Dead Body by joiehasnolimits

A SCREAM PIERCED the air.

He spun around and about, his eyes wide, taking in the dense forest. Tree after tree after tree; there were trees for miles, those of tall and thick trunks with dark green canopies, but no one in sight. A light drizzle trickled through the canopy of leaves, landing on his cheeks and splotching onto his shoulders.

"Who's there?" he called out as alarm began to rise.

Then, another scream.

This time it was closer, louder, less frightened than before.

"Who's there?" he called out again, spinning furiously around again.

Loud footsteps crunched over dead grass and tripped over twigs. Soon, a girl in a blue dress came into view, her eyes distraught in her pale face. His arms opened automatically as she clawed her way to him.

"A body," she gasped, her feet swaying as she slowed. "A dead body."

"What?"

He caught her in his arms before her knees buckled. Slowly, he lowered them onto the damp forest floor, his brow crinkled into a severe frown. Her frame shivered, her eyes were unfocused, her fingers clutched wildly at him.

"You need to take a deep breath, Miss," he ordered her, pulling her hands from his coat before she could tear the fabric apart. "Take a deep breath, then tell me what happened."

"Dead," she murmured, her lips shaking as she stared down at her hands. Her fingers were stained red. "A dead body."

He went cold.

"You saw a dead body?" he asked carefully, his brows shooting up at the incredulousness of her words.

"Yes!" She grasped onto his shoulders with a measure of ferocity. Her eyes were wide and blue. "We have to get someone. We have to – the body. Police."

"Can you show me where the body is?"

"Oh, please," she begged as tears squeezed out from her eyes and slid down her cheeks. "I couldn't – "

"Show me the direction, at least."

"There," she whispered, pointing wildly behind her. "I saw it there. By a tree. I thought – I thought he was sleeping. And in this rain, I thought he would catch a chill. So I wanted to wake him up."

She swallowed heavily, her gentle throat bobbing.

"But – but blood." Her voice trembled. "There was blood."

It couldn't be. That wasn't in the plan. He had to make sure. Damn those fools, he thought. Those underlings could no longer be trusted to take care of simple clean ups.

With the body found by an outsider, there was no choice but to have the police involved. He had to get to it in time, make sure they didn't leave evidence of their involvement. The Boss would have his head if they were implicated.

"I'll stay with the body," he said. "Can you go back to the Lodge? Are you a guest there?"

She nodded shakily. Her fingers were tight on his arms. As much as he enjoyed being in the presence of this girl with the musical voice and the long golden hair and the plush mouth, business came first.

"Alright. Once you're there, get someone to phone the police. Can you get back there yourself?"

She nodded again. Pride swelled in his chest for this unknown girl.

"Good girl," he said as he helped her to her feet. "Take care."

"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you, Sir. I'll get back there and phone the police."

He watched her as she slowly picked her way to the path, her wide eyes glancing back at him occasionally.

"What were you doing out here by yourself, by the way?" he called out.

She stilled, then turned slowly about.

"Just – just a stroll."

He waved and she turned back again, making her way to the Lodge. He advanced in the direction she came from, keeping his eyes glued to the forest floor.

A body, he thought. He'd get his hands on those boys if that body was indeed theirs.

Lazy chaps. He'd told them to dig a hole, not leave the body lying about where any stroller could find it.

The forest was strangely devoid of sound. In this weather, with the crackling of thunder and the oppressive weight of grey clouds, the animals would have stayed hidden.

The drizzle was turning into a downpour. The rain trickled from his hair and soaked his clothes. It was getting difficult to see. He cupped a hand over his eyes.

He hoped she was back at the Lodge. How long would the police take, he wondered?

And where was this body? It couldn't be far, considering it wasn't long between the first scream he heard and when she appeared.

There was a flash of black in his periphery.

"Hey!" he yelled. "You!"

The figure stopped, then dashed off again. He advanced in the figure's direction, wishing he'd brought a weapon out with him.

"Stop there!" he shouted.

He jumped over a low root and nearly fell but righted himself just in time to scramble after the man. What the hell was this supposed to mean? He didn't recognise the man. A new player?

"Come on out, then!" he called out as he trampled the floor beneath his feet, his senses on the alert for the mystery person. "Show me your face!"

He swept a length of thick branch off the ground and brandished it to test its weight. Just nice.

"There's one more of you, isn't there?" He swung the branch and held it out before him as he spun a full circle. His shoulders were tense, his movements sharp, his jaw tight. He'd get at this newcomer before he could mess with his plans.

"Don't move."

He stopped in his step. Even with the rain in his ears, he could make out the tell-tale click of a barrel from behind him.

"Always taken in by a pretty face," the voice said. "That is your undoing."

"What the hell – " he started.

No. It can't be. He didn't understand.

"I said, don't move."

A chill shot up his spine as the footsteps came closer.

"What is this about?" he growled. A roiling heat arose in his abdomen as he thought of those doe eyes, that shaking voice, that trembling frame. No.

"I must say, you did quite well. You got rid of all my associates. You eliminated them one by one. Very troublesome for me. I nearly got into a panic once."

The branch fell from his hand and rolled on the floor.

"Well," she went on, "you found the hands. You found the legs. You found the face. But did you find the brains?"

He squeezed his eyes shut as his jaw clenched.

This isn't it.

"Goodbye," said the girl with the sweet voice.

And his world went dark.

~

She stood over him as the side of her mouth curled into a sneer.

"My dear," she murmured, "what a fool you are. For the dead body is yours."

She wiped the weapon on her skirt, then dropped it at her feet.

Turning around, she opened her mouth and let out a scream.