by Gary Lewis
Sheep’s Clothing
Gary J. Lewis
Copyright © 2021 Gary J. Lewis
All rights reserved.
Cover Design by Stefanie Saw
www.seventhstarart.com
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 1
A deafening howl pierced the silence of the night. It erupted from somewhere in the woods to disrupt the stillness that once was. As the sound echoed through the westernmost hills in the forests of Virginia, it awakened the residents of this small town. Something unnatural had swept into Pine Bluff and as it continued to cry out from the darkness, it seemed to yearn for the terror that it called.
#Janice#
It was still dark outside when Janice rolled out of bed to see the red curtains swaying. “Was it a noise or was I dreaming?” Stacks of old schoolwork shuttered on a dusty desk as the breeze carried in an unusual chill for early summer to shake apart the comfort that once rested in her room.
She stepped across the dark green carpet, dimly lit by the cracked door of the ensuite bathroom that cast light across her brown double dresser where a stack of old yearbooks from Pine Bluff High were now paperweights for last year's photography projects and unfinished college applications that piled above its dull, hardwood surface.
As she approached the open bedroom window of the two-story house that she called home, she glared down into the front yard. Beyond the barely visible weeping willows that hugged the side of the house, nothing could be seen. While she stared out into the darkness, she felt it stare right back into her as if it wanted to taste her deep inside and when she gave the curtains a tug, she could feel that it didn't belong.
Her large, circular dresser mirror was still pinned with clusters of old photos. As she stepped toward it, a heavy feeling pressed from her heart into her throat, threatening to erupt its way through her watery eyes. One of the pictures was out of place. Janice reached to barely scoot it to the left so that her dad's face peeked out just enough to still conceal his boat.
After rubbing her eyes, she grabbed her phone and scrolled through her messages. "Vance never replies at night." Her eyes rolled to match the pitch of her sigh as she tossed the phone on the bed.
Last summer’s clothes crowded her closet where she slipped out of her red nightgown before pausing to glance across the room. The layer of clutter that was beginning to cover a once neatly organized space held the remnants of a life that had once been. Somewhere between the darkness that still peered in through the window and the disaster that was forming in her room, her fears of what might be clashed with sad memories of what had been. The calamity where they met could only take place in the spot where she now stood naked in front of the mirror as she turned to brush her long, light brown hair.
As soon as she was dressed, the bright red numbers on Janice’s alarm clock caught her attention. "Damn. Almost six thirty." She huffed as she grabbed her phone and rushed for the bedroom door. Mom will be home soon.
Ceramic dishes clattered and soap suds began to rise as Janice hurried to catch up on chores, trying to brush off her painful thoughts along with the darkness that crept outside. But as she glanced up at the kitchen window above the sink, she saw the glow of dawn lighting the clouds into a red streak of flame. The sun didn't offer its usual promise of an ordinary day. Instead, it felt like an omen of terrible changes, rising from beyond the view of the horizon, threatening to swallow everyone she still had into the blood red haze that illuminated the clouds.
The steaming sink pushed a mountain of soap suds higher while she grabbed garbage bags until the sharp crunch of gravel from the driveway halted her in place. "Crap. She can't be home early. Not today.” She crammed plates and bowls into the dishwasher and tugged at the trash can in such a rush that the bag ripped. Garbage tumbled out across the once clean linoleum floor.
"What else could go wrong this morning?" She tried to sigh away her frustrations as she scrambled to grab the crumpled, empty soda cans and wadded paper towels scattered around her feet.
A loud knock banged from the kitchen door. Janice jumped with a gasp, dropping a pile of garbage back into the floor. As she approached, she glimpsed a tall, thin figure when she passed the window. His light brown hair formed feathered waves that brushed to the side. "David!" She smiled as she swung open the door. "Come on in."
"What'd you get yourself into this time, Jan?" David asked. He swooped down and started tossing the scattered rubbish into the trash bag.
She continued smiling as she swayed her hand aside. "Oh. It's nothing. Just one of those days." The pressure of her problems pushed to be vented to someone who would actually listen, but there was still work to do.
"Can you finish tying these bags while I find Peetie and give him his bowl of dogfood?" She set the bag in the floor and turned to fill the metal bowl on the counter.
"Sure thing." David's voice sounded with the quickly wrapping plastic behind her.
"By the way, where is Peetie?” he asked. “I didn't see him when I pulled up."
"I don't know. He's been acting kind of skittish lately. Did you check around back?"
"Yeah, Jan. You know every time I drop by, I walk circles around your house before I come to the door."
She giggled as she carried the bowl outside. He always finds a way to take my mind off everything.
Outside, she strolled beyond the smooth, brown paint of the concrete carport on the kitchen side of her beige house. From the cool, sharp gravel beneath her bare feet, she looked to the left, past the large wooden swing of her front porch. Across the front yard, the weeping willows drooped together to hug the side of the house. They seemed to mourn the white bundle of fluff that liked to play below their boughs as she walked slowly toward the hanging limbs. "Peetie!" she called while wandering around to the back yard. She stared through the thin fog into the fields and pastures that stretched beyond view. Something felt out of place that day and she knew it was deeper than her missing Peetie. Janice could only continue her search while her calls were answered by the chirping of birds.
#David#
Inside, David helped himself to Janice's coffee pot before walking toward the sound of the morning news playing in the living room where he admired her large, tidy home. The matching beige furniture contrasted against glossy, black end tables situated just across from a cozy recliner. He remembered how Janice's dad used to sit there and relive boating stories. But now even the family portraits were missing from the wall where they once hung alongside a mounted largemouth bass, also nowhere to be seen.
He sipped at the hot brew. Strong, but stale. It was obviously reheated from the day before. After sinking into the sofa, he watched the news anchor talk about the super moon that took place the night before.
The swinging sound of the back door pulled his attention to the kitchen. "No luck,” Janice said with eyebrows that pressed to squeeze the concern written on her face. “I'm sure he's just out running the fields again."
"Hey, they're talking about that super moon from last night," he said, still kicked back on the couch.
"Oh no. I completely forgot. I'm so sorry, David."
While they were still talking, images of firefighters and smoke played on the television.
"Wait. Is that here?" Janice asked.
David rushed to grab the remote and turn it up for her while they listened to the reporter interview a stern-faced old woman with a nagging voice. As she spoke, David began to recognize the area.
"Oh yeah,” he said. “Isn't that Ms. Tanner that used to teach social studies? She's always been a little eccentric.”
"That was mean," she said as he grinned.
The reporter continued her interview. "You said that you saw an individual fleeing the scene of the abandoned barn as it was burning?"
"No," the elderly woman scolded. "Not an individual. A monster. I already told you."
David’s laughter busted from his chest. “It’s the same tone she used in class,” he said, slapping the couch cushion.
"It was a big hairy creature,” the old woman continued. “I saw it standing right over by the barn before it ran off that way toward the woods."
This time even Janice was covering her face to contain the giggle while David busted out rolling across the couch.
As they settled down, he watched the smile that stretched across her face relax back into position along with her gleaming, green eyes.
"So, how's everything been lately?" he asked.
"A little better." She tilted her head down. "I've been staying home a lot though."
"Did you check into any of those photographer spots yet?" he asked. "If not, I'm sure the school would still let you work on the yearbooks, even though you left. You know, I still have another year there."
Janice's eyes floated around the room and finally fell to look at the floor. "It just seems like nothing goes right anymore, now that he's gone."
David quietly nodded his head while she began to vent. He watched as she explained the dire situation of her day, every misstep and failed expectation. But he found it hard to follow Janice's words when his eyes drifted with her hands through her soft, brown hair and down across her plump, busty chest where he noticed that she was missing a couple buttons. He studied the way she swayed to the beat of her voice and let his sight wander as her shirt shifted with the motion of her arms.
"What do you think?" Janice's voice snapped him out of his distraction.
"Yeah. I completely agree," he said. "Listen. Tony, Sarah and some of her friends are going to meet up with me at the cliffs later and hang out. Want to join?"
"No.” She glanced away with a sigh before looking down. “I don't really go around there much anymore."
David looked aside, forcing a light smile. "Since Vance?"
"Since... the accident,” she said softly. “Since Dad.”
"I'm sorry, Jan." He watched as she lifted her head to meet his eyes.
"It's okay, David. It's not your fault." The air became as muted as David's mind while he struggled for the next words to say.
Finally, Janice's voice returned. "Vance might drop by later."
"Well,” David said, holding back the reluctance that attempted to creep into his tone. “I guess I better split before he shows up."
"Aw. Thanks for helping me with the kitchen."
David strolled back out to his red, two door coupe where the all too familiar depths of Janice's friend zone engulfed his stomach.
"Wait!" Janice's voice stopped him when he opened the car door. He looked as she hurried down the steps, rushing toward the driveway. David's heart beat with anticipation.
"Have fun while you're up there,” she said. “I know you and Tony haven't been real close since y’all's parents divorced.” She stared up into his eyes. “But he's still like a brother to you.”
"He is my brother.”
"I know," she said. "I just don't want you to forget that it's not his fault.” Her hand reached to touch his arm. “It was his dad that did your mom wrong. Don't let it come between you."
He shook his head. "Yeah. Well, dads aren't all they're cracked up to be-" David stopped to the weight of his words. "Sorry…” A stinging pause halted his sentence. “I didn't mean..."
"It's okay," Janice said with a light smile, her voice as reassuring as ever. “I know.”
She walked closer, leaning to wrap her arms around him. As he embraced her, he began carefully with respect. When his hands made their way down to her lower back, her eyes lifted to meet his with a smile. "I'm the one supposed to be hugging you, silly," Janice said with a big smile as they both loosened apart.
"Well,” David said while he climbed into his car. “I've got to go pick Tony up when his shift ends at the Sunset Diner so we can catch up and figure out what's going on this afternoon.”
###
"Why me?" David slapped the steering wheel as the long country road twisted through pastures and forests, eventually giving way to traffic lights and stores. While struggling to find the perfect song, he wondered why Janice would give not just her time, but herself to such an arrogant jerk like Vance. But his bias was apparent even to himself.
"He's been there a few times when I really needed it and he does make Jan happy," he mumbled, still unsatisfied with
anything he could find to listen to. "So, it is what it is." David looked ahead and slowed down, his destination now within view.
The big, yellow sign towered over the surrounding buildings to welcome locals and newcomers alike. Standing out among the many shops that lined Central Avenue, the Sunset Diner's slate gray paint contrasted against the reddish-brown brick that composed the new stores leased within old buildings that surrounded it. The nearby mountains to the west offered the perfect backdrop every evening when the sun fell behind them. In the morning, it was a place for senior citizens to agree about politics and argue about the weather, only to later transform into a hub for the young and old alike.
Parked across the lot from the entrance, David waited in his car. He slid his phone from his pocket, searching for a reply from Tony. Nothing. Then, as his thumb hesitated above the call button, a huge form stepped out of the glass double-doors. He could tell right away by the tan complexion and calm, confident stride that it was Tony. His black, curly hair was a little shorter than when school let out, but it still complimented the thinly trimmed facial hair that wrapped around his chubby face. David stepped out of his car and walked quickly toward him, but Tony stopped with a glance at his shiny wristwatch.
"Hold up, little bro," Tony said before turning back toward the entrance to pull out his wallet. David watched him stroll casually over to the old blind man that asked for sidewalk donations. The beggar’s dirt tanned shirt matched the color of his remaining teeth and his pale, white eyes stared blankly through his sagging face as he rested on the other side of the parking lot against the stone wall of the diner.
"It's all I got left." Tony could be heard saying. He and the man exchanged a few words before Tony strolled back toward David.
"Some things never change," David said as they got into his car.
David impatiently watched the line of cars in his rearview mirror, waiting for an opportunity to back out. Finally, a slow-moving minivan began to inch forward and he clicked the lever in reverse, easing off the brake. The radio blasted loud female vocals and Tony chuckled. David quickly hit the scan button. "Put it on whatever," he said with a shake of his head as he continued rolling out from between the tightly packed parking space.
"Stop!" Tony shouted, swinging around to look behind them. David slammed the brakes with a short screech, inches from the passenger side of a black and white police cruiser, now stopped in place behind them.
"Shit," David said. "Tell me it's not Benning." He stared through the rearview as the driver side opened to a head raising above the other side of the police car. When the cop stood to his feet, his silver and brown hair became visibl
e before he placed his cap on his head and turned his face toward them.
"Ha ha!" Tony said with a clap of his hands. "It's Benning, alright." Tony's bright white teeth shown through his carefree smile. David scowled with a shake of his head. "It's fine, little bro," Tony said, laying his head back and lowering his eyelids as he rested his huge arm across the passenger door.
"Easy for you to say." David felt his eyebrows tense while he watched Officer Benning methodically march around the front of the police cruiser toward David's side of the car.
"Just play it cool, man," Tony said with a slight raise of his fingers from where his hand still rested.
As the officer's boots tapped closer to David's door, he watched impatiently through the sideview mirror. Officer Benning's tall, thin figure approached with commanding presence while David slowly rolled down his window. "Sorry about that, I was-"
"License and registration, please." Benning's deep, deliberate voice demanded from mere feet away. David scrambled through his back pocket to drag out his worn wallet from where he sat.
"Relax, boys," Benning said as David looked to see his menacing grin fixed on him. "I remember y'all."
David loosened his arm, lifting his hand with a smile. "I was trying to change the radio station, when I noticed-"
"Where you boys heading today?" Benning's stern voice betrayed the smile still stretched across his face.
"He's taking me home," Tony said calmly with a slight turn of his head.
"Not hanging out at the cliffs or the lake anymore?" Benning asked. "I haven't noticed any beer bottles or litter in a while." The air hung silent as David looked back and forth between a grinning Benning to his left and a silently relaxed Tony to his right. "Well, then." Benning tipped his hat. "Pay more attention next time. Y'all be careful out there." Tony laughed quietly as Benning stepped back to his patrol car and pulled into a space across the parking lot.
###
Along the road, familiar places from their childhood ratcheted the silent tension that hung in the car. To the left, an old, rundown, pale blue house lost the white picket fence that had surrounded its yard. It would never be the same as when he, Tony and their parents once called it home. When it passed from view without so much as a word, David knew that something had to give.
