Karma

by Maximino Vega

  Russell was brought out of his panic by a hiss. Shining his flashlight on the metal box he noticed that the flotation devices had somehow disconnected from the box. The slosh of the water inundating the box as it started to sink got Russell moving. He went at the box with his gaff while holding on to his flashlight; in the process he lost his grip on it. The flashlight fell into the water. Its light dancing around beneath the surface as it sunk until it was no longer visible.

  Knowing the box was full of holes Russell went at the box again with his gaff, but, failed to grab ahold of it. The box had sunk to halfway its height.

  ****

  Tom tried to lift his head as much as he could as the box started to fill with water; it came in from all sides. He wanted to give himself as much time as possible.

  “We’re going to drown.” Sheila managed through coughs. She had swallowed some of the lake water.

  Tom looked at Sheila imploring her with his eyes not to stop yelling for help, but, she wasn’t paying attention to him. In truth, she was too weak to think about self-preservation.

  ****

  Russell knew the only chance he had of helping whoever was in the box was by hooking the gaff to one of the holes.

  ****

  Somehow Tom’s left arm came loose. He pressed his hand to the bottom of the box. He did his best to keep the top half of their bodies above water; some of his fingertips disappearing through the holes on the bottom of the box. They had another five inches before they were completely immersed in water.

  ****

  Russell couldn’t concentrate with how nervous he was. Having lost his flashlight didn’t help. The box was now three quarters of the way into the water. It was sinking fast. Russell took another shot at it with his gaff. Metal scraped against metal as he failed to hook his gaff into a hole.

  ****

  Tom kept his body as upright as he could with the strength of his left arm. He craned his neck as the water reached his jawline; working its way up his face and over his head. He worked hard not to breathe through his nose as his body went into survival mode. Tom tried not to panic.

  Sheila did her best to hold her breath. She knew she wouldn’t be able to hold out for too long with how weak she was.

  ****

  Russell was out of breath and disheartened that his attempts came up with nothing. The gurgle of water as the last holes of the box were inundated with water brought with it a sense of dread. Russell squatted as he dug his gaff into the water then up. Standing to his full height he felt resistance. Russell couldn’t understand what was happening until he realized it was the weight of the box. His gaff had found a hole. He lifted the box out of the water as much as he could.

  ****

  Tom’s lungs were burning as he kept the reflex of breathing at bay. Suddenly some of the water rushed out from inside the box and he could breathe. Tom took fast deep breaths. He could hear the grunts from whoever was helping him and Sheila.

  Tom looked at Sheila as she took in a big gulp of air before she started coughing.

  ****

  Russell knew the box was too heavy for him to lift out of the water and into his boat. There was no way he could maneuver his boat and hold onto the box until he reached the communal dock of Orange County. His best bet was to steer his boat to the nearest shore. He looked around.

  Russell knew it would be several yards before he was out in the clear from Otters Nook; a grassy area of Sparrow Lake.

  Russell maneuvered himself and the box towards the rear of the boat. He held onto the gaff as he locked the swivel chair in place. Russell didn’t want it to pivot while he was in motion. He hoped whoever was inside wouldn’t drown before he got to the nearest clearing since he could hold the box out of the water but so much.

  Russell sat sideways on the swivel chair. He held onto the gaff with one hand while he turned on the motor with his other hand. Russell held onto the tiller of the motor and got the boat moving at a good speed. As soon as the boat shot forward Russell felt the strain on his forearm as he held on to the gaff. Russell felt the gaff slipping in his hand with the drag created by the box. Russell decided it was better to slow down and not lose grip of the gaff.

  Russell reduced the throttle so he could maintain his grip on the gaff.

  ****

  The corner of the box nearest to Tom’s head was free of water. He did his best to keep his and Sheila’s head toward that corner; the water was rushing into the box from all sides. Tom could feel his left arm shaking as he struggled to keep himself and Sheila afloat. The hum of the motor was music to Tom’s ears.

  ****

  Russell felt like there was no end to the grassy sides of the lake especially with how slow he had the boat moving. Russell’s forearm was on fire from holding on to the weight of the box. Russell looked into the distance. As if by their own volition his eyes caught the reflection of the Moon on the water; he kept his eyes on the image as it seemed to be moving in front of his boat guiding him toward his destination.

  ****

  Tom’s arm was shaking from carrying his and Sheila’s weight. It buckled two times while the box was in motion. Tom implored God to give him strength. He couldn’t wait to see the end to his suffrage.

  ****

  Russell caught sight of the line of trees toward where the grass would end. Russell rode his boat close to the edge of the grass in his bid to get to the shore as fast as possible. He turned the tiller toward the shore when he cleared the grass. Russell grimaced with the exertion of keeping his grip on the gaff as he gunned the motor. Russell grunted as he felt the burn in his forearm intensify. He put the boat on full throttle. Russell thought he would use the weight of the box to get his boat as far onto the dirt of the shore as possible.

  ****

  Tom found himself struggling to keep his head afloat as the boat picked up speed. The water rushed all around his face. He strained his neck to keep the water away from his mouth and nose.

  ****

  Russell was determined with the shore in his line of sight. He grinned like a madman as he sped his boat toward the shore. He let go of the throttle when he was just a few feet away from the shore. Russell used his other hand to hold onto the gaff. The boat came to a stop in a commotion of dirt, metal and plastic. Russell took a look back. Half of the metal box lay on the shore with the other half in the shallow water.

  Russell let go of the gaff and indulged in cry of victory. “Yeah, you mother.”

  Russell’s chest heaved as he caught his breath.

  ****

  Tom heard the box scrape against something as he fought to keep his nose clear of water. He collapsed to his side along with Sheila as they stopped moving and the box drained of water.

  Tom’s body shook with the force of his crying. His anguish was coupled with joy. Tom never thought he would get out of the box alive.

  Tom sought a reaction from Sheila. However, none was forthcoming. She didn’t express her joy at being alive. Her heart and eyes were vacant. He wondered why she wasn’t celebrating as he struggled to look at her in the dark.

  Sheila didn’t care one way or the other that they had made it. Her life force was waning. It was the same to her if she died by drowning or from something else.

  ****

  Karma turned on the radio as he drove at a pace that imitated the natives of Orange County. He didn’t want to raise suspicion by driving fast. The station he had been listening to on his way up was no longer available.

  “Pap pap pap, you going down it’s a wrap.” The rap song by the latest rising Hip Hop star rang from the radio.

  “Lord help us.” Karma said out loud.

  He worked the tuner looking for another music station. Karma never took to the Hip Hop culture. He didn’t know there were artists worth listening to like Rakim and KRS One among others.

  He kept fiddling with the tuner until he found some soft music. It was some guy with his guitar singing about lost love. Karma thought it was fitting, even thou
gh; he had gotten his revenge on the two people who had denied him of the purest love of procreation. Karma whistled and tapped the steering wheel as he made his way back to Tom’s cabin.

  ****

  Russell stood up from his chair; he’d gotten enough of a breather. He checked the small cooler where he kept the six pack of Budweiser that always accompanied him during his night time trips. His hand came to rest on the remaining can.

  Russell couldn’t believe he had drunk five beers. His limit was usually three. Russell cracked the beer can open and took a hardy drink of three resounding gulps.

  ****

  Tom heard the hiss of the beer can as Russell opened it. He took an instinctive swallow; his mouth like sandpaper; kind of funny to think about since he was up to his neck in water just a moment ago.

  ****

  Russell took a moment to burp. It resonated in his innards as it traveled up his midsection and out his mouth. Afterward Russell killed what was left of the beer. He threw the empty can into his boat before he walked over to the metal box.

  “You hear me in there?” Russell was bent at the waist.

  ****

  Tom tried to focus on Sheila’s face. There wasn’t enough light. He craned his neck forward to nudge her face with his. Tom wanted her to answer whoever was outside.

  Sheila didn’t make a sound. She was too weak.

  Tom nudged her face again with his own before he started to moan as loud as he could through the duct tape.

  ****

  Russell heard the desperate moans that came from within the box.

  “All right, I hear you. Just stay calm. At least you’re out of the water. I don’t have bolt cutters for that lock. I need to get help. I know it ain’t easy, but, you got to hang on for a little while longer.”

  Russell tapped the box with his hand as if this would give the person trapped inside comfort.

  ****

  Tom tried to calm his ragged breathing. Hearing a human voice only intensified his desire to be free of the confines of the box.

  Tom couldn’t help doubt if he was truly safe with having to wait more time.

  ****

  “Holy Mary, Mother of God.” Russell shook his head. “What a night?” Russell walked toward the line of trees. He knew the distance to the road behind the trees was walkable even for him.

  Russell looked around before he entered the grouping of trees. He knew whoever was in the box had been put there by someone. He hoped that person wasn’t watching as he started to make his way to the road.

  ****

  Karma went straight to the basement when he got to the cabin. He used Propofol to put Megan and Ian to sleep. Afterward he loaded them into his van and covered them with a blue tarp.

  Walking back into the cabin, Karma took the kerosene lamp that hung from a hook in the kitchen. He walked passed the red wool curtain into the bedroom. Karma opened the kerosene lamp and doused the bed with the oil in the lamp. He threw the dismantled lamp on the bed before he lit the mattress with a lighter he got from his pocket. The surface of the bed came ablaze.

  Karma watched as the fire took hold of the mattress. He stood there watching until the entire surface of the mattress was engulfed in flames. Black smoke rose from the burning mattress.

  Karma walked out of the cabin. He left the door to the cabin open, knowing the fire needed oxygen to continue to grow.

  Karma reached the back of the van and opened the doors. His captives were just as he had put them; resting in their chemically induced sleep. Locking the back doors he got in the driver’s seat. Karma drove away from the cabin. He took his time driving as he thought about Tom and Sheila. He hoped they felt a terror unlike anything they’ve ever experienced as the box filled with water and they sunk to the depths.

  Karma smiled as he drove on the dirt road that would lead him to the main roadway out of Orange County.

  He looked in the rear view mirror; the flames were licking their way to the exterior of the cabin. It wouldn’t be long before it burned to the ground. The night would help camouflage the smoke. The smell of fire might inspire action in some person or other. However, by that time he would be well on his way.

  Karma knew he wasn’t finished. There was still the second part of his plan. It would require more patience than getting rid of Tom and Sheila, but, he had to see things through to the end for his vengeance to be complete.

  ****

  Russell cursed himself again for having left his cellphone. It was equipped with a flashlight and that would’ve helped with his walk back to the road. He knew every inch of Sparrow Lake and its surroundings; yet, it was still hard to get around at night.

  Russell did his best to keep walking in a straight line which could sometimes be difficult at night. Every time Russell came upon a tree he walked around it and did his best to keep a straight trajectory. He knew a slight turn left or right could get him further away from his intended destination.

  Russell switched between looking to the ground and ahead of him. He didn’t want to take a wrong step and fall down.

  ****

  Karma drove on Orange County Road toward Old Town Road which would lead him to the Major Deegan going south. He took a look behind him, Megan and Ian were as still as when he first put them there. He knew he had injected them with enough Propofol for them to be out until he reached his destination.

  Looking back at the road he turned up the dial on the radio. He did his best to follow along with the country music coming through the speakers. He whistled as he sat back in his seat. Karma didn’t have the bearing of a man that was carrying two bodies in a chemically induced sleep. He was just another driver on one of the roads of America driving from one point to the other.

  ****

  Russell finally arrived at the shoulder of Orange County Road. His chest heaved with the exertion of walking from the lake to the roadway. He didn’t think it had been a long distance, yet, it had been far enough to leave him winded.

  He looked both ways for a sign of oncoming headlights, but, there was no sign that there was anyone on the road. Of course, in a town like Orange County where most of the residents were in bed by eight at night it was common for the roads to be empty.

  Russell knew there was no way to walk home. It was too far. The only way he could get home in a timely fashion was to use his boat. That would mean leaving whoever was in the box at the shore by the lake. He thought it wasn’t such a bad idea expect somehow it didn’t feel like the right thing to do.

  Russell was sure someone would drive by. Besides he knew that there were a few early birds hanging out in the various cabins dotted throughout the outskirts of Sparrow Lake. Maybe one of them would drive by on their way to or from the city center.

  ****

  Karma couldn’t wait to get out of Orange County. There was too much greenery for his taste. Even back home in Costa Rica he didn’t like any of the foliage that came with the country side of Monteverde where he was born. He always liked going into the town of San Jose. All that a modern city can offer could be found there; supermarkets, shopping malls, a multiplex and all kinds of eateries and lodging. This is why he’d always dreamed of coming to New York, the place where everything was concrete, steel and glass. Where there were always people in the street; a city always in motion.

  Karma was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel following the song that was playing on the radio when he was forced to slow down. There was an old man standing on the roadway waving his arms. He didn’t look to be in any kind of distress, but, he had no plans of letting Karma pass him by.

  Karma slowed the van doing his best to go around the old man. With the cargo in the van he couldn’t stop for anyone that needed help even though there was no evidence of distress. At least it didn’t seem like there was.

  Karma slowed the van to a crawl. The old man moved so that he was in line with the van, no matter where Karma maneuvered the van the old man blocked his way.

  Karma brought the van to
a stop. The old man walked around to the driver’s side window.

  Karma rolled the window down. “Everything okay?”

  “Sorry young fella, didn’t mean to get in your way like I did, but, I have a situation just behind them trees. An old man like me could use a hand. I promise you can be on your way afterward.”

  Karma looked toward the trees, trying to see what exactly the old man needed help with.

  “Let me park my van.”

  “Sure thing.” Russell walked back over to the shoulder.

  After he parked his van on the shoulder, Karma got out of the van and walked over to where Russell stood.

  “So what do you need help with?”

  “Well, you know a man can find the darnedest things while fishing at night. That seems to be my case.”

  “I see.” Karma responded.

  “By the way, do you have bolt cutters? We’re going to need them.”

  Karma nodded his head. He gave Russell a slight smile even though he was regretting having stopped. He berated himself as he walked to his van and opened the back doors. He had planned every detail for this day and he was taking a detour from what he’d set out to do.

  Karma looked toward Russell making sure the old man had not decided to follow him. He looked at his cargo. It wasn’t hard to make out the human forms lying underneath the tarp.

  Karma got the bolt cutters. He looked at his watch as he closed the door to the back of the van. He was glad he had given them a good dose of Propofol. He had time to spare.

  Karma walked to where Russell stood. “Well I’m ready. You lead the way.”

  Russell got the feeling that never failed when something was lurking underneath the water whenever he was fishing, except he wasn’t partaking of his favorite pastime. This was real life and the man standing in front of him was the cause of his bad vibe. However, he couldn’t turn him away now. Russell turned to lead the way into the woods, although, he didn’t feel comfortable with the stranger walking behind him. Something was off about the young man.

  ****

  Susie loved to fish and she loved to work on her 1983 Cutlass Supreme. She rescued it from the junkyard two years ago and restored it so that it looked like it just rolled off the showroom floor. She did a lot of the work herself except for the motor which she had rebuilt by a professional. The motor ran so smooth you could hardly hear it.