Chapter Text
"I love you too, Jean. I'll see you tomorrow." Johnny hang the horn back up on the payphone. He closed his eyes for a second to stave off exhaustion. He still had at least four hours to go until the next truck stop where he could sleep for a few hours, if he actually wanted to keep his promise to his wife to be home tomorrow. He grabbed a pack of smokes out of the breast pocket of his flannel, along with his Zippo lighter. He'd grab a cup of coffee, smoke a cigarette, and start heading home. He loved trucker life, the truck stops, all the different cities, but he loved going home most. He'd be home too late to see the kids, but he was already excited thinking about waking up early, and baking blueberry pancakes so the kids could wake up to the smell of dad being home.
God, the coffee was disgusting; the machine looked like it might be older than him, but it would keep him up at least. He popped a cigarette in his mouth and lit it as he pushed open the door to the outside. He drained the plastic cup and tossed in the trash as he heard some noise. He looked over to the commotion and saw a kid, really he couldn't have been older than 16, surrounded by a bunch of adults, different ages, some barely legal, but others definitely old enough to know better. It was immediately clear that these weren't friends, the older ones were laughing, but in a mean-spirited way. The boy raised his hands, saying something Johnny couldn't quite hear, but the tone was pleading. He took another drag of his cigarette and started moving closer. It didn't sit right with him that they all were ganging up on this kid. Getting closer now he could hear the laughter, it send shivers up his spine. He saw a guy shove the kid against the wall forcefully.
"Hey," He called out as he tossed the last of his cigarette to the floor and stomped it out with his boot. "You a bunch of tough guys? Picking on a kid half your size, six to one?" They all turned their heads in unison, with smirks on their faces.
"And what are you going to do about it?" The guy that had shoved the kid growled at him. Now that Johnny got closer he saw the guy looked weird as hell, cowboy boots with actual spurs, dirty, ripped jeans, long hair, denim shirt half open, streaked with all kinds of dirt and grime.
"Nothing, if you lot are smart about it." Johnny pumped himself up a little, he wasn't the biggest guy, but he was strong and looked it, and he knew that he could look very intimidating to people. Usually he didn't like it that much, people looking at him with worried eyes, but now and then it really did come in handy.
All six of them had now turned around to face him, so he quickly nodded at the kid to run away from here, but the kid seemed frozen in terror. Johnny was so focused on the kid that he didn't realise that all these people had a very different expression on his face than he was used to. They weren't scared, they weren't worried, they weren't even angry, they looked at him with anticipation, like this had been what they had been hoping for all along. But Johnny wasn't scared, he had never really been like that. He stepped close, face to face with the wannabe cowboy, grabbed the kid by the arm and yanked him behind him. "Kid, just go!"
He heard a woman laugh, or woman, girl? He wasn't quite sure, she was an adult, but she was maybe in her early twenties, dark hair, Hispanic, absolutely beautiful, but she still made Johnny's hair stand on end. "He's not going anywhere. Go ahead, look."
He knew it was a trap, but he still looked, he didn't understand why the kid wasn't running, he was just standing there, a terrified but almost empty look on his face. That's when Johnny got punched. He doubled over, pain radiating from his stomach. Part of him had known it was coming, but the speed with which it happened still surprised him, he hadn't been ready. That punch instantly changed this entire situation though, Johnny righted himself, socking the guy who hit him in the jaw. Only vaguely aware out of the corner of his eye that the woman ran around the group and grabbed the kid. It seemed like she moved faster than was possible, but he really couldn't focus on that as he had 5 other people ganging up on him like this.
His main focus was the big guy with the cowboy boots, he seemed the strongest, and also maybe the leader, he really wasn't exactly sure but he was the only one actually attacking right now. Johnny wasn't a professional fighter, but he knew enough about all of this to hold his own, at least for a little bit. He vaguely wondered what he had gotten himself into, and hoped that there was someone else on this truck stop that called the cops, the gas station employee maybe. He did realise that they were out of sight, and other than the eight of them it seemed abandoned. It seemed like these people were more organised than they looked at first glance, they had picked the perfect spot.
Before he could think more about it he got grabbed by his upper arms and slammed against the wall by the man. Johnny lifted his arms, or really arm, the other hurt like hell to move, he could only assume that it was broken. He tried to push the other man off him, but there was no point, especially with one arm he just wasn't strong enough.
Now that they were as close as they were, and Johnny got the chance to view him up close, he almost found him kind of handsome; his dark eyes seemed warm and inviting, and that crooked smile, Johnny was having a hard time focussing on what was actually going on. He must have a concussion or something? What a weird thing to think about during all this. At the same time he looked dangerous, the look on his face so amused, like a predator playing with his food, not at all what he would expect during a good fight, he didn't even seem out of breath, while Johnny was panting heavily with strain.
Johnny knew with absolute certainty he was going to die here if he didn't get away. he thought of his wife, his kids, he'd do anything to see them again, so that was what he was going to do, he had to keep trying. He let out an animalistic scream as he lifted his good arm and pulled it back for a punch, all the energy he had left was put in it. And though it connected (he could feel the pain in his own hand) and he clearly broke the other man's jaw, the man cursed, but didn't let go and then laughed at him. Then the man looked down for a moment and as he looked back up it looked like nothing had happened, his face was as smooth as it had been before, though there still were a few specks of blood.
Johnny was terrified, he didn't understand what was happening, this didn't make any sense. The man leaned close to him, so close their noses were almost touching, pinning him further against the wall. He patted his cheek gently. "Oh I am going to keep you, and we are going to have so much fun, you and me."
He moved one hand to Johnny's broken arm, gripping it tight. Pain burst outwards from his grip, and Johnny had to give everything to not just scream, feeling a wave of nausea come over him he clenched his jaw as hard as he could. The man's other hand moved Johnny's head so that he could brush his nose up Johnny's throat. Johnny still tried to struggle, yelling for him to stop, fighting against the man's grip, even though the pain was starting to get too much. Part of him wondered how the sensation of the man's nose and now lips on his skin could even register through all this pain, let alone feel as good as they did.
The man pulled him back from the wall and slammed him back, but protected Johnny's head from the worst of it. He didn't understand. These guys were obviously here for the thrill of the kill, but there seemed to be more to it. He didn't have time to ponder that too deeply though. He gave the man a headbutt, hearing a crack as he broke his nose.
Even though the other man laughed, the glint in his eyes had turned from almost playful to dangerous, he clearly wasn't happy and pulled Johnny close, grabbing him behind the neck and bending him forward to knee him in the stomach. Johnny groaned, slowly sinking to his knees, and getting a kick to the face, he slumped fully to the ground and receiving a few more kicks to the stomach from multiple people. This was it, this was how he was going to die. He couldn't even try to get himself upright anymore, it hurt too much.
"I love when you fight them, but if you keep going like this he's going to die before we can do what we came here for." He heard the woman, that had snatched the kid, say.
"You're right," the man sounded dissapointed. He grabbed Johnny underneath his armpits and hauled him off the ground. Johnny's vision came in and out of focus, feeling lightheaded from pain and a possible concussion. The man grabbed Johnny's face with his hand, forcing him to look at him. "We both know that I would win if we continued this fight like this, and you'd never see your family again." He raised the hand where Johnny wore his wedding ring, "so be a good lad, and stop fighting." Johnny tried to nod, but the man's grip on his face was too strong.
He didn't believe for a second that they would let him go to his family, he had no reason to trust them, but all of a sudden he didn't feel as angry or scared. The way the man looked at him was still predatory, but instead of uncomfortable Johnny found that he was losing himself in it; the glint in his eyes, the way the corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk. He tried to shake his head from these thoughts, what was he doing? He had a wife, this was not the situation for these kinds of thoughts, he needed to get out. He got pulled back from his struggle by searing pain, as the man squeezed the break in his arm.
"I always forget how fragile they are," the man sounded regretful, not in the way you talk about other people, but the way you talk about a chair you broke by sitting on it with too much force. "I think I deserve a little fun in all this." Johnny didn't agree with the sentiment, but he couldn't help but be curious to what this fun would mean. That is until he watched the man bite down on his wrist and force the bloody wound against Johnny's mouth.
He tried to turn his head, to struggle, but he was trapped, and after maybe a second or two, when the blood touched his tongue he stopped. He groaned, not out of pain this time, but pleasure in ways he hadn't experienced ever before. He could still feel his injuries, but they were on the background now, on the foreground was this man and his… blood? He wasn't sure, but it tasted so damn good, he didn't think he had ever tasted anything that felt as good. What the fuck was he doing? What was wrong with him? His arms immediately shot out trying to keep the wrist to his mouth, his tongue and teeth worrying the wound, trying to get more. This is what it must feel like to use drugs, he immediately felt almost high, all his senses felt sharpened and dulled at the same time, his whole world had condensed into this single moment, a sense of warmth and power rushed through his veins. He wanted to feel like this forever, he didn't know if there was anything he wouldn't do to feel this again. It was only when the man pulled away his wrist, keeping Johnny pinned to the wall with his other hand that he realised that he was reaching out with both his arms, and sure his broken arm was sore, but he had full motion back, and his vision had cleared as well. He looked up at the man in confusion, who just grinned. "Don't worry about it, kid."
Before Johnny could say anything he doubled over after being hit in the stomach and being yanked back up by his hair and slammed back into the wall. On instinct Johnny lifted his leg and kicked at the man's kneecap, harder than he had kicked anything before, harder than he would have thought possible. The man stumbled back, but there was no anger this time, just a manic excitement. "This is more like it!" He was right upon Johnny again in an instant. holding him hostage against the wall. "Come on, struggle, try and get out. You've never been stronger than you are now."
Johnny tried, he could feel the power surging through him that the other man was talking about, but it still wasn't enough. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get break free, and after a while he started to give up. That's when he felt the other man's lips back on his throat. After all the pain, it felt kind of good, but he couldn't, this man, this was horrible, none of this made any sense. He put his hands on the guy's shoulders, panicking when he feels teeth brush his skin, redoubling his efforts to get away. However as soon as those teeth sank into his skin push became pull. Clinging to the man as the world seemed to disappear, the pain in his body, not gone exactly, but pleasurable, better even than drinking the blood had been. Pleasure was radiating from his neck through his entire body in waves. He was vaguely aware of a kind of desperate moaning sound, only to realise that it was coming out of his mouth. He didn't have the brain capacity to feel embarrassed though, it felt too good, in a very different way than tasting the blood had been. But all too soon it stopped, the pleasure ebbed and the pain came back tenfold it seemed. He wanted to go back to moments ago, trying to keep the man from leaving. For a second it was all he could think about.
He still felt a little dazed as the man's face swam back into view, grinning at him with a mouth red with blood, pulling back his fist to hit Johnny. In a reflex Johnny moved his head faster than someone should be able to. He was just in time and heard the wall crack behind him. He knew he had to run, there was something seriously wrong here and if he didn't go he would die or worse, he was absolutely certain of it. He figured he'd use the momentum he had so he reared back and gave him a headbutt, it caused the man to take a step back. Johnny turned to make a run for it but before he had even moved one step the man had gripped him by the shoulder and slammed him back in the wall; he sounded impressed rather than angry or upset.
"Not bad kid, but you're not going anywhere,especially after that." He shifted his hand, it had a branch or at least some kind of wood in it. Johnny opened his mouth, but before anything could come out the other man slammed the wooden stake through Johnny's shoulder in the wall. Instead of screaming he ended up gasping against the pain. "There, that should keep you from moving." The man sounded pleased with himself. Johnny tried to move, but quickly stopped the pain was too much, all he could do was take shallow, quick, painful breaths, trying not to pass out from the pain.
"Stop playing with your food, mister 'Black Hand'," the woman rolled her eyes, as she started dragging the dead kid. "We need to get started."
Johnny watched the kid being dragged off, tears in his eyes, unsure whether it was just guilt or the pain, really it was probably both. His attention was quickly pulled back to the man in front of him as pain radiated from his shoulder by the man tapping the stake still imbedded in his shoulder to get his attention. He leaned in close enough that Johnny could feel him putting more pressure on the piece of wood. "Don't worry, I'll make this good, you've earned it." And there wasn't just malice in there Johnny thought, the sincerity confused him, for as far as he still had the capacity to think.
That last bit of capacity for thought was soon taken away when the man put his lips back on his throat, not exactly kissing him, more licking him clean almost. Johnny's entire body went stiff with anticipation, not out of fear but hunger. His arms lifting and grabbing the other man by the shoulders, pulling him tight against him. And it was before the fangs had bitten down again, so he couldn't even use that as an excuse. What was he doing? He wasn't even trying to fight anymore, eh was welcoming it.
As soon as those teeth pierced his skin again all worry about any of that faded to the background. The only focus was keeping this feeling going. The only thing that managed to break through was the sound of a zipper and a hand on his hardened cock, he hadn't even realised he had gotten hard. How was that even possible? Even the cold touch of that hand didn't do anything to soften him. What was wrong with him? How could he get turned on by any of this? There was something seriously wrong with him. But even as he questioned his own sanity his hips were thrusting into the cold hand holding him, desperately chasing an orgasm, begging the other man. Please, he needed more, he needed to come, he'd do anything to come.
The other man laughed at his words. "I'll hold you to that, kid." He did give Johnny what he begged for, biting over and over on his throat and collar bone, drinking deep and keeping his hand moving, even after Johnny had come.
The noise of himself whimpering at the feeling of the hand rubbing him raw, while he was unable to move away from the overstimulation because he was still staked to the wall was the last thing Johnny heard as the world slowly faded away
Next thing he knew he was being dragged along the asphalt, he could feel his skin being scraped raw, but the pain didn't really register. He didn't feel any pain, or not pain as he had ever experienced, mostly just another feeling. It was of an intensity that he couldn't cling to consciousness, while at the same time being too present for him to blissfully slip away. He could feel his mouth being wet with blood, still going down his throat. All he could focus on was the the man that had grabbed him by an arm. He was dragging him like Johnny was nothing, his other hand casually swinging back and forth, the black crescent moon that slipped in and out of view was like an anchor. And Johnny wondered, is that why they call him the Black Hand?
There was a perspective shift, he felt himself being tossed and all of a sudden he looked up at the sky, cloudless and full of stars. It felt like it was mocking him, horrible things shouldn't happen on beautiful nights like this. It was his last half formed thought before the dirt started falling. A man preaching from a book, but they weren't words he had ever heard in any bible. If he had had any energy left he might have again wondered who the fuck these people were, but as it was he just lay there. He knew he had to try and get out of it, try and crawl away, get home to his family. But he knew he wouldn't be able to, plus after the horror of the past hours, (no it couldn't have been more than half an hour) the thought of giving in, no longer having to fight, sounded so tempting; to not have to remember what happened, what he had let happen, to just have no conscious thought at all.
It's finally over, that was his last conscious thought before the darkness took over, only darkness didn't take over everything at least not for long. He could still feel the dirt crushing him, the body parts of other people below him, because he had figured that was what he had landed on. Then he also felt the darkness creep into his consciousness. However it felt like before the darkness had fully set in his body filled with rage, fear and something else, hunger, he was so goddamn hungry. He had never felt anything like this, it was intense and all encompassing, he knew two things; he had to get out of here, and no one was going to stop him. Others were feeling the exact same it seemed, the still matrass of bodies from before was a roiling mass of limbs. Grabbing, pulling, tearing.
Johnny didn't really focus much on it at first, all he could think about was that he had to get out, that is until one grabbed him. Without thinking he grabbed the hand and yanked, so hard it quickly start giving way, Johnny didn't blink an eye though, he didn't even really think about what that meant, he didn't care, he just had one goal. This happened a few more times, feeling limbs give way far too easily, until he could start to feel his fingers break through the top, and touch the cold night air. He redoubled his efforts, though it seemed the mass of limbs did as well.
He finally broke through,taking a big gasp of air, which didn't do anything for him. Looking around he saw the Black Hand, a new focus for his rage, he finished climbing out, and ran arms outstretched, ready to take this man down. The Black Hand seemed delighted though, smirking at the woman as he stepped aside. "Told you mine would be first, I win." Then he turned to Johnny, who was turning around and getting ready for another go at him, like a bull raging against the matador. "Whoa big guy, come on, you get prize while we see how many you left to crawl out after you." He grabbed Johnny by the neck and yanked a young girl towards him. Before Johnny really knew what was going on he had his teeth in her neck and was swallowing mouthfuls of blood finally feeling that hunger still somewhat.
Soon enough there was no more blood coming from her no matter how hard he drank. He let go of the body and noticed he could at least think a little more clearly. Then he looked down in horror, seeing the young girl, and it was like his body rejected the blood, ejecting it violently from his system. He had just killed this girl, and all he could think of was Jessica. Seeing all the others still being distracted by what was happening in the pit, he considered running away, but where was he going to go? He had just killed a bunch of people in that pit, just drained this girl, and he knew that if there was another one he'd have drained them just as easily. He didn't belong with his family, he was a monster, and didn't that mean he was right where he belonged?