by Gina Ranalli
Pinching one of the maggots between its fingers, the smaller creature held it over the glass of fluid and squeezed. Droplets of what Josh could only think of as maggot juice dripped into the glass, mingling orange with the blue contents. The orange drops sank to the bottom of the glass and when the first maggot was drained dry, it was discarded and the second maggot suffered the same fate, its body crushed and its sap mixed into the glass, which was then gently shaken by the first monster. Once satisfied, the terrifying creature then pressed the lip of the glass to Josh's lips.
He resisted, whipping his head back and forth.
"No!" he shrieked. "No! I'm not drinking that!"
But the creatures were unbearably strong and the second once forced his jaw open while the first poured the foul liquid into his mouth.
Gagging, he tried to spit it out, but some of the maggot potion settled onto his tongue and he instantly screamed in agony.
It was acid! Some kind of acid! Burning a hole straight through his tongue and his lower teeth, scorching its way down his throat and still, the monsters were not satisfied.
Mouth wide with the efforts of his screams, the rest of the glasses contents were easily poured down his throat where it left a trail of sparks before a firebomb exploded in his belly.
There was only the pain. The all-encompassing torture of an excruciating, slow death.
The monsters and the room faded until he was alone with his pain. He thought of his daughter. Tears trickled from the corners of his eyes as he realized he would never see her grow up. Never experience all her joys or comfort her through her heartaches. His only hope was that she would know how very much her daddy had cherished her. How he'd loved her more than life itself...
CHAPTER 32
Gillian was having a hard time concentrating on the task at hand. Namely, fixing dinner for Emily.
Her mind kept going back to the conversation she'd had with her mother. All that crazy talk. But, it wasn't so much the crazy talk that was getting to her. It was that a part of her actually believed it.
She didn't want to believe it. Of course not. But when she thought back to all the odd things that had occurred as of late-the flies and the trances they seemed to induce in her-she didn't think another explanation would be forthcoming. Certainly not one that would make any more sense than the one her mother had described, anyway.
But, still...
"Can I have soda?" Emily asked as she parked her rear at the table.
"No, you may not," Gillian replied, stirring cheese into the macaroni. "You know your mother would have my head if she knew I let you have soda."
"I won't tell her."
Glancing over her shoulder at the girl, Gillian was almost amused by her audacity. "What about your father? Would you keep a secret from him too?"
Emily shrugged and looked away, her face darkening. It was clear to Gillian that the mention of Josh had distressed the girl for some reason.
Stifling a groan, Gillian turned back to the stove. She had enough on her mind already without having to worry about Emily being moody.
"Besides," she went on. "I don't think-"
The pain in her gut was so sharp and sudden that she cried out, bracing herself against the stove with one hand.
"Gillian?" Emily's voice was uncertain.
Another quick stab of agony caused Gillian's knees to buckle and she sank to the floor, arms wrapped around her midsection.
Emily let off a screech alarm, but Gillian barely noticed. Nor did she notice when the child raced from the room, calling out for her daddy. For too many long seconds, there was nothing but the pain. Beads of perspiration dotted her brow as her eyes squeezed closed and her jaw ached with the effort of not shrieking.
And then, just as abruptly, the pain subsided, leaving her weak and disoriented for close to a full minute.
Eventually, she opened her eyes and became aware of Emily crying nearby. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the girl standing in the kitchen doorway, clasping a stuffed bunny to her chest, her wide, wet eyes more frightened than Gillian had ever seen them.
Gillian swallowed and did her best to give Emily a reassuring smile. "I'm okay," she said. "Just a bit of gas."
She got shakily to her feet, helping herself up by gripping the counter. Once she was standing, she gave the girl her full attention. "Did you wake up your daddy?"
Emily shook her head slowly. "He wouldn't wake up," she replied, sounding younger than her years.
"Well, he's very tired."
"He's dead."
For an instant, Gillian's heart stopped and she felt a twinge of madness tickle the surface of her brain. She sucked in a lungful of air, released it and frowned. "Don't say things like that, Emily!" she said sharply. "It's not funny!"
"He is dead!" Emily cried, tears spilling down her flushed cheeks.
"Oh, for fucks sake," Gillian muttered. "I'm not in the mood for this. Sit down. I'll have your dinner ready in a couple minutes."
"No!" Emily shouted and much to Gillian's amazement, stomped one small foot. "You're not my mother!"
Arching a brow, Gillian asked, "Are you serious? Did you hear that line in an Afterschool Special? I said, sit down!"
Emily hesitated, never having heard her father's girlfriend speak to her in that tone. "But, my daddy..."
"I'll check on your daddy just as soon as I get this food on the table for you. Will that make you happy? Will you stop acting like a little brat then?"
Sniffing back snot, Emily eyed Gillian warily, but finally nodded.
Gillian pointed at the chair the girl had previously occupied and was relieved when Emily went and climbed into it without another word of protest.
"Jesus fucking Christ," she mumbled softly and went back to the task of finishing with the food.
With the exception of an occasional sniffle, Emily remained silent for the rest of the duration of dinner preparation and when Gillian placed the food in front of her, she dutifully picked up a spoon and dug around in the macaroni, though she didn't actually take a bite.
Watching her for a moment, Gillian decided against arguing with her and went to check on Josh instead.
As soon as she crossed the threshold into the bedroom, she could see why Emily had assumed her father had passed away.
Josh lay flat on his back, pillows and bedding on the floor, spread eagle and deathly pale, a thin sheen of sweat glistening his nearly naked body, though his boxers clung to his skin damply.
Gillian crossed the room and stood looking down at him. His breathing was soft and shallow, but not labored and when she took his pulse, it was a little on the slow side, but nothing to be alarmed about.
Touching his forehead, she knew he was still running a fever, but again, it was well within the realm of normalcy.
She sighed, hoping this flu passed soon. Taking care of a sick partner was difficult enough without having to deal with his whiny child too.
After taking a minute to pick the bedding and pillows up off the floor and put them on her side of the bed, Gillian left the room and went to check on Emily.
She hadn't made it back to the kitchen when the doorbell sounded. Reversing direction, she went to the door, silently praying it would be Tess come to fetch her kid. And after peering through the peephole, she saw that, for once, her prayer had been answered.
A wave of relief washing over her, Gillian hurriedly opened the door to see that Tess was not alone. With her stood a rather ragged looking teenager with a fat lip and a thin cut over one eye.
"What's..." Gillian started, then changed direction. "Hi," she said uncertainly. Both Tess and the teenager were visibly upset.
Forsaking any kind of greeting, Tess brushed by Gillian and into the apartment. Gillian scowled, but stepped aside, allowing the teenager inside as well. "Umm. Tess?" Gillian said, though Tess was already hurrying down the hall.
"Where is Emily?" Tess demanded.
Gillian didn't have time to reply as Emily ran out of the kitchen,
crying out for her mother.
Tess stooped and took her child in her arms and, bafflingly, burst into tears.
Closing the door, Gillian asked, "What's going on? Did something happen?"
When she received no reply, she turned her attention to the teenager.
"I'm Speck," the girl said, offering a hand.
Gillian ignored the hand. "What the hell is going on?"
Eyes hardening ever so slightly, Speck dropped her hand and replied, "Bad shit."
CHAPTER 33
Tess squeezed her daughter close and struggled to regain control of her crying. It was no good to let Emily see her like this without explanation, a fact only confirmed by the fact that Emily was crying as well, probably out of confusion.
Behind them, Gillian said, "Tess? Tell me what happened."
Pulling away from Emily, but keeping a firm grip on the girl's shoulders, Tess looked into her daughter's streaming eyes and smiled. "I just missed my little girl," she said, which was at least mostly the truth. "How are you, sweetheart?"
"Daddy's dead!" Emily squealed, bawling hard and throwing her face into her mother's chest.
"What?" Tess stood, picking up the girl, and turned to face Gillian. Both her own heart and that of her daughter pounded violently in their chests as though they were fighting to escape their confines and merge together to form one vast, powerful muscle.
"He's not dead," Gillian said impatiently. "He just has a flu. He's sleeping."
"I'm gonna need to wake him up," Tess said. "Our house is-"
Gillian interrupted her with a sudden scream, clasping her abdomen and crumpling to the floor.
"Oh my God!" Tess gasped, putting Emily down and rushing to Gillian's side. She touched the other woman's shoulder. "Gillian! What's wrong?"
On her side, Gillian groaned, rocking back and forth. "I..." she began, but stopped again, whimpering.
"Do I need to call an ambulance?" Tess realized how absurd the question was, but it was the only thing that came to her mind. She felt on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She looked up at Speck, who'd taken a step back and was looking on, slack-jawed.
"Call 911," Tess told her. "There's a phone in the kitchen."
Speck nodded and stepped around the two women on the floor.
"No!" Gillian practically yelled. "I...I'm okay." She began to push herself into an upright position. "Just a nasty case of gas, probably."
Tess frowned skeptically. "Are you sure? You seemed like you were in agony."
"I don't know," Gillian replied, brushing a stand of blonde hair out of her eyes. "I suppose it could be something else. If it keeps up, I'll make a doctor's appointment, but I'm pretty sure it's just an intestinal problem."
"That's a pretty vicious intestinal problem," Speck said dryly. "I just about had a heart attack."
Gillian eyed the teenager with disdain. "Who are you, exactly?"
"Speck. I told you."
"Yes, you did," Gillian said, getting to her feet with Tess's help. "Why did Tess bring you into my home?" Gillian directed this question not at Speck but at Tess.
"She's..." Tess trailed off, uncertain of how to continue.
"Along for the ride," Speck finished for her.
Gillian's eyes ticked back to the teenager. "Along for the ride? That's certainly a vague answer."
"Is it really that important right now, Gillian?" Tess asked, returning to Emily who was still weeping quietly. "It's okay, honey. Everything is fine."
"But, Daddy..."
"Daddy's fine too. He's just sick. You get sick sometimes, right? Grown-ups get sick too."
It was obvious that Emily remained unconvinced, but she said nothing, gazing at her mother with a worried expression.
"Anyway," Tess said, returning her attention to Gillian. "Sick or not, I have to talk to Josh about a...uh...a situation at home."
"This is Josh's home," Gillian reminded her coolly. "And besides, I don't think he should be woken up right now. He's running a bit of a fever and should get all the rest he can."
"Oh, cut the bullshit, Gillian," Tess suddenly snapped. "After the night I've had, I'm not in the mood for your crap."
She started in the direction of the master bedroom but Gillian stepped into her path. "Who the hell do you think you are?" Gillian asked angrily. "This is my home. You have your daughter now. So why don't you and your...friend...just take Emily and be on your way. Anything you need to talk to Josh about can wait until morning."
"No, it really can't." Tess waited for Gillian to step aside, but when that didn't happen, she folded her arms across her chest and glared. "This is important, Gillian."
"Josh's rest is important."
"I'm not leaving Daddy!" Emily suddenly shouted, squeezing between the two women and running off towards the bedroom.
Gillian threw her arms into the air with exasperation. "Oh, for fuck's sake!"
For the first time in her adult life, Tess felt the urge to slap another woman, but luckily, the temptation was fleeting. "Get over yourself, Gillian," she said, pushing by her none too gently and following after her daughter.
"What?" Gillian seethed. "What the hell did you just say to me? Hey! I told you to leave him alone!"
Without another word, Tess continued into the bedroom with the intention of waking her ex-husband if he was indeed sleeping, a fact which would surprise her, given all the commotion that had been going on.
By the time she entered the room, Emily was already on the bed, kneeling beside her father, one of his limp hands gripped tightly between her tiny ones.
The sight of Josh took Tess somewhat off-guard. He was clearly asleep, but his skin was a pasty-white, a sharp contrast to his usual tan, and his body was shiny with sweat.
Gillian stopped beside her. "I told you he needs his rest."
"He looks awful," Tess whispered. "How long has he been sick?"
"A day or two. Are you satisfied now? Can you please just leave us alone so I can help him get well?"
Tess turned to Gillian. "What is wrong with you? Are you so insecure that you can't even let me have a conversation with my husband?"
"Ex-husband!" Gillian hissed. "Soon, he will be my husband and you really can't stand that thought, can you? The fact that you blew it with him."
Crinkling her nose in disgust, Tess again felt the urge to do this woman bodily harm. "There is something very wrong with you, Gillian, but I'm not going to get into it with you right now. I have to-"
"Wrong with me!" Gillian shouted. "How dare you-"
On the bed, Josh moaned loudly, causing both women to look at him. His eyes fluttered briefly and then sprung open, searching for something.
"Tess?" he said weakly, attempting to lift his head.
Moving to the bed, Tess sat on the edge of it and took his right hand while Em still held his left.
"Hey, Josh," she said, doing her best to maintain an even tone. "How are you feeling?"
"Like shit," he replied. His eyes focused on her face and he offered her a weak smile, which she somehow managed to return despite the fact that her blood was still boiling with rage and not only at Gillian, but at Josh as well, for leaving her for such a selfish, obnoxious woman.
"Do you feel well enough to talk to me for a minute?" she asked.
"Does he look like he feels well enough?" Gillian asked, coming to stand beside the bed. She leaned over, putting her body between Josh and Tess and brushed hair from his sweaty brow. "Do you need anything, baby? You want a drink of water?"
Josh blinked at Gillian and Tess had to wonder if he even recognized her. Then his gaze cleared and he gave her the same smile he'd given Tess a moment before.
"Yeah," he said. "Water would be great."
Gillian offered Tess an unmistakable smirk before straightening up to fetch the water.
Tess ignored it and asked Josh again if he could talk to her.
He sighed wearily, but nodded and seemingly for the first time noticed Emily on his left. "Hey, Em," he said.
The smile he gave his daughter was much wider than it had been for either woman. "How's my best girl?"
Emily put on her best brave face, though her voice trembled when she replied, "Good, Daddy. I'm glad you're not dead."
Josh laughed and much to her surprise, so did Tess.
"Here's your water, baby," Gillian announced, tossing her hair as she came back to the side of the bed and placed a full glass on the night table. "Let's get you up so you can drink it."
Tess stood up while Gillian fussed with Josh, getting him into an upright position, bracing pillows behind his back and helping him drink the water. She insisted he drink the entire glass and when he was finished wanted to help him to the bathroom.
It took every ounce of willpower Tess possessed not to scream at the top of her lungs, knowing full well that Gillian was making a nuisance of herself just to prove some pathetic point, which only she could comprehend. But because losing her temper again would most likely delight Gillian, Tess remained as stoic as possible and bit her tongue until Gillian had exhausted all of her ideas to keep Josh otherwise occupied.
When he was settled back in bed, Tess was finally able to ask, "Can I talk to you now, Josh? It's important."
Though he still looked like death warmed over, he said, "Yeah, of course. What's up?"
Tess glanced at Gillian and then back at Josh. "Alone?"
"Oh, no!" Gillian instantly protested. "This is getting-"
Josh held up a hand, silencing her. "It's fine, Gill. Why don't you take Emily into the living room for a couple minutes, okay?"
"But..." Cheeks pink, Gillian snapped, "Fine. Whatever. Come on, Emily."
Emily seemed just as reluctant to leave as Gillian did, but did as asked and Tess was quite proud of herself that she was able to wait until the door closed behind them before rupturing into irrepressible sobs.
CHAPTER 34
Speck sat on a loveseat in the living room, wishing she had never come here. This was a very fucked-up situation and she couldn't remember a time when she'd felt more uncomfortable. She was also in the midst of a fairly severe nicotine fit and was considering searching the kitchen for, if not cigarettes, then maybe a stick of gum or a toothpick. Hell, anything would do at this point.
