edge.
"Kill ya," howled Gunny Tom. "Gonna kill ya. Gut ya and rip you open." He bent down and scooped up the bowie knife. The man flung himself on top of Revy, bending her back across the tube. Snarling she twisted and fired again, the shot snapping by his head.. Gunny Tom reared up with the knife raised
Sawyer dashed forward, the chainsaw roaring. With a diagonal slash she ripped open Gunny Tom's abdomen, spilling his intestines and viscera over Revy. Wielding the chainsaw like a sword, she whipped it back, slicing off the man's jaw.
Gunny Tom toppled over Revy, hit the waves with a hard slap and sank instantly. For one brief moment, Revy was balanced precariously on the tube, legs and arms desperately flailing for a grasp or hold of any kind. She reached out to Sawyer who stepped back. The rope snapped tight and she was pulled over the edge. The waves swallowed Two Hands.
--
"No!" whispered Rock. He looked over the side. Revy was gone.
Sawyer switched off the chainsaw and let it fall with a clatter. There was only the gentle sound of waves lapping against the Black Lagoon and the heavy breathing of the survivors. The children spilled out of the day room, some kneeling down to help the wounded Parang. Niken tottered to her feet and stood alone, blood streaming down her face.
Sawyer spoke. He looked at her blankly, the words made no sense, she spoke again.
"He killed... my mother... She killed... my father..."
The words sunk into his consciousness slowly. He shook his head, horrified. But across Sawyer's usually closed, tight face a genuine smile of joy appeared. She tossed her head back.
"They... deserve each other... in Hell!"
"What do we do now?" asked the boy Chaiyo looking up at him with a curious look
"She can hold her breath for more than three minutes," blurted Rock. "She free dives all the time when we're not working. Dutch takes the boat down to the southern beaches all the time."
"What?!" The smile vanished as suddenly as it appeared. "I thought... she smoked? ...How can... she hold her breath... that long?"
Rock shoved Chaiyo aside and dashed up the port side of the boat, leaping over Parang and the others. He dodged through the cockpit and into the chart room. Benny was struggling to his feet with a pained expression, a hand to the back of his neck.
"What the hell happened?" he asked. "Somebody clobbered the crap out of me."
Rock ignored him. There were too many switches, gauges, levers! The right one, which one was the right one!
"Which switch!" He shouted. Frustrated, he pounded at the instrument board. "The salvage lights! Which one turns on the salvage lights? The one's Dutch put on last year!"
"Got it," said Benny. He flicked the switch on. "I think some burnt out, wasn't the greatest idea. Should I..."
Rock burst out and headed towards the back. The waters around the boat were lit up from underneath. He would have to dive from the stern. The boat had been drifting away from the spot where Revy had gone in.
No!" exclaimed Sawyer. She grabbed at his arm. "I gutted him... he's a dead weight... they're gone... Let her go!"
For one moment, one terrible moment, he hesitated. Then Rock ripped of his shoes and jumped.
--
Submerged in the water, Rock looked around and found Revy fifteen feet under. She must have tried to swim up towards the light. Her back was arched, hands sticking straight out, a Beretta still gripped tightly in her hand. She was sinking into the darkness with the lariat trailing behind. Rock reached out to her with a desperate stretch, his heart pounding to the point of bursting out of his chest. He wrapped his arms around her torso and turned back towards the surface, only taking light kicks to preserve oxygen. He knew at this depth, his body would have enough buoyancy and he would be able to float to the top with Revy.
Rock surfaced with a gasp. There was nothing in sight and he began to panic until he heard shouts from behind him. He and Revy were facing away from the boat. With an effort, he struggled to swim towards the boat while holding onto Revy and keeping her head clear above the water. He cursed under his breath as the boat was drifting away in the current. Rock sputtered as a wave washed over him.
Benny heaved out a lifesaver connected to a line. Rock immediately grasped it. A couple of children helped Benny and eager hands gripped the line, pulling Rock and Revy back aboard the Black Lagoon.
Rock's breath shook as he laid Revy on the deck, taking a closer look. She was motionless as rivulets of water ran off of her limp body. Her face was a deep blue, her teeth clenched. She wasn't breathing.
"What do we do?" Benny asked, "I don't know CPR."
Rock gulped for air, unsteady on his hands and knees. "I... I was sick the day they taught it for diving back in Japan." His voice sounded hopeless and weak..
"I can save her,"said Sawyer suddenly, pushing through the curious children. She knelt at Revy's side, but her eyes were trained on Rock. "But only... if you answer... a question."
"What?" Rock gasped, "What do you want?"
"Why... did you hesitate? Now! She is running... out of time..."
"You bitch!" Rock snarled. His thoughts wandered to the Beretta Revy was still clutching in her hand. For a moment, he contemplated ripping that gun away and shooting Sawyer on the spot, but it probably wouldn't fire. And Sawyer was right. Revy was running out of time. With a weary sigh, Rock looked down at Revy's motionless form.
"She wanted to kill everyone," Rock said barely above a whisper, "She was going to toss all the kids overboard and leave them in the sea to die." Benny shook his head as the meaning became clear. The children backed away.
Sawyer lifted her head an iota, staring intently at Rock's face. He was still looking at Revy. His expression was distraught, but there was also a presence of resentment. Sawyer smiled inwardly and finally turned her attention towards Revy. Ah, so that was it, wasn't it? She understood their relationship perfectly now.
Sawyer clasped her hands together above her head before bringing them down and striking Revy in the chest. Revy coughed and spit up water.
"Fight to the end...!" she shouted. Revy's eyes attempted to focus for a second, blurs swimming in her vision until she clearly saw Sawyer's face. Revy's eyes rolled back and she passed out. She was unconscious, but breathing.
"Hmm," Sawyer purred. So she didn't drown. It was just shallow water blackout. Rising from her kneeling position, Sawyer turned around and left the group that had gathered around the passed out gunslinger. There was no need for go after Two Handsl anymore.
--
Benny was once more at the controls and the children had gone back down below, leaving only Rock, Revy, and Sawyer on the deck. Rock solemnly looked at the still soaked Beretta in Revy's hand, and pulled the gun out of her grasp. Glancing at her pale face and recalling the earlier events, the man had an urge to toss the Cutlass into the sea, but he let the feeling pass and lowered the gun to his side.
Revy stirred and snapped her eyes open, the upper half of her body lifting in a series of twitches and jerks. Rock stared at her, shocked. She had unconscious for only ten minutes.
"S-Spooky Chick," Revy hissed. Something was wrong. She had passed out, Sawyer was on board, yet she was still in one piece. Her body shook violently as she tried to get back on her feet, her arms hanging down lazily by her sides, head lowered, legs bent. She struggled to walk upright. Rock reached out to touch her shoulder. Revy turned her head towards him.
"Leave me alone!" she shrieked. She bared her teeth and her eyes were filled with absolute hatred. Anything he was going to say wasn't going to deter her from trying to find Sawyer. Rock frowned and his eyes became half-lidded. He shook his head as Revy staggered away on rubbery legs.
--
The night sky overhead was spangled with stars. The wind caused messy black strands to whip at Sawyer's face as she stood at the bow with the chainsaw in hand, staring at the water.
"Goth Girl..." Sawyer heard the voice come several feet from behind her. She turned around with an expectant look, she already knew who it was. Revy was heaving, dark rings under her bloodshot eyes, barely able to stand up straight.
"Don't even try... to threaten me, Two Hands," Sawyer said, now displaying a rather bored expression, "In your current state... I could push you off the boat... with little effort."
"You cunt," Revy heaved. The ghost woman was right. Only now did Revy realize how truly weak she was, in a futile motion she pawed at the empty holsters. She wasn't even sure if she could muster up enough energy to strangle her. She eyed the chainsaw in Sawyer's hands.
"I won't use... my chainsaw... Not now... Not today..." The statement was honest. With a shaky intake of breath, Revy spoke.
"What?"
"I remember... so long ago... back at the ranch in Texas..." Sawyer began, "This Chinese punk... killed my father... She drowned him... in the bog..." Revy stood still, frozen in place. Why was Sawyer bringing this up?
"He was... the only reason I stayed... the reason I was trapped... at that terrible place. When he died... I had no reason... to be there anymore... I packed up and ran away. But even though... I was free... because of his death... I always despised that girl. Ever since that day... I always dreamed... of the perfect kill..."
"And?" Revy breathed shallowly, "Dumbass, that punk is standing right here in front of you. After all the shit I've done to you, you didn't take the chance when I was passed out, and you're tellin' me you won't take it now. The hell are you up to?"
"Yes... It would be... a simple kill... You are tired... and you are weak... " The bored expression faded and Sawyer's eyes filled with anger, gripping her chainsaw tightly. "But to kill you here... and now... under these circumstances... with my chainsaw... No, it's too easy... It's too merciful."
Revy's eyes bulged. Merciful?
"That day at the ranch... put me on the road... to Roanapur. My past... everything that happened... the events that made me become... 'The Cleaner'... I have endured... unspeakable pain... I have suffered so much..." Sawyer closed her eyes and lifted one of her hands off of her chainsaw, sliding her fingers across the scar on her neck. "For me... to give the demon... who killed my father... and put me on this path... a merciful death... I shall not allow it... I want you suffer." Sawyer made eye contact.
"You remember it all... Don't you? When your girlfriend... was butchered in the shed..."
"Shut up!"
"The business... with the Aisin Gioro... That must have been... quite painful... The white haired one said... it was fun."
"Shut up!" Revy hissed. Then, "Wait, what?"
"Your own past... Your own path to Roanapur... You have memories... Terrible memories... They torment you... I can see it in your eyes..."
"SHUT UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!" Summoning what little energy she had left, Revy attempted to lunge at Sawyer, but the ghost woman calmly stepped aside and let the tired gunslinger fall on her face. Revy tried to support herself on trembling arms, her head hung low, eyes focused on the deck, sweat dripping from her brow.
"The memories... are always there," Sawyer continued, "You cannot... forget them. You cannot... escape them. They will follow you... They will haunt you... until the day you die. Little by little... your sanity is eaten away... while you drown yourself... in your own misery... and self-pity. Why should I use my chainsaw... to kill you right now? You're already... killing yourself."
Sawyer let the words sink in with a long pause. The ghost woman then raised her eyebrows in a thoughtful gesture.
"And if it is... simply a matter... of your death... I can just wait."
Eyes still on the deck, Revy's body tensed as she clenched her teeth.
"Your man... Your compass... He's the only reason... you're still alive..."
Revy muttered something incomprehensible. Leave Rock out of this, she thought.
"But I'm sure... he can only tolerate... so much drama. I saw how he looked at you... while you were passed out. He's almost out... of hope... One day... you'll go too far..."
Revy choked.
"He'll give up on you... and turn away. Your compass will be gone... You will be... all alone... with no one there to guide you. And with your... history... it's not likely... you will be making smart choices. When a person makes... one wrong move in Roanapur... they end up at my abattoir." The anger had left Sawyer's face completely and her dark blue eyes sparkled with mirth. She smiled.
"You're no exception, Two Hands. You have a severe lack... of self-control... and all that alcohol... has burned a hole... in your head... You'll screw up eventually. Now... go away... my throat hurts..."
Growling, Revy shakily lifted herself up to her feet. Her bloodshot eyes were contorted in a hellish rage. That fucking goth girl. Revy wanted to rip that stupid voice machine off of her neck and make her curl up into a little ball. She to beat her until she shattered every single bone in her little body. She wanted to grab her by the neck and throw her corpse into the sea to join that one-eyed bastard.
But she could barely stand up, barely lift up her arms. She had been through five days of meth fueled insomnia, a violent bulldozer encounter and a drowning, and she was a wasted shell. She knew she wasn't able to rip off the Ultravoice, she knew she wasn't able to beat her further, and she knew she wasn't able to throw her into the sea. All Revy could do was glare daggers as her snarling mouth trembled around clenched teeth.
"Fuck you, you little bitch."
The gunslinger stumbled away and left Sawyer on the deck, alone. The ghost woman looked away with a blank expression. The words had had no effect.. Taking a small breath, she looked back at the water as the boat cut across the sea.
Suddenly, her brow furrowed and her mouth twitched as she felt a sharp pang of nausea in her stomach. She swayed back and forth until she plopped down on her haunches and bent over slightly, gripping her chainsaw with one hand as she covered her mouth with the other. She was going to be sea sick. Just great.