Part 52 (2/2)

Crew threw a combination of strikes at Pain's face. Pain's head whipped to and fro, and after the first couple of hits, the c.o.c.ky smile reappeared. ”Hit me!” Pain screamed at the American, presenting his battered face. ”Hit me!”

Screaming, Crew did just that.

During his martial training in both MMA. and Kung Fu, Crew had been introduced to the finger board. The finger board was a piece of wood perhaps a half inch thick. His instructor had told him it was for strengthening his fingers. At the time, Crew had only nodded, just to satisfy his master. But then the man had showed him. He drove two fingers, Crew thought it had been two fingers, through the wood of the finger board, shattering it. The display stunned Crew. His master told him that such a feat could be achieved by Crew if he practiced often, every day, by resting his hand on a piece of similar wood and forcefully tapping the surface with each digit on one hand, repeatedly. Over and over.

Until it broke.

When it did break, after almost a year, Crew presented the broken finger board to his master, thinking to impress the man.

His master only directed him to the plastic pans filled with pebbles. Now it was time to toughen the rest of the hand.

Crew's hands were the only weapons he ever used to kill people, to kill his targets.

And with whatever strength he had left, with whatever chi, he plunged his spike-tough fingers into both black eyes of his foe, knuckles deep.

Pain's head whipped back, and he howled, disengaging himself from Crew and throwing himself back into the snow. There, the big man thrashed about, his legs almost doing a sprint in the air. Horrifying shrieks cut the morning air. Crew watched him cautiously, sparing quick glances at the fallen wrecks of Danny and the Stickman, lying still in the red snow.

But then, Pain's legs stopped kicking.

Crew's breath came out in a disappointed sigh. If the thing got up, that was it. He had nothing left.

Pain got up. Both of his eyes were back. Whatever Crew had clawed out of his head had somehow repaired themselves. Crew shook his head in exhausted disgust. He did not even bother bringing his arms up to guard. The fight was too rigged for it to matter. ”Well, f.u.c.k you,” Crew stated in quiet, exhausted defiance.

Pain broke Crew's jaw with one punch. He dropped to the ground. Pain fell on top of him. He planted one knee at the base of Crew's lower back and reached under Crew's chin, clasping his thick fingers there. Then, as soon as his grip was secure, Pain hauled backwards, bringing Crew up, bending him backwards and snapping his spine. Pain pulled the man's upper body back far enough to pause at his ear.

”You think that hurts?” Pain whispered and smiled. He caressed the man's throat, feeling the stubble there, and then clamped down on Crew's windpipe with his fingers. Thick fingers sunk into his flesh until a crackling noise could be heard.

”Hey!” a voice cried out.

Pain looked up. He let Crew go, who collapsed back into the snow on his belly. Things had suddenly gotten very interesting in his world. Smiling, Pain climbed to his feet. He stomped on one of Crew's knees, breaking it just because it was there. Then, he dusted the snow off his frame and ran his hands over his shaven skull.

He knew this one. He could smell her.

With water in her eyes, Lucy ran to the thing known as Pain.

Chapter 76.

”Where are you going?” Tony shouted after her. He tried to pull away from Death on the couch, but he grabbed him by his coat and held on. Tony pried his hands away and started to run after Lucy. Death grabbed him by the back of the coat, costing him seconds in his pursuit.

”You f.u.c.ker!” Tony cursed and struck Death across the face. Death released him. Fear turned at the commotion, a frown on his unique features, but he made no effort to intervene. It was smart on his part. Tony could not bring himself to kill, but he sure as h.e.l.l would waste no time kicking the living s.h.i.+t out of anyone who got in his way at that precise moment.

Swearing as he ran, Tony lunged towards the door and flew into the new day.

Back in the cabin, Fear looked at Death.

It was Death who spoke first. ”You can see why I hate 'em now,” as he rubbed his jaw. ”s.h.i.+t.”

Fear turned back to the window. ”Not much time left.”

”You know it,” Death muttered, staring at the cabin's ceiling. He grimaced. ”Spinal s.h.i.+t is starting to wear off.”

Tony froze in his tracks as if he had just been caught by a blast of liquid nitrogen. His mouth hung open, his arms wide. He still had his hatchet in hand, but for the moment, did not know what he could do with it. Standing not twenty feet away from him was the thing known as Pain. And Pain had Lucy by her hair. The bee's bottom toque was on the ground, and Pain had Lucy hauled up to her full height with one arm. Lucy was holding onto his big hands. Behind both of them, in the light of the dawn, Tony could see the fallen forms of the three men. He did not think they were dead, but considering the amount of blood on the snow, it was perhaps better if they were. Lucy looked to Tony. He could see that she was terrified. Fear wasn't doing his thing with her, not like he did it for Tony and the others. Maybe it was revenge for her getting him kicked out of the beast. He would talk to Fear later. Now, he had a bigger problem.

Pain shook Lucy by her hair, which produced a little grunt from the woman, but she did not scream. Good girl, Tony thought.

”Let her go man,” Tony warned.

That brought a dark chuckle from Pain.

With that, he lifted one large leg, the one next to Lucy's own, and drove it into her knee with enough force to shatter it. Lucy screamed a shriek of agony that pierced Tony's core. Her leg was at an angle it was not supposed to be, kept only together by her jeans. Tony looked to charge the monster, but Pain hoisted Lucy back up by her hair, dangling her like a rabbit held up by the ears.

Pain grinned.

”Look,” Tony said, struggling to control his voice. ”Just let her go. I won't... hurt you.”

For a moment Pain blinked, as if he had just heard the stupidest thing ever. Then, he barked a cruel laugh. He shook Lucy like a rattle and produced the sounds he wanted. ”And they call me stupid.”

He twisted one of Lucy's arms up behind her back. She shrieked. She shrieked louder when it popped out of her shoulder joint with one brutal shove.

The sounds of torture coming from Lucy had Tony almost on the brink of losing it. ”Listen! You can have me instead, okay? Just let her go, okay?”

Pain considered the offer. ”Nah,” and swung Lucy around so that he could punch her full in the face with his other fist. The sound of the connection made Tony take three steps forward, but Pain again hauled her up by the hair, causing Tony to freeze in his tracks. Lucy bled through the nose and mouth. She looked in shock.

Pain warned Tony. ”You come any closer, and I guarantee I'll break something really important.”

Tony's grip on his hatchet tightened. If he could get closer he would bury the full blade in that shaved skull. Instead he stood right where he was and kept his eyes on the blood stained but healed again form of Pain.

”Now,” Pain said, ”ask me what I want.”

Angry enough to chew lead and spit bullets, Tony narrowed his eyes. ”What do you want?” he asked through clenched teeth.

Pain smiled. ”What do I want...?” he said, wondering aloud, puzzlement filling his features. ”What could it be?” He pulled Lucy towards him, hugging her to his chest. Both of his ma.s.sive arms embraced her lower back.

”Ah... I know,” he said sweetly.

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