Page 62 of Carnage
When we arrive, it’s quiet and pitch black except for our headlights. I look around the deserted grounds. There don’t seem to be any good places for people to be hiding. My brothers are a way down the road behind a row of abandoned buildings.
I’m about to get pissed off when the sound of gravel crunching reaches me and I turn around to see a dark colored vehicle approaching, headlights off.
“Get ready,” I murmur to Whisper, who adopts a nervous stance.
The car comes to a stop across from us, maintaining a safe distance. Two men get out, and even in the glow from our headlights, I can barely make out their faces. One guy is a massive black dude with a bald head and shoulders so wide I wonder how he fit in the car. The other guy is tall and skinny, with a hood up over his hair. Is that Leon? In the dark, it’s hard to tell if he’s the same guy I saw at Redlight or not, but it must be him.
“Where’s Rue?” the man asks. It’s gotta be Leon.
“Leon?”
“I said where’s Rue?”
“Right here.” I grab Whisper’s arm and tug him closer to me. “Where’s the money and the guys you promised?”
The black man lifts a duffel bug, unzipping it and showing what appears to be money. Then he opens the back door of the beat-up SUV, pulls two men out, and shoves them to the ground. When the headlights hit them, I cringe. If they’re both eighteen, I’d be amazed.
“Send Rue over,” Leon says.
“Meet in the middle,” I counter. “You get Rue and I get the goods.”
The two men have a brief conversation, then Leon nods. “Meet in the middle.”
I become aware of my brothers creeping silently behind me. It’s dark enough that I doubt Leon can even detect the motion, and the headlights are facing the opposite way.
“We got you, Carn,” Stealth whispers, suddenly right behind me.
Gripping Whisper’s arm, I approach slowly, on guard to see if Leon or his muscle try to pull anything. Good thing too, because before I make it five steps, a bunch of guys jump from the shadows. Guess I was wrong about that.
One of them rushes us in an attempt to get to Whisper, but he’ll deal with it. Whisper doesn’t hesitate to pull out his knife and slash the man’s neck.
“What the fuck!” Leon yells as my brothers pour from the darkness.
I stalk toward Leon, ready to break his fucking neck, noticing Boone moving around the chaos with his phone recording the whole thing.
Leon turns to run, but I’m on him, grabbing the back of his shirt and slamming him to the ground. I flip him over then straddle him, pummeling his face with my fists. I have to trust that my brothers are looking out for the two innocents in this mess as the thump of bullets hitting flesh fills the night air.
“You sick motherfucker,” I growl, unleashing all my rage on him.
He tries to block my punches, groaning in pain and trying to buck me off him, but that’s not gonna happen. I slip into that dark place I go to sometimes, letting all my anger flow through me to my victim, losing myself in the sound of his bones breaking and skin tearing.
It’s fucking music to me.
“You’ll never hurt anyone again, fucker,” I growl. “Boone, get over here!”
Grabbing Leon by the collar of his t-shirt, I lift him slightly off the ground, leaning in close. “Apologize to Rue, you fucking piece of shit.”
But Leon isn’t capable of that anymore. I’ve clearly broken his jaw, and his nose is flattened, making it difficult for him to breathe, much less speak. Fuck. I went too far before I got the apology.
Boone hovers over me with his phone pointed at the man. Hopefully this will be enough satisfaction for Rue.
“Sorry, babe,” I say to Boone’s phone. “Guess he can’t talk anymore, but I can assure you he’s sorry for what he did and how he treated you.”
I pull my knife at that point and finish him off by slashing his throat. Thick blood flows from his wound, and I delight in listening to his gasping before he falls silent, lifeless. One less predator in the world tonight.
I get to my feet, brush the quarry dirt from my knees, and stretch my neck from side to side.
“All done?” I ask Boone.
