Black's Creek

by Sam Millar

  ‘You know you are, Tommy,’ Horseshoe said, nodding in agreement with Brent’s words. ‘You gotta do something. I swim like a rock, otherwise I’d go after him.’

  I doubted Horseshoe would have braved the deeper part of the lake to jump in after Joey, but I didn’t want an argument. I wished now I hadn’t won all those medals for swimming, at school. I didn’t want to be part of anything happening under the water, but I had little choice.

  ‘Okay, okay! Just shut the hell up!’ I said, walking towards the filthy water.

  For some inexplicable reason, the water felt colder as my bare feet touched it. I shuddered before glancing back at Brent and Horseshoe.

  ‘Hurry!’ They kept shouting in unison. ‘Hurry!’

  Seconds later, I was in, propelling my body downwards in the foul-tasting and murky thickness. Visibility was virtually nil. Worse than land fog. I went deeper, wishing I had the capability of shouting underwater for Joey.

  Don’t give up on him, a pleading voice entered my head. He’s here somewhere. Find him. Please …

  I stayed down until panic started building up inside my burning lungs. I would need to resurface for air – and soon. Then, just as I twisted my body to head upwards, an old wreck of a car came into view. Ghostly green, its smashed windows stared out like the gaping eyes of an old haunted house. I wanted to swim away from its skeletal form, but a strange magnetism drew me closer and closer.

  And that’s when I spotted Joey.

  His body was motionless, standing as if trapped in a giant test tube. He seemed to be holding the car door, as if wanting to get inside.

  I went torpedoing forward.

  A moment later, I was at his side. I took hold of his arm, pulling on it. He looked around at me, his face expressionless in the godless gloom. Only his eyes seemed to have life. I would never forget how they looked; how they blinked at me in surprise.

  Grabbing the back of his shirt, I yanked hard on it.

  Nothing. His body resisted. A ton-weight of unmoving mass.

  I pulled again on the shirt, but my lungs were on fire. Feeling dizzy, I swam empty-handed to the surface, grateful to be gulping down the beautiful hot summer air.

  From the embankment, Brent kept shouting, ‘Where is he, Tommy? Where the fuck’s Joey?’

  ‘Get … help … hurry …’ I stuttered, plunging back down into the nightmare.

  Under the water, I searched again for the old wreck, but the water had now become black as oil spill. I could find nothing, other than a forest of thick weeds. I tried to swim through them, but they were becoming entwined on my legs. It felt like someone trying to wrestle me down. I pictured Joey grabbing at my ankles.

  Panicking, I kicked out at the weeds, but their grip became iron. Water rushed into my mouth, filling my nostrils. I was becoming disorientated. A gathering hurt assembled in my lungs. I held the pain there as long as I could, trying not to breathe, trying to think about anything other than the pain.

  No! Not like this! I screamed in my head. Don’t die like this.

  I remember Horseshoe dragging me back to land, and that was all. Later, Horseshoe laughed, saying he wasn’t willing to give me the kiss-of-life; that it was lucky for me I didn’t need it.

  ‘He’s … he’s down there, Horseshoe,’ I spluttered, coughing up filthy water. ‘Joey’s not moving …’

  ‘Brent’s getting help. Don’t worry. It’ll be okay …’

  But I could tell from the way his hands shook, he understood it wasn’t okay.

  By the time an ambulance arrived in tandem with a police car, I knew it was too late. Joey was gone. I also knew I was in trouble, as I watched the sheriff emerging from his car. Thin as a line but commandingly tall, he came rushing towards me, rhino-like in his speed.

  ‘Are you okay, Tommy?’ he said, bending down beside me.

  I nodded. ‘I’m fine, but Joey’s down there, Dad.’

  ‘Don’t worry. We’ll find him. In the meantime, don’t move from here. One of the ambulance crew’ll take you to hospital. Clear?’

  I nodded again, not caring about the ambulance crew or about anything else at that moment. I suspected Dad would have more to say to me later on. I was very aware that it was he who had placed most of the danger signs at the lake. I also suspected he’d have something to say about Brent. Dad didn’t approve of my friendship with Brent, who he regarded as a future felon, just like Brent’s father, doing big time in a south Florida prison for possession of drugs.

  ‘Sit tight,’ Dad said, running off in the direction of the lake.

  It took police divers forty minutes to locate Joey, but another two hours to bring his lifeless body to the surface. He had handcuffed himself to the door of the old wreck; the same handcuffs his father used as a prison guard in the penitentiary.

  Later that evening at home, Dad both praised and cautioned me.

  ‘That was brave what you did, Tommy, trying to save Joey Maxwell; but also foolish. I noticed that Fleming kid there when I arrived. Did he put you up to it? I want the truth.’

  ‘It had nothing to do with Brent. I was the best swimmer there. Aren’t you just glad I tried to save Joey?’

  ‘Of course I am, but it meant putting yourself in danger. We could’ve been dealing with two deaths this evening, instead of one. There’s an old saying: fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Perhaps you can remember that in future. Clear?’

  I nodded. ‘Yes …’

  Mom hovered in the background like a vulture, waiting for Dad to finish so she could get pecking at me. Mom never praised. It just wasn’t in her nature. But she was a specialist at warnings; that was her second skin.

  ‘What did I warn you about being with that Fleming boy? Did you have cotton stuffed in your ears when I warned you I didn’t want you with him?’

  ‘Brent’s okay, Mom. It wasn’t his fault.’

  ‘You arguing with me, Mister?’

  Mister? Only Mom had the ability to send shivers up your spine with one word. Mom was smaller than Dad by a good foot-and-a-half, but she always seemed to look bigger when she was angry. The room seemed to get smaller, to close in around you. Dad always said not to be fooled by Mom’s size; that dynamite comes in small packages.

  ‘No … I’m not arguing.’

  ‘If stupidity ever becomes a currency, you’ll end up a millionaire. Don’t ever let me find out you’re hanging about with that Brent Fleming again. Understood, Mister?’

  ‘Yeah …’ I’ll make sure you don’t find out.

  ‘What?’ Mom’s mouth dropped open. She looked as if I had just sworn at her. ‘What did you just say?’

  ‘Yes. I meant yes.’

  ‘Don’t let me ever hear you talking like that again. I didn’t raise some corner boy with his “yeah” gutter language. Got that?’

  I sighed. ‘Yes. Can I be excused now? I’m going over to Horseshoe’s to watch Planet of the Apes.’

  ‘Planet of the Apes? Ha! After all your monkeying about at the lake, the only planet you’ll be seeing for the foreseeable future is the globe in your room. You’re grounded until further notice.’

  ‘What? But …’ I looked over at Lawyer Dad, hoping he would raise an objection. But he knew better than to argue with Judge-Jury-Executioner Mom when it came to the law in her territory. So did I.

  We both watched Mom leave the room, to go out onto the porch. I swore I saw smoke coming from her ears, even though she didn’t smoke.

  ‘Why’s Mom always like that to me, Dad?’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘Mean.’

  ‘Mean?’ Dad looked evenly at me for a moment or two. ‘Oh, I see. “Mean”, as in petrified about you almost losing your life today? Perhaps you meant “mean” as in the terror in her voice when I called to tell her what had happened, and why you ended up in the hospital?’

  ‘I didn’t think she cared,’ I replied in a near-whisper.

  ‘Let me tell you something, Tommy, and I hope you listen carefully to it. Wh
en you become an adult, and if you’re blessed with a child, and God forbid that child does something so foolish he or she is almost killed, then all I hope is that you’re as mean as your mother when it comes to showing what true love and protection really is.’

  ‘What’s that suppose to mean?’

  ‘Figure it out for yourself.’ He ruffled my hair, then smiled. ‘Now, if you don’t mind, I’ve a beautiful girl I need to be seeing.’

  He left the room, to join Mom on the porch. I watched through the window as he sat, his arm resting on her shoulder, and she leaned into him. The sun was going down, and its dying rays etched the shape of my parents onto the glass, a silhouette surrounded by faded hues of gold and blue. A soft, warm breeze sneaked in through the partly open door, and rested on my face, and for the first time that day, it felt good to be alive, as the solid mass of my parents seemed to lift the cares from my shoulders.

  Little did I know, but all that was about to change.

  Chapter Two

  A Gathering of Conspirators

  Shedding the blood of their brothers …

  Emiliano Zapata

  Joey’s horrific death was the main headline for days in the local newspapers. The reports suggested his suicide had been triggered by the attack in Black’s Wood, last year, where he had been sexually molested. They also noted, ominously, that his attacker had never been apprehended. Police had a suspect, but they couldn’t arrest him through lack of evidence.

  Over the next few days, journalists and TV reporters came by to interview me about Joey. I was portrayed as a hero, trying to save a pal – much to Brent’s annoyance.

  ‘Shit, I called the ambulance,’ Brent said, four nights later, as we sat around a makeshift campfire at the lake, drinking Coke. ‘They didn’t even mention me.’

  ‘Me neither,’ Horseshoe added, as he tossed a piece of wood on the fire, causing devil sparks to dance in the darkness. ‘I pulled you out of the water, Tommy. I should’ve got my name in the paper as well. I was a hero too.’

  I nodded in agreement. ‘I know. You both were heroes. I told them about the two of you, but they didn’t put your names in the story.’ I didn’t mention the recurring nightmare I was suffering each night, watching ugly little green fish peel the skin off Joey’s face with their tiny razor-like teeth. Then Joey would grab me, handcuffing both of us to the old wreck. His eyes are everywhere in my room, accusing me. Perhaps if we hadn’t encouraged him to go deeper into the water, he would still be alive?

  ‘Everyone’s saying it’s because Joey was molested,’ Horseshoe said, before slugging down a bottle of Coke in one long gulp, a feat that never failed to amaze me.

  ‘That pervert Not Normal’s the scum bastard who did this, by molesting Joey,’ Brent agreed, spitting into the fire. ‘Made poor Joey go and kill himself.’

  ‘Shhhhhhhhh!’ I hissed, glancing nervously over my shoulder. ‘Only a few people know Not Normal’s a suspect. If my dad ever finds out we know, he’ll figure I’ve been listening to his private conversations in the hub. Then I’ll be in for it.’

  ‘Don’t worry, Tommy,’ Horseshoe said. ‘Your dad’ll not hear a thing from us. Right, Brent?’

  ‘Well, it doesn’t change a fucking thing,’ Brent said, ignoring Horseshoe’s assurance. ‘We know it was Not Normal.’

  Not Normal – Norman Armstrong – worked as a part-time janitor at the Strand movie theatre. Completely hairless, he suffered from alopecia universalis, the rapid-hair-loss ailment. The creepy loner acquired his unfortunate moniker due to his name being pronounced wrong by every kid in town.

  Normal, can you tell us if there’s a cartoon before the big movie today? Will there be ice cream for sale today, Normal? Will I be allowed to watch that horror movie, Normal, even though I won’t be thirteen ’till next month? Normal, can you tell me if –

  This went on for months, until one night, he had had enough. I’m Norman! he screamed, in utter frustration, before making himself a legend with the following classic statement: You bunch of little rubber-mouth bastards! I’m not fucking Normal!

  ‘His ugly face is like a piñata: should be whacked hard and often,’ Horseshoe now suggested.

  ‘Never mind hitting him. They should shoot the bastard,’ Brent said.

  His fixation on the subject had become so relentless it was starting to scare me.

  ‘Yeah,’ Horseshoe said, making an imaginary gun with finger and thumb. ‘Shooting him would be much better.’

  Brent nodded. ‘Right in the nuts. That would stop him, the perverted bastard.’

  ‘Yeah. Pervert. In the nuts. Bang!’ Horseshoe nodded, before loudly belching out Coke gas. ‘He’s nuttier than a squirrel’s turd. Gives me the creeps. Have you ever seen that evil smile he has, with those rotten teeth of his?’

  ‘We should make a pact, like they do in the movies,’ Brent said. He loved nothing better than a good murder movie, full of mystery and intrigue.

  ‘Yeah, like in the movies.’

  ‘Are you game, Tommy?’ Brent was looking hard into my eyes.

  I watched the flames flickering over Brent’s face, distorting his features. It made me think of Dr Jekyll morphing into Hyde. I shivered.

  ‘Game for what?’ I finally said, knowing full well what he was hinting at.

  ‘Justice for Joey. Pay that pervert Not Normal back for what he did. We take an oath, right here, right fucking now.’ He held out one hand, and with the other produced a penknife from his pocket. ‘A blood oath.’

  ‘Blood …?’ Horseshoe said, his voice thinning.

  I thought Horseshoe was going to faint. Everyone knew he loathed the sight of blood – especially his own.

  ‘Yes, blood,’ Brent said, never taking his eyes off mine, ignoring Horseshoe. ‘If the oath is betrayed, the traitor will go straight to Hell and be fucked in the ass by the devil’s flaming cock, forever and ever. Agreed?’

  Even though I knew this whole blood-oath thing was just bluster and talk, the hairs on the back of my neck began nipping my skin. Night sounds whispered secretly behind me. I felt darkness on my mouth. ‘Okay …’ I finally said.

  Brent smiled and held out his thumb, curving the knife inwards. His skin tore. An inkblot of blood appeared. Even in the dull light, I would never forget its colour: deep crimson, like the bloodshot eye of a trapped animal.

  ‘Here,’ Brent said, handing me the knife and holding his bloody thumb outwards.

  I held my breath, and then cut along my thumb, brave-facing the instant jolt of pain. A bubble of blood appeared.

  ‘Now you, Horseshoe,’ Brent commanded, handing the bloodstained knife to Horseshoe.

  Horseshoe swallowed hard. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down in the dim light. It looked like a robin’s egg.

  ‘Can’t I … just swear something, instead?’ Horseshoe asked.

  ‘No, you can’t! It’s like the three musketeers. All for one, and one for all.’ Brent’s face was becoming harsh. ‘Stop being such a sissy. Just fucking cut.’

  Reluctantly, Horseshoe took the knife, his hand shaking terribly. Breathing deeply, he pierced the skin on his thumb. He swooned slightly. ‘Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh.’

  ‘Now, thumbs together,’ Brent urged.

  We complied.

  ‘Let the oath of blood-brothers and secrecy live with us forever,’ Brent continued, forcing the three thumbs tightly against each other, allowing our blood to mingle like spilt ink on a page. ‘Let any traitor burn in hell, forever and ever.’

  For the longest ten seconds of my life, I waited to take my thumb away. It felt on fire.

  ‘See?’ Brent said to Horseshoe, finally breaking the bloody link. ‘Wasn’t so bad, was it?’

  Horseshoe didn’t answer. His pale face looked damp, glistening in the dancing firelight.

  For the longest time, no one uttered a single word. The night seemed to grow denser, and the intense silence began closing in on me. It felt claustrophobic, like a funeral shroud.

  ‘Are we fi
nished?’ I finally asked, feeling bone weary. ‘I’ve got to head home. I’m still under night curfew.’

  ‘Finished, and just beginning, blood-brother.’ Brent grinned. His face looked strange. ‘Call over to my house, tomorrow. I’ll come up with a plan.’

  I left my two friends there, with the dying embers for company, and the soft slapping sound of Jackson’s Lake spilling over the embankment behind them. There would be no plan, of course. It was just Brent, living out his fantasy, playing the leading man in one of his mind-movies.

  As I made my way home in the darkness, I felt eyes on my back. I hoped it was Brent or Horseshoe, but something made me think of Joey Maxwell’s accusing gaze. I swore I heard his voice calling out.

  Why didn’t you save me, Tommy?

  I ran as fast as I could, never stopping until I reached home.

  Chapter Three

  Sweet Lemonade and Thoughts of Murder

  I know that’s a secret, for it’s whispered everywhere.

  William Congreve, Love for Love

  Early the next day, I went around to the back of Horseshoe’s house, and threw a couple of tiny stones up at his bedroom window.

  The stones reached their target and the window opened in a flash, followed by Horseshoe’s annoyed-looking face.

  ‘Tommy, what the hell’s wrong with you? You almost smashed the glass. You gonna pay for it, if it gets broken?’

  ‘Stop moaning and get your butt out the window,’ I said, grinning.

  His head quickly popped back inside, and a couple of minutes later Horseshoe started climbing out the window, legs first. Balancing himself carefully, he reached out for the extended tree branch, directly across from his window. Not for Horseshoe the conventional way of the front door. Everything had to be dramatic. Crawling precariously along the branch to his treehouse door, he disappeared inside.

  ‘C’mon, Horseshoe!’ I shouted. ‘Hurry the hell up!’

  ‘Okay, okay! Give me a second.’