Can Love Stand the Test?

The Lord of the Harvest

Thomas turned his head as he heard a cry. There stood Mindy who sobbed as she saw him kiss Stretch. Thomas stood straight as Mindy approached them. He wanted to explain. He didn't kiss Stretch because he liked her. He kissed her to see what she would taste like. He wanted to see if she would be good for food. Drayton saw Mindy coming and knew she was pissed.

"Come on, bring the bitch down", he whispered to Thomas.

"Let me go!" Stretch screamed. "You got to let me go!"

Thomas stared at Mindy as she stood in front of him. She raised her hand and slapped him.

"You bastard!" she yelled. "I thought you were different!"

Mindy covered her eyes and Thomas looked down feeling ashamed. He knew what she meant by different. He remembered Mindy telling him about her father who left her and her mother. Now she thought he was doing the same thing. She thought he was going to leave her and Carrie for Stretch.

Thomas made no sound as he began untying Stretch. She screamed hysterically as he pulled her up and dragged her toward Drayton and Grandpa.

"Be careful of the splatter", Drayton said. "You got to be careful of the splatter."

Everyone looked at him as he looked up and raised his arms up.

"Oh, great-grandma in chainsaw heaven, please don't voodoo the boy", he said looking down at Thomas who held Stretch over the bucket. "Hey, Grandpa look what Tommy brought you."

Chop Top was busy putting the sledgehammer in Grandpa's hand.

"Hey Grandpa! Tommy's got something to show you here. Look! A slurpy booty!"

"Hit her, Grandpa!" Chop Top said.

"Hit her, Grandpa", Drayton said. "You're the best."

The hammer fell out of Grandpa's hand and fell to the floor. Drayton picked it up and put it back in his hand. Grandpa raised his hand letting the hammer fall again. It was the same thing that happened 10 years ago all over again.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Mindy said. "Just give me the hammer! I'll kill the bitch myself!"

Drayton put the hammer in Grandpa's hand again only to have it fall again. Mindy grabbed the hammer from Drayton and threw it at Stretch's head.

"Bitch!" she yelled. "Trying to steal my husband!"

Mindy picked up the hammer and hit her again, rendering her unconscious. Out of nowhere the loud buzz of a chainsaw echoed through the hideout. Splinters of wood scattered everywhere as more wooden beams fell. Everyone was silent as they heard a voice singing. Chop Top started singing along to the voice.

"Oh shut up!" Drayton yelled. "What the hell's going on here?"

Thomas and Mindy looked around. The voice was coming closer.

"Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping... we shall come rejoicing"

"Who's that?" Mindy asked.

"Bringing in the seas!"

A man in a suit and a cowboy hat jumped down from the rubble and the wooden beams. He had a large chainsaw in his hands and two smaller ones strapped to his belt.

"Boys, boys, boys", he said. "And girl."

"What the hell's going on here?" Drayton yelled. "Is that the American way of entering a man's home? Singing like that?"

The man with the chainsaw came walking towards them.

"Oh ,I get it", Drayton said. "The old pressure game, huh?"

"Boys", the man said shaking his head. "You never should've been doing this."

"Who sent ya? Those sissies over at Delmar catering? That chicken-shit burrito man? Well, I don't care. It's a dog eat dog world and from where I sit there just ain't enough damn dogs! If you can't stand the heat, get out of the damn kitchen!"

Drayton pulled a roll of money out of his pocket.

"So how much do you want?" he asked. "Let's make a deal right here. Real cash money. I don't care who sent you!"

"I'm the lord of the harvest", the man said raising his chainsaw.

"What's that? Some new health food bunch? Now come on. Is there any money in it you want to know? Yeah, right here. How much?"

Stretch regained consciousness as she raised her head out of the bucket.

"Lefty", she said.

"Sister", Lefty said looking at her.

"Lefty!" she cried.

Lefty started up his chainsaw in anger. Drayton and Chop Top turned to run. Lefty pointed his chainsaw to Drayton's backside and started sawing at it. Drayton yelled in pain as he ran and hid under the table. Lefty raised his chainsaw again and brought it down, cutting the rope around Stretch's wrists.

"Run, sister", he said. "Run!"

Stretch got up and ran as Tommy grabbed his chainsaw and started it up. He ran toward Lefty as they pressed their saws together.