Chapter One: Tasteful
Pitch black split in horizontal arcs across Evan Cavore�s vision. The world was blurry and slowly began to filter in. The air was thick with the taint of rusted metal and burning meat. Slowly he came to see skeletal corpses clung to the walls, chains draped around their bodies in tight embrace. What remained of their tender flesh was leathered by time. This was a hell worse than Evan had ever conceived. Death by flame was scary enough, but to be the choice decor brought all new fears to the surface.
Evan screamed aloud, but could only muster a weak hum as his gag pushed back his tongue and choked him. He was weak, his eyes were heavy, he recognized this feeling�someone drugged him�again. He was being dragged through the hallway, closer to the screams of others who seemed to be sharing his fate. �God,� he thought, �if you�d get me out of here�I swear I�ll never kill again.� He knew better than to promise this, if he got free the assholes dragging him down this long hallway were dead as hell�but maybe God might not exactly be aware. It was a hope he didn�t really rely on, God never stepped in before. Always worth a try though.
He looked up to his left at the heavy-set man hoisting him by arm and leg, it was hard to see straight in the torchlight, but it was enough to make his asshole pucker. This guy was nasty, his eyes were beady and stared at Evan with a desire that border lined starvation. Shirtless and in what appeared to be cut-off jeans. As the ugly guy noticed Evan watching him, he gave an eager grin, each golden tooth filed to a point.
�You is gonna taste nice.� The overgrown cannibal said through his fangs, which were still bared, still grinning.
Evan could only hum thanks to his bound mouth, but had he been able to speak, it would have sounded like, �Fuck me��
He stopped staring and looked at the woman hoisting his other arm and leg. Her black hair was cropped short, just below her chin. He couldn�t see through the hooded, black shroud that hid her from the world. She looked him in the eyes and smiled, her teeth were normal at least, save for a missing canine. He�d seen her before, he knew it, but couldn�t figure out where. This shed a little light, but it still didn�t explain where he�d met her, until she spoke.
�I told you sugar, I was gonna eat that dick. Didn�t I?� She let out a sickening laugh and shook her head slowly, �Didn�t believe me then did ya boyo? Was thinking I just was gonna suck ya sack and take ya money huh? Well you be wrong�so wrong child.�
Sheba�yeah, that was her name. Just a few weeks ago she�d given him a good ride, real cheap too. Seemed like a good deal then, decent looking lady willing to do the work for cheap always was. Even though Evan was in deep shit, all he could think about was how much he saved that night.
As the end of the hallway approached and white light filled his gaze he started thinking of the events that led to this. How did he get here? Who the fuck drugged his drink, someone close. Maybe Angie, she -was- his fixer. Didn�t fit though, he hadn�t had a hit in nearly two weeks. There was Ander, but he wasn�t around anymore, not since he tried stealing Evan�s watch. What the fuck happened? He couldn�t think of anything, couldn�t even remember having a drink.
Then the hall ended and from nowhere came a wave of heat, the hot smell of roasted human was sickening, and Evan could withstand its disgusting odor no more. His stomach heaved hard, causing him to throw up despite the gag that was stuffed in his mouth. With nowhere else to go it made its way out the only way it could.
�Shit!� shouted Sheba, �I don�t want him to be a dead man till he�s been cooked.� She released Evan�s arm and began fumbling about for the key that would unseal his gagged mouth.
Evan�s hand hit the ground and despite his desperate attempts to puke and breathe at the same time, his focus was on that free hand. He tried desperately to control his thoughts through the haze of the tranquilizer currently flowing through his veins. His muscles clenched, and from beneath his fingernails, small tendrils of silver gleamed. �Money well spent,� he thought through his relentless heaving. His hand hesitated for a moment longer, and with one final push, five small scalpel blades sprang out.
Sheba hadn�t noticed in her attempt to find her keys, and fortunately, neither had the big oaf holding Evan�s left arm. Evan wanted that other hand free, two hands were better than one any day. His bladed hand came off the ground with undeterred speed but missed the big man�s arm by just a few inches. This sort of mistake would usually have cost a man his life, but for Evan, it was pure luck. His razor-tipped fingers struck home deep between his restrainer�s thighs. Evan gripped and pulled as hard as he could and was met with a wailing scream, warm blood, and subsequently, the release of his left hand.
As Evan hit the ground, the heavy-set man fell back on his rear, clutching what was once his prized possessions. Sheba�s hands froze as she looked up to see her partner hit the ground, screaming like a gutted pig, and bleeding like one too. When suddenly a shot of pain hit the back of her foot, her weight shifted and she couldn�t help but fall forward as Evan�s left hand cleaved her Achilles� tendon in two.
Evan was still puking, and was suffocating on his own bile as he rolled over on top of Sheba�s screaming form. His hands instinctively encircled her throat, each convulsion of his torso clenching his grip that much more, his bladed fingers slicing into her flesh at the back of her neck. Evan tried to scream through the gag, but was met with another violent heave as he took his first good inhale since entering this roasting pit. He�d had enough of the gag, and brought one hand down to try and find Sheba�s keys. As he searched through her pockets, still choking her with his left hand, she tried reaching for her knife. Evan caught sight of her nimble fingers and raises his left over his head, razors glistening in the firelight as they crossed the air and left five wide gashes through Sheba�s throat. She tried to scream, but nothing but gargled blood came, her hands sought the knife no longer, and instead clenched at the mortal wound Evan had inflicted upon her thin neck.
Evan, secure in the fact that this bitch was no longer a threat, began picking through her pockets again as she lay beneath him twitching and gasping for air. �Finally� he thought and plucked the key out of her coat, stood up and unlatched the gag, and puked what was left of his guts out. It hurt like hell to finally get release, but it was better than inhaling his own bile any day.
After his stomach had calmed down, and the smell of the room had finally become tolerable, Evan looked around slowly. He figured there were more around here, but discarded the thought almost instantly. What happened to Sheba was no quick event, and the big guy still sat there screaming. Evan wiped one bladed hand over his mouth and flung what was at one time the contents of his stomach on the ground. This room was smaller than he�d have imagined, but it was enough for its purpose. Three fifty gallon barrels were aligned in the center of the room with a large spit hanging overhead. Fires bellowed from the steel drums, licking what looked to be a man tied to the spit by barbed wire. The torches that lined the walls barely lit the room, outside the center, but the walls were as in the hallway. How many corpses were there? Evan couldn�t understand how two people could have done this.
His mouth frowned in disgust and he shook his head. He needed answers, and fortunately he hadn�t completely killed everyone this time. He turned around slowly and made his way back to Sheba�s corpse, digging through her pockets again. This time around, looking for his store-bought drugs. After a few moments he smiled and pulled out a small plastic tube with a twist off tip. He plucked the top of the tube free which exposed a tiny needle point and he made his way toward the heavy bleeder who screamed alone.
�Hold the fuck still!� Evan screamed, acknowledging that telling the man to shut the fuck up wouldn�t exactly work, he�d admitted in silence that he would have been screaming too.
The big man brought one calloused hand up to shield his face, its blood drenched surface quivering. Evan raises his own razor tipped hand and spoke through his teeth, �Put it down or I give you a neck-tie asshole.�
The big man�s hand went back down to grope at his devastated groin. Evan stuck the plastic tube against the heavy guy�s neck and injected the painkiller into his bloodstream. Grade-A stuff too, wasn�t thirty seconds and the big guy stopped screaming, and crying as his eyes hazed over. His breathing was still heavy, since his body was in shock at this point. Luckily the drugs had a positive effect against severe pain though, temporarily shutting down the section of nerves responsible for transmitting the information to the brain.
Standing there over his fallen enemy, Evan opened both of his hands slowly and spoke, �What the hell is your name fat ass?�
�Hen-Henry,� he said through quivering, blue lips. �I�m�I-I�m so cold.�
�Not my problem is it asshole?� Evan said in a snide tone, �How do I get out of here eh Henry? I think you better tell me before I finish what I started with your nuts.�
Henry wavered for a minute, nausea setting in as the blood-loss pushed him further into shock. His words made their way, but stuttered fiercely in their execution, �B-back d-down, down the ha-hall. Door l-l-left.�
Before making his way down the hallway Evan was sure to search Sheba�s corpse and managed to retrieve a few of his own personal belongings. His mendicants ranging from sealing foam to a few painkillers were thankfully intact, as was his personal cred-chip, and his favorite toy. It appeared to the naked eye as a box roughly the diameter of an antique compact disc case. It was fairly wide and appeared to open on hinges like any normal container, but this particular device required coded entry. Nine backlit buttons were set on the side of the black box. Evan keyed in only one number and hit the execute key, holding the item in his palm. The black titanium polymer shifted and reformed, leaving behind an average sized pistol-like weapon. This was all he needed right now.
�Guess you�ve never really seen one of these have you Henry?� Evan said as he rummaged through what was once Sheba, �Lucky I didn�t have to use it on you. Wouldn�t be any nuts to pry at.�
Evan stood now, looked over at Henry who wasn�t even clutching himself anymore. It seemed the big oaf managed to finally bleed to death. Evan shrugged and made his way toward the roasting spit that twisted over the flaming barrels. The corpse that spun above the flame had already been charred beyond recognition, he�d been there too long. One booted foot lifted and kicked the centermost barrel on its side, sending flame and ash onto the stained floors. Two more kicks sent the others down and quickly caught the corpses along the walls in their hot pour. Evan turned and tried to quickly make his way out of here.
His body was still sluggish, whatever toxin they�d used on him passed through his implants without any issue. Fortunately though the effects were wearing off quickly. Who poisoned him though? He still couldn�t figure it out, and as he finally came to the door on the left, his left buttock itched. Reaching down to relieve himself, his finger caught something. He plucked a tiny dart and couldn�t help but smirk as he tossed it to the floor. Everyone he knew had just been spared his wrath by a simple itch.
Surely enough the door was locked, as Evan figured it would be. A moment of investigation showed the hinges weren�t on this side, and therefore susceptible to a good kick, but he decided the lock just might be too tough. He lifted the small titanium object held in his hand and pulled the trigger, aiming at the steel door�s lock. Blue light flickered as a streak of energy burst from the weapon and impacted with a heavy thump. The lock burst into flame temporarily as the super-heated liquid seared its surface, and it was only a moment later there was nothing but a smoldering hole remaining. A stiff kick sent the door flying inward on its hinges, slamming against another hallway. Evan sighed and walked through.
The corridor went on for what felt like miles, curving in several different directions, and Evan was tired of walking. Smoke curled up behind him and he turned to see nothing but black tendrils lurking in his direction. The fire was spreading fast, he needed to get out soon. His pace quickened and he sprinted his way until he came to a ladder running up the wall. On his way up, Evan could see the faint, red glow bouncing down the hall. He reached the top of the ladder and lifted the grate that barred his way.
Evan pulled himself through the hole in what was now his floor and slammed the steel doorway closed. A long and dark corridor was what he seen, with all other directions surrounded by damp concrete, it was his only choice. He�d been here before. Not this particular area really, but he knew sewers when he seen them. Though not his favorite place to be, compared to the smell of burned flesh, human waste wasn�t all that bad. All he needed to do now was wander around until he found his way out. As Evan moved forward, an unseen spectator watched from behind an electronic eye. The surveillance camera panned slowly as Evan disappeared out of sight.
Pitch black split in horizontal arcs across Evan Cavore�s vision. The world was blurry and slowly began to filter in. The air was thick with the taint of rusted metal and burning meat. Slowly he came to see skeletal corpses clung to the walls, chains draped around their bodies in tight embrace. What remained of their tender flesh was leathered by time. This was a hell worse than Evan had ever conceived. Death by flame was scary enough, but to be the choice decor brought all new fears to the surface.
Evan screamed aloud, but could only muster a weak hum as his gag pushed back his tongue and choked him. He was weak, his eyes were heavy, he recognized this feeling�someone drugged him�again. He was being dragged through the hallway, closer to the screams of others who seemed to be sharing his fate. �God,� he thought, �if you�d get me out of here�I swear I�ll never kill again.� He knew better than to promise this, if he got free the assholes dragging him down this long hallway were dead as hell�but maybe God might not exactly be aware. It was a hope he didn�t really rely on, God never stepped in before. Always worth a try though.
He looked up to his left at the heavy-set man hoisting him by arm and leg, it was hard to see straight in the torchlight, but it was enough to make his asshole pucker. This guy was nasty, his eyes were beady and stared at Evan with a desire that border lined starvation. Shirtless and in what appeared to be cut-off jeans. As the ugly guy noticed Evan watching him, he gave an eager grin, each golden tooth filed to a point.
�You is gonna taste nice.� The overgrown cannibal said through his fangs, which were still bared, still grinning.
Evan could only hum thanks to his bound mouth, but had he been able to speak, it would have sounded like, �Fuck me��
He stopped staring and looked at the woman hoisting his other arm and leg. Her black hair was cropped short, just below her chin. He couldn�t see through the hooded, black shroud that hid her from the world. She looked him in the eyes and smiled, her teeth were normal at least, save for a missing canine. He�d seen her before, he knew it, but couldn�t figure out where. This shed a little light, but it still didn�t explain where he�d met her, until she spoke.
�I told you sugar, I was gonna eat that dick. Didn�t I?� She let out a sickening laugh and shook her head slowly, �Didn�t believe me then did ya boyo? Was thinking I just was gonna suck ya sack and take ya money huh? Well you be wrong�so wrong child.�
Sheba�yeah, that was her name. Just a few weeks ago she�d given him a good ride, real cheap too. Seemed like a good deal then, decent looking lady willing to do the work for cheap always was. Even though Evan was in deep shit, all he could think about was how much he saved that night.
As the end of the hallway approached and white light filled his gaze he started thinking of the events that led to this. How did he get here? Who the fuck drugged his drink, someone close. Maybe Angie, she -was- his fixer. Didn�t fit though, he hadn�t had a hit in nearly two weeks. There was Ander, but he wasn�t around anymore, not since he tried stealing Evan�s watch. What the fuck happened? He couldn�t think of anything, couldn�t even remember having a drink.
Then the hall ended and from nowhere came a wave of heat, the hot smell of roasted human was sickening, and Evan could withstand its disgusting odor no more. His stomach heaved hard, causing him to throw up despite the gag that was stuffed in his mouth. With nowhere else to go it made its way out the only way it could.
�Shit!� shouted Sheba, �I don�t want him to be a dead man till he�s been cooked.� She released Evan�s arm and began fumbling about for the key that would unseal his gagged mouth.
Evan�s hand hit the ground and despite his desperate attempts to puke and breathe at the same time, his focus was on that free hand. He tried desperately to control his thoughts through the haze of the tranquilizer currently flowing through his veins. His muscles clenched, and from beneath his fingernails, small tendrils of silver gleamed. �Money well spent,� he thought through his relentless heaving. His hand hesitated for a moment longer, and with one final push, five small scalpel blades sprang out.
Sheba hadn�t noticed in her attempt to find her keys, and fortunately, neither had the big oaf holding Evan�s left arm. Evan wanted that other hand free, two hands were better than one any day. His bladed hand came off the ground with undeterred speed but missed the big man�s arm by just a few inches. This sort of mistake would usually have cost a man his life, but for Evan, it was pure luck. His razor-tipped fingers struck home deep between his restrainer�s thighs. Evan gripped and pulled as hard as he could and was met with a wailing scream, warm blood, and subsequently, the release of his left hand.
As Evan hit the ground, the heavy-set man fell back on his rear, clutching what was once his prized possessions. Sheba�s hands froze as she looked up to see her partner hit the ground, screaming like a gutted pig, and bleeding like one too. When suddenly a shot of pain hit the back of her foot, her weight shifted and she couldn�t help but fall forward as Evan�s left hand cleaved her Achilles� tendon in two.
Evan was still puking, and was suffocating on his own bile as he rolled over on top of Sheba�s screaming form. His hands instinctively encircled her throat, each convulsion of his torso clenching his grip that much more, his bladed fingers slicing into her flesh at the back of her neck. Evan tried to scream through the gag, but was met with another violent heave as he took his first good inhale since entering this roasting pit. He�d had enough of the gag, and brought one hand down to try and find Sheba�s keys. As he searched through her pockets, still choking her with his left hand, she tried reaching for her knife. Evan caught sight of her nimble fingers and raises his left over his head, razors glistening in the firelight as they crossed the air and left five wide gashes through Sheba�s throat. She tried to scream, but nothing but gargled blood came, her hands sought the knife no longer, and instead clenched at the mortal wound Evan had inflicted upon her thin neck.
Evan, secure in the fact that this bitch was no longer a threat, began picking through her pockets again as she lay beneath him twitching and gasping for air. �Finally� he thought and plucked the key out of her coat, stood up and unlatched the gag, and puked what was left of his guts out. It hurt like hell to finally get release, but it was better than inhaling his own bile any day.
After his stomach had calmed down, and the smell of the room had finally become tolerable, Evan looked around slowly. He figured there were more around here, but discarded the thought almost instantly. What happened to Sheba was no quick event, and the big guy still sat there screaming. Evan wiped one bladed hand over his mouth and flung what was at one time the contents of his stomach on the ground. This room was smaller than he�d have imagined, but it was enough for its purpose. Three fifty gallon barrels were aligned in the center of the room with a large spit hanging overhead. Fires bellowed from the steel drums, licking what looked to be a man tied to the spit by barbed wire. The torches that lined the walls barely lit the room, outside the center, but the walls were as in the hallway. How many corpses were there? Evan couldn�t understand how two people could have done this.
His mouth frowned in disgust and he shook his head. He needed answers, and fortunately he hadn�t completely killed everyone this time. He turned around slowly and made his way back to Sheba�s corpse, digging through her pockets again. This time around, looking for his store-bought drugs. After a few moments he smiled and pulled out a small plastic tube with a twist off tip. He plucked the top of the tube free which exposed a tiny needle point and he made his way toward the heavy bleeder who screamed alone.
�Hold the fuck still!� Evan screamed, acknowledging that telling the man to shut the fuck up wouldn�t exactly work, he�d admitted in silence that he would have been screaming too.
The big man brought one calloused hand up to shield his face, its blood drenched surface quivering. Evan raises his own razor tipped hand and spoke through his teeth, �Put it down or I give you a neck-tie asshole.�
The big man�s hand went back down to grope at his devastated groin. Evan stuck the plastic tube against the heavy guy�s neck and injected the painkiller into his bloodstream. Grade-A stuff too, wasn�t thirty seconds and the big guy stopped screaming, and crying as his eyes hazed over. His breathing was still heavy, since his body was in shock at this point. Luckily the drugs had a positive effect against severe pain though, temporarily shutting down the section of nerves responsible for transmitting the information to the brain.
Standing there over his fallen enemy, Evan opened both of his hands slowly and spoke, �What the hell is your name fat ass?�
�Hen-Henry,� he said through quivering, blue lips. �I�m�I-I�m so cold.�
�Not my problem is it asshole?� Evan said in a snide tone, �How do I get out of here eh Henry? I think you better tell me before I finish what I started with your nuts.�
Henry wavered for a minute, nausea setting in as the blood-loss pushed him further into shock. His words made their way, but stuttered fiercely in their execution, �B-back d-down, down the ha-hall. Door l-l-left.�
Before making his way down the hallway Evan was sure to search Sheba�s corpse and managed to retrieve a few of his own personal belongings. His mendicants ranging from sealing foam to a few painkillers were thankfully intact, as was his personal cred-chip, and his favorite toy. It appeared to the naked eye as a box roughly the diameter of an antique compact disc case. It was fairly wide and appeared to open on hinges like any normal container, but this particular device required coded entry. Nine backlit buttons were set on the side of the black box. Evan keyed in only one number and hit the execute key, holding the item in his palm. The black titanium polymer shifted and reformed, leaving behind an average sized pistol-like weapon. This was all he needed right now.
�Guess you�ve never really seen one of these have you Henry?� Evan said as he rummaged through what was once Sheba, �Lucky I didn�t have to use it on you. Wouldn�t be any nuts to pry at.�
Evan stood now, looked over at Henry who wasn�t even clutching himself anymore. It seemed the big oaf managed to finally bleed to death. Evan shrugged and made his way toward the roasting spit that twisted over the flaming barrels. The corpse that spun above the flame had already been charred beyond recognition, he�d been there too long. One booted foot lifted and kicked the centermost barrel on its side, sending flame and ash onto the stained floors. Two more kicks sent the others down and quickly caught the corpses along the walls in their hot pour. Evan turned and tried to quickly make his way out of here.
His body was still sluggish, whatever toxin they�d used on him passed through his implants without any issue. Fortunately though the effects were wearing off quickly. Who poisoned him though? He still couldn�t figure it out, and as he finally came to the door on the left, his left buttock itched. Reaching down to relieve himself, his finger caught something. He plucked a tiny dart and couldn�t help but smirk as he tossed it to the floor. Everyone he knew had just been spared his wrath by a simple itch.
Surely enough the door was locked, as Evan figured it would be. A moment of investigation showed the hinges weren�t on this side, and therefore susceptible to a good kick, but he decided the lock just might be too tough. He lifted the small titanium object held in his hand and pulled the trigger, aiming at the steel door�s lock. Blue light flickered as a streak of energy burst from the weapon and impacted with a heavy thump. The lock burst into flame temporarily as the super-heated liquid seared its surface, and it was only a moment later there was nothing but a smoldering hole remaining. A stiff kick sent the door flying inward on its hinges, slamming against another hallway. Evan sighed and walked through.
The corridor went on for what felt like miles, curving in several different directions, and Evan was tired of walking. Smoke curled up behind him and he turned to see nothing but black tendrils lurking in his direction. The fire was spreading fast, he needed to get out soon. His pace quickened and he sprinted his way until he came to a ladder running up the wall. On his way up, Evan could see the faint, red glow bouncing down the hall. He reached the top of the ladder and lifted the grate that barred his way.
Evan pulled himself through the hole in what was now his floor and slammed the steel doorway closed. A long and dark corridor was what he seen, with all other directions surrounded by damp concrete, it was his only choice. He�d been here before. Not this particular area really, but he knew sewers when he seen them. Though not his favorite place to be, compared to the smell of burned flesh, human waste wasn�t all that bad. All he needed to do now was wander around until he found his way out. As Evan moved forward, an unseen spectator watched from behind an electronic eye. The surveillance camera panned slowly as Evan disappeared out of sight.
STREET SAM
