“What an excellent haul, boys!” the man said through his crusty lips, cracked and dry, skin fking off in bits as he spoke, “Copperhead will pay nicely for them,” he pointed to the group of people tied up against a wagon wheel, “and we can keep the rest, hehe.” He rummaged through a trunk of clothes and personal items, grabbing a pair of panties and shoving them to his nose, breathing in deeply. “Ahh, perfumey.” He turned to the young woman tied up, “I might have to try you out first, you know, quality control, hehe.”

  The ensnared group screamed, muffled by gags in their mouths. They thrashed about trying to escape, but no one would hear them out in the wilderness. This part of the world was devoid of human life for miles around.

  Lush forest sprang out all around for hundreds of miles, wrapping around the mountains and creeping down to the river below. Bugs chirped in the bushes and trees, birds sang out for mates, and animals stayed clear of the ruckus caused by the bandits doing their dirty work on the innocent travelers. Two horses snorted and neighed nearby tied up to a tree, breaking the silence of nature. The air might have been fresh, but it was tainted by the body odor of the bandits and the fear of the sweat-soaked prisoners.

  Another bandit was washing his face in the stream nearby. Water trickled down his ragged mustache and patchy beard. The sun beat down heavily through the canopy above. Sweat gathered around his grey colr. His skin dark tan, leathery and dry, “I called dibs first, Jeb, an’ I ain’t letting any of you go ‘fore I do. I like ‘em fresh. Not with any of that stank y’all have.”

  Another bandit was above in the wagon, dling fresh water from a wooden barrel, sucking down the contents sloppily, water dripping from his chin onto his open grey uniform, “Aww shit, Jeb, Juan ain’t stoppin’. You’d be better off with the older one, she still got a cunt.”

  “Shut the fuck up, Hef, I wan’ the youngin and I ain’t budgin’.” Juan pushed into the camp, his leathery face still glistening with water in the sun. He pulled out a saber and pushed up to Jeb, their chests touching. He looked Jeb in the eyes, “I ain’t budgin’, Jeb.”

  Jeb pulled out his axe, gripping it with white knuckles, licking his chapped lips, “And I want mah dick wet, Juan. Hehe. Looks like only one of us is getting what they want.”

  They stared at each other in silence, their eyes darting back and forth, not a one budging an inch. The prisoners, all 3, watched in horror as the men around them were fighting over which one they were going to rape. Their muffled screams disappearing into the miles of nature. No one around to hear or help.

  Cicadas sang with their calm chirps. Birds fpping from tree to tree. Nature continued without a care of man and their plight.

  Tied up, his wrists sore and bleeding, the older man’s watery eyes darted to the women beside him, horrified at what awaited his family. He said a prayer out to the void, his voice muffled by the gag. If anything could hear them. If there was anything out there, he hoped in vain that something would save them.

  A new voice ripped through the tension, “Now, I know ain’t none of ya gonna dip into these two here. Theys good pickins, and we need the supplies. Copperhead pays extry fo virgins.” A fourth man zipped up his trousers, shaking his leg.

  Hef ughed mischievously atop the cart, “Oh, you gonna get it now. Git em, Zeek.”

  “Shut it, Hef.” Zeek strode over to a barrel filled with apples. He took one out and looked it over, shining it on his shirt. “I told you twos not to engage in coitus with the prisoners, and here you twos are, trying to wet your willys.” He took a bite of the apple, juices rushing down his clean-shaven chin. Small scars darted around his face, cascading down his neck, and disappearing into his grey shirt, adorned with gold trim. He swiped his long bck hair behind his shoulder, grabbing a rge sword with his free arm, resting the bde on his shoulder.

  Jeb and Juan both stepped back, gulping as the man strode over to them. Zeek’s bck boots kicked up dirt on the small road that ran along the stream. He gnced over to the prisoners, smirking at them, winking at the youngest. They had the worst luck ever to be traveling this road at this exact time.

  Their unluck was Zeek’s best luck, and a fat fucking payday. Fuck ‘em. They were too weak to survive here anyhow.

  Birds took to the sky in a flock, fpping hard to escape.

  Zeek strode up to the men, locking eyes with each of them, “Now, I want you twos to load up the goods and prisoners, and take em down to the river with the rest of the ds. Ya hear?” His words cut deep. His scars all told a story of his hard life. They were useful to boss around the idiots.

  Jeb swallowed hard, “Yessum, hehe.” He ughed nervously, rushing to the crate he was rummaging though, smming it shut.

  Juan nodded, no words to be said save, “Yes, sir.” He bent down and began to untie the prisoners from the wagon wheels.

  The cicadas ceased their usual chirping, silence rushing over the insect kingdom.

  “Tha’s more like it.” Zeek smiled, relishing his authority. “Let’s get a move on, Hef, get yo ass down and help out. I ain’t waitin’ til the sun go down. I wan’ to get to Giantown by this evenin’, I wan’ a steak and a whore ‘fore I go to bed.” He grinned, “Sounds good, don’ it.”

  Zeek was barking orders and relishing his success in ambushing the travelers. He cocked his head, feeling some sort of deep discomfort building in his chest. He shrugged it off, nothing would stop him now. Copperhead would make him a Major in no time.

  “Once I get a good suckin’, ima get a good fuckin’, haha!” The group ughed in agreeance to Zeek, all hoping for a great night out in Giantown.

  The forest seemed to hold its breath as the metal cng of bootsteps came closer and closer out of the forest with murderous intent.

  Whoosh.

  The axe-bde sliced through the air with ease, connecting with Zeek’s neck like a hot bde through butter.

  Zeek’s head hit the dirt hard, cpping up a cloud of dust. His neck spurted out a fountain of blood, drizzling his body with crimson blood, sptter down on his own dislodged head. His grey uniform-stained deep dark red. A look of surprise permanently spread across his face.

  The group of bandits froze, staring wide-eyed at the bck armor-cd being in front of them. His towering presence loomed over them like a nightmare. Chains and spikes, bck ptes, all sucking in the light around them, with the skull mask staring out right back at them. White eyes burned into their souls.

  Fear struck into their hearts for the first time in a long time.

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