| Horror and Thriller Fiction posted July 11, 2017 |
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Derik insults the wrong man.
Victor
by Thomas Bowling
The author has placed a warning on this post for violence.
The author has placed a warning on this post for language.
“Did you hear that? That guy at the bar said I have nice legs. He gives me the creeps. He keeps looking at me.”
“He's just some asshole. Don't let him bother you.”
Derik and Shelia were sitting at their favorite table at Brewster's. Neither had seen the intruder or his small group before. Everyone else in the place were regulars. Derik saw Joe across the room.
“Look at Joe. He's owed me fifty bucks for two months, and he has the nerve to come in here and buy rounds for his buddies.”
Joe waved. “Derik, buddy, I'll have that money for you as soon as I get my tax refund.”
“What year, Joe?”
Joe laughed, along with everyone else. Derik muttered under his breath. “Asshole.”
“Like you say, honey, don't let him bother you. This is our special night. Do you know what we're celebrating?”
“Yeah, it's your birthday or something.”
“No, silly. It's our anniversary. We've been dating for four months. Did you forget?”
“I remembered. I just wanted to see if you did. Happy Anniversary, Baby.” Geez, women.
“Eew, he's doing it again.”
“Okay, that's enough.”
Derik approached the stranger. “Hey, buddy, keep your eyes to yourself. You're freaking out my girlfriend. She says you keep looking at her legs. I'm a leg man too, but I'm picky about who looks at hers.”
The man didn't look at Derik. Another man stepped between the two.
“Do we have a problem, Victor?”
“No problem. Just a jealous boyfriend. He seems to think I'm going to steal his girlfriend. He must be insecure.”
“Listen, wise guy, I'll take you outside and turn you into a pile of insecure. I don't need some barfly upsetting my girl.”
“Barfly,” Victor repeated and chuckled. “Go back to your woman.”
Derik was furious. He had been dismissed. He returned to his seat and glanced around the room. He was counting the number of guys he could depend on if things turned ugly. If a fight broke out, Joe could always be counted on to duck out the back.
Victor slammed his empty glass down and stood. When they saw the alpha-dog stir, the lap-dogs rose to their feet. As they did, Derik noticed the lone woman. She waited for the others to leave, then walked to Derik's table and grasped his arm.
The reason Derik hadn't noticed that she was a woman was because she was as big as the men. Judging from her firm grip, she was also as strong.
“Victor wants to have a word with you.”
Derik considered his options. He could refuse to meet with Victor, or get his ass kicked by a woman in his favorite watering hole. He decided against risking the humiliation.
“Wait here, Sheila, I'm going to see what this guy wants.”
When they left the bar, the woman pointed to a black car. “He's in there.”
A back door opened. “Get in.”
“I heard someone call you Derik. Do you mind if I call you Derik?”
“What do you want? I need to get back in there.”
“You called me a barfly. You should never say that to a man you do not know.”
“Okay, I'm sorry. Are we through here?”
“It's not that easy. In Russia, we deal with insults.”
“I said I'm sorry. I'll send you an email. Will that work?”
“I'm sorry, no. That won't help.”
The locks clicked.
“Gregor, take us to the house in the woods.”
“Hey, you can't do this. We have laws in this country. You can't just ride around snatching people off the street.”
“We are no longer in your country. In this car, we have diplomatic immunity.”
When they reached their destination, two men escorted Derik inside.
Derik saw a chair in the center of the room. “Can I sit down?”
“No. I prefer that you stand.”
“Okay, you've had your fun. Now, take me back to the bar before I get mad.”
“I'm sure I will make you mad before the evening is over.”
“Look, this isn't funny anymore. I can make a couple of phone calls and have enough friends here to handle you and your boys."
“I'm sure you can. The difference is my friends are here now.”
Derik was beginning to realize the seriousness of the situation.
Victor paced around Derik. “I have decided what to do with you. I'm going to cut your legs off.”
“Yeah, right. Just like that.”
“It's a simple matter for me. I have been offended. I deserve revenge.”
“Revenge isn't cutting my legs off. It's beating me up and making me walk back.”
“After tonight, you won't be walking anywhere. I will be taking part of you back, but your legs will remain here.”
Now, Derik understood that something dreadful was about to happen.
“Please, no! I'm sorry. I was stupid. I know you're a powerful man. I should have kept my mouth shut.”
“It's too late for begging. Take our friend outside. We don't want to get blood in the house.”
The men dragged Derik into the yard. Two men pulled his trousers off. As they did, Derik urinated.
“There, I've pissed myself. What more do you want? Just let me go. You'll never see me again.”
Derik was on his knees. He grabbed Victor's hand.
“Please, let me go. Don't do this. You'll never see me again. I promise I'll never come in the bar again. Just let me go.”
“It's true, what you said about me this evening. I am a leg man. I collect them. Now, it's time to gather some more.”
Victor pulled his hand away, and a man tied tourniquets around Derik's thighs. His screams were drowned out by the chainsaw as it ripped through him. Derik passed out. When he came to, he was in the trunk of Victor’s car.
He was returned to the bar where his nightmare began and was dumped in the parking lot. A crowd gathered around. Screams of ‘oh, my God’ drowned out the noise of traffic. Sheila pushed her way toward the front.
“Shelia, don't go there! It's horrible. Don't look.”
The warnings were too late. Sheila broke through and saw a half a man lying in the parking lot. She screamed and fainted.
“He's just some asshole. Don't let him bother you.”
Derik and Shelia were sitting at their favorite table at Brewster's. Neither had seen the intruder or his small group before. Everyone else in the place were regulars. Derik saw Joe across the room.
“Look at Joe. He's owed me fifty bucks for two months, and he has the nerve to come in here and buy rounds for his buddies.”
Joe waved. “Derik, buddy, I'll have that money for you as soon as I get my tax refund.”
“What year, Joe?”
Joe laughed, along with everyone else. Derik muttered under his breath. “Asshole.”
“Like you say, honey, don't let him bother you. This is our special night. Do you know what we're celebrating?”
“Yeah, it's your birthday or something.”
“No, silly. It's our anniversary. We've been dating for four months. Did you forget?”
“I remembered. I just wanted to see if you did. Happy Anniversary, Baby.” Geez, women.
“Eew, he's doing it again.”
“Okay, that's enough.”
Derik approached the stranger. “Hey, buddy, keep your eyes to yourself. You're freaking out my girlfriend. She says you keep looking at her legs. I'm a leg man too, but I'm picky about who looks at hers.”
The man didn't look at Derik. Another man stepped between the two.
“Do we have a problem, Victor?”
“No problem. Just a jealous boyfriend. He seems to think I'm going to steal his girlfriend. He must be insecure.”
“Listen, wise guy, I'll take you outside and turn you into a pile of insecure. I don't need some barfly upsetting my girl.”
“Barfly,” Victor repeated and chuckled. “Go back to your woman.”
Derik was furious. He had been dismissed. He returned to his seat and glanced around the room. He was counting the number of guys he could depend on if things turned ugly. If a fight broke out, Joe could always be counted on to duck out the back.
Victor slammed his empty glass down and stood. When they saw the alpha-dog stir, the lap-dogs rose to their feet. As they did, Derik noticed the lone woman. She waited for the others to leave, then walked to Derik's table and grasped his arm.
The reason Derik hadn't noticed that she was a woman was because she was as big as the men. Judging from her firm grip, she was also as strong.
“Victor wants to have a word with you.”
Derik considered his options. He could refuse to meet with Victor, or get his ass kicked by a woman in his favorite watering hole. He decided against risking the humiliation.
“Wait here, Sheila, I'm going to see what this guy wants.”
When they left the bar, the woman pointed to a black car. “He's in there.”
A back door opened. “Get in.”
“I heard someone call you Derik. Do you mind if I call you Derik?”
“What do you want? I need to get back in there.”
“You called me a barfly. You should never say that to a man you do not know.”
“Okay, I'm sorry. Are we through here?”
“It's not that easy. In Russia, we deal with insults.”
“I said I'm sorry. I'll send you an email. Will that work?”
“I'm sorry, no. That won't help.”
The locks clicked.
“Gregor, take us to the house in the woods.”
“Hey, you can't do this. We have laws in this country. You can't just ride around snatching people off the street.”
“We are no longer in your country. In this car, we have diplomatic immunity.”
When they reached their destination, two men escorted Derik inside.
Derik saw a chair in the center of the room. “Can I sit down?”
“No. I prefer that you stand.”
“Okay, you've had your fun. Now, take me back to the bar before I get mad.”
“I'm sure I will make you mad before the evening is over.”
“Look, this isn't funny anymore. I can make a couple of phone calls and have enough friends here to handle you and your boys."
“I'm sure you can. The difference is my friends are here now.”
Derik was beginning to realize the seriousness of the situation.
Victor paced around Derik. “I have decided what to do with you. I'm going to cut your legs off.”
“Yeah, right. Just like that.”
“It's a simple matter for me. I have been offended. I deserve revenge.”
“Revenge isn't cutting my legs off. It's beating me up and making me walk back.”
“After tonight, you won't be walking anywhere. I will be taking part of you back, but your legs will remain here.”
Now, Derik understood that something dreadful was about to happen.
“Please, no! I'm sorry. I was stupid. I know you're a powerful man. I should have kept my mouth shut.”
“It's too late for begging. Take our friend outside. We don't want to get blood in the house.”
The men dragged Derik into the yard. Two men pulled his trousers off. As they did, Derik urinated.
“There, I've pissed myself. What more do you want? Just let me go. You'll never see me again.”
Derik was on his knees. He grabbed Victor's hand.
“Please, let me go. Don't do this. You'll never see me again. I promise I'll never come in the bar again. Just let me go.”
“It's true, what you said about me this evening. I am a leg man. I collect them. Now, it's time to gather some more.”
Victor pulled his hand away, and a man tied tourniquets around Derik's thighs. His screams were drowned out by the chainsaw as it ripped through him. Derik passed out. When he came to, he was in the trunk of Victor’s car.
He was returned to the bar where his nightmare began and was dumped in the parking lot. A crowd gathered around. Screams of ‘oh, my God’ drowned out the noise of traffic. Sheila pushed her way toward the front.
“Shelia, don't go there! It's horrible. Don't look.”
The warnings were too late. Sheila broke through and saw a half a man lying in the parking lot. She screamed and fainted.
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