“What’s up, Clyde?” Cobb said, and tried to slide by him, but Clyde didn’t move, shut the door behind him.
“Talk to you for a minute?”
“Umm…”
Before Cobb could come up with an excuse to avoid this conversation, Clyde was shoving him along back into the cabin, back toward the restroom, as far from the door as possible. When he spoke, he spoke in whispers, keeping his mouth close to Cobb’s ear.
“You keep your mouth shut like we talked about?” Clyde had a hold of Cobb’s shoulder, and he squeezed hard, dug the tips of his fingers in.
“Ow. Ah!” Cobb tried to wiggle his way free, but Clyde grabbed the back of his neck, squeezed harder than ever. Cobb grimaced, hissed.
“I’m talkin’ to you, motherfucker. Now tell me. You and your boy out there. You say anything? Think real hard now. You tell my faggot ass little brother what you saw?”
Cobb thought about the conversation he and Manuel had with Gentry in the car yesterday. Cobb prayed to God that Gentry had kept his mouth shut, that he didn’t let it slip while drinking and talking with Ben last night.
“I didn’t say shit. I swear,” Cobb said through his clenched teeth. Clyde’s grip seemed to tighten even more.
“I find out you’re lyin’ to me, I swear to God. I’ll tie your ass up and fuck you like the bitch you are, you hear me?” Clyde let go then, shoved Cobb hard making him stumble backward until crashing on his ass.
“Goddamn,” Cobb said as he rubbed his neck, scooted even further away from Clyde until his back collided with the wall. “I told you I wouldn’t say anything, and I won’t. I promise I won’t.”
“It’s funny,” Clyde said, kneeling down in front of Cobb, his forearms resting on his knees. “Emma, she’s been actin’ weird. Distant. Like she knows somethin’ that she don’t wanna talk about. I can feel that shit. And I got to thinkin’. Who do I know that knows some shit that could upset my girl like this?”
“It wasn’t me. Or Manuel. We’ve been together since last night, man.”
“Yeah, I bet you little faggots have.” Clyde laughed. “See, after last night, I started thinkin’ about some things. What they call it when you realize some important shit all of a sudden? Persymphony or some shit?”
“Epiphany?”
“Yeah, that’s it. I had one of those. Made me realize I love Emma, really love her. Want to marry her. When we get back home, I’m gonna ask her, too.”
When Clyde reached out, Cobb flinched, only making Clyde snicker. He patted Cobb on the leg.
“All right, then. Don’t let me find out you said somethin’. Either one of you. Or you’re both dead.”
Clyde stood up, walked backwards toward the door so he could keep his eyes on Cobb, a wicked smile on his face the entire way, then he opened the door and walked out.
The cabin had small windows lining either side of it, and Cobb watched through those as Clyde walked by, heading back toward the front of the boat. Once Cobb was confident Clyde was on the opposite side of the boat as his friends, he climbed to his feet, did his best to collect himself, then headed out of the cabin, trying to act natural. Like nothing just happened. Like Clyde didn’t just threaten to sodomize and kill him.
Manuel looked asleep, sitting up with his head dangling like a toy with a broken spring.
“Cobb!” Ben smiled and waved him over. He stood at the back of the boat, by the motor which growled as it ripped the water apart, turning it white with foam. Gentry stood by him and was also smiling. “Come over here and talk with us, man.”
Cobb nodded, forced a grin. He held up a finger, carefully made his way toward Manuel. He shook Manuel by the shoulder, lightly tapped him on the cheek. “You all right, man?”
Manuel only moaned.
“You didn’t say anything to Ben about…about the other night, did you?”
More moaning, possibly a shake of the head, but Cobb couldn’t tell if Manuel did it, or if the boat’s constant bouncing did.
“Listen, man. Clyde, he—”
Manuel’s head popped up, mouth opened, and a stream of beige bile exploded past his lips, splashed across Cobb’s shirt and pants, some of the warm liquid hitting him in the chin and neck. It fizzed and bubbled as it hit him, sizzled on the deck as the bubbles popped.
Cobb just stood there, stunned, hands hard at his sides with the fingers spread wide.
Ben and Gentry both said, “Ohhhh!”
Cobb spat, then spat again, wiped his chin and neck with the sleeve of his shirt. He wanted to rip his shirt completely off, but didn’t want the puke-soaked fabric to slide across his face and hair.
“I-I’m going to fucking kill you. Oh…oh God…”
“I didn’t,” Manuel mumbled.
“Take you a little bubble bath there, Cobb?” Clyde now stood beside Ben and Gentry, Emma at his side, both wrinkling their noses.
“I didn’t say a-anything to her,” Manuel said.
“Shut up,” Cobb said. “Manuel—”
“I didn’t tell… Clyde’s f-fuckin’ her mom. I don’t…” Manuel crawled toward the edge of the boat again, gagged and heaved.
The boat stopped.
“What did he say?” Emma said. “What the fuck did he just say?”
Clyde didn’t answer her. He had his eyes pinned on Cobb, and Cobb could have sworn he felt the stare penetrating his flesh.
“Here we are!” Uncle Pete’s voice crackled out of an old, plastic speaker hanging just under the wheelhouse. “Y’all ready for some fishin’ or what!”
—8—
“That motherfucker’s out of his damn mind,” Clyde said, and tried to grab Emma by her arms, but she pulled away, backed up. “Emma—”
“I knew it,” Emma said. “I fucking knew some shit was going on! My mom? My fucking mom, Clyde? Are you fucking kidding me right now?”
“I fuckin’ told you that wetback motherfucker’s lyin’! He’s sick and he ain’t right in the head!”
The veins in Clyde’s face and neck looked like they could break through his skin at any moment, the skin as red as sunburn. When he took another step toward Emma, before she even realized what she was doing, her fist flew from her side, hit Clyde in the jaw.
He stumbled back, ran his fingertips over the spot where she hit him. For a second, he looked like he might cry, looked like the little boy in all the photos hanging on the walls at his mother’s house. Then he bared his teeth, gasping through his nostrils, and lunged at Emma.
Emma didn’t move, didn’t even flinch. She stood there, waiting for it. Go ahead and hit me, you sorry motherfucker. Do it!
But before he could reach her, something collided with him, threw him to the ground. He hit the deck hard, grimaced.
Gentry, now on top of Clyde after tackling him, sat up, hit Clyde in the middle of the face with his right fist, then his left.
Clyde’s feet kicked and he grunted, though his eyes looked hazy. When he bared his teeth again, they were stained red. Blood flowed from both nostrils.
“You won’t touch her! I won’t fucking let you!” Gentry reached out with both hands, wrapped his fingers around Clyde’s throat.
“Gentry,” Emma whispered, but didn’t move to stop him.
Clyde tried to pry Gentry’s hands off his throat, but didn’t seem to have the strength. Emma had always seen him as intimidating, stronger than all the other boys, someone everyone was too scared to mess with. But seeing him now, pinned under Gentry, blood running down his face, he looked pathetic. And even though she knew she should be happy about what was happening, she had an urge to pull Gentry off him.
Gentry was muttering something through his teeth as he continued to strangle Clyde, whose face had started to turn a dark purple color. The anger faded from Clyde’s face, turned to panic, eyes pleading.
“That’s enough, Gentry!” Ben ran by Emma, his shoulder slamming into her as he passed, nearly throwing her off her feet.
Cobb, who was now shirtless, ran over also
, gave Emma a quick look before helping Ben pry Gentry off Clyde.
“Let me go!” Gentry thrashed his arms and legs trying to get back to Clyde as Ben and Cobb pulled him away. “Fucking let me go!”
“Gentry!” Ben stood in front of him now, eyes locked on his. “Gentry, chill out. Calm down.”
“It’s true,” Gentry said to Emma, tears running down his cheeks. He wiped them away, pointed at Clyde who was on his hands and knees gasping for breath. “Cobb and Manuel, they told me. Night before last, they caught him with your mom. I was going to tell you.”
Emma glanced at Manuel, but he was still hanging over the side of the boat. When she looked at Cobb, he hesitated for a moment, eyes on the floor, then nodded.
“M-motherfuckers. I’ll k-kill all y-you motherfuckers.” Clyde had to use the wall to get to his feet, one hand still rubbing his neck. He wiped the blood from his face, spat another mouthful of it onto the deck, then glared at Emma. “I fucked up. I fucked up b-bad, all right? But Emma—”
“Go fuck yourself.” She started to walk away from him, then realized she had nowhere to go. Stuck in the middle of nowhere. She stood between Ben and Gentry, just in case Clyde tried something.
“I was gonna ask you to marry me,” Clyde said, his voice high-pitched and shaky. “When we got back, I was gonna clean my shit up, make a life with you. A real life. But now…”
“Stay the fuck away from her,” Gentry said. He made a move like he would launch another attack, but Ben held him back.
Clyde smiled. “You’ll get yours, bitch,” he said to Gentry, pointing a quivering finger at him. “Believe me.” He spat again, then turned toward Cobb. “And you?”
“You won’t touch him.” Ben stepped forward, both hands curled into fists. “You won’t touch anyone here, asshole.”
“That right?” Clyde said, then swung. His fist collided with the side of Cobb’s head, and the guy hit the deck hard, the fat on his exposed belly jiggling.
Cobb groaned, wincing, cradled his head with both arms.
“Motherfucker!” Ben stomped toward his brother, and though Emma tried to hold Gentry back, he followed his friend.
Something hit the boat. Hit it so hard every one of them lost their footing and crashed to the deck. Something splashed nearby, spraying water into the air to rain back down on the boat.
“What the fuck was that?” Emma said, reaching out for Gentry who was closest to her and on his back. Her hand found his, and they grasped each other.
“I don’t know…did we hit something?” Gentry said, now sitting up.
“We were stopped,” Ben said. “Something hit us.”
Clyde rose to his feet, cupping the back of his head. When he pulled his hand away, it was red, his hair matted with blood. “F-fuck.”
He seemed lost for a second, then he caught sight of Cobb who still lay curled under him, massaging his cheek which had flared up red.
Clyde looked over his shoulder, and when he saw Emma, his eyes narrowed. He lifted his foot, stomped it back down on Cobb’s chest.
Cobb gasped, grunted, then kicked his legs as he tried to find his breath. Before Ben or Gentry could get back on their feet and help him, Clyde cocked his foot and kicked Cobb in the gut.
“Clyde!” Emma screamed. “Stop it!”
He stormed toward Manuel, who still dangled over the edge of the boat. Manuel was hanging over so far, Emma wasn’t sure how he didn’t fall overboard when whatever it was hit the boat.
“Get the fuck away from him!” Ben said, and had just started to run over when the boat was hit again.
Oh my God…
Just before her back hit the deck, Emma saw what looked like a tail rise up out of the water, massive and black.
What the fuck was that?
A scream. Emma rose up on her elbows, wincing from the ache in her back and tail bone. She looked around at the others, but they all seemed just as confused.
Manuel was in the boat now. Rising back to his feet.
Where his arms used to be were bloody, ragged stumps. Blood poured out of them, splashing all over the deck and painting his jeans and sneakers. When he got to his feet and took a step, he slipped on his own blood and crashed back down.
He screamed again, loud and hoarse, but it wasn’t his arms he complained about.
“My face!” Manuel kicked his feet, circling in place as he shrieked. “H-help me! It burns!”
***
“Jesus…!” Gentry crawled toward Manuel who roared in pain. The stumps of his arms, both severed just above the elbow, sprayed blood all over the deck.
“My face!” Manuel screamed, crying between shrieks. “H-help me! It burns!”
Something sizzled over Manuel’s face, white and thick like cake frosting. As it bubbled and hissed, Manuel lifted his arm stumps as if trying to wipe the gunk off, but only managed to bleed on himself.
“Manuel!” Gentry grabbed Manuel by the shirt, used it to try and wipe the stuff off his face, but it was sticky like molasses, and the fabric only stuck to it. “Somebody fucking help me!”
Cobb was on his hands and knees now, trying to crawl over, but every few seconds he clutched his chest, whimpered. Ben was already on his feet and running over, slid onto his knees beside Gentry.
“What the fuck, man? What the fuck is this…what’s going on?” Ben ran both hands through his hair, staring down at Manuel as he kept screaming and bleeding and begging for help.
“It fuckin’ burns! Oh God!”
“Fuck, fuck, fuck…” Ben reached down, grabbed one of Manuel’s arm stumps. When Manuel bellowed, Ben pulled his hands away, grabbed fistfuls of his hair.
“What’s that shit on his face?” Gentry said.
“I don’t fucking know, man. How am I supposed to know?” Ben scooted away from Manuel, shaking his head, mumbling cuss words under his breath.
“Gentry!”
Emma?
Clyde held her from behind, one arm wrapped around her stomach, and the hand of his other arm pressed slapped against her mouth, muffling her screams.
Emma’s eyes were wide, wet with tears.
“Let her go,” Gentry said. “Clyde…please. Please don’t hurt her.” He took slow, careful steps toward Clyde.
“Why? Huh? You like her? You want her? That what it is, Gench?” He grinned, wide and red. “Hope you can swim, motherfucker.”
“No!” Gentry sprang forward, both arms outstretched.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion then. Gentry’s foot slid across the expanding puddle of blood that had spurted out of Manuel’s arms. As his legs flew out from under him, as Clyde swung Emma around toward the edge of the boat, Uncle Pete was suddenly there. One of Uncle Pete’s hands seized a fistful of Clyde’s bloody hair at the back of his head, yanked him backward. Clyde still had a hold of Emma’s arm, and when Uncle Pete tugged Clyde back, Emma came with him, spun twice before falling and sliding across Manuel’s blood.
Uncle Pete now held Clyde the way Clyde had been holding Emma, gripping him tight, looked to be whispering something to him. Clyde didn’t move, didn’t fight back. His eyes were perfect circles, as red as fish gills. Gentry couldn’t figure out why Clyde wasn’t putting up a fight, just stood there, his jaw moving up and down, but just slightly. Then a trickle of blood ran down from the corner of his mouth.
Uncle Pete pulled the knife out of Clyde’s back, the blade dripping blood that ran down the older man’s fingers and forearm in crooked red lines.
“Uncle Pete!” Ben yelled. “Don’t!”
“Sean was supposed to be here. On this boat. Me and him. It was always supposed to be me and him!” Uncle Pete pressed the knife against Clyde’s throat. “He left me here. The sea…it took my boy because of him. Aaron. Swallowed him right up!”
“Clyde!” Emma screamed, then quickly covered both of her eyes.
Uncle Pete ran the blade across Clyde’s throat, a quick swipe. Clyde made a choking, growling sound as the blood started to pour fro
m the long, fine slit.
“If your daddy would have been here, kept his promise to me and his family, my boy would still be alive. But he’s dead. And now, so are all of you.”
Uncle Pete grabbed Clyde by the neck, his fingers digging into the bloody opening, and tossed him overboard.
***
Every breath felt like twisting knives in his chest. Cobb tried to crawl toward Manuel, his best friend, wanted to help him, make the blood stop flowing, make him stop screaming.
“I’m coming, Manuel! Don’t die!” is what he tried to say, but only strained grunts and groans rattled past his throat as he pulled himself along inch by agonizing inch.
Manuel’s blood was warm against Cobb’s bare chest and stomach. Water splashed against the side of the boat, throwing fat, cold droplets across the deck, wetting Cobb’s back and soaking into his jeans.
Fish. The air stank of rotting fish. But stronger than before. Unbearably strong. And blood. Fresh, hot blood.
Manuel’s heels slammed and scraped against the wooden deck as he flopped and screamed. His arm stumps flailed in tiny circular motions, spitting more and more blood and painting the boat red.
Cobb finally reached Manuel, grabbed hold of his friend’s leg, used it to pull himself in closer. Cobb wrapped his arms around Manuel, pulled him into his lap, screaming when the pain in his chest ignited and nearly burned a hole through him.
“Y-you’ll be all right. I’ve got you. You’re…you’re gonna be okay.”
Something on Manuel’s face moved. Scuttled.
“Cobb?” Manuel’s eyes rattled in their sockets, his breaths quick and rapid. “Get ’em off m-me. Please. Diggin’ inside of me. Oh…oh God, Cobb. They’re fuckin’ eating me alive!”
Holy fuck…what the hell is that?
There was a commotion from behind them, screaming, crying, but Cobb could only concentrate on the tiny crab-like critters burrowing into Manuel’s face. Scraping away skin and meat, settling into the wounds. Click click click click.
Cobb tried to wipe them away as Manuel started screaming again. Manuel’s skin felt hard, rough, like a turtle shell that had been dragged across concrete.
Parasite Deep Page 11
