The Nightmare Within

by Glen Krisch

  Kevin was going to tell them no, that he was too tired. He had ducked out of playing since his visit with Dr. Bennett. He did feel tired. The guys seemed so intent on having him play, but his mind had just been… well, a mess.

  "Come on, Kevin. We need your glove," Stephen said. He shifted his weight from one bowed leg to the other.

  Kevin hesitated, but then gave in. "Sure. Ten o'clock."

  "Cool," Reid said, with controlled excitement. Kevin didn't know he had made such a big impression with the other neighbor kids until he missed a couple days at the ball field.

  "Yeah, it's probably the last ball before school starts. It'll be like playing in the playoffs or something," Stephen said.

  "See you then," Kevin said, ready to close the door.

  "Later," Stephen said, leaving the porch in the direction of the baseball field.

  Reid stayed on the porch for a moment before speaking. "Hey, everything okay? We were wondering what was up."

  "Yeah, I think I had a summer cold is all. Wiped me out. I'll make sure I'm there tomorrow," Kevin said.

  Reid looked over Kevin's shoulder to make sure no adult was around. He lowered his voice, "I know how things can get. I've been there. You need anything, just let me know. It's shitty when your parents are fighting."

  Kevin was going to say something about his parents, that he only had one parent, but when he just nodded, Reid took off after Stephen.

  Chapter 11

  Maury feared he wouldn't get the door closed before Kevin's nightmare woke up enough to lash out at him. The beast seemed to fill most of the room and gave off a stench that made Maury's eyes water. But he was able to get the boy out of there, and then his mom had practically carried him to her car without much of a thank you or good bye. When they left the museum, and he returned to Mr. Freakshow's enclosure, Maury knew immediately that he had discovered the star that would make him famous, someone who mattered.

  Now, he was just waiting for Gage to show. Maury lounged as comfortably as he could at the old library desk he kept in the basement room that once housed Juliet. The room had become his makeshift office. It wasn't a practical working space, but he didn't like being around the rowdy workmen that were finishing up the last of their work above ground. Gage spent most of last night in Nika's room. Maury knew this from spending most of last night in this same office chair in the room adjacent to Nika's. Gage left sometime after dark, and hadn't returned. Maury wanted to bring his boss in to see Mr. Freakshow right away, but he guessed it would have to wait.

  He thought of the boy, Kevin. He was ten, maybe eleven. In a way he sympathized with him, since at that same age he had gone through his own turmoil with the apartment fire, the months of recovery and rehab, and the death of his brother. Of course, he had secretly started the fire, and had been responsible for his neighbor's deaths. And by all accounts, the Steak Knife Killer had killed Kevin's father--a random act of violence. So it was a matter of semantics, but he still felt a connection with the boy.

  Those troubles of Maury's youth were decidedly unpleasant, even depressing, but they didn't compare with his worst childhood experience. The white cinder-block room with the dozens of bunk beds. The emptiness of knowing his family had abandoned him. Knowing they would rather go on living without him. It was a dividing point in his life, even more so than the apartment fire. On the one hand, there was Maury's life with his family, and the other, his life on his own, a life of loneliness and painful introspection. The second half of his life continued. He dozed, thinking of his former family, and how he met his new family.

  Maury was off by himself, reading the comics section of a Sunday paper. Well-dressed couples circled the room, yearning to make a special connection with one of the thirty or so kids in the playroom. This was one of the first weeks he was brought out for this procession of potential new parents. He'd been in therapy for months, and was now deemed mentally fit to move on with his life. His parents, his real parents, had never even called to inquire about him, at least as far as he knew.

  No couple paid particular attention to Maury, not even the people with dollar signs for eyeballs that just wanted another check from the state. Couples would look at him, quickly avert their eyes, and continue their tour of the playroom. He was definitely not pretty to look at, and after awhile of seeing those averted glances, he didn't even bother meeting anyone's gaze. He imagined himself as a forty year-old cast off, still reading the newspaper, still waiting for someone to look at him with warmth.

  Miss Harris, his caseworker since his arrival, approached him with a couple in-tow. She tapped a finger against the newspaper for him to lower it. When Maury reluctantly set it aside, a young blond man and a Hispanic woman were at his side. They both beamed with genuine happiness. Their eyes were strange. Maury looked around, but no other children were near him. They wanted him. The couple pulled up child-sized chairs, and the three of them chatted. Time slipped by. Miss Harris quietly left, wearing a delighted smile that wouldn't go away. They came to an agreement. Maury would come home with them and be their son. In return, he would have a new family, a fresh start.

  The Unger's lived in a middle-class suburb of Chicago. Robert was a construction foreman on the new expressway. He made a decent living that allowed Eliza to be a stay-at-home mom. During their chat, Maury learned he would have a foster brother named Gabe, who was six months younger than him. Once school started, they would be in the same class. Maury didn't want to share a family with another boy, especially another foster kid, but he couldn't be choosy. No other family had spoken a word to him since he had become a ward of the state.

  "This is your room. You'll share it with Gabe. You're lucky. He's a bit of a neat-freak. Just make sure your belongings stay on your side of the room and you should be fine," Robert told him, showing off the 12'x12' box of a room. With bunk beds in one corner and a large dresser in the other, there wasn't much space in between.

  "This is great. Thanks again, Robert."

  "No problem, son," Robert said, trying out the word. Paternal ride deepened his voice.

  Maury ignored him, but continued, "So, where's Gabe?"

  "Out back in the pool. You should go out and say hello. There are trunks in the dresser for you. I think we got the sizes right, if not, let us know. We'll make sure you get whatever you need."

  Maury was hesitant to wear just swim trunks, especially when he would be around people who were providing him food and a roof over his head.

  "What's wrong? Can't you swim?" Robert had a concerned look on his face. He furrowed his light brown eyebrows. From his peeling red skin, it was obvious that Robert enjoyed the pool a great deal. "Gabe isn't the best swimmer, so don't worry about that."

  Maury considered telling him that he couldn't swim, but didn't think that would be a good idea. Someone like Robert would probably sign him up for swim lessons thinking it would be a nice thing to do. Then Maury would have to flail in a public pool in front of all those other kids. All those watching eyes. "No, I can swim."

  "Then put the trunks on," he said, his tone finding a sharpness Maury had never heard from Robert. "If you don't want to swim, at least put your feet in. It's nice. Gabe's been waiting all week to meet you."

  "I'll be out in a few minutes."

  Maury thought he looked ridiculous in the red Hawaiian shorts that he found in the top dresser drawer. They fit just fine, and he supposed if he kept a t-shirt on, he could get through the ordeal.

  The Unger's house was nicer than the new house his parents bought from all the donation money after the apartment fire. It wasn't large or particularly ornate, just comfortable. Knee-high bushes lined the concrete walk that spilled out to a wide concrete patio. Eliza was pouring Robert a glass of lemonade, and when they both saw Maury, they smiled. There was a lawn furniture set, complete with a sun umbrella and an ice chest full of soda.

  "Help yourself," Eliza said.

  "He's waiting," Robert said, hooking his thumb in the direction of the pool. />
  "Maybe later," Maury said to Eliza, indicating the soda. He climbed the metal steps to the lip of the pool. When he reached the top, he saw a shimmering blob underwater as someone swam across the pool bottom. As his foster brother broke the surface of the water, Maury nearly fell down the steps. He had to steel himself so he wouldn't gasp.

  "Hi, I'm Gabe. I'm gonna be your brother!" the boy chirped. The right side of his skull was shaved bald and was noticeably sunken. It looked like a sinkhole. When Gabe braced his arms on the lip of the pool to pull himself out, Maury was seeing the left side of his face. Perfectly normal. But then Gabe stood up, dripping water all over the place and Maury was faced with that caved in skull.

  "I'm Maury," he said, extending his hand. He erased any reaction from his face. He couldn't let Gabe know what he thought of his appearance. Who's he to say or think anything about someone's appearance?

  Gabe readily took his hand, although he looked more like he wanted to give Maury a hug. "Nice to meet you. I fell from a window. My skull broke. Do you like to swim? I just learned and all, but I like it. Dad got me lessons," Gabe rattled off quickly. Before Maury could answer, the boy jumped back into the pool.

  When his new foster brother broke the surface again, Robert was on his feet. "Gabe, what did I tell you about diving? Do you want to hurt yourself?"

  "Sorry, Dad." His foster brother had a guilty smirk on his face, happy to have someone looking after his well-being.

  "Wanna come in? We can play Marco Polo, or tag or Johnny Quest?" Gabe asked, hopeful.

  "I'll just sit on the deck. I don't really want to swim right now."

  Gabe dog paddled over to Maury, and when he stopped to tread water, Maury was uncomfortable with how close he was. Gabe had no sense of personal space. The boy whispered, "So what's your deal?"

  "My deal?"

  "Yeah, you know, you're all fried up."

  Maury wanted to get out of the pool, and go… well away, anywhere but here. He looked over his shoulder and Eliza still smiled, her white teeth as straight as headstones in a new cemetery. Robert was talking into her ear, his face buried in her black hair, making her laugh. His hand squeezed her knee, and then it crept higher on her leg, the tips of his fingers just under the hem of her white shorts. She continued to laugh at whatever he was saying, but seeing Maury, she slapped his hand away. His foster parents seemed giddy, and for that reason alone, he didn't immediately leave the pool. "Apartment fire."

  "Is that what made you an award?"

  "Award?"

  "You know, like a prize for new families. An award."

  He was about to tell him no, that his parents only gave up on him after his younger brother turned up dead, his heart mysteriously devoured by a dream cat that only Maury was witness to.

  "Yeah, I'm an orphan."

  "My mom smoked crack. I fell out a window, broke my head. I got patched up, but they might have to split me open again to even it out. I don't mind though. I get to shave my head."

  "So how long have you lived with the Ungers?" Maury asked. He stood up and went across the deck to get a beach ball.

  "Next week'll be a year. They're going to adopt me, change my name like theirs."

  "Do they want kids of their own then?"

  "Yeah, but Dad calls Mom a baron."

  "You mean she's barren?"

  "Yeah, like a prince or whatever."

  Maury didn't correct him. Dale had seemed sharper than Gabe, and he had been seven when he died. He wondered if they saw Maury as a potential son. He also wondered why they would bother snatching up damaged kids to be their offspring.

  "Still don't want to come in?"

  "Naw. I'm bushed. All the excitement, you know."

  "Later then?"

  "Sure. Later." Maury threw the beach ball at Gabe, and his reactions were too slow. The ball bounced off his head and flew into the grass.

  "They give you whatever you want, you know. They're nice. They said I'll get to a doctor, get fixed up. When it's fall, I'm joining a soccer team. They said I can go to any college I want, too. They'll pay for all of it." Gabe's lips were turning blue since he wasn't moving around anymore, just flapping his gums. Maury couldn't imagine Gabe ever getting into college. On the other hand, Maury would readily accept someone else paying for his own education. He had already decided he was going to go to the University of Chicago to study psychology. Since his hand hadn't responded to physical therapy, he'd set aside his dream of being a surgeon. The therapists he'd seen had only further opened his eyes. This Unger deal was sounding better and better.

  "That's great, Gabe," Maury said, his mind drifting to the possibility of going to college.

  Gabe talked his ear off until it was time for dinner. He left the pool, wrinkled and shivering. His lips were darn near purple, but he seemed like the happiest boy alive. Eliza greeted Gabe with a towel. Robert put his hand on Maury's shoulder as they went inside to have barbequed hamburgers and potato chips.

  As Maury settled in at the Unger's house, Gabe proved to be a welcome distraction from his loneliness. It was also refreshing that Gabe wasn't always judging him, staring at him, or trying desperately to avoid eye contact with him. Most of the time, Maury missed his family so much it hurt, but when Gabe was in the room, he did the silliest things just to make Maury laugh. It made their cramped bedroom seem not so small.

  "Wanna see me drink water up my nose?" Gabe asked excitedly.

  "Again?" Maury was on his stomach on the lower bunk. Gabe was sitting on the floor, leaning against the dresser.

  "Come on. It's my best trick."

  "No."

  Gabe had a defeated look on his face. "No kidding?"

  "Hey, Gabe, do you remember your dreams?"

  Gabe paused, a confused look on his face. His brain switched tracks and caught up to the change in subject. "Do I!"

  "Anything in particular?"

  "Let's see… frogs fall to the ground, like rain, then they splat. And there's this mean lady who looks all gray, gray skin, gray hair, gray everything, she's got ratty clothes, she's always out to get me, but I'm too fast for her… and… and..." Gabe said, rubbing his chin as if he would uncover a hidden memory by doing so. Maury figured the ratty-looking lady was actually Gabe's mom in disguise. From what he had heard so far, Gabe was in a much better situation living with the Ungers. "…Let me see… oh, I know! Junior!"

  "Who's Junior?"

  "He's me, but smaller, and with a big round head with no dent."

  "Can I show you my best trick?" Maury asked, a conspiratorial tone to his voice.

  "A trick, I love tricks!"

  Maury hopped off the bed and poked his head outside their bedroom. He listened for the Ungers, but they must've still been outside taking an after dinner swim. He closed the door, and had a serious expression when he turned back to Gabe.

  "It don't hurt, right?"

  "No, Gabe. But you can't tell a soul. Not even Eliza."

  His foster brother's face went through expressions like quickly flipped poker cards--sad to nervous to happy to elated--all in a matter of seconds. "Okay."

  "Promise? Not a word to anyone. They might take us away from the Ungers if anyone finds out."

  Gabe was quiet for the first time since Maury had met him. Maury motioned Gabe to sit on the edge of the bed. His palms were sweaty. He hadn't done this since Dale and Rocky. He didn't even know if he could still do it. He steadied his hands, not wanting to touch that sinkhole skull. As he reached out toward Gabe's forehead, his foster brother's eyes crossed as he tried to see what was happening. Maury felt a white-hot burning pour through his hand and into Gabe's skull…

  Maury woke at the sound of his office door opening. Nolan Gage entered, looking as tired as Maury felt.

  "Good. You're here. I have a surprise for you," Maury said.

  "Good or bad?"

  "Oh, definitely good. I've found our star. Our Shamuu. Our King Tut."

  "Show me," Gage perked up, the fatigue gone from his f
ace. His eyes were bloodshot but alert as he followed Maury from the museum basement. They took the elevator to the second floor. The nightmares' roost.

  Maury held his arm in front of Gage, barring his path. "His name is Mr. Freakshow. Brace yourself." The two men entered the hall.

  Maury didn't look into the Freak's enclosure. He kept his gaze on Gage's face, his somewhat beady eyes, his red-gray beard grown wild. Gage blinked several times, not moving, his eyes glassing over as with fever. A grunt and the sound of torn flesh came from within the enclosure, but Maury still kept his eyes trained on Gage. His boss's eyes widened. Something splattered within the enclosure. Gage's face paled. His skin seemed to sag, the invisible weight of gravity pulling it to the floor. Then his lips twitched at the corners. They perked up into a slight, fleeting smile. The sound of the Freak's claws rending, slashing, gouging, brought Gage's hands to his mouth. The enclosure was now silent, but Gage gave off a sick, lurching wheeze.

  Gage turned his glassy eyes to Maury and then hurried from the Nightmare Wing, lucky to make it to the bathroom before his empty stomach purged nothing more than hot, acidic bile.

  Maury felt vindicated. He had been holding back his hopes until he could get Gage to see Mr. Freakshow. Gage's reaction was confirmation enough to know he had found the creature that would change the world.

  Gabe wanted to prove to Maury how good a diver he was. The Ungers would never allow him to dive for fear of him re-damaging his skull. Robert was off to work, and Eliza had gone inside to throw a load of clothes in the wash. They were alone.

  "Watch this. A full twist," Gabe said in a hushed voice. Gabe didn't realize he gave off a mad squeal when he dove, and the splashing noise sounded like a giant falling out of a fishing trawler. Gabe leapt into the air, his head leaning to the side. He arched over the water, and came crashing down on his shoulder.

  "See, what'd I tell you," Gabe said, speaking as soon as he broke the surface.

  "I'm not sure, Gabe. That looked more like a quarter twist, not a full."