She made the turn toward her house. The patter of her footsteps had grown softer, more like it would really be. And then he saw the shadow move. It came out of the darkness on her left. He rushed toward it, but unlike the other darkness around him, he couldn’t get close to this. Something kept him back.
He shouted and tore at the air, but she didn’t turn around; she couldn’t be warned. The shadow took more distinct shape; it was clearly a man. In his hands he carried some small cloth bag. Suddenly, he moved up behind her and dropped the cloth bag over her head, pulling the strings that closed it around her neck and tying them quickly.
She dropped her books and reached up to prevent it, but he grabbed her wrists and jerked her arms back roughly. David reached out to help her, but he seemed to be farther away than he thought whenever he did anything to interfere. The shadowy figure twisted her arms until she went to her knees. Then he forced her up and pushed her off the road, to the left and into the woods.
She was crying now. David could hear that, but all he could do was follow them through the forest. The spot for this attack had been planned; there was a clear enough path to take. It led deeper and deeper into the forest until it brought them to a clearing. Here, he forced her to her knees again. A thin cord, fishline, was wrapped around her wrists, and then she was thrown to the ground where she sobbed and pleaded.
David watched as the dark shadowy figure took off her shorts and her panties. He watched as he tore away her blouse and pulled up her bra. He didn’t want to watch, but when he tried to turn his head away, he found that he couldn’t. He was able to put his hands over his eyes, but they didn’t block out the horrible scene being played out before him. Instead, when he closed his eyes and covered them, the scene was projected onto the inside of his lids. He couldn’t prevent himself from witnessing the gruesome scene, so he lowered his hands and watched.
The shadow man pressed himself down on her. Her shriek was so sharp it seemed to slice through the night, but she could do nothing to defend herself. He had his hands around her neck now, squeezing hard to prevent her from screaming. David could hear her choking; he saw her resistance dwindle. The shadowy figure moved itself on and over her like some thick, black snake. It writhed and turned and twisted itself about her legs and torso until finally, it was satiated.
When it rose and stepped back, she lay there motionless, her sobbing subdued. But the shadow wasn’t subdued. David sensed that it had thrown itself into some kind of panic, now that it understood what it had done. It moved about nervously, looking for a path of escape and then returning to her crumpled body.
Diane struggled to get to her knees, and that struggle upset the shadow even more. He was threatened by it, threatened by her mere existence now. David tried to get her to stop, tried to get her to wait, but she was making headway. In a moment she would be standing.
The dark figure did not wait. It found a thick branch nearby and seized it like a club. David screamed again and again, hoping to warn her, but he sounded muffled even to himself now. The shadowy figure brought the club down hard, striking her on the neck and the head, swinging it over and over, beating her down again and then continuing the onslaught long after her body had become still. The cloth bag was torn off her head.
Finally, exhausted, the dark figure stopped swinging the club and dropped it at its side. For a long moment, it simply contemplated what it had done. Then it gathered her clothing, placed them on her stomach, took hold of her ankles and began dragging her across the clearing. Reluctantly, David followed.
They reached a small pond. Here the dark figure wrapped the fishline around her torso, tying her clothing against her. He found some heavy fieldstones and lay them over her chest and stomach. Satisfied, he seized her under the arms and, unconcerned about getting himself wet, carefully dragged her into the water where she slowly sank. Then he came out of the water, found some additional stones and brought them back to the spot, dropping them into the water and over the dead body.
All the while David watched, subdued and exhausted from his frustration. The figure never seemed to notice or care. When he was satisfied with the bizarre burial, he started away from the pond. It actually came toward David. He felt new panic and tried to hide, but he was frozen in position. With great difficulty, he turned his head away so as not to be seen when the figure crossed only a few feet from him. The moment he did so, however, David experienced a familiar feeling. He knew this shadow; it had done something to frighten him before.
But all he had was that knowledge, and it was not definite enough to identify the shadow. He could see nothing of its face as it moved by and then merged with the surrounding darkness. In moments it was gone and he was alone.
He went to the edge of the pond and looked into the inky, blue-black water. The surface of the water began to ripple. The ripples grew stronger, longer, wider. He leaned in toward the spot in which he knew her body to be. The area became illuminated as though it were under spotlight and suddenly, she sat up, breaking out of the water. Only she wasn’t alive. She was a corpse that was already long into decomposing.
Her beautiful ice-blue eyes had melted and were running down her caked and pockmarked cheeks, cheeks that looked more like sponges, the blue liquid seeping into the holes. Two blackened and deepened eye sockets looked out at him. Her lower lip and chin had peeled away and dangled from the bone. When her teeth parted, he saw what he thought was her tongue moving from side to side until it came out of her mouth and turned into a small fish.
He screamed and tried to back away, but he was falling forward, falling into that pond that was draining quickly and revealing a bed composed of maggots, thousands and thousands of them waiting for his body to sink. He clawed the air and screamed again and again until—
His mother was shaking him roughly, and he opened his eyes. She had put the light on in his room and was standing by his bed. He realized it was very late because she was dressed in her nightgown and looked like she had been awakened out of deep sleep. Her hair was down around her face, and her eyes were heavy and dark.
“David, my God. What is it? Why are you screaming like this?”
He looked about, seeing the familiar surroundings. His mother ran her hand along the top of his head in amazement. His hair was caked with sweat, and beneath the covers he was almost as wet as he would be had he fallen into a pond.
“I…I had a bad dream.”
“I’ll say. Look at you. You must have been dreaming for quite a while. You better go wash your face and then put on another pair of pajamas. What was such a terrible dream?” she asked. He looked up at her and debated whether or not he should tell her. But he realized he couldn’t without telling her all of it, and that would take some time. She was too confused and tired to understand anyway, he thought.
“I don’t remember,” he said.
“You don’t remember? Maybe it was something you ate. Did you eat something before you went to bed?”
“I just had some milk and cookies.”
“Well…” She thought about it a moment. It was a convenient explanation. “Don’t do that anymore. Don’t eat just before going to sleep, okay?”
“Okay,” he said.
“Go wash up,” she said, and he got out of bed. She shook her head in amazement when she saw how damp he was. His pajamas stuck to his legs and back. Then, as he started out of the room, she stopped him.
“What?”
“Where were you tonight?”
“Why?”
“Look at your feet,” she said, and he looked down. His ankles and feet were smeared as though he had run through a muddy puddle of water barefoot. He just stared. “So? Where were you?”
“I don’t remember,” he said.
“Is that all you can say? It’s two o’clock in the morning. You wake up screaming, soaked to the skin, your feet dirty, and you don’t remember?”
He didn’t answer. He walked on to the bathroom to wash his face and feet and change into a dry pair
of pajamas.
In the morning he was up before she was and had gotten his own juice and cereal before she came out of her bedroom. She looked groggy and sleepy and moved lethargically into the kitchen, her eyes half closed. He was fully awake, sitting there and reading the offers advertised on the back of his cereal box when she appeared. For a moment she studied him as if he were a mirage. Then she ran her hands through her hair and rubbed her face vigorously.
“Did I dream it or did you wake up screaming last night?”
“You dreamt it,” he kidded. She shook her head.
“What happened to you?”
“I don’t know. I don’t want to talk about it,” he added and scooped the remaining cereal and milk into his mouth quickly. Then he got up, put the dishes into the sink, and went into his room to get his books.
“What a night; what a night,” he heard her mumble, but before she could ask him any more questions, he was at the back door.
“See you later,” he called and rushed out.
He was early for school and slumped on a bench in front to watch as the kids who lived too far away to walk arrived on the school buses. He saw Mr. Sills drive by, and this time the accountant slowed down when he spotted him. David was going to wave hello. After all, the man had been kind enough to give him a ride when he had to hitch to the hospital. But he didn’t wave. He started to raise his arm and stopped in midair.
Perhaps it was the way the sunlight hit Mr. Sills’s face. Whatever the reason, his face bleached out into the terrifying skeleton face again. Only this time his hair was frozen, the strands draped over his forehead and temples like tiny icicles. David looked away quickly.
Rube and Buzzy showed up a few minutes later. He was grateful for their excited conversation. He was listening to them when he saw Ted Davis drive up and park his car. Diane was with him. For a moment he could only stare at her. The visions from the night before seemed more real. This seemed like the dream.
He followed his friends into the building and went to his locker. He was standing there, exchanging and selecting books and notebooks when he felt Ted come up behind him.
“Diane told me about last night,” Ted said when he turned around. David started to explain, but the big senior boy put his hand up like a traffic cop. “I don’t wanna hear any more of your bullshit. I’m telling you now and I’m telling you simply and clearly…stay away from her and especially from her house. You’re a fuckin’ weirdo.”
David was stunned. Ted glared at him a moment and then walked off before he could reply. What could he say anyway? he thought. Was he going to tell him about his dream? Should he tell him about Charlie Williams and what Charlie discovered? He knew that Ted wouldn’t listen. It was no use.
David went on to his classes, desperately trying to concentrate on what went on, for in each class the teacher was preparing the class for the final exam, offering an outline for review and suggesting what to stress when studying for the test. Students who had been goofing off all quarter looked intent and frightened. Cramming would be the order of the day, and because of the way he had been working this final quarter, cramming had to be his method as well.
Just before the lunch period ended, Merle joined him, Buzzy, Rube, and Carl to tell them he had heard Paul Shatsky tell some of his senior friends that Gerry Porter had been picked up and taken to the police station last night.
“Shatsky’s mother found out from Mrs. Porter that the police think Gerry’s been peeking in on girls all over town.”
“That’s who probably hit Buzzy, right Buz?” Rube said.
“Yeah. It was him,” Buzzy said.
“How can you say that? You didn’t see him, and you couldn’t identify him the night you were attacked,” David said.
“Now that I think about it though—”
“I don’t believe you,” David said.
“What are you, Gerry Porter’s protector or somethin’?” Carl asked. “He’s an idiot. Everyone knows he’s an idiot.”
“I don’t think he would hurt anyone,” David insisted. His friends all looked at him as if he were crazy. “I know he’s not too bright, but why would he grab Buzzy?”
“Because he was afraid of being caught looking at Diane Jones,” Rube said. He turned to everyone. All agreed that was obvious.
David was about to tell them of his visit with Diane Jones the night before and what he had sensed. He was even going to tell them about his dream, but the bell for afternoon classes rang, and they got into other topics as they made their way back to their classrooms.
After school he watched Diane and Ted get into Ted’s car. More than ever now, he was fascinated by her. In a bizarre way it was like seeing a movie star in real life. She did play the lead in his most vivid and dramatic dreams. He seemed to have a need to confirm she was still alive, that her skin was still as soft and beautiful and her eyes were still as dazzling. He wanted so much to hear her voice, but he wouldn’t chance approaching her with Ted around. He would have to wait to warn her about his dream. He hoped that she wouldn’t disregard it.
Just before dinner he took a break from his studying and walked down to Chonin’s to get a candy bar. It was going to be his way of rewarding himself later on for the good studying he would do after supper. When he reached the corner, he saw Gerry Porter making his way home from work at the K and W Market. He was plodding along in his usual manner, staring down at his feet as if he were trying to make sure he was doing it right. David looked around, saw that none of his friends were in the vicinity, and crossed to intercept Porter.
“Hey Gerry,” he said. The big, slow-witted man stopped and looked up. He was dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, and the shirt was streaked with dirt and dust from lifting soda cases and other heavy items. “Finished work?”
“Yeah,” Gerry said. “I got a couple extra packs of gum. Samples,” he said and dug into his pocket to demonstrate.
“Great.”
“Murray says it’s going to be a big day tomorrow. We’re redoing the storage room.”
“Is that right?”
He stared at David a moment, blinking.
“Mrs. Zorankin broke her hip,” he said.
“Huh?”
“Fell down the stairs and broke her hip. Her son found her lying there this morning.”
“Really?”
“Broke her hip,” he repeated. “I gotta tell my mother.”
“Yeah, sure. Say, weren’t you in the police station last night?”
“Charlie Williams, he came to the house and says, take a ride with him in the police car. So my mother doesn’t want me to, but I went anyway.”
“Were you home all night or did you go for a walk?”
“I don’t know. Yeah, I was home. I didn’t look at any girls. Mrs. Zorankin broke her hip,” he said. He started off again.
“Hey Gerry,” David walked after him. “You were out last night. You go out at night sometimes. There’s someone else out there, someone else walking in and out of the woods and up and down the roads; someone who keeps to the shadows, right? A man, not a kid, right? You’ve seen him,” David added emphatically. Gerry looked at him, his eyes blinking. For a moment David didn’t think he would respond.
“I seen him,” he finally said, his voice remarkably softer.
“Did you tell Charlie?”
“Charlie didn’t ask. He just told me not to go near any houses and look in the windows. I don’t look in windows.”
“Who was it? Who did you see?” David drove his questions at him aggressively. He reached out, but hesitated just short of taking hold of Gerry’s left arm.
Gerry didn’t reply. David could see fear come into his face. David knew that Gerry didn’t understand many things, but David could see that he understood the danger around the man he had seen. He was afraid of him.
Whoever it was must have confronted Gerry Porter and Gerry Porter must have seen and felt the aura of death around him, David thought. Maybe it wasn’t a man; maybe it was the
dark shadow of the visions. Maybe Gerry Porter had seen something that wasn’t human and had no way of expressing it. In any case he wasn’t going to describe or identify him now. That was for sure.
“I gotta go home,” he said, “and tell my mother about Mrs. Zorankin.”
Before David could respond, Gerry started off, walking a lot faster than he had been. David watched him a moment and then turned around quickly and looked toward the village.
Somewhere, from a window, from a car, or even from an alley, someone was watching him. His name was on the tip of his tongue, but something was preventing him from realizing it. Why? When would he be able to do it?
There was no answer; only the unnatural silence which permitted him to hear the pounding of his own heart.
10
It was difficult, if not impossible, for David to study after supper. His mother had a dinner date with Fred Myers, after which they were going to a show at the Wonder Bar in Old Falls, a hamlet about three miles away. The Wonder Bar was the closest thing to a nightclub in the area. He had heard about the show because it consisted of female impersonators. Some of the older-looking seniors had been able to get in to see it, and they told their friends that it was funny. But what was unbelievable even to them was the comedienne whose jokes were very raunchy.
David couldn’t imagine his mother, or Fred Myers, for that matter, going to such a show. When he asked her about it, she only said, “We’ve got to see what they’re all talking about. If we don’t like it, we’ll leave. Don’t wait up.”
She made him his supper, and right afterward, he went into his room to try to study. She called to him when Fred arrived, and he shouted his good-bye. But when the house grew terribly quiet, his thoughts wandered; he was unable to keep his eyes on the pages of notes or the textbook pages.
Sight Unseen Page 16
