Karen has a few crow's feet around the eyes, but for the most part, she keeps control of her youth.
A lot of years have passed since she was that scared little girl with a dog head riding on her shoulders, but no one forgets. Even with the scar deleted by lasers.
"Hi, Miss Boesh, is Austin home?" Krystal asks politely.
"He went out back, dear," she wipes her hands on her apron.
"Do you mind if I go find him?" Krystal asks.
"Go ahead. I think he wandered into the woods. I just got some cookies out of the oven, would you like a few?"
"Of course!" Krystal's sweet demeanor shines through, despite her low serotonin levels from the ecstasy last night. "You know I'm a sucker for a good cookie," she says.
"Come on in," Aunt Karen puts a nurturing shoulder around Krystal, "they're nice and hot. How's your Mom doing? Is she back in town?"
"Yeah, she got in just a couple nights ago, "Krystal follows her hostess to the alluring scent of peanut butter and chocolate.
"I don't know how she manages to look so young." Mrs. Boesh removes a cookie sheet from the oven, "I definitely admire her, not many women go back to following their dreams after raising children."
"She's definitely focused," Krystal inhales deeply, "oh my goodness that smells so good."
"Thanks, dear," Karen fills a round metal tin with chocolate chip cookies, and peanut butter buckeyes. "I'm sure Austin could use a few of these too."
"How's he doing?" Krystal pries a bit.
"You know Austin," Karen sighs, "he doesn't let his real emotions show, no matter what, same as his uncle. Nothing fazes him, but this..." She closes the cookie tin while shaking her head. "I can't even imagine how heavy his heart is. I remember when I told him Judd wasn't his father. He went off in those woods and didn't come out for a day or two.
"I wanted to go after him, but Judd said to give him time. Rob went out and checked on him every couple hours, but Austin had to be alone. Eventually, he came home, and a few days later he was back to his old self again," she offers Krystal the tin, and lovingly holds her hand in the process, "I believe he's gonna do the same now, but I'm sure a sweet face and a batch of treats will help him remember what's still here."
"I hope so."
"You know, he really likes you. I've never seen him stay with a girl so long. I know you two were always close, but if I had to let him run off with someone, I'm glad it's you."
"Thanks, Miss Boesh."
Aunt Karen kisses Krystal on the cheek and hands her a cookie.
Krystal takes a bite,"it's so warm and gooey!"
"It's taken a lifetime of practice sweetheart, but they are something special."
Krystal helps Aunt Karen pack away the rest of the cookies in a tin. Krystal gives her hostess a hug and walks through the back door into the Kobe woods.
* * * * *
The spiders burrow in and out of the pitch black tunnel alongside Skaggs. They crawl up and down his thighs, guiding him to the human meat at the front of the cave.
Their minds intertwine.
Skaggs maneuvers through the stalagmites and scales up the stalactites. His acquired abilities mimic his furry friends. When Skaggs arrives at the top of the cave, bats scatter in flight. He grabs one with his normal hand and slices its head off with his recently installed razors.
His chapped lips wrap around the leather skin of the nocturnal animal. He drinks it down like cherry soda. With every drop of blood, he changes a bit and becomes more intoxicated.
A junkie until the end.
Chapter XXV
Tangled up in Blue
As told by Tamara
Hunter went back home after he killed those kids at the campfire, but I wasn't there.
I loved Hunter, but after seeing the way he ripped through Barry I was scared. He enjoyed killing, I could tell. I'd seen it before. I'd watched a man turn to the evil side of our condition.
I didn't want to see it again.
I flew to Savannah to visit my parents. My mom has always been great with answers, never pushy, never assuming. I told her the whole story, how I loved this boy and he ripped another guy to shreds for me.
She understood why I left but she never said an unkind word about Hunter. My favorite part about my mother is that she never takes a side, only listens.
One morning I woke up to a pregnancy test on my nightstand. She said she knew from the second I stepped through the door. Of course, it came back positive, a mother knows best.
She was the happiest woman in the world but my dad didn't take it so well. I was his little girl, and the whole reason I came back to Savannah was because the boy I loved killed someone.
Manning talked some sense into him though, he was my Godfather after all, and the one that gave us our gift on that nasty slick night. We were coming home from my Grandma's house and my dad slid around a corner.
Bam!
We hit Manning's pickup truck head on. We should've been dead, but Manning hurried to the car and brought us all back to life. When the police arrived on the scene, he gave his interpretation of the events and left it alone.
It wasn't until after we got home from the hospital that Manning came to visit. He told us everything. It was hard to believe, and we shunned him off at first, until the first time we fed.
The first boy I turned was Nathan. Tall, athletic, kinda dumb, but still a teenage girl's dream. We lost our virginity together. I was only sixteen, and the only blood I ever drank was my parents, I didn't think it could be anything sexual or intoxicating.
Hickeys were my gateway drug to a completely new world.
Nathan's chest was bald and he loved for me to suck on his abs. One day I accidently bit into them. He loved it, and I got high as shit. I couldn't stop, it tasted delicious. So warm and thick.
By the time I stopped he was nearly dead.
Then I remembered Manning, and I cut my hand. At first, a little dropped into his mouth but after a few minutes, he sucked it down and we both passed out.
My mom was the one that found us. Naked and covered in blood. She nursed us both and sent Nathan home to his parents. She didn't foresee the outcome. It had been years since she we were turned.
Nathan's parents took him to the hospital when his fever wouldn't break. He went through such terrible pain. I remember how bad it felt, but when I went through my transformation, Manning was there at the end.
Nathan had to go through it alone. He was hungry and confused when he woke up. Hungry, angry, God knows what else. He ripped out the throat of a pregnant nurse and six patients. The police gunned him down in the middle of the hospital. It took twelve shots to kill him.
Nathan became a legend in Idaho.
By the time the national news arrived we were on our way to Georgia. We stayed in hotels and small apartments until my father found a good paying job. Of course, things move forward, people move on, and I thought I'd never let another boy feed on me again.
Until I met Hunter.
I was afraid to tell him, but from the second he found out I was pregnant he was dedicated.
He quit drinking, smoking cigarettes, any drugs that could tempt me, even aspirin.
When Krystal was born he showered her with love. He made it a point to be a great dad. He never talked about it, but I imagine losing his father at a young age did quite a bit of damage. Hunter is such a sweet man, and he would never wish that on anyone, especially his daughter.
He didn't kill for awhile. Hunter and I just fed on each other. That is the design. You must exist for love, not for hate. That's why Skaggs is going to destroy this town. Even though his creation is so far from my blood line, I can still feel his sense of anger and revenge.
Now I'm stuck. I can't warn people because they would ask how I know, and it will open way too many doors.
So what do I do? Pack up and move? Should I take Krystal too? There's no way she'll leave this town. Austin's here, all her friends are here.
Obviously I have t
o make this right, what am I supposed to do just sit back and pray? The backlash will hit , sure, but if I can just minimize the situation...
Chapter XXVI
Azaleas
Zed enters Curt's hospital room, "hey brother."
Barely awake, Curt hears Zed's voice and tenses up. Even though Zed was always nicer to him than Judd, he may still finish the job the sheriff started. They used to be close before Zed had to grind Curt's ex-wife into BBQ filler. Ever since then Zed's been sort of distant.
Now the whole world's looking for a statement. Family isn't as thick as the walls of a federal penitentiary, and quite frankly, Curt understands why Zed wants him dead.
"What's wrong? Can't say hi to your brother?" Zed moves towards the hospital bed. "Oh, that's right, you cut out your own tongue," Zed winks at his bed-ridden brother, "relax. I ain't gonna kill ya, but I am gonna warn ya," Zed hovers in close.
Curt feels the warmth of Zed's breath, and smells the celery and pepper blend of his breakfast Bloody Mary. The scent dangles so close to his nostrils he almost tastes the concoction. Which is even stranger since Curt doesn't have any taste buds.
"Don't wake up," Zed whispers.
The last thing the psycho sees is a needle full of green fluid, and the last thing he feels is the spike stab into his arm.
* * * * *
Judd stands at the front of a large room inside the police precinct. His usual tan, double breasted shirt has been replaced by a Kevlar vest. The sheriff faces thirty police officers, including Washington, the Bayside beat cop. All of the officers are dressed in riot gear and equipped with AR-15s and back-up weapons. Ready for Havoc.
Judd points to a white board with a diagram of the cave where Detectives Marley and Daniels discovered the evidence. "There are entrances throughout the Kobe woods," Judd says, "and down south into the Ohio caverns. We got most of the them covered if he tries to escape, but I'm thinkin' that cocksucker's still in there.
"No holds barred on this case kiddos, we ain't leavin' the woods 'til we find this sick fuck. I ain't havin' no more dead bodies in my town. Fire on sight! Don't kill the bastard, just wound him. We want him to stand trial for what he did to Tina McDermott. He deserves a slow death, not a quick blow to the noodle."
* * * * *
Austin places three beer cans on a stump, walks back about thirty feet and aims his pistol. Slow and steady, he breathes out and fires, knocking all of them down without a shot wasted.
He pulls out a flask of Zed's finest whiskey and takes a sip, feeling the warmth ooze down his throat. He used to drink Southern Comfort, Jack, pretty much anything he could get his hands on, but ever since he tasted a batch of his Uncle's blend, he hasn't turned back.
The delicious taste of the whiskey is the least of his worries now. He's got a killer's blood whisking through his veins. It's not like he can just wish it away, or forget about it. It would be one thing if Curt killed a guy in a bar fight, or shot an intruder breaking into his home, but this is too much.
It was his mom.
The woman he never loved because she was never there. What was she like? Would she have made him pancakes before school and baked him cookies on a cold rainy day? Would she have been at every football game that his real dad never went to? Would she have loved him?
He takes another sip of his whiskey and sets the cans back up, he fires the rounds, wishing he could bury one of them into his father's ribcage.
* * * * *
"Hey buddy," Zed knocks on Travis' door.
"Hey Zed," Travis says, "what brings you round?"
"I stopped in to see my brother. Despite the fucked up shit he did, he's family."
"Nobody thought Katie would wind up in that basement, not even your other brother, the top cop of Kobe." The drugs make Travis' voice soft and off pitch.
"Except you, right?" Zed walks slowly towards Travis' bed.
"I had a feeling." Travis' mouth hangs open after each word.
"More than a feeling, from what I understand," Zed chuckles.
"What'd you hear?" Travis asks.
"I heard you wanted to go to Curt's house, but Judd stood in the way," Zed pulls up a burgundy chair next to Travis' bed, "look, I ain't blaming ya," Zed puts his hand on Travis' shoulder, "I want to see Curt fry too, even if he is blood. Ain't no reason for a perty girl like Katie to end up dead in a cabin, playin' house. I wish you woulda gone with your hunch, maybe she'd still be alive."
"Don't I know it," Travis' heavy breath barely scoots the words out, "I feel almost responsible."
"Now don't go that route, you ain't responsible. If anyone's responsible it's Judd. He's been slippin'. I think it's time for him to hang up his hat," Zed leans back in his chair.
"I don't know about that," Travis says, "but I think it's time he takes counsel from other people. Marley, Daniels, and I are all good detectives. We know what we're talking about," Travis coughs, "this whole world's goin' right in the shitter. Hell, under the circumstances, I think I'm just gonna take my pension and call it a day."
"Really?" Zed wrinkles his brow.
"Yup," Travis says, "buy that house on Buckeye lake," Travis floats in and out of consciousness. "Fish all day and night. Have the grandkids stay over on the weekends."
"Sounds like a slice of heaven."
"It sure will be," Travis mumbles.
"While I'm out and about, can I grab you somethin' to eat?" Zed asks.
"Maybe a Grinder?" Travis asks.
"How 'bout two and a coke?"
"Sounds good," Travis cracks a smile.
"I'll be right back, don't go nowhere." And with a courteous smile Zed leaves Travis to rest.
* * * * *
"Can I have a turn?" Krystal walks up behind Austin with Aunt Karen's cookies in her hand.
Austin looks over his shoulder at his beautiful surprise. "Sure, but I only got time for one more round. I gotta get ready for work," he puts the pistol in his waist band with the safety on, "are those chocolate chip?"
"With peanut butter, and your Aunt Karen made them just for you." She opens the tin and Austin grabs a handful. "I called both of us off today."
"Oh yeah, what'd Zed say?" Austin takes the whole tin and continues to devour cookie after cookie.
"He understands. He said you wouldn't have the balls to do it yourself, and was glad I did," Krystal brushes a single hair away from her face.
"Well, baby, you wear the balls in the relationship," Austin stops chewing and wipes the crumbs from his chin and mouth, missing several spots, "sorry, I didn't mean to say the R word, God knows you hate that," Austin rolls his cobalt blue eyes and hands Krystal back the empty cookie container forcefully.
"Stop," she says, "I didn't come here to fight. If it makes you feel better to call me your girlfriend, then fucking call me your girlfriend," she sits the round, metal tin on a large boulder, "we know what we have. If it needs a title that's fine, but boyfriends and girlfriends break up, and it gets complicated. I don't need a Facebook status to know how I feel about you."
"I don't either, but..."
"But you're afraid without a title," she eases towards him, "I'll shove another dick down my throat?"
"Well..."
"I won't," Her brown eyes lock into his baby blues. "we've known each other for practically our whole lives. I met you when I was five."
"And you punched me in the balls."
"That's right, but now I kiss your balls and make them better," she moves in closer, "the point is you know I've only slept with a handful of guys."
"Here in Kobe," Austin says, still anxious to argue, "I don't know how you were when you were traveling the country with your Mom and Dad."
"I had a boyfriend in New York, but he was an asshole. We were together for three years, until he vanished off the face of the earth. It's like one day my Dad saw him yelling at me, and the next he was gone."
"Maybe your Dad killed him," Austin laughs.
"Yeah, my Father, the novelist, that can barel
y kill characters in his books, murdered Danny the douchbag," she tenderly touches Austin's shoulder. "The point is I only have sex with people I care about, and obviously I care about you," she wraps her arms around Austin's waist, "if you want me to say that we're together, I'm fine with it," she trickles her fingers down his stomach towards his package, but instead of his cock she grabs the pistol.
She gives him a quick peck on the cheek and fires off three rounds, all connecting.
"Sometimes I forget how well you shoot," Austin says.
"Let that be a lesson to never break my heart."
* * * * *
Quinn and Jaybird wave to Roc and Billy as they approach Devil's Rock. "What's up guys?" Jaybird asks.
"Just watchin' all these po-lice strollin' through here," Roc says.
"We must be in the right spot then," Jaybird dressed all in black, adjusts the bill of his hat.
"You wanna follow 'em?" Billy asks.
"Naw, nigga, cops scare the hell outta me," Roc crosses his arms over his chest.
"Why?" Jaybird asks.
"Cause I'm black and look like a thug," Roc says, "you white folk'll never understand the fears of the black man."
"I don't know anything about the fears of a black man," Jaybird says, "but I know with all the firepower we're packin', conceal carry or not, we'll do some time. I say we hang back and watch. Hopefully they'll scare Skaggs out, and we can catch him. We'll walk through the brush beside Dog Head Lake in that thicket of trees." Jaybird points off in the distance. "I got some binoculars to scope it out, I can't say if we'll catch him or not, but it's the best option at this time."
Quinn, still silent, watches his associates plot and plan. He waits for an opportunity to speak, but it never arrives. If the cops catch him, well, that's okay, but he wants to pull the trigger.
He needs to pull the trigger.
His mom deserves redemption. She took care of Quinn regardless how hard she had to work for it, and he just let her die right in front of him.
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