Tethered
Page 21
Gord worked tirelessly on the holes. He had to keep the dirt for his own hole close, and easily accessible so that he could figure out a way to pull it down on himself. He wasn’t sure if suffocation was a painless way to go, but he didn’t care. He actually hoped it hurt, a lot. He deserved the pain in payment for what he’d done. What he’d been a part of. For what had happened to Anna.
In all his digging he didn’t notice when Anna’s body disappeared. When he did finally notice he lost whatever last bit of sanity he had, and started attacking the people trapped around the house. He assumed wrongly that they had taken her body. He managed to kill a good dozen or so before they subdued him. They tied him up, locked him down in the basement next to the holes he’d dug for himself and Anna.
The people took turns coming down to see him. Some pleaded with him to let them return to their families, others demanded it as if he had any control over what was happening. Gord said nothing to them. It was around that time the people he’d murdered, the dozen or so started showing up around the house at night. His captures turned more violent. The pleading turned to torture.
The bodies of the people Gord had killed were discarded into one of his graves. He lived with them down there for months. After a while, the smell of the decomposing bodies became something beautiful. In his delirium down there he first saw Anna. She woke him one day with a kiss. All she’d said was “I love you, daddy.” Then she turned and walked to the basement door, which seemed to open on its own. She went upstairs to the people trapped at the house.
From below the events above sounded beautiful. The screams of people dying filled the air. Blood ran down between the floorboards. Gord was happy.
After everyone had died and come back, their bodies were moved with the others to the basement. Gord and Anna returned to their lives upstairs. More people would come, and either she’d kill them or she’d have her people do it for her.
The last person to visit before things changed for Gord, came in driving a Ford Taurus. Neither Gord nor Anna knew just what a car was. Cars were still new at the time, and in back wood areas like this, no one had one.
Smith pushed his way free of the car, he was smiling, and shielding his eyes.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
2014-B Past Shane: Sorry Buddy
The hands around Shane’s leg let him go the second he was through the portal. The wet pavement below him scrapped against his hands as he struggled to get to his feet. It was dark, with only the dim glow of street lights to fill the void of the sun. Shane looked back to the portal, hadn’t it been almost dawn when he went through? Now it was dark again. His eyes slowly adjusted. Finally, he could make out shapes around him. Houses, trees, and people.
“Are you ok?” a man’s voice said. “Did that spider harm you?”
Shane couldn’t make out who was peaking, the darkness covered their faces. “No, I…”
“That’s good,” said a woman’s voice this time, interrupting Shane. “We sort of took care of it, anyways.” The people parted revealing the massive spider laying in the street. Even with this much light, he could tell that the poor spider had been quartered. All but one of its many legs were torn off; massive chunks were ripped from its body. It wasn’t moving. “Spiders sort of gross me out.”
“Me too,” Shane replied.
“People sort of gross me out too, so stinky, at least you seem to have showered recently.”
“Sorry we are going to have to kill you now,” the man spoke again, “It probably will hurt, but you’ll get to stay with us after.”
Shane stumbled back towards the portal. He thought about jumping back through, but he didn’t know if he’d survive the fall. He noticed none of the people were actually approaching him. They lined up nicely along the edge of light that the street light provided. The spider was well outside the light, or at least what was left of him. The street light flickered.
“The lights around here have a tendency to do that,” the man said.
“Would you like to make out while we kill you?” the woman asked.
The man gave her a look.
“What? It’s nice to have a mouth again, I want to use it for kissing, and such.”
Shane shook his head. His back pressed against the portal. His eyes were now much more adjusted to the dark. He could see the faces of all the people, he could also see the house numbers. 815 was just across the street from where he stood. Only this group of people who for some reason couldn’t come into the light, and that wanted to kill him stood between him and his destination. His goal really, to save Jason.
“Listen, buddy,” a different man this time spoke up. “Don’t even bother eyeing that house. You aren’t getting in there.”
“Why?” Shane asked, trying to steer the conversation away from his death, he’d already died enough for one day.
“New homeowners.”
The light flickered again, this time longer gaps between the light. He pressed against the portal harder and could feel something. He reached back and pulled the last flare from his pocket. He smiled, pulled the cap off the flare, and brought it to light. Without thinking he took off towards 815. The people rushed back trying to protect themselves from the light. They weren’t fast enough. Their bodies turned black and exploded into blue fireflies. The night air filled with them. Shane turned back to see if anyone followed him, and caught himself admiring the blue glow. He thought of what a great desktop image it would make. Then he continued to the house.
The door to 815 crashed inwards as Shane drove through it.
How many times had that door been broken inwards? I mean really? Anyways…
Shane stumbled to the floor as he fell into the house. He rolled to his back and spotted a light switch. He jumped up for it, clicked it on and the house filled with light. He peeked out the door and other than a few fireflies the people were nowhere to be seen. He relaxed against the counter, taking deep breaths. That was the longest he’d run since that jog before Jason called about the portal.
“Jason!” he yelled, not really expecting a reply. Then his phone rang, actually it was the dead version of his phone. Unknown name, the call display read. He answered it expecting it to be the guy from the website again. It wasn’t.
“Hey, it’s Smith. Did you get to the house ok?”
“Yeah, I did. Where the fuck did you go?”
“Long story, I kind of timed out, and had to restart my day. Oh, but I did get your note.”
“What note?”
“The one you left on my window, wait, maybe that wasn’t you. Anyways, I got the instruction, and I’m on my way.”
“Ok,” Shane hung up the phone and was about to put it back in his pocket when it rang again. He answered.
“What the fuck man, why’d you hang up on me?”
“I just, keep the phone on stupid,” this was the first time Smith sounded annoyed with him. “Anyway, get to the basement, and keep the damn phone on. Give it to the woman when you get down there. Oh and be sure to mention Nicole, that will get her attention.”
“What? Ok,” Shane locked the phone’s screen so he wouldn’t hang up by mistake and dropped it into his pocket. He slowly made his way around the house. The finishing reminded him of his great aunt’s house. He’d spend a lot of time there as a kid and the flower wallpaper had grown on him. He found the stash of guns in the bedroom and considered taking one, but he knew so little about them, he thought he’d probably end up just shooting himself. The stairs were in the same location as his great aunt’s house too. Slowly he made his way down the wood steps to the dirt floor below.
Again his eyes had to adjust to the darkness, a single line of Christmas lights lit the room. He could hear someone talking as he reached the bottom step.
“Yep I think so, where did you go?” a voice said, he recognized it, it was Jason. He was on the floor, the woman who he had followed in the park was with him. What was she doing here? Also, why was she naked? Neither noticed him.
“Long story,” she said pulling a knife from her bag. “I promise I’ll tell you everything. First, we have to get started.”
“Nicole!” Shane yelled, running towards them. Jessica and Jason turned to look at him, they both looked confused. “Nicole?” he repeated.
“Shane? How did you?” Jason said looking at Shane, both confused and happy. The two men hugged.
Jason turned back to Jessica who was still holding the knife, she looked at it confused. “What are you doing with that?”
“I… I just…” she started to cry.
Both Shane and Jason looked at her awkwardly, not knowing if they should comfort her or run away like little girls. From Shane’s pocket, he could hear talking and pulled his phone out.
“Give the phone to her,” Smith said, sounding frustrated.
Shane slowly approached her, very aware of the knife. He handed her the phone. She half smiled and took it. Shane then returned to Jason, and gave him the most caring of fist bumps.
“Cock knocker, you came for me,” Jason said.
“Like there was a choice, poop gurgler.”
They watched Jessica now sitting crossed legged, still naked talking on the phone, talking to Smith on the phone nude, talking to Smith on the phone nude while still holding a knife, and nude. They had no idea what the fuck Smith was saying, but she seemed calm, and distracted. They turned to the stairs, and with Shane leading Jason they slowly made their way towards them. Each step felt like they were walking on eggshells. They were getting closer, but the chances of her stopping them seemed higher with each step.
“Wait,” she said getting to her feet. She walked over, and handed Shane back his phone. Smith was still waiting on the line. “He wants to talk to you now.” She turned to Jason, “and you come here.” She pulled him close, and kissed him. “Go home to your daughter.”
“I will,” Jason said. “Come with me.”
“I can’t, I need to help another little girl and her daddy. Can you help them home?”
Jason looked confused, but was willing to say anything to see his little girl again, “Sure.”
“Great, oh and look up my great granddaughter too.” She said smiling. “If I have one.”
Shane watched the two of them, then turned his attention to Smith on the phone who seemed to be trying to get his attention.
“Hello, hello, I know you are there, Shane come on,”
“Smith, what’s going on?”
“Sorry, buddy.”
Jessica let go of Jason and looked at Shane, he looked at her confused. “You have to stay.”
“What? Why?”
Jessica drove the knife threw Shane’s chest, and he dropped to the ground. “Go, now,” Jessica said to Jason.
“But,” Jason said as he turned to helped Shane.
“No, it’s time to go now. Ok”
“Ok,” Jason said as he turned and walked up the stairs not under his own control for the last time.
Shane struggled to breathe. He thought about Kristen, he hoped she would be ok without him. He wondered if the dead Shane knew this was coming. The knife was cold still inside him. Jessica grabbed his arm, and dragged him over to the generator.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
2014 Moe: It’s Hard To Explain
I remember just sort of drifting back into the world, just outside the house. It looked different. It was a cabin then, now it was something else altogether. I remembered looking at my hands. It was strange to actually feel things again as myself. Then I felt Nicole grab my hand, and everything felt wonderful. I remember that first hug, the single greatest moment in my life. She was alive and her again. I kissed her face and held her tight.
It wasn’t long before a man came crashing out the front door. He said his name was Jason. He was limping but it didn’t seem to bother him. He said he was told to get us home. He led us down the block, and towards the highway. Eventually, a white van pulled over. The thing looked more like a toaster than a van.
When the driver got out I nearly died again. It was Smith. He smiled at us. I believe it was the first time he’d smiled. He drove us back to town. During the drive, he explained a lot of things. Life as we knew it was long gone. When we first got to the cabin it was 1982, now it was 2014. 32 years later. He explained that the shop was long dead. I was disappointed, but not surprised, those damn employees always stealing time.
I asked him about Earla, and the other kids. He said they still lived in the town. She’d never remarried, but the other kids were 32 years older than the last time I saw them. This seemed to confuse Nicole more than myself, but I’ll admit I was adequately confused. When I asked Smith what he was he brushed it off, saying that was for another day. But I never did see him again. No one did actually. The same can’t be said about the other man, Jason. He visited me a lot over the next couple years, asking if I’d heard anything about his lost friend. I hadn’t.
When the trip back to town was over they dropped us off back at the old house. Earla still lived there, the kids didn’t. They still lived close to their mama, so they could help her out from time to time though. Earla herself was also 32 years older. She nearly died when we walked through the door.
Explaining this whole thing to her was hard, it’s hard to explain to anyone, at times it’s hard to explain to myself.
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