It Used To Be So Simple

Everything is wrong here. I’m hunched over my counter. Smoke fills my nostrils, that means fire is spreading. I lug myself up. My head sears with pain, I don’t even want to think about the stab wounds. Actually, I should think about the stab wounds. They fucking hurt. If it wasn’t for the adrenaline I’d probably already be gone. All I wanted to do was have a nice vacation where I rent out my cabin and hunt the people who stay there. Is that so wrong? It used to be so simple. This group was supposed to be simple. Just two women, that’s it. Simple? Fuck no. These women like to fight.

I look around my once pristine cabin. It looks like shit now. Oh well, it’s all gonna burn down anyways. I see my knife on the ground, the assholes shouldn’t have left it for me. I bend over and scoop it up, “If a fight is what you want,” I begin to yell as I walk out of the burning building, “Then that’s what you’ll GET!” As soon as I step out the door I hear a crack and my vision goes black.

I start to blink my eyes open. My head was searing before, but now? Now it feels like it’s going to explode. Parts of my face feel wet, probably blood. The two women are standing in front of me. Actually, it looks like there’s four of them now. I spit in their direction. They’re speaking but all I hear is high pitched sirens. If I can muster the strength to break these ropes I can get em’. I’m sure of it.

The sirens turn to echoes of sounds and then the echoes mesh into actual words. “Why are you doing this?” The Tall One asks. There’s only one of her now. She doesn’t deserve an answer. I give her what I feel like is a warm smile instead. My face suddenly turns as it is met with an open hand from the Short One. Strange, it didn’t feel like anything.

“She asked you a question,” Short One has my knife, cute.

I flex, using everything I have, and start writhing under the ropes. They get a lil’ loose but not substantially so. I’m noticing my breathing more, well it’s less like breathing and more like heaving. Also that flexing took a lot out of me, the two are becoming four again how about that. Neat.

“I SAID,” shouts the Tall One, “Why are you doing this?” A gun is pressed to my head. Did she always have that?

Maybe I should tell her. Maybe I should tell them both. I’m dyin’ either way. Dyin’, hm, is that was this is? I open my mouth as if to speak, but I make sure to not make a sound.

“What?” the Short Ones ask in unison. The Tall One leans in a bit as I repeat the motion but this time make a slight gurgle sound as if I’m trying to get something out. Just a lil’ more, please. As if she heard me, the Tall One leans in right by my face.

The last bit of adrenaline I have hits as muster the strength to say clearly, “For fun.” I lean over and bite her ear. My mouth fills with blood, it tastes like iron, it tastes alive. I hear a scream and feel a sharp pain in my collar. Warmth rushes down my body. I bet if I tried it, it would taste rotten.