Page 46 of Drowning Her

Wilder grunted. “He’s the brains,” he said. “Not much, though.”

“Fuck you!” Green shouted.

“How the hell is he still awake?” Sawyer asked.

Wilder dragged Green across the floor. Green’s feet shuffled. Bambi trembled, and I held a hand over her mouth. Wilder took his knife, slicing along Green’s neck. Green coughed, the blood gushing down, and Wilder eased out the ropes of Green’s esophagus from his neck. He held the fleshy cords in his hand, the blood soaking his fingers, thengrabbed a coil of rope out of one of the pens. He threaded the rope around his neck.

Bambi closed her eyes. I pulled her in close to me. We had both been exposed to violence before, but never like this.

Wilder hoisted Green up, the blood trailing down his neck to his cast, then falling to the concrete. Bambi’s shivered. I held her tight.

Stop crying,I mouthed.They can’t hear us.

Bambi wagged her head back and forth.I did it too,she mouthed.

Did what?I asked.

I stole too. They’re going to kill me!

My palms were damp with sweat. I measured my breaths, trying not to make any noise.

I warned you to stop,I mouthed.

It was your idea!she replied.She was right, but I had told her to stop. She added in a loud whisper, “Your idea!”

Wilder and Sawyer stopped. For a moment, no one moved. Green’s blood dripped on the ground.

“You hear that?” Sawyer asked.

Wilder stepped forward. “I’ll check,” he said.

Bambi flinched. I glanced around; we were in a corner. We had nowhere to go. If we tried to leave, the hay rack would block us from getting out. All we could do was hope that Wilder didn’t come this way. I got in front of Bambi, using my body as a shield. We had both been taught to steal, to use every situation to our advantage. But this was my responsibility. I had tried to warn her, and I had failed.

Wilder’s face came into the light. I blocked Bambi with both arms, not letting him see her. His eyes fell on me. I grabbed the knife from my pocket, making myself clear. Ifhe wanted to hurt Bambi, he was going to have to hurt me first.

Wilder’s eyes scrutinized me. But a calmness passed through him, lifting the storm. He raised his gun, shifting his aim away from us, and headed toward his brother.

“Nothing,” Wilder said.

Their footsteps resumed.

“Check over there,” Wilder said. He pointed his gun in a different direction, away from us. Then Wilder headed for the hay rack blocking the door. The metal scraped as he moved it forward effortlessly.

“What are you doing?” Sawyer asked.

Wilder eased Green’s body from the makeshift noose, then strapped him across the rack, displaying him in his agony. A warning to others.

“Creative,” Sawyer said.

“Easy access,” Wilder said.

Wilder removed a cleaver from a tool chest, and Sawyer powered on an electric saw. The two of them laughed as they mutilated Green’s body.

But the door wasn’t blocked anymore. Bambi and I crawled toward the door.

“Call Kyle,” Wilder said. “Get him on the radio.”

“Why?” Sawyer asked. “We’ve got it covered.”

---