The Dance

by James Goodman

  “So what… I have to pay you to see my kids now?”

  Click.

  He let out a stream of expletives that would make a sailor blush. He kicked the coffee table, flipping it over. He stormed into the kitchen and reached for a bottle of Jack. His hand froze on the cabinet handle as he caught sight of the picture of his son and daughter stuck to the refrigerator with a magnet. He traced the outline of his daughter’s face with his finger, and thought about his ex-wife.

  “She’s not worth my sanity,” Tom muttered as he went back to the living room to clean up his mess.

  Once he had everything picked up, he lay back on the couch and picked up the phone. He cleared his throat and took several deep breaths, trying to calm his voice before he dialed the number. He knew his anger was getting him nowhere fast. “You get more bees with honey, but then I guess that also gives you more chances to get stung.”

  “Please, don’t hang up,” he said quickly when he heard the call connect.

  “Hi, daddy,” Julie said when she recognized his voice. “Why would I hang up on you?”

  “Never mind, honey. How have you been?”

  “Pretty good. Oh! Did I tell you that Nancy Cutler invited me to her birthday party?”

  “No, you sure didn’t. Which one is Nancy again?”

  “Dad! She’s only the most popular girl in the fourth grade and she personally invited me.”

  “That’s great, honey. Is everything else going okay?”

  “Yeah,” she answered in a weak voice.

  “What’s the matter, Julie?” Tom asked when she didn’t elaborate.

  “I miss you, daddy. When are we going to get to see you again?”

  “I miss you, too. I wish I could see you everyday. Maybe someday—”

  Tom could hear Sherry’s voice in the background, but he couldn’t quite make out what she was saying.

  “I have to go, dad. Mom says I still have homework to finish before dinner.”

  “Wait! Is your brother around?”

  “No, he went home with Donnie after school today,” she explained. “I love you, daddy.”

  “I love you too, baby. You be good for your mom and I’ll see you soon, okay?”

  “I will. Bye-bye, daddy.”

  “Hey, can you put your mom on the phone?” Tom asked quickly before she had a chance to hang up.

  “Mom! Dad wants to talk to you.”

  He could hear Sherry’s voice again. Even without the benefit of hearing her words, he could tell by the tone, she wasn’t interested in talking to him any more. Not that she had wanted to talk to him in the first place. He had become the necessary evil in her life.

  “Mom says she is really busy right now.”

  “It’s okay, Julie. Tell her it is really important and I promise to be nice.” Tom forced a laugh for the benefit of his daughter.

  “What?” Sherry answered the phone abruptly a few seconds later.

  “Tell John I will buy those shoes he wants or even better. If you let him call me when he gets home, I’ll tell him myself.”

  “Thank you, Tom. I’ll have him call you after dinner,” she said in a voice that made Tom more than a little nostalgic.

  “I appreciate that. I feel like I hardly ever talk to them anymore. Are we still on for next Saturday?”

  “Yeah, I hate to admit it, but I think they’re both looking forward to it.” Her laugh sounded sincere.

  After they exchanged their goodbyes, Tom laid the phone on the coffee table and turned on the television. He flipped through the channels periodically, but his mind was on his children. His thoughts held him in such a tight grip; he nearly jumped out of his skin when the phone rang.

  He quickly grabbed the handset and looked at the caller ID. His shoulders sank when he realized it wasn’t John returning his call.

  “Hey, Jack. What do you got for me?” Tom sighed as he put the phone to his ear.

  “Geesh, Tom. You don’t have to sound so happy to hear from me,” Jack said playfully.

  “Sorry, buddy. I was just expecting someone else, that’s all. So, what’s going on?”

  “Did you go ape shit on a few lab techs today?” Jack’s voice was suddenly all business.

  “I had a little chat with a few of them about the importance of getting that blood sample processed.”

  “Damn it, man. If I hadn’t intervened, they would have shoved the damned thing into a corner for a week or more. You can’t treat people like that and expect—”

  “What do you mean… intervene? How did you even find out about that?”

  “I called to see if they knew how much longer it would be and they gave me an earful. You know we need these guys to help us with this and you also know that flying off the handle at them will make them less likely to go that extra mile for us.”

  “Yeah, I’m sorry about that.” Tom let out a slow breath. “I was out of line and it won’t happen again.”

  “You okay, man?” Surprise was evident in Jack’s voice. “It’s not like you to apologize so easily.”

  “Yeah, I’ve got a lot on my mind lately and I— Look, let’s just drop it. I said it won’t happen again.”

  “That’s cool, buddy. I’ll see you in the office tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, I can’t wait.” Tom laughed as he hung up the phone.

  What do you know? An old dog can learn new tricks.

  Chapter Seven

  Kyle suppressed a snicker as he listened to a man snore so loudly, he expected to see the door shudder with each inhale. Nina gave him a stern look before placing the tip of her index finger to her lips. He pretended to ignore her as they slipped into the room, determined not let her deprive him of his fun.

  “You can be such a buzz-kill sometimes,” he grumbled.

  He stood just inside the door for a moment, taking in the layout. Nina sure knew how to pick them. The bedroom was enormous and sparsely furnished. He would have plenty of room to show her the best Dance ever created. Eying the bed, he tried to discern which of the covered shapes belonged to Gloria. He preferred to introduce himself to the wife first. In his mind, it was just good manners.

  And what are we if we don’t remember our manners?

  Kyle tiptoed to the left side of the bed and gently pulled the covers back far enough to expose Gloria’s face. He leaned in close to be sure she could feel his breath on her cheek.

  He waited for her eyes to open.

  “Hi there,” he whispered.

  “Sammy!” she shouted when it finally registered that she was staring up into the face of a stranger.

  “Hey now, is that any way to welcome a guest?” Kyle laughed as he leapt onto the bed, trapping Sammy beneath the covers.

  “Stop! What are you doing! What do you want?”

  “Me? I just want to Dance.” Kyle smiled down at her as he pressed down harder on the pillow covering Sammy’s head in an attempt to silence his protests. “Would you like to Dance with me?”

  Gloria began to hyperventilate. “What? Dance?”

  When he felt Sammy cease to struggle beneath him, he let up off the pillow. “Don’t worry. It will become crystal clear in a little while, Gloria.”

  “How do you know my name?” She looked at the door, as if calculating whether or not she could make it through before he caught her.

  “Nina told me.” He nodded his head to the other side of the room where his love sat perched on the dresser.

  “Who are you talking about?” Gloria barely managed to form the sentence as she shifted her gaze between the dresser and Kyle.

  “Nina, honey, will you fetch my bag for me?” Kyle asked, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

  “It is what I live for, lover,” Nina said sarcastically as she left the room.

  “Who are you talking to?” Gloria looked around at the empty room.

  Kyle rolled his eyes at her ignorance. “Did I say Gloria? No, I clearly said Nina, so I think it should be pretty apparent which one of you I am talkin
g to.”

  Gloria began to cry. She reached under the blanket to grab her husband’s hand, drew in a sharp breath when she realized he was dead. Throwing the blankets over Kyle, she made a mad dash at the door. A startled shriek escaped her lips when the door flew open. The corner connected with her face and knocked her to the ground with a thud.

  “That wasn’t very nice, Gloria. You could have spoiled all of the fun,” Kyle chastised as he stood over her. “You really don’t want to upset me, do you?”

  “What do you want from me?” she sobbed.

  “I’ve already told you. Were you not listening? You know that’s just rude. If I were in your situation, I would be hanging on my every word.”

  “Why me? What have we done to you?”

  “Because you’re special. You must be special. Nina is very picky. She wouldn’t have chosen you if she didn’t see something extraordinary,” Kyle assured her. “You should feel honored.”

  Kyle grabbed her by the hair and dragged her back toward the bed. She struggled frantically, trying to free herself for another chance at the door.

  “What are you going to do to me?” she cried as she clawed at his arm.

  “You are going to take part in the most beautiful display I have ever created,” Kyle proudly informed her, hauling her back onto the mattress in one fluid motion.

  “Would you like me to start the music now, lover?” Nina dropped a large canvas bag beside him.

  “Yeah, that would be great.” Kyle looked over his shoulder at her.

  Gloria stared at the bag, her eyes growing wider as she processed what she saw.

  “Music makes everything just a little better,” he explained, returning his attention to Gloria. “Don’t you agree?”

  Gloria just stared at him.

  Nina walked over to the stereo and pressed the power button. She fiddled with the tuner until she came across something that caught her fancy. Dry the Rain by The Beta Band poured out of the speakers.

  “Nah, that’s a little too slow for the occasion. Try this one.” Kyle tossed her a Brotherhood of Mercy CD from his bag.

  Fight or fuck that’s all you know

  But a mouth like yours never grows cold

  I’m looking for the man who created this beast

  And you just keep dragging me down and shredding my sheets

  The world, the sights, the wonders I ain’t seen before

  It’s a fucked up world when you fall for a whore

  I give you all I got, my heart, my soul, my thinning billfold, but you just take, take, take, and take some more

  “Now that’s more like it,” Nina agreed, moving her hips to the rhythm of the song.

  “You know; you are getting quite the honor tonight,” Kyle said, smiling down at Gloria.

  “I am going to be the first person you ever let go?”

  Kyle sat on the edge of the bed with the bag in his lap. His back was to Gloria, but kept his head turned just enough to watch her from the corner of his eye.

  “No, you are going to be the first person to undergo the transformation while they are still alive,” Kyle replied as he pulled a spool of fishing wire and a suturing needle from his bag.

  He watched Gloria rise to her elbows, craning her neck to see what he was doing. She shrieked when she saw the needle. “Oh, please no. God help me!”

  “There is no God. Did you know that? I used to think there was, but Nina assures me that there isn’t.” Kyle paused in his duties to watch her response.

  “Please don’t do this,” she begged. “Have mercy! I won’t tell anyone what you look like; I promise.”

  Kyle ignored her and returned to threading the nylon line through the needle. This was to be his greatest accomplishment. He wanted to make sure everything was perfect.

  He sat the bag on the bed beside Gloria and unzipped it the rest of the way to search for another instrument. When she saw the contents of the bag, she screamed in pure terror. The sound of her voice was enough to make even the hair on his neck stand on end.

  “God, how I love that sound. Is there anything more thrilling in the entire world?” Kyle asked. “I doubt it.”

  “Please, I will do anything. Just tell me what you want me to do!” Gloria pleaded.

  “There is one thing I would like you to do for me.” Kyle nodded thoughtfully, pulling her hand into his.

  “Anything… anything at all if it means you won’t hurt me.”

  Kyle leaned in close to whisper in her ear, “I want to hear you scream some more. This time, do it like you mean it.”

  Gloria had no choice but to oblige as he began to work the needle beneath her skin. She tried to jerk her arm away, but Kyle pinned it down with his elbow and continued to pull thread through the meaty part of her hand between the thumb and index finger.

  “Perhaps you should start with her mouth,” Nina suggested, looking at the window nervously.

  “Yes, as much as I’m enjoying this, we still wouldn’t want her to draw any unwanted attention. That would ruin my surprise.”

  Nina looked almost giddy with anticipation. “There’s more of a surprise than the living partner?”

  “Darling, you ain’t seen nothing yet,” he replied with a wink, then quickly moved into position for his next task.

  Kyle hummed along to the music pouring out of the speakers as he moved his needle up to Gloria’s lips, tightly stitching the folds of skin together into a parody of a smile. Satisfied she couldn’t alert the neighbors, he moved onto the… meat of his project. He finished her hands, then her arms, paying close attention to the joints around the elbow. Next it was her legs. He even threaded each of her toes before finishing with several strands woven between her scalp and skull.

  Will you please turn up the damn radio,” he asked, looking over his shoulder at Nina. “She might not be able to scream anymore, but that whine in her voice is driving me nuts.”

  Nina cranked on the volume knob until the music drowned out Gloria’s muffled pleas.

  Done with his preparations for the big surprise, he started singing the chorus of Hazy Shades of Pain as he pulled the rest of his instruments from the bag. Once he had everything in place, he turned the volume down just low enough to give the occasion the proper atmosphere.

  She will be screaming again soon and I don’t want to miss a single note.

  Gloria struggled to close her eyes against the nylon strings holding them open.

  “What are you doing?” Nina paced anxiously. “When are you going to string her up to the ceiling?”

  “I’m not,” he answered nonchalantly as he rolled Sammy onto his back.

  Nina stopped dead in her tracks. “You’re not? How will you make them Dance?”

  “You’ll see.” He laughed as he picked up a wicked looking tool.

  It had two blades, each about a foot long. They sat at a slight angle in the handle in such a way as to merge into a single razor sharp edge. Segregated handles were attached on either side of the blades, their seams barely noticeable to the untrained eye. They were nearly as long as the blades themselves and worn smooth with use. One of them had a small hand crank attached to the end of it, just long enough to be gripped with one hand. A worm gear was positioned perpendicular to the well-oiled wood of the handle. Both blades were attached to the gear with eyelets equipped with two teeth that fit snuggly into the grooves.

  He laid the instrument across Sammy’s belly before turning his attention to Gloria. She had managed to twist her body enough to avert her gaze away from her husband’s body.

  “Hey now,” he said, using a piece of wire to strap her head firmly to the headboard. He wanted to ensure that she could see everything he was doing.

  Nina peered at her over Kyle’s shoulder. “You really don’t want to miss this, sugar. You are about to witness—no more than that—you are about to experience something so extraordinary, it will eclipse every other thing that ever happened in your meaningless little life.”

  Gloria tried
to say something, but could only manage a few incoherent grunts as her lips pulled against the wire that kept them shut.

  “I think she is trying to agree with you, honey,” Kyle said, wondering why Gloria’s eyes were darting around the room.

  Kyle snapped his fingers in rhythm with the song as he slid off the mattress. He glided along the floor, letting the music move him as he circled the foot of the bed. He smiled over at Nina and picked up the instrument. Gloria’s moans indicated she knew full well what he was about to do. She tried to thrash about, but the bindings sewn through her muscles would only allow the slightest of movements.

  “You watch now, Gloria. This is a very crucial part of the whole affair.” He held the blades a few inches above Sammy’s abdomen. “We are venturing into uncharted waters here.”

  Once he was satisfied the blade was centered between the sternum and groin, Kyle let the blade rest on the skin. He took a deep breath and pushed down hard on both ends simultaneously. The instrument entered the skin with such force that blood sprayed across the ceiling. Gloria’s eyes rolled up into the back of her head as Kyle slowly began to turn the hand crank. He watched her intently, continuing to open the blades until the hole in Sammy’s chest was nearly as wide as the entire body.

  “Nina, will you wake her up?” He motioned towards her still form with his head. “I think we lost her.”

  “It would be my pleasure,” she replied throatily and gently patted Gloria’s cheek until her eyes showed signs of life.

  Kyle noticed she was making the same darting eye movements as before. “What is she looking for?”

  “She wants to know who was smacking her,” Nina replied matter-of-factly.

  “What? You are standing right over her. Does she think I reached all the way over there to wake her up?” He shook his head before picking up another long tool with a suturing needle at the end of a small clamp.

  “She can’t see me yet,” she whispered, bending ever closer to Gloria’s face.

  “What are you talking about?” He threaded several feet of nylon line through the eye of the needle.

  “The way I am now, she can only see me at the end of her Dance,” she replied after a moment’s pause. “But that’s slowly changing.”