Violence wasn't something he was a stranger to. He'd seen dear ol' dad knock his mother around enough times to realize that it wasn't something anyone asked for. It simply was. It existed the way any creature on earth did, and like a forest fire, it could be snuffed out with the right materials - or fed by the wrong ones. And as helpless as he'd been way back, hiding behind the staircase banister, so helpless he felt against the urge gnawing at his insides.
"Are you sure about this?"
Chuck promptly snorted, turning a heavy lidded gaze towards the youth beside him. Jesus, this boy was jumpier than a goddamn bullfrog on a blazing skillet. He could feel every twitch and fidget and, sighing, he laid a gentle palm atop on of his shoulders.
"Listen, bud. Y'ain't gotta worry about nothin'," He began slow, sure-sounding. They had been crouched in the brushes for about seven minutes or so, watching as the couple camping just a few feet away talked between themselves, canoodling and otherwise unaware of their position. "Y'know why I choose them, yeah? One, it's two on two, so it's totally even. An' three?-- Uh, two? They're city folk. I'm talkin' Upstate New York yuppie types. Don't nobody whose actually gon' campin' bring a space heater. That shit's for pussies,"
The boy - Andrew - didn't seem entirely convinced. "I-I guess. But, you said they'd be asleep, a-and they're still up. W-what if we get caught? What if they can hear us right now--"
"But they can't," Chuck took the boy's chin in his grasp, offering an easy, self-assured smile. "I've done this so many time's, I could do it in my sleep. It's easy: We're lost, need directions, I make a joke or two, get 'em nice an' comfy, then we strike. Easy peasy, nice 'n breezy," And it would be. Those idiots still had no idea there were even people around them. Their fault for choosing such a secluded area of the woods to take shelter in. Not his problem. No, more like just his luck.
Andrew swallowed thickly, and Chuck watched him glance between the branches before letting out a slow breath, shoulders relaxing. "Right. Easy.
Okay... Okay, whenever you're good. I'm ready,"
Chuck's smile widened. "Good. Now jus' remember, be cool. An' if push comes to shove, we take the guy out first. C'mon," With that, he made a show of shoving through the thick brushes, grunting and flailing his arms about.
"Damn it, Andy! I told you we should'a taken a left at the... Oho, hey there folks! Didn't mean to startle ya' none. Uh, maybe you could help us out? See, we're kinda lost..."
He motioned to Andrew, who still seemed ready to burst out of his skin, but nodded quickly along with his words. "We were set up at the Green Beard site. Any idea where that is from here?"
The man had already straightened up, risen to stand with his wife clutching her light pink puffer vest anxiously. Chuck zeroed in on the guy, his hands - taught, but with the slightest tremble. And with the way his lady kept glancing back and forth between them? God, this would be too easy.
Clearing his throat, the fella finally spoke up. "Is that so? Well, I think there's a trail just half a mile south of here-- west? Uh, south, that has a directory of the other camp sites. You could check there,"
"Is that right?" His voice rose a bit in pleasant surprise, wondering if the man noticed his subtle mirroring of phrase before he turned to Andy, nodding in the couple's direction. "Ya' hear that? Guide'll get us right back on track. Ain't that a blessin'," Andrew offered a nervous smile, a soft, 'Yeah, how lucky' in response before Chuck shifted his attention to the couple. "Well, we truly thank ya' for the help. But, uh... Gosh, I hate to be a begger but, ya' wouldn't happen to have any spare food on ya' by chance? We been wanderin' around for a long time an' we're mighty hungry,"
"Food? Uh, well, sure we have some..." His eyes were on the pair a moment longer, until he turned to the female beside him, "Candace, could you look in the cooler, honey?"
The woman - blonde, a little younger looking than what Chuck assumed was her husband, glanced back at him, then the two strangers before nodding slowly. "Of course... I-I'm sure we have some extra granola bars," Â
Chuck dredged up a relieved smile, hands clasped together in front of him as he nodded once. "We're very grateful for the trouble, folks, I thank ya',"
Offering a timid smile, the blonde rose from her folding chair and made her way to the side of a rather extravagant looking tent and, assuming she had gone inside, Chuck barely took a step forward--
Only to swear as Andy lunged at the man, teeth bared and prepped to take a chunk out of whatever surface he clamped down on. Apparently it was the arm the other had raised to defend himself, a wail of pain and shock escaping his throat as the two tumbled backwards. Jesus shit - why were newly mades always so damn hard to wrangle? As the two struggled, Chuck made a beeline for the tent, where the blonde was already beginning to emerge from it.
The man was frantically pounding a fist against Andrew's head, trying to beat him off. "What the fuck?! You psycho, get the fuck off of me!" All in vain, however. Thank God Andrew wasn't exactly a shrimpy fella, and was apparent by his hasty move, had been far too long since their last meal. Pinning down the arm he'd taken a bite out of, he placed a hand atop the man's face, fingers digging into skin - into eyes, sockets, his screams and thrashing only increasing.
Meanwhile, Chuck had gotten hold of the woman. Already irritated at Andrew's lack of patience, her screams only caused him further ire and, after a few seconds of battling her blows and grappling for a proper hold on her head, twisted it with a sharp 'snap!' that echoed into the night.
A sudden shriek - not the man, Andy's - caught his attention. Dropping the dead weight at his feet, he scrambled over, only to find the man using his free hand to shove his companion's face into the fire. "Oh, fuck!" He lurched forward, grabbing the man's shoulders and tugging him back, trying to tune out Andy's wails as the trio slowly edged away from the roaring pit.
Eventually Chuck managed to get the fucker off, and while Andy scrambled back, he figured his friend could wait until they dealt with the asshole who should already be dead. "You fuckers always make it more fun when ya' fight back, y'know that?" He chuckled darkly, eyes darting around before he spied what he was looking for. Fingers reached out to grasp a rock just slightly larger than his palm. The guy was on the forest floor, attempting to drag himself... well, somewhere. Not like he could see.
Scoffing, Chuck planted a hard stomp to his spine, hefting the rock over his head before swinging it down with a sharp grunt. That crack was much more satisfying than a simple snap - like opening an egg over a hot skillet. In fact, once wasn't enough. Reeling back, he sent another blow to the skull, and again, again, until the entire back was a caved in mess of blood, grey matter, skull and matted hair.
He chuckled breathlessly, staggering back a bit from the body, and took in the scene around him. The pulverized head, his companion's half-melted face, and the wife whose expression still looked as though she couldn't believe what had happened to her. Wait, was Andy even moving?
Ah, didn't matter. There were more where he came from. Many more.
"Well," The lone survivor murmured to himself, crouching down to where the husband lay, smirking to himself as he began picking through the wreckage of smashed skull.
"Bon appétit,"