CHAPTER 7

Waking up in a room, Rebecca slowly regains consciousness. Feeling as though she was hit by a truck, she tries to move but cannot and finds herself restrained to a chair with duct tape over her mouth to silence her. Struggling against the ropes and trying to call for help, she stops to not get tired out and notices her uniform has been stripped from her, leaving her in just her tank top and underwear. Blood is smeared all over the floor and walls. The door opens, and Smitty enters as Charlie appears behind him wearing his mask. Rebecca tries not to look intimidated, but inside she is terrified. Pulling up a chair, he sits across from her and rips the tape off as it drops to the ground. Using a voice changer, he speaks to her.

Charlie Cooper: Do you fear death, Ms. Butler?

Tears have begun to roll down her face as she shakes from fear.

Smitty: The man asked you a question.

Rebecca Butler: Fuck you, he's not a man. You're a monster. Both of you.

Charlie Cooper: Have you ever had your heart broken, Ms. Butler? Have you ever watched someone you loved turn out to be someone who did not love you back?

Rebecca Butler: Many times. More than I would care to count.

Charlie Cooper: You see, I once had a lady. I loved her with all my heart and made her the center of my world. I gave her everything, and in turn, she showed she did not love me back by making love to another man. I tried to fight that rage and not let it take me over, but as time went on, it did. It infected me like a plague, and to tell the truth, I have never felt more alive! You women are all the same! You take and take until there is nothing more to take, and when the dust settles, you rip out our hearts and crush them beneath your fucking feet!

He goes to strike her but holds back, trying to resist the urge, and starts laughing.

Charlie Cooper: Don't worry, I'm not going to strike you. Hell, I wouldn't dare. The plans I have for you are more than what your worst nightmares could even come up with.

Untying her from the chair, Smitty throws her over his shoulder and takes her to the torture room, where he slams her on the table and straps her down as Charlie removes the cover from the table containing all the tools. Rebecca pleads to be let go as she struggles against the restraints as Charlie scans his weapons of choice as he grabs the tweezers and approaches her.

Charlie Cooper: I promise you, this will be extremely painful.

He grips her belly button ring with the tweezers and begins to pull just as The Outlaw and Nighthawk break into the room.

Smitty: What the hell?

Nighthawk begins to fight him as The Outlaw approaches Charlie, but the killer unstraps Rebecca and uses her as a human shield, pressing a scalpel to her throat as he holds her close to him.

Charlie Cooper: Take another step, and she bleeds out on the floor.

Meanwhile, Smitty overpowers Nighthawk and throws him into the next room as their fight continues.

Charlie Cooper: It looks like your partner is in trouble.

However, undetected, The Outlaw has a star blade ready for use, and with a quick motion, he hurls it at Charlie, which impales into his shoulder, making him release Rebecca. Pulling his gun out, he fires at them, but The Outlaw covers Rebecca to shield her, and the bullets ricochet off his bulletproof suit.

The Outlaw: Get outside and wait in the car. Go.

Rebecca runs from the room as the outlaw prepares to face Charlie.

The Outlaw: You're the one that has been causing so much trouble?

The two square up and begin fighting; this time The Outlaw is able to withstand most of the strikes Charlie throws at him, and as he makes one mistake, The Outlaw grabs him by the arm and throws him into the wall, but when he goes to hit him, Charlie rolls out of the way, grabs a hammer off the table, and swings it at The Outlaw. Meanwhile, Smitty pins Nighthawk against the wall and lifts him off the ground by the throat, but using his shock gadget, he stuns Smitty and kicks him to the ground. The Outlaw and Charlie continue trading blows until Charlie gets in a shot with the hammer, striking the Outlaw's arm, which is not protected with any padding. Letting out a painful groan, Charlie dropkicks him into the corner and quickly runs over to start throwing repeated punches until theloutlawlaw kicks his legs out and uppercuts him in the face. Losing his balance, The Outlaw starts throwing a combination of punches and kicks until he trips him up and delivers a hard elbow to his chest. Hitting the ground hard, Charlie looks up as The Outlaw stands over him as his eyes close. Hearing Nighthawk and Smitty fighting, he rushes into the room to help, and the two double team the big man as The Outlaw grabs Smitty in a chokehold just as Nighthawk delivers repeated and brutal strikes to his face, and the two are able to take him down.

Nighthawk: Where's the killer?

Charlie is gone. After making the mistake of taking his eyes off of him, the two men drag Smitty out of the building to the car and find Rebecca still there. Terrified, but alive. They take Smitty to the police station and turn him in. David has two of his officers take him away for interrogation.