The Longest Winter
Chapter 12
Ralph unclipped his key ring from his wallet chain and fumbled through them. He slid the old brass key into the rusty iron padlock on the barn door. It unlocked and Ralph wheezed as he pulled the heavy barn door open. He looked behind him, eyeing his property with narrow eyes, before sliding into the barn. He slipped the inside barrel bolt lock shut to secure the door from the inside so no unwanted guests could get in.
Ralph then fumbled his way through the dark towards the light switch on the nearby wall. The barn suddenly came to life, with a hum from the large florescent lights overhead.
The barn was huge, easily 4 stories tall and insulated. Heat radiated down from the long metal electric heaters hanging from the rafters. The floor was mostly dirt with particle board laid down for a crude walkway.
The lower parts of each wall were filled with cages of various sizes, each holding a different animal. In the center of the barn was an enormous hole with iron fencing around it. Inside the hole was a muddy pit with a large fat caiman inside. The reptile growled as it circled the hole like a slow moving slug. Surrounding the pit was an assortment of aquariums filled with many different predators, ranging from reptiles to insects.
Ralph admired his collection with raised arms. “Daddy’s home!” He said with a sinister shout. “Feeding time!”
He snickered to himself as he grabbed his two favorite tools, a cattle prod and his homemade metal grabber - an extended grabbing device to prevent animals from biting his hands. He then approached a cage holding two pugs and a litter of pug puppies. The puppies were starting to reach adulthood; perfect feeding size. They were filthy, covered in dirt and their own excrement. They cowered in fear as he approached the cage. He opened the door and reached in with the grabber. The mother tried to bite it so he poked her hard with the cattle prod. She yelped in pain as her body convulsed from the shock. He grabbed one of the pups with the grabber, ignoring the fact that it was pinching the dog’s neck. It squealed in pain as he yanked it out of the cage.
He closed the door and walked over to his albino boa, dropping the pup inside. He watched the puppy mindlessly sniff around, unaware of its fate. Soon the boa struck like lightning. Ralph watched with sick pleasure as the puppy yelped in pain as the snake wrapped around it. Soon the yelps turned to strained whines before it fell silent.
“Good girl.” Ralph said to the snake.
He proceeded to feed the rest of his pets. A guinea pig for his rattlesnake, a baby bunny for his African bullfrog, a kitten for his Goliath spider, and another puppy for his piranha tank. Last, but not least, was a young piglet that he grabbed from the pigpen behind the barn. He tossed it over the iron fence into the caiman’s pit and grinned as the monster devoured the squealing pig.
“Man’s best friend.” He said to himself.
Bark! Hunter, his loyal german shepherd was hungry too.
“Don’t worry, boy.” Ralph said, petting his furry friend. “I didn’t forget about you!”
He walked over to one of the many cat cages and grabbed a stray tabby. It was good and fat after being overfed for weeks while being stuck in a cage. Ralph pulled it out and cruelly tossed it on the ground while giving Hunter the kill command.
“Get it boy!” He said excitedly. “Go on, get it!”
The obese feline attempted to run only to be caught by the dog and ravenously ripped apart. The dog continued to eat the cat’s remains as Ralph waddled over to an empty breeding pen in the corner. He gripped the edge of the wooden enclosure as his twisted mind began to formulate a plan.
“If she won’t give me the fluffies willingly, then I’ll have to lure them out.” Ralph muttered to himself. “Perhaps some spaghetti in a varmint trap, or maybe I could shoot them with my tranquilizer gun and round them up before she notices.”
He scratched his chin, thinking of one option after another. He slowly paced around the barn whispering to himself. He stopped to look at one of his puppy cages, a batch of Pomeranians. He stuck his finger inside and one of the puppies gave it a lick, hoping for food.
“Perhaps I’ve been going about this all wrong.” He said. “How does the saying go? You catch more flies with honey?”
He opened the cage and grabbed the small yipping puppy. He gently held it in hid hand, petting the creature as he cocked his head to the side, thinking aloud.
“Maybe the old bat would make a trade. You for the fluffies?” He asked, scratching the puppy’s chin. “Nah.” He said, shaking his head. “She’s too stubborn. No, this will take cunning.” He wagged his finger in the pup’s face as he walked over to the piranha’s tank. The group of fish swam excitedly back and forth, the top of the tank littered with the remains of their last kill.
“If all else fails, accidents tend to happen to old women who live alone.” The exterminator said as his hand tightened around the puppy’s neck. “A slip and fall, a house fire, who knows?” His grip grew stronger as his eyes darkened. “And then the fluffies would need to be taken care of, wouldn’t they?” The dog could no longer breathe as it struggled in his hands. “And who runs animal control and the only pound in town?” He asked as the puppy’s neck finally snapped. “That’s right! Me!” He laughed as he dropped the dead animal into the piranha tank. They immediately began tearing it to shreds.
“But I suppose plan A is worth a shot.” He said, grabbing another Pomeranian puppy and throwing it into a carrier. “Let’s see if that old bitch will make a trade. It’ll also make me look like the good guy, trying to reason with her. I’ll make sure the police add that to my report.”
He held the carrier up to his face and looked inside at the shivering puppy. “And who could say no to that cute little face?” He said in a mocking tone.
He whistled and Hunter came running to his side, growling at the carrier. His mouth was covered in blood from the cat he ate. Ralph threw the rest of the dead tabby into the caiman pit and headed towards the door. He shut off the lights and locked up before taking the carrier up to the house. He brought it inside and set it down by the door. The house was disgusting and badly neglected. Dishes and trash were everywhere and the place smelled of mildew and garbage.
He grabbed the puppy out of the carrier and headed towards the sink. He ran the water and sprayed the dog with dish soap. He roughly scrubbed the creature, ignoring its cries as soap entered its eyes. The water was cold, and the puppy shook as it was washed by Ralphs course, uncaring hands. He shut off the water and roughly dried the pup with a scratchy old towel before cruelly throwing the poor animal back into the carrier. He scooped some kibble into a dog dish by the fridge for Hunter and tossed a handful in the puppy’s face. It eagerly at it, as it was it’s first meal in days.
“There.” Ralph said sternly. “Now you look presentable. Hopefully you get me what I want. Otherwise it’s the snake cage for you.”
He then set the carrier by the door and locked up the house. He sat down in his old dirty recliner and put on a horror movie. He grabbed some old pizza from the night before out of the box next to him and shoved it into his mouth, inhaling it in just a few gulps. He let out a few burps and farts as his eyes began to get heavy.
He fell asleep to the sounds of murder and violence on the tv, dreaming about his big day tomorrow.
