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The hit was still unconscious when they arrived at the lake. Numbers glared down at him as Wrench unceremoniously yanked him out of the boot and dropped him onto the gravel by the side of the road. Numbers didn’t think himself a moral human being but occasionally on days like this he felt a small sense of justice in his profession. Their victim now bleeding out on the side of the road had cut Fargo out of an important business transaction and tried to skip town. That was an everyday kind of job for him and Wrench; what made this one special was that he also happened to be a pedophile. Numbers held a special kind of hate in his heart for anyone that took advantage of children.
Why are you smiling Numbers caught Wrench asking.
Just a good day Numbers replied.
Are you gonna start singing and dancing too? Wrench ribbed him with a smirk.
Just shut up and grab the ice drill Numbers replied lifting the unconscious mans feet. He was a lean man not skinny but light. This made Numbers job considerably easier then usual as moving him was little hassle. They walked down the hill together Wrench toting the ice drill and Numbers easily carrying their hit. The sun was shining, the wind was blustery but Numbers had the next few weeks in mind. They had a gap in jobs coming up and Numbers intended on heading south.
“Its not like I never smile” Numbers mumbled as they crossed the vast frozen lake. They reached the spot where the ice was just right and Wrench fired the drill up. Numbers laid out the man and pulled out a roll of duct tape.
He stood over him preparing to bind his hands. Wrench had beaten this man senseless, the fight had been vicious and blood had pooled around his face. Numbers bobbed down and slapped him with the back of his hand. The man gave no response. Numbers thought about it for a long moment and decided if he happened to wake up under water the ability to move his arms would only increase his discomfort heading into death. Numbers taped his ankles then shoved the tape back into his pocket with a snigger.
“Hope you enjoy hell man” he said cheerfully.
Wrench pulled the drill out and put it aside. Numbers dutifully yanked their hit to the edge of the hole. He grabbed him by the legs and lifted him over the watery mouth.
“Sayonara” he said and let go.
The next few moments smashed into each other like a car crash. Two hands clasped his legs like vices. The man fell against the ice hole smashing the edge. He was swallowed in a second hands still clamped to Numbers.
“WRENCH!” Numbers barely managed to shout as he was pulled feet first into the water. He threw his arms wide and they caught the edges of the hole. He saw Wrenches expression go pale then he was dragged under.
The crushing cold water slammed the air out of his lungs and he gasped the frozen liquid rushing into his body. He remembered as the ice filled him that gasping was the worst thing he could do. He didn’t have time to feel mad, just to realize he was going to die. He looked down and watched the hit being dragged away by the current blank eyes watching him. He recognized pressure on his forearm and realized the current wasn’t taking him.
Wrench gripped him fast and hauled his drenched body up onto the ice. The moment he hit the ice he threw up, muscles contracting, chest heaving as the water emptied from his lungs and gut. Quakes shook through him and he moaned. His skin was raw with painful tingling and his breathing was a series of waterlogged gasping coughs. The sound of it frightened him. Wrench fell to his knees in front of him. He tried to sign but he couldn’t move his fingers. All he could feel was the aching cold and his pounding heart.
“Cold” Numbers cried out body racked with quakes. Wrench’s expression hardened and he nodded resolutely. Wrenches arms crossed around Numbers chest and he was brought to his feet. He could scarcely stand against the weight of his sodden clothes and weak muscles. His legs felt like they where going to give out. His heart hammered sickly.
Wrench rounded to his front, bobbed down, tucked his arms around Numbers thighs and hauled him onto his shoulder. Then he quickly began walking towards the car. The wind whipped around them biting at Numbers exposed skin. He gripped Wrenches shoulders tighter still coughing up water. As they crossed the ice Numbers noticed Wrench’s drill lying by the hole on the white lake.
“Drill” he chattered through his teeth watching it shrink with distance.
He tried to concentrate on Wrenches labored breathing. Anything but the wet fabric that clung to him. Wrench lowered him to his feet against the car and unlocked the back door.
Numbers lay against the car pointing back out onto the ice.
“Drrrill” he wheezed “can’t leave it” Wrench ignored him.
Strip Wrench signed.
“No” Numbers coughed just wanting to get in the car. He couldn’t think of anything worse then exposing more skin. “Drill”
Wrench stepped forward and shoved the huge fur coat from his body. He tossed it over the boot then pushed Numbers shoulder forward roughly. Numbers bent where Wrench moved him pliable with exhaustion. Another layer was shed jacket joining the fur coat. Wrench turned him back and unbuttoned his shirt. The cuffs stuck to his hands and it took some fiddling for Wrench to remove them. Numbers folded his arms tight around his bare chest. He barely noticed his pants being removed.
Next Wrench pulled off his fringed jacked and padded under jacket. He drew Numbers arms into the under jacket and zipped it up then wrapped the fringe jacket over the top. Numbers ducked his head low into the neck of the fringe jacket and allowed himself to be ushered onto the back seat. He lay down shivers still wracking him and curled in on himself. Wrench went to close the door but Numbers rammed one numb heel against it.
“Drill” he said as sternly as he could muster through the shivers. Wrench threw a quick look over his shoulder to where they had come from and then nodded. Numbers pulled his leg up and Wrench closed the door. He opened the driver’s side briefly to get the engine going and turned the heat up to full then was gone. Numbers lay across the back seat shuddering and staring at the leather pouch that kept their maps. The air hummed from the front of the car blowing cold for a few minutes then heating up. Feeling began returning to him in stinging bursts across his chest. He pulled the jackets tighter around himself and closed his eyes. The jackets smelled like Wrench.
Before long the driver’s side creaked open and Wrench sat down slamming it closed once more and punching the car into gear. The tires spun for a second before they caught and shot off down the road.
“W-where are we going?” Numbers called but Wrench didn’t respond. Sometimes he felt the vibrations from Numbers voice but today was not one of those days. Numbers could see the pale skin on his neck burning red and covered in goose bumps. All he had aside from his jackets was a fabric shirt.
“Hey!” Number shouted kicking the back seat “Where are we going?!”
Wrench shot a look back.
Numbers threw up a barely legible ‘where’ ‘going’.
Wrench signed Hospital
“No. No nonono we can’t go there” Numbers mumbled “Fargo. No paper trail. No…stop..No”
He signed ‘no’ and ‘stop’ kicking the back seat again. Wrench drove on.
“NO STOP” Numbers shouted kneeing the back seat as hard as he could. Wrench let out an angry yelp and pulled over. He turned around expression livid.
What!? He asked.
“Fargo. No paper trail” Numbers spoke carefully hands too sore to attempt ASL.
You’re blue! Wrench snapped his hands together impatiently You might have a heart attack or something
“Wasn’t in the water that long” Numbers said through chattering teeth “Just take me back to the hotel”
Wrench formed his mouth into a hard line.
“Take me back to the hotel NOW” Numbers ground out.
Fine Wrench signed angrily. He pulled the car around and headed back the way they had come.
Numbers let his head roll back against the seat, pulled his arms around himself and fell asleep.
He drifted in and out of consciousness. He felt like he’d been awake for hours. As though the car was driving for hours. He knew it couldn’t be possible because the hotel was only 45 minutes from the lake. He felt Wrench around him as if he was holding him. He was comforted in a way he generally tried to avoid. He mumbled Wrench’s real name as if whispering it against skin. The strangeness of it brought him out of his sleep.
His vision was blurry. He went to rub his eyes but couldn’t move his arms. He blinked away most of the fuzz and stared down at his knees. He was in a bathtub full of water. He recognized it. It was the hotel bathtub. He’d recognize those shitty cracked tiles anywhere. Numbers sighed with relief. The water was lukewarm and he was so grateful for it. He suspected even water on the hotter side would feel scalding. He saw one of his arms hanging over the edge and the other up against the wall and frowned. He looked up over his head and noticed a bandage wrapped around a tap just above his head. He realized a crude harness made of bandages was holding him up.
“What?” He asked himself. He pushed against the end of the bath with his legs to relieve some of the tension around where the bandages held him. He shook his arms and they moved like rubber. Then he saw Wrench in the corner. He was leaning up against a stool asleep. There were some unraveled bandages by his knees, a couple of coffee mugs and a towel around his shoulders. In the shower behind Wrench his clothes and Wrenches jackets were drying on hangers. Numbers watched Wrench sleep for a moment taking in how peaceful he looked.
A small insistent buzzing filled the room and Numbers noticed a timer in Wrenches lap was going off. Wrench stirred grabbing it and switching it off with a clumsy twist. He stretched cracks issuing from his back then stood. He walked over to the taps reaching up and grabbing the movable shower head. He turned the hot on aiming it at the far end of the bath and waiting for the hot water to come through. Numbers lifted the arm hanging over the side to squeeze Wrench behind the knee. Wrench jumped spraying the room and glanced down. Numbers couldn’t help a weak snicker. Wrench turned the tap off and replaced the shower head then knelt down.
Can you understand me? Wrench asked after untying the bandages.
Yes Numbers replied blood flowing more effectively into his arms.
How do you feel? Wrench asked.
Like I had one too many tequila shots Numbers answered rubbing his armpits What’s with the bandages?
It’s 5am Wrench replied sitting back on his haunches with a sour expression Knew I was going to fall asleep and couldn’t risk you slipping under the water so I tied you up. Kept a timer to get up every hour and heat your fucking water though.
You could’ve just left me in bed I would have been fine Numbers shot back indignantly.
You weren’t heating up. You just lay there shaking and you wouldn’t wake up Wrench’s hand movements where growing sharper, but there was something hurt under the anger Should’ve gone to the fucking hospital.
Fargo says no paper trail. Ever. Numbers signed calmly and Wrench punched the floor furiously. He began pacing.
You almost died. I only just caught you. What happened? Wrench demanded.
Nothing Numbers replied leaning forward challengingly.
After all the shit you put me through over the last 17 hours you better fucking answer me Numbers Wrench signed eyes wide. Numbers had never seen him like this before. He knew telling him would only make it worse but he figured Wrench wouldn’t risk even lightly whacking him as recompense. He let out a long sigh.
I didn’t tape him up before we dropped him in the hole. He was a pedophile. I wanted him to suffer even as Numbers signed it he felt nauseous at the memory of watching the man sink away into the darkness I slapped him around a bit, he seemed out.
Wrench sank back to the ground head in hands. He shook his head and sat in silence. After a few moments he rubbed his face then looked back at Numbers.
Here’s how it’s going to work from now on Wrench signed tiredly I cut the hole, you ALWAYS tape them and WE drop them in the hole together. Couldn’t drag two people under at once. We clear?
Numbers wondered if this was the same mill worker he’d picked up in a small town years back. He hadn’t noticed the change.
Alright He replied.
Wrench leaned forward grabbing Numbers and holding him close. Wide hands spread over Number’s damp shoulder blades and his head pressed into Numbers shoulder. He was shaking. Numbers drew unsteady hands up to grip Wrench’s shirt. He drew the fabric there into fists. He felt something break inside him. After a few minutes Wrench released his grasp and slid back.
This was hot an hour ago Wrench signed before picking up the two mugs and handing one to Numbers. He leaned back against the tub facing away from Numbers. Numbers sipped out of the cup and found it to be cool and chocolate flavored. He leaned towards Wrench a little as he drank.
“Thanks” He said staring down at the swirling contents of his cup.