PillowFace

by Kristopher Rufty

  He polished her a few moments before being interrupted.

  “So, this is why you’ve been incognito all week?”

  The man in the hood jumped. Haley joined him in looking at the man standing at her bedroom doorway, lightly tapping the side of his face with an object that might have been a camera. Another man, possibly dressed in camouflage, stood outside the room. It was hard to tell exactly because her view of him was blocked.

  Haley should be hysterical at this point, should be lashing and kicking, fighting her way through these three men, but she couldn’t bring herself to react in such a way.

  The one with the camera looked at Haley, cold and stern. “Get dressed.”

  Finally, she was able to move, scampering around the bedroom while trying to keep herself covered as she gathered her clothes. With all of them watching, she dressed herself in the clothes she’d already been wearing. She made herself ask him what was on her mind. “Where’s Alan?”

  “Who?”

  “My…” She debated what to call him, then decided on, “boyfriend.”

  “If you’re talking about the guy lying halfway out of the bathroom over here, I’d say in a world of pain.”

  Haley began to cry.

  (II)

  When Haley was almost to the bottom of the stairs, she felt a shove at her back. Trying to keep her balance, her feet tousled together, and pitched her forward. She missed the remaining stairs and fell straight to the floor. Hard. Her breasts felt as if they’d been jammed through her back.

  She slowly rolled over.

  The guy she thought was called Buddy grabbed the one in the green shirt by the shoulder. “What the hell was that, Carp?”

  “She tripped.”

  “Tripped my ass. Did you push her?”

  “Nope.”

  Haley wanted to tattle, wanted to say, “Yes he did push me!” but knew it was best she keep her mouth shut. Besides, even if she tried to say anything, there was no way she could actually do it through her wheezing.

  Buddy, who wore a mask on top of his head like a hat, turned to the one who’d been feeling her up before they were interrupted. He stood at the back with Alan draped around his shoulders the way snobby rich women wore mink wraps. “Face, did you see anything?”

  The oval shape of burlap shook from side to side.

  “You’re on thin ice with me, Carp. Don’t let it happen, again.”

  Carp nodded, but when he turned around, Haley could see the cocky sneer on his face. She knew he was going to make it his duty to torment her. He’d already done a good job so far. Her chest felt as if it had fissured and cracked.

  “Go get the bags from next door,” said Buddy. We can start getting set up while we wait for uh…what’s his name to bring back the kid.”

  The one in burlap whipped his head around.

  Buddy leered at him. “Is that concern I sense, Face? Worried about the kid?” Face stood there, motionless, as if he’d been planted there.

  Haley was also worried about the kid. Where was Joel? Who had they sent out there to fetch him?

  “Put that guy down,” ordered Buddy.

  Alan’s limp body plummeted to the floor with a heavy clunk. Haley had feared he might be dead, but he started to groan, and it was the most wonderful sound she ever thought she could hear.

  Putting his hands on his hips, Buddy turned away from the one he’d called Face, and stared at the floor. His bottom lip was clamped under his teeth. His wild blue eyes were forming tears.

  Carp had been on his way out, but he’d come back to join Buddy, sharing in the disappointment.

  Haley glanced at Alan. He’d resumed motionlessness on the floor. She wanted to help him up, hug him, but all she could do was watch this awkward confrontation.

  Buddy looked Face over. “Got new threads, I see. And, you’ve bathed recently. A new mask too?. Looks good. Did you do that yourself?”

  Face shook his head.

  “They were gifts?” A nod. “From that kid?” Another nod. “Well, that was nice of him, huh? Guess that explains why you haven’t come back. Been busy getting your ass spoiled here.”

  He’s speaking like an upset parent, she thought.

  Face’s wide shoulders slumped as if his posture had suddenly gone bad. His heavy feet towed him reluctantly closer to Buddy while his fingers fretfully clicked across his thumbnail.

  “We thought you were either locked up somewhere or fucking dead. Did you not think we would be worried? Or confused?”

  Face was now standing directly before Buddy, towering over him. Buddy had to jet up on the tips of his boots to smack him across the burlap. Haley flinched as if she’d been the one hit. She expected to see Face strike back, but he did nothing. Just stood there and took it. He also took the much harder, second slap as well.

  Haley sat up, propping herself up on her elbows to watch.

  “What were you thinking, Face? You’re not stupid! I can’t even begin to imagine what the hell you’ve been up to with this kid. Playing with matchbox cars? Going one on one on some video games? Did the two of you stay up all night eating pizza and swapping funny stories about summer camp? The kind of shit that I hate! The shit that you swore you hated just as much! This American waste of decency!” His eyes were relentless, feral as a lion in the jungle.

  “You need to help me understand, Face. Three days ago you left to dispatch that whore we found camping up in the hills and never came back. We found her floating down stream and you’ve been here cozying around with a goddamn kid! Have you been teaching him to do what you do? Showing him the ropes? Giving him pointers on how to kill? To hunt?”

  Face shook his head.

  “We saw that body pit you two left out in the woods. The one with that whore from next door. We had to kill her fucking parents earlier today, and all because of you and your new pal. You know how I feel about suburban assaults. It’s too damn risky and here we are in the middle of our second in just one day.”

  Haley’s weight gave out on her, and it took all she had to stay balanced on her elbows. She had no idea how Face felt about this verbal outpour, but she was about to shut down. She wondered if it wasn’t a bad idea to drop her skull back on the floor so it would crack open on the hard floor. From what he was saying, her brother had been up to some very disturbing activities in her absence. And, the craziest part of all this was that she blamed herself. To her, Joel was totally innocent, and it was as if she were the one that had done the things Buddy was saying.

  “So why didn’t you come back to camp after dispatching the whore?” asked Carp, bluntly.

  Buddy slapped him across the chest. “I’m asking the questions here, and you’re supposed to be getting our shit from the neighbor’s house.”

  “I want to hear this.”

  “I bet you do. I’ll allow it.” He looked back at Face. “Answer his question.”

  Face grabbed his shirt and jerked it open as if flashing the room. His abdomen and chest was a map of stitched lines. It disgusted Haley as much as it would have had he been disgorging his entrails. Something about those kinds of tight stitched patterns had always grossed Haley out. She could handle the blood better than the patchwork.

  “You were hurt bad,” said Buddy. “Did the kid do this?”

  Face shook his head.

  “The whore?” Face nodded. “With what?”

  Face tapped the elongated blade strapped to his thigh.

  Carp chuckled. “She got you with your own machete?”

  Buddy stepped closer, bending at the hips to study the wounds. “Yeah, she got you good. Damn lucky you’re alive.”

  Face nodded in agreement.

  “So, you hung out here to heal?”

  Another nod.

  “The kid let you?”

  Another nod still.

  Buddy grabbed the back of his neck and squeezed as if this was making him tense. Haley could relate. She was so tense it felt like she had concrete under her skin.

  “T
his was on Monday…correct? You got hacked up on Monday?”

  Face nodded, but cautiously.

  “So after you got stitched up why didn’t you come back to camp? We gave you until sunrise on Tuesday morning to make it back. Then Carp and I hiked through those fucking woods, sleeping under the stars on damp ground, and found your other mess in the woods, then we teamed up with some fat kid to get into the neighbor’s house…then the fat kid got killed which fucked up our plans of having him get uh-uh…”

  “Joel,” Carp added.

  Were they talking about Paul?

  “The fat kid’s death ruined getting Joel for us, who we had planned on using to lure you next door, so after killing the people that lived there we had to invade another house…”

  Haley jumped to her feet, unable to listen to another word. “Stop it! All of you just shut the fuck up!” Haley leaned over, her chest over her thighs. “I can’t take this anymore…You bastards are talking about my brother like he’s some kind of maniac, and if you say anything else like that I’m going to gouge your fucking eyes out!”

  Carp shoved past Buddy, and planted his shoulder between her breasts. She lifted off her feet, her back striking the top of the couch. Her limbs slapped the wall, and then she rolled back, bouncing off the cushions, and crashing to the floor beside the couch.

  She made an oomph noise.

  Face moved at Carp as if he were about to attack, but suddenly stopped.

  Carp slowly stood up straight. Messing with the waist of his pants, he looked at Face. “Got a problem with the way I’m handling the lady?”

  Face didn’t move, but if looks could kill, Carp was dead two minutes ago.

  Buddy looked back and forth from Face to Haley. She watched them from the floor, her arm clutched to her belly.

  “Carp asks an interesting question, Face. Do you have a problem with the way he’s handling the lady? I mean, you know I never approve of pointless violence against women, but you’ve never seemed to care either way. Something about this one that’s got you changing your mind?”

  Face looked at Haley. For the first time, she actually saw his eyes, and could almost see into them, to the anger and pain behind them. It only lasted a second, but Haley learned a lot about him just in that glimpse. He was hurting, and not just physically, there was great pain in his heart. He was a lonely person who used his sorrow to express his hate.

  What made him this way?

  She looked at the other two and wondered the same thing about them.

  “So, that’s it then?” asked Buddy. “She’s the reason, huh? You stayed here because of her.”

  Face lowered his head.

  “A woman…” Buddy shook his head. A single tear spilled from his eye and trickled down his cheek. He wiped it away with the back of his hand. “Never have I once questioned your loyalty to the group, or to the mission. You were the one who understood what we are meant to do from the beginning. My number one guy…the one I always knew would have my back…”

  “Well he totally fucked you, didn’t he?” asked Carp, amusement in his voice.

  “Yes, he did Carp, and for a goddamn woman.”

  Buddy slugged Face where a stitched line snaked down from his chest to his belly button, making the large man stoop down with a groan. Haley felt sympathy for him, but the anger she held for Buddy was much stronger.

  Pushing Face back up straight, Buddy pressed against him with rage boiling in his eyes. “Don’t you remember the stories I told you about Amy, the woman I was going to marry? And all the shit she did to me? How she fucked with my mind the entire time I was over in Iraq, only to dump me two days after we get back?” He slapped Face somewhere around the same spot he’d punched him, inducing another bellow of pain from the big man. “That’s what women do Face, that’s what they do”

  He snatched the collar of Face’s shirt, the same shirt that looked an awful lot like the shirt Haley’s father would wear when working on the cars, and lugged him to where she lay on the floor.

  “Look at her. She’s gorgeous, isn’t she?”

  “Damn right she is,” agreed Carp.

  Buddy whipped his head around. “Go get the shit from next door!”

  “Can’t it wait? I’m enjoying the hell out of this.”

  Fuming, Buddy turned his back on Carp to focus on Haley. “Look at her close…look at those legs…you like her legs don’t you?”

  Face hadn’t moved from his hitched over position. Dabs of blood dripped from between the stitches and onto the floor. His eyes were squinting. Haley could tell he was in some serious pain.

  “Yeah,” continued Buddy. “You like her legs…You were playing with them when we found you. Think back to that moment, when you held her smooth leg in your hand. Do you have the image?”

  Face didn’t acknowledge the question.

  “I’m sure you do…Concentrate real hard on that moment. Now, take your eyes away from her delicate legs and look at her face. Remember the look on her face? Was it a pleasurable look?” Buddy tapped him on the shoulder. “Did it look like she was having a good time?”

  Face took a couple deep breaths, then finally shook his head.

  “No, it didn’t. You’re absolutely right. She was grimacing wasn’t she? Looking at you just as that little girl did…remember the little girl? Remember how she looked at you?” Buddy frowned as if the memory hurt even him. “You got off the bus…your face covered with bandages except for your eyes…”

  Face stood up straight, his eyes that had looked so helpless only moments ago now scorched with rage.

  Buddy didn’t let up. “Remember what she said to you?”

  As if on a prompt that only they could hear, Buddy and Carp began to chant together. “Pillowface. Pillowface. Look Mama, he’s got a pillow face…”

  Carp stopped, but Buddy kept talking. “Oh how she laughed and laughed…oh how she laughed at your scars…laughed at your ugliness. But, you weren’t always ugly…you were made ugly…and that little girl thought your injuries were hysterical…”

  Face shoved Buddy so hard his feet left the floor. By the time he landed, Face was throwing his fists around, hitting whatever he could, and smashing anything he could find. As his blatant rage consumed him, Buddy hooted from the floor, egging him on, cheering for him.

  Haley watched as Face scooped Alan off the floor and chucked him through the sliding glass door in one swoop. Carp leaped out of the way, just missing Alan’s body folding and contorting awkwardly as it crashed through the thick glass. He landed on the brick patio outside in a shower of broken shards.

  Alan was too far away to see if he was all right, but Haley doubted that he was. Her eyes welled up, and her chest pinched tight. She fought to hold back the sobs, because she knew that was what Buddy wanted to see, and she wasn’t going to allow herself to cry.

  A few minutes later, when Face was spent and on his knees on the floor, panting heavily from behind the mask, Buddy finally turned to Carp.

  “Go get the shit from next door or I’ll let him do that to you next.” He pointed at Alan.

  This time Carp didn’t argue. He walked to the shattered doors, and carefully stepped through the large jagged breach made by Alan’s body. Glass crunched under his boots as he walked away, avoiding Alan’s fallen form.

  Haley crawled as far away from Face as the room would allow. She nestled in the space between the couch and the wall, hugging her knees to her chest. She had still managed to keep her sobs at bay, but she didn’t know if she could much longer.

  “If that guy’s not back with the kid in twenty minutes, I want you to go get him so we can finish this.”

  Face nodded.

  Haley quickly looked away as tears began to leak from her eyes. From this side of the couch, she had a great view of the far wall. A clock hung from a nail in the center of the wall between some artificial floras. Its time read as: 6:51.

  Her crying spell stopped cold in her chest. It was almost seven, and she remembered wh
at she had planned for that time. Dinner. Not just any dinner, but a special meal that was going to be shared with Alan, and Joel, and…

  Carlee.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  (I)

  By the time Joel had reached Marble Lane, the blazing sun had surrendered to the softer shades of dusk. The sky was an orange and red flush. Choruses of crickets were just beginning the opening bars of their concerts.

  An owl hooted, scaring Joel so badly that he jumped. For a split second Joel thought someone had called his name.

  He’d decided to take the same way back he and Pillowface had before to avoid being spotted. He dragged the shovel indolently behind him, stepping onto the gruff-coated blacktop, and panting. He’d never been so out of breath. Stopping in the road, he bent over, resting his head against the rod. He spotted chunks of Geoffrey Jones’ skull flaked across the flat-base. He should be appalled, but seeing the gore was like a sadistic proof of victory for him.

  Looks like it does in the movies, a crunchy shell with some gooey delights thrown in for effect.

  He was so enthralled by his observation that he didn’t notice the headlights until his body was illuminated in their blazing glow. He gasped as the car whipped around the curve, opened his mouth to scream, but tensed up, helping him to understand fully how a deer could do the same.

  The car’s brakes locked. He could hear the tires crunching over small pieces of gravel as it swerved to the shoulder.

  It came to an abrupt halt a foot short of plowing him over.

  He nearly crapped his pants. Of all he’d been through, it took almost being run down to make him feel human again. It was like a kick in the head by how jarred he felt coming back to reality. His body shook thunderously. His fingers stiffened, making it impossible to hold the shovel. It fell to the road, clanging when it hit.

  He heard a door open and looked up to see someone stepping out of the car. Bathed in the black ink shadows, he couldn’t interpret who they were, not at first, but the voice was incredibly comforting to hear. “Joel?”