Ugly Beautiful (18 page)

Haley pulled out a small key from her tight jean pockets and made her way behind Jason. Quickly she unlocked the cuffs, but only one released from the locking mechanism. The other remained firmly attached to his right wrist.

'The handcuffs are broken. I can only loosen one.'

'It's okay. Ones enough.' replied Jason sounding relieved. 'I'm fairly sure I can bare the discomfort until we're far away from here.'

Haley winced again and held her head in agony once more. She staggered backwards too, fighting with herself.

'NO! NO! NOT YET. NOT YET.' Haley shrieked as she finally fell to the ground. Her whole body slamming down hard onto the cellar floor as she struggled furiously in a spasm fit. Jason tried to stand up, completely forgetting that his feet were still nailed to the cellar floorboards. He groaned as if noticing the dull, throbbing ache from his feet for the first time. He immediately sat back down again.

'Haley. Come on Haley. Fight her. Please Haley. Fight her for me. Please. I can't lose you like this Haley. Please…fight.'

Haley let out a deafening roar, chilling Jason to the bone. She stopped struggling. Jason tried again to pull his nailed feet up from the cellar floor from his seated position, but they still wouldn't budge a fraction without the nail heads tearing and ripping apart the flesh on the roof of his feet and wedging into his bone. Jason took a second to focus, preparing himself for the worst should Haley return to her sick, psychotic state. He would try with all his will power, strength and determination to rip his feet right out from the grasp of the thick nail heads. Haley stirred. Gradually she got up onto her knees. She took a second to gather her breathing, thoughts and balance. Jason focused his attention on Haley. He Glanced at her desperately while looking for the slightest hint that she was still her sane, normal self.

'HALEY? HALEY?' Jason cried, desperate. 'Is it you? Is it you Haley?'

Haley breathed hard and gently groaned.

'IS IT YOU HALEY?' Jason roared, louder, more desperate.

'Yes. Yes it's me...' Haley coughed. 'It's me Jason, it's me.'

Haley struggled to her feet. Jason sighed, greatly relieved.

'I don't know how much more I can take of this.' Haley said, wearily standing in front of Jason. 'Come on. Why are you still sitting there?' she continued, looking confused, trying to regain her lost composure. Jason glanced grimly down at his feet. Haley followed his gaze.

'If you could just help me pull out the first few, then I'm pretty sure I could manage the rest myself.' Jason said with a half hearted smile. Haley sighed, almost grinning. She glanced dartingly around the entire cellar until a small nearby shelf caught her eye. Upon the shelf was a hammer, pliers and half a dozen or so various other kinds of tools. Underneath the shelf were three different sizes of dirty old spades. Haley hurried to the shelf behind Jason, anxiously she grabbed the claw hammer. She returned to him, crouching at his bruised and bloodied feet. With the rusty claw end of the hammer she attempted to pull out the first of ten thick long steel nails, deeply embedded into the roof of his feet.

'This might hurt a little,' Haley said forcing a smile.

'Don't even think about it, just do it,' Jason replied gripping the sides of the wooden chair for dear life. He glanced up at the dark cellar roof and the single shining light bulb hanging over them. Jason moaned and clenched his teeth, as Haley struggled to get a decent grip of the first nail head through the claw end of the hammer.

'Nailing your feet to the floor! she really is one sick bitch.'

'You're telling me.' Jason bit his tongue to numb the pain. Then Haley managed to get a good grip of the first nail head. She bent the claw hammer back and, agonisingly for Jason, raised the first bloodied, fleshy pulp covered nail out from deep within Jason's foot. Finally she pulled the nail all the way out.

'Well that's the first one out at least.' Haley grinned, looking a little pleased with herself.

'And the rest?' Jason squirmed impatiently. 'Don't stop, just rip those fuckers right out of there.'

Haley obliged. It wasn't long before she'd pulled out four, then six, then eight of the ten nails to Jason's horrific displeasure. Physically and mentally drained, Jason attempted to use his remaining brute strength to force his feet up from the floorboards. When he did the remaining nails gave way. Jason let out one more agonising roar, lifting both his bare, bruised and battered sore feet, up from the cellar floor to their freedom.

Once his feet were free, Jason fell back into the large wooden chair, utterly shattered. After a few moments rest he gently raised his feet so Haley could pick and pull the two remaining few nails out from the flesh. She discarded the last nail, throwing it deep into a dark corner of the cellar, then rising to her own feet she attempted to help Jason back onto his.

Jason groaned as Haley pulled him upwards with a great effort. He struggled at first to stand up right, limping with both feet as Haley wrapped her arms firmly around his waist, supporting him with all her tired strength. Jason stopped for a second, struggling a little to keep his balance, but he was getting used to the pressure and dull ache from the balls of his feet.

'Come on. I think your car might still be around the back and not lying at the bottom of the sea like all the rest.' said Haley, edging him onwards.

Jason, with Haley's help, limped his way through the cellar towards the exit doorway which led into a dark and eerie corridor. Haley winced again, losing her balance. She released her supporting hold of Jason, holding her head in agony. Jason staggered against the nearest wall, completely off balance, but managing to support himself none the less. A few yards away Haley struggled frantically with herself once again. She screamed fiercely while holding her head and staggering erratically all around the cellar.

'No. NOOOO! PLEASE JUST... LEAVE ME ALONE...WHY CAN'T YOU JUST...' Haley cried, greatly distressed, but cruelly interrupted by her own terrifying alternate self and evil psychotic twin.

'YOU BITCH. YOU FUCKING LITTE WHORE…HELP ONE OF MY VICTIMS ESCAPE YOU FUCKING WHORE…I'LL KILL HIM. FUCKING KILL HIM.' raged the twisted Haley. Her venomous voice filled with so much anger, bile and spiteful hate.

Haley struggled with her sister over by the opposite wall, well away from Jason for the moment. Suddenly she smacked her head hard against the stone wall as her twisted sister took control of her body. Blood trickled down the front of Haley's head, streaming along the side of her face. Haley staggered backwards, off balance, stuck in a toxic, dizzy daze, fighting back for control again. In another chilling second, Haley's sister was in complete control of her body again.

Quickly she glared towards Jason with a wild rage in her eyes. He still leaned wearily against the exit doorway watching in great horror the crazy and surreal events of Haley's insane behaviour unfolding before his very eyes. Haley's sister let loose an animalistic snarl and rushed over towards the tool shelf upon the back wall. From the shelf she grabbed a large hatchet knife, before turning and glaring right at Jason. Breathing heavily and snarling like a rabid dog, she rushed wildly towards him now, screaming like some demented demon cannibal killer. Her entire face smeared with her own blood.

'DIIIIIIEEE! DIIIIEEEEE! FUCKING DIE!' Haley's crazed sister screamed rushing at Jason and waving her hatchet sword viciously back and forth in the air. Jason remained against the doorway, still supporting himself, but controlling his breathing and composure with long deep breaths. He was just watching and waiting, biding his time for the right moment.

Haley's evil sister raised the Hatchet high above her head. She was only a few whiskers away from him and ready to strike out hard. In a flash, Jason, using his little remaining energy wisely, managed to duck low and out of Haley's slashing reach. Instead of striking Jason she struck ferociously hard at the stonewall doorframe behind him, almost breaking her wrist.

Haley's sister, in her insane rage and with her full adrenaline flowing, recovered swiftly. She turned sharply and made another violent slashing lunge right for Jason's head

'I'LL KILL YOU! FUCKING KILL YOU!' she shrieked, hissed and spat.

Jason turned to face her, staggering backwards, then falling onto the cellar floor as she swung ferociously at him again and again, just missing him. Haley screamed a hideous, deafening cry. Then she suddenly dropped the hatchet knife to the floor, holding her head in immense, brutal pain. Jason took this opportunity to glance around until his gaze fell upon the row of three rusty spades leaning against the opposite wall directly behind his old prison chair. He gathered up all of his remaining energy and strength and crawled, fast as his hands and knees could manage, desperately towards them.

Haley continued to scream wildly and uncontrollably, fighting furiously with herself. Her enraged and unnatural screams sent chills down the back of Jason's spine as he reached the set of spades. Jason clambered painfully up onto his feet and picked up the first spade within his grasp, turning back to face Haley. He did well to keep his balance limping and hobbling his way back towards her. He then held the shovel at a shoulder height and striking distance.

'Please forgive me Haley.' Jason whispered, emotionally drained. Haley turned, still screaming, hissing like some wild lunatic savage. Jason held his breath, without thinking twice he swung the spade at Haley's head. There was an unhealthy crack. Haley fell to the floor unconscious.

There was a calm silence as Jason stood over her body. He was still holding his breath with memories surfacing in his mind from days earlier when he'd found himself standing over the very same body of this sweet, innocent and pretty faced young woman, lying before him at the bottom of the hill. Jason released his grip from the spade, dropping the rusty old shovel onto the cellar floor with a clank.

Jason breathed out, relieved. He continued to stand over Haley's unconscious body pondering his next move. His train of thought though was interrupted from within the dim glowing darkness. A low and almost retarded muffled groan echoed out from behind him.

'Jayyyy...son,' said the chilling, retarded voice. Jason continued to glance at Haley. She was still motionless, maybe even dead. There was no way to tell at this particular moment.

'JAYYYYYYY... SONN.' cried the sick, ghastly voice, which sounded even more determined to be heard. Jason staggered around to face the grim, bloodied and disfigured figure of Gary. He was still slumped over in his wheelchair with what little body parts remained on him.

'Jase... son!' Gary continued. This time his words were calmer with much less effort and determination. It was the sound of a man who had already given up on life.

Jason hobbled towards the gruesome figure. The taste of vomit rose higher up his throat the more he set eyes upon this ghastly, pulpy shadow of a man. Gary tried to smile, but his face and mouth were barely recognisable, let alone useable.

'Puuu…leass... Jay...son... Puee...leasss'

Jason stared hard. Tears formed in his eyes at the pitiful, sorrowful site in front of him.

'Ar... you... leavin... na... Jay… ssson.' Gary spurted from his mashed mouth. His words mixed with dry, soggy blood from a tongue long gone. Gary had to take his time saying every single word, which Jason could barely understand.

'Yes Gary. I'm leaving now mate.'

Gary tried to force a smile, but it was just wrong and hideous that he even tried.

'That... good… But pul...lease Jay... son… Pu...lease... End... tis... for me.'

The tears in Jason's eyes couldn't hold on any longer. They streamed down his cheeks as he scrunched his eyes up in with great emotional pain at what Gary was asking him to do.

'Pu... lease… Jay… sonn. Pu...lease... Kill... Me....' Gary continued, again and again, replaying every little word like a broken record player that continued to play, sounding out the same scratchy lyrics over and over. Jason took a deep breath and eventually opened his eyes. He turned his attention towards the rusty old spade lying upon the cellar floor and picked it up.

CHAPTER fourteen

Small at first, then even more aggressive flames and fumes of thick black smoke, poured violently and viciously out from within the bottom floor of the old farmhouse. Jason staggered towards a rusty old farm gate, fifty or so yards away from the main house, carrying the still unconscious body of Haley draped over his shoulders like a rag doll.