Picking up David

Picking Up David
By Konrad Hartmann

The man bucked and squirmed but Megan held on, locking her arm around his neck, the other hand forcing the rag into his face.

“Brandi! His legs!” Megan yelled, trying not to inhale the fumes. She saw her petite friend, Brandi, kicking at the back of his knees. The man's legs buckled, but he kept himself up against the side of the car. He was not much older than Megan, but more athletic. She knew the fumes had to be doing something or she would never have been able to get this far. Megan wanted to yell for help. The thought almost made her smile as it darted through her mind. Her arms burned and the man clutched a lock of her long, red hair, tearing it out. Megan groaned as she saw Brandi run away. I can't give up, Megan thought, not now. He saw my face. Saw Brandi's face. He even has some of my ripped out hair in his hand. Brandi, where the fuck are you going?

She felt her arms weaken while his seemed to grow stronger. He punched her in the thigh, pain surging through her leg. She gripped tighter around his neck, as much to keep from falling as to subdue him, leaning, hanging her weight on him. For once, Megan was glad to not be as thin and small as Brandi. She usually cursed her extra weight, but now it felt like an advantage, if a slight one. She wanted to yell for Brandi but the fumes made her queasy, as much as she tried avoiding them. Panic pumped through her heart as she wondered what to do. His one hand pummeled her thigh, heavy breasts, and stomach. It was too late to run. They were on the side of a back road. How long before a car drove by and saw them? He would go to the police, even if he didn't beat the shit out of her first. Worst of all, the Young would reject her, and she would never see them again. Never. The thought frustrated her, rage pumping her up, and she kneed at the man's groin, over and over. But still he stood.

Megan saw Brandi's face appear, grinning. Brandi swung something and finally the target buckled to the ground, the rag coming away from his face long enough for him to bellow out a moan. He landed with his leg twisted at a bad angle. Brandi stood over him, holding a heavy piece of tree branch in her hands, panting. She raised it up, and looked about to bring it down on his head.

“No!” Megan yelled, her voice hoarse as she climbed on top of the man, jamming the rag over his face. “Get his arms!”

Brandi ran around, slamming the branch down on his flailing arms.

“Hold them!” Megan yelled. “Hold his arms!”

Brandi grabbed his battered arms, one by one, sitting down on the ground and pressing one foot into each collarbone.

“Put the cuffs on him!” Megan said.

“They're in the car!” Brandi said.

“Oh, you are fucking kidding me,” Megan said, her sweat soaked hair sticking to her face.

“How long does that shit take?” Brandi gasping, struggling to hold his arms.

“I. Don't. Know. Brandi,” Megan said, grating her teeth. “Fuck it.” Megan moved up, putting her knee down against his throat. She pressed her weight down until his arms seemed to lose their strength. “Brandi. Get the cuffs. Now!” Brandi let go and scampered away. The man's arms flopped, listlessly banging into Megan. Brandi returned with the sets of plastic strap-cuffs. “Come on, flip him over.” The pair managed to get him on his stomach, tightening cuffs on wrists, then ankles. Brandi fetched tape and a ball from the mini-van, and soon they had him gagged. He groaned, semi-conscious as they dragged him across the gravel. Getting him into the van proved to be a struggle almost as bad as first subduing him, hefting and dragging his dead weight through the side door.

Megan slammed the door shut once he was in, and dove into the driver's seat. The adrenaline rush fading, Megan leaned over the steering wheel, pain flowing through her body. Tears filled her eyes.

“Where's his phone?” Megan asked, feeling her scalp where the hair was ripped out.

“Right here,” Brandi said.

“What kind? Oh. The battery doesn't come out of those. Put it back in his car. Wipe your prints.”

Brandi climbed out, holding the phone with her shirt and throwing it into the car before getting back in the van.

“What about his car?” Brandi asked as Megan stomped the gas pedal, the wheels throwing gravel behind them.

“I don't know. I don't know. Hopefully, they'll take care of it,” Megan said.

Sweat soaked her clothing. Her fingers clawed at the settings on the temperature controls, trying to clear the quickly fogging windshield.

“Yeah, but what if they don't?” Brandi asked, rubbing her short pixie haircut, her hair red like Megan's, but dyed.

“I don't fucking know, Brandi!”

“Sorry.”

“I don't know. It's just, we had to do it now. If we didn't do it now, when could we? Maybe never? And then they don't come back. Ever,” Megan said. “Cuff him again to the metal under the seats.”

“Okay,” Brandi said. “He's waking up. Sort of. Should we use the ether or whatever that stuff is?”

“If he gets rammy, yeah, but not if he's just awake. I thought that stuff worked faster than that. Ow. I got really beat up back there,” Megan said. It was dark, but she knew she would have heavy bruising all over her body.

“Are you alright?” Brandi asked.

“Yeah. Yeah, I think so. I never got beat up that bad. I'm assuming this is normal. Ow. Fuck.”

They drove in silence for a bit. Megan glanced back and saw Brandi sitting on the floor next to the man, stroking his head.

“What if it doesn't happen tonight?” Brandi asked.

“What if we don't get pregnant?” Megan asked.

“Maybe, yeah. But what if they don't come at all? What if they're just not coming back? What do we do with him?” Brandi asked.

“Why wouldn't they show up? They left this van for us. Why would they want us to grab him, bring him to out to the spot, and then what? Let him go? Kill him?” Brandi's questions annoyed Megan, digging up her own fears. “Why would they want us to possibly get caught and maybe tell the police about them?”

“Well, what if we did get caught?” Brandi said. “What if we did tell the cops everything? I mean, they would just have proof that we kidnapped this guy. But other than that, we'd just look like two crazy people, you know what I mean?”

Megan cleared her throat.

“And we, first of all we won't get caught. Right?” Megan said. “But if we do get caught, Brandi, that's exactly our story. We're two crazy women who wanted to get pregnant.”

“But what if we don't get caught, but they don't come, either? What do we do with him?” Brandi asked.

“Brandi, I don't know. What do you think we should do with him then?” Megan asked, without emotion.

“I don't know,” Brandi said, her voice small.

“Listen,” Megan said. “I'm pretty sure they've done this before. Or I think we would've heard about people getting caught kidnapping people. It would be in the news, wouldn't it?”

“I guess,” Brandi said. “But we could've easily gotten caught back there, too. Like, we don't know what we're doing, Megan. We never kidnapped anyone before. No one ever trained us. We didn't even know how to use that ether or whatever it is. It would take just one car driving past us, or him seeing you coming a second earlier. Anything. If they did this a lot, this sloppy, don't you think they would get caught once in a while?”

“Well, yeah, but we do hear about failed kidnappings in the news. Maybe some of those are like us,” Megan said.

“But they always seem like, some guy trying to abduct a woman in order to rape her or something. Not women abducting guys. Have you ever heard of that? When was the last time?” Brandi said.

“Brandi, that's exactly my point,” Megan said, excited, feeling like she had an edge on Brandi's argument now. “We don't hear of anyone who might be like us. That's why I'm confident.”

Brandi replied with silence instead of acknowledging the point, annoying Megan.

“Ever been pregnant?” Brandi asked after a few minutes.

“No,” Megan said.

“I think I was, once,” Brandi said. “Maybe. What if we don't get pregnant this time?”

“I don't know, Brandi. What's going on with you? Why are you bringing up all this shit now? We talked all about this. A lot. You said you were ready every bit as much as I did. And, honestly, right now, I could use a little more stability from you. It's not the time, Brandi. It's not the time to say what if this or what if that. Please don't turn into a child on me. I need you to be a little more confident and stop second guessing every fucking thing--”

“Alright, fine, just, please slow down, Megan. I don't think we need to crash or get pulled over right now, either,” Brandi blurted out.

Megan glanced down at the speedometer, surprised at how fast she was driving. She eased off the pedal. She wondered if she should have come out alone that night, but realized that without Brandi's help back on the side of the road, she would have failed. They drove on, sulking.

“How much longer is it?” Brandi asked.

“I don't know. A while. Why?” Megan snapped.

“Just asking, Megan. Just asking. Hey, our boy's really making some noise like he wants to say something. Should I dose him?”

“Eh. Not if we don't have to. They said, has to be alive, and conscious is better. Besides, we don't really need to be smelling more of the fumes,” Megan said. She listened as he groaned and grunted, apparently trying to vocalize something. “You know what? Pull the tape off. Can you peel the tape off, but be ready to gag him again?”

“Yeah!” Brandi said.

“All right, yeah. Let's talk a little,” Megan said.

“Thank you!” the man croaked, his voice hoarse. “I don't understand. What's, what's going on? Why are you doing this?”

“Well,” Megan said. “We need you.”

“What? Why do you need me?” he asked.

“You're an offering,” Megan said. “To Shub-Niggurath.”

“To shrub what?! What do mean 'offering?!'” he said. “Is this like a cult or something?”

“Yeah, I guess you could call it that,” Brandi said.

“But 'cult' didn't used to be a bad word,” Megan said.

“Okay, okay, what do you mean 'offering?'” he said. “Whatever you have in mind, let's talk.”

“What we have in mind is to present you as a sacrifice, a sacrificial offering to Shub-Niggurath,” Megan said. It felt awkward to say it. It was the first time she had clearly verbalized it.

“And, and Shub-Noggurat, he's like your god or something?!” the man asked, hysteria stretching his voice.

“She,” Brandi said, still stroking his head. “She's a goddess.”

“So you're actually planning on killing me?!” he cried.

“Yes,” Brandi said.

“Well, not us,” Megan said. “The Young will do the actual working.”

“Okay, listen, listen, what the fuck is 'The Young?'” he asked.

“The Thousand Young,” Megan said, “of Shub-Niggurath, the Black Goat of the Woods.”

“Well, not all thousand,” Brandi said.

“No, not all of them,” Megan sighed. “Some of them.”

“Listen, listen, let's talk. My name's David. What's, what're your names?” David asked.

“Megan,” Megan said.

“I don't know if we should give our names,” Brandi said.

“First names are fine,” he said. “I don't need to know last names. Don't want to know. Make them up if you want. I just want to talk.”

“Megan Anderson and Brandi Stevens,” Megan said. “Brandi, he's not going to be able to tell anyone your name.”

“Okay, Megan, Brandi, listen. I don't know what these people, whoever you've been talking to, I don't know what they told you,” David said. “But think about what you're saying. You're talking about what? Murder, right? You're talking about actually killing someone. Me. Do you understand that?”

“Why, because meat is murder?” Megan laughed.

“Well, it's not about, maybe you don't care about me. I mean, why would you? You don't know me, right? Fine. But they can still, they will charge you with murder, even if you don't do it yourself. No statute of limitations. Think about that. Ever been to prison, Brandi?”

“A little,” Brandi said.

“Okay. Megan?” he asked.

“No,” Megan said.

“Well, look, you're about to do something you can't take back. Ever. And what for? What would you possibly gain from me dying as a sacrifice to Shrub-Whatever?” he asked.

Megan heard the crack of knuckles on flesh.

“Shub-Niggurath,” Brandi said, enunciating.

“Okay, okay. Shub-Niggurath,” David said, sounding out the name. “What would, what magical thing would happen if I became a human sacrifice to her?”

“Magical?” Megan asked. “Yeah, I guess it is magical, if you want to call it that. What will happen is, the Black Goat will receive you through one of the Young chosen for the task.”

“Who's the Black Goat?” David asked.

“Shub-Niggurath,” Brandi said. “One of the Young will host her. You will be consumed. And Megan and I will bear the seeds of the Young.”

“So, you're saying,” David said, “a black goat will possess some person, and that person will eat me? Is that like a Satan Wicca thing?
Cannibalism? You're talking about cannibalism?”

“Cannibalism is within the same species,” Brandi said.

“Yeah! Because you two are humans! Like me! Look, I don't know what these people put into your head, some kind of brainwashing, indoctrination, I don't know. Maybe we can work something out. What is it you want? You two are saying you want to get pregnant?”

“Yes,” Megan said, smiling, “yes, we do.”

“Well, I can't believe I'm saying this, but, I could do that,” David said.
Brandi laughed.

“You could get us pregnant?” Megan asked.

“Aw, you'd do that for us?” Brandi laughed.

“Seriously,” David said. “I know I have a good sperm count. I've gotten women pregnant before.”

“Oh, is that why they gave us your name?” Megan asked.

“I don't know why they gave you my name,” David said.

“Are you sure?” Megan asked. “Because someone gave us your name. Someone apparently felt some sort of way about you.”

“I have no fucking clue, I swear to God,” he said.

“Yeah? No idea? Because we're getting you because I gave them my mother's name,” Megan said. “Somewhere, someone is picking her up. I'll never know who, but, yeah.”

“You got your own mother sacrificed?” David asked. “Why?”

“You don't have enough time to hear the story, David,” Megan said. “But I know you did something, too. Because that's how it works. I'll probably never know the person who named you. Same for whoever's getting my mother.”

“I have no idea, Megan. I swear,” David said. “But listen. I heard what you said. What you guys were talking about, like what if you don't get pregnant, what if they don't show up? I can help you. Really.”

“So you could get us both pregnant?” Brandi said.

“Yes,” he answered.

“Right now?” Megan asked, chuckling.

“Yes. But you have to swear to let me go if I do,” he said.

“Fine,” Brandi said, shucking off her jacket.

“Whoa, I didn't agree to this,” Megan said.

“Up to you,” Brandi said. “I'm just casting my yes vote.”

Megan glanced back as she drove. Brandi peeled off her sweaty top, uncupping her bra from a pair of uptilted breasts. Megan heard her kick off her shoes, then saw her wiggle out of her jeans. Megan's own clothes felt cold now as the sweat cooled, but the sight of Brandi's body pulsed warm through her own body. Brandi was small and slight without being bony, moving like the flicker of a flame. Megan wanted to be back there, touching Brandi. The hunger dug into her, just like she knew it was hitting Brandi. Megan felt her vagina widen up, wanting either or both of the people. She saw Brandi's little white ass in the reflection of the panel lights, heard the sound of a buckle hitting the floor. Megan didn't know if Brandi was serious or not about letting him go, but it wasn't up to Brandi anyway and they both knew it. They would bring David, no matter what.

“I don't know, Megan. Look,” Brandi said, squatting back to let her see David's thick but flaccid cock. Brandi wiggled it. “Never happened before, right, David?”

“Never been kidnapped before, either, with a possibly broken leg,” he snapped. “Just, suck on it a little.”

Brandi grinned and bent down. Megan struggled to keep her attention on the road, glancing back and forth between mirror and road. She saw the tip of Brandi's tongue flicker along David's dick before audibly sucking it in, sinking in her cheeks. Megan saw Brandi's head gradually lifting as the organ in her mouth swelled.

“Good boy,” Brandi said, leaning back, shaking David's now-erect penis. She shoved David into position on his back on the floor of the van.

“This would be better if I could touch you,” he said. “Just one hand.”

“Heh, no,” Megan said from her seat.

“I don't need you to touch me,” Brandi said, straddling him awkwardly, her one leg under the seat. Megan saw her reaching between her legs, murmuring as she worked David's organ into herself. Megan felt herself sweating again, glancing back and forth to see Brandi lowering herself down, the petite woman grinding, grunting. Soon, Brandi was bucking up and down, flesh slapping as she settled into a fast, steady rhythm. Megan smelled Brandi's sweat and arousal mingling with her own. She knew Brandi was coming by the way her breath smelled, changing to an odor like blue. Megan heard her own pulse as she listened to Brandi whimper, the little ragged squeak of a cry that always gave away Brandi's orgasms. She thought about how much Brandi's cunt tightened when she came last time they played, clenching around Megan's fingers. “You like that, David?” Brandi said, slapping his chest, gasping for breath. “You like being tied up, getting fucked like that? Gonna come for me, honey? Can you do that?” She reached back, playing with his balls as she rode him.

“Oh, God, unh!” David grunted out, and Megan laughed, listening to his sputtering breath.

“You're up, lady,” Brandi said, climbing off David and picking up her panties. “Let me get dressed and I'll drive.”

Megan paused, trying to think. The promise was to let him go if he got them both pregnant, a feat which couldn't be proven that night. Still, it was a potentially binding oath if she went through with it, she thought. She tried to ignore the ache inside herself, tried to focus, but found herself pulling over as soon as Brandi dressed. She climbed out of the seat and into the back, her fingers stroking Brandi's arm as they exchanged places.
Megan peeled off her cold, wet clothes.

“You broke it,” she said as she knelt, touching David's now-soft prick.

“Gotta blow him up,” Brandi said.

Megan crouched down, sucking him into her mouth, tasting Brandi's juices on it. She sucked harder, more to taste Brandi than to get him hard, and in a few moments, the organ stiffened just enough to function. Megan climbed up onto him, relishing the tang of his fear-sweat in her nose. Her side hurt and she wondered if she had a cracked rib, but the pain seemed like something outside herself now. She jammed David's cock inside of herself, leaning forward and pushing one breast into his face.

“Suck,” she said, an electric shock threading through her body from her nipple as he nursed at it. Megan jammed her hand down between them, down to her swollen clitoris, making herself shiver as she touched it. “That's pretty impressive,” she said, her voice shaking. “To stay hard, even knowing what will happen to you tonight. The way the Young, when they're being ridden by Shub-Niggurath, I never saw it, but they say they can keep the victim alive, even as they core him out. They core him out--,” She trailed off, feeling the orgasm quickly threading itself through her body, pulling tight its strands. The small thought that she couldn't let David come voiced itself, but the onrushing wave crushed it. Blood rushed in her ears as she closed her eyes, weightless, she spun, feeling like the van rolled. She sucked air into her lungs, nerves exploding. When she could hear again, Brandi was talking.

“And they can still scream,” Megan heard Brandi saying, “even split open like that. It threads through the urethra, like a wire with thorns, and then it gets pulled out through the flesh, like sideways, kind of like one of those wires slicing cheese, and at the same time, the eggs get implanted inside the cored-out digestive track, through the expanded cavity. Anyway, that's the best I could describe what I learned.”

Megan felt David's flaccid prick sliding out of her. He was crying.

“Did he--?” Megan asked.

“Oh, fuck, no,” Brandi laughed.

“What happened, David?” Megan asked, climbing off of him. She felt hungry and angry, so she knelt on his injured leg.

“Ow, no, fuck, ow!” he screamed, so she kept kneeling, his squeals and shouts making her laugh.

“Megan!” Brandi cried.

Megan looked up at the red and blue lights, and fought the urge to vomit.

“No fucking way,” Megan groaned, scrambling to dress herself. She pulled on pants and jacket and shoes.

“Ha, you're fucking caught you stupid whores! You fucking cultists!” David cackled.

“The blanket!” Brandi said, pulling the van over.

Megan grabbed the blanket from the back of the van. She shoved the ball back into David's mouth, tearing off more duct tape and wrapping it sloppily around his head before throwing the blanket over him. He thrashed beneath it, making laughing sounds through his gag. Megan heard a snicking sound, and looked up to see Brandi's white knuckles gripping a now opened folding knife, holding it by her side as she stared hard at the driver's window.

“Brandi! Put it away!” Megan said.

“I can't. We can't get caught,” Brandi said, turning off the ignition.

“Brandi, no! He will shoot you! Don't fucking try it! Put it away!” Megan said. The spotlight from the police car lit up the van interior. A dozen plans pulsed through her head, none of them good. Try to use the ether on the cop. Use it on Brandi. Use it on David. Use it on herself. Run away. Act crazy. Drive away. Lay on the floor and hope not to get shot while Brandi tries to stab the cop out through the window. Take the knife and stab David. Take the knife and stab herself.

Instead she sat on the seat, stomping down on David through the blanket, harder and harder, trying to shut him up.

“Brandi, give me the fucking knife or I am running!” Megan hissed.

“So what the fuck do we do?” Brandi hissed back, closing the knife and tossing it back to Megan.

“Just calm the fuck down,” Megan said, voice shaking. “Just act normal. Say I'm sick.” Her foot found David's neck and she pressed down, hoping to try the choke-out technique without the chemical. “If he finds this piece of shit, we just say we need to talk to our lawyers and then we shut up.” Megan jumped as she heard the rapping on the passenger side window. The officer stood outside, shining his flashlight into Brandi's face. Brandi hit the button to roll down the window. Her face looked white and waxy in the light, expressionless.

“Good evening. License and registration?” he asked.

“Uh, do you have the registration?” Brandi asked Megan.

“No,” Megan said, her voice hoarse. “Not my van.” Beneath her feet, David squirmed, making her legs jump. He made moaning noises through his gag. She waited for the officer to react, feeling numb, frozen.

“License is fine,” he said. “You, too.” He flicked the flashlight beam onto Megan.

“Uh, my purse, Brandi?” Brandi handed the purse back and Megan pulled out her license, unable to think straight. She handed it to the officer. He examined both licenses. Megan felt her hand going towards the folding knife, not knowing what she would do but feeling compelled to do something, anything.

“What you got there?” the officer asked without looking up.

“What?” Megan asked, still reaching.

“Right there,” he said, finally looking up at her, shining the light on the writhing blanket.

“I need to, to speak to a lawyer,” Megan said, her voice tight.

“Come on, come on,” he laughed. “Pull it off. I have to check.”

Megan hesitated.

“Take your hand off whatever you're reaching for,” the officer said, his voice now loud and hard, “and pull off the blanket. And keys out of the ignition, Stevens. We don't have all night.” His hand seemed to reach back to rest on his gun.

Megan reached down and flipped the blanket back with one hand, flicking the knife open and holding it to David's throat.

“What exactly are you doing?” the officer asked, his voice more annoyed than alarmed.

“Let us go or I kill him,” Megan said.

“Why? We catch David Harris. And you're gonna kill him? Right now?” he asked.

“If you don't let us go,” Megan said quietly.

“Wait are you with...?” Brandi asked the officer.

“Yeah,” he laughed. “I'm with.”

“So,” Megan exhaled. “So you're not a real cop.”

“I didn't say that,” the officer said. “Just said I'm with. Either of you wounded?” He nodded towards David.

“Him?” Megan asked.

“No,” he sighed. “Only matters that he's alive. You two. Ladies. You get hurt taking him down? You can put the knife away. Don't let him get a hold of it. Did you?”

“I'm pretty bruised, but, I think I'm all right,” Megan said, feeling her heart still pounding.

“I'm fine,” Brandi said.

David's face and body slackened, his eyes slowly swiveling between the three people.

“Where's his gun?” the officer asked.

“We didn't see one,” Megan said. “Brandi?”

Brandi shook her head no.

“Unless it was in the car. We didn't stick around to check. What, is he a cop?” Brandi asked, her voice crisp.

“Not a cop,” the cop said. “Investigator, I think he likes to call himself. Put bullets in the last three people who tried to grab him. If this is your first grab, you have no idea how lucky you are.”

“Would've been nice to know,” Megan hissed.

“Eh, didn't help the last few people. And you're new faces so, they probably figured you had a shot. Shit, I would've bet against it, though, to be honest,” the officer said. “Anyway, time to move. You got him secure? Let me see. Yeah, that'll work. Follow me. We're close.”

“Wait, so he knows about us?” Brandi called out as the officer walked away.

“Oh, hell, yes,” he said. “He's been hunting us.”

#

Megan sucked cold December air into her lungs as she walked next to Brandi through the pines. She glanced back towards the road and saw the tail lights of the van disappearing, followed by the police car. She looked at the people walking with her, counting a dozen. Some of them looked as human as Brandi or herself. Others bore an almost simian shape, their eyes reflecting her stare in the moonlight, pupils rectangular. They carried David, strapped to a litter in their midst.

“It's for real,” Brandi whispered, smiling and gripping Megan's hand. Megan hugged her with one arm as they walked. Deep from the woods, a voice bellowed through the winter air, the words at first incoherent, but Megan and Brandi knew what to call back, their voices joining the throats of those around them in a single shouted response, leaping out of them like a reflex, like an orgasm burning blue under the blazing moon,

“Ia! Shub-Niggurath! The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young!”