Outlaw Star Fan Fiction ❯ Revenge ❯ Chapter 4

The screen flashed on, and Gene stared directly into Ron MacDougall's smirking face. "I'm sorry to have troubled you, Starwind. I didn't know that you weren't at home," Ron apologized, still smirking at Gene.

"Cut the crap. Where is Jim?" Gene barked.

"I can see you're not in the mood for polite talk," Ron replied. Gene glared impatiently. "As for the boy, he's right behind me, and relatively unharmed. For now."

Ron sidestepped off-screen. Jim raised his downcast face, and his wide blue eyes stared directly at Gene. Ropes bound his arms and legs to the wooden chair he sat in. Jim instinctively tried to shout, but the duct tape covering his mouth prevented any sound from escaping.

"What do you want?" Gene growled at Ron as he reappeared on the screen.

"I would have thought even you would have figured it out by now, Starwind," Ron answered mockingly.

"Look, it's me you want. I'll give myself up, no tricks. Just let Jim go," Gene all but begged.

Ron laughed. It was a cruel, mocking sound. "Starwind, you fool," he said. "I figured out a long time ago that killing you would not satisfy my hunger for revenge." He paused a moment, letting his words sink in, then continued. "No, killing you would not be nearly enough. I must destroy you, like you destroyed me - by hurting the ones you love. By killing the boy, like you killed Harry."

"I didn't kill..." Gene shouted.

"Shut up!" Ron interrupted. "Now I'll show you what my hell has been like."

Ron walked off screen, and came back with a knife in hand. He ripped the blade through Jim's shirt, cutting his chest in the process. After setting the knife down, he remarked, "You would be surprised at how many ways there are to torture."

With one swift motion, Ron wrenched the duct tape off Jim's mouth, and Jim let out a small cry of pain and surprise. Ron ignored him, and took a moment to look at Gene's confused face. "Each way has it's own particular flavor of pain," he continued, smiling. "Simple brute force starts with a sharp pain, followed by an ache and bruising."

Ron grasped Jim's shoulder in one hand, and his upper arm with the other. Jim watched Ron, wide-eyed with fear, then let out a short scream of pain as the man savagely pulled his arm out of its socket. Jim bit his lip, and tears ran down his face.

Unable to do more than watch, Gene shook violently, his hands clenching spastically.

Ron watched Gene's face with manic glee, and the outlaw's eyes filled with hatred. "It hurts to see a loved one in pain. Doesn't it?" Ron asked. "Do you know what else hurts?" He received an angry growl in reply. "Aggravating wounds."

Taking Jim's injured shoulder in his hand, Ron dug his fingers between the ball and socket joint, drawing a scream as bone ground into muscle, then yanked at his arm, stretching the muscles to their limits.

Jim screamed louder than before, and saw the screen with Gene's horrified, enraged face. He felt pain shoot through his shoulder as Ron ground his fingers in it again. Desperately, Jim cried out, "Gene help!"

Gene forgot how pointless it would be to shout, screaming angry threats aimed at Ron, who merely smiled back.

"I'll blow that smile off your face," Gene growled, and pulled out his gun.

Ron's eyes narrowed, and he increased the pressure on Jim's shoulder. He could see Fred half-restraining Gene from behind, trying to pry the gun out of Gene's hand.

"Gene, calm down! Shooting the screen won't do any good!"

"I'm going to kill him, and I'm going to kill him now!" Gene shouted.

"Gene! He isn't here. He only wants this kind of reaction from you," Fred said desperately.

Gene flipped Fred off his back, and shot the floor an inch away from Fred's face. "I'll blow your head off too, you fucking faggot!" he snarled.

Fred closed his eyes, and whimpered. His body shook, and tears rolled down his cheeks. Bravery was one trait Fred had always lacked.

Laughter interrupted Gene. Deep, rich, hateful chuckles erupted from Ron's mouth. Gene glared at the screen, his eyes red-rimmed with tears and rage. Ron continued laughing, and stopped only after a struggle for self-control. Wiping a tear from his eye, he said, "Starwind, you are more entertaining than I imagined."

Gene ground his teeth, suppressing his anger. "What did you do to Jim?"

Ron glanced behind himself. Jim was slumped in the chair, unconscious; his head hung forward, and his shoulder was an ugly mass of bruises.

Ron chuckled again, and told Gene, "He passed out. Couldn't take the pain, I guess."

In a dangerously low voice Gene warned, "When I get a hold of you, you'll be sorry you ever laid a hand on Jim."

"If you ever find me, that is," Ron shot back. "I'm sorry to cut this chat short, but I have to run. See you soon."