The Dead Parade

by James Roy Daley

“No.”

  “Good. Elmer, open the door.”

  Without looking at Tina or James, Elmer opened the door.

  “Now go.”

  Elmer stepped out of the car and began walking. He walked fast and thought about nothing. When he reached the building he slid the key into the keyhole and applied the appropriate amount of pressure. The lock turned. The door opened. With a nod of his head Elmer held the door, just like he had been told.

  “Good.” James said, turning his eyes towards Tina. “Okay slut. Don’t fuck up. And remember, I’d love to blow a hole the size of my fist through your back, so don’t do anything stupid.”

  Funny thing, James wasn’t kidding.

  44

  Tina opened the car door and stepped outside. The street was clean and the stores were not quite busy. A few scattered people walked by, laughing and smiling, paying no attention to anything but themselves.

  “Do you want me to close the door?” Tina asked, pushing the boundaries of acceptable behavior.

  James pulled himself from the car and held the gun close to his leg. He recognized what Tina was doing. She was challenging his authority and it made him angry, very angry. He wanted to teach her a lesson. He wanted her head to explode like a popped water-balloon and her blood to spray across the street. He wanted everyone she loved to see it and he wanted to laugh as it happened.

  But that wasn’t like him. That was sick.

  Where did those thoughts come from?

  After the malicious moment passed, James felt something churn inside of him. What was it? Fear? Hate? Guilt?

  No, it wasn’t guilt, but it was something like guilt. It was responsibility. And this responsible feeling, James feared, was something he’d experience again and again as the day moved on.

  Getting the shotgun was a mistake, he thought. Then he said, “Close the door, and don’t look back. Keep moving.”

  Tina slammed the door and walked.

  James felt another moment of bloodlust as he followed Tina. His eyes were shifty. His gun was held low. Within seconds they were inside the building. James lifted his chin, informing Elmer to start walking.

  Elmer walked quickly. Tina and James followed.

  The lobby was neat and clean. Small, metallic mailboxes cut the foyer in half. A stack of flyers and phonebooks sat near a bulletin board. And there was nobody around, only James and his hostages.

  When they reached the elevator James said, “Push the button.”

  Tina reached for it and James rammed the shotgun into her back. “I’m not talking to you, bitch. I’m talking to him.”

  Tina, grim and humorless, moaned in defeat. Her arm fell heavy against her t-shirt and bounced off her gut. Elmer pressed his index finger against the white circular switch. From somewhere above, the elevator started moving. While the trio waited for the doors to open James couldn’t help feeling like he had regained some control over his life, even if things had taken an unexpected turn.

  Then the door opened.

  Ironically, a blonde woman in her early thirties was standing inside the elevator, challenging the very control James thought he had regained. She was tall, voluptuous, and strikingly beautiful. A light colored blouse hugged the ample curves of her body. She wore a short brown skirt and tall chocolate boots. Her scent reminded James of cherries.

  Inside the woman’s hand a thin, black leash led to an energetic puppy. The puppy, James recognized, as a ‘pug.’ James loved dogs, especially pugs. Seeing the pug made James want to reach down and make stupid noises that were guarantied to get the animal excited. But instead of petting the pug and making friends with the woman, he played the only card he had.

  “Don’t move,” he said. “I’m not kidding.”

  The woman stepped back and looked at the gun that was pressed against Tina’s back. Her mouth dropped wide open.

  The elevator doors began to shut.

  “No!” James barked, pushing Tina forward.

  Tina did what she had to do; she moved through the doorway and pressed herself into the corner.

  The elevator doors reopened.

  James said, “Everybody in.”

  Elmer made his way into the six-by-seven cubical and turned around. The woman with the dog mumbled something, but before she could put her thoughts into words James interrupted her.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “But you’re coming with us.” He put his foot against the elevator door to stop it from moving; he kept the shotgun angled appropriately. “Everybody turn around and face the wall. Elmer, move to the far side.”

  Elmer and Tina responded without hesitation, making it easy for James to enter. But the woman didn’t move; she held her ground.

  “Please mister,” she said. “Please let me go. I didn’t do anything wrong. This matter, whatever it is, has nothing to do with me.”

  James said, “I know that, but I can’t let you go. You’ve seen enough movies to understand. Of course you have. But I’ll tell you what… don’t do anything foolish and I promise I won’t hurt you.”

  “You promise?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you keep your promises?”

  “Yes I do. The good ones, and the bad ones.” James glanced at Tina. He wanted to shoot her now, more now than before.

  “What’s your name?” The woman said.

  James smiled. He didn’t expect a question that was so direct, so revealing and dangerous. Because she was beautiful the question turned him on.

  “James,” he said. “My name is James McGee.”

  “My name is Mia Powell. And I won’t do anything foolish. Just promise me…”

  “I won’t hurt you unless you earn it, Mia. I give you my word, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Now give me your phone.”

  “What?”

  “A girl like you has an expensive cell phone in her purse and a lot of friends worth calling. I need to take the phone away from you. You can have it back when this is over.”

  “But I don’t…”

  “Either give me your phone, or hand me your purse. The choice is yours.”

  Mia thought it over. She reached into her purse and pulled out the phone. Grinding her teeth lightly, she handed it over. Then she faced the wall, feeling sick and conquered.

  The puppy looked up at James with confused excitement. It wagged its tail and sat down impatiently.

  James smiled at the dog; he stepped inside the elevator and pressed the button that said number five. The doors closed behind him. His thoughts shifted to Debra. What will she think when he arrives with three hostages and a puppy? The very thought made his stomach churn.

  Debra was a worrywart. Her condo was usually clean and organized. She was fond of simple situations that offered clear and apparent solutions. She enjoyed looking cute and feeling attractive, which wasn’t easy. She wasn’t a pretty girl but she dressed like she was. She acted like a princess. Stressful situations made her nervous, and when she was nervous she became agitated and somewhat hostile.

  James closed his eyes and took a deep breath, lost in his thoughts.

  Debra was an ugly princess that was easily agitated and somewhat hostile.

  Damn.

  Walking into her condo with three hostages, a shotgun, and a dog, was going to do more than ruffle a few feathers. Debra was going to loose her fucking mind.

  45

  The elevator rumbled up the shaft and stopped on a dime. The doors opened.

  James stepped halfway through the opening, pointed the gun at Tina’s head, and said, “Okay, one at a time. Mia, you first.”

  Mia turned around.

  “Walk out slowly. Go to the railing. Stay there. Don’t make me shoot the fat woman in the head.”

  “Can I ask you something?” Mia asked.

  “Sure. Make it quick.”

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “You wouldn’t understand.”

  “Try me.”

  “I haven’t the time.”
>
  “Come on, there’s got to be a reason. Give me something. Anything.”

  “Something was chasing me. One thing led to another and here I am.” The elevator door tried to close and James stopped it.

  “What was chasing you?”

  “I don’t know. Now get the fuck out of the elevator and shut up, you’re pissing me off.”

  Mia nodded and walked to the railing, which was seven or eight feet away from the elevator. Next to the railing was an open concept stairwell that led to the front foyer. It was ornamented with plants and windows. If Mia stood at the edge of the stairs and yelled loud enough half the building would hear. And if she decided to be brave and run down the stairs, it would take three seconds to be out of firing range, assuming James didn’t follow and she left the dog behind.

  Mia considered her options.

  “Okay Elmer,” James said. “You’re next. Remember Danny and Beth now. You don’t want anything to happen to them so don’t fuck around.”

  Elmer lowered his head and joined Mia at the railing. Being unfamiliar with the complex he looked down the stairs, chewing over different scenarios in his mind. None made him feel comfortable, only anxious.

  “Okay Chubby. You’re up.”

  Tina turned around. Both barrels were an inch from her face. She pushed the shotgun aside and said, “Why me, huh? Why are you always picking on me?”

  James forced the gun back into first position. “Shut up.”

  Tina stepped into it, letting the steel touch her face. “No, really. How come I’m the last one out of the car, and the last one out of the elevator? How come the gun is always pointed at me? Why not Elmer? Or that girl you’re drooling over? They’re here too, you know!”

  “I said stop it.”

  “No! You stop it. Stop harassing me. Go bother ‘Tits LeGroux’ for a while, would you? Maybe you’ll get a blowjob out of it. Maybe you’ll get laid. She probably likes that sort of thing but I don’t, and I don’t like being harassed.”

  “Shut the fuck up!”

  “No! You shut the fuck up. You’re always picking on me! It’s not fair! In the car you had the gun against my head the whole time, and it hurt, and Elmer was driving. Not me. Why didn’t you put the gun against Elmer’s head, huh? He’s got a good-sized melon, so why me? And you keep calling me names… you’re not being fair, you know? This is bullshit!”

  Tina’s voice grew louder; it seemed that she was calling his bluff.

  James became nervous. He didn’t know what to do and worst of all, Tina was right. He’d been riding her pretty hard; it wasn’t anything personal, he told himself. He just didn’t trust her. Tina was unstable; therefore she was the biggest threat. James was trying to control the situation. That’s all. He was just trying to keep everyone in line.

  “Now listen…” James began, as the elevator tried to close again.

  “No! You listen… you started this. I was watching TV and minding my own business when you drove into my neighbor’s house, remember? You remember that? This is your fault, not mine. I came outside to see what was going on. Is that such a crime? Is that so bad? No! It isn’t! It’s the same thing that you would do––the same thing everybody would do! This is such bullshit! Complete fucking bullshit! And get that fuckin’ gun out of my face!”

  Tina pushed the double barrel away a second time.

  James tightened his trigger finger, shuffled back a few inches and regained his position. His heart was really pumping now; he felt nervous all over. With a tremble in his voice, he said, “Get out of the elevator, Fatty! Now!”

  “No! And stop calling me names; I don’t like it. My name is Tina, Tina Comfrey, not fatty. And you’re the fuck-knuckler, not me. You’re the one that created this mess! You’re the bad guy here. I’m just an innocent bystander!”

  The elevator doors tried to close a third time and James rammed his elbow against the door’s rubber casing. Behind him, Mia and Elmer stirred.

  James glanced over his shoulder, making sure that Elmer and Mia weren’t moving in on him. They weren’t. He stomped his foot on the floor, and said, “Get out of the elevator, Fatty, and shut-up.”

  “No!”

  “Get out. Now!”

  “This is bullshit!”

  “Out!”

  “What are you going to do? Shoot me? I don’t think so, tough guy. I don’t think you’ve got the stones!”

  “I said out and I damn well mean it!”

  All at once––as if Tina had rehearsed the moment inside her mind––she started yelling very loudly. “NO! IF YOU’RE GOING TO SHOOT ME, SHOOT ME! IF YOU’RE GOING TO KILL ME, KILL ME! DO IT! DO IT NOW!”

  “Get out of the––!”

  “NO! I DON’T WANT TO GET OUT OF THE ELEVATOR! YOU’RE NOT BEING FAIR! YOU KEEP PICKING ON ME AND I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING WRONG! I’M JUST AN INNOCENT BYSTANDER! I’M ONE OF THE GOOOOOD GUYS!”

  “Get out—!”

  “NO! I DON’T WANT TO!”

  “Don’t make me—!”

  “FUCK YOU!”

  Suddenly, Elmer’s face tightened into a ball and he stepped forward, screaming, “SHUT THE FUCK UP TINA YOU STUPID UGLY BITCH! YOU’RE PISSING ME OFF AND YOU’LL GET US ALL KILLED!”

  James snapped his head around quickly, pinching a glimpse of Elmer and Mia. Mia looked terrified. Elmer looked furious and mean, like a man capable of doing very terrible things. And he was closer now. Too close.

  Tina threw her hands in the air, shaking them like a football fanatic celebrating a touchdown at the Super Bowl.

  Biting his lip, James pulled his eyes away from Elmer.

  Tina screamed, “THIS IS TOTAL BULLSHIT! I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING WRONG! IT WAS YOU, JACKASS! NOT ME!”

  James tightened his trigger finger without noticing it. He was sweating now and felt hot all over. He knew Tina was stupid, but my God, he didn’t expect her to be so stupid. She was being absolutely fervent. This was off the hook.

  Under duress, James stepped back a little further; he kept his foot in the elevator doorway. He looked at Elmer for support, but Elmer couldn’t help him; he couldn’t control Tina. Not when she was like this.

  The elevator doors tried to close again.

  And once again, Elmer had moved closer. He was being sneaky about it, but he was moving in on James, getting within striking distance. If he wanted to make a move the odds were in his favor now. James didn’t like it, but what could he do? He was surrounded, and terrified. He had lost control of the situation and something bad was about to happen. He could feel it. Even the dog could feel it, and it barked. Once. Then twice. Then the dog was barking.

  Mia shuffled her feet in an attempt to calm the animal down. She said, “Quiet Bully!” But it didn’t work. Bully didn’t care what Mia wanted and Bully didn’t want to be quiet. The dog was acting on instincts now, and trouble was brewing.

  The dog barked, Mia tried to stop it, sweat began beading on Elmer’s long forehead, James squeezed the trigger a little more than he intended, and Tina screamed, “NO! IT’S NOT FAIR! IT’S NOT FAIR! YOU’RE NOT BEING FAAAAAIR! THIS IS BULLFUCKINGSHIT!”

  James felt dizzy. Each moment was louder then the moment before it. He heard the ringing of a thousand telephones in his ears. He heard a child screaming.

  He whimpered under his breath, and said, “Oh shit.”

  And finally, when he could take no more yelling, no more barking or fighting or ringing or screaming, no more chaos, no more turmoil or commotion, he closed his eyes and did something bad, something he didn’t want to do, something he didn’t think he would ever do… something exceedingly violent.

  And part of him loved it.

  46

  Mathew let go of a green balloon and fell through the sky forever; he feared that all was lost. But when the forever had finished, his falling turned to drifting, and drifted became floating, and floating led to walking.

  He walked through empty spaces and blank landscapes. He walked through sunless days and moonless nig
hts. He walked across plains of nothing and baron wastelands. He walked a thousand years. He walked for hours. He didn’t walk at all. Time was askew. Time meant nothing.

  And all the while his thoughts were beset by the demon with the black glistening skin and large soulless eyes.

  It had infected his Uncle James; he knew this now. But James didn’t. James––who was on the brink of a terrible mistake, one he could never undo; a mistake that would lead him to madness––had no idea that he was infected. But he was. He was filled with shades of the demon’s rage, the demon’s thoughts––the demon’s curse. It coursed through his veins like hatred. It poisoned his mind like vengeance.

  Mathew had to stop it.

  He walked across farmlands with no crops and roads with no traffic. He walked through forests with no life and swam oceans with no waves. He walked through winters without frost and summers without heat. He crossed rolling hills and empty cities and desolate towns.

  He then came to a place of great walls, a room in the center of a world filled with nothing. The walls were higher than any he could have imagined. They were higher than his eyes could see. They were higher than the sky. They were higher than time.

  There was a phone.

  There were thousands of them.

  Mathew was inside a giant room of phones, a sea of phones, a world of phones, and all of them were ringing. He lifted one and screamed into it, knowing it was too late.

  But maybe it wasn’t.

  Maybe James would hear.

  Maybe James would understand the ringing.

  47

  With arms waving madly, Tina prepared her lungs for another outburst of yelling. Her eyes were closed now, squeezed together like a pair of fist, not that it mattered much. A blanket of red was all she could see. The shapes and angles of realism had faded, leaving Tina alone with her fury, her wrath, and the accelerated pounding of her over-sized heart. This was her time to shine, her moment of truth, the climax of her dreary and uninspired life.

  With grinding teeth and flexing strength, James stepped away from Elmer, and into the center of the elevator. He shifted the shotgun inside his hands. He tightened his fingers and raised the gun like a baseball bat. He arched his back and swung.