Chapter Two

The pickup bounced along mountain roads for three hours.

I was thrown in the truck bed like a sack of livestock awaiting slaughter.

Through the gaps in the truck bed, I saw the surrounding trees growing denser. The phone signal had long since dropped.

This should be deep in the Appalachian Mountains. I vaguely remembered this place.

The truck finally stopped.

Ron dragged me out by my hair. The tattooed strong man whistled beside him.

"Old Earl! Goods delivered!"

A bonfire burned at the camp. Over a dozen rednecks sat around broken-down RVs, holding beers.

A bald old man walked out from the largest RV.

He wore a greasy tank top, revealing arms covered in tattoos. His eyes swept over me.

"Not bad." Old Earl grinned. "More fresh than that Mexican bitch last time."

"Yeah, and those legs are so long, almost like those movie stars."

"Help me! Please let me go!"

I struggled and cried out.

Slap—

Old Earl's palm struck my face.

"Shut up." He grabbed my chin, inspecting me like merchandise.

"Perfect timing, it's my son Billy's birthday today. This'll be his gift."

Crude laughter erupted around us.

"Boss is generous!"

"Billy's one lucky bastard!"

A huge young man stood up from the crowd, at least six and a half feet tall with a brutal face.

He walked up to me and pinched my face with rough fingers.

"Dad, thanks." Billy's voice carried sick excitement. "I'll treasure her."

He hoisted me over his shoulder like a sack of flour and headed toward an abandoned barn at the edge of camp.

I saw Ron settling accounts with Old Earl, that sunny boy's face covered in greedy smiles.

Thud.

I was thrown heavily to the ground. My back hit the piled hay, raising a cloud of dust.

Chains rattled. The door was locked from outside.

Billy turned on a flashlight. The beam swept across the walls.

I saw those "tools."

Skinning knives, rusty iron rods, barbed whips, and a chainsaw stained with dark red.

The air was thick with lingering blood and rust.

"See that?" Billy squatted before me, the flashlight illuminating my face. "These are my treasures."

He reached out to stroke the skinning knife on the wall, his eyes intoxicated.

"Last month's blonde girl, I skinned her for a full three hours with this knife. The way she begged me, tsk tsk, so exciting."

I curled up in the corner, trembling all over.

"What about... those other girls before?" My voice was so weak it was barely audible.

"Them? All in the backyard. Dad says the soil's good in these mountains. Bury them deep and no one finds them."

He stood up and took the iron rod from the wall.

Billy swung the iron rod, making whooshing sounds through the air.

"You're number eighteen."

"But don't worry, I won't kill you right away." He slowly approached. "I'll break both your legs first, so you can't run. Then play slowly. Can play for several days."

The iron rod gleamed coldly in the dim light.

Billy raised the rod, aiming at my knee.

"Ready, sweetheart?"

I raised my head, looking at him.

"Yes, I'm ready."

Snap—

The finger-thick nylon rope instantly broke.

Billy froze.

Before he could react, I was already standing.

"You... how did you..."

I stopped trembling, stopped crying.

"Thank you, Billy. That's enough." I said with a smile.

"What's enough? You fucking—"

His voice cut off abruptly. In that instant, he saw my eyes.

Golden, vertical pupils. Scales surfaced from beneath my skin. My legs fused into a sinuous snake tail.

Billy tried to run, but his legs had gone soft.

He tried to scream, but fear blocked his throat.

My snake tail coiled around his body, bone-cracking sounds faintly audible.

"Let... let go..." Billy's face turned liver-colored, eyeballs bulging.

"Shh." I leaned close to his face.

"In a couple days, it's my birthday too..."

My fangs pierced his chest.

The warm heart pulsed in my mouth, carrying that peculiar sweet-metallic taste of evil people.

I swallowed it whole.

That satisfaction instantly swept through my entire body.

So wonderful.

I licked the blood from the corner of my mouth, retracted my tail, and resumed human form. Billy's corpse slumped on the ground, chest caved in, eyes wide open.

Just then—

Bang bang bang!

The barn door was pounded forcefully.

"Billy! Satisfied? Buddy!"

Ron's voice came from outside, unable to contain his greed.

"Hey! Why no answer? Where's my cut? You promised me four percent!"