As usual, here is your warning that this story has cursing, sex (not graphic), innuendo, and violence.  It’s my Rated-R action adventure called Derailing Bedlam.  This is the fourth outing (third official) for Cassidy and Lloyd, so feel free to click on one of the two covers to see how it started.  Each one is 99 cents!

Cover by Jon Hunsinger

Cover Art by Jon Hunsinger

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Angela is about to scream when Len covers her mouth and carefully closes the door behind them. All of their clothes have been thrown about the room and the muted television is showing the menu for an animated movie. Candy bars have been melted into their luggage, which they find drenched in the bathtub. Tiny pyramids of empty alcohol bottles are on every piece of furniture, the liquor having been poured into an ice bucket along with all of their toiletries. The couple eventually notice that only their belongings have been destroyed while everything that came with room can be easily cleaned. Enraged by the mess, Angela tears off her dress and grabs her apron, which has been smeared with peanut butter. Keeping his eyes on the open window, Len hands his wife a skirt from a nearby pile instead of letting her grab the one that is suspiciously splayed on the floor. The hidden cooking knives slice up the gauze, the tatters falling to the floor as she moves forward.

“She broke out about three hours ago,” Luca says while pretending to struggle against her scuffed bonds. Feeling the headboard shift slightly, she stops moving her arms and kicks her legs instead. “I told her not to since there’s nowhere she can hide. After all, you love to pick places that are isolated and difficult to escape. That mountain cabin in Montana was my favorite, but not as creepy as the pit you made in Kentucky. I’d offer to help you catch her, but we both know what you’re going to do now.”

“I want to eat everything above her neck,” Angela growls as she gets closer to the bed. She draws a long carving knife and a cleaver, but she sniffs the air instead of attacking. “Maybe an organ stew instead. So much meat on the body and marrow in the bones. I brought my favorite rib cracker. What do you think we should do, honey?”

“Be very cautious, sweetheart, because this is a lot of destruction for someone who wanted to escape,” Len replies from the bathroom doorway. Noticing his box of drugs on the floor, he picks it up and looks inside to find that everything has been broken. “We won’t be able to operate on the train for much longer. I have no way to capture prey and the cleaning staff will uncover this at some point. Wyoming is too far away for us to hold out, so we should get off in North Dakota. Maybe earlier if we find a place we can safely jump.”

With a pout, Angela runs her carving knife along Luca’s jeans and slices them from ankle to thigh. “This was supposed to be a fun work vacation and now it’s a disaster. I wanted to get my teeth into that Duchess and the conductor’s hair makes me think he’d taste like candy. Did you see how tender those teenagers looked? Oh, this train would be the most perfect buffet for the Lamia Clan. Please say we can stay for a little longer. I’ll kill this one and toss her out the window if that will make you happy. We can throw all of the mess outside and pretend we were robbed. That could get us a room upgrade. Maybe even one with a freezer.”

“I do like that plan better than retreating,” her husband admits while taking off his tie. He stares at the long garment and shakes his head when he thinks it is starting to coil like a plaid serpent. “It’s been a long night, so we should get some sleep. Put one of the tarps under her and slit her throat. We can clean up the rest in the morning. Keep a few pieces for yourself, but make sure to put them in the plastic container and fridge. Don’t want them going bad. I really need to lie down. Feels like the room is spinning.”

“I’ll chop off her fingernails, which will help with that,” the cannibal whispers before kissing her husband on the forehead. She smacks her lips together and shakes her head, a brief wave of vertigo nearly making her throw up. “Guess we had too much to drink. Take a seat right here and let me handle it.”

Returning to the bed, Angela cocks her head to the side when Luca yawns and tries to stretch. Taking a few steps back, she scratches her head and tries to figure out what does not look right with the scene. Feeling light-headed, she chalks her paranoia up to the brandy and white wine she had indulged in during the party. Wanting to get some sleep, Angela ducks under the bed and pulls out one of the shower curtains that they use for tarps. Putting her knives on the nightstand, she does her best to get the protective covering under her victim’s upper body. The cannibal is about to spread it over the entire bed, but decides she can take apart the rest of the corpse in the bathroom.

After she turns to pick up her weapons, Angela feels a sudden pain in her rear and reaches back to find that she is bleeding from the cheek. She holds up her hand to stop Len from getting too close, her husband already on his feet. Leaning over the bed, the wild-haired woman carefully checks Luca’s cuffs to see if she is pretending to be a prisoner. While she is stretching for the far manacle, Angela presses on the mattress and gasps when a knife bursts from below to sever two of her fingers. Shrieking and cursing, she angrily stabs at the bed and narrowly misses the squirming prisoner several times. She stops after a minute and is about to slice Luca’s hand off when the mysterious blade emerges returns to slash across her stomach. Reverting to her earlier rampage, Angela carves up the mattress and gets angrier every time she sees that her weapon is devoid of fresh blood. An unexpected thump causes the cannibal to drop to all fours and glare at Cassidy, who is getting to her feet after rolling out of the hollowed bed.

“Cunning little morsel,” the cannibal growls with drool dripping from her mouth. Coming around the bed, her injured hand fumbles with a heavy cleaver. “I’m going to turn your torso into steaks and ribs. Your arms will be bacon and jerky. None of you will go to waste and I’m not going to share. Our fingers look similar, so I’ll be taking the two you stole from me. My husband knows a talented doctor.”

“Blah blah blah, creepy bitch,” Cassidy mutters before lunging forward. She tries to stab Angela in the chest, but leaps back when the giggling woman holds her ground and swings. “Not much of a defender, I see. By the way, you might want to give up and get your husband some help. I put every contact drug he had on the box he picked up. It might not be lethal, but he’s going to get sick pretty quickly.”

Angela shrugs and runs a finger along her stomach wound in order to put the blood in her mouth. “If he dies then I’ll eat him too. He knows that’s his fate and agreed to it on our wedding day. That’s why I make sure he eats all of my favorite foods. I n to make sure he tastes yummy when the time comes. The drugs will make the feast even better. I’ll have to eat him little by little to avoid an overdose, which extends the pleasure. Every member of the Lamia Clan dreams of devouring her husband. The best part is that I won’t have to share him like the traditions demand.”

“Why am I not surprised that crazy comes out of a human eater’s mouth?”

Cassidy fakes a slash to draw Angela’s blade to the right, which creates an opening for a kick to the stomach. With a gurgling snarl, the cannibal goes down to one knee and spastically swings her carving knife. Every attempt to get closer results in a shallow cut on the leg, so the mercenary backs up and reaches into a chair cushion. Pulling out a small knife, Cassidy hurls it at Angela and watches it thud into the woman’s shoulder. Instead of falling, the butcher races forward and drives her startled prey into the corner. Pulling the blade from her body, she tries to attack with both weapons and ends up getting them stuck in the wall when the mercenary slides to the floor. Cassidy crawls away while she is repeatedly kicked in the back, the pointy heels breaking her skin every time.

A high-pitched yell startles everyone as Len sprints across the room and tries to scramble over the bed. Two syringes filled with air are in his rash-covered hands and his eyes are bloodshot from the drugs. He is about to pounce on Cassidy when Luca sits up and slams the metal headboard into the side of his skull. Freeing her hands, the bounty hunter wields the piece of furniture like a club and catches Len on the far end when he tries to attack. Lifting him high in the air, she keeps him out of reach while beating him against the ceiling. Forgetting the impressive bounty, Luca hurls Len and the headboard at the window. With the opening being narrow, the man’s body slams against the wall and folds like a taco shell. His neck snaps from the violent impact and he slides out of the train, which is passing over a river. The three women freeze until they hear a distant splash that confirms they are not dreaming.

“My husband meal!” Angela shouts as she rushes for the window. She snarls at the sensation of Cassidy’s knife getting driven into her chest, the weapon skimming her heart. “Get out of my way. His flesh is promised to me. It might be a little soggy, but I can cook him. Leave me alone, you cow-eating freak!”

Knocking Cassidy away, Angela gasps at the painful sensation of the blade ripping out through her side. Coughing up blood and clutching the grisly wound, the cannibal takes the two steps she needs to reach the window. She uses the last of her strength to climb into the opening and lets her dying body tumble out of the train. Instead of a lake, she finds that they are passing through a roughhewn tunnel and she is still conscious when she hits the jagged ground. The sounds of breaking bones and tearing flesh make Cassidy and Luca nauseous, both of them imagining the sight of Angela getting strewn across the tracks.

“I don’t think I’m getting that reward,” the bounty hunter says while ripping off the footboard. After massaging her stiff limbs, she carefully gets off the bed and takes a few awkward steps. “Going to need a little help until my circulation improves. So, I’m willing to be introduced to your rich friend. Curious to meet this partner of yours too. If this person is as cunning and tough as you then I’m sure we’ll get along.”