pointed at Rebecca. " She was supposed to die, not Todd!"
Stephen shrugged and grinned. "Well, you were given a slightly different version of the schedule. Sorry about that."
"What about my son?" Nicholas asked.
"If you don't move away, you'll never know, will you? But I bet you can figure it out."
Nicholas backed away from the fire, walking over to where Rebecca stood, about ten feet away.
Alan put one knife between his teeth, slammed the other into Todd's injured shoulder for safekeeping, and then grabbed Todd under the arms and began to drag him toward the campfire.
"Please...please don't..." Todd begged.
"Should've asked sooner," Alan informed him.
Once Todd was lying beside the fire, Alan crouched down next to him and picked up his good hand by the wrist. "I bet you thought that your crushed hand was getting the worse deal, didn't you?" Alan asked, thrusting Todd's hand into the flames.
All sensation suddenly returned to Rebecca's body as if she'd been given a blast of electroshock therapy. She pitched forward and vomited.
"Stop squirming," Alan said, punching Todd in the face.
Rebecca fell to her knees, coughing and heaving. She looked over at the campfire and saw Todd frantically struggling, thrashing with such intensity that Alan was having difficulty keeping his hand in the fire.
"Damn, this guy's a lot feistier than Doug was!" Alan said, bashing Todd's face against the ground. "Shitload of energy for an old guy! It's not gonna be easy to drag him over to the pond!"
"Screw it, then. Just kill him."
"No!" Nicholas shouted.
"Sounds good to me," said Alan. "I thought we missed a great opportunity when we just bashed Doug's face on the rocks."
He grabbed the back of Todd's head, and then thrust his face into the fire.
Rebecca slammed her hand over her mouth. She was going to go insane. Right now. Her mind was going to collapse upon itself until there was nothing left.
"Ow! Fuck!" Alan pulled his hand away from the fire, but quickly recovered and shoved Todd's head back into the flames. Todd's hair had completely caught fire, and Rebecca could see the skin blistering and blackening.
"End it," said Stephen.
Alan slammed the hunting knife into the back of Todd's neck. He gave it a good twist, and then Todd's body went limp.
"Poor Todd," said Stephen. "And poor Doug."
Alan dragged Todd out of the fire. He stood up, and then kicked his head a few times to put out the flames.
"I'll kill you," said Nicholas.
"Didn't we just hear that?" Stephen asked. "No, Nicholas, you most certainly will not kill us. Now would you like to know what happened to your son?"
Nicholas nodded.
"I scalped him," said Alan. "Scalped him good. Wanna see it?"
"Enough," said Stephen. "Your son is fine. We never touched him. All of those scary, convincing details I gave? Those came from stalking him as a potential victim, but we were presented with a much better opportunity and took it."
"Don't you feel like a dumb-ass?" asked Alan. "You got your best buddy killed and your son was never in danger. That’s gotta suck."
Nicholas' expression was blank, unreadable.
"Anyway, Nicholas," said Stephen, "let me quickly bring you up to speed. Rebecca's husband Gary went out camping with his two friends Doug and Scott, and we're currently reenacting that fateful night. As you've seen, Doug died a horrible death--not in the exact same way, but close enough. Guess what happened next?"
Nicholas said nothing.
"Go on, guess. You too, Rebecca. Tell me what you think happened next."
Rebecca was surprised that she was even able to speak. "You murdered Scott?"
"Wow. That's morbid. What do you think, Nicholas?"
Nicholas just shook his head and was silent.
"It's fine if you don't want to play. This is really Rebecca's game. Anyway, no, we did not murder Scott yet. What happened is that Alan was splashing around in Doug's corpse, and I have to admit that I was a little distracted, and then suddenly Gary and Scott made a run for it. We found
Stephen shrugged and grinned. "Well, you were given a slightly different version of the schedule. Sorry about that."
"What about my son?" Nicholas asked.
"If you don't move away, you'll never know, will you? But I bet you can figure it out."
Nicholas backed away from the fire, walking over to where Rebecca stood, about ten feet away.
Alan put one knife between his teeth, slammed the other into Todd's injured shoulder for safekeeping, and then grabbed Todd under the arms and began to drag him toward the campfire.
"Please...please don't..." Todd begged.
"Should've asked sooner," Alan informed him.
Once Todd was lying beside the fire, Alan crouched down next to him and picked up his good hand by the wrist. "I bet you thought that your crushed hand was getting the worse deal, didn't you?" Alan asked, thrusting Todd's hand into the flames.
All sensation suddenly returned to Rebecca's body as if she'd been given a blast of electroshock therapy. She pitched forward and vomited.
"Stop squirming," Alan said, punching Todd in the face.
Rebecca fell to her knees, coughing and heaving. She looked over at the campfire and saw Todd frantically struggling, thrashing with such intensity that Alan was having difficulty keeping his hand in the fire.
"Damn, this guy's a lot feistier than Doug was!" Alan said, bashing Todd's face against the ground. "Shitload of energy for an old guy! It's not gonna be easy to drag him over to the pond!"
"Screw it, then. Just kill him."
"No!" Nicholas shouted.
"Sounds good to me," said Alan. "I thought we missed a great opportunity when we just bashed Doug's face on the rocks."
He grabbed the back of Todd's head, and then thrust his face into the fire.
Rebecca slammed her hand over her mouth. She was going to go insane. Right now. Her mind was going to collapse upon itself until there was nothing left.
"Ow! Fuck!" Alan pulled his hand away from the fire, but quickly recovered and shoved Todd's head back into the flames. Todd's hair had completely caught fire, and Rebecca could see the skin blistering and blackening.
"End it," said Stephen.
Alan slammed the hunting knife into the back of Todd's neck. He gave it a good twist, and then Todd's body went limp.
"Poor Todd," said Stephen. "And poor Doug."
Alan dragged Todd out of the fire. He stood up, and then kicked his head a few times to put out the flames.
"I'll kill you," said Nicholas.
"Didn't we just hear that?" Stephen asked. "No, Nicholas, you most certainly will not kill us. Now would you like to know what happened to your son?"
Nicholas nodded.
"I scalped him," said Alan. "Scalped him good. Wanna see it?"
"Enough," said Stephen. "Your son is fine. We never touched him. All of those scary, convincing details I gave? Those came from stalking him as a potential victim, but we were presented with a much better opportunity and took it."
"Don't you feel like a dumb-ass?" asked Alan. "You got your best buddy killed and your son was never in danger. That’s gotta suck."
Nicholas' expression was blank, unreadable.
"Anyway, Nicholas," said Stephen, "let me quickly bring you up to speed. Rebecca's husband Gary went out camping with his two friends Doug and Scott, and we're currently reenacting that fateful night. As you've seen, Doug died a horrible death--not in the exact same way, but close enough. Guess what happened next?"
Nicholas said nothing.
"Go on, guess. You too, Rebecca. Tell me what you think happened next."
Rebecca was surprised that she was even able to speak. "You murdered Scott?"
"Wow. That's morbid. What do you think, Nicholas?"
Nicholas just shook his head and was silent.
"It's fine if you don't want to play. This is really Rebecca's game. Anyway, no, we did not murder Scott yet. What happened is that Alan was splashing around in Doug's corpse, and I have to admit that I was a little distracted, and then suddenly Gary and Scott made a run for it. We found
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