Previously, Frank Castle and his associate Chip came to Kansas on the trail of cannibal serial killer. The plan seemed simple enough: Have Chip go undercover to lure the cannibal out, then Frank would go in and finish the job. Unfortunately, a hired killer was sent to take out the Punisher, who decided to strike just as Chip fell into the cannibal’s grip. Now both men face deadly odds separately with little chance of walking away alive…

Chip Carter’s clothes lay strewn around the floor next to the table where his unconscious body was laying. His captor, Hayden, who was a cannibalistic killer had cut them off as he prepared to clean and sanitize the body before he started dismembering it.

As he looked through Chip’s wallet, Hayden saw he’d been lying about his name. He must have been an undercover agent or something, which meant people knew he was missing. No matter now, he’d taken steps to cover his tracks as he brought Chip to his secret location. No one would find them, of that Hayden was confident.

He checked the microwave to see how hot the wax was. He had a lot of body hair to remove before he started cooking the main course…

MEET THE HANSONS

Part II

By Tobias Christopher

Several blocks away, Frank had arrived at a home for the elderly, having been led there by a trail of dead animals who had been impaled on various objects. This had been the work of the Hanson brothers, a pair of killers hired by Howard Saint to kill the Punisher before he reached California.

Holding his gun, Frank calmly approached the door, kicking it in. He didn’t know what to expect, and he certainly had no idea how deranged the Hanson brothers were, or even that he was dealing with brothers as he’d only met ‘Little’ Glen so far.

“We just wanted you to get a good look at this place,” said ‘Little’ Glen as Frank entered the building. “Since you’ll never live long enough to be put into this place yourself.”

“Who are you?” asked Frank, noticing that there wasn’t anyone in the lobby or in any of the rooms he was passing by.

“The guys who are going to kill the Punisher,” replied ‘Little’ Glen. It was then that Frank saw the lifeless body of an elderly woman roll towards him. Continuing to hold his gun out, he checked her pulse. She looked like she’d been asphyxiated. He looked up, just in time to hear a faint beeping. The chair, and the woman, exploded, sending Frank flying backward.

He heard laughter coming from upstairs as he tried to stand up, but it was a weird, horrific laughter. It didn’t seem like the kind that someone like the man with the tommy gun would have. He headed toward the staircase, wondering what other horrors were awaiting him. It was then that two dead orderlies, hanging from ropes, were sent swinging down at him. He ducked them as the two bodies swung back and forth until they came to a stop, hanging over the stairwell.

Chip felt an intense pain as he felt something ripping at his legs. But he found he couldn’t scream, or react. All he could do was open his eyes to a blurry view of a light over him.

“I didn’t think you’d wake up this soon,” said Hayden as he pulled another strip of cloth off of Chip’s left leg, taking all the hair along with it. “You’re probably wondering why you can’t scream. It’s because I pumped you full of drugs. Don’t worry, I’ve already done your chest and arms, and… other parts. Once I’m done with your leg, we can start cooking.”

Chip tried to gather all his strength to try to fight, but found he couldn’t even raise a finger. All he could do was lay there as Hayden applied more wax to his legs, the applied the cloth. Then like pulling a band-aid off, he ripped the cloth away, removing the last of the hair.

“There, that wasn’t so bad,” said Hayden as he grabbed a pair of pliers. “I still need to clean you, but all that hair removal’s made me hungry.”

Grabbing Chip’s right hand, he used the pliers to tug at the fingernail on his pinkie. After pulling it off, seeing the pain in Chip’s face, Hayden looked down at him. “Think that hurt? Wait a second.”

Taking a bite, Hayden bit off half of Chip’s finger, where he’d pulled the nail out of. Chip could feel the pain, but couldn’t react to it. Hayden sucked on the bloody stump for a few seconds before he dropped Chip’s hand.

“Human flesh is okay raw, for a light snack,” said Hayden as he grabbed some cleaning supplies. “But to really get the flavor, you have to cook it. If you don’t pass out before then, I’ll show you some of my secrets to making the perfect human roast.”

Frank kicked in the door to another room, seeing more dead bodies that had been set up to look like they were still alive. Everyone in the building must have been dead by this point. And why? Just to toy with Frank before whoever these guys were made their move.

“Why did you have to kill an entire building full of people?” asked Frank, hoping the man’s voice would clue him in to the whereabouts.

“Because I got bored,” replied ‘Little’ Glen. “We would have gone to the pre-school across the street, but wouldn’t you know it? It was closed for the holiday.”

“That’s right, just keep talking,” said Frank as he followed the sound of the voice up the hall. He kicked in the door and saw it was the manager’s office, where a walkie-talkie had been set up.

“Now, you didn’t think we’d be dumb enough to let you corner us, did you?” asked ‘Little’ Glen as Frank stepped back towards the door. As he turned around, he bumped into ‘Little’ Glen, who had waited in the janitor’s closet next door. He grabbed Frank and tossed him over the bannister, crashing him through a table in the lobby on the first floor. “Fucker’s not so tough.”

As he walked downstairs to finish off Frank, he saw the smashed table, but Frank wasn’t there. It was then that the wooden leg of the table smashed into ‘Little’ Glen’s nose, shattering it. This gave Frank the opening to start landing punch after punch on the man. After several hits, Frank gave the man one last blow before knocking him onto his back.

Frank pulled out his remaining .38 from the back of his pants. He was tired of this shit and was ready to end it. It was then that he heard the laughing again. it wasn’t coming from ‘Little’ Glen, it was coming from… under his hat.

“Aw, you done pissed my brother off,” said ‘Little’ Glen as he stood up. Pulling off his ten gallon cowboy hat, Frank recoiled in horror. Sticking out from the top of ‘Little’ Glen’s head was what looked like an upside down fetus.

“What the fuck are you?” asked Frank, feeling like he was going to be sick.

“Siamese twins, dipshit,” said ‘Big’ Doug Hanson in a distorted, childlike voice. “This is what happens when you smoke crack while pregnant!”

Frank recovered just in time for ‘Little’ Glen to punch him in the stomach, then brought both fists down on Frank’s back, sending him to the ground.

“Kill the fucker!” shouted ‘Big’ Doug. “Make him suffer!”

Hayden had made all the preparations, and was now ready for the appetizers. He grabbed the electric knife and stood over Chip.

“Where to start…,” said Hayden as he grabbed some skin on Chip’s chest and started the knife. He cut off a strip of flesh as he noticed tears in Chip’s eyes. “Oh, this is just the appetizer. I’ll cut off something more important in a few minutes.”

Taking the skin over to the stove, he dropped it in a grease filled pan as Chip heard a sizzling sound. After a few minutes, Hayden used a pair of tongs to pick it up, taking a bite. “Mmmm! Nothing beats a nice piece of jerky.”

He walked over and shoved a piece into Chip’s mouth, forcing him to swallow it. “That’s the best use of the skin, bro. I make the jerky and sell it to my friends at work.”

Picking up the electric knife, Hayden got ready to slice off another strip of skin. At this point, the anesthesia was wearing off and Chip found he could move his remaining fingers.

“What the fuck is going on?” asked Tommy as he stood at the doorway.

“Tommy? What are you doing here?” asked Hayden as he hid the knife behind his back.

“Saw your car parked across the street, then noticed that the door to this building wasn’t chained up like it usually is,” said Tommy as he looked at Chip. “You brought him here for some sick sexual game, didn’t you?”

Before Hayden could answer, Tommy noticed Chip was bleeding and saw the knife in Hayden’s hands. “Are you… eating him?”

“Well, I was going to tell you before I pinned all the murders on you, but now’s just as good a time,” said Hayden as he slashed at Tommy with the knife, cutting his cheek. “I’ve been eating your dates. All those guys you brought home? What’s left of them is in my freezer over there. You’re the perfect fall guy. If they ever figure out all those guys truly are dead, they’re going to blame the guy who picked them up in a bar and took them home, never to be seen again.”

“I’m going to the police,” said Tommy as Hayden stabbed him in the shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” said Hayden as he buried the knife deeper. “Once you’re dead, the police will find you, along with the corpses of all the guys you killed and ate, and I’ll be long gone. Why do you think I wanted to be roommates with you? Because you’re interesting? You’re a whore who’ll pick up any guy he meets in a bar, and it paid off big for me.”

Chip fell off the table, being able to move more now. His hand reached into his pants pocket that was lying next to him.

“You see, Tommy, all those guys? They were into you,” said Hayden as he walked toward Chip. “Chip here- that is his name, by the way- was waiting patiently when I dragged his meaty ass out of the apartment,” Hayden looked over at Chip, who was laying on the floor. “Aw. what are you reaching for buddy? A cell phone?”

“No,” said Chip as he pulled out a knife. “This.”

“You don’t have the strength to stab me,” laughed Hayden. “It’s a good thing you’re delicious, or I’d–”

Chip pushed a button on the knife, sending a spring-loaded blade directly into Hayden’s throat. He dropped the electric knife he was holding and stumbled backward as he slowly bled to death. Falling back against the wall, Hayden slid down as the life left his body, his eyes still wide open.

“Armand- Chip- are you alright?” asked Tommy as he ran to Chip’s side.

“Yeah, except for the missing skin. And my pinkie,” said Chip as he looked at Tommy. “I’m straight, by the way.”

Frank was tossed through the plate-glass window of the building, landing by the pool out back. He started to get up as ‘Little’ Glen grabbed him by the throat and tossed him into the grass.

“Can I kill him, Doug?” asked ‘Little’ Glen as he stomped towards Frank. “I’m getting bored.”

“Fine, then we can go kill the kid and collect our money from Saint,” said ‘Big’ Doug.

“Saint?” asked Frank as he stood up. ‘Little’ Glen threw a punch at Frank, who caught it in his hand and punched the assassin, knocking him backward.

“Come on, kill him!” shouted ‘Big’ Doug as Frank smacked the baby.

“Quiet, you!”

‘Little’ Glen charged at Frank, who grabbed him and tossed him at a fence, smashing him through it. Frank took a few minutes to stomp on ‘Little’ Glen to make sure he wasn’t getting back up. When he was finished, he picked up his .38 and aimed it at the man’s head.

“You can’t kill us,” said ‘Big’ Doug. “We’ll crawl out of hell to–”

“Heard that argument before,” said Frank as he cocked the gun. “Tell Ma Gnucci I’m still waiting for her bony ass to come get me.”

BANG!

The bullet flew through ‘Little’ Glen’s skull as Frank looked around. An entire building full of dead people, several dead and impaled animals along the street, and a cannibal loose in the town.

“I fucking hate Kansas, they should just nuke the place and be done with it,” said Frank as he suddenly remembered Chip was in trouble. Leaving the Hanson brothers behind, he rushed toward Tommy’s apartment, finding it empty. “Chip?”

Frank picked up his cell phone and saw several messages from him over the course of the last several hours.

“So, you’re sure Tommy’s innocent?” asked Frank later that night as he wrapped Chip’s pinky after disinfecting it.

“He’s clean,” said Chip as they sat in the motel room. “After Hayden died, we hauled ass and called the cops to do the cleanup.”

“So, where is he now?”

“Tommy decided to go back to New York where his family is,” replied Chip as he felt the gauze on his chest where his skin was taken. “I feel kind of bad for him, though. He was actually a pretty nice guy.”

“Nice guys are hard to come by in this business, let’s hope he stays that way,” said Frank as he stood up. “Where to next?” asked Chip.

“First we take a few days for you to recover at a safe house in the next state,” replied Frank as he pulled out his guns and laid them on the table. “Then we’re going to kill Howard Saint.”

A few hours later, Frank and Chip were on their way out-of-town. They cleared the state line just in time for news reports to start flooding in on the radio about a tragedy in Manhattan, Kansas…

Epilogue #1

As Tommy sat on the bus headed to New York, he remembered his last few hours with Chip before they parted ways.

Tommy and Chip were lying side by side in Tommy’s bed after having called the police to Hayden’s hideout.

“I thought you said you were straight,” said Tommy with a laugh as he stared up at the ceiling. As soon as they’d arrived back at the apartment, one thing had led to another after Tommy had bandaged Chip up the best he could.

“It’s the blood loss,” said Chip, his wounds still feeling like hell. “I like you, Tommy, but… I have to leave town. My line of work, it doesn’t allow for… relationships of any kind.”

“Will I ever see you again?” asked Tommy hopefully.

“If I ever hit New York, we’ll get together for coffee or something, I promise,” said Chip as he got out of the bed. He put on the clothes that he’d stolen from Hayden’s closet and looked back at Tommy. “Take care of yourself.”

“Things will be better in New York,” Tommy told himself. “It’s better than living in that boring little town. Plus it’ll be good to see my sister again.”

Epilogue #2

The man sat leaned against the wall, holding his cup out for spare change from anyone who would donate to him. As former police detective Martin Soap passed by, he felt sorry for the man. He tossed what change he had into the cup as he passed by. Moments later, as the man looked down into his cup, he felt a quick sting in his forehead as his brains were splattered against the wall behind him.

In the apartment across the way, a figure wearing a white mask watched as smoke rose from a just fired long range rifle.

“Vagrant scum,” said Elite as she heard the door start to open. She quickly removed her mask and stored it, along with the rifle, in a secret compartment in the closet. Soap walked in moments later, with flowers in his hand. “For me? You shouldn’t have.”

“Just wanted to show my girl how much I loved her,” said Soap as he hugged her. Most of his life had been one tragedy after another, but now Martin Soap was certain that his luck had changed. After all, what could possibly go wrong with this relationship?

Epilogue #3

“Son of a bitch, it’s still alive,” said the doctor as he examined ‘Little’ Glen and ‘Big’ Doug.

“How’s my brother, doc?” asked ‘Big’ Doug as the fetus’s eyes looked up at the doctor.

“Well, I don’t how to tell you this, but his body is still alive, but the bullet did irreparable damage to the part of the brain that belonged to him. He’s… essentially a vegetable,” said the doctor, noticeably creeped out by ‘Big’ Doug’s appearance. “The part of the brain that you control, however, is fine. Looking at the chart, it seems that you control the part of the brain with the motor reflexes for your brother.”

It was then that ‘Little’ Glen’s hand wrapped itself around the doctor’s neck.

“That’s all I needed to know.”