Payback
Chapter 7
I threw a bucket of freezing water in Ashton's face. Immediately, his eyes flew open, darting around wildly, but he couldn't move a single muscle. Not only had I zip tied his hands and feet, but I had also wrapped a rope around his body and he was lying face up on the heavy wooden table, butt naked, soaked from head to toe in gasoline.
"Scott?"
"Yes?" I said, stepping up next to him.
"What the fuck, Scott?" He tried to wrestle his way out of the ropes. "Untie me now!"
I smirked, lifting a knife to my face.
"I don't like your tone of voice," I said.
I gently swayed the knife over his chest as I smiled devilishly.
Blood immediately drained from his face.
"What the hell, dude?" he asked. "Are you crazy?"
"Maybe…" I smiled, caressing his chest with the tip of the knife. "What do you think, handsome?"
His chest was now heaving.
"Scott, what do you want from me?" he pleaded.
I froze the tip of the blade above his left bicep.
"Revenge!"
I pressed the tip into his skin. Immediately, blood poured out of the wound and he groaned, trying to get away from me, but it was useless.
"Ahh!" he yelled. "What the fuck, Scott? Are you crazy? Help!"
I leaned closer and whispered into his ear, "help? Are you really going to beg and cry like a little bitch? Like Alex?"
His face went as white as a sheet.
"What?" he cried out.
I stood up straight.
"You heard me, Ashton," I shouted. "And for your information, I got him last night… him and your other two friends Steve and Jeremy."
His entire body trembled uncontrollably.
"No, you didn't," he said. "You couldn't have gotten them all."
I laughed and stabbed his leg with my knife, causing him to scream and his body to jump, as much as it could anyway.
"You don't believe me?"
"No," he said, shaking his head.
"Well, they're not actually dead yet, at least I don't think they are, but they will be shortly, and so will you. But first, I'm going to have a little fun with you."
I smiled, licking his right cheek.
"Oh my god," he cried out.
He once again tried to fight his way from the ropes around his body, but they held firm.
"Why did you do that, Scott?" he asked. "Why did you kill them? Are you crazy?"
"You actually have the balls to ask why?" I said, smiling.
Fear immediately flashed through his eyes.
"You," I said, pointing at him with the knife. "You made my life a living hell."
All of a sudden, I poked his chest with the blade.
"Ahh!" he screamed when the blade pierced his skin. "Please! Stop?"
"Not only mine, but Brian's as well."
I poked him again.
"Oh my god!" he cried out again.
I wasn't done with him yet, however. I poked him continuously, each time in a different spot while he begged for mercy and cried in pain.
"Please!" he begged. "Stop! Please! I'm sorry."
I froze when I heard his apology. He was sorry? Could his sorry ass apology erase three months of torment, torture and pain? Could his sorry ass bring Brian back? Hell no! I continued poking him with the blade until his body was completely soaked in blood.
"I'm sorry…" he sobbed. "I'm really sorry, but please… don't kill me. I'm begging you."
"Shhh!" I murmured, a smile on my face and a finger on my lips. "You'll wake up the guests."
He looked around, shaking.
"What? Who?"
I walked over to the stall where I had tied up Alex, Jeremy and Steve and dragged them over and dumped them on the ground next to Ashton. There were also naked. I picked up one of the lanterns and shone the light on them, then threw a bucket of cold water on them to wake them up. Surprisingly, they were all still alive, but just barely.
"Oh my god!" Ashton cried, with a drop of fear in his eyes. "Please, Scott… don't kill them."
I walked up to him, picking up my blade again.
"You're begging me to spare them? To spare you? Do you have any idea how many times I begged you to leave me alone when you were harassing me at school and when you beat the shit out of me and raped me? I'm sure Brian probably begged you not to hurt him before you finally killed him."
He sobbed even louder.
"I'm sorry, Scott!" he begged. "I'm sorry… but please… don't kill us. I'm so sorry, man!"
"Liar!"
I held his dick and swung my knife.
It was a clean cut. He screamed in misery and pain as his entire body convulsed. It was then that Jeremy woke up completely and quickly looked around desperately. When his eyes fell on Ashton, he kicked and screamed.
"Ahh!" he screamed. "Someone help me!"
I immediately turned back to Ashton who was crying hysterically.
"See," I said to him. "I told you that you'd wake up one of the guests."
"My dick!" he screamed. "My dick! You chopped off my dick…" his head swayed from side to side, tears pouring down his cheeks. "Why? Why…"
"Why?" I slapped him. "You killed Brian, that's why."
His face went white again.
"I'm sorry, Scott. I didn't mean to kill him…" He sobbed louder. "It was an accident."
I giggled menacingly.
"Your sorry ass won't bring him back from the grave, but you'll be meeting him soon. You can apologize to him."
"Please!" Jeremy cried. "Don't kill us!"
With a smile on my face, I turned to him, dropping the blade and Ashton's member on the floor.
"You're all gonna die, Jeremy, so shut the fuck up, you whiny little bitch."
By now they were all completely conscious and struggling to get loose. All three of them began crying and screaming, but I completely ignored them.
"Please don't kill them," Ashton begged, crying.
Slowly, I stepped into the darkness again, this time dragging Steve over to the cellar. I dumped him into the hole and heard a satisfying thunk as he hit the ground below. I then walked back over and did the same with Jeremy and Alex.
Ashton looked at me with terror in his eyes, knowing that he was about to die. But not yet! I picked up my baseball bat again.
"What kind of monster are you?" he asked.
I smiled and licked his right cheek, making him shudder and flinch. Then I swung the baseball bat down on his left leg, and then his right.
"I'm the monster that you created after months of physical and mental abuse. Did you honestly think that I could handle being beaten and gang raped, and all the other hell you put me through, and then killing my boyfriend, without any form of retaliation? You can't be that stupid, Ashton."
He was getting whiter by the second and shaking uncontrollably, no doubt in tremendous pain after two broken legs and having his dick cut off.
"Exactly, Ashton Mitchell," I said. "The day you and your friends killed the only guy I ever loved was the day I finally snapped."
"Please, Scott… please don't kill me," he cried.
I took a deep breath and grinned evilly.
"I'm sorry, Ashton, but I've got to kill you," I said. "There is a reason I soaked your body in gasoline. You and your friends will burn very nicely, pretty boy."
"You'll… you'll…"
"Burn you alive." I nodded with a slight smirk. "I soaked you, Steve, Jeremy and Alex and dumped them in the cellar over there." I pointed over toward the open cellar. "That way all the evidence will burn, along with you and your precious friends. Just think of it as a preview of hell."
"Please…" he cried and begged. "Please don't kill me, Scott. Let's work something out… please…"
I leaned over and kissed his forehead, then dragged him over and dumped him into the cellar with the other three.
"See you bitches in hell!" I shouted down to them.
"No," one of them screamed out as I began pouring the rest of the gasoline into the hole, making sure to soak all four boys. "Please! No! I'm begging you! Please, have mercy!"
I took a deep breath, reached into my pocket and took out a box of matches. Carefully, I lit one and dropped it into the cellar. I smiled triumphantly while they screamed in pain and horror. I waited for about twenty minutes until the fire burned itself out, then turned and walked toward my car. I had done it. I had fulfilled my promise to Brian. Now it was time to join him.
Epilogue
Mom and dad were both asleep when I got home around two o'clock in the morning. I was in shock over what I had just done, but not one bit sorry about doing it. Those fuckers deserved to die.
My life was over. Without Brian there was nothing left.
Earlier today, right after school, I had searched the medicine cabinets, but I didn't know enough to be sure that what was there would kill me. I had then rifled through my father's dresser drawers. At last, I had found it; hard, cold, and black, his .38 revolver. I searched for the bullets and then loaded the gun. I then stuffed it into my backpack and tossed it on my bed.
All was lost. There was just no other way to describe it; everything that I cared about was gone forever. My mind reeled with sorrow.
How could it all have come to this? Why did it have to be this way? Why couldn't those around me have just understood and let me, let us be?
Brian is dead and I'm soon to follow. There is nothing left for me without him, there is no life. Without him there is no reason to bear the withering glances, the taunts, the disapproval, the hatred, and the abuse. There is no reason to exist. The time had come for the vampire to meet his inevitable fate.
Maybe my own death would finally bring peace to my friends and family. Maybe it'd teach them a little about acceptance and understanding. I thought of my Aunt Sandra, who'd given me fleeting hope… of my friends Mark and Ryan… of those few others who stood by me and helped me anyway. And especially Todd, my best friend turned enemy, turned best friend again. My heart filled with sorrow.
I wrote out notes to all of them, thanking then with all my heart for being there for me. I thanked them for standing by me when I needed them the most. I told them their kindness and understanding weren't for naught. What they did brought Brian and I a short span of happiness that was dearer to me than all the world. I told them not to cry for me too much. I was sure that I was going to be with him, and that's all I ever wanted. I slipped the notes into a large envelop, and addressed it to Todd. I'd drop it in his mailbox on my way, before I did what I had to do.
A half hour later, everything was prepared. I opened my window and looked outside one last time. I gazed at the stars, wondering if Brian could see them too. I was glad the stars would always be there.
I glanced at my backpack sitting on the bed, the handle of the revolver just barely visible in the side pocket. It was time to go. It was time to walk to the park one last time, to the spot where Brian had died. It was time to join him.
THE PARSONS SUN
Monday December 17, 2001
Chouteau Student Dies After Apparent Suicide
Jonathan Davidson
Chouteau students and residents were stunned when the body of Scott McCall, aged seventeen, was found in the local park, the apparent victim of a self-inflicted gunshot.
McCall, who had reportedly been suffering from emotional problems, died late Sunday night or in the early hours of Monday morning. A camper discovered his body around three thirty a.m. Monday morning. An autopsy is scheduled for later today, and it's expected that the coroner will rule the death a suicide.
"Scott was one of our finest students and athletes," commented Principal Jackson McCoy, a fifteen-year veteran of the school. "I know I'm speaking for the whole school when I say we'll miss him very much."
When asked about the rumors about McCall's alleged emotional problems, McCoy refused to comment, saying only that the student had, "no enemies at the school."
High school counselor Vincent Daniels agreed, saying that McCall's school record was exemplary and that his grades were above average.
"Scott was a fine boy," said Daniels. "Our hearts go out to his family and friends, and we're going run our flag at half-staff for the rest of the week."
Several Chouteau High School students, who asked not to be named, said that McCall had been the recent subject of harassment. Because of the nature of that harassment, this paper will investigate further before reporting the details.
This is the second suspicious death of an area student in recent weeks. Seventeen-year-old Brian Fowler of Welch Oklahoma was also found dead in the same spot in the park approximately three weeks ago. That death was ruled to be an accident at the time, but with the death of McCall, and the rumors about the two boys, this newspaper will investigate further and furthermore, calls on the Labette County Sheriff's office, as well as the Kansas Bureau of Investigation to look into the matter.
McCall was the victim of a severe beating back in September, a beating resulting in a stay in the Labette County Hospital in Parsons for three days, and yet another beating in mid-November, resulting in an overnight stay.
The deceased student's parents, Mr. and Ms. Jeffrey McCall of Chouteau were said to be in shock. When reached late Monday morning, Mr. McCall commented that his wife collapsed upon hearing the news and was currently receiving treatment here in the Parsons hospital.
When asked whether his son had any problems in the past, McCall stated, "my son had many emotional problems over the last several months for reasons I don't care to discuss at the moment. My wife and I loved him the best way we knew how."
The father was too upset to provide any further details except to say that the funeral will be held on Friday, pending the current police investigation.
THE PARSONS SUN
Wednesday December 19, 2001
Officials Baffled by Suicide of Local Student
Jonathan Davidson
Scott McCall was an average student in Chouteau High School. Only seventeen years old, he was a star athlete on the football team, a well-liked popular student who seemed to have everything going for him.
And yet, McCall died Monday morning, the apparent victim of suicide.
School officials were stunned by the death. McCall's body was discovered in the local park around three thirty a.m. by a camper after hearing what he thought was a gunshot. McCall was found at the exact same spot where seventeen-year-old Brian Fowler, of Welch, was discovered three weeks earlier, the apparent victim of an accidental fall.
Principal Jackson McCoy was quick to downplay the possible connection between the two boys.
"We have a fine school here in Chouteau," said McCoy. "Scott never had any problems that I'm aware of, certainly no drug or alcohol problems. I have absolutely no idea why he would kill himself. It's just too incredible to believe."
Student Scott McCall, who resided with his parents, died from a single gunshot wound to the base of his skull, issued from a Smith & Wesson .38 revolver. Autopsy reports indicated that he probably died instantly, but could not say conclusively that the wounds were self-inflicted, pending further investigation.
McCall's parents, Mr. and Ms. Jeremy McCall issued a statement through their attorney.
"Our son was going through a difficult time lately, but we loved him and wanted only the best for him."
They asked that flowers be sent to the Bath Funeral Home in Chouteau, and that the services would be held on Friday.
Another McCall relative, Sandra Williams, contacted the paper to inform us that Scott had recently been the subject of harassment at school because of his reported homosexual lifestyle.
"Scott was a wonderful boy," she told the Sun in an exclusive interview. "His school is to blame for not protecting him against harassment from the bullies and thugs who wanted to hurt him. All he wanted was to love his boyfriend Brian and to be left alone."
She was referring to seventeen-year-old Brian Fowler of Welch, whose body was discovered three weeks earlier in the same Chouteau Park, in the same spot as McCall. That death had been ruled an accidental fall at the time, but sources tell this reporter that the Kansas Bureau of Investigation has decided to open their own investigation after this latest information.
Principal Jackson McCoy would not comment on the allegations of McCall's lifestyle, except to say that students of every race and religion were represented at the school. When asked about reports that McCall had recently been hospitalized for injuries sustained in a vicious beating, McCoy said only that he knew the student had been ill recently, but didn't know the precise details.
"Boys get into fights all the time," he explained. "Scott was one of our best athletes and students, and it's possible his temper got the better of him. But I don't know about any harassment. We certainly would never tolerate that here at Chouteau High School, not as long as I'm in charge."
School Superintendent Robert Wheeland said that a full investigation would be made.
"If we learn of any student harassment in Chouteau," promised Wheeland, "you can be sure that we'll nip it in the bud. We won't tolerate any such violent activities in this school, and it's against Kansas state school policy as well."
McCoy also added that classes will end at one p.m. on Friday, allowing students and friends to attend the funeral. A memorial tribute is planned for the school yearbook as well.
THE TOPEKA GAY GUARDIAN
December 24, 2001
Life and Death at Chouteau High School
This Week's Editorial
You think it's hard being gay and out in a larger city like Topeka these days? Try being gay when you're seventeen and going to school in Chouteau, a small rural community in southeast Kansas.
That was the plight of Scott McCall, a star athlete on the school football team, who tragically ended his young life last Sunday with a bullet to the brain.
School officials seemed stunned when we contacted them on Friday, after confirming with friends and relatives that Scott was gay.
School principal Jackson McCoy, when confronted with our findings, refused to confirm or deny that the student was gay.
"It's not our policy to comment on the… extracurricular activities of any of our students," he said. McCoy did say that the school had no policy on whether to allow gay students to participate in school functions, hold meetings, or conduct on campus activities, but did say, "the matter was being fully investigated."
School superintendent Robert Wheeland was much less helpful. He refused to comment on the record, referring only to the law firm representing the school, Michaelson & Beecham of Parsons. Our repeated calls to the law firm went unanswered.
Students at Chouteau High School, however, were able to provide the real story.
"Scott was a great guy," said Mark Summers, who knew McCall as a fellow player on the football team. "All of us knew he was gay, but he didn't bother anyone."
But for the last three months, McCall had been cruelly harassed and tormented by students, his pleas ignored by the principal, teachers, and others in authority… even rejected by his own parents, according to Summers.
"It was horrible," explained Summers, in an exclusive interview with the Guardian. "Somehow, Scott's parents found him and his boyfriend Brian … well, they found out they were involved with each other. I don't know why, but Mr. McCall, that's Scott's father, decided he'd try to 'help' his son by calling Coach Benson and telling him that Scott was gay. Once word got out, that was it. Everybody in the school knew."
After repeated attempts, we finally reached Scott's father, Jeffrey McCall, who reluctantly admitted what had happened.
"I thought that the coach could help straighten out my son," he insisted. "My boy wasn't gay! It was that other one, that Brian kid. He was the one who had seduced my son! He twisted him… made him something the wasn't. Now leave me alone."
McCall refused to comment further.
Scott's other friends were anxious to assist in our investigation.
"The local papers are shit," said one student who asked not to be named. "I'm not gay, but I don't care if anybody else is. That's their business. Scott was totally cool as far as I was concerned. He never hit on me or any other guy I know of… all he did was fool around with Brian, his boyfriend. I never understood what the big deal was."
Brian Fowler, Scott's boyfriend, attended school in nearby Welch Oklahoma and was also reportedly harassed on occasion. He had died three weeks earlier in a manner that was ruled as an accidental fall at the time. The Chouteau Police Department, the Labette County Sheriff's Office, as well as the Kansas Bureau of Investigation has reopened the case after the latest information has started to come out.
The student also named several others who he felt were responsible for the harassment. We brought those names to the Labette County District Attorney, Sam Alonzo, who agreed to investigate further.
"This is a tragic situation, no matter what his sexual orientation was," said Alonzo. "Our office is assisting the KBI in investigating the matter, but so far it seems clear that there was no criminal intent here. Neither student was murdered, but we could prosecute for assault and battery."
Alonzo was referring to an incident back in September, in which Scott McCall was beaten so severely in the Chouteau High School locker room after school, he had to be taken to the Labette County Medical Center in Parsons for treatment.
Doctor Ronald Reardon, the family physician told us that McCall had, "four cracked ribs, a chipped tibia, and was badly bruised on his back, chest, groin, stomach, arms and face. Scott also required stitches in his mouth, had to have emergency dental surgery on his lower teeth, and received more stitches just above his left eyebrow."
Reardon refused to comment on his patient's sexuality, referring us only to the boy's parents.
Why the suicide? A friend of Scott's, Jennifer Conner, believes she knows the answer.
"Scott couldn't escape," she said. "He was barely on speaking terms with his parents and they had threatened to throw him out of his house. After the death of his boyfriend, I think he just couldn't take it anymore. The moment he found out on Monday morning that Brian was dead he tried to kill Ashton, right there in school, but some of the guys were able to stop him. Three weeks later, Scott killed himself, right on the same spot that Brian had died."
Was Scott McCall trying to tell us something, trying to send a message to straight society?
Apparently not, according to Conner.
"I think he just wanted to be with Brian," she said simply. "I know it sounds silly, and like something out of an old movie, but it's true. Maybe in death Scott and Brian can finally be together and nobody can ever hurt them again."
Another friend, Ryan Jackson agreed with Conner.
"Everybody at school knew the truth," he insisted. "The teachers, the coaches, the principal, everybody in charge… they all just turned their backs on Scott. I tried to help him as much as I could, but I couldn't stop what happened. Maybe nobody could."
We at the Topeka Gay Guardian have to ask; how long will it be before gay students have the same rights as straight teens? We find the school administrations lack of interest deplorable, and we demand that school officials, as well as state and local authorities immediately launch an investigation into the deaths of Scott McCall. If it's true he was being harassed, and we have every reason to believe he was, we want the guilty parties to be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
As to the school policy, we demand that all Kansas State owned schools provide a rule, specifically designed to stop intolerance directed towards anyone, regardless of their sex, race, religion, or sexual preference. Anyone who had regularly read this paper knows that hate crimes against gays are becoming widespread and we must be given the same rights as any minority.
School officials, parents, and police alike don't seem to understand that gay men and women aren't hatched. They're born just like everybody else; they grow up, they go to school. And eventually they want to love other people. It's a well-known fact that many people's sexual orientation is determined at birth. Admittedly, psychiatrists are torn on the issue of whether it's due to environmental factors or imbedded in our DNA, but some medical researchers indicate there may indeed be a 'gay gene' that makes us gay right out of the womb.
Sadly, no one bothered to talk to Scott McCall either. Nor did anyone in authority listen to what he had to say. Maybe he would still be alive today if he had been able to reach out and contact some of his gay brothers and sisters in nearby cities, or get help from the gay support group here in Topeka.
And to school officials, don't be surprised if the ghost of Scott haunts the school at Chouteau. His blood is on your hands, and someday you'll have to answer for that.
Bill Dutton, Editor,
The Topeka Gay Guardian.
THE PARSONS SUN
Friday December 21, 2001
Four Chouteau Students Missing
The Chouteau Police Department, as well as the Labette County Sheriff's Department are investigating the disappearance of four local high school students.
Students Ashton Mitchell, Steve Cooper, Jeremy Osterfield and Alex Wilson were all reported missing by their parents after they failed to return home on Sunday night after what was supposed to be a weekend of camping and fishing at the city park east of the Neosho River.
Concern has grown since the four students failed to report to school on Monday morning. At first the parents had just assumed the students had decided to stay over on Sunday night, but when they failed to return home before school, they started becoming concerned.
The four have been in the news lately after they were questioned in the beating of fellow student Scott McCall back in September. No charges were filed in that case. They were also questioned recently in the death of Brian Fowler, a Welch Oklahoma student. That death was ruled as an accidental fall, although the Kansas Bureau of Investigation is now investigating the case as possible manslaughter after further information came to light after the recent suicide of McCall.
If anyone has any information in these disappearances or on the Fowler investigation, they are urged to contact the Chouteau Police Department, or the Labette County Sheriff's office.
This newspaper will continue to investigate both cases and will keep readers informed of any developments.
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