Free THEM (Season 1): Episode 4 by M.D. Massey

from a nos’, but it’d do. I doubted that another nos’ would show up tonight, though. They were territorial, and I’d offed the local baddie; it’d be a while before another showed up to take its place and fill the void left by the one I’d beheaded.
    Once we got in, I saw that Gabby had made our guest comfortable by stringing him up from the roof by his wrists with paracord. How she’d managed to do that by herself was beyond me—little shit must be stronger than she was letting on. The ropes looked pretty tight. I couldn’t give a damn at this point, since he’d been a pain in my ass for way too long now.
    Earlier we’d made sure that the place was blacked out so no light could escape. As dark as it was at night without electricity, even a single peephole leaking light to the outside would shine like a beacon to all and sundry. Truth be told, I didn’t really need light for what I was about to do, nor did Gabby and Bobby, but I wanted our captive to see our faces so he’d know who he was dealing with. I pulled my LED light out of my bag and flipped the switch.
    Pancho blinked several times as the world around him brightened into focus. He looked around, saw Gabby’s face first, and his eyes brightened a little. Then he took in Bobby, and lastly me. That’s when his face got serious; I could see the skin around his eyes tighten, and his expression went flat. He recognized me. I killed his brother and cousin, after all; it didn’t surprise me in the least that he did.
    I stepped up closer and stopped about two feet from his face. “You remember me. Yeah, I figured you might, considering what went down the last few times we met.” I detected a slight facial tick at that last remark. So, I was right. I pulled out my tomahawk and used the spike to hook a corner of his gag. “Now, I have some questions for you, and I want to know if I can trust you to cooperate.” His eyes narrowed. “No? Well then, let me be clear: I am not the biggest threat to you in this room.”
    His eyes darted to Gabby, and I could hear him chuckle through his gag. “Nope, not her, although she is wicked good with a knife, and I’m sure she’d carve you up like a ham if I let her.” He glanced over at Bobby and rolled his eyes.
    I smiled. “Bobby, shift.”
    I tried to keep a straight face as Bobby took off his shirt and shorts in front of us. Gabby blushed and turned her head; I hadn’t thought about the kid needing to undress before I spoke. That’s what I got for ad-libbing, I suppose. I flicked my eyes back to Pancho’s face, and heard a distinct series of pops and ripping noises behind me. I didn’t need to see Bobby shift to know we had Pancho scared shitless. He immediately started squirming and twisting, trying his damnedest to get as far away from the kid as he could.
    Bobby, to his credit, knew how to make an impression. He dropped to all fours and stalked over to where Pancho was hanging, sniffed once at him, then placed his clawed hands on Pancho’s chest and growled right in his face. Pancho screwed his eyes shut and turned his head away. It was obvious he was scared shitless. His heart was beating out of his chest and his breathing was rapid and shallow. He actually whimpered, and at that I nodded for Bobby to back off. With one last growl he did as I asked, winking at me as he slunk away.
Show off.
    I turned to Pancho and crossed my arms. “Now, do we have an understanding?” He nodded vigorously, greasy hair flopping in loose sweaty strands up and down and in his face. I sheathed my tomahawk and reached up with a single finger and thumb to remove his gag. Time to play good cop.
    Pancho heaved a short breath out and his chest shuddered like a child who’d been crying too long. He may have actually been on the verge of tears, but he was already composing himself, or making a decent enough show of it. “Shit, man, you didn’t have to call your dog on me.” Bobby growled and lunged at him, and Gabby made a