by Bryan James
*****
Who could sleep after that? Kevin thought as he dried himself for the second time that night. Thad was still in the shower washing himself.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep,” Kevin said.
“What?”
“I said, ‘I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep’. We should stay up all night.”
“No, we both have things to do tomorrow. Go pour us a night cap and I’ll come join you.”
Kevin set the towel on the counter and smiled at himself in the mirror before he walked out to the bedroom where he took a pair of clean underwear from the dresser and pulled them on, then a t-shirt. He walked away, down the hall, playing with his hair as he did. He liked the feel of it as it was still damp.
He stepped into the kitchen, got the two tumblers and the bottle, poured a drink for himself and sipped at it. He liked the taste and felt like he needed something extra to settle him so he poured a little more before walking with the glass out into the living room. It was nice to be able to walk around a house as freely as he did, to have someone there. He listened for Thad but decided he was taking too long and began to wonder through the rooms, eventually he made his way to the back of the house where he saw the back porch. He had been out there many times before but never in his underwear at night.
The porch was open air so anyone could see him and he thought about the neighbors and what they would say but he decided it was worth the risk. No one would see him, especially if he didn’t turn on any lights. He opened the sliding door and stepped out onto the wooden deck. He could feel the fibers of the boards against his feet and smell something sweet. He heard the crickets and other insects. He stepped to the banister and felt the cool air. He looked up to the sky and saw it was clouded over. He scratched at the back of his leg with his toe.
It was several minutes before he heard Thad step out as well. He didn’t look to the man but waited for him. Thad stepped behind him and wrapped his arms around him, kissed at his neck before settling his chin on Kevin’s shoulder.
“I shouldn’t be out here like this,” Thad said.
“Holding someone?”
“No, naked,” Thad said before pressing his body fully into Kevin’s.
Kevin let out a laugh and Thad shushed him which caused him to giggle more. Thad kissed him to keep him quiet and it worked. Kevin turned to him and they pressed their bodies together again. Kevin reached down to Thad’s ass, groped it, then spanked him playfully to hear the sound. Thad let out grunt of pain and laughed.
“You’re going to get us in trouble,” he said.
“Go put some pants on and come join me,” Kevin said.
“Okay, but I’m getting something for you too,” Thad said.
He turned and walked away. Kevin watched his silhouette move amongst the other shades of darkness and back into the house where he turned on an inside light before continuing to the bedroom. Kevin saw that he had been partially illuminated by the light and stepped out of it and to a porch swing where he sat.
Everything returned to the normal ambient sounds for a moment before he heard the sound of movement. Was it breaking branches or leaves? He shook his head and was ready to dismiss it when he heard more noises. He took a deep breath, counted to ten, and tried to listen more carefully. The woods were full of wildlife and it was entirely possible that’s what he heard. There were more noises and they were getting closer. Could he hear breathing? He opened his eyes and looked around but could barely tell shapes apart, he struggled to not see patterns.
“Who’s there?” he called out in a whisper.
There was no response. He began to feel foolish and he wanted to run for the door, pull it closed behind him, lock it, and get Thad but he stopped himself. What if it was just an animal? There are no such things as monsters, he told himself.
“Hello?”
“Kevin is that you?”
The response was unexpected and it sent shivers down his spine. He recognized the voice but he couldn’t identify who spoke.
“Who is that?”
“It’s me, Simon.”
“Simon?” Kevin asked.
“Can I come up on the porch. I have to talk to you.”
“Yeah, sure, come on up. I’m not exactly decent. Can you see?”
“Yeah, my eyes are adjusted, hold on.”
Simon walked up the stairs and partially into the light. He paused for a moment to get his bearings, somehow he had lost track of where Kevin was in the darkness.
“I’m over here,” Kevin said.
Simon stepped closer and into the light.
“What’s wrong?” Kevin asked. “Why are you here?”
“It’s Heather,” he said, “she hurt herself and I had to take her to the hospital. I don’t have a cell phone and I couldn’t find hers but she told me where you live.”
“Oh my god,” Kevin said. “Is she okay?”
“She’s going to be fine,” Simon said.
Simon stepped out of the light and closer to Kevin. He pulled the knife from his pocket but kept his hand at his hip where he opened the blade. He moved closer, but even he was having trouble in the darkness.
“What can I do?”
“I just thought you should know.”
Kevin sipped at his drink and Simon moved closer.
“Why’d she do it?” Kevin asked.
“She was pretty upset after you left. I think it was the things you were saying about Conrad. She started to think that if you said something to someone that people would think I did it. I didn’t do it Kevin, but she was just so stressed, and with everything happening with her father...”
“No, right, of course,” Kevin said.
“I just, I thought, I don’t know. I didn’t have anyone I could tell. Can I sit down?”
“Uh yeah, but it would be better if we went inside,” Kevin said before he stood and stepped away from Simon to the door. He paused for a moment in the light and looked back to Simon who closed his knife and followed after him. They walked along the hallway back towards the kitchen.
“Sorry for the way I’m dressed but you caught me at a bad time. I can’t believe Heather hurt herself. I should check my phone. I turned it off because we were watching a movie.”
“We?” Simon asked.
“My boyfriend and me,” Kevin said.
“Oh?”
“Yeah, he’s in the other room, but let’s go to the kitchen and I’ll pour you a drink.”
“That sounds good,” Simon said.
Kevin led him into the kitchen where he poured a three finger shot into the waiting tumbler and looked to Simon who moved close to take the glass. Simon raised it to his lips and downed the drink.
“Slow down,” Kevin said. “You said she’s okay.”
“She’s fine,” Simon replied.
They were an odd sight as they stood face to face only a few feet apart. Kevin was in his underwear yet comfortable. Simon was dressed in his semi-formal attire and looked tense.
“Let me go find my phone,” Kevin said. “It’s in the bedroom.”
“No, uh, that’s not necessary,” Simon said.
“It’ll be just a minute,” Kevin replied.
He walked away not expecting Simon to follow him but when he did Kevin wasn’t bothered by it until they got closer to the bedroom where he realized Thad might still be naked.
“Hey Thad are you dressed? Simon is here, Heather’s boyfriend. He said Heather hurt herself and is in the hospital. I’m just looking for my phone.”
“Uh, let me step into the bathroom,” Thad replied.
“Let us know when it’s safe,” Kevin said.
“Okay, it’s safe,” Thad called back.
Kevin pushed open the partially closed bedroom door and stepped into the bedroom where he began to look around for his phone. Simon reached into his pocket. He hadn’t expected to kill two people and yet it felt like the thing he had to do, especially before Kevin checked his phone.
/> As Kevin stepped away from the bathroom and to the far wall he followed him, tried to get closer. He opened the knife, gripped it so tightly his knuckles went white. He bit at his lip as he moved closer and closer. He could count the hairs on the back of the other young man’s head. Such an odd thing to think before he was going to stab someone. Simon reached out with his left hand to grab at Kevin’s hair, his right hand out at his side ready to bring the knife around. Kevin picked up his jeans.
Thwack! The sound of something very hard hitting something that sounded hollow made Kevin lower his head and raise his shoulders, rending the garment as he did. He heard something, someone, fall behind him. He turned slowly to see Thad was there with his baseball bat and dressed in his housecoat. Simon was on the floor with blood leaking from his skull, a knife at his side.
“What just happened?” Kevin asked.
“I just saved your life,” Thad said. “Is he alive?”
“I don’t think he’s going to get up any time soon,” Kevin said.
“Get the knife,” Thad said.
“I’m not sure. It’s evidence.”
“Just get it,” Thad commanded.
Kevin knelt down and picked up the knife by the blade to try and preserve finger prints. He stepped back from Simon’s body and shook his head.
“This doesn’t make any sense,” Kevin said.
“It doesn’t have to make sense. I’m calling the cops.”
Kevin nodded, then remembered the phone in his jeans. He took it out and turned it on as he heard Thad making the call from the house phone. He saw several missed calls and text messages from Heather. She was looking for Simon. Thad walked back into the room.
“Get dressed, they’re sending an ambulance and the police,” he said.
“Right,” Kevin said.
None of it was something he wanted to happen and yet it was there, Simon was there on the floor, he had a knife and was going to try and stab him, them. He pulled on his jeans as he watched Thad change from his housecoat into clothes.
Simon had to be there for a reason. It had to have been what he said to Heather, and if it wasn’t Conrad who killed Lucy then it had to have been Simon. Heather had to be covering for him. It was rational that she did but it almost led to another murder, his own. Kevin sat back down on the bed, rubbed at his forehead, and quietly waited.
