come near me,” Toby said.
“We’re not near you.”
“You wanna go to jail? Is that it? Do you think I’m not gonna tell the cops that you followed me? Get the fuck out of here!”
“But Toooooooooby,” said Larry. “That’s not verrrrrrrryniiiiiiiice! You shouldn’t use such ruuuuuuuuuude language!”
“I’ll scream,” Toby warned.
As the gales of laughter hit him, Toby wished he’d said just about anything else in the world but “I’ll scream.” I’ll scream? Had those words really come out of his mouth? Not “I’ll sic my monster buddy on you” or “I’ll smash your heads together like overripe nectarines” but “I’ll scream.” Even with the potential of another severe beating looming, Toby couldn’t help but focus on being absolutely mortified.
He quickly corrected himself. “I’ve got a knife,” he said.
“You really think that scares us?” Larry asked.
“It should.”
“It doesn’t.”
“You think I won’t use it, but I will,” said Toby. “It’s self-defense. I won’t get in any trouble.”
Larry sneered. “Oh, yeah? Self-defend yourself against this.” When his right hand came into view, he was holding a revolver.
C HAPTER S EVEN
A gun. Larry actually had a gun. What the hell was going on here? These were supposed to be bullies, not killers!
He glanced back at Nick to see his reaction to this insanity. Nick held a gun of his own, pointed right at Toby.
Toby wasn’t sure how to react. To his surprise, he felt more anger than fear, although there was still plenty of fear. He wanted to simultaneously attack, cry, and, yes, scream.
Larry and Nick slowly walked toward him, guns raised, moving in such a deliberate manner that it almost looked choreographed. Should Toby run? There was plenty of tree cover, but he couldn’t come close to outrunning them, and even with a lot of weaving he’d have a bullet in the back before he made it 500 feet.
“Quit playing around,” said Toby. “Those could go off. That’s manslaughter.”
“Only if it’s an accident.”
They couldn’t really intend to shoot him. It just wasn’t possible. The whole situation was out of control, but it wasn’t that far out of control, was it? Though he’d brainstormed quite a few ways he could die, being hunted as human prey by two of his classmates wasn’t one that had ever occurred to him.
“What are you going to do?” he asked.
“We’re going to make you pay,” Nick said.
“You’ll go to jail.”
“Not if they don’t find your body.”
“They’ll know it was you.”
“You think so? I’m not so sure. I bet you didn’t think we’d come after you with guns, did you?”
“And my dad’s got connections,” said Larry.
They continued walking toward him. Toby wasn’t even able to fantasize of a scenario where he heroically defeated the two villains. If they were serious, he was dead.
But of course they weren’t serious. They couldn’t be.
“Get down on your knees,” said Larry.
Toby shook his head. “No.”
“You know what would get you down on your knees fast? A bullet. Have you ever seen somebody’s kneecap shatter?”
“There’s bone and blood everywhere,” Nick said.
“It’s horrific.”
“It’s disgusting.”
“And it really, really hurts.”
“You won’t do it,” Toby insisted. “I’m not stupid.”
“What’s more stupid?” Larry asked. “Falling for a joke, or getting shot in the knees because you were too dumb to realize that we meant what we said?”
It was a solid point. At the same time, there was a very large chance that Larry and Nick were just playing around, and a very small chance that they genuinely intended to shoot him if he didn’t comply. Before he gave them yet more fodder for ridicule, he was going to make absolutely sure that—
“On. Your. Knees.” Larry’s eyes looked cold and dead.
Toby knelt down on the ground. Now he was absolutely terrified.
Larry and Nick walked over to him. “Let’s
“We’re not near you.”
“You wanna go to jail? Is that it? Do you think I’m not gonna tell the cops that you followed me? Get the fuck out of here!”
“But Toooooooooby,” said Larry. “That’s not verrrrrrrryniiiiiiiice! You shouldn’t use such ruuuuuuuuuude language!”
“I’ll scream,” Toby warned.
As the gales of laughter hit him, Toby wished he’d said just about anything else in the world but “I’ll scream.” I’ll scream? Had those words really come out of his mouth? Not “I’ll sic my monster buddy on you” or “I’ll smash your heads together like overripe nectarines” but “I’ll scream.” Even with the potential of another severe beating looming, Toby couldn’t help but focus on being absolutely mortified.
He quickly corrected himself. “I’ve got a knife,” he said.
“You really think that scares us?” Larry asked.
“It should.”
“It doesn’t.”
“You think I won’t use it, but I will,” said Toby. “It’s self-defense. I won’t get in any trouble.”
Larry sneered. “Oh, yeah? Self-defend yourself against this.” When his right hand came into view, he was holding a revolver.
C HAPTER S EVEN
A gun. Larry actually had a gun. What the hell was going on here? These were supposed to be bullies, not killers!
He glanced back at Nick to see his reaction to this insanity. Nick held a gun of his own, pointed right at Toby.
Toby wasn’t sure how to react. To his surprise, he felt more anger than fear, although there was still plenty of fear. He wanted to simultaneously attack, cry, and, yes, scream.
Larry and Nick slowly walked toward him, guns raised, moving in such a deliberate manner that it almost looked choreographed. Should Toby run? There was plenty of tree cover, but he couldn’t come close to outrunning them, and even with a lot of weaving he’d have a bullet in the back before he made it 500 feet.
“Quit playing around,” said Toby. “Those could go off. That’s manslaughter.”
“Only if it’s an accident.”
They couldn’t really intend to shoot him. It just wasn’t possible. The whole situation was out of control, but it wasn’t that far out of control, was it? Though he’d brainstormed quite a few ways he could die, being hunted as human prey by two of his classmates wasn’t one that had ever occurred to him.
“What are you going to do?” he asked.
“We’re going to make you pay,” Nick said.
“You’ll go to jail.”
“Not if they don’t find your body.”
“They’ll know it was you.”
“You think so? I’m not so sure. I bet you didn’t think we’d come after you with guns, did you?”
“And my dad’s got connections,” said Larry.
They continued walking toward him. Toby wasn’t even able to fantasize of a scenario where he heroically defeated the two villains. If they were serious, he was dead.
But of course they weren’t serious. They couldn’t be.
“Get down on your knees,” said Larry.
Toby shook his head. “No.”
“You know what would get you down on your knees fast? A bullet. Have you ever seen somebody’s kneecap shatter?”
“There’s bone and blood everywhere,” Nick said.
“It’s horrific.”
“It’s disgusting.”
“And it really, really hurts.”
“You won’t do it,” Toby insisted. “I’m not stupid.”
“What’s more stupid?” Larry asked. “Falling for a joke, or getting shot in the knees because you were too dumb to realize that we meant what we said?”
It was a solid point. At the same time, there was a very large chance that Larry and Nick were just playing around, and a very small chance that they genuinely intended to shoot him if he didn’t comply. Before he gave them yet more fodder for ridicule, he was going to make absolutely sure that—
“On. Your. Knees.” Larry’s eyes looked cold and dead.
Toby knelt down on the ground. Now he was absolutely terrified.
Larry and Nick walked over to him. “Let’s
Similar Books
