Ink
Page 39
Monk ate, and rested, and healed.
Mostly healed. Body first, then soul.
6
One month to the day he first rolled into Pine Deep, Monk Addison came into Patty’s tattoo parlor. He was alone. Despite Sandy’s food, he was thinner and he felt far older than his years. He wore his leather jacket over an Iggy and the Stooges vintage T-shirt. He carried a bottle in a paper bag and set it on the counter.
The place had gotten a makeover. New chairs, new window, new shelves, fresh paint. Val Guthrie, Dianna Agbala, and Gayle Kosinski had all helped. A coven of witches, and Monk had come to love and admire them all. Darkness, it seemed, was not the only power in Pine Deep.
Monk locked the door and switched off the OPEN neon. He lowered the double set of blinds. Patty watched him.
“You’re really sure you want to do this,” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said, “I am.”
“You don’t even know if it’ll work.”
“Never will know until we try.”
He shrugged out of the jacket, tossed it onto one of the chairs, and then removed the bottle from the bag. It was Laotian cobra snake whiskey, and there was a real king cobra floating in the amber liquid and it had a real scorpion in its mouth.
“How’d you get that? It’s illegal to even import.”
“Gift from Twitch,” said Monk as he set about opening it. “He has odd friends.”
“So do I,” said Patty.
“I’ll drink to that.”
Which they did.
It tasted of ginseng and death and made their lips swell, but it had a mule’s kick and that was damn fine for both of them.
Monk took off his T-shirt and sat down in the chair closest to Patty’s equipment.
“Do it, Pats,” he said. “We have to try.”
He handed her a vial of blood diluted in holy water. She took it with a wince, like he was handing her a live scorpion.
“Where?” she asked.
“Anywhere I don’t have to see it.”
“Take your pants off.”
He did.
Patty nodded and adjusted the chair so that it lay flat, and told him to lie on his stomach. He did. She uncorked the vial and mixed the contents with ordinary black ink, then loaded her gun and set to work. Before the needle touched him, he looked at the tattoo on the back of her hand. She’d had the crude smiley face lasered off. Soon the skin would be ready for fresh ink. Soon, but not yet.
Then the needle drilled into him.
It was a small tattoo, no bigger than a silver dollar, and she inked it high on the back of his thigh. It took her less than two hours to get it just right.
“Here it is,” she said, “last line.”
“I’m ready,” he said and set his teeth for the pain.
She finished the face and Monk’s whole body went rigid as pain slammed through every nerve ending. He yelled, but he welcomed the pain. His eyes went out of focus and suddenly he was not Monk. Not entirely. He was Owen Minor. Fully awake, totally alive, screaming in his mind. Ten thousand separate moments of Owen’s life crashed through Monk. All of the memories he’d stolen. All of the things he’d done. His thoughts, his fantasies and desires. It felt to Monk like plunging his head in a cesspool. None of the other faces he wore had been evil. Some had done bad things, but nothing—absolutely nothing—like this.
And he could hear Owen Minor screaming in his head. Screaming … and laughing because he was awake and aware again. It was a madman’s laugh. The laugh of a death row inmate who’d suddenly discovered he was invulnerable and immortal. The other faces on Monk’s skin screamed in horror to share purgatory with this monster.
In his mind, Owen Minor sneered at him. I’m with you forever, you freak. Everything you see, I’ll see. Everything!
And the madman in his flesh laughed and laughed and laughed. For joy. For victory. He was trapped, yes, but in the flesh of a tattooed man for whom memories were his trade. His curse.
I’m with you forever.
“Do the rest,” gasped Monk. “Come on, Patty, for fuck’s sake, do the rest.”
Patty refilled her gun, this time with pure black ink, the darkest shade she had. She took another hit of the whiskey and set to work.
Inking black over every speck of white in the tattooed face. Filling it all in. Turning the face into an eyeless mask of nothing.
Monk clutched the arms of the chair and screamed as loud as Owen Minor screamed. There was no laughter now. Instead there was a rising horror as the truth dawned on him.
Yes, he would live forever in Monk’s skin. But blind, unable to see anything. A sightless ghost staggering through forever. Around him the other ghosts howled in awful delight.
7
Monk lay panting on the table, bathed in sweat, nearly broken.
He tried to turn over, but Patty had to help him. His chest hurt and he was dizzy. Patty pushed a glass of the whiskey into his hand and he drank, hissing at the fire from alcohol and venom.
“Do…” he began but a fit of coughing stole his voice. When he could breathe he tried it again. “Do the other one.”
He fumbled for her hand and pressed her fingers to the bare spot on his chest. Patty stood there looking and saying nothing. More than a minute passed, and Monk thought she was going to back out. Her eyes were wet with tears but they were hard for all that. She set her glass down and slipped the necklace off. She kissed the vial and opened it. Monk watched as she poured exactly half of the contents into a bowl and then added a special kind of black ink imported from her hometown. She capped the vial and set it aside, standing it on a stack of photos of Tuyet. Photos of the little girl smiling. Patty stood for a moment, looking at those smiles and glancing at her own hand.
Monk watched everything she did. He saw her lips as she mouthed four words in Vietnamese. Mẹ sẽ tìm con.
Mommy will find you.
He could feel his heart breaking. Not falling apart, but cracking open to let in some light.
Patty saw him watching, gave the smallest of smiles, said nothing. When she was done mixing she loaded the ink into her gun and handed him a short piece of thick leather.
“I don’t want the belt,” he said.
“It’s going to hurt.”
“Let it hurt.”
“This will hurt worse.”
“I don’t care.”
Patty nodded and began to work.
It hurt so goddamn bad. Monk took the belt and put it between his teeth to keep from screaming. All the faces watched her work. Around the chair the ghosts stood vigil as she worked.
Three hours later Patty said the same thing she had before, meaning something so completely different.
“Last line…”
“Do it,” whimpered Monk. “God almighty, please do it.”
She did.
Then she sank down to her knees, the needle falling from her hand. Monk lay like the dead in the chair. Even the ghosts held their breath.
After forever, Monk said, “Patty…”
She did not look up. She shook her head and buried her face against Monk’s thigh.
“Patty,” he said again, his voice hoarse from screaming. “Patty, please.”
She kept shaking her head.
“I … I can see her,” said Monk. He was crying now. And smiling. “Oh my god, Patty, I can see her. She’s here, Pats. She’s right here.”
Patty raised her head, tears streaming down her face, her lips hanging slack with grief and fear.
“Patty,” said Monk, reaching for her hand, “she’s right here. She’s standing right beside you.”
He took her hand and raised it to the cheek of the small ghost who stood beside the chair. Patty felt nothing.
“Close your eyes, Pats,” Monk said gently.
She did.
And when Tuyet moved to press her cheek against her mother’s hand, Patty Cakes felt it.
She felt it.
She felt Tuyet’s sweet face.
“A Thousand Kisses Deep” by Leonard Cohen
“Ballad of a Thin Man” by Bob Dylan
“Casey’s Last Ride” by Kris Kristofferson
“Corey’s Coming” by Harry Chapin
“Mad World” by Gary Jules
“Primemover” by The Leather Nun
“A Certain Slant of Light” by The Tea Party
“A Lesson Never Learned” by Asking Alexandria
“All Around Me” by Flyleaf
“All I Ask” by Adele
“Bad Things” by Jace Everett
“Barton Hollow” by The Civil Wars
“Wish” by Nine Inch Nails
“Blame It on the Kids” by Aviva
“Broken Bones” by Kaleo
“Broken” by Amy Lee
“Burn” by The Cure
“Bury Me with My Guns On” by Bobaflex
“Change” by Deftones
“Clap Hands” by Tom Waits
“Closer to Believing” by Emerson, Lake & Palmer
“Come As You Are” by Prep School
“Creep” by Radiohead
“Crying” by Roy Orbison
“Dark Side” by Blink 182
“Darkness” by Disturbed
“Dead Flowers” by Dax Riggs
“Devil’s Backbone” by The Civil Wars
“Down the River” by Chris Knight
“Every Day Is Exactly the Same” by Nine Inch Nails
“Eyes on Fire” by Blue Foundation
“Fade into You” by Mazzy Star
“Falling Away from Me” by Korn
“Fisherman’s Blues” by The Waterboys
“Forever Autumn” by Moody Blues
“Forward” by James Blake and Beyoncé
“Gone for Good” by Morphine
“(Every Day Is) Halloween” by Ministry
“Hate Me” or “Black Orchid” by Blue October
“Have You Ever Seen the Rain” by CCR
“Hello” by Evanescence
“Heroes” by David Bowie (cover by Peter Gabriel)
“Highwayman” by The Highwaymen
“Hold On” by Tom Waits
“How to Disappear Completely” by Radiohead
“Howlin’ for You” by The Black Keys
“Feel Alright” by Steve Earle
“I Grieve” by Peter Gabriel
“If It Be Your Will” by Leonard Cohen
“I’ll Fall with Your Knife” by Peter Murphy
“In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins
“Man in the Box” by Alice in Chains
“Innocent When You Dream” by Tom Waits
“Into Dust” by Mazzy Star
“It’s a Dead Man’s Party” by Oingo Boingo
“Jesus Christ” by Brand New
“Keep Me in Your Heart” by Warren Zevon
“The Killing Moon” by Echo & the Bunnymen
“Last Goodbye” by Jeff Buckley
“Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Joy Division
“Lullaby” by The Cure
“Mars, the Bringer of War” by Gustav Holst: The Planets
“Mercy Street” by Peter Gabriel
“Mondo Bizarro” by The Ramones
“Monsters” by Shinedown
“Moondance” by Van Morrison
“Moonlight Sonata” by Beethoven
“Nemo” or “Sleeping Sun” by Nightwish
“I’m Never Gonna Dance Again” by George Michael
“No Heaven” by DJ Champion
“Old and Wise” by the Alan Parsons Project
“Opus 194” by Stephen Rowe
“Outside” by Hollywood Undead
“Paint It Black” by Inkubus Sukkubus
“Perfect Day” by Lou Reed
“Promise Me” by Badflower
“Rags to Rags” by the Eels
“Red Right Hand” by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
“Reflections of My Life” by Marmalade
“The Road to Hell” by Chris Rea
“Rope on Fire” by Morphine
“Ruby’s Arms” by Tom Waits
“Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush (cover by Placebo)
“Sail” by Devildriver
“Self-Control” by Laura Branigan
“Shrug” by Queensryche
“Silence” by Beethoven
“Sleeping on the Blacktop” by Colter Wall
“Slippin’ into Darkness” by War
“Something I Can Never Have” by Nine Inch Nails
“Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel (cover by Disturbed)
“South of Heaven” by Slayer (cover by Brides of Lucifer)
“Stand By Me” by Ben E. King (cover by Florence and the Machine)
“Susan’s House” by the Eels
“Take the Pain” by Acroma 13
“Take Me Down” by The Pretty Reckless
“Tangled Up in Blue” by Bob Dylan
“Tears Don’t Fall” by Bullet for My Valentine
“The Humbling River” by Puscifer
“The Last Call” by Sirenia
“The Man Comes Around” by Johnny Cash
“The Widow” by The Mars Volta
“Turn the Page” by Bob Seger (cover by Metallica)
“Voices” by Russ Ballard
“Voodoo” by Godsmack
“Wipe Me Down” by Boosie Badazz
“You Are My Sunshine” by Jamey Johnson
“Your Lucky Day in Hell” by Eels
“Zombie” by Bad Wolves
“Zombie” by The Cranberries
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks to the many people for sharing your stories about your personal ink. Too many to list here, but I’m grateful to you all!
Thanks to Rhian Lockard, Rachael Lavin, Marie Whittaker, Rachel Maleski, and James Ray Tuck for their good advice.
ALSO BY
JONATHAN MABERRY
RAGE
DEEP SILENCE
DOGS OF WAR
KILL SWITCH
PREDATOR ONE
CODE ZERO
EXTINCTION MACHINE
ASSASSIN’S CODE
THE KING OF PLAGUES
THE DRAGON FACTORY
PATIENT ZERO
JOE LEDGER: SPECIAL OPS
STILL OF NIGHT
DARK OF NIGHT
FALL OF NIGHT
DEAD OF NIGHT
THE WOLFMAN
THE NIGHTSIDERS: THE ORPHAN ARMY
THE NIGHTSIDERS: VAULT OF SHADOWS
GHOSTWALKERS: A DEADLANDS NOVEL
LOST ROADS
BROKEN LANDS
BITS & PIECES
FIRE & ASH
FLESH & BONE
DUST & DECAY
ROT & RUIN
BAD MOON RISING
DEAD MAN’S SONG
GHOST ROAD BLUES
GLIMPSE
MARS ONE
ANTHOLOGIES
(AS EDITOR)
DON’T TURN OUT THE LIGHTS: A TRIBUTE TO SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK
JOE LEDGER: UNSTOPPABLE
(WITH BRYAN THOMAS SCHMIDT)
NIGHTS OF THE LIVING DEAD
(WITH GEORGE A. ROMERO)
V-WARS
V-WARS: BLOOD AND FIRE
V-WARS: NIGHT TERRORS
V-WARS: SHOCKWAVES
OUT OF TUNE VOL. I
OUT OF TUNE VOL. II
THE X-FILES: TRUST NO ONE
THE X-FILES: THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE
THE X-FILES: SECRET AGENDAS
HARDBOILED HORROR
ALIENS: BIG HUNT
BAKER STREET IRREGULARS
(WITH MICHAEL VENTRELLA)
THE GAME’S AFOOT: BAKER STREET IRREGULARS II
(WITH MICHAEL VENTRELLA)
SCARY OUT THERE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JONATHAN MABERRY is the New York Times bestselling and five-time Bram Stoker Award–winning author of De
ep Silence, Kill Switch, Predator One, Code Zero, Fall of Night, Patient Zero, the Pine Deep Trilogy, The Wolfman, Zombie CSU, and They Bite, among others. His V-Wars series has been adapted by Netflix, and his work for Marvel Comics includes The Punisher, Wolverine, DoomWar, Marvel Zombies Return, and Black Panther. His Joe Ledger series has been optioned for television. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Prologue
Part One: Welcome to Pine Deep
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Interlude One: The Lord Of The Flies
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Interlude Two: The Lord Of The Flies
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Interlude Three: The Lord Of The Flies
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Interlude Four: The Lord Of The Flies
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Interlude Five: The Lord Of The Flies
Chapter 29
Interlude Six: The Lord Of The Flies
Chapter 30
Part Two: Lord of The Flies
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Interlude Seven: The Lord Of The Flies
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Interlude Eight: The Lord Of The Flies