Paranormal Anthology With a TWIST (8 page)

When she broke the perimeter of the carnival and made her way
towards the woods, Robert hung back slightly around the booths so as not to
seem obvious. When she was almost completely swallowed by the trees, Robert
gave chase at a brisk pace. He applauded how casual he looked as he walked
towards the woods away from the carnival. He looked just as unassuming as he
wanted, and anyone who may spot him would think nothing of him entering the
woods
because
he looked so innocent.

Innocent...
He gave a low
laugh. The title couldn’t be further from the truth.

Robert made sure his footfalls were light as he stalked her
through the dark forest, his brown eyes locked firmly on the slightly faded
figure of the woman a few feet ahead. He was at the perfect distance
behind—far enough away not to be noticed, but not too far to lose her.
She continued walking unaware. Robert licked his lips in anticipation.

The woman paused, turning to look back in his direction. Robert
quickly slid behind a tree, ghosting into the darkness perfectly. He watched
her intently, watched her stare into the darkness for a few moments before
continuing. Robert soon followed after her.

They walked for a full ten minutes. How far away had they set up
camp? Robert was a little surprised they were so far out from civilization, but
it did not matter. It just made his job a lot easier. They would soon be
cursing their foolishness.

Robert quickened his pace, nearing the woman with hungry eyes. He
could feel the anticipation swelling inside of him, increasing his heart rate
and hardening his length to its full extent. He was ready—whether or not
she was changed nothing.

Not yet...

Robert wove around a few trees, letting her stop and look around
in confusion once again. His eyes gleamed with malicious intent, and he waited
until she started walking again before pushing off from the tree and following.

Almost...

It was dark in the forest, nearly completely swallowed in
blackness, illuminated solely by the moon overhead. Robert waited until she was
in a more well-lit area before making his move.

Now!

Robert shot out from the darkness, charging the woman with his
incredible speed. She had barely enough time to turn around before his arms
were around her and she was his.

Daniel sighed as he tossed another log into the blazing fire in
front of him. He sat down on a foldout chair he had brought along for this
campout, kicking his leg up and down as he waited for his girlfriend to arrive.
Where was she?

He lifted his gaze slightly to the stupid stuffed rabbit sitting
on the other side of the fire, staring at him with small, black button eyes as
if to taunt him. He contemplated tossing it into the fire just to spite his
girlfriend, but knew that if he did she would probably toss him in after it.

“Where the heck are you?” Daniel grumbled to himself, running a
hand through his messy brown hair. He gave a second sigh and leaned back in his
seat, staring into the fire with a sullen expression.

A noisy thud followed by a loud gasp caught Daniel’s attention. He
whipped his head around with a deep frown on his face, scanning the barely lit
area until his eyes landed on a lump on the ground. It moved—making a
slight noise to show it was human. Daniel stood, walking over to the figure
until he could see its face.

“What the—?” His eyes widened at the sight.

Robert knelt at Daniel’s feet, his face bloodied and bruised from
what could only be a pounding. His left eye was swelling horribly, nearly fully
closed with a purplish tint to the puckered skin around it. His lip was cut in
three different places, blood dripping from his equally bruised chin to his
legs, which were dirty from kneeling in the dirt. The man looked up at Daniel
through a curtain of dirty red hair, his only visible eye pleading for help.

“W-who...” Daniel stammered in shock at the man’s appearance.

“P-Please...” Robert gasped, trying to breathe properly through
the panic that was coursing through him—his heart hammering painfully
against his ribcage. “H-Help—”

Robert was silenced as a foot planted itself into his back and
shoved him forward, his forehead hitting the ground first, followed by the rest
of his abused body. Daniel’s eyes shot up to the owner of the foot that had
kicked the red-haired man to find the petite woman with raven-colored hair that
Robert had been stalking, looking perfectly healthy and clean aside from a few
beads of sweat on her brow.

Daniel stared at the woman for a moment, taken aback by her sudden
appearance, and then eased slightly. “Alexa,” he greeted somberly. “I was
beginning to worry about you.”

The woman—Alexa—gave a loud snort. “What? You think I
wouldn’t be able to handle myself out there?”

Daniel crossed his arms over his broad chest, shaking his head.
“You were taking forever. I was starting to think this guy would be a bit too
much for you,” he said, a slight grin spreading across his features as Alexa
frowned.

“I would have been here sooner,” she said, choosing to ignore his
snide remark...for now, “but this guy took for-fucking-ever to make his move.
With all the openings I gave him, you would wonder if he was really interested
at all...”

Daniel snorted and looked down as Robert slowly lifted his head to
gape at Daniel, mouthing ‘help me’ over and over. Daniel raised a brow and then
leaned down slightly towards Robert.

“Help you?” Daniel said, shocking Robert. “Why should I? You were
preying on my girlfriend like she was some kind of meat. Why should I help
someone like you? Someone who has probably preyed on many other women, leaving
them bloody and scarred for the rest of their lives. You’re a sick
man—one who doesn’t deserve the luxury of life.”

“I-I-I...” Robert stammered, leaning on his hands to stare at
Daniel with his good eye wide. “A-Are...are you cops?”

Robert’s blood ran cold when a wide, amused grin spread across
Daniel’s face. “A cop?” he echoed, chuckling. “Do I
look
like a cop to you?”

“C’mon, give him a break,” Alexa said, walking around Robert to
stand at Daniel’s side. “His head’s all messed up. I gave him
maybe...forty-percent strength, so he’s going to need a minute to think
clearly.”

Robert’s good eye widened further. Only
forty
percent? She had roughed him up harder than any man alive
could. How could she have only used forty percent of her strength?

“W-What...are you?” Robert wheezed.

Daniel and Alexa gave each other a glance, both beginning to grin.
“Let’s just say...we can be a bit
loony
from time to time,” Alexa answered, staring at Robert with those wide, green
eyes of hers.

Robert stared back at the two of them as they grinned at him
maliciously. They were crazy—more demented than Robert ever was. In front
of him stood his mortality—the punishment for his crimes. His heart began
to beat faster and his breath hitched as he began to turn, struggling to his
feet in a desperate attempt at escape.

“Ah, ah, ah,” Alexa cooed, stomping her foot down onto Robert’s
ankle to halt his feeble attempts at standing, at
freedom
. He yelped, turning back to stare at the woman in horror.
Her grin grew ever wider, amused by his actions. “We can’t have you running off
before the fun begins, can we?” she said, turning to Daniel. “Daniel, would you
do the honors?”

“With pleasure,” Daniel cackled, walking towards Robert. The
red-haired man began to hyperventilate, clawing at the dirt to try to get away
before the other man reached him. But it was in vain, as the pressure Alexa was
putting down on his ankle was too much for him to break out of. He whimpered
when he felt Daniel kneel down by his other leg, grabbing it by the heel of his
foot and lifting it into the air.

“W-What—” Robert turned as Daniel raised his elbow, driving
it down into Robert’s knee, bending it backwards with a sickening
crack
! Robert howled in pain as Daniel
drove his elbow into his knee a second time—further breaking his leg to
immobilize him.

Daniel and Alexa sighed in delight, relishing in the shrill shriek
that tore from Robert’s throat. They smiled at each other, both backing up away
from him as he reached down to clutch his broken leg, still screaming.

“Oh my God!” Robert wailed, rocking back and forth. “You fucking
maniacs! You’re both fucking psychotic!”

“I guess you’re right,” Alexa said, shrugging slightly, completely
calm despite the fact Robert was still howling in pain. “It’s obvious that our
states of mind aren’t in the right place. At times we may seem a bit...evil,
but our intentions and actions are nothing but nature running its course.”

“Really, when you think about it,” Daniel added, glancing at his
partner with a smirk. “We’re actually the better of two evils when it comes
to...
our kind
.”

“Y-Your...k-kind...?” Robert shook, his face growing pale as he
felt warm blood filling up his pant leg, where he knew a bone was sticking out.

Alexa laughed, covering her mouth as if flirting with her
counterpart, completely ignoring Robert. “Oh, Daniel, you’re absolutely right.
We’re sort of the good guys, huh?”

Daniel gave a snort. “I wouldn’t say
that
, but when you think about it... we’re doing a service to the
whole damn world by doing what we do to
whom
we do it to.”

“Stop!” Robert roared, gaining both Daniel’s and Alexa’s attention
once more. “Let me go! I promise not to say anything! And I won’t ever attack
another woman, I swear! Just let me live!”

“Aww, he’s begging.” Alexa smiled sweetly, as if staring down at a
child’s drawing. “Tell me something, pervert. How many of the women you defiled
begged you to let them go? To not hurt them? How many tried bargaining with
you—tried praying to God for you to leave them alone? And how many times
did you oblige them? Hmm?”

Robert was silent.

“Exactly,” Alexa said matter-of-factly. “So, tell me then, why
should we give you the kindness you never showed anyone else?”

“P-Please...” Robert whimpered helplessly.

“Alexa,” Daniel said, lifting his head skyward. “It’s almost
time.”

“Mmm,” Alexa hummed, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around
herself. “Yes, I can feel it.”

“Feel what?” Robert gaped at them as they both turned towards the
sky. He glanced up at where they were staring and was met with a sight that
chilled his very soul.

The full moon stood high overhead, beaming its light down onto the
field the three were settled in.

“It feels so good...” Alexa moaned, swaying her hips slightly. She
kept her arms wrapped around herself, swaying with a tune only she could hear.
She spun around, relishing the wondrous feeling of the moon beaming down on
her.

She felt something warm and soft touch her arm and she opened her
eyes to see Daniel smiling down at her, his arms draping over hers as he
pressed his body against her back. She hummed in pleasure at the feel of his
body against hers, leaning back into him as they swayed together to the melody
of the moon. She reached up to wrap her arm around his neck, pulling his face
into the crook of her neck. She heard him inhale her scent, sending a shiver
down her spine.

“Alexa...” Daniel whispered into her ear huskily, and she nearly
melted. She turned in his grasp and leaned up to kiss him fully, feeling his
arms wrap possessively around her as he kissed back. She felt his tongue push
its way into her mouth and she met it with her own to dance for dominance,
their hands exploring each others’ body.

Just as she felt his hand moving up her shirt, his anticipation
pressing against her stomach, Robert made a noise and Daniel pulled
away—much to Alexa’s chagrin. She growled, turning to Robert as he tried
to crawl away, dragging his broken, bent leg behind him.

“Didn’t I already say you couldn’t leave yet?” Alexa said, walking
up behind Robert. He froze, having hoped to get away as they got lost in their
twisted passion. He slowly turned towards her, staring up at the woman as her
silhouette shone in contrast to the large, full moon behind her.