THE SIDESHOW

Part Five – Southern Hospitality?

by Zapped!

Alone in the woods, with no place to go . . .   

   It was dark out now. Joey Goodwin was alone in the deep woods with no place to go, and unsure if he had any family left. At one point, the Grimly brothers had sent their hound dogs out in search of him and they were hot on his trail. Luckily, the teenager had come across a grouping of abandoned automobiles to take refuge in. The odd thing was; they weren’t really junk cars at all, and most looked to be fairly new and in good condition.

. . . Probably cars that belonged to more victims of the rednecks, the boy thought to himself.

   The woods out here were full of peril: there were rattlesnakes and copperheads; coyotes and wolves; bobcats and black bear. And then of course there were the hillbillies; destabilized by mass quantities of impure corn liquor and raised by generations of profound inbreeding. Literally anything could happen to you out here, and no one in the outside world would ever know.  Joey Goodwin was scared as hell!

   With a tire-iron in his hand to defend himself, Joey decides to make his way down through the woods. Eventually, the teenager comes across an old barn that looked to be occupied, judging by the light that was showing through the gaps in the wood surface. Once he makes his way to the structure, the boy climbs up onto a 55-gallon drum and attempts to take a peek through a small foggy window, but the glass is far too dirty to see through. Feeling even braver yet, the kid manages to squeeze his thin body through the narrow opening of a rolling barn door. Once inside, Joey manages to find a hiding spot behind several bales of hay, which are stacked up just inside.

   It was a short moment later, when the teen heard a sinister cackle of laughter nearby. Crouching even lower in his hiding spot, the boy looks in the direction of the laughter and is immediately horrified by what he sees . . .

________________________

 Hang around much?

   Inside the rustic looking barn were all of the missing girls from cabin number two, including: Joey’s two sisters; his mother; and even Courtney West. All four of them were suspended from a single roof beam in the barn by steel cables, which all connected into a rotating swivel-hook on each end. From each hook a victim was suspended, upside-down, by her ankles with her legs held wide apart by a steel spreader bar. (Their ankles were affixed to the bar by strong leather strapping). The hillbillies poked and prodded at each paralyzed female with their fingers as they walked along and looked their inert captives over . . .

   Lester walked up to where the blonde named Amanda – Joey’s older sister – hung, with her fingertips just touching the barn’s floor. There was a yellow hand-held controller that dangled from a cord just beside her. The redneck grabbed the box and pressed the raise button . . .

Wee…Neee…Neee…Wee...Neee…Neee…Wee…Neee…Neee…

   Amanda’s unmoving body rose upward to a convenient height for her admirer. Satisfied with her new position, the man releases the controller from his hand and reaches for the bleached-blonde’s legs to stop her body from swinging. The old man cracks a smile as Amanda’s loose T-shirt had fallen free from her waistline, to reveal the length of her luscious body. (This was almost inevitable when women were hung upside down in the barn!)  Still under the effects of the immobilizing black mamba venom they had been injected with, the paralyzed women could not move a muscle on their own or make the slightest sound.

   Joey watches in dismay as the stranger slowly glides his hands over Amanda’s half-naked body. He saw the cruel man tug her panties off to the side for a peek, before rotating the poor girl around to check out her rounded backside. The old man grinned before turning back to the others . . . 

   “Hey ya’ll, just look at them hindquarters!” Lester yells, before smacking a hand firmly across the blonde’s magnificent buttocks. (The others just laugh at the man’s lascivious behavior!)

   Wendell Woods comments from just a few feet away, “That’s one mighty fine rump indeed!”

  “Hey Elmer, how bout givin' me a hand here, huh?” requests the old man. “And bring those trauma shears with you.”

   The man that Joey recognizes as Elmer Grimly is more than happy to oblige. From his hidden position behind the stack of hay bales, the teenager watches on in horror as the rubes inhumanely inspect his eldest sister! The terrified boy tried to calm himself, but he couldn’t help but wonder what might happen next . . .

   The man they were calling Lester suddenly commands, “Go ahead n' cut that shit off!”

   Joey Goodwin watched in shock as Elmer began snipping away at sister’s clothing. Layer upon layer was eventually tossed away onto a haphazard pile on the floor. The poor kid could barely refrain himself from charging across the barn floor and assaulting the bastard:

. . . Eventually my poor sister hung there suspended, while entirely naked. Amanda was always the most outspoken one and it was just awful to see her so helpless and so silent. She just hung there; slowly swaying around in semi-circles with her eyes opened wide and her mouth gaping open. She didn’t even look like the same person when she was hanging upside-down like that. The more I watched the hackneyed redneck run his hands over my sister’s helpless body, the more I was creeped-out!

   As Elmer felt about Amanda’s defenseless body, Lester was already moving on to the hovering form of Mrs. Goodwin. He briefly sized the older woman up, before reaching for the controller that hung from the power cord beside her . . .

Wee…Neee…Neee…Wee...Neee…Neee…Wee…Neee…Neee…  

. . . The electric winch hoisted the woman up a few feet from the floor to where she now hung. By now, Mrs. Goodwin’s nightshirt had bunched-up around her arms and neck, leaving her silky lace bra and matching boxers in view. Beverly’s eyes were closed, and her expression had an almost passive look. Her face was beginning to wrinkle with age from the eighteen years of housework and raising three kids. Her dirty blonde hair was streaked with gray and fanned out around the sides of her head, as she slowly swayed back and forth. Her admirer guessed that she was pushing forty . . .

   Lester jeers, “Well mom, how are we enjoying yer family vacation so far?  …I’ll bet ya' never guessed that you’d be strung up and hanging around like a prize hog, jest a waitin' for my personal assessment, eh? Heh-heh-heh!”

   By now, Elmer Grimly approached with anticipation, eagerly awaiting the moment that his ready scissors would get called into action.

   Lester finally proposes, “Ok brother, let’s see what she’s got.”

   “Hell yeah!” exclaims the showman. Elmer quickly gets to work; cutting away the woman’s nightshirt first, before slicing through the elastic band that held the cups of her bra together. The beige undergarment falls away easily, and her breasts spilled outward from their confinement. The breasts were full, weighty, and each featured large areolas.   The perverted hick took one look at them, and immediately felt their mass within his greedy hands. The showman pinched the nipples between his boney fingers, and each of them bolted to life. (He isn’t too surprised when his brother reaches in to cup the other fleshy mound). Elmer smiles approvingly before making a few more snips to remove the rest of Mrs. Goodwin’s brasserie. A second later, the man steps back, leaving the woman hanging naked from the waist up . . .

   Elmer excitedly exclaims, “Damn Lester; those is some big ole' titties right char!”

   The man’s brother is now gripping both of the sizable melons, just to compare their relative mass. A moment later, Lester flashes a tobacco stained smile and replies, “Yeah, they sho' is!”

   Elmer impatiently brushes his brother aside, and gets to work on the woman’s lace-fringed silk boxers. Sliding his sharp blade beneath the waistband, the rube slices his way towards the woman’s vagina. With a couple of more snips up the backside, the old man parts the remains of the underwear loose, before adding them to the growing pile of discarded clothing.

   The cracker lets out an evil “Heh-heh-heh” as he parts the lips of the woman’s hairy pussy. Slipping one finger inside her, Elmer massages the walls of her passage, feeling the warmth and moisture as it wrapped around him. Inserting another finger, the man stretches her pinkness and slowly begins to pump his hand back and forth. The repetitive action begins to cause an audible sound . . .

*Squich-squich-squich-squich-squich* 

 . . . Elmer Grimly looks up at his brother with a fiendish grin, as he continues to work his slickened fingers back and forth. The dirty old man emits a cruel, “Yeeeah! . . . She’s pretty responsive for a milf! . . . Heh-heh-heh! . . . Wooohoo!”

   Meanwhile, Lester was hungrily eyeing the suspended body of Courtney West, the Goodwins’ guest on this unfortunate adventure. The man worked another control wand, and the handy industrial lift began to hoist the girl’s limp body up higher from the floor…

Wee…Neee…Neee…Wee...Neee…Neee…Wee…Neee…Neee…  

   When the whining noise of the lift finally stopped, the old man reached out to steady the girl; catching hold of her toned thighs to stop her from swinging. At this point, Courtney’s half-shirt had fallen free from her upper waist to reveal her perfectly fit tummy, and the lower curvature of her hanging breasts!

   The old man clamped both of his hands on Courtney’s sexy little rump and then squeezed it to measure its firmness. Lester spouts, “This one has a great ass too; well-formed, an nice n' tight!”

. . . There’s a series of appreciative grunts, as the other three woodchucks look on approvingly.

   Elmer inquires, “Say Lester, what’s dem thar words goin' across her be-hind any ole' way?”

   Lester steadies the girl, before stretching the material of her low-rise briefs out over her fanny. “Well hell Elmer, It jest says PINK!   . . . I done recon that it’s because o' thar pink color.”

   Elmer surmises, “Hell, jest peel dem undies off, an spread dem pussy lips wide, n' ya’ll will see another reason they call 'em pink!”

. . . A few more dirty snickers are heard in response.

   Just a few feet away, Wendell Woods was doing his own inspection. “This one’s practically flat-chested,” said the pervert, now peeling back Nicole’s baby blue tank-top. The man noticed that her hips were slender and nearly boyish, so unlike the flaring ones on the others. Woody then rotated the girl around on her spindle hook to praise, “She’s got a cute lil' ass on her though!”

   From his position beside Courtney, Lester observes, “Well, I’m sure I’ll think of somethin' fer that one.”

   Wendell counters, “Well I’m sure I could think of somethin' fer her too…Heh-heh!” The old man looks over Nikki’s suspended form once more, before he walks away; leaving the immobilized girl to rotate around eerily by her ankles in the background, her eyes staring emptily into the darkness. . .

   “Yeah, n-n-now that ol’ Gertrude is gone, ya’ll gonna' n-n-need a new c-c-companion,” reminds Weasel with his stuttering voice. (The man then went back to his own job; which was removing any remaining jewelry from the victims).

   Meanwhile, Lester was raising his shears to snip away at Courtney’s sleepwear. The old man cracks an evil smile as he eyes up the young woman’s breasts, which were pressed tight against her cotton half-shirt. The redneck cruelly traces his sharp blade around the imprint of a nipple through the light fabric . . .

   Even though her face still held its impassive expression and her eyes remained unblinking, the venom that held Courtney in paralysis was already wearing off. The young woman felt a touch that was cold and metallic brush against her skin, but she was far too weak and numb to protest. A short moment later, something long and sharp snipped away at her white tank top, leaving her totally naked from the waist up . . .

   Lester’s eyes were now focused on his victim’s glorious breasts. The hillbilly seemed impressed with their firmness and size, as he lifted them within in his palms to judge their weight . . .    The old man soon touts, “Her tits are nice and firm . . . Look like a C-cup to me!”

. . . More toothless grins are seen smiling in appreciation. The other rednecks soon began to gather around for the “unveiling” as it were.

   As Courtney began to further regain consciousness, she found that her body was still somewhat frozen. The venom was wearing off fast, and the poor girl was beginning to feel the aching pain in her ankles from the unpleasant sensation of hanging upside down.

   Down below, Weasel was now gently removing Courtney’s earrings and placing them in his coffee can, while Lester was up above and getting ready to make another slice . . .

   There was another brush of that cold and metallic object against Courtney’s soft skin; this time pressing against the smoothness of her underbelly. Sharp blades parted the front of the girl’s panties before she was rotated around 180 degrees. Leathery hands grabbed the waistband of her briefs, and with one swift yank, Lester ripped the garment from her body! The sheer force of the act caused Courtney to bobble about slightly on her cable, and she suddenly gasped at the violent action! Her breasts heave outward from her quickening breath . . . But other than that, the girl didn’t move!

. . . As I awoke in my semi-conscious state, I felt the presence of other people around me. My eyes suddenly blinked: once; twice; and then fluttered quite a few times. Slowly my eyes opened and eventually they regained their focus. I found that they burned as I began to notice the flicker of fluorescent lighting above me. That’s when I noticed something really odd; everything was frickin' upside down!

What the fuck?

. . . As I rolled my irritated eyes back and forth within their sockets, I soon realized that it was me that was on my head!   . . . I just hung there gently swaying from side to side, feeling dizzy, disoriented and with the strong urge like I was going to puke!   . . . I began to twist my head around to get an idea of where I was, and that’s when I saw a lot of legs with ratty looking blue-jean pants and wearing those shit kicker boots. Straining my neck muscles even further, I bent my head upwards to find the same hillbillies that were running the sideshow were now all around me, leering!   . . . The dirt bags were all standing there, just staring at my naked body for their own amusement!

   From afar, Joey watched with building anger. The young boy cursed beneath his breath as one of the perverts ran his hands over Courtney’s naked body; cupping her feminine curves before tracing the lines of her straining abs. The poor girl didn’t even have the ability to resist as fingertips pushed through her soft neatly trimmed pubic hair and began delicately massaging the already moist lips of her sex!   . . . The scumbag inserted two of his fingers into Courtney’s slit, and forced them in clear up to his thumb. The man then started working them around inside, before withdrawing his damp fingers to allow his brother a whiff!

   Elmer puts the finger to his nose and sniffs . . . “Mmm; smells like fresh lilacs!”

   Weasel arches his head forward and takes a whiff . . . “Heh-heh; I think she smells like cotton candy!”

   Wendell finally butts his head in and inhales deeply through his nose . . . “Mmm naw; she uses baby powder!”

   “Shoot you one crazy hillbilly boy! He-he-he-he-haw-haw!” pokes Elmer, before giving his brother-in-law a shove. 

   Lester laughs too; as he takes Courtney’s hip in one hand and slowly rotated her hanging body around on its swivel. The old man then smacks her bare ass with a loud *THWACK!* and proudly announces, “U.S.D.A. prime right char boys! . . . Harder-than-steel!” . . . (The toothless rubes all let out their sadistic laughs in unison, as they size-up the precious rump).

   Although exhausted from hanging in her awkward position, Courtney was beginning to move her head about a little more freely:

. . . As I hung upside down like some side of beef in a meat packing plant, I could feel every pint of blood that was rushing around in my head. My naked body was pretty much stretched out to its max and I was seriously aching. Fear and unexpected arousal vied for my attention, as I tried to contemplate the events leading up to my state of suspension. It was only then, when I actually began wriggling about, that the hillbillies finally took notice of my increasingly conscious condition . . .

   Suddenly the young woman jerked back and forth on her line, like a trophy bass fighting at the end of a fisherman’s pole.

   Elmer quickly warns, “Looks like ye got yerself a live one, Lester!”

   Weasel adds, “Yeah, 'yer lil' sleepin' beauty has come awake.”

   Lester stands back for a moment, allowing the determined girl to swing her reanimated arms around in the air. Courtney lets out a blood-curdling scream and continues to yell and writhe; bouncing around wildly . . . until her voice eventually goes hoarse.

   . . .That’s when the fucker looked down at me and grinned . . .

   “Well Pink, are ya’ll happy now that ya' made 'yer scene?” asks Lester, before advising, “Ya’ll can scream till 'yer lil' heart’s content, but aint nobody gonna hear ye out this deep in the piney woods!”  

   “This…this is abuse – kidnapping!” shouted the girl before demanding, “Let go of me! Put me down right now!”

   Elmer taunts, “Heh-heh, she’s jest full o' piss-n-vinegar, aint she?”

   Wendell replies, “Yeah well, most all are at that thar age.”   

   Courtney threatens, “I swear to God that my dad is a lawyer, and when he finds out about this, he’ll have you put away for life! . . . Let me down right now. . .”

   “Hmm, 'yer pappy is a lawyer eh?” inquires Wendell. “Well I guess we’ll jest have to see how his fancy law books do in these neck o' tha woods, right boys?”

. . . Another round of toothless and gnarly grins are shown, as the other trio agree with a “Hell yeah” followed by a “Yeah that’s right!”   

Courtney screamed again, “Somebody help me, please!”

   By now, Lester had palmed a hypodermic with a fresh load of snake venom in its cylinder. He then nods to his cohorts and orders, “Keep her steady boys!”

   Meanwhile, Courtney was getting angrier and a lot more terrified by the minute:

. . . Blood continued to rush to my head as I hung upside down. I tried to lift my head up long enough to see what the sick creep was going to do to me next. That’s when I saw him holding the plunger on a hypodermic tipped with a huge needle and smiling down at me! 

    Lester’s smile was almost apologetic. “I’m sorry sweetie, but we gonna have to refreeze ya' fer jest awhile longer . . .”

   Courtney shot the hick a dirty look. “What do you mean you have to ‘freeze’ me?  What’s in that thing?”

   Lester’s only reply was, “Still, it’s been awfully nice gettin' ta' chat with ya’ll.”

   Courtney struggles against the grip of her captors and demands, “Let me go dammit!”

. . . The inbred looking freaks just smile back at her.

   The young woman huffed, “Well could you at least tell me what you’re going to do with me!”

 
. . . And that’s when he jabbed me with the needle.  I let out the most piercing scream that I could ever remember. But all those bastards did, was just stand there laughing… They continued with their lewd stares, watching with looks of anticipation, as if they were waiting for something to happen . . . Nothing actually did happen to me at first.   …But then I began to feel the buzz of hot fluid streaming through my veins; its effect was warm and inviting. The strangest tingling sensation spread through my body like a wave of pleasure; its effect was all consuming… With that rush came the overpowering paralysis – my limbs were quickly turning tingly. The pounding of my heart and the burning sensation within my wide-opened eyes were my only proof that I was still alive.

And then the big one hit me.

   Lester and his kin watched, as Courtney’s body began to jerk back and forth repeatedly within their grip . . . The poor girl gasps “Oh-My-God!” with bated breath, as her pussy spasms in delight . . . A pleasurable feminine moan escapes from deep within her lungs:

* Auggggh! …Augh….A…Aaaugggh!*

. . . The young woman’s fingers spread outstretched to their fullest lengths. Her feet arch and her toes curl above their restraints. Courtney suddenly arches her back like an Olympic diver leaping for her first gold metal . . .

 * Au . . . Au . . . Augh . . . Auuuugh!  *

. . . Then the muscle tissue in Courtney’s thighs and ass cheeks tense up, as her breasts thrust proudly forward. And then all at once, the teen suddenly freezes into that very position and remains stiffly posed like a living sculpture!

   The men step back, allowing Courtney’s rigid body to swing freely . . . The teenager’s eyes were fixed wide open and didn’t blink; her mouth hung open. She just hovered there above the barn floor totally immobilized and defenseless:

. . . I tried to move or speak, but regardless of how hard I tried, I couldn’t manage to move my body in the slightest way . . .  It was as if I’d become completely frozen. I just hung there helplessly from my spindle hook, as the aftershocks of my orgasm caused me to rotate around to the left, and then to the right. My once silky hair now fanned out in the air, while my arms hung stiffly at the sides of my head. I thought for sure my life would be over at that point, but I could not have foreseen that the worst was yet to come . . .

   Lester grabs hold of Courtney’s thighs once again, and the brunette is led with her cable on a pulley out into the middle of the barn. It seemed as if the man needed some more room . . .

   “You asked what I was going to do with you, Missy,” starts Lester, before leaving the poor paralyzed girl to swing freely once again. “Well, now I’m going to tell you . . .”

   As Lester begins unhooking the suspenders from his trousers, his brother Elmer smiles to show off his mossy green teeth . . .

   “Ya' see; bein' an embalmer, I knew of all kinds a ways to preserve the human body,” Lester assures as he starts to unbuckle his trousers. He then goes on to explain, “So through trial n' error, I eventually found me a way to not only preserve your fahn body, but to be able to display it as well. I wanted my preserved girls to retain all their good looks, while maintaining their life-like feel. So, back in 80’ or so, I done started us up a museum an' set out to find me the pertiest peaches that Georgia had ta' offer.”

   By now, Lester had his pants clear down to his ankles, and he was getting ready to pull his shit-stained underwear down next. The old-timer looks over to his brother and requests, “Hey Elmer, how 'bout given 'er a bit of a lift?”

   Elmer nods his head in assurance, before he reaches for the yellow controller that hung from above and behind the young lady.

Wee…Neee…Neee…Neee…         Wee...Neee…Neee            Wee…Neee…Neee…  

   When the whining noise of the lift finally ceased, the old man reached out once again to steady the girl; catching hold of her curvy hips this time, just to stop her from swinging.

   It was just less than twenty-four hours ago, that Courtney West was looking forward to lying out on a sunny warm beach after visiting Disney World with her girlfriend. She certainly never imagined that something this inhumane could ever happen to her:

. . . As I hung there helpless, stiff as a board, with my glassy eyes staring vacantly across the barn, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was all just a really bad dream. But then again, it all felt so incredibly real.   . . . Somehow, deep down, I felt that everything that Lester was telling me was completely the truth. After all, why would he need to lie to me? . . . At this point it wasn’t like I’d be running off somewhere . . . 

   For a brief moment, I began to wonder what might be in store for me next.   . . . From my upside-down point of view, I could see this Lester guy’s limp dick, dangling right there in front of my face! Now cradling my head with one leathery hand, he easily pried my jaw open with the other. I could not move to resist as he inserted the tip of his penis into my mouth and slowly works himself inside. … (Strangely enough, I notice the taste in my mouth, and it was sharp and salty!)  I could almost feel the man tense up as he feels the warmth of my wet mouth engulf him, and I hear him let out an appreciative groan.

   With both hands now free to cradle my head, he drives his shaft in as far as it will reach, until his hairy balls hang even with my unblinking eyes.  . . . It wasn’t long before the old bastard was thrusting his hips and driving the length of his shaft deeper into my distended throat!

   Lester sneers, “That’s right city cunt; it’s time to pay up!”

. . . The other rednecks begin urging the old man on from the side, with wolf howls and rebel yells!

“Oh, uh - Ugh!”

   Humping away even harder now, the hillbilly inches deeper into Courtney’s throat. Her pouty lips implode and retract with each stroke of his shaft, as Lester’s thrusts pick up speed.

“Oh, uh-uh-uh- Oh!”

. . . As the old hick continues to have sex with my pretty face, his old sweaty balls are slapping up against my nose and forehead, making a loud noise. The whole entire scene was almost quite comical, and I almost wished I could laugh . . . Well, except for the part where he was fucking my mouth! . . . I could almost picture my little neck expanding with each stroke of his shaft. It was quite an odd sensation, but I could see why Amanda bragged about liking it so much.  Anyway, the whole thing went on for only a couple of minutes, (even though it seemed like hours). I just hung there defenseless, as he continued to take my mouth.

“Oh yes! - Oh god - oh yes - Uuuuggghhh!!!

 . . . And then, something really weird happened. I could feel the guy start to spurt something in my mouth. It was coming in with constant surges, and I clearly felt the warm substance filling my throat. I specifically remember Amanda telling me about this part, and how it would feel like chocolate pudding. Well she was half right about that part; it felt more like that chewing gum that squirts that flavoring into your mouth . . . only this taste somehow reminded me of the strong chlorine in my parents pool! 

   Now spent, Lester carefully pulls back his deflating penis from Courtney’s cum-filled throat, allowing the female’s mouth to contract to its slackened position. As he does so, a few sticky strands of goo web their way across to the teenager’s parted lips!

   Lester emit’s a  *Pheeeew!* …before wiping his sweaty brow across the sleeve of his shirt. Just as the man was about to dry off his dribbling unit, he notices the pattering sound of running feet across the barn floor . . . What the hell…?

   “You’re dead – you filthy redneck bastard!” yelled out a voice from behind him!

   Lester turns around just in time to see the youngster they’d been searching the woods for, now coming at him - full on - holding a tire iron!   . . . The startled old man steps back immediately, shouting the command, “Stop him!”

   A guy with tattoos all over his arms and with a mullet on his head, smiles to show off his missing front teeth. Joey immediately recognized the mutant as Weasel; the snake tamer from the day before!

   The redneck jeers, “Come on you puny shit; what do ya' think 'yer gonna do with that thar lil' bar, huh?”

   The provoked teenager doesn’t hesitate to take his best shot, and gives Weasel’s left knee a swift whack!   . . . The man quickly buckles down to his other knee and receives another good hit to the chin. (The crucial hit sends whatever remaining teeth the dirt bag might have had, spilling across the floor!) A final blow to the side of his head soon renders the man unconscious!

   As Lester Grimly desperately tries to pull up his pants in the background, Wendell Woods decides to take a crack at the punk . . .

   “Hey thar pretty boy, ya’ll remember me? . . . Ya’ll should, 'cause ya' done shot my wife dead, ya' little som'bitch!” 

   The angry kid swings his iron up into the gut of his opponent with all his might, and immediately buckles the hick over. Joey’s next blow slams across the back of Wendell’s neck, sending him straight to the ground. The teenager shouts, “You’ll have to do better than that, old man!”

. . . The boy ducks the reach of a large and shaggy forearm a second later, before jabbing the hooked end of his bar into the rube’s crotch. The large man lets out a moan in pain, before he’s struck again in his side. Lester Grimly - now gagging and coughing - reaches for his balls with one hand and clenches his ribs with the other, before falling off to the side . . .

   As Joey takes a step back, another man wearing dirty overalls charges him from behind. Without much effort, Elmer Grimly overtakes the boy and secures him within a headlock!

   Joey, still defiant, digs his fingers into the old man’s neck. His opponent grimaces in pain as he struggles to hold the rebellious boy, but the poor kid is clearly no match.

   Elmer yells out, “Spike his fuckin' ass already!”

   By this point, Lester had already risen again. Seething with anger and hatred, he grabs another hypodermic needle from his workbench, before returning to the chaotic scene. There was a sinister smile now spreading across his weathered face . . .

“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” taunted Lester, (now raising the needle behind the boy). The redneck criticizes, “Everybody wants ta' be a hero . . . After yesterday, I didn’t think ya' could harm another person so easily . . . But I guess ya’ll still had a little ‘killer instinct’ left in ya', eh runt?”

 The sarcastic tone made Joey close his tearful eyes, as he surely thought he was about to die.

   Elmer observes, “I don’t think he looks too happy, Lester.”

   In the background, Wendell struggled to arise again, moaning in agony. The old man ignored his bleeding wounds, and fixed a hateful stare on the boy that was held before him . . .

   Joey cries out, “My mom, my sisters and Courtney . . . My dad . . . What are you going to do to them?”

   A cackle-like laughter erupts from behind them. A somewhat familiar voice coldly advises, “Yer pappy’s already dead, boy.  Thar’s no hope fer him at dis point.”

   “No! No! . . . That’s impossible!” shouted Joey in dismay.

   “Oh it’s true,” advises Elmer from behind the boy. “I helped ole' Wendell here slide 'em inta tha burlap sack and tie the cinderblocks to 'em!   . . . We done sunk his sorry ass in the Pineville swamps!”

   Lester cruelly ads, “Yeah . . . Gators prob'ly got to 'em by now.   . . . Them snappers always did prefer fresh meat!”

   With tears in his eyes, Joey spouts, “You’re all lying!”

   Lester advises, “Don’t need to.  Time to accept your fate, runt.”

   With that said, the hillbilly secures the boy in a headlock, before jabbing the hypodermic into the teen’s neck . . .

   Joey braced himself defiantly, before expelling an “UGHH!”

. . . The boy fights against the restraint of Elmer’s bear hug, but it didn’t do any good. Joey’s small, wiry frame was no match for the hillbilly’s impressive strength.

   Wendell observes, “He’s a feisty one Lester . . . And handsome too!”

. . . A second later, a hand ran along Joey’s back before it slid down to grip his butt . . . The unwelcome advance caused the teen to jerk forward to get away from it, but the pair of forearms that were locked in a stronghold, continued to hold him in place!

. . . “Now where do ya' think 'yer goin' son?” inquires Elmer from behind.

   “Ya' done killed ma' wife, n' now I’m gonna' take it outta 'yer ass!” advises Wendell from behind the boy. “Do ya' understand me son? . . . I think 'yer gonna' make a nice lil' pet fer ma vegetable daughter, Mary Beth! . . . Heh-heh-heh!”

   Lester puts in his own two-cents worth and advises, “Now’s your time to SHINE!”

   By now, Joey was succumbing to the effects of the poisonous venom. The interior of the barn began swirling around, while the figures that stood around him were beginning to blur. The hillbillies teasing voices seemed like they were traveling through an echo chamber. From beside his ear, a voice hissed, “Sweet dreams lil' feller . . . Heh-heh-heh!”

   “That was jest in time,” Elmer nods to his brother. “I couldn’t have held on ta' that squirrelly fucker much longer!”

   A moment later, the redneck releases his grip. Joey’s hapless form drops to the floor as he slumps over at the waist.   His eyes remain open and tear-streaked.

   “Dumb little shit.” Elmer smirked as he grabbed the boy by the leg and dragged him in the direction to where the others hung. Once there, he drops Joey’s leg carelessly to the floor and asks, “What are we gonna do with this one anyway, Lester?”

   His brother says with cruel delight, “Oh . . . I’m sure we’ll find something for him.”

   “Well ya' better do sumptin' soon,” advises Elmer. The redneck then nods his head in the direction to where their brother-in-law assisted the injured Weasel, who was now trying to get up from the barn floor. The man then surmises, “Before ya' know it, ole' Wendell jest might have him bent over the fender of a car somewhere!”

________________________

   Meanwhile, as Courtney West continued to dangle helplessly by her ankles; she had watched in wide-eyed frozen amazement as her would-be knight-in-shining-armor had tried his ultimately futile best to fight off their captors:

. . . From my obscure, upside-down point of view, I watched as my little Joey fended off one challenger after another. His heroic efforts were admirable, but in the end, the young man was no match for the ruthless hillbillies.   . . . Unfortunately, he was my last and only hope.

I was beginning to accept the fact that I was soon to become nothing more than a mere decoration now; my preserved body would stand as testament to the harrowing terror and gross violation of human rights that I had been subjected to, over these past few hours.

   I was feeling more passive than ever now, unable to move a muscle, as I briefly acknowledged the warm goo that had chilled to a frost-like layer upon my parted lips and face. That redneck bastard’s unborns were now settling in from the roof of my mouth, to the back of my throat . . . I didn’t really mind though; I was almost beginning to enjoy the warm coziness of my venom-induced coma. The corners of my vision were closing in and darkening now, and I knew that it wouldn’t be long before all of my senses turned black and still . . .

* * * * * *

To be Concluded. . . with The Light At The End Of The Tunnel