American Savages by J. J. McAvoy
“Surprise? Yes, I know,” Mel smiled.
Sighing, I turned to our staff.
I guess one us had to be the mature one.
“If you would like to live, I suggest you get back to work. This part does not concern you, and please remember, we chose you all because we know you. We know where you work, where you live, how many goddamn times you take a piss,” I called out, as I waited for them to get under control. “Thank you all so much for your cooperation as we deal with a transition in personnel.”
And on cue Mel shot him through the wrist.
Damn she was good shot.
“Roy. Roy. Roy. You stupid little man. I really thought you understood me the first time we met.” She sighed, walking closer to him as I looked over the product and pull out the prepared test tube from my jacket.
“I didn’t do anything!”
“Lying to a woman with gun? I thought you said he was smart, wife,” I called out to her, not bothering to turn around from what I was doing at the table in front of me.
“See what you did? Now my husband thinks I can’t judge a person’s character—”
“Okay! Okay! Okay! Please don’t shoot. My daughter got sick. I didn't have any choice, neither of you were around—”
“So you’re saying it’s our fault you stole from us?”
Oh he was surely an idiot.
“It was only a couple hundred. Swear I will pay you back double…no triple. Anything you want…”
Staring at the tube, I waited for the liquid to turn blue. That’s how we tested if was pure or not…It turn yellow instead. The weakest form. Someone had added shit to our fucking product goddamn it. The moron.
I turned back, I held up the test tube, telling her to kill him with my eyes. I stared as she put her gun away shaking her head at me.
What do you mean no?
“Fine. We need to discuss certain things, and by the time we come back, you’d better have an explanation. A bloody good one,” she stated.
Walking past the blood soaked floor, we stepped beyond the plastic curtains. She didn’t pause to explain, instead she kept walking until we reached another door.
“My father used to say ‘an apology isn’t an apology until you get a gift,’” she said as she opened it for me.
There sat our favorite police officer with two women; all of them were strapped down to their chairs, covered in their own urine, and coughing against the duct tape that covered their mouths.
“Oh, you are too kind,” I whispered to her, as I resisted the urge to thank her more thoroughly.
As she handed me my brass knuckles, all our favorite officer could do was stare at us helplessly.
It was my turn to be a little immature.
ELEVEN
“If someone puts their hands on you, make sure they never put their hands on anybody else again.”
—Malcolm X
LIAM
Pulling up a seat in front of my old friend Scoot, I leaned back before I turned to my darling wife who stood against the brick wall to my right. I noticed a red gallon tank of what I hoped was gasoline sitting beside her. She grinned and it was as though she could see into my mind.
“I know who this fucker is,” I said, as I rested my foot on his hand, which was taped to his thigh. One of the greatest gifts given to man had to be duct tape. “But I am not acquainted with these lovely women.”
“Meet Lacey, Scooter’s wife.” My own wife pointed to the woman on the left with dusty blonde hair. “And to the right is Shelby, Scooter’s prostitute. How he had so much time on his hands is beyond me.”
“Which one do you think he loves more?” I asked as I tilted my head to the right to stare at the brunette. They both seemed simple enough to me.
“I couldn’t figure it out,” Mel sighed dramatically, as she pushed off the wall and walked behind the blonde. The woman’s tears rolled past her taped mouth and dripped off her chin. “His wife has the house and he always comes home to her. She was his high school sweetheart. Right Scooter?”
Mel pulled his head back roughly before letting go, and he didn’t struggle or speak. Instead he sat there with his head hanging so low that he tipped forward. Had it not been for the tape, he would’ve fallen to the floor.
He was broken on the inside.
If only he hadn’t pissed the hell out of me, that would’ve almost been enough. But it wasn’t. I wanted him broken on the inside and destroyed on the out.
“Yet, he’s put up the prostitute in his old childhood apartment, she also has a stake in his will.”
Scoot’s wife’s head snapped over to him as her eyes went wide.
“So, it’s hard for me to say who’s number one, I thought I’d let you figure it out,” Mel whispered as she moved over to me.
With a sigh, I look to them both. “What did King Solomon do when he wished to find who was the true mother of the baby?”
“You want to cut them in half.” She gasped in mock horror. “So messy.”
“You’re right, but the suspense is killing me.” I dropped the brass knuckles as I pulled a razor tooth knife from my boot. Cutting the tape from his mouth, I held the blade to his nose and said, “You’re going to tell me who you love more, or I will start cutting off their fingers.”
He didn’t speak, he didn’t even look as though he were breathing.
Sighing once more, I moved over to his mistress and ran the blade over her thumb. Her breathing became rapid and her tears fell faster.
“You know what separates man from beast?” I asked her as she closed her eyes. “Our thumbs.”
I slammed the blade down and started sawing off her thumb. She wailed so loudly that her body began to shake. Scooter watched the entire time, as tears fell from his face.
“Who do you love more?” I asked him again, as I wiped the blood on his jeans and walked towards his wife.
“I…I…”
“Too slow.”
Holding the hilt of the blade, I drove it into her ring finger. She screamed as loud as her reluctant competitor, but the truth of the matter was that those kinds of wails no longer fazed me. Grabbing her dismembered finger, I held it in front of his face and tilted it ring-side down, he watched as the ring he’d given her dropped to the ground and nestled itself into the pool of her blood.
How poetic.
“Eighteen fingers left between them both. I’ve got nothing but time, and this is a very sharp blade, Scooter. Just pick one. I promise I won’t kill her.”
He swallowed and his head turned to his wife, then to me, and then back to his wife again. It seemed that he’d lost the ability to speak.
With a sigh, I moved to another one of Lacey’s fingers. “I’m so sorry, Lacey.”
Moving to her thumb, I paused, and looked at Scooter who only stared back at me. This time I didn’t look away from his eyes as I once more pressed the knife into her other thumb. She screamed over and over again.
I didn’t even ask before turning to Shelby.
“St—Stop. Please stop,” he finally said, as he looked to his mistress. “I love her. I love her.”
“Your mistress?” I asked calmly.
“Yes!” he cried.
Before I could blink, a bullet struck his mistress between her eyes. Turning to Mel, I watched as she placed her gun down.
“Well that was a plot twist,” I said to her.
“I hate home wreckers.” She shrugged as she glanced at Scoot’s wife who sat in shock. “You’re welcome,” she added.
“AH!” Scooter screamed as he fought against the chair. “You no good fucking liar! Damn you to hell! You sick fucking bastards!”
“Wow, he really loved her,” I said, wishing that I’d tortured her more.
“He’s disgusting,” Mel muttered. “I don’t have to tell you what will happen if you ever think—”
“I know,” I snickered, as I dropped the knife to ground.
I pulled out my own gun and shot his wife in the heart, finishing
“You know, I always saw this ending,” I told him calmly as he wept. Picking up my brass knuckles, I pulled my fist back before I slammed it into his face.
“In fact, I warned you,” I sighed when I heard the sickening pop of his nose.
“You came after my family.” The brass of my knuckles connected with his teeth and he coughed as they undoubtedly lodged themselves into his throat.
I held his blood-soaked face, looking to see if there were any bones that I hadn’t yet broken…there was.
“You had me sent to jail,” I sighed again, as I wiped his blood off my hands and onto his shirt. Pulling back once more, I struck and felt his jaw crack from the sheer force of my blow. “But it’s alright, because I’m over it…now.” Looking him over as though he was a fine painting, Mel walked forward before she poured gasoline over the bodies.
He coughed up a few teeth as he choked for breath.
“Any last words, Officer?” I asked him.
All he could do was struggle to breathe.
“I guess not. Funny since you had so much to say on the stand.” It didn’t matter, he was done. He was just the first of many who had to pay the price.
I exited the room because I hated the smell of gasoline. Neither Mel nor I said anything as we walked back to visit Roy and the idiots who were still cutting useless product. Monte, Fedel, and now Kain, stood at the exits with their guns clearly visible.
“It seems as though our business is done here,” I stated as I walked back towards the exit that led down to the grand staircase.
“I swear on my life, Callahan, I will repay everything,” Roy called out, as he used the arm of a naked woman to stand.
It was clear that he had indulged in a little too much of our product in the time we were gone.
“Oh no,” Mel smirked, as she pointed between the two of us. “We are done here. You…well you’re just done.”
“Kill them and burn this place to the ground.” I commanded. And before they could blink or even run, Monte, Fedel and Kain emptied their clips into them, making sure to double tap the heads.
MELODY
We sat at a beautiful diner, about a mile out from the old hotel and we watched as it burned. The fire department had been called, but they apparently thought it best to allow the building to burn out safely. No one else was in the diner but us, however, it wasn’t supposed to be open for another hour anyway.
“Do you think we’re pyromaniacs?” I snickered, as I gazed at the rising smoke that tainted the sky in varying shades of grey.
“Not at all. The fires we set have purposes,” he replied as he cut into the sausage links before him.
“True,” I said, as I reached for my phone. I wanted to check up on Ethan.
“No phones.” Liam glanced at the device in my hands.
“You’re funny.” I chuckled as I signed in and saw that Ethan was sitting with Sedric and Evelyn, the latter was reading something between them…I fought the urge to smile, and as I glanced up, I noticed that Liam was peeking over my shoulder to see them.
“Yeah, no phones,” I mocked. “I see what you’re doing, Callahan.”
“And what is it that I’m doing?” he asked from behind his coffee cup.
I waved my hand over the spread of toast, waffles, sausage and eggs in front us, and his eyebrow raised as my grin spread across his face.
“Oh come on, this is you trying to get me on a date.”
“No. This is brunch. I was hungry.” To prove his point, he grabbed a slice of French toast and took a bite.
“Callahan—”
“When I take you on a date, Melody, there will be dancing, the best wine in the country, and food that is ridiculously overpriced,” he replied.
“I don’t understand your obsession with romance. It’s like you’re a love child of War and Peace,” I muttered before I bit into my apple.
“What do you have against romance?”
“Nothing. It’s fine when it's not being directed at me. I’m understanding of love, but this need to buy flowers, and chocolates—”
“You do know love and romance are synonymous, right?”
“No, they’re not—”
“And you are aware that what you did for me today was romantic, right?”
I swallow slowly, unsure of how to reply, and he knew that he’d bested me. Leaning back, he pensively crossed his arms.
“Why did you do it?”
“I don’t know, I thought you needed it or at least wanted…” I muttered as I reached for my tea. I didn’t like where this was going.
“And it made you happy to do it?”
Oh God, must he drag this out? “Yes, fine. I was happy that you were happy. Can you just say what you mean now?”
“You, as my wife, anticipated my needs without having to ask or be asked. I, as your husband, wish to do the same.”
“But I have no need for restaurant wine, I have my own. Nor do I care for dancing, and if you want overpriced steak, then I’ll let the cook know.”
He rolled his eyes at me. “How do you know what you like if you’ve never done it before?”
His smugness was slowly killing me.
“Because I know myself.”
“I know you too, and you’ve already agreed so we’re going on a date and you’re going to enjoy it without being a bitch.”
“Now you’re trying to change my personality, Callahan? So controlling. I think this is an early sign of an abusive relationship.”
“You can bring your sarcasm and wit, I find it entertaining.”
Oh how he annoyed me.
“Can we talk business now?”
“Of course. It’s not like this is a date or anything,” he winked.
“It isn’t. Now how would you like to handle all those who testified you against you? And I meant that as a completely unromantic and platonic question.”
I watched as his eyes glistened. “I do wish to handle them. But sadly I can’t deal with them in the same manner we handled Scooter,” he said seriously.
He was right. If all the people who testified against him suddenly went missing or turned up dead, suspicion would surely follow…it would’ve sent a clear message though.
“Oh what a shame.” I sighed. “Because here comes Dr. Lewis now.” I pointed to the woman with short blonde hair. On her arm was an attractive looking man…who possessed the same hair and eye color as Liam. He kept her distracted by making out with her and grabbing onto her ass. He covered her eyes with a laugh as he led her into a back booth.
“Did you know she would be here? You picked the diner?” Liam grinned at me.
“Who me? Really now Liam, I can’t control everything.”
He looked as though he didn’t believe me. However, when the mystery man stood up to join her, so did I.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Mel…”
I raised my hand and placed it over my heart. “I’ll be good, I promise.”
“Fine. But you sure as hell don't get the warden too,” he muttered, as he rose and followed me.
“What do you think she values more than her life?” I asked Liam as we walked through the maze of white tables and chairs that led to the bathroom in the back.
“Her career,” he grinned, as he listened to the sounds that seemed to echo in the empty space.
“Exactly.”
We silently entered the bathroom and watched as she sucked on his small, naked mole rat dick while her breasts hung out of her tight blue dress. The sight made me want to bleach my eyes; it was like a bad amateur porno.
“Hello, Doc,” Liam snickered.
Her eyes went wide as she pulled away. “Oh my G
“Oh my God already?” I sneered in disgust as I sat on the white and yellow couch in the bathroom.
“What the fuck are you doing here?!” she yelled as she tried her best to stuff her breasts back into her bra. “Daniel! You told me you were closed!”
“I’m going to take a wild guess and say he lied,” Liam said, unable to keep the grin off his face as he leaned back against the wall.
“Daniel,” I said to him and he nodded as he walked out and left her in fear.
“Daniel? Daniel!”
“You just have the worst luck with men, don’t you?” I said to her.
“Wait,” Dr. Lewis whispered her brain slowly catching on. “He’s been working for you this whole time? No. I can’t be. We’ve been dating for—”
“Two and a half months, I know. While Liam was in jail, and right after you gave your first testimony to the police. Just so you know, he was paid handsomely for your time together. He didn’t have a penny to his name…but then again, you didn't know that. You thought he was a rich doctor who happened to own a few restaurants on the side. Wouldn’t that have been amazing? Shame,” I laughed. It was pathetic how easy it was to predict some people’s actions.
She was shaking badly and we could tell that she was going into shock as reality crept in.
“Wow, you must have truly believed that you were falling in love,” Liam gasped mockingly. “This must be embarrassing.”
“What do you want?” She spat, not realizing how kind we were truly being.
“You know all those rumors you spread about me? About my family? How we take out anyone who crosses us. How we control this city to the point where you could run into the police department right now and still not be safe? What if I told you they were true, Doc? What if I told you half of the people you treat were sent to you by us?” Liam replied stalking up to her.
“You’re lying,” she stuttered. “You're the Callahans—you feed the inner city kids and…”
“And cut off fingers and bash in heads…which makes me wonder what will happen to you,” Liam finished for her.