Snugglebunny Ch. 10: The Snake

"Is there a problem?" he asked when she opened the door.

"My car won't start, and I can't call my husband to come get me," she said.

"No problem, let me give you a ride home," he said. Chloe got out and followed James to his car. He opened the passenger door for her to get in. As she bent down to get inside, she felt a prick on the side of her neck. Before she could say anything, she was unconscious.

...

Chris got to the hospital and saw Chloe's car in the parking lot. Good, he thought, she hadn't left yet. He parked his car and ran into the hospital, taking the elevator to the maternity ward.

When he got to the front desk at the ward, he asked for his wife.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Weber, but she's already left for home," the nurse told him.

"How long ago was that?" he asked.

"I don't now, maybe 30 minutes ago or so, I think," the nurse said.

"Is Dr. Ktume here?" Chris asked. The nurse looked at her board and shook her head.

"No, he's left as well," the nurse said. "It looks like he left about 15 minutes before your wife." Crap, Chris thought.

"Do you know what he drives?" he asked.

"I think he drives a black BMW," the nurse said. Chris pulled out his phone and called Ron, who answered on the first ring.

"Ron, I think Ktume already has Chloe. Her car is here, but she's gone and the nurse says Ktume has also left. I'm heading to the parking lot to see if his car is still there," he said.

"Crap," Ron said. "I'll bet anything Ktume is taking Chloe back to your house. If it's revenge he wants, that's probably where he'll go. Give me a minute and I'll head over to your house. Meet me about a block or so east of your home as soon as you can and we'll go in together."

"Will do," Chris said, running for his car. He had originally thought about looking for Ktume's car, but decided against it. Jumping in his car, headed straight home. He saw Ron's car parked on the side of the road about 100 yards away from the driveway entrance and pulled over.

Ron got out and jumped into Chris' car.

"Okay, here's the deal," Ron said. "If Ktume is there, he'll be expecting you, not the both of us. Go into your driveway like you normally would. I'll try to stay out of sight as much as I can. Once we're inside, you follow his orders. When I get a clear shot at Ktume, I'll take him down. Any questions?"

"What then?" Chris asked.

"We take him back to my place," Ron said. "I have ways of making him talk."

"Okay," Chris said, easing back onto the road. He got to his driveway entrance and saw Ktume's BMW in front of the garage. He swiped his card key and entered the driveway, parking behind the BMW. He got out of the car after he opened the garage door for Ron and made his way to the front door. On the way, he looked inside James' BMW and saw Chloe's card key on the seat. So that's how he got past the gate, Chris thought.

He entered the house like he normally would, keeping an eye out for James. Ktume was standing at the foot of the stairs, holding a pistol.

"Well, about time you came home," he said with a wicked smile. He motioned for Chris to go up the stairs. "Please, come join the party."

"What do you intend to do?" Chris asked.

"I think my intentions are quite clear," James said. "You're going to watch me fuck your wife the way she's never been fucked before. Then you get to watch as I cut her head off. Maybe I'll let you live, but maybe not. Maybe I'll let you see the videos of what our soldiers do to your beautiful daughter."

"What do you mean?" Chris asked.

"It's simple," James said. "Your daughter is old enough to be used as breeding stock for our warriors back home. After I deal with your wife, we'll take your daughter back to Africa where she'll be impregnated by as many of our soldiers as possible. After she's given us a few sons, we'll take care of her the same way I'll take care of your wife."

"Why are you doing this?" Chris asked. "We never did anything to you."

"Your son killed my brother. Honor must be restored," he said.

"But your brother's troops killed my son," Chris said. "You said it was the misfortunes of war."

"Yes, I did," James said. "I lied."

Chris was now in the master bedroom, where an unconscious Chloe was spread naked on the bed, her arms and legs tied to the four bedposts. Chris saw an empty syringe on the dresser. James motioned for Chris to sit in a chair placed in the corner of the room.

"Don't move or I'll be forced to kill you both right away," James said. Chris sat still as James secured him to the chair. Once finished, James stood up and began removing his clothes.

"You know that once your wife gets a taste of this, she'll never again go back to your tiny white American dick," he sneered. Chris was getting angrier by the second but said nothing. Soon, James was naked and he grabbed his hardening erection. Chris had to admit, it was pretty large. James laughed.

"Too bad that your lovely wife will have to die once I'm done fucking her," James said. "She'd be a nice addition to my harem." He laughed again, but his laughter soon died as his eyes opened wide in shock. Before he could move, his eyes rolled up into his head and he collapsed in a heap on the floor.

Ron came into the room, holding a small crossbow pistol. He went to Chris and untied him from the chair and the two turned to Chloe. Ron pulled out a knife and cut the ropes securing Chloe to the bed.

"What did you do?" Chris asked.

"I put lover-boy out for a while. Don't worry, he'll be out of it for a few hours," Ron said. "Get some clothes on your wife and have your folks take her to the hospital. Don't call 911, we don't want police here just yet." He saw the syringe on the dresser, and carefully put it inside a plastic bag he grabbed from Chris' kitchen, then set about securing James' hands and feet with zip ties.

Chris grabbed his phone and called his father, who answered on the first ring.

"What's up, son?" he asked.

"Dad, I need you and Mom to come over here and take Chloe to the hospital immediately," he said. "I'll explain when you get here."

"We're on our way," he said. "I'll call her folks and we'll be there in a couple minutes."

When Chris and Chloe's parents got there, he explained what was going on and handed them the syringe Ron put in a plastic bag.

"This may still have some of whatever he gave her," Chris said.

"Why don't you just call 911?" his father asked.

"We don't want police coming here just yet and we have to get some answers from this dickhead," Chris said, pointing to James. "Marilyn may still be in danger." His father nodded.

"Okay, son," he said. "You do what you need to, we'll look after Chloe." They carried Chloe downstairs and put her in the back seat of his father's truck. Chloe's father looked at Chris with anger in his eyes.

"Make this animal pay for what he did to my daughter," he said.

"Don't worry, Dad," Chris said. "We'll take care of this asshole."

"See that you do, son," Chloe's father said.

Chris and Ron went back into the bedroom and dragged James downstairs, putting him in the trunk of Chris's car. Ron got inside and Chris backed out of the driveway. He stopped at Ron's car long enough for his friend to get out.

"Follow me to my place," Ron said. "Don't worry about shithead, he'll be out for a long time." As Chris waited for Ron to head out, he placed a call to his son, Brian.

"Brian, he got to your mother," Chris said. "She's on her way to the hospital now."

"Okay, Dad, my team and I are flying there now," he said. "I have another team at the university watching over Marilyn. Call me when you get some info."

"Will do, son, thanks," Chris said, ending the call.

They got to Ron's place and dragged James downstairs. Chris and Ron's wife, Amy, helped Ron secure James' already naked body to what Ron called a "Wheel of Death." Underneath James' body was a large metal washtub.

"Amy and I have had to use this a time or two," Ron said. "Trust me, it's great for instilling the fear of God into assholes like this."

Once they had James spread and secured to the wheel, Ron placed a collar around his neck and tested the remote control.

"What's that?" Chris asked. Amy laughed.

"It's like a dog training collar," Ron said. "Except I've modified it just a bit to increase the electrical output."

"I see," Chris said. Ron walked to a table Amy had set up for him. He motioned for Chris to stay behind the yellow lines on the floor.

"Time to wake up asshole," Ron said, pressing a button on his remote. The collar lit up and James's eyes flew open. "Are we awake yet?" he asked. James looked around, shocked.

"What is the meaning of this?" James asked. "Get me down!" he demanded. Ron pressed the button again, causing James to shake uncontrollably.

"Shut the fuck up, asshole," Ron said. "You are in no position to demand anything. I will ask the questions and you will answer them. Or else."

"Or else what?" James asked. Ron shook his head.

"You know, for being a doctor and all, you really are one stupid motherfucker," Ron said, grabbing one of his throwing knives. He threw it at the board and watched James' eyes widen as it buried itself right next to his right temple.

"Tell me, asshole, who and where is your accomplice?" Ron asked.

"Fuck you," James said. Ron shook his head again and turned the dial on his remote, causing James to shake uncontrollably again.

"One more time," Ron said. "Who and where is your accomplice? Tell me now and you might leave here with your head intact. Maybe."

"Why should I tell you anything?" James said.

"Because, well, this," Ron said, throwing another knife. The knife buried itself in the board next to James' right thigh, the blade making a small cut in his leg. James yelped as the blade hit. "Next time, I won't be so careful. Now, tell me, asshole."

"Fuck you, white man," he said. Ron shook his head and threw another knife, this time taking a slice out of James' left thigh.

"You must really like pain, asshole," Ron said. "Trust me, I can do this all fucking night long. Can you?" He turned on the remote again, turning the knob up a bit. James screamed in pain. "One more time. Who and where is your accomplice?" James was sweating buckets by now as he breathed heavily.

"You promise to let me down if I tell you?" he asked. Ron looked at Chris and shrugged. He turned back to James.

"Yeah, I'll let you down," he said. Chris looked at Ron, shocked. Ron winked and gave a wicked smile.

"My partner is Abdullah Rashid and he's waiting for Marilyn at her dormitory," James said. "Now, cut me down from here." Ron pressed a button on a tablet sitting on the table and pulled up a picture. He held it up for James to see.

"Is this him?" he asked. James nodded in the affirmative. Ron pressed a few more buttons. He pulled out his cell and made a call. "Did you get that picture?" he asked. "He's waiting for Marilyn Weber at her dormitory." Chris could hear someone at the other end acknowledge the message. Ron ended the call and looked at James.

"Well?" James asked. "Cut me down!" Ron picked up a compound bow, loaded an arrow and pulled back. "Wait!" James said. "You promised you'd cut me down."

"Yeah," Ron said. "But I didn't say anything about you being alive when I did it." He pulled back again, then stopped and looked at Chris. "Would you like the honors?" he asked his friend. Chris looked at the bow for a moment, then reached out and took it. He had killed plenty of deer in his day and could easily handle a bow. But he had never killed a man before.

Still, he thought to himself, this monster was going to rape and murder his wife and kidnap his daughter to make her breeding stock for his comrades in Africa. This man's brother was responsible for his son's death in Africa, and as far as he was concerned, was partly responsible for his daughter-in-law's suicide.

He thought for a moment about his lovely wife, a woman he had loved his entire life. They had grown up together, gave each other their virginity when they were 18, married and had three beautiful children together.

Now, she was laying in a hospital bed and there was no guarantee she would ever get over this.

He considered what this man had done to his family and what he would have done if he hadn't been stopped. This monster was going to take away the one thing Chris held most dear and, like a rabid dog, would do it again if he wasn't stopped here and now. Then he remembered what her father told him before he left.

He looked at the head on the bow and compared it to the other heads Ron had set out on the table. He saw the head he was looking for - a wide head with four razor-sharp blades designed for taking down big game. He unscrewed the target tip and replaced it with the broad tip. Ron smiled and nodded his head.

Chris took his stand behind the line and drew the bow. James looked at him, shocked.

"You cannot kill me," he said. "You are just a weak white infidel. I will fuck your wife and cut her head off while you watch then I'll fuck your daughter right in front of you. The last thing you'll see is me making your daughter pregnant with more warriors for the cause."

"Not today, asshole," Chris said. "Remember when you asked me what I would do if someone said he was going to screw my wife? Well, here's your answer."

Chris took careful aim, then loosed the arrow. James's eyes grew wide and his mouth opened wide, letting loose a high-pitched scream. The arrow went right where Chris aimed, severing James' manhood from his body and burying itself in the man's scrotum. Blood poured from James' body and Ron turned up the collar to its maximum setting, electrocuting him.

Chris, however, wasn't finished. He grabbed another arrow and sent it downrange, watching as it pierced his right eye, embedding itself in James' brain. Another arrow pierced James' left eye. Ron looked at his friend in shock.

"Where did you learn to shoot like that?" he asked.

"My dad taught me," Chris said. "I was the state archery champion five years in a row."

Ron took the bow from Chris' hands and noticed his friend was shaking. He held Chris for a moment, then stood back.

"You had to do it," Ron said. "If you hadn't done it, he'd never stop and you know it." Chris nodded his head.

"I know," Chris said. "It's just..."

"You've never killed a man before," Ron said. "I understand." Chris looked at him.

"Do you ever get over it?" Chris asked. Ron shrugged his shoulders.

"Everyone's different. Look in Chloe's eyes the next time you see her and you'll know whether or not you did the right thing," Ron said. He picked up his phone and pressed a button before talking. "Clean-up on aisle 15," he said before ending the call. He put his arm around his friend. "C'mon, let's get out of here and go see that pretty wife of yours."

They left and headed for the hospital. Chloe was somewhat groggy when they got there but smiled when she saw her husband. The doctor spoke to Chris as Ron spoke to his father.

"Your wife was given a massive dose of Super-E," the doctor said. "We were able to counteract it but we're going to keep her here for a few days to make sure there's no after-effects."

"Will she make it?" Chris asked. He remembered what happened to his daughter-in-law, Lynette.

"I think so," the doctor said. "She's had quite a shock, though, so I'm going to recommend counseling."

"Was she raped?" Chris asked. The doctor shook his head.

"We saw no evidence of that," the doctor said.

"Good," Chris said. "Thanks." Her father came up to him and hugged him with tears in his eyes.

"Thanks, son," he said. "You did the right thing." Chris nodded his head. Brian came up to them, still wearing his fatigues. He took off his green beret and put his hand on Chris' shoulder.

"Marilyn is safe, Dad," he said. "Don't worry, they won't bother any of us ever again." Chris nodded his head and thanked his son.

He went in to Chloe's room, took her in his arms and held her.

"I love you so much," he whispered. She weakly held up a little finger. He wrapped one of his little fingers around hers.

"Am I still your Snugglebunny?" she asked, tears in her eyes. He smiled and kissed her on the lips.

"You'll always be my Snugglebunny," he said.

Chloe remained in the hospital for a few days until the doctors felt that all of the drug was out of her system. She went through counseling for several months and was eventually able to put the incident behind her, although it wasn't easy. Not one to shirk her duties, she insisted on going back to work at the hospital as soon as possible.

Through it all, Chris remained at her side, holding and comforting her, even while dealing with his own demons. He had an idea, and mentioned it to Brian, who liked it. He grabbed a copy of his tribute to Mike and inscribed it with a short message and his signature.

...

A few days later, a group of separatist fighters were gathered around a fire in sub-Saharan Africa, eating their evening meal. They heard an airplane overhead and looked up, but didn't see anything. No doubt, they thought, it was just another American drone trying to gather intelligence. They went back to their meal but were interrupted a few seconds later when bloody body parts began falling on and around them.

They jumped up, surprised, wondering what was going on. Then they saw it - the severed, eyeless head of "The Snake," a man they all feared, had landed in their fire pit. Another severed head landed close by. They looked at each other with horror. This was so unlike the Americans, they thought. They knew the legendary "Snake" was on a mission of revenge, but never expected it would end like this.

Then a book landed on the ground. It was a copy of Chris' tribute to his son, Mike, personally signed by the author.

"Don't tread on me," the message read.

Message received...