Not in Mayberry!
30 Days of Shipping Day 20: A couple played for laughs (But I didn’t)
Title: Not in Mayberry!
Fandom: Andy Griffith Show
Series: you guessed it... Ruining Your Childhood
Characters/Pairing: Andy/Barney
Rating: R
Orientation: Slash \0/
Word Count: 1,464
Prompt: Dark Bingo Fill: “Serial Killers”
Hurt Comfort Bingo Fill: “Restrained”
The package of information from the State Police was very disturbing to Andy. He read through the reports and looked at the pictures and his stomach turned over. This person was downright evil. How could someone do these terrible things to another person? There had been five killings, five people had been murdered.
And the State Police believed the killer might be in the Mayberry area. They thought someone out here could be the perpetrator. Andy had never thought to see the day, he thought these kind of things only happened in the big city.
Barney came out of the back room, his hair still wet from his shower. He’d needed a shower after this morning. Andy probably shouldn’t have spent the night, but Barney was like an addiction he couldn’t shake. When he asked if Andy would come back to the station, using that quiet voice that was barely above a whisper, Andy had caved in, he couldn’t help it. His cock had been rock hard in his pants and Barney was offering.
“What’cha looking at, Andy?”
“Some real nasty doings. Package came in this morning from the State Police. We have to be on our guard and do some scouting around.” He pushed the pages he had already read over to Barney, watching his deputy's face as the disgust crossed over his features.
The phone rang and Andy answered it, he made a note on the pad in front of him, and thanked the caller. “Barn, you want to take a run over to Hobson’s farm? His neighbor Billy Ray just called to say he heard some shouting out there. I want to get through the rest of this report.”
“Sure, I’ll check it out.” Barney picked up his keys and left the station.
Barney had been gone a while without checking in, too long, in fact. Andy tried reaching him on the radio, but he didn’t answer. Annoyed, Andy retrieved up his gun belt from where it had been hanging on the coat tree and headed out to his car. He drove out to the Hobson’s, driving a little faster than he ordinarily might have on the dirt road. Barney’s car was parked on the side of the road near the cornfield. He checked the car and shielded his eyes as he looked out over the field. He didn’t see Barney anywhere. Billy Ray was riding on his tractor across the field and he waved to Andy, who returned the greeting.
He walked over to Hobson’s and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. He went to the barn, calling out ‘Hello!’ and Barney’s name and then Ted Hobson’s name, but no one responded. Concerned about his missing friend, Andy went to the back door of the house. It was unlocked, so he entered. The kitchen chairs were knocked over and the table was pushed all the way against the wall. That was odd. Andy might be small town, but that didn’t mean he had been born without a lick of sense. He pulled his gun and quietly walked through the house, looking for anything else out of place.
He didn’t find anything or anyone on the main level of the house. He returned to the kitchen to check in the cellar. The door creaked and the treads on the wooden stairs shook as he went down. There was a single bulb hanging at the bottom of the stairs and he yanked the chain.
Andy nearly dropped his gun, he was so shocked by what he saw in the dim light from the bulb. There was blood everywhere. It looked like someone had been slaughtering hogs down here. He heard a noise at the far end of the cellar and he turned towards it. He saw a shadowy form, person shaped, hanging from a beam. His heart was in his throat as he pulled his flashlight from his belt, turned it on and crept forward.
The flashlight caught the gleam off Barney’s badge. His friend and partner looked like he had been beaten. There was blood on his forehead and his eye was swollen shut. He was gagged and a chain hung him by his handcuffed wrists, he dangling a few inches off the floor. Andy started forward, but Barney’s eyes went wide and he started to shake his head, trying to warn Andy, staring past Andy’s right shoulder.
Andy spun, and his gun was knocked away. He quickly struck out with the heavy flashlight, catching his attacker on the side of the head and knocking him to his knees. Andy brought the flashlight down over his head and then knelt on his back and handcuffed him. He rolled the unconscious man over. Ted Hobson, his overalls splattered with blood and gore, blood on his face and neck as well, but not his own, by the look of it.
Disgusted, the sheriff stood and went to Barney, quickly undoing the cuffs and catching Barney against him and lowering him to the floor. He gently took the gag out of Barney’s mouth. “Thanks Andy,” Barney’s stutter was in full force. “He caught me by surprise. Come up behind me. He killed a girl, Andy, I saw the body when he dragged me down through the cellar doors. He cut that girl up into pieces, just like in them pictures you showed me. He said he was gonna cut me, Andy. He laughed and said he was gonna cut off my privates and make me eat them.”
“Shh. Okay. It’s okay, Barn. I’ve got you.” Andy hugged his shaking deputy to him and glared at the slumped form of Ted Hobson. “I’ve got you.”
The State Police came in and for once, Andy was perfectly content to let them take over. He gave the Lieutenant in charge the keys to the station house and his home phone number and told them he was taking his friend home for the night and to please not disturb him unless it was really important and couldn’t wait until morning.
He didn’t care what Aunt Bea had to say about it, Barney was staying with him tonight, where he could see him. Andy drove Barney back to his house. Numb with shock, Barney had answered the questions put to him by the State Police, but had been very quiet otherwise. He was shaking now, rubbing his bruised wrists.
Andy parked the car in front of the house and had to go around to coax Barney out and up the front walk. “Aunt Bea, don’t fuss. Barney needs sleep. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow,” Andy said as he walked Barney in, keeping an arm wrapped around him. She had appeared immediately, prepared to hover and ask a million questions. Neither he nor Barney were up to the onslaught of Mayberry’s gossip queen. It was late and Opie was already in bed. Andy had said his goodnights to his son over the phone when it had become apparent he would be very late.
He took Barney upstairs to his bedroom. “Barn, do you need to shower?”
Barney’s teeth were chattering as he nodded. He whispered, “I feel so dirty. He was touching me, Andy. He had his hands on me. He was really gonna do what he said.” Andy led him to the bathroom, helped him undress and sat on the toilet and waited while Barney stood under the hot water. When Barney got out, he rubbed him mostly dry with a towel and then wrapped Barney in his own bathrobe, which swam on the much smaller man. Barney shuffled along to the bedroom and like a child, allowed Andy to dress him in boxers and a t-shirt and a pair of Andy’s pajamas. He needed looking after tonight, just as Andy has suspected.
Obediently, he slid under the covers when Andy held them up and gestured. Then Andy went to the bathroom and gave himself a quick wash, stripping out of his uniform and gathering it and Barney’s and putting them in the hamper. Luckily, he didn’t run into Aunt Bea or Opie while he made his way back down the hallway clad only in a sleeveless undershirt and his drawers. He locked his bedroom door, for the first time since his wife had died. He put on a pair of pajama bottoms and got into bed beside Barney.
Barney gave a sob and threw himself at Andy. Not knowing what else to do, Andy held him and rubbed his back and made soothing noises. Eventually Barney fell asleep.
It was a very, very long time before Andy Taylor was able to push the images of horror he had seen today from his mind so that he too could sleep.
The End Originally posted at http://rinkafic.dreamwidth.org/