The Crippling Terrors (Tracking Ever Nearer Book 1)

by Jeff Vrolyks

  I strum the strings of my guitar, soft acoustic notes keep us afloat. The inspiration for my musical heart sits smiling across from me, arms furled out on the air-engorged rubber stern, golden sheik glistening from the tanning oil. A bare leg stretches out in front of her; the other is cocked, her knee forming its own Half Dome—its elevation: chest high. Her bikini (blue flowers on buttercream Lycra) leaves the perfect amount to the imagination. If my eyes were a camera, they would be taking a picture of a full-paged magazine add.

  A necklace dangles a golden trinket over her chest. The heart-shaped locket pulses almost imperceptibly with each beat of her heart. My gaze peers deeper at her shimmering centerpiece and its heavenly detail. I move toward her, reaching my hand for her golden candy. My fingertips cup the precious pendant: it beats. As gentle as one can be with a lover’s heart in hand, I open it. Inside, a window. I look through the window and see a family at a dinner table. A baby in a highchair is playing with food. A woman passes mashed potatoes to her husband, who just finished carving a turkey. Their backs are facing me, but I recognize them. An old familiar woman grabs a roll from a plate and butters it. They bow their heads and the man says grace. Wheels takes the child’s hand and waves it goodbye at me.

  “Doctor Lee, he’s coming through.”

  Chapter 25

  Kloss stuck a Marlboro in his mouth and searched fruitlessly in his pocket for a lighter.

  “Hey bud, you got a light?”

  A young man sitting on the bench in a hospital gown, gazing vacantly at the ground before him, looked up at Kloss. He looked sedated, heavily. He nodded and flicked his dead cigarette aside and lit another, then tossed the lighter to Kloss. Kloss lit his cig and pulled greedily, exhaling billows of anxiety. He thanked the kid and put the lighter in his pocket without thought.

  “You aren’t the singer for VonFurenz, are you?” He now looked somewhat sober.

  “I most certainly am not.”

  “No way! You are! Is Gerry Manderin here, too?” The kid was a zombie only seconds ago.

  “Of course, the whole band is here. We’re shooting a video at the hospital.”

  “Really? That’s so bad-ass! Can I be in it? An extra or something? Please?”

  “Dude, I’m not in the mood right now. I’ve been up all night and I have family admitted here.”

  “I hear that. I’ve been in surgery for hours. Worst night of my life. My friend died.”

  He had wound dressings on his arms and legs. Through the sheer fabric of the gown Kloss could see more bandages. “Yeah, you look like shit. Shouldn’t you be inside?”

  “Yeah but those assholes wouldn’t let me smoke, so I did what I had to.”

  “What happened? The fire?”

  “Fire?”

  “Yeah, fire. Flames, shit burning up. Fire.”

  “Didn’t know there was a fire.”

  “What did you think this smoke is, summer fog that smells like campfire?”

  “Oh, yeah. I guess I didn’t notice. I don’t feel very… I’m dizzy.”

  “Get your ass in the hospital. You’re a nut, you know that?”

  “After this cigarette.”

  “What happened to you guys? How’d your friend die?”

  “We got attacked by a couple of dogs.”

  “No kidding, huh? That sucks. I’m sorry to hear that, about your friend. Now go get your ass inside before I’m left to explain why a retard died right outside of a hospital.”

  He stood up and hissed. “That’s so weird running into the singer of VonFurenz here. I was just thinking about you guys, too—your Animal Instinct video.”

  “The pit bull in the hallway?” Kloss guessed. “It rubs me the wrong way, too. I’m far from ignorant of what they’re capable of.”

  “Not the pit bull, the wolf.”

  Kloss straightened his posture. “Why the wolf?”

  “Because the dogs looked like wolves.”

  “Were they black?”

  He nodded.

  Kloss became accusatory and demanded his name, his dead friend’s name, where they were when it happened, why they were there, what they did to provoke the attack. After he answered, Kloss asked if the animals did anything peculiar besides attack them.

  “Nothing peculiar. Actually,” he mused, “when I shot them—”

  “You shot them?” Kloss clenched his fists.

  “It was them or me, bro, and it wasn’t going to be me. Only one died, though. I think.”

  Kloss asked what he thought was peculiar.

  “When it saw my gun it stopped attacking me, gave up. It was like it knew what was going happen.”

  They know a lot more than this kid was aware of, Kloss thought. It ate at him: Why would they attack a couple of dumb kids but help him and Holly? Coincidentally, the lookout point was no more than a mile from Holly’s house.

  “Well at least you missed the fire,” Kloss consoled. “Your shitty luck could have been worse.”

  Lucas flicked his lit cigarette to a nearby planter; Kloss watched the butt smolder beside the plant on dead dry leaves. “Nice meeting you, Kloss.” He put forth toward the hospital.

  Kloss’s eyes sharpened on Lucas. “What time were you at the lookout point last night.”

  Without looking back he replied, “I don’t know, maybe around eight or nine.”

  Hit him. Go hit him. Hard. He used every iota of restraint to keep from fucking up that kid into a new world of hurt and series of bandaged wounds.

  It made sense. This asshole didn’t miss the fire, he started it. Holly and Alison would be dead if it weren’t for Pea Willy and Sue Ellen, and because of this smoking douchebag, flicking lit butts wherever the hell he wanted. He paced toward Lucas, thankful he didn’t have a weapon in hand. Before he grabbed a handful of hospital-gown and uncorked his anger on the kid, he noticed some of the bandages through the transparent gown, several which were blood-soaked. He stopped, still seething. Lucas had paid for his recklessness already, Kloss thought. Punching him wouldn’t help anything.

  The kid went inside, never realizing how close he came to a new set of injuries.

  Chapter 26

  A man with a fuzzy black caterpillar on his lip was smiling at me. He looked like a child molester. “Where am I? What’s going on?”

  “You’re at Solano Memorial Hospital. You were in an accident. I’m Doctor Lee. Can you tell me your full name and who the president of the United States is?”

  Was this guy a time traveler? “I’m Kevin Reed, and how can you be a doctor and not know that the president is Bill Clinton?” I was inebriated. Someone had put something wicked strong in my I-V.

  “You suffered a severe concussion. You’ll be fine, son. How do you feel?”

  “Drunk.” I followed the I-V to a machine beside me. “Or high.”

  “That will help with the pain.”

  Did I crash driving down the hill? I couldn’t remember. “Where’s Holly and Alison? Are they all right?”

  “Holly is doing fantastic.”

  “And?”

  “Alison is now stable.”

  “Thank God.”

  “Would it be all right if I spoke with him for a bit,” said a man I couldn’t see, “in private?” The doctor nodded and left the room. The man scooted a chair beside my bed and I recognized him at once. “Hey, my name is Kloss.”

  “Yeah, I know who you are. What’s up, man?” I didn’t like my voice. I sounded drunk. “Has anyone ever told you that you look like Ewan McGregor in person?”

  “No, that’s a first.”

  “You have an accent. I didn’t know that. Holly doesn’t have one. Why is that?”

  “I lived in Holland till I was thirteen; Holly was only seven. And some people are better than others at adjusting to a new language. Just ask Arnold Schwarzenegger.”

  “I’ve heard a lot about you,” I said. “A lot of good things. I feel like I know you.”

  His brow raised. “Really? Holly talks about me?”
>
  “All the time. You’re lucky to have a sister like her. She loves you more than you’ll probably ever know.”

  Kloss grinned. “I am really lucky to have Holly. She’s like a sister to me.” I smiled: that’s something I would have said. “I’m also lucky that Holly has you for a friend, Kevin. She told me about last night.”

  “How is she?”

  “She’s doing fine. Holly had a concussion, too. A mild one. A few flesh wounds, dislocated shoulder. She’ll be out of here today.” Kloss took a sip from his coffee, pulled out a pack of Reds from his breast pocket, and asked if I smoked. I said no. “Do you mind,” he asked as he put one in his mouth, “if I stand by the window and smoke?” I advised against it, said smoking isn’t permitted inside hospitals, as if he didn’t know. He shrugged and replied, “I really don’t care. I’m having a day, if you know what I mean.”

  He lit it by the window and said, “I’m sorry, man. Like my day could even be close to what you went through. I’m stressed out, haven’t slept in a while.”

  “It’s all right. Do what you want.”

  “Alison,” he said solemnly, “she got it pretty bad. Fractured her skull.”

  “She’ll be okay, though. Right?”

  “She’s in a coma.”

  “Coma? I thought the doctor said she was all right?”

  Kloss took another drag from his smoke before he turned to face me. “A medically induced coma. She was in critical condition most of the night. I don’t think they’re telling me everything. I get the feeling I intimidated them a little too severely, threatened legal action should anything happen to her, as well as an ass-kicking. I was a little over-emotional, I guess. She’ll be here a while.”

  “Poor Alison. Last night she hit her head on a granite table-top. That’s what fractured her skull. I heard it.” He nodded. I asked him if I could see Holly.

  “Not yet. She wants to see you, too. Badly.” In an accusatory tone: “So tell me, Kevin, my sister… I’ve never heard her talk about a guy like she just did about you. I know my sister very well and for her to act like this, well, I don’t know. I’m not used to it. I don’t know what to think. So what’s the story?”

  “I met her the other day at CVS.”

  “Yeah, she told me that. What happened over the last two days? Two days is nothing. If it were weeks or months, maybe, but two days? I thought when she met Andrew she was giddy, but Jesus, that was nothing. Don’t get me wrong, Kevin. I don’t mean it in a bad way. My sister takes forever to open up to guys. She’s cautious. If you knew the pieces of crap she’s dated, you would understand why. So I guess what I’m wondering is what’s so different about you? I apologize if I sound snotty about it.”

  “Nah, it’s all right, she’s your sister. I can’t answer that, I don’t know. We connected. We have things in common, I don’t know if that’s unusual for her. The moment I saw her I felt that we belonged together. Ever have a baseball mitt, old and broken in, softened with oil?” Kloss nodded. “She fits me like that.”

  Kloss chuckled. “You’re speaking to my heart, I love baseball. And you’re basically saying what she said, with a different analogy.”

  “I know you care about whom she dates. I hope I’ll get a chance to prove my good intentions. I respect Holly very much.”

  “I’m just taken aback by this whole thing. A few days ago I was getting ready to meet this guy Seth she was dating. Then, out of nowhere, comes you. I’ve never seen Holly so in love.”

  “In love?”

  Whatever my expression was, Kloss found it humorous. “Easy boy, I didn’t mean love. Enamored. Charmed. Whatever it’s called, she’s taken with you, but you know that.”

  He flicked his smoke out the window and returned to the chair by the bed. “Thank you for what you did last night. If it wasn’t for you they wouldn’t have gotten out of there. You’re a good man.” I accepted his gratitude. “One more thing and I’ll get out of your hair. I hate to bring this up, but if I don’t I’ll always wonder. I only ask because it has happened in the past. Did you know who Holly was when you met each other?”

  “Who she was? I never met her before, how could I? I don’t know what you’re getting at.”

  “You didn’t know her last name?” he hinted.

  “How would I know that?” The medicine wasn’t helping me draw conclusions. “Oh, you mean that maybe I knew she was your sister and that’s why I hit on her?”

  Kloss said nothing.

  “I had no idea. It doesn’t matter who she is related to. I think it’s cool, but my feelings for her and my interest in music—two different ballparks. Two different worlds.” I closed my eyes and remembered Holly floating in the raft with me in Yosemite. I yearned to see her, to be with her. Who the hell is Kloss or anybody to question my motive for wanting her? “Holly is amazing. The day I met her was the best day of my life. I didn’t talk to her because of who she is, but because of what she is. An angel. She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever known. From the moment I met her I haven’t been able to get her out of my mind.”

  “Great. Thanks for giving me such an honest answer. I didn’t think you were using her, but I just wanted to put that behind us so we can start out on the right foot. I usually don’t meet the guys she dates until she’s dated them a few times. I hope you understand.”

  “I understand perfectly, and it sucks. Kloss, maybe it’s harder for you to see because she’s your sister, but is it that hard to understand how a guy like me might fall for a girl like her? She’s breathtaking, inside and out. I thought it was a miracle that she was single, but now I think I know why. You intimidate the guys she dates. I probably got off easily because of what I did last night, am I right? Because you have no reason to question my intentions. Maybe you should start looking at your sister as someone worthy of being adored for who she is, and not for who she’s related to. Get over yourself.”

  I couldn’t tell if he was upset or shocked, or both. If I offended him, good. He offended me first. I should have asked him if he got into music for the money or because he loved it. I understood where he was coming from, but he should have kept that to himself.

  He stood and took a step toward the door. “I’d be pissed off if it weren’t true. I always assume the worst in people. I didn’t use to be that way. She is absolutely worthy of being adored, and I’m happy for Holly that you feel that way about her.” He opened the door and said, “And it’s not a miracle that she’s single, it’s a miracle that she was single.”

  Chapter 27

  Holly turned up the TV’s volume. It was the news.

  “Thanks, Tom. As you can see, behind me is one of the homes lost to the fire. There are twenty homes in this very small, very exclusive community. All but a few have been reduced to ashes. There has been only one confirmed death, and it is still unknown the identity of that person. Several others have been reported missing.

  “One of the homes lost belongs to former Congressman Dewey Jeffries, and we have confirmed that he was not home during the fire. We have also just learned one of the houses belongs to the front man of the very popular rock band VonFurenz, Kloss VonFuren. We cannot confirm this. A local resident has provided this information and we hope to learn more shortly.

  “The fire started at approximately nine o’clock last night and there is an investigation ongoing as to the—”

  The hospital room door opened and Kloss stuck his head inside. “Holl? You decent?”

  “Yeah. They just mentioned you on the news. They found out you own one of the houses in Cattlemen Ranch.”

  “It was bound to happen. What did they say?” Kloss put a smoke in his mouth, and stepped to the open window.

  “Put that cancer stick back in your pocket, thank you. Go ahead, put it back.”

  Kloss was amused by her tough-as-nails act, but knew her better than that. He put the cigarette behind his ear, for now. “I smoked in Kevin’s room. He was cool with it. I guess he’s more understanding than some.” He looked
out the window and saw Pea Willy’s RV in the distance.

  “How rude! You smoked in his room? I like how you do whatever you want, whenever you want. That’s so Kloss. Rules? What rules?”

  Kloss laughed. “Yeah, sounds about right. I can’t help it. I am who I am.”

  “So,” she drawled, “how is Kevin doing? What did he say about me?”

  Kloss looked over to the television and saw footage of his old neighborhood. “What did they say on the news?”

  “All but a few houses burnt down. My house is gone, I’m sure. They showed the Wilcott’s burnt down house, our nearest neighbor.”

  “I’m so sorry, Holly. I’ll help you replace everything.”

  “It’s okay,” she said somberly, “it’s only a house. Alison, Kevin, and I survived, that’s what matters. I have insurance, I can replace most things.” She took a sip of water and said, “You had stuff in the house, too. I’m sorry for your loss as well.”

  “Nothing I can’t live without. I have to say, I thought you would take losing everything a lot worse. Your Cobra, your clothes—”

  “My car! Aww.” She gasped. “My collection!” Her eyes welled up. “Nooo!”

  “Oh man. I’m sorry, Holl, we’ll replace it right away, okay? Everything, every last item.”

  “It’s not just that they’re Pooh Bear collectibles. I had memories attached to each one of them. Special mem—oh no, Kloss… no…” Tears ran down her cheeks.

  Kloss knew what she was remembering, and it brought tears to his eyes as well. “Are you sure it’s gone? You still keep it in your Mustang?”

  “Yes! Why didn’t I take it before we left? How could I be so stupid? It was her favorite thing in the world, and now it’s gone!”

  Kloss hugged her and whispered, “Maybe it didn’t burn. I’ll check it out.”

  “Please. I need it,” she cried. She took a handful of tissues from the dispenser and blew her nose. “Imagine if your Wade Bobbs burned.”