Cold Hell - 10. Chapter 9

Mikael stood to the side and watched as Skot and Auberbach took their turns with Calvin, watched them thrust into him and fuck him until he was bloody. To watch someone forcibly be fucked was almost hotter than raping someone itself. It was too cold to pull his cock out until it was time for his own turn - which was soon, very soon, because he was next - so he contented himself by rubbing himself through the thick material of his pants.

Auberbach grunted, thrusting into Calvin one final time, then pulled out and zipped himself up. He stepped back and grinned at Mikael. “Your turn.”

Mikael walked up to a shaking Calvin and was about to thrust into the boy when a voice said, “Touch him and your friend here dies.”

Mikael, Skot, and Auberbach turned to see Danni, the new colonist. He had a hold of Malerman. Malerman was standing completely still, his head drawn back, with the blade of a knife pressed against his throat.

Mikael looked at the man who had driven him insane, a demon who could make you see the sins you committed. Even now Mikael could see his parents standing behind Danni, their lifeless eyes staring into his, their skin eaten away by frostbite, seeking justice. Dinah wants me to kill him. I will kill him - I will save her and myself from this demon, he thought. And Mikael was utterly convinced Danni was a demon. No human being could do what Danni had done.

Mikael resisted the fear curling inside him and brought his rage to the forefront. He could feel the weight of his sidearm holstered to his side. Now he pulled it out, letting it hang at his side. He only wanted to use it as a last resort.

Skot, standing beside him, cursed. “I’m going to kill you, you little shit.”

Danni glanced at him once, and, perhaps not seeing him as a threat, turned his attention back to Mikael. “Calvin,” he said - his breath misted in the air, immediately turning into ice crystals - “get your pants back on.”

Before Calvin could step away from Mikael, Mikael swung his gun at the back of Calvin’s head. The gun connected and the young man fell down in the snow, unconscious.

There was a dark gleam in Danni’s eyes. He gave no warning, simply drew the knife across Malerman’s throat.

                            …

Blood arched from the gaping slit in the man’s throat, staining the snow almost black against the blinding white. The man’s eyes rolled back into his head, body twitching against Danni’s body. Danni was lost in the drumming of his own heart, the pulse of adrenaline. The rush. It was a feeling he’d hoped to never feel again for it was every bit as intoxicating as any drug. Juan would be proud if he could see me now, he thought.

He dropped the man’s body into the snow.

Skot and the other man charged towards Danni. At some point they had pulled out crude looking stabbing instruments made of metal, nothing that looked like the blade Danni had in his hand. Time seemed to slow as Danni’s eyes took stock of the situation in the blink of an eye. He was aware of Mikael standing behind them, gun in hand, but sensed Dinah’s bodyguard would not fire it unless Danni dispatched his two friends.

Which Danni would.

He tensed up again, tightened his gloved hands around the knife handle.

Skot and the other man came at him from both sides. Danni easily dodged a swing from the man on the left, lashing out with a well aimed kick. His foot connected with the man’s diaphragm and sent him sprawling into the snow.

A sharp pain lanced through Danni’s body as Skot withdrew the blade of his shank from Danni’s side, the spot between his hip and ribs. Danni grunted. Already blood - his own blood - was seeping from the wound. Danni ignored the pain, knowing now was not the time to worry about it. As Skot brought his arm back to make another stab, Danni slashed at him with the knife, cutting into Skot’s chest. Another spurt of blood splattered across the icy snow, already freezing due to the cold.

The momentum of Danni’s attack spun Skot around. He stumbled drunkenly into the wall. Danni lunged forward, taking advantage of the few seconds he’d bought himself. The blade of his knife flashed through the air, a blur of motion, plunging into Skot’s back. The vocal cords in his throat pressed against his flesh as he let out a bellow of rage. Blood splashed his face but he barely felt its warmth.

Suddenly a fist connected with his face and sent Danni sprawling into the snow. The strength behind the blow stunned him. He floundered, trying to shake the grogginess. Mikael was walking towards him, levelling the muzzle at Danni’s skull. If it wasn’t for the fact Danni was fighting for Calvin he wouldn’t have cared. As far as he was concerned Planet Redemption was just a cold version of purgatory. I died the moment my father had me put in the CryoSleep chamber, he thought.

But if he didn’t kill Mikael then Calvin and many others would die at the brute’s hands. He lashed out with a kick to Mikael’s stomach, knocking the breath out of the bigger man. In a fluid chain of motions, Danni rose to his feet and brought the knife around. Mikael pressed his hands to the bone-deep gash Danni had opened on the right side of his face. A flap of skin hung loose.

“I’m going to fuck you right before I kill you, demon,” said Mikael. “I’m going to tear your ass up so good death will seem like a mercy.”

Danni screamed and charged with the knife still in his hand. He knew the man was much bigger than him and would make short work of him in a closed in environment but Danni was faster and smaller. Mikael bent down at the knees, anticipating Danni’s attack. Like a cannonball Danni launched himself at Mikael.

Mikael shot his arms out as if to catch Danni. His hands caught empty air. Like an acrobatic dancer, Danni swung around Mikael’s body in a tangle of limbs. He used Mikael’s weight to get him down on the snowy ground so he was kneeling on top of the monster’s chest. He didn’t give the man the chance to get up again. “This is for all the people you killed,” he panted. “This is for Calvin.” He sunk the blade of his knife into Mikael’s chest all the way to the hilt, watching as Mikael’s eyes widened. Blood bubbled from his lips, seeping out of the wound. He shuddered for a few seconds and then went still.

No sooner had he inhaled a freezing breath the sound of a single gunshot split the air, echoing in all directions. A bullet smacked into the snow just inches from where Danni was. He rose to his feet, knife once more in hand, and looked at the person who had fired the shot.

Everest stood two yards away, pointing the smoking muzzle of his gun at Danni. His face was dark with anger. The last time Danni had met him, almost two months ago, he hadn't been able to read the man named after Earth's tallest mountain. But now he was picking up a whirlwind of powerful emotion: rage the color of dark crimson, mixed with lighter but just as powerful shades of confusion and doubt. He was debating whether or not he wanted to shoot Danni, avenging the death of his friend.

Images flashed through Danni's head as if he was a satellite capable of picking up data. Everest had been at the brothel; he had seen Danni and Calvin together, asking Calvin about Danni with interest; he'd left the brothel and was heading home this way when he witnessed Danni stabbing his best friend to death.

But he had also known about Mikael's murderous nature which was why he hadn't shot Danni yet.

Danni held his hands up in the air to show he wasn't a threat. "I didn't have a choice. They were hurting Calvin." His friend was still lying unconscious in the snow. I have to get him to the clinic. He'll die if I don't.

Danni went to his friend. He couldn't wait for Everest to make up his mind on whether or not he was going to shoot. Danni went to Calvin and pressed his fingers to Calvin's neck. The pulse was slow, but steady.

"Calvin." Danni shook him. "Get up." He managed to pull Calvin's pants up and get him into a sitting position. Calvin stirred and opened his eyes.

"You're okay," Danni said, gently helping him to his feet. "I'm going to get you to the clinic. You're going to be alright." He saw Everest take a step forward, the gun still pointed at them.

"If you're going to shoot me then shoot me," Danni said, "but at least help me get him to the clinic first."

This seemed to get through to Everest. He slid the gun back into its holster and lifted Calvin into his arms. "I'll take him to the clinic," he rumbled, giving Danni a dark look, "but don't think we're finished yet." Then he looked at the lower half of Danni's shirt. Blood was seeping from the wound again, dripping down the front of his pants and into the snow.

Danni looked down at the wound and suddenly felt very weak. He fell to his knees, unable to stand any longer. The world was starting to dim. Pain racked his body. He tried to fight the darkness encroaching on him but there was no stopping it. It engulfed him completely. He didn't even feel his head hit the snow.

                              …

He woke up in the clinic three days later. Natalia was quick to give him his prognosis. He had lost a lot of blood from his wound but Natalia had managed to disinfect and stitch it up. He would have to stay down for a couple of weeks to let the wound heal more.

He cleared his throat. His throat was parched from dehydration. He felt groggy from morphine. "Calvin? How is he?"

"He's rough but he'll make it," said Natalia. "Everest brought you both in. You're very lucky. If it wasn't for him you either would have bled to death or frozen to death."

She wouldn't fully look at Danni. There was something she was trying to hide from Danni but he couldn't see what thanks to the morphine but he sensed guilt. Guilt at what? It didn't matter.

He sunk into the strong embrace of sleep again and dreamed of Juan. What the dream had been about he wouldn't be able to recall later but there had been a powerful sense of longing. When he woke up again he found Everest sitting in a chair beside his bed. The big man was looking at him, his face unreadable.

"Thank you," Danni said after a minute of struggling and finally managing to swallow. "Thank you for pulling my friend and I out of the cold."

"You killed my friend," Everest said. "I wouldn't thank me just yet. I'm still trying to decide whether or not I'm going to kill you."

Danni felt something inside him harden, a sense of self righteousness. Fighting the stiffness throughout his body, Danni managed to raise himself up so he was sitting a little straighter, a little taller. "Your friend was a rapist and a murderer who liked to hurt things smaller than him. He tried to rape me and he raped my friend. He would have killed both of us if I hadn't killed him first. He deserved to die."

"It's the way of life on this planet. Survival of the fittest. You best get used to it."

"Well I guess between Mikael and I, I was more fit to survive than he was," Danni spat.

"Of the two of us I wonder who's more fit," said Everest. His hands were clenched into fists but he was still seated.

"Want to find out?" Danni said. "If you're going to kill me it's best you do it while I'm down...because if you wait until I heal completely I can promise you, you will end up just like Mikael."

Everest rose to his feet. "Maybe one day we'll see. Maybe we won't. As I said, I haven't decided yet."

Then he left the room.

                            …

After four days of bed rest, Natalia allowed Danni to see Calvin.

When he entered the room Calvin was propped up in bed. He gave Danni a dopey smile. "Finally," he said. "I was wondering when you'd show up."

"They just gave me the okay or else I would have come sooner," said Danni.

Calvin looked rough. There were several bruises on his face and a large bandaid had been put over the spot where the flesh had literally been ripped off from his face. According to Natalia, three of his toes, two on the right and one on the left had to be amputated. But Danni was glad Calvin was alive if nothing else.

"Aren't you going to ask me how I'm doing?" Calvin asked.

"No, because I have a pretty good idea how you're doing."

At this Calvin buried his face in his hands and started sobbing. For a moment Danni watched, uncertain of what to do. He wanted to find some way to comfort his friend, to ease his pain. Thinking of Juan for no particular reason, Danni waved for Calvin to move over, took off his boots, and climbed up onto the bed, stretching out in the empty spot; the bed was just big enough to hold the both of them. He wrapped his arms around Calvin and held him to him and Calvin returned the embrace, sobbing into Danni's shirt.

Several minutes passed before Calvin stopped; during this time Scottalina had stopped to check in on him but Danni had shaken her head, indicating for her to wait. Now Calvin looked up at him. "You killed Mikael and his friends. You killed all them."

"I did," Danni said grimly.

"How did you become such a badass?"

"It's not funny, Calvin. I took no joy in doing it." This wasn't entirely the truth.

"I know, I'm sorry."

"No you're not."

"You're right," Calvin said, hugging him. "I'm glad you killed them. They deserved it. Who taught you to fight like that?"

"Someone who's dead to me." The bitter tone in Danni's voice said he would not explain further.

"What does it feel like to kill someone?"

"No words can describe it. It's intoxicating, just like taking heroin. That's why I hope you never have to."

They lapsed into silence, listening to the drone of the air recyclers and the beep of the life monitors. Danni had no idea why but he wanted to tell Calvin his secret, wanted to tell him everything, lay his soul bare. Damn the consequences. "Calvin."

"Yeah?"

"My father is Danni Aamodt the IV, current head of Aamodt Corp."

Calvin looked up, eyes wide but none of the murderous rage Danni had expected to be there. He'd kept his last name a secret thus far, afraid everyone might try to kill him if they knew the truth. "No shit?"

"No shit."

"And he couldn't pay away your charges with how rich he is?" Everyone knew about Aamodt Corp, even the lifers here on Planet Redemption who had never been to Earth.

"He's the one who had me sent here."

"Why?"

"I tried to kill him."

"Fuck" said Calvin.

"I'm also psychic," said Danni.

"What?"

"I said I'm psychic."

Calvin laughed skeptically. "Now you're just fucking with me."

"Am not. I can tell you exactly what you're thinking right now. Most of the times I see people's thoughts in pictures and sounds. Memories and thoughts. It gets stronger when I touch them. Sometimes I see things if I touch objects but it's rare."

"Okay. What am I thinking?"

Three different times Danni repeated told Calvin of the pictures he picked up from Calvin's head. After the third time Calvin said, "Danni, no wonder you're so fucked up."