Rattling Snakes Cage 3 Ch. 05

At last the final chapter in the saga of Patrick, Rachel, Jerry and Megan, and not forgetting the villain of the piece, Snake.

Will he get his revenge or will the lovers manage to escape the mad man and live happily ever after. Read on and enjoy.

The story Rattling Snakes Cage, part 1, 2 and 3 have been copyrighted and any reproduction or adaptation in any media form must be with the permission of the author.

*

The last of the customers had left, running out into the dark wet night, and Patrick kissed the back of Rachel's neck, telling her to go home whilst he and Jerry locked up, and that he would be over in about twenty minutes, so she and Megan sprinted over the road to their respective flats through the rain, and started to get ready for bed.

In the men's toilet, unknown to Patrick and Jerry, Juan stood on the toilet and fished the package of coke out of the cistern, wiping it down with toilet paper and put it in the leather bag. He then stood listening at the door waiting to see if the coast was clear to leave, but Jerry was in the main area outside the toilet door gathering the last of the dirty glasses and plates from the tables.

Patrick opened the back door to the bar; dragging out the bag of garbage filled with food leftovers, ready to throw it into the big dumpster near the back of the bar. He never saw the heavy piece of wood that was swung at his head from behind, knocking him to his knees, nor the second blow that knocked him out cold.

Juan heard a noise outside the restroom window and stood looking through it carefully peeking out into the dark night and saw the tall figure of a man dragging the unconscious body of Patrick over to a dark MPV, and then he saw him pick up and throw the limp body into the car, before climbing in himself. Juan plastered himself against the toilet wall in fright, he thought that it was the big boys from Miami that had heard that they, Patrick, Jerry and he were muscling in on their dealers and he stared down at the black leather bag at his feet in horror.

*

Jerry cleared the last of the dirty glasses and realised he hadn't heard any movement from Patrick for the last ten minutes, so calling out, "Patrick....you there?" he moved towards where he had last seen his friend, through the door leading out to the back and the garbage area. As he passed through the door from the bar to the darkened area leading out to the back door he felt an arm loop around his neck and saw the knife in front of his face.

"Hello Jerry, long time no see....."

Jerry felt his body go cold with shock. He'd recognise that voice anywhere.

"Nick is that you?"

"Damn right you fucking bastard.....thought I was dead did you cunt?.....you and Patrick living it up on my money are you?....well I've come for my interest....and I intend to take it out of your hides you fuckers."

Jerry asked, "What have you done with Patrick?" while wildly trying to work out what to do to get out of the situation.

"He's knocked out cold in the car, tied up and secure...and you're going to join him."

Pushing Jerry against the wall face first, Snake pulled Jerry's hands behind his back and secured them with plastic ties, then pushed him through the door and towards the car. Juan watched with growing horror through the men's toilet window that looked out onto the side street where the car was parked what was going on. He watched as the tall man pushed Jerry into the inside of the car and then as he lent in, doing something to the secured man.

Then Juan sank down onto the floor of the toilet, shaking, unsure what to do next.

*

Megan wondered what was taking Jerry so long and looked out of the window, just as a tall and very intense looking man strode across the road towards Patrick's and Rachel's front door. She watched as he unlocked the front door to the flat with a key, and seemed to stealthily slink in. Grabbing her towelling robe and tying it over her swollen pregnant belly she ran down the stairs and poked her head out of the door, just as a scared looking Juan ran across the road towards his truck and climbed in. Running over to where he was parked she stood at his window knocking on it as he started the truck.

"Juan....where's Jerry...who was that going into Patrick and Rachel's place?"

"Get out the way Megan..." and he took off the handbrake, meaning to drive as far away as possible.

Opening the truck door she reached over and turned off the ignition. "What's the hell is going on...answer me, where's Jerry? Who was that going into Patrick's place?"

"Get in the truck Megan....NOW." and Juan slid down in his seat trying to hide, as Megan went around the front of the vehicle and climbed in. "Get down and shut up....we don't want him to see us."

"Who?" but she slid down, keeping her eyes on the front door of where the man had entered.

"He's come for us...he's from Miami...he's going to wipe us out..."

"Wipe us out...what do you mean?"

"It's the coke....the cocaine...he probably works for the big boys up there....Patrick warned me but I didn't listen....its all happening so fast....he's got Patrick and Jerry in his car....I saw him carry Patrick's body into the car...."

She grabbed his arm and asked in an urgent voice, "What do you mean Patrick's body, Jerry, is he alright? He's not.....?"

"No...not yet...I don't think...but I'm not letting him get me as well...we can get away...."

Megan looked at him as if he was mad, "Get away....not without my man I'm not...where's your mobile, we can phone the police."

Juan looked at her and frantically hissed, "No we can't....there's a package of coke in the men's toilets and if the police come you can say goodbye to Jerry for the next thirty years anyway."

"In that case it's down to us to rescue them."

"Are you mad?"

Grabbing his crotch and tightening her hold on his balls she ground between gritted teeth, "Don't mess with a pregnant hormonal lady Juan, we can be very unpredictable when protecting the father of our child...we're going to rescue Patrick and Jerry or you'll never get to use your dangly bits ever again after I've finished with them. I promise you that."

*

Rachel sank down onto the bed in shock, gasping out, "You're dead!"

Snake smiled a wicked smile, "As you can see, I'm very much alive..."

"But I stabbed you...killed you."

Walking over and standing over her as she looked up in horror at him he told her, "After I've finished with you and those two fuckers you'll pray you were dead."

Rachel started to scoot backwards in fear over the bed trying to get away from him. But he grabbed her ankle and pulled her back towards him, "Sorry to disappoint you but I don't have time to fuck you Rachel, I'm on a tight schedule. Get some clothes on; we're going for a ride."

Grabbing a tee shirt and pulling on her jeans she turned round to face him, "What have you done with Patrick? Have you hurt him.....why don't you leave us alone...that cocaine that Patrick stole was part his anyway...you were supposed to be partners..."

"If it was partly his why did he steal it?"

"To get away from you...to start a new life away from all the violence."

"Well it didn't work did it? Patrick's alive, probably going to have a hell of a headache when he comes 'round. Now get a fucking move on." And he grabbed her wrist, twisting her arm behind her back and holding a knife up to her side, "This is what we're going to do...you are going to walk along with me...keeping your mouth shut...get into the car and then lay down on the floor with your hands behind your back....if you make one squeak, try to run or get anyone's attention I will go into the car and cut your lover boy's bollocks off....do I make myself clear?"

Pulling up on the twisted arm caused a shock of pain to run up her shoulder and arm and she hissed "Yesss..." through gritted teeth.

"Good..now lets get going."

Snake pushed her down the stairs and out the door, "Remember, walk as if you're happy to be with me...smile."

They walked passed the truck that Megan and Juan were hunkered down in, across the street and towards the side street that his car, with Patrick and Jerry tied up and gagged lay inside. Drunken people walked by coming down from the Jazz club up the road, and a man stood with his dog on a lead while the animal stood peeing against a lamppost, but Rachel stared ahead never seeing them. Her heart beat heavy in her chest, scared about what was going to happen to them all once they were in his car, and at his complete mercy.

*

Megan and Juan peeped through the window of the truck trying not to be seen and watched as Rachel and the tall man walked across the main drag and into the side street.

"Get ready to start the motor Juan, where ever he's going to take them we're following."

"WHAT!....you really are crazy! I'm not following a fucking hit man."

"Do what I say, or I promise you that what I will do to you will be a lot worse than he can ever do."

Juan stared at her and muttered, "And you look like butter wouldn't melt in your mouth."

"Just get the truck going as soon as he moves off, keep the lights off so he doesn't see us, and keep well back."

"God help me from women that watch too much TV Police shows, we're not in a fucking episode of Law and Order."

"Just shut up and let's get going. We're going to save my Ethan's daddy."

Watching as the MPV drove off, Juan sat up and turned on the ignition, before pulling out into the street and following at a respectable distance. "Ethan?"

"It's the name of my baby...."

"Ethan....why Ethan?"

"Ever seen the movie Fargo?"

"Yeah...."

"Burn After Reading?"

"Yeah...."

"Ethan Coen....brilliant film maker....."

"You know Megan.....you're full of surprises."

"Just remember that and keep your eyes on the car in front..... and don't let him see us."

*

Rachel lay on her side, her hands secured behind her back, her ankles tied together, and the cloth gag in her mouth tasting foul. She stared across at Jerry who lay opposite her, similarly secured and read the apology in his eyes through his glasses as he looked back at her. Raising her head as much as she could she stared at the prone body of Patrick as he lay there, secured, his eyes closed, and unconscious. The tears flooded her eyes. It hurt her to see him like this, and she was worried that he had already been too badly injured by the crazy Snake who was driving the car whilst singing along to the music on the radio up front, as if he didn't have three trussed up people in the back of his car.

Lowering her head she lay, the car moving along closer to whatever destiny and hell Snake had planned for them.

There seemed no escaping it this time.

*

Megan and Juan followed the large MPV as it made its way Northwards up the string of Keys towards the mainland. There was a heavy ball of worry and dread in his stomach and every so often he glanced across at Megan who sat on the edge of her seat staring ahead as if she were to look away from the car in the distance they were following, it would disappear for ever.

"Put your seat belt on Megan, just in case...."

Sitting back and pulling it across her swollen belly she told him, "What weapons have you got on you...?"

"Weapons? I don't have any weapons."

"You must have something...."

"I don't carry a gun if that's what you mean?"

"What's in the back of the truck?"

"Some diving gear...some fishing stuff."

"Like what...anything we can use as a weapon? Think, what have you got?"

Juan thought for a while and then smiled, "I've got an old boning hook and an inline circle hook amongst the stuff back there. Nasty things if you get them hooked into you, especially the circle hook. Once it's in the flesh it has a barb that will rip as it comes out. Put it on a coil of rope or fishing wire and it could be a good weapon."

"Now you're talking Juan...."

"But they're still not going to save us against a gun."

*

After about an hour Rachel heard a groan from Patrick and both she and Jerry turned as much as they could to watch him as he rose up from unconsciousness to consciousness. They watched as he groaned again and moved his head a tiny amount, then as his eyes flickered open.

They were glazed, and open only a slit before they closed again.

Rachel breathed a sigh of relief, at least he was alive, but he might have concussion which she worried about. She stared at him as he lay there, his eyes closed, but the occasional moan rumbling from his throat and chest, obviously in pain.

*

Patrick lay on his back, the pain in the back of his head thrumming with every pump of blood as it flowed through his pulse points there, his arms and shoulders felt like splinters were poked into his muscles and his hands hurt, especially his wrists. He couldn't think straight, the pain in his head hurt too much, and gradually he surfaced more and more into realisation that he was bound and gagged, and the last thing he remembered was going to put the garbage out and then a blinding pain in the back of his head.

Slowly opening his eyes again he moved his head, trying to ignore the pain that exploded with the movement and saw Jerry laying next to him, also gagged, the blond man watching him with worry. A movement behind Jerry caught his eye and then he saw Rachel, the cloth gag wrapped around her face, her sweet eyes looking at him with worry.

He felt the movement of the car under him and the street lights flashing by and he gradually sunk back down into unconsciousness as the pain in his head overwhelmed him.

*

"Where do you think he's taking them?" Megan asked.

"I don't know.....maybe Miami."

"No look, he's turning off. The sign says Everglades.....he's heading towards the Everglades..."

"Shit, shit, shit..."

"What?"

"Ever heard the phrase 'swimming with the fishes'."

"No..."

"Well I have a feeling what he's going to do is send them to 'swim with the alligators'."

*

After a while Snake pulled up near a boat hire place deep down a dusty road in the Everglades. He turned off the ignition and turned around in his seat to look down at the three people lying in the back of the car on the turned down seats. "Hope you enjoyed the ride." Climbing out of the front and into the back he jerked up Patrick, slapping his face, "Come on you pile of shit, wake up."

Patrick's eyes opened and, seeing who was holding him, slumped up against the inside of the car door, He suddenly realised that time had run out for Jerry, Rachel and himself.

Snake smiled an evil parody of a smile, "Glad to see you're awake at last....let me tell you what fun I've got planned." And he sat down amongst the three captives who looked at him with absolute horror. "See I've been planning and dreaming of this for over two years....I ran through a lot of different scenarios...I could beat seven shades of shit out of you all before topping you... but that would mean me expending too much energy and too much mess...I could fucking shoot you....knee caps first, then bollocks, then hands and so on, but too much blood and I would still have to get rid of the bodies. So I thought to myself what could I do to prolong the agony, get my revenge and fun and still make sure there is no sign of you left for the cops to do a murder enquiry on....don't want them to trace it back to me. So here's the plan.....Patrick I'm going to let you watch as I feed your woman here to the Alligators, feet first, bit by bit. Then Jerry.....then when they've taken him under and done their death roll with him in their mouths, and both have totally disappeared, eaten by the beasts, with any leftovers at the bottom of the water and tangled in the grass of the Everglades I'm going to hang your legs over the side and let them take you....It should be a long and painful end."

Patrick tried to shout through the gag....he wanted for Nick to let Rachel go...show her some mercy, but the cloth in his mouth muffled what he was trying to say.

"What's that Patrick? Begging for mercy....tough shit....you fucking stole from me....burnt down my business...lost me face in South East London....stabbed me...left me for dead....you think I'm going to come this far after dreaming of revenge for over two years and let you walk....think on."

And he climbed out the car and walked over to the dark wooden hut that stood near a wooden jetty that five boats were tied up to and broke the window with a large stone he had found on the floor. Knocking out the rest of the glass with his elbow he reached in and opened the window fully before climbing in.

Grabbing a key from the board he climbed back out and walked over to the boats looking at the number on the key tag and matching it up with a boat. Striding over to a large metal drum he took off the lid and grabbing a plastic bucket next to it he scooped up a pile of meat scraps used as bait chum and placed it in the boat.

Next he walked back to the car and pulling Rachel out by under her arms dragged her over towards the jetty and the boat.

*

Crouched behind a bush up the road, Juan and Megan watched as Snake dragged first Rachel, then Jerry and then finally a fairly limp Patrick out the car, up the jetty and into the boat.

Juan ran back quietly to the truck where it was parked further back, grabbed the two hooks and rope and then back to where Megan knelt, the hem of the dark blue towelling robe bunched around her on the ground. Getting down close to her he whispered in her ear, "This is the plan....." and proceeded to explain what he was going to do."

*

Snake started the outboard motor at the back of the boat and steered the vessel out into the darkness into a narrow channel with large thick Everglade tall grass each side of the water.

Juan waited until he was sure he wouldn't be seen and ran to the hut, climbing through the window and grabbing a key. Getting out and going over to the corresponding boat he climbed in then helped Megan, still wrapped in the towelling robe, her large pregnant belly barely covered by the cloth, to get into the boat with him. Laying down the hooks that were now attached to the thin rope coils, he started the boats outboard and steered it to follow where the other boat had disappeared.

The sounds of the night were frightening, with clicks and chirps, hoots and splashes making Megan sit very still in the centre of the boat, but her resolve never wavered as they crept forward following the noise up ahead of the other vessel, but keeping far enough behind as not to be seen or heard.

*

Eventually Snake steered the boat into an area that was a wider channel and stopped it, shutting down the outboard.

Megan and Juan had to stop theirs before he heard them, and they drifted over to some weeds where they stayed, their view of the others slightly obscured by the tall grass and weeds.

"What's he doing?" she hissed at Juan who stood looking, the darkness only lit by the moon, the slight rain left over from the storm soaking him and Megan as they waited.

"He's leaning over them at the moment...I can't make out what he's doing."

* Scooping some water from beside the boat in his hand Snake threw it in Patrick's face, "Come on you bugger, wake up more, I want you to be alert and awake to watch this."

Patrick felt the cold water hit his face and opened his eyes, his head was still pounding and slightly fuzzy, his first thought was trying to work out how to get out what was happening and save Rachel.

Using his feet which were tied together he jerked them towards Snake, kicking him slightly sideways. But it wasn't hard enough to topple him backwards and Snake straightened himself and slapped Patrick hard across the face, making sharp shards of pain to run through his head.

"Just for that Patrick I'm going to make sure when your time comes to be fed to those monsters it's nice and slow, and very very painful." And he reached over and took the smelly bucket of meat cuts and tossed the contents into the water, "Just wait and watch." he told the three trussed up captives in the boat, "It shouldn't take too long...."