Blood Games

by Richard Laymon

  ‘There’s a fireplace poker in the lodge,’ Abilene said.

  ‘I know where there’s a shotgun,’ Finley said.

  Vivian’s eyes widened. ‘Where?’

  Finley gave her a mysterious look, but didn’t answer.

  A shotgun? That’d be perfect, Abilene thought. But they sure hadn’t brought one along with them, and she hadn’t seen one in the lodge. Somehow, though, she seemed to remember seeing one recently.

  She remembered. She muttered. ‘Oh, Jesus.’

  Cora groaned. Apparendy, she now realized where the shotgun was.

  Vivian gazed at the others, puzzled.

  ‘Batty,’ Finley said.

  Vivian bared her upper teeth. ‘We don’t want to go back there.’

  ‘The old buzzard had an ax in the shed, too. And a sickle. All sorts of neat shit. We could come back loaded for bear.’

  Cora nodded. ‘If we had that over-and-under, we could blow the asshole’s head off. We wouldn’t even have to get our hands dirty. There’d be no contest. Even if it turns out there’s more than one of ’em, we’d be okay.’

  ‘Batty isn’t about to give us any of those things,’ Vivian pointed out.

  ‘We might be able to work a trade,’ Abilene suggested.

  ‘Not a chance,’ Vivian said. ‘Someone like that doesn’t part with a shotgun.’

  ‘So… we’re talking about stealing the stuff?’

  ‘You got it, Hickok.’

  ‘Oh, man.’

  Nose wrinkled, Vivian nodded in agreement ‘That’s getting heavy.’

  ‘HeavyV Finley blurted. ‘You’ve gotta be kidding me! We’re gonna blow away the fucker who killed Helen and you’re worried about swiping a few things from some crazy old fart of indeterminate gender who may or may not have done it?’ Vivian didn’t seem fazed by the outburst ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea,’ she said, her voice firm. ‘I’m sure Batty didn’t have anything to do with it And we don’t want to turn someone like that against us.’

  ‘Scared he’ll hex us?’

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Back at the Wagoneer, they ate potato chips along with sandwiches of roast beef and sharp cheddar while they discussed plans for the raid against Batty.

  Their first idea was to wait for nightfall, sneak up on the cabin in the dark, and subdue the old lunatic by force.

  ‘Catch him while he’s sleeping,’ Cora said.

  ‘But what if he’s not asleep?’ Vivian asked. ‘We’ve gotta take him by surprise or one of us might get shot.’

  ‘Listen at a window for snoring,’ Finley suggested.

  ‘We need to use our heads,’ Abilene said. ‘You know? We’re not commandos. Making a night attack on someone who’s armed… It just seems out of our league.’

  ‘So what’ve you got in mind, Hickok?’

  ‘I’m not sure. But we’ve never done anything like that. The other times… we were always tricky about it. That was how we managed to succeed against Wildman and the Sigs and even that guy on Halloween. We didn’t just attack. We were clever about it.’

  Cora’s eyes narrowed. She nodded slowly as she chewed on a mouthful of sandwich. ‘You’re right,’ she said, her voice coming out muffled. ‘Let’s think up a fake-out.’

  . ‘Going back in broad daylight would be a good start,’ Vivian said. ‘Walk right up to the cabin and knock on the door.’

  ‘Light a bag of shit on fire,’ Finley suggested.

  ‘Let’s tty to do better than that,’ Abilene said.

  They were exhausted by the time they reached the lake.

  ‘Take five,’ Cora said.

  She wandered down to the water as the others sank to the ground. Finley leaned back against Helen’s sleeping bag and folded her hands behind her head. Vivian lay down, gasping. Abilene crossed her legs. She lifted the front of her blouse and wiped her face.

  Though gray clouds dimmed the sky, the air felt heavy and moist. Even the breeze blowing in from the lake gave little relief from the humid heat.

  Cora dropped the tire iron, pulled off her shoes and socks, and waded into the water. It probably felt wonderful, but Abilene didn’t have the energy to follow her example. The earlier hiking and all the emotional strains of the morning had sapped too much of her strength. Besides, she would get a chance to cool off when they crossed the inlet.

  If I can make it that far, she thought Carrying the water bottle, she supposed, didn’t make things any easier. But at least they’d been smart enough not to bring along a full one. Before setting out, they’d merely added some water to the nearly empty bottle that they’d taken along on the first trip to Batty’s.

  She twisted off the cap. She drank a bit Lowering the bottle, she watched Cora duck beneath the surface. A few moments later, the girl came up and rolled onto her back and floated motionless beside the ramshackle dock.

  Abilene turned her eyes to the beach and stared at the canoe. If we could just take that to Batty’s place, she thought. So much easier than walking. If it had paddles. And if it didn’t have that gaping hole in the bottom.

  Oh well.

  When Cora came out of the water, Abilene knew that the rest period was about over. She took a few more swigs from the bottle, then struggled to her feet. Vivian and Finley stood up while Cora got into her socks and shoes. Vivian accepted the bottle in silence, gulped some water, and passed it to Finley.

  ‘Hotter than a huncher out here,’ Finley muttered before tilting the bottle to her mouth.

  ‘You gals should’ve taken a dip,’ Cora said.

  ‘It’s gonna rain before long, anyway,’ Vivian said.

  ‘Think so?’ Abilene asked.

  Nodding, Vivian sniffed the breeze. ‘I’d bet on it.’

  ‘Hope you’re right.’

  ‘Let it come,’ Finley said. ‘The sooner, the better.’

  The rain didn’t come and the air seemed hotter, muggier than ever as they made their way through the forest. Abilene felt as if she were hiking through a sauna. After a while, Cora peeled off her tank top. Finley took off her shirt.

  Why not? Abilene thought. Nobody around to see us, anyway.

  She removed her own blouse and tucked it under the waistband at the back of her skirt.

  Seeing that the others had stripped down, Vivian pulled off her polo shirt. She balled it up and mopped her face. After a few strides, she took off her bra. She stuffed it into a pocket of her shorts but kept the shirt in her hand as if ready to put it on quickly at the first sign of intruders. Her head turned constantly from side to side. Obviously, she was worried about being seen.

  So was Abilene. Though she told herself that there was probably no one nearby, it made her uneasy to be topless outside in broad daylight. She was uncomfortably aware of her naked breasts, how the air felt against their dripping skin and how they jiggled. She was tempted to put her blouse back on. Better to feel exposed and vulnerable, however, than stifled inside the garment.

  As they approached the mouth of the inlet, where they would be in plain sight from the lake’s opposite shore, Vivian pulled the polo shirt down over her head. Abilene slipped into her blouse and immediately regretted the way it clung to her skin and trapped the heat. Neither Cora nor Finley bothered to cover themselves.

  ‘Somebody might see you,’ Vivian warned.

  ‘As if I care,’ Finley said.

  ‘It might make somebody come after us.’

  ‘If it’s the guy that got Helen, let him come. I’d like to meet him and get it over with.’

  ‘We don’t want to meet him before we’ve got the gun,’ Cora said.

  ‘The four of us could take him.’

  Abilene wished they would stop standing there in plain sight Anyone might be watching. And getting ideas.

  ‘Either put on your shirts or get in the water,’ she said.

  ‘You worry too much, Hickok.’

  ‘It’s bad enough we’ve got Helen’s killer to deal with. God only knows who might be out there get
ting an eyeful and thinking he might like a crack at us.’

  ‘Just let ’em try,’ Finley said.

  Then she followed Cora into the water. Cora swam for the other side while Finley waded across, holding the sleeping bag overhead.

  Vivian jumped in.

  Abilene paused on the outcropping.

  She scanned the gray, ruffled lake and its shoreline. She saw no one.

  The breeze was stronger here. It felt a little cooler than before. Though she wanted to feel it on her skin, she held her blouse shut as she squinted in the direction of Batty’s cabin.

  She couldn’t see it, but she did spot a willow that might be die one concealing the rowboat.

  Not very far away.

  Batty would have a clear view of them.

  ‘You coming or what?’ Finley called from the other side of the inlet.

  She and Cora were already out shiny and dripping and staring at her. Vivian was boosting herself onto the slab of rock at Finley’s feet.

  Abilene leaped. She gasped as the cold water rushed up her body. Dunking her head, she savored the chill. Then she made her way to the other side, set the plastic bottle on the ledge and climbed up.

  Just as she’d expected, the chill stayed with her. The breeze felt wintery against her wet skin. She shivered. But she knew the sensation wouldn’t last long.

  She walked over the rocks, following the others into the woods. Her sodden feet made squelching sounds inside her sneakers, and she was struck by the memory of Helen, long ago, squelching across the restroom floor after stepping into the toilet. Ol’ Yellow Foot She smiled. Then she saw Helen sprawled on the shower room floor, dead, and a clump of ice seemed to form in her stomach.

  She’s in the shower room right now, in the blackness, all alone.

  Though the heat had already melted away the last traces of chill from Abilene’s skin, she crawled with goosebumps. She rubbed her pebbly forearms and thighs.

  It’s not Helen in the shower room, she told herself. Just her body. Her spirit isn’t there. Her soul’s free, doing whatever it is that souls do.

  If souls exist.

  They’ve got to. You can’t just die and that’s it…

  No. Abilene had long ago decided that death was a change, not an end. You leave your body behind, but something goes on. Though raised as a Protestant, she didn’t much care for the concepts of heaven and hell. She rather liked the idea of reincarnation.

  If you don’t come back, maybe you become part of the universe.

  Or maybe you stay a soul and go exploring.

  Maybe anything. No way to know. Not until you go toes up.

  It’d be nice if Helen could tell us what’s next.

  When all this is over, she thought, maybe we could hold a seance or something. If we can manage to find a medium who isn’t a fake.

  Batty.

  ‘Hold up a minute,’ Abilene said. The others halted. Joining them, she said, ‘I just had an idea. Instead of just bullshitting Batty to get him off guard, why don’t we see if he’ll… run a seance. You know? Maybe we can get in touch with Helen.’

  ‘You gotta be kidding,’ Finley said.

  ‘It’s worth a try. Seriously. If Batty does that kind of stuff… It wouldn’t hurt to ask.’

  ‘You don’t really believe…’ Cora began.

  ‘I don’t know what I believe. But what if we can… communicate with Helen? I know it sounds crazy, but Batty did tell us where we’d find her. Maybe he does have some kind of special powers. If he can get in touch with Helen, we might be able to find out some things. Like who killed her.’

  ‘And where the keys are,’ Vivian added.

  ‘You too?’ Cora asked.

  ‘I don’t see any harm in trying. You never know.’

  Finley shook her head and rolled her eyes upward. ‘The heat’s gotten to both of you.’

  ‘I know it sounds crazy,’ Abilene said. Her throat suddenly going tight, she blurted, ‘I just want to find out if she’s all right. ’ Finley grimaced.

  Cora stared grimly at Abilene.

  ‘I know she’s dead, okay?’

  ‘I think Helen would want us to try it,’ Vivian said. ‘If she were here, she’d be all for it. Hell, she’d love the idea of sitting around with a witch or whatever Batty is and trying to call up spirits of the dead.’

  A corner of Finley’s mouth curled up and she nodded. ‘Yeah. Crap like that would make her day.’

  ‘We’ll see,’ Cora said. ‘But I’ve had enough blood to drink for one day.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Finley said. ‘If it starts getting too weird…’

  ‘We’ll just play it by ear,’ Abilene said.

  ‘Batty might not agree to do it anyway,’ Vivian pointed out. They made their way around the northern end of the lake. As they neared Batty’s cabin, Cora and Finley put their shirts back on and Abilene buttoned her blouse. She wondered how her hair looked, and smiled. It’s like approaching the home of relatives after a long drive, she thought A few blocks away, you brush your hair, freshen your lipstick. But this wasn’t a relative. This was a crazy hermit about to be visited by four young women planning to rob him.

  We can’t steal his stuff if he gets in touch with Helen for us. It wouldn’t be right We’ve gotta have that shotgun.

  It won’t be exactly stealing if we bring the stuff back when we’re finished.

  Forced borrowing.

  ‘Batty!’ Cora shouted. ‘It’s us again! Hello?’

  Startled from her thoughts, Abilene gazed past the others. She saw only more trees in the gloom ahead, and wondered why Cora had called out Down the shore to the right however, she spotted the rowboat rocking and bobbing on the choppy water. She looked again into the trees. This time, she was able to make out the vague shape of the cabin.

  Her stomach knotted.

  Oh Christ, we’re here.

  Heart thudding, she took a deep breath and followed the others toward the porch.

  ‘Hello!’ Cora called again. ‘Batty! It’s us!’

  ‘We’ve got something for you,’ Finley added, hoisting Helen’s sleeping bag overhead.

  The screen door swung open. Batty stepped onto the porch, the shotgun cradled in his arms. Her arms, Abilene thought The old lunatic looked uglier and wilder than she remembered. And somehow, now, more like a woman than like a man.

  Batty studied them with squinted eyes. ‘Find y’friend?’

  ‘We did,’ Cora answered. ‘She’s dead.’

  ‘Can’t help that. Get away from here.’

  ‘We brought this for you,’ Finley said, and dangled the sleeping bag by its draw-cord.

  ‘Got no use for it.’

  ‘What do you have a use for?’ Cora asked.

  Batty just stared at her.

  ‘We’d like you to do a seance for us.’ The pale blue eyes shifted to Abilene. ‘We want you to contact the spirit of our friend. Do you do that kind of thing?’

  ‘Mebbie.’

  ‘We’ll give you whatever you want If we’ve got it, it’s yours.’

  ‘Anythin’?’

  ‘Within reason.’

  ‘Get on in here.’ Batty turned away and entered the cabin. The screen door banged shut.

  Cora in the lead, they climbed the creaking plank stairs and crossed the porch. She held the door open, then followed them inside.

  Amos, on the rocker, raised its head off its paws and gazed at them. The white fur of its face was clean.

  Maybe some other cat… No, it had been Amos. Lapping up Helen’s blood.

  Beast.

  But at least it’s here, Abilene told herself. It didn’t get trapped inside the changing room with Helen, after all. Thank God for that.

  ‘Sit,’ Batty said, using the shotgun to gesture toward the table.

  Each went to the same chair she’d occupied that morning, and sat down.

  Batty propped the shotgun against the wall near the head of the bed. ‘Ain’t simple, y’know, callin’ up dead folk.’
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  ‘But you can do it?’ Abilene asked.

  ‘Done it plenty. Y’ friend got herself killed, did she?’

  ‘She was murdered with a knife,’ Cora said.

  ‘Figgers.’

  ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Finley asked.

  ‘Y’ don’t dally ’round the ghost lodge ’less y’aim to get y’guts spilled out.’ Batty pulled the big knife from its scabbard, stepped between Cora and Vivian, and swept the blade down, ramming its point deep into the center of the table. ‘Gotta fetch some items.’

  ‘So you’ll do it?’ Abilene asked.

  ‘Gimme what I want, I’ll call her up.’

  ‘What do you want?’

  ‘Jest a finger.’

  ‘A fingerT Abilene gasped.

  ‘Jest a one. Don’t matter which, ’r who gives. Want her whole, though, right off at the first joint. TTiere’s the knife right there.’ With that, Batty hobbled out of the room.

  Finley met Abilene’s eyes. ‘Play it by ear, huh?’

  The back door clapped shut.

  ‘I didn’t expect anything like this,’ Abilene muttered.

  ‘Wants to put it in a jar, no doubt’

  A grim smile formed on Cora’s face. ‘So. Anyone want to donate?’

  ‘Here’s your big chance, Hickok. This was your idea.’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Vivian told her.

  Reaching out, Abilene clutched the knife handle. She tugged at it, working the blade back and forth until its tip jumped from the wood.

  ‘Hey!’ Finley gasped. ‘You’re not…’

  ‘Now we’ve both got knives,’ Abilene said.

  Finley looked relieved.

  ‘I may be gullible, but I’m not crazy.’

  Cora shoved back her chair, rushed across the floor, and grabbed the shotgun. As she whirled around, die others sprang from their seats.

  ‘Let’s get!’ Finley blurted.

  Cora shook her head. ‘We’ve got some business to finish.’ She shouldered the weapon and aimed its long barrels toward the kitchen entryway. With a glance down at the breech, she muttered, ‘Wonder if it’s loaded.’

  ‘I’m sure it is,’ Vivian said.