Free Dead to Writes (April Almighty #1) by Tim Miller Page A

unarmed! Then you beat me like that. That is police brutality.”
         “I’m not police, I’m the FBI. In the name of the Government of the United States of America, I declare Browneye, Texas to be a terroristic threat to national security and an enemy of the state. All inhabitants of such shall be dealt with as enemy combatants,” Bobby said. It was all bullshit he saw in a movie, but it was worth watching Higgins’ face turn white.
         “Shit. You can’t do that!”
         “I just did. Now get a move on. This time, you stay out in front.” Bobby pushed him along with one hand on his collar and the other holding the gun to the back of his head. He had no idea how many more people lived in this toilet bowl of a town, but he hoped not to run into any more of them for the rest of his stay.
         “Which way is it?”
         “That way.” Higgins pointed at the road that ran past town. “The road winds through there a ways, and they live just off the road.”
         “Good, let’s get going.”
     

Chapter 18
     
         April tried to act like she had passed out, hoping they would cut her loose and she could attempt to get away, but they didn’t go for it. She couldn’t keep her eyes closed as they tortured Herbert. It was hard for her to watch, yet she couldn’t look away either. As she watched, the two men violated Herbert in ways she didn’t even think possible.
         Some of these things, she hadn’t seen in the worst horror films she’d ever watched. Though noting Cletus with his camera as Marty ripped Herbert’s teeth out of his head, she was going to be part of a horror film, or maybe a snuff film. What does he plan on doing with that recording? Put it on the internet? Jack off to it later? Have his mom jack him off to it? She shuddered at all those thoughts.
         Herbert had stopped screaming a while ago. They were still doing things to him. April wasn’t sure what they were up to, but it looked like they were cutting his ears off. The only noises Herbert was making were weak whimpers. While she didn’t want him to die, she wanted his suffering to end. She’d never seen a man rape another man that way. It was probably the most horrific thing she had ever seen. Well, everything she’d seen so far had been among the most horrific things she’d ever seen.
         Her fingers were numb still, but she was feeling along the wood bench she was tied to. There was a large splinter of wood she’d been working on, trying to pull it free. It wasn’t much, but it could be some kind of weapon. At least that was her plan. Her fingers carefully worked around the edges as the wood cracked away around it. She felt it peeling away from the rest of the bench. Slowly it came away inch by inch until it broke free. She tightened her fingers around it and held it in her fist.
         It was about four or five inches long and thick enough she could get some force behind it when needed. It’s not like she had anything to lose. After what they did to Brenda, Don, and Herbert, she could only imagine what would happen to her. From across the room, Brenda began screaming.
         Everyone looked over at her, everyone but Herbert that is. Nothing seemed to be happening, she was just shrieking over and over. April figured they hadn’t killed her so they could get another go at her later.  Her screaming was unbearable. Brenda didn’t even sound human.
         “Cletus!” Ma yelled. “Shut that bitch up!”
         Cletus nodded and grabbed a meat cleaver from the work bench, walked over to Brenda who never stopped screaming and slammed the cleaver into her face. He reared back and hacked at her again, and again. April lost count after the eighth blow. Brenda’s face looked like a huge lump of raw hamburger, but she had stopped screaming.
         “Dammit Clete!” Marty yelled. “You fucked her face all up.”
         “So? Her cooter still works.”