Under a Thunder Moon (10 page)

              “I am going to pull the tape away from your mouth Alyssa, but if you scream… I will cut your fuckin’ throat… savvy?”

              Alyssa nodded in agreement. Her face clenched as Jim yanked the duct tape off. It felt like her lips came off with it. Alyssa choked down the scream she wanted to let out, as well as the urge to start arguing with Jim about what he was doing. She could sense he was on the edge, and one wrong word from her could quickly push him over.

              “We are going to have a talk Alyssa,” Jim said slipping the knife under her shirt. “We are going to talk about how badly you fucked up.” Then with one quick jerk of the blade, Jim cut open her shirt.

              “Jim please stop,” Alyssa said, “What are you doing? Please Jim…”

“Shut the fuck up bitch until I say you can talk.”

             
With a few other quick cuts, Jim sliced off her jeans. Then he cut the flimsy pink g-string off. Alyssa was naked and vulnerable on the table. Alyssa sobbed and begged Jim to stop. He ignored her cries. Then went over to the bench and got a pair of wire cutters. Jim placed the wire cutter around Alyssa’s little finger on her right hand.

              “We are going to start here, and you better think about your answers bitch or I will take you apart one piece at a fuckin’ time.”

             
“Please Jim no… You don’t have to do this.”

             
“Shut the fuck up bitch! Let me ask you this Alyssa… did you think you were going to betray me and get away with it?”

             
“No Jim I didn’t think…”

              “You didn’t think what Alyssa? You would get caught? I would find out? Yeah that’s right Alyssa you didn’t fuckin’ think. You didn’t think about who you were messin’ around on.” Jim snipped off her little finger.

              A loud rumble filled the cabin of
The
Bitter End
as the boat’s engine started up.  

24

             
Mike slowly drove
The Bitter End
away from the docks, and headed out into The Great South Bay. Trailer Park was recovering. He was curled up in a ball on the deck. Tyler followed everyone on
The Bitter End
in the
Sea Howler
.

              The water was choppy with the approaching storm.  The boats jumped and splashed down hard as they headed out into the ocean. They were cruising full throttle, which is the only way The Howlers do anything. They throw it all up in the air and give it all to chance, while leaving a wake of destruction behind them.

              Mike let go of the wheel without losing speed to turn away from the wind and spark a joint. The boat nearly flipped, but Mike caught the wheel in time to spin the boat into a full 360, while circling around Tyler on
The Sea Howler
.

              Paul felt the electric surge of adrenalin begin to move within him. He thought if he was going to make a move to get out of this mess, now would be the time to make that move. Mike had his back to him. Paul pulled out his pocket knife. He was careful to open the pocket knife slowly so as to not have it click. Not that Mike would hear it open over the boats engine and the wind, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

              Paul rose a little at a time.  He moved slowly towards Mike. Then Paul leaped at Mike letting out a hoarse war-cry. Mike turned around in time to get slashed across the chest. Mike returned a right handed uppercut into Paul’s jaw. Paul staggered back and fell on his ass. He smacked his head on the deck.

              Mike cut the boat’s engine. Paul lunged at Mike again wrapping his arms around his waist and tackling him to the deck. Mike hammer punched Trailer Park in the back.

             
Paul wrestled himself on top of Mike. Paul was about to punch Mike in the face, when he felt the rope fall around his neck from behind him.

              Jim twisted the rope hard around Trailer Park’s neck squeezing the air out of him. Jim wrenched Trailer Park’s neck and yanked him off of Mike. Paul found himself face down on the deck. He had someone’s knee in his back and felt the rope pull tighter. Paul was to the point of blacking out when he heard Jim say… “I think you need to cool out Trailer Park.”

              Paul was quickly lifted off the deck and thrown overboard into the ocean.  Paul still had the rope around his neck, but it wasn’t choking him right now. Paul panicked when he heard the boats engine start. He thought are they going to leave me here? Fuck No! Worse than that! Paul clawed at the rope to untie it, but it was too late. The boat began to move.             

25

             
“Take it slow Mike I don’t want
that buzzard dead yet.”

             
“No problem Jim.”

              Mike pushed the boat ahead slowly. Jim watched as Trailer Park began to panic. He splashed helplessly in the dark water.

              Paul felt the rope slowly tightening around his neck like a boa constrictor. He watched in horror as the boat drove away. Those fuckers are taking me for a drag, Paul thought to himself. Paul tried to scream, but nothing came out. Quickly he was pulled under water. The rope was so tight it felt like his head was going to pop off.

              “So what do you think Mike, should we kill these fuckers one at a time or side by side?”

             
“One at time is going to take longer Jim,” Mike said. “Whatever you decide is cool with me, but I think we need to step this up. That storm is closing in on us.”

              “You’ve got a point Mike, and I don’t see any reason to drag this out. Let’s fuck with Trailer Park a little with this, and then I’ll let him see what happens to Alyssa.”

              “Slow it down again Mike. Let Trailer Park catch his breath. I also just thought of something too.”

              Mike slowed the boat down. Jim reached down and grabbed the rope. Jim started pulling Trailer Park towards the boat.

              “What are you doing Jim?”

             
“I just want to freak this fucker out a little more.”

             
“How are you going to do that Jim?”

             
“Watch and see.”

              Paul had just about reached the boat. He was trying to cough out the salt water he had swallowed. Paul was wondering what was going to happen next. The one thing he knew was that he didn’t have to wait long. Now along side the boat, Jim reached down and pulled him up, but not exactly out of the water.

              “Hey Trailer Park,” Jim said. He let Paul grab onto the side of the boat. “I hope you cooled out some Trailer Park.”

             
“Yeah I did Jim,” Paul said, “and look Jim, I’m sorry. I know I fucked up, but…”

             
“That’s right you fucked up,” Jim said, “now let me ask you something Trailer Park…”

             
“What is that?”

             
“Do you know what the best thing about living on an island is?”

             
“No Jim, what’s the best thing about living on an island?”

             
“Well I’ll tell you Trailer Park you dumb mother-fucker,” Jim said. “The best thing about living on an island is that you don’t have to dig a hole to get rid of the body. You just take the body out into the ocean and dump it, and let all the little sea creatures eat the remains.”

              Jim and Mike laughed in evil unison.

              “Come on Jim! Enough of this… I got it,” Paul cried.

              “How about enough of you stabbing me in the back Trailer Park, and screwing around with my bitch!”

             
“I’m sorry Jim,” Paul pleaded, “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

             
“Hey Trailer Park,” Jim said, “I want to ask you something else.”

             
“What’s that?”

             
“Did you go home and look for this?” Jim said, and then showed Paul his gun.

             
“Oh shit! Jim no!” Paul screamed, as Jim pushed the barrel of the .38 pistol to his forehead.

             
“Jim don’t kill me! Please Jim don’t kill me!”

              “Mike grab the rope.”

             
“Got it Jim.”

             
“Relax Trailer Park,” Jim said, “What I have planned for you scumbag will make you wish I capped your ass and let it go at that.”

              “So what are you going to do with the gun,” Paul asked, regretting the question as soon as he asked it.

             
“Watch and see,” Jim said, and then smashed Trailer Park in the nose with the butt of the gun.

              Paul heard the crack of his nose breaking echo in his skull as blood exploded from his face.

             
“Cut him Mike,” Jim said.

             
“Heeh heeh,” Mike laughed, as he used Trailer Park’s knife to slice him across the forehead, and then stabbed him in the left shoulder.

              Paul howled with pain. He lost his grip, and fell back into the water.

              “Hey Trailer Park,” Mike said. “Watch out for sharks!” Then Mike began singing the theme from the movie
Jaws
.

              Jim rocketed the boat across the water dragging Trailer Park further out into the ocean. After a few minutes Jim cut the engine again. Tyler brought
The Sea Howler
along side
The Bitter End
.

              “So what’s the plan Jim?”

             
“We are going to finish things up right here Tyler,” Jim said. “Mike, pull Trailer Park up to the side while I get Alyssa. I don’t want him to miss what happens next.”

26

             
“How long did Jim say they
were going to take Katrina,” April asked.

             
“He didn’t say,” Katrina said, “He just said he would call.”

             
“When are they going call, and what are they doing?”

             
“I don’t know April,” Katrina said, “Just chill the fuck out. Have a beer and listen to some music.”

             
“Oh you aren’t gonna be all Dick-whipped already,” April said, “Are you?”

             
“Katrina was whipped before they hooked up,” Jenny said.

              “Shut up with your ‘dick-whipped’ bull shit,” Katrina said, “I’ve been waiting a long time to get close to Jim, and now I am here. Plus I think he went to end it with his girlfriend tonight, and cut Trailer Park loose too.”

             
Katrina went over to Jim’s stereo and looked through his CD collection. She called out some suggestions to Jenny and April. Jenny went to the refrigerator and pulled out three bottles of Budweiser. 

              “What do you want to listen to Led Zeppelin or Aerosmith? Do you want to hear something Bluesy? Buddy Guy or BB King? Or do you want to listen to something… Oh! Here we go… The Doors.”

              Katrina put The Doors CD
The Soft
Parade
in the stereo, and put on the title track. Jenny had opened Katrina’s beer, handed it to her and then one to April. Katrina pressed play and cranked up the volume. Katrina, always the actress, prepared to act out the beginning of
The Soft Parade
.