Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 149301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
The spark sprinted along the ground like a huge, flaming centipede, wolfing down the path of petroleum with insatiable depravity and hunger. Grandpa’s second cavalcade could do nothing to stop it. From a shiny liquid line, it was growing by the second! The driver of the second SUV leaned out the window, screaming something incoherent. Pure panic and pandemonium registered on his face. He kicked the SUV in reverse, but it was too late…
BOOM! BOOM!! BOOM!!!
The explosion was deafening, a brilliant orange and red flash that lit up the sky and turned the world around them into the fourth of July. The first SUV was totally engulfed, and the second one’s front end lifted off the ground. Shards of metal flew in the air like silver and black twisted confetti. Dark smoke bellowed towards the sky like a sweltering, shadowy whisper from hell. Grandpa’s sacrificial lambs were consumed by the holler and snarl of the lapping tongue of fire, a mouthy firestorm. The front doors of the underworld were wide open. Satan gained new demons.
Kage stood at a safe distance, now outside his truck. He turned to check out the two men in the back of his ride. They were also watching, horror written all over their faces.
His heart swelled with immeasurable satisfaction, but his mind remained focused. He had no time to savor his victory. Bracing himself, he approached what was left of the burning chaos. Everything was gone, leaving a nasty, smoky BBQ of flesh and metal. Moments later, he was back in his truck.
He heard another soft boom as he took off the desolate road. Calmly, he swept some of the glass off the passenger’s seat and turned on some tunes. Blues Saraceno’s, ‘Grave Digger’ finished, then ‘Carry Me Back Home’ was playing, real smooth and easy like. He hummed along. When he’d driven for about twenty or so minutes in the tranquility of night, with no illumination around but his headlights, he pulled over. The music kept playing as he leisurely got out of the vehicle, grabbed the gas container, and lowered the bed of the truck.
The men moaned and wiggled about at the sight of him. The odor of fear was pungent in the air. One after the other, he dragged them out and placed them on the dirt. Using the phone he’d picked from their SUV, he dialed Grandpa. There was no answer, so he hung up.
“You boys thirsty? I’m sure you’re parched after all that heat, gettin’ your asses beat, dragged, shot and whatnot.” Grabbing one of the bastards’ jaws, he squeezed his face real hard, forcing his cheeks to compress and his mouth to butterfly open. With the other hand, he shook the gasoline container as though it was some treat to feed an animal.
“Open up, now. Don’t you want to party?!” The man’s eyes grew big and wild. “I was mindin’ my own fucking business, and then you two showed up. You wanna see me pump gas so damn bad, now’s the time!”
The man groaned and writhed about; his eyes large as a full moon. Sweat and dirt mixed along the fucker’s face—a slippery, dirty mess. Kage tightened his grip on his chin, then forced the gasoline nozzle down his throat, letting the liquid flow. The man started spitting and vomiting as he rolled onto his side. Satisfied, he snatched the torn sleeve material out of the other one’s mouth and doused it with gasoline, too. This fucker tried to fight in his own pitiful way, squirming and struggling. What could they do with their hands bound, feet shot, and their ankles broken? They were bleeding out, their complexions ghostly.
“Time for a nightcap.” He forced the man’s lips to part and made him also swallow down the gasoline.
Just then, that damn cell phone rang again. Kage set the container down by his feet, took a few steps back, and answered.
“Brandon!”
“Naw… this ain’t no Brandon, Grandaddy.”
“Kage,” came Grandpa’s steely voice. “Five of my men have vanished into thin air! I’ve been callin’, no answer! They were gonna talk to you, show you a new offer that would’ve been to your liking. I was willin’ to negotiate. I just drafted it up! I don’t know what the fuck you’ve done, but I’m sure you blew it!”
Kage chuckled at that. “Funny how you said blew it, ’cause I sure the fuck did. Blew that shit right up! Now, let’s speak to the lie you just told. I find that somewhat hard to believe, Grandpa. If you had a new offer for me, then you would have contacted me directly. A negotiation takes two people. Nah, you sent them boys to try and intimidate me. Beat me up. Rough me up a little. Scare me straight. You sent two of ’em, bigger and badder than the first two. Did you even brief these motherfuckers on what I am capable of?” He snorted. “I’m disappointed. Over the years you’ve burned down my place, sent animal heads to me like some gift, shot at me, had me attacked. You had me put in mental institutions, kidnapped, hunted in the woods by some damn wild dogs that you let loose on me, and the list goes on. Torture. Lies. Extortion. Blackmail. Naw, we’re way past the point of negotiating. This is war.”