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  Slowly, with agonizing pain burning through her body, Anna began to drag herself toward the unconscious police officer.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Hey,” Christian said as he reached the edge of the lake and saw Jennifer sitting on the wooden dock, “Joe said you'd come down here. Is everything okay?”

  He waited for a reply, but she seemed focused on watching her feet as they dangled in the water.

  “Babe?” He made his way toward her, but he stopped when he saw that she was dabbing at her eyes with a piece of tissue paper. “Listen,” he continued, “I've been thinking, and I think we need to get the hell out of here. This is way too big for us to deal with, but if we get our stories straight we can pin it all on Daniel. He's the one whose fingerprints are all over the cameras, right?”

  Again he waited, but again Jennifer remained silent.

  “I didn't sign up for this,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “You said it'd be a quick and easy way to make money, you swore there was no way the cops would ever get involved and now... Now we've got a dead fucking cop, or a dying cop, in the basement.”

  Sitting next to her, he saw that tears were streaming down her face.

  “You're not as tough as you seem, are you?” he continued, putting a hand on her shoulder. “It's okay, I can tell that Joe's the one who's really acting as the ringleader. If we go to the police and tell them what he's made us do, they'll let us go. Joe's responsible for it all, isn't he? He manipulates you.” He stared at her for a moment, before leaning closer and kissing her on the side of the face. “Just because he's your brother, that doesn't mean you have to do whatever he says. There's something messed up with that guy, I know I shouldn't be mean about him but... I could tell he wasn't right, from the first time I met him.”

  “You could?” she replied, her voice trembling with sorrow.

  He nodded. “We have to look after ourselves now. Screw Joe and Daniel, we have to focus on us, because what we have is special. I feel it in my heart.” He paused again, his mind racing with possibilities. “The best option,” he added finally, “would be to double-cross them. Do you think there's any way we could make them take the blame for everything that's happened, while we get away with all the money?” He waited for a reply, before placing a hand on her knee. “You're a good person, Jennifer. So am I. We don't deserve to get punished for all of this. You don't deserve to be punished for what your brother made you do.”

  “Survival,” she whispered.

  “Huh?”

  “Every living entity on this planet wants to survive,” she continued, her eyes staring down at the water. “Except humans. Sometimes we over-think things, we become so civilized, we can't even defend our own lives. Not unless we push past our civilized selves and become animals again. Sometimes I think we've evolved too far.”

  He frowned. “Babe, I'm really not sure what you mean.”

  “You don't understand,” she whimpered, struggling to speak through her tears.

  “I do!” he hissed. “I understand everything! Maybe... Maybe we should just go to the cops and -”

  “Shut up!” she snarled, turning to him and driving a knife into his chest, directly through his heart. “Just shut... the fuck... up!” She twisted the blade, bringing a gasp from his lips, and then she pulled the knife out and watched as he rolled onto his side, struggling for air.

  To the west, the sun was finally starting to set in the clear blue sky, and Jennifer sat silently for a few minutes as Christian tried to crawl away.

  “You're making a lot of noise,” she told him finally. “Can you please just die already?” Reaching over, she pushed his body to the edge, sending him crashing down into the water.

  ***

  “Have you heard from Cole yet?” Jennifer asked, making her way into the kitchen a short while later.

  “He's coming,” Joe replied, turning to her. “What about Christian? Did you -”

  “Sorted.”

  He watched as she headed to the sink and poured herself a glass of red wine.

  “Is he dead?” he asked cautiously.

  “Of course.”

  “Where's the body?”

  “Don't worry, I sorted it.”

  “So did you bury him or -”

  “I sorted it!” she said firmly, turning to him. “Now we need to focus on finishing that video so we can get our money from Cole and then get the hell out of this place.” She took another gulp of wine, shivering as she glanced toward the hallway. “This place gives me the creeps. I never liked it, and after we leave tonight I never want to come back. Fuck this rotten, stinking cabin to hell.”

  “I agree,” Joe muttered. “I know it was Pappa's pet project, but -”

  “Screw Pappa.”

  “He was just -”

  “He was just a pathetic, weak-minded fool who couldn't live with his own decisions and ended up blowing his fucking head off,” she snapped, pouring herself a second glass of wine. “I mean, how weak and selfish does that make him? Jesus Christ, the man was a waste of blood and bone. Sometimes you remind me of him, you need to be careful you don't follow him down the path of irrelevance and mediocrity.”

  “Thanks a lot,” Joe replied. “When Cole gets here, Anna has to still be alive. He likes to witness the final scene being shot, just so he knows that it was all genuine. He has a reputation to uphold, remember?” He paused, waiting for her to say something. “And then we're out of here,” he continued. “With the money we'll earn from this video, we can go far away and never look back. If you think about it, we've already got some pretty amazing scenes. Some of that stuff with Marit was insane, and the look in Anna's eyes... I swear to God, I think Anna's mind might really have been broken.”

  “I doubt it was that strong to begin with,” Jennifer muttered.

  “I watched some of the video back this morning,” Joe continued. “There's this moment when Marit's dying, and I swear Anna's eyes... You can see the change. It's not like when Karen gave up, it's something else, it's more like something in Anna's soul just...” His voice trailed off as he tried to think of the right words. “Snapped,” he added finally.

  “Let's not get all romantic about this,” Jennifer muttered, setting her wine glass down and heading to the basement door. “She's just some dumb bitch and the world isn't exactly running short of those. Where's Daniel?”

  “Upstairs fixing some batteries,” Joe replied as he followed her across the kitchen. “So what do we do now?”

  “First we need to dispose of that cop,” she told him, opening the basement door and making her way down the stairs. “Just let Anna stew in her chair for a while. I'll take his body while you -” Stopping suddenly, she turned to him. “No, maybe the other way around. You go and fetch his body, cut it up first but then bring it to the kitchen. While you're doing that, I've got an idea about how to hide his car. I think it's better if I do the big jobs.”

  “How the hell are you going to hide a police car?” he asked as she pushed past him, heading back up to the kitchen.

  “Leave it to me.”

  “You don't need help?”

  “Stick to the simple tasks, little brother,” she replied. “They suit you better.”

  Joe waited for a moment, until he heard Jennifer heading outside. Sighing, he muttered a few curse words under his breath as he turned and made his way down to the basement. Still annoyed, he pushed open the door and looked over toward Anna, while -

  He froze as soon as he saw the remains of Anna's broken chair in the corner, along with the discarded chains.

  Glancing around the room, he saw the police officer still slumped on the floor, while the camera was in its usual place with the red light still running. Stepping over to take a closer look, Joe peered through the viewfinder for a moment before making his way to the corner and staring down at the broken chair.

  “Shit,” he whispered, looking round in case there was any sign of Anna. Hurrying to the counter, he grabbed the bigges
t knife he could find before turning toward the door. “Shit, shit -”

  Suddenly Anna appeared as if from nowhere, swinging the hammer's handle at his head and knocking him back against the wall. Before he could react, she hit him again, and this time he slithered down and collapsed in a heap. Dazed but not quite unconscious, he stared up as she towered over him, her naked and bloodied body trembling as she stepped closer and then swung the hammer again.

  This time, Joe ducked out of the way just in time. He tried to grab Anna's legs but she swung again, smashing the hammer into the back of his head with enough force to send him slumping forward. For a moment everything went dark and he felt himself slipping away, but a sudden sense of nausea rolled through his belly, bringing him back to the real world. Turning, he saw that Anna was already limping toward the door, as if she was trying to escape.

  Struggling to his feet, Joe grabbed another knife and hurried after her. Before she could turn, he sliced the knife into her waist while grabbing her by the neck and pulling her back.

  “You,” he sneered, “are not going anywhere.”

  Not letting her answer, he slammed her head-first against the wall. Letting go of her neck, he pulled the knife out and spun her around as she let out a pained whimper. She still had the hammer in her trembling right hand.

  “I'd kill you right now,” Joe said firmly, with blood trickling down his face from the wound on his scalp, “if the camera was pointed in the right direction. Or maybe I should just fuck you again, would you like that?”

  Grabbing her arm, he pulled her back across the room toward the broken chair. A moment later, however, her bloody hand slipped free and she turned to run. Muttering a few more expletives, he hurried after her, raising the knife ready to slice it down against her neck.

  “No!” she shouted, suddenly turning and swinging the hammer at him. This time, the hook end dug deep into his cheek and ripped through, spraying blood and bone across the wall as his nose and the roof of his mouth were torn away. Stumbling forward, he clutched his face as more blood sprayed out, and Anna had to slip out of the way as he crashed against the door and then dropped to his knees.

  Stepping back, she watched as he rolled down onto the ground and then fell still.

  Her body still trembling with fear, Anna waited, half expecting him to suddenly get up and lunge at her again. She could feel warm blood running down her flesh from the new wound at her waist, but she knew she couldn't stop to fix herself just yet. Finally the hammer dropped from her hand, crashing down onto the floor.

  Turning, she began to limp toward the police officer, determined to get him free and so he could help her. She knelt next to him and started untying the restraints around his ankles, before scrambling through his pockets in the hope of finding a key for the handcuffs.

  “Please,” she stammered, “you have to be okay...”

  A moment later, she heard a spluttering, gasping sound over her shoulder.

  Looking back, she saw Joe leaning toward her. She reached over to the counter and grabbed the first thing she could find, which turned out to be a knife. Slashing at him, she sliced his throat open and he gasped as he fell on top of her with blood spraying from the wound. Panicking, she pushed him away and crawled back, watching with wide-eyed horror as he convulsed for a few seconds in breathless agony. Finally he fell still, and this time his glassy eyes left no doubt that he was dead.

  Starting to whimper and sob, Anna turned and tried to wake the police officer, but when he failed to respond she got to her feet and limped over to the door, with the knife still in her hand.

  Hearing no sign of anyone at the top of the stairs, she began to make her way up to the kitchen.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Now what?” Daniel asked as he and Jennifer watched the police car rolling down the hill. A moment later the vehicle hit the side of a ditch and rolled over, crashing onto its roof and coming to a rest.

  “Now we get on with the original plan,” she replied, “and then we come and bury the damn thing.”

  “Bury it?” He turned to her. “A whole car?”

  “Six feet deep.”

  “How the hell are you going to bury a car?”

  “What's wrong?” she asked, turning and making her way back through the dark forest. “Scared of a little hard work?”

  “Of course not, I just...” He hurried to catch up. “Do you seriously think you can just bury a car?”

  “Why not? This forest is full of little ditches and hills, no-one's going to notice if one more shows up. It'll probably make a nice mound for the kiddies to play on one day, completely oblivious as to what's beneath them. Anyway, what's the alternative? Dump the damn thing somewhere?”

  “No, but...” They walked on in silence for a moment, crunching through the forest. “What's going to happen when Cole gets here?”

  “He's going to place a bag of money in our hands.”

  “But -”

  “And we're going to keep our mouths shut,” she said firmly. “He's not going to find out about the cop, we can't afford to spook him. Joe's cutting the bastard up now and then we'll dispose of him and Marit. This is still going to be okay, you just have to trust me.”

  “But if -”

  “And then we finish the video with Anna,” she continued. “It's perfectly simple, you just have to do what I say and stop asking too many questions. You don't want to end up like Christian, do you?”

  “What do you mean?” He waited for an answer as they reached the clearing around the cabin. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her back. “Where is Christian, anyway? I haven't seen him for a few hours.”

  “Christian backed out,” she replied with a faint smile, “so I had to deal with him. Please don't ask any more questions unless you're absolutely certain that you want to know the answers.”

  “But...” He stared at her, seeing the hint of darkness in her eyes. “This is spiraling way out of control,” he stammered finally. “Last time -”

  “Last time we got lucky,” she told him, before stepping closer, “although you can't say you're bored this time, can you?” She stared into his eyes for a moment. “Forget about Christian. He's gone, which means I have a vacancy for a boyfriend, and I don't like that kind of vacancy. I don't handle single life very well and I have a very high sex drive, so right now I think I'll take just about the first guy I get my hands on. Do you happen to know anyone around here who might be interested?” Reaching down, she placed a hand against the crotch of his pants. “Oh,” she added with a smile. “I think someone's stirring...”

  He opened his mouth to reply, before taking a step back. “I just want to get this over with,” he told her, “and get our money, and leave this cabin forever. What time does Cole get here?”

  She checked her watch. “It's almost ten now and it's getting dark. I'm expecting him any time now.”

  “I think we should all go our separate ways after this,” he replied. “I'm not kidding, we should never see each other again, it's too risky.”

  “Now you're worried about taking risks?” She stared at him, before pulling away and heading across the clearing. “Obviously you're not the man I thought you were,” she added with irritation as she made her way up the steps and into the kitchen. “That's okay, though. Most men turn out not to be nearly as -”

  Stopping suddenly, she saw that the door to the basement was wide open.

  “Most men aren't nearly as what?” Daniel asked as he caught up. “Jennifer if you -” He froze as soon as he saw the door. “Is that supposed to be like that?”

  After flicking the light-switch on the wall, Jennifer made her way to the door and looked down the dark stairs. “Joe?” she called out cautiously. “Haven't you brought the cop up yet?” She waited, but there was no reply. “Joe! For fuck's sake, dumb-ass, can you answer me?”

  “What's going on?” Daniel asked. “If your brother has screwed things up -”

  “He hasn't,” she said firmly, starting to hurry down the
stairs. “Go back up and lock every door and window right now!”

  “But -”

  “Do it!” she shouted. Making her way through the doorway at the bottom of the stairs, however, she stopped as soon as she saw the broken chair. After a moment, she spotted a figure slumped on the floor next to the police officer. “No,” she whispered, stepping closer until she saw Joe's dead face staring up toward the ceiling with glassy eyes. “No!” she screamed, hurrying over and dropping to her knees, before putting a hand on the side of his neck to check for a pulse.

  “Oh shit,” Daniel stammered as he reached the doorway. “I'm getting out of here.”

  Ignoring him as he turned and ran back up the stairs, Jennifer pulled her brother's body into her arms and hugged him tight, as tears streamed down her face. “You idiot!” she hissed angrily. “How the hell did you let that bitch do this to you? This isn't possible, you can't be gone, you just can't...” She pulled him tighter, cradling him for a few seconds before slowly lowering him back down to the ground. Looking around, she spotted a knife on the counter and grabbed it, before turning back to Joe. “We were supposed to stick together,” she whimpered, as her anger began to build. “How could you be so stupid!” Lunging at him, she drove the knife into his chest over and over, stabbing his already lifeless body as her rage exploded.

  Finally, letting out a cry of anger, she turned and grabbed Ole's body, pulling him closer and slapping the side of his face hard.

  “You!” she screamed. “Wake up! Tell me what happened down here!”

  She slapped him again, before pushing him aside and getting to her feet. With tears still running down her face, she seemed frozen for a moment, as if she couldn't decide what to do next. A fraction of a second later, however, she heard Daniel shouting in the room above, and she looked up at the ceiling just in time to hear footsteps racing across the kitchen floor.