[Jenna's] Gang of Deadheads

by Paul Atreides

  “Yep, he’s onto you all right. But, it seems he’s not bothered at all.”

  “Or scared. Huh.”

  “Dudes, there’s no reason for him to be bothered or scared.”

  Mike and Tommy snuck over behind the counter, opened the box, placed thirty candles into the cake, and lit them. Tommy gave a nod to Davy, who stood poised at a bank of switches, and the place became doused in darkness, except for the glow that lit Tommy’s face as he walked from behind the counter. He started singing Happy Birthday, and walked toward Marvin as the rest of the crowd joined in.

  Moe stopped when the lights went out and, looking through a window, watched the glimmering of light float across the diner and smiled. “Happy birthday to whoever,” he mumbled in a soft voice and walked away.

  Marvin’s face lit up in a grin. “Are you kidding me?” He rose from his booth seat and waited for the cake to be placed on the table. “Come here, you schmuck.” He grabbed Tommy into a bear hug amidst the round of applause and scrubbed the back of his head with a fistful of knuckles. “Hippie, you are somethin’ else, you know that?”

  Tommy pulled away, laughing. “Dude, what have I told you about the coif?”

  “Happy birthday, Brody.”

  “Mike, I don’t know what to say. You two have been … I don’t know how I would’ve …” Marvin hugged him. “Thank you”

  “You’re welcome. Now blow out the candles before they melt all over the cake.” Mike spun him around and pushed.

  Marvin blew out the candles. As he glanced upward, he was sure his heart skipped in his chest. Just before the lights flickered on, he thought he’d caught a glimpse of Jason standing across the street. When he turned to Jenna, he knew he hadn’t imagined it.

  Save Nancy, Jenna had heard what the others hadn’t: Jason’s command, a command no lesser deadhead could disobey. She tried to speak, but couldn’t form words. She swallowed hard, her brow wrinkled, and then the smile on her face flat-lined. In a panic, Marvin whirled around to find Nancy. She, too, sat stone still, a grimace frozen in place.

  “Marvin, no! Don’t touch her,” Tommy said when Marvin reached out for Jenna.

  Worried, Colleen rushed toward Jenna, the daughter she’d never had. “What is it? What’s wrong, dear?”

  Mike put his arms around Colleen before she made it to Jenna. “There’s been an, well, an incident.”

  “My heavens.” Colleen clasped her hands to her breasts. “What kind of —”

  Without uttering a sound, Jenna stood and walked through the glass window as Nancy went through the door. The crowd inside stood silent, squeezing together into a clump, their arms, legs, and torsos blended together, and watched as the two crossed the street and stopped in the pool of a streetlamp directly in front of the towering Jason.

  “What’s happening?” a voice asked in a somber tone.

  “Whatever it is, it doesn’t look good,” came a response.

  Taking Colleen by the arm, Tommy moved back into the center of the diner. “Do you think you could organize cleaning up in here?”

  “If it’ll help, why of course.” Looking toward Jenna’s retreating figure, Colleen couldn’t keep the concern from her voice. “But, is she going to be okay?”

  Tommy looked out at the three figures who started to walk down the street. “I don’t know. I hope so, Colleen,” he said quietly. Then he addressed his friends. “Okay, you guys.” The entire crowd turned to him, forcing him to change tactics. “Colleen needs you to stay and help her clean this place up. Cruise people, just like we were taught on the way home. Let’s go.”

  -27-

  “You disobeyed. You of all people would dare?” Jason’s eyes bore into Nancy with an intensity she had never witnessed.

  Nancy held her ground. “No. You didn’t give me time. I would’ve brought her as soon as the party ended. I didn’t want to hurt or disappoint those who love her.” Nancy gave a jut of her chin toward Jenna, who stood silent, eyes cast down at the sidewalk. “I didn’t want to frighten them or cause them undue pain.”

  Jason studied his protégé for a long moment. “I’ve told you, I will have an explanation. Now go.” He pointed toward the southeast and followed his two charges down the street.

  Once again in the park, Jason stood in the clearing between the train tracks and the river. In the ever-darkening sky, a bank of clouds rumbled and a colony of bats breezed overhead chasing insects in a series of acrobatics. Their beating wings and high-pitched squeaks drowned out the low, soft sounds of the flowing water. He held a hand out for silence before Nancy could utter a word, and studied Jenna.

  At first her eyes fluttered as she tried to avoid his deep, penetrating gaze, but her strength was no match. His eyes shone with the intelligence of eons and she could not pull away. A dull ache filled her, painful yet not, like a weight pressing down; breath that wouldn’t come. Her limbs grew heavy and useless.

  “We have few rules here on this plane of existence. You have broken the most sacred there is. Even the living do not tolerate or condone what you’ve done. You’ve ignored the warnings; defied us.” Jason pointed to Nancy. “It’s only due to her intercession that you’ve been allowed to remain free. I will know why you insist on interfering.”

  “I’ve already expla —” Nancy began.

  “I will hear it from her,” Jason said, his tone flat and deliberate. “For once, she will speak for herself.”

  Jenna didn’t know how, but sound floated from her throat. “To help those people who are too timid and afraid to help themselves because they’ve been beaten down, either by words or fists. They deserve someone to stand in their corner.”

  “You killed a man, a young boy.”

  “It was an accident. You have to know that.”

  Jason nodded. “I don’t hear or see regret.”

  “I was trying to move into the girl’s body, to get her out of harm’s way. I stumbled into him and got caught. His thoughts frightened me, and I panicked.”

  “I repeat: I don’t hear remorse.”

  “You want me to apologize for his death, to feel bad about it, and I can’t do that. I’m sorry if that angers you. He would’ve raped that girl. And killed her; left her exposed and dead in that back alley behind the store. And then he would’ve found another victim. Maybe not that same day, or the next. Maybe not for weeks or months, but he would do it again. And again. And again.”

  “You think you know this how? By some imagined otherworldly sense you believe you’ve gained here?”

  “No. Because I’ve seen it. I’ve watched it. So many victims: women, children, even boys and men. I tried to help and was powerless in so many instances. Words and warnings had no effect then. Even hiding them couldn’t save some of them. Now I have the ability to do something and you want me to ignore it.”

  “What good can come of it, of your interference? What can I expect if it’s allowed to continue? More death?”

  “People like him need to be stopped,” Jenna insisted.

  “By their own kind, not by us. We do not interfere with the living.” Jason’s voice boomed and she cowered.

  “But we do. Plenty.” Tommy stepped from behind a clump of wild elderberry bushes, just beginning to show signs of their tiny dark purple berries. “Sorry,” he said to Nancy.

  Jason chuckled in spite of the situation with Jenna. “I wondered how long it would take for one of you to step forward.” He raised his volume. “The rest of you come out here.”

  He waited while the seven remaining deadheads stepped into the clearing forming a protective cluster around Jenna and Nancy. “What did you hope to accomplish by hiding? Did you think I didn’t know you were there? I’ve been at this longer than… Well, never mind that. You say we interfere, Tommy. Yes, but it’s nothing more than common trickery, for our own amusement, and no harm comes of it.”

  Nancy found her opportunity to speak on Jenna’s behalf. “If we can interfere for the sake of fun, why not interfere for the sake of he
lping someone to safety, of saving a life?”

  “That’s what they were doing. That’s all we wanted to do,” Mike said. “Save a life.”

  Jason turned his gaze on Mike. “You’ve all been doing this.”

  “No,” Diane spoke up. “Only Jenna and I.”

  “So far,” Jason replied, studying the others. “I can see that.”

  Marvin’s knees wobbled when he walked forward. “You remarked to me once that I was fading, getting dark around the edges, because of the things I tried to do.” He turned his head toward Jenna. “If she was up to no good, if her intention is to do harm, wouldn’t it be happening to her?”

  Jason considered the presented arguments for a moment. “If this were allowed, how can I be sure none of you will … panic, I believe is the word you used, Jenna, when things go wrong again? How can I trust you? What reassurance can you give?”

  “They’ve been practicing,” Tommy blurted, then gawked around. “Uh, that was okay to admit, right?”

  Jason raised an eyebrow. “It has taken many years for me to learn what you believe you are capable of. I don’t doubt your ability to grasp lessons, they will come with time and effort, as mine did. But, I wonder if you have the strength …”

  His eyes captured them and his stature grew. Faces froze in fear, their bodies stiffened, and, his power absolute, he held them all for several moments. One by one he instructed the men to turn and leave. Then he dug into the minds of the women.

  “There are things beyond your framework of understanding. Can you withstand the horror, even the nominal amount Nancy does at this time? Can you discern lies from truth, repel despair and agony, shed it as easily as rain might run down a back? Will you be able to refute false pleas of ignorance? Most important, will you be capable of not becoming that which you now wish to stop? It will be required if this activity is to continue. We shall see.”

  Though he kept a close, protective grasp on them, each woman faced what he kept buried within him; even his own protégé who’s most recent take could be no match for what he held at bay. He exposed them to the despots of wars and serial murderers, allowed clawing waves of wanton cruelty and evil, dark enough to blot out the brightest sun, to touch their minds and hearts. Save for one, they recoiled. Yet none screamed; never pleaded to be saved or released.

  It was Diane who surprised him. Certain of what he knew of her, Jason expected her to be the most delicate given her attitude of expected entitlement to leisure and finery, yet she proved to be the strongest of the five. She had laughed as if walking through some carnival funhouse. It pleased him, yet gave him pause. Those who found amusement in pain and suffering could easily be capable of imposing it. He penetrated deeper into her mind, searched for any sense of joy she may have experienced upon inflicting pain. He discovered a sense of triumph when she’d stopped men in their tracks, but found no enjoyment of the act. If pleasure in witnessing suffering was there, she had managed to hide it from him; a feat never accomplished by any.

  Jason’s imposing figure dwindled until he once again resembled the old, harmless man so many deadheads witnessed shuffling along streets. One who sometimes appeared to be mumbling to himself. The only visible sign of power remained in his bright, piercing eyes. The group before him stood silent.

  One more issue stood out for Jason as he silently contemplated how things had changed over the millennia. There could be no doubt he’d ensnared some whose infractions couldn’t compare to the larger horrors inflicted by the evil he also held at bay. Jason looked inward and could see how the blackness crept and overtook all, became stronger, and increased the rate of his weakening state. It was the reason he’d allowed the experiment with Marvin. After his long silence, Jason turned his gaze to Jenna. “And how shall we police this … police force of yours?” he asked her, sweeping a hand around the circle of friends.

  Everyone waited while Jenna searched for an answer. When Nancy attempted to supply one, Jason stopped her. “No matter what I may think, two Councils must consider this issue. If you can’t answer me, how will you be ready to address their concerns?”

  “When?” Nancy asked.

  “I will call the first to convene in a week, on the lake island within the borders of Canada. You know the one.”

  Nancy acknowledged with a nod.

  “Then go and prepare.”

  -28-

  Marvin stopped pacing and peered out the window of Mike and Tommy’s hotel suite. “Holy Mother of Mary! Come on. It’s been over a week already. How much longer is this going to take?”

  “Now you know how I felt, dude,” Tommy replied from his spot on the couch. “Jason and Nancy had you at the deli for four days last year, man. Four days. I was extremely bummed out, you know?”

  Mike dropped the book he’d been reading into his lap. “Brody, you’re just going to have to trust them. Jason let you go; you came out of it okay.”

  “Dammit.” Marvin threw a punch through the plate glass to release his pent up frustration. He lost his balance and toppled, teetering on the edge of falling. He righted himself and caught a glimpse of five figures approaching the parking lot. “Hey, Mike, look down there, is it them?”

  “Where?” Tommy, who’d moved faster, scanned the lot below. “Dude, I think so.” He stuck his head out the window and hollered. Five hands waved through the air. On his way toward the bedroom, he tapped Mike’s leg with a toe. “Come on, Mike, get dressed, we’re going out.”

  “Why?”

  “This calls for a celebration. I’m gonna fix the best meal any of you have ever had.”

  “Not so fast, hippie,” Marvin said. “After Jason finished with me, I was exhausted.”

  By the time the two pulled on their clothes, they found Marvin standing at the elevators, his eyes fixated on the up arrow above the doors. After several minutes, it still hadn’t lit up. Impatient, Marvin stuck his face through the metal panels. The top of the car rammed past his head. A bit dazed, he found himself face to face with the surprised expressions of the girls.

  “Good lord, Marvin, was that really necessary?” Jenna pushed against his chest to get him out of their way.

  “Well, excuse me for being anxious after nine days.”

  Jenna breezed past him. “Oh, quit your exaggerating.”

  “Don’t tell me I’m exaggerating. You’ve been gone over a week,” Marvin argued, and followed her.

  “You know, you’re worse than an old woman, Marv.”

  “Can it you two,” Mike said. “I want to hear what went down.”

  “Yeah, what happened? I mean, obviously everything’s okay because you’re here, but —”

  Everyone began talking at once. Marvin and Jenna argued, Connie and Carla questioned the actual time frame. In an attempt to answer them, Nancy hollered, “If you’d just give me a minute.” Tommy and Mike repeated questions to anyone who would listen. Drawn by the commotion, Dennis and Davy came out of their room, adding to the uproar, followed by Colleen and Patrick rushing to inquire about Jenna’s welfare.

  Diane’s face curled into a deep scowl and she raised her hands. “Stop! My God, are you people always like this?”

  Jenna turned on her. “Like what?”

  “So excitable, jabbering over the top of one another. Calm down already.”

  “Hey, listen here, princess.” Marvin poked a finger in Diane’s shoulder.

  “Okay, everyone stop right there.” Nancy’s voice rose above the din and the noise ceased. “First, yes, it’s been nine days. Time isn’t the same when … well, it’s just not. Everyone’s fine.” She scanned the faces of the four women who’d been so severely tested. “Tired, maybe, but fine. We’re all in one piece. But, it’s not over.”

  Marvin broke the stunned silence. “What do you mean it’s not over?”

  ***

  After a celebration at Epstein’s, everyone returned to their suites for the night. Marvin and Jenna sat on the balcony, glasses of their favorite merlot in hand — from a large
stash he’d brought over during her absence in a rare moment of positive thinking — staring out over the city. “I’m not sure I understand this. Explain it again,” Marvin asked.

  “We have to go with Nancy to some conclave. Diane and I can’t let her go by herself, it wouldn’t be right. She can’t be left to defend our actions.”

  “But I thought you said you all had to go.”

  “We do.”

  “Why, Jen? Why can’t you stay here and let the others go?”

  Jenna let out a soft sigh, and sipped her wine to stall while she formulated an answer, beside the obvious one. “Because we’re all in it together, we promised to stick by one another. It’ll be fine, Marvin.”

  “Nancy mentioned preparing for it. What does that mean?”

  “We need to figure out how to convince this … council Jason heads up that what we’re doing — I mean, what Diane and I have done, isn’t terrible.”

  Marvin turned and grabbed her arm. “Wait a sec. That was a slip of your tongue if I’ve ever heard one.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Marvin.” Jenna pulled her arm away and switched her glass to that hand.

  “Bullshit! Come on, kiddo, come clean with me. For once, come clean.”

  “I’m telling you, there’s nothing to admit.”

  Marvin stood and moved into her line of vision. “Jen, hon, this isn’t sparring for fun. There’s more to it than you’re letting on.” He forced her to meet his gaze. “Oh, my God. You’re going to keep doing it, aren’t you? And the rest of them — Connie, Diane, Carla, even Nancy — they’re all in on it now, aren’t they?” Jenna dropped her eyes to the parking lot below. “What, the five of you are forming some kind of vigilante gang?”

  “Marv … No, it’s not like that.”

  “Then what?”

  “Look, first of all, I know you weren’t aware of the hours I spent at the shelter before I moved in with you, because I stopped when we got engaged. I just … I don’t know, it seemed fruitless. But you should know by now I can’t stand around and let anyone get attacked like that if I can do something to stop it. And now I can. Now I’m capable. If they’ll let me.”