Page 21 of Smoke the Enemy

Her warm blood coats my hand and wrist. The men cheer and clap. Large palms pat me on the back. My father brags to his buddies about how ruthless my kill was, but little does he know it was the opposite. I gave her as much mercy as I could in this situation.

They wrap her body in a black tarp and load it into the back of the truck. I stare out the window as her blood dries on my skin. When the truck bounces on uneven ground, I notice we’re approaching water. The truck stops and everyone shouts to get out. I hop out and swat at mosquitos. One of the guy’s yells for me to get over there.

“Time to complete your initiation, little Carmichael.”

The men laugh at his taunting. My father walks over and nods. Again, with that fucking nod. I typically don’t say bad words, but after an afternoon with my father and his buddies…it’s rubbing off on me. They lower the truck bed door, and then drag her body to the edge.

“She can’t keep the plastic on. Might upset the gator’s belly.”

Gator? As in, alligator? Fear must be evident on my face because they all howl with laughter. “Don’t worry. It’ll have something else to eat rather than your scrawny ass.” The man tells me.

“Think he can carry her? She’s bigger than him.”

My father steps in. “You underestimate my son, Zeus.”

So the big one’s name is Zeus. I would’ve had an easier time slitting his throat than that nice lady’s.

My father continues, “Soren is young, but tall for his age. And he’s stronger than he looks. Carry her to the water, son.”

I take poor Allison’s body over my shoulders, and my knees buckle under the weight. The feel of my father’s disapproving eyes on me pushes me to stand. She’s heavy. She’s a tiny woman, but heavy for my ten-year-old body. But like my father said, I am tall and bigger than most for my age. Still. With each step I feel my body giving out under the weight. But thankfully, the water isn’t far.

Two yellow eyes appear just below the surface. They break through, but I don’t feel fear. I feel relieved. It’s almost over. The longest and hardest walk of my life is almost coming to an end. The alligator barely breaks the surface of the water. Almost there. My eyes are focused on it.

My sweat mixed with Allison’s blood drip down my back. Despite the heat, it causes shivers down my spine. All my muscles are screaming in protest, but I push forward. Finally, I reach the water’s edge. I bend over and push Allison’s body off of me and then hear the satisfying splash.

The gator’s large jaws snatch her lifeless body, and then pull her under the water to properly store her body until she starts to decompose.

“Goodbye, Allison.”

Laughter sounds from behind me. Zeus points at me. “Did you name the fucking gator?”

For some reason, I don’t want to share the moment I had with Allison Dupree. I’m sure my father knows her name. Maybe. Maybe he’s already forgotten it because her life was meaningless to him. Her life will always mean something to me, though, because hers was the first one I took.

“Yes. I named the alligator…Allison.”

As I walk back to the truck, my father rambles on about going to get me cleaned up before he lets me back into his sedan that’s still parked at the warehouse. Plus, he doesn’t want my mother to see me covered in blood. It’s her one rule apparently, we always clean up before we go home.

All I can think about is how lucky Allison’s son must be to have gotten away from this life. Wherever he is, I hope he never returns because my father will be waiting.

After that trip, after dear ol’ Dad, made me kill a woman, I didn’t speak for years.Yes. I named the alligator… Allison,were the last words my father heard from me for the longest time. The name Allison stuck. I never told anyone the true meaning behind the name, and most people don’t even know that I’m the one who named her. Now, in a strange twist of fate, Allison’s son has returned. I made a promise to myself that I couldn’t save Allison from my father, but I could her son. But I also promised myself I would kill the son-of-a-bitch who hurt and scared Taylor.

Wouldn’t it be my luck that it’s the same person?

Carmichael, North Carolina

Christmas Eve

Soren

My father is furious we still haven’t eliminated Bryce Van Doren. When I suggested he go find him himself… Well, let’s just say mother’s favorite vase is broken, and I now have a nasty cut on the back of my head. Before I could put to use one of those thick shards of porcelain, Steffan the peacekeeper intervened. I can hear my parents arguing now while I lie in bed with my arms behind my head. Mom is afraid dear ol’ dad is going to chase me away again. I guess they forgot that I never ran away from home. I wassentaway. There’s a big difference. This time I’m not going anywhere, so she needn’t worry.

I plan to have a busy upcoming year. There are four items on my to-do list: kill Bryce Van Doren, kill Rhett Carmichael, eliminate Alex Dupree from our lives, and claim Taylor Mae Lake. Oh, and if Van Doren isn’t the one going around killing everyone and fucking with our Brotherhood, I need to figure out who that is and kill them.

The first two items are in the works, obviousl. But I’d prefer not to kill Alex Dupree. For one, I promised his mother I wouldn’t. The second reason being I know deep down it would bother Taylor if I was the one who did it. If I could ship him off somewhere, that would be a fantastic solution. My gut tells me, though, that before everything is over, I will end up having to snuff the life out of him to find peace.

Claiming Taylor. My Little Mouse. She’s consumed my thoughts since I first saw her at that Halloween party last year. Dressed as a naughty little mouse — yet the way she fidgeted and tugged at the costume, it was evident she typically didn’t do revealing outfits or parties. She reeked of innocence. A sexy college girl on Halloween is easy pickings. But a good girl on the prowl for a night of wickedness.Fuck me.My dick’s getting hard again.

I’d planned to fully give her a night she’d never forget. What I hadn’t planned on was her giving me one that would haunt my dreams for an entire year. We talked. I don’t do fucking small talk, much less whole conversations. I did that night though… with her. She got to knowme.I found myself getting lost in her words and hungry for more of them. I gave her something I never give lightly, my voice. We shared something far more intimate than sex that night. She probably thought nothing of it. I’m sure plenty of other guys have shared words with her. For me, however, it meant everything.

---