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Spike, Jeb and Benny watched the girl hover then topple sideways onto her underwear.
“Your turn.” Spike held out the nightstick to Jeb. “She recognised us. You’ll have to finish her.”
He took it from him. “I told you it was Kelcie Brooks when we saw her pull up.”
“Wait.” Spike took his iPhone from his pocket, his hand shaking, pointed it at Jeb and activated the movie camera. “As instructed, remember.”
“How come we didn’t record you whacking her?” Benny piped up.
Spike knew he’d have to watch Benny. He could see exactly what Spike was up to. With all of their other handiwork deleted, this would be the only evidence left to incriminate them. He kept the iPhone trained on Jeb. He was easier to wrangle. “Hurry up, cockwad. The cops are on their way.”
Jeb slammed the nail bat into the girl’s head. Once, twice, three times. He laughed nervously. “She’s fucking dead now.” He held it out to Benny and there was blood all over his fingers.
Benny took it from him.
Jeb wiped his hands on the back of his jeans and pulled out his phone to record him.
“You can take another swing after me, OK?” Benny said to Spike. “And I’ll record it with my phone.”
“OK.” Spike knew there was no time to argue. “Just hurry the fuck up.”
Benny slugged the dead girl’s indented blank expression.
“The fuck was that, jizzbubble? Do some real damage,” Jeb said, coming in close with the lens.
Spike kept quiet. He didn’t want to be recorded goading the other two. He’d let Benny shoot him taking a few swings, but that meant he was only captured by one phone, and he’d have no trouble taking that from him later.
Benny raised the bat and brought it down harder.
“Whoa!” Jeb said.
They’d all heard the sound of her skull breaking against the wooden floor.
“OK, your turn.” Benny held the nightstick out to Spike and raised his eyebrows.
“No fucking problem.” Spike snatched it from him and it felt slick in his grip. He joined the other two and looked down at the girl’s caved-in head. “Awesome.”
“Yeah, nice job, guys.”
The three of them turned to the front doorway. A man with a toupee was standing inside it with his arm extended. At the end of it, in a hand clad in a blue surgical glove, he gripped a gun.
“I just want you boys to know there’s nothing random about this. You’re all part of something real important. Mh?” It was all he felt he owed them.
Mimic shot Jeb and Benny in the chest with the M1911. He’d taken it from Kelcie’s nightstand earlier that day. Spike ran for the bathroom before they’d dropped, but Mimic shot him in the back of the head. Spike rammed into the door like a stunned cow and slid down it.
Mimic crossed the room and slipped the gun into Kelcie’s hand. He’d found her licence details when he’d hacked her computer. She had good taste. He had a soft spot for single action firearms. At least she would come out of this scenario as the heroine. He aimed the gun at Jeb’s lifeless body and made her finger pull the trigger. Another hole burst in the front of his Avenged Sevenfold sweatshirt.
He stood up and used a handkerchief to dab the corners of his mouth. Prior to his arrival, the Kalispell crime rate had been 46 incidents per every one thousand residents. Now this brave young woman had defended herself, the community could at least look forward to safer streets.
He’d wait things out now. Let the police presence ease. He’d already scoped out his next target and was in no hurry. There were two golf courses nearby – Big Mountain and Village Greens. He’d stay off the radar and practise his swing. He looked at the bloodied, concave expression of the woman on the floor, the lifeless hand not gripping the gun open to him like a lily.
As per his instructions, the three of them had deleted every clip from their phones and Internet accounts, including the ones they’d shot of the crash. One more movie to make and he told them they wouldn’t have any more worries. He hadn’t lied.
There was a lesson to be learnt for Spike, but more so for Kelcie. They’d both been on that exchange trip coach, but she’d been in a position of authority. She should have known better than to record the event along with all the other rubbernecking kids, should have been setting an example. He’d remove her clips from the public domain over the next few days. The guys had left her hard drive and laptop out back as he’d told them to.
His cell chirruped and he took it from his pocket as he walked out of the cabin. He knew who it would be. Mimic confirmed that it was his employer. They were the last people he wanted to speak to. He allowed it to stop ringing and go to voicemail. It would tell them his message inbox was still full.
