Page 74 of Off the Rails

The white van stopped, Blade throwing it in park and hopping out of the driver’s side. She walked around the entry gate, locking it behind herself.

“Ready to rumble?” She called out to Nash and I.

Nash sidled up to me and nodded. “Green.”

Blade slid her white mask over her face, the black smudges around her eyes making it difficult to see her green eyes in the darkness of the park. But her unruly blonde curls poked out from behind the plaster.

Next to me, Nash reached for the electric panel, flicking on the carnival music but leaving the park in darkness. Her finger reached for a farther lever.

The electric fence.

These monsters would try to run, but they’d be in for quite a shock. Nash’s favorite.

She put her mask over her face next, the hard, white porcelain and painted design obscuring her face.

Then there was me, my mask still in place, not needing to take it off to drive.

With everything in place, Blade slammed her palms into the metal of the van. “Wake up, fuckheads!” She grabbed the wood handles of her axes and pounded them into the metal.

Shaking my head, I could see the new dents in the white paint from here.

Blade threw open the doors, taking a step back as a few of the dealers fell out. “Ah, you were excited to see us.” Kneeling down, Blade started to cut their zip ties. “Better run, piggies. We’ll give you a head start.”

Seeing our clown masks again was enough to reignite their fear, to take away any bravery they’d mustered in the ride over.

The dealers took off, one at a time as their ties were cut.

Black hoods littered the admission booth.

As they disappeared into the darkness, the Squealer yelled. “What the fuck?!”

A smirk took over the corner of my lips.

My eyes went back to the apartment, the roof just barely visible from the front of Feverpoint.

What will she hear?

It was pretty isolated, quiet and shuttered up. The last thing I’d wanted was for her to see what we got up to. But I wanted her to listen, I wanted her to fear our return. Terror was the goal.

Once all the men had sprinted into the park, darkness hiding them from us, I rolled my shoulders back. I took a whiff of the fresh, early September air and let out a laugh. “Time for a hunt, Freaks.”

Blade yipped her excitement, tearing off the cobblestone path and into the park.

Nash and I kept hot on her heels.

Tonight, we shared the prize.

At each intersection, we paused and scanned the darkness. Without a word, we each took a corner. Prowling down each street in Feverpoint, Blade scouted the left and I took the right. Nash stayed at the center of the road, keeping an eye on the darkness for prey.

A scream of pain resounded off the pavement deeper in the park.

“That’s my snare.” Nash sounded excited, wanting some release of her own.

Blade was giddy, clapping the metal tips of her twins together. “Get your catch.”

Nash nodded, waltzing into the darkness with her mallet dragging on the stone behind her.

Keeping on, Blade and I continued our search.