The Midnight Carnivale

Chapter Five

          "If I'da known all ya wanted to do was get all gussied up, I woulda let ya," the voice continued mocking and cold.

          Rosie froze, her eyes growing wide as Hayes took a few staggering steps into the barn. As he moved closer she could see the aftermath of where Oliver's skillet had come into contact with the older man's face. One eye was swollen shut, his was nose twisted at an odd angle -- no doubt broken. His lips had been split in several places, his teeth stained crimson, and there was a nasty gash still oozing thick, black blood on his forehead near his temple.

          "You don't happen to know how my nose got broke and my head all smashed in, do ya girl?" he asked, though Rosie suspected he already knew the answer. Her silence was all the confirmation Hayes needed.

          He grinned, a bloody, messy, terrifying smile that made Rosie weak in the knees.

          "I'm gonna return the favor, girl, oh yes siree," Hayes said with a chuckle. It quickly became a cough and after which he cleared his throat and spit into the dirt at her feet. Rosie grimaced and took a step back. "I'm gonna take that same fryin' pan and I'm going to make you watch as I beat in his pretty boy face until even his own momma wouldn't recognize him."

          "Now, be a good girl and tell me where he is," Hayes demanded, his lone eye sweeping over the barn. "Is he hidin' again? Coward's tactics, dirty and cheap."

          Rosie bit the inside of her cheek and remained silent. She wasn't sure what Hayes would do, or what he was capable of doing in his current state, but she was ready to make a run for it before she had to find out.

          Beyond his shoulder, shroud in darkness, Rosie caught sight of Oliver as he slipped back into the barn. He held up a finger to his lips, a pointless gesture since Rosie had no intention of doing anything that might draw attention to him.

          Hayes turn his gaze back on her and she shook her head.

          "He went to find some food," she said at last, "back in the house."

          "Did he now," Hayes replied, "that wouldn't be because you're plannin' on leavin' now would it? Cuz you know that ain't gonna happen."

          "We are leaving," Rosie snapped, doing her best to keep her attention on Hayes and not on Oliver who was circling around to where the ladder to the loft still lay, undisturbed, in the dirt. "We're leaving and we ain't ever comin' back."

          Rosie began to circle Hayes, forcing him to turn his entire body if he wanted to keep her in his line of sight. It was obvious he was in a lot of pain just by the way his face twisted when he tried just to turn his head.

          "That so," Hayes said with a bitter laugh. "You can certainly try, girl, but unless you got wings and plan to fly away, I'll find you and drag you back, every time, you can bet on it."

          "We're gonna go somewhere so far no one will ever find us," Rosie insisted, a feeling of uncertainty causing a knot the size of Oklahoma to form in the pit of her stomach. Behind Hayes, Oliver slowly eased the ladder back into place against the half-collapsed loft and began to climb.

          Rosie had no idea what he planned on doing, but whatever it was, he had to hurry. She wasn't entirely sure how much longer she could distract Hayes.

          "Not if I kill 'im first," Hayes hissed, his eye narrowing.

          "Yeah, good luck with that," Oliver called from his perch on top of the ladder. Hayes swiveled around just as Oliver pushed away from the loft, riding the ladder as it arched towards the very spot where Hayes was standing. Rosie caught a gleam of silver in the moonlight and realized that Oliver had the long, heavy wrench held tightly in his hand.