by Lucian Bane
“Yeah, I was getting dressed.”
“Your mom cooked a nice breakfast,” he said, sliding his thumb across the tip of his nose while glancing down the hall. Charlie waited for the return of his gaze, needing to study what had him acting weird. Almost guilty. “Yeah so, me you and Uncle Leroy. Got some things we’re checking out. Bring your laptop?” He eyed him, and Charlie nodded.
“I’ll bring my bag.”
He reached out and patted his shoulder. “Good boy,” he said, nodding and turning then turning back. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” Charlie said, fighting through the awkward moment. “See you in a minute.”
“Yeah, sure.” Another pat on his shoulder.
Charlie watched him walk off before shutting the door. He jumped when Alice touched his arm. “Sorry,” he said, walking past her. “Gotta get my laptop and bag.”
“Everything okay?” she asked, as he crammed his laptop into his school sack.
“Yeah…” He shook his head a little, tossing her a glance. “Still getting used to…you know.” He gestured to his head.
“I know,” she said, hurrying to him. “I’m sorry. For giving you so much problems on top of…all this.”
He leaned and kissed her cheek. “I need the distraction.”
A look of mischief slowly filled her eyes and tugged at her mouth. “I can give you plenty of distractions if you let me.”
He let his bag slip from his fingers, taking her face in his hands for a real kiss that ended with her making those sounds that haunted his dreams. “Tonight,” he whispered. “Maybe you can sneak in here and distract me?”
She smiled on his lips then pulled away with a serious look. “Only if you want me to.”
He closed his eyes. “I want you more than you can possibly imagine, Alice.”
She hugged him tighter. “I’m serious,” she whispered. “I shouldn’t push you. I’m sorry.”
“You can make it up to me later.” He pulled her arms from around him then placed her right hand on his hard-on. She sucked in a breath and he tried to smile but was too aroused to. Instead, he forced her to stroke him, letting her know he was serious and wasn’t going to back down.
“Okay,” she whispered, looking down as her grip took over. “I’ll make you forget everything, Charlie.”
“Go see if my mom needs anything, I’ll be right out.”
When she left, he pulled his phone out and called Uncle Leroy. He then did what his dad had told him to. He arranged to get a gun. After explaining to his uncle the new developments, he assured him he’d not tell his dad. In exchange that Charlie promised to call him if there was a problem. He had himself a deal. Charlie had zero desire to use a gun, much less use it on his own dad. “Don’t worry, I’ll give you something with stopping power but not over-kill.” Just the kill term made Charlie need to vomit. Ever since he’d done a statistical report on the accidents people had with guns, he didn’t like them. He was pro-gun rights for self-defense and hunting even, but he was definitely not pro-gun. They were just too deadly. No room for error. In a world where error was the constant and heartless people becoming the norm.
Who Fucked Who?
“You got anything?” Ben asked Charlie from the front seat, biting into his burger.
“I’m looking for something on that music note right now.”
“What you find?” He slurped the last of his coke.
“Well….I’m not sure. I need to look at it again and try to get an exact match.”
Ben turned in the seat and leaned with his head. “Here.” He helped move the hair out of the way and Charlie looked at it.
“I need to maybe draw it.” Charlie moved his hair then expanded his search for any attaching marks. “Whoa,” he said, finding something.
“What?”
“I see something else. Another…note I think. Yes, it’s a note.”
The fuck… Ben sat back in his seat, looking around. “Uncle Leroy, head to that grocery store we passed. Gonna get some hair clippers.”
“You got more than one of ‘em?” he asked, starting the truck.
“Looks like it. Was this guy a musician or what?” Ben wondered, trying to recall any kind of instruments in his dreams. “Does it say anywhere that Frank was into music?”
“No,” Charlie said. “Not that I found.”
“But that woman was into music. Mr. Friend’s mother.”
“You think it’s linked?” his uncle wondered, driving toward the store.
“No clue,” Ben muttered, wondering what Cheryl was doing. And Mr. Hairy-koo. He pulled his phone out and texted her. We’re at the grocery store. You need anything while we’re here? Was time for them to head back anyway. He needed to research shit and there was no decent wi-fi in the stupid fucking town.
“You want me to run and get it?” his uncle offered. “Don’t want anybody recognizing you,” he mumbled, glancing at him.
“Sure. You need money?”
“Nah, I got some. You wanna come, Charlie Brown?”
“No thank you, Uncle Leroy.”
“You all want something while I’m at it?”
“We’re good,” Ben said, glancing at his phone. Still no reply from Cheryl. Where was she?
“See y’alls in a jiffy, then.” Uncle Leroy got out and slammed his door, rattling Ben’s eardrums. Fucker.
“You think there’s more?” Charlie asked.
Ben glanced over his shoulder, getting a strong whiff of that smell coming from his neck. “More what?”
“Tattoos under your hair?”
“I don’t know. What’s new? I don’t know anything but shit. Blood, bones and shit.” A few breaths of silence crawled over Ben’s annoyed skin.
“You’re gonna shave your hair off?”
Ben thought about that. “I think I was bald before….”
“That’s what I was thinking. Maybe better not to.”
“We’ll use the short setting. On the clippers.” He turned and looked at Charlie. “How’s you and Alice?”
“We’re good,” he said, turning to his window.
Ben stared at his profile, feeling like he was hiding things. “You two… having sex?”
Charlie gave him his direct gaze then, and Ben turned away.
“You don’t have to answer that,” Ben muttered.
“We’re not. I want to wait till we’re married.”
That’s not what he heard the other night. “So, you just…kind of fool around?”
“A little.”
“I’m just wondering,” he said, looking out his window. “You can tell me. I won’t tell your mom.”
“Well, mom actually had a talk with me about it.”
Ben’s pulse sped up and he rubbed a hand along his leg. “When was that?”
“When you were in your recovery coma. She told me about you and her and how you wanted to wait till marriage.”
He did? Ben tried to recall that.
“She said she didn’t want to wait and ended up harassing you about it till you did.”
“Did what?” he wondered, his cock rock hard just talking about her. He wanted to fuck her real good when he got back. So fucking hard, harder than ever.
“Had sex before marriage.”
“She said that?” The only memory Ben was coming up with was the recent one where he’d tied her arms wide open on the bed, facing forward. He’d fucked her tight fucking ass for the first time. She had to be punished, she needed it. Begged for it.
“She said you were okay with…doing some things before marriage but not the sex.”
Ben gripped his cock, pushing his hips into the pressure. “Yeah, like what? Is that what you and Alice do?”
“She wants to, yes.”
“And you?”
“Well, yeah,” he said, like that was a given.
Ben wondered why he was telling him that at all? “Then do it.”
“You think?” he wondered.
“Hell yeah, I
think. She wants it, then you give it to her.” Ben bit his tongue at realizing his next words. You can fuck her hand, her mouth, her ass. Plenty to fuck besides her wicked little cunt. Fuck, he was losing it, he was fucking losing it. “Hey, I shouldn’t have said that. You do…what you know is right. I’m…I’m not doing so well, Charlie.”
“It’s okay,” he said, his tone easy, maybe caring. “You having any new symptoms?”
New. The felt like he’d had them forever. “I don’t know…”
“You still have the smell?”
Ben froze. “You smell it?” he wondered.
“No, I’m just wondering if you still do.”
“Yes. Always, it’s always fucking there. You don’t smell it?” He had a hard time believing nobody could smell it.
“No. Nothing,” he said, positively. “Are you hurting anywhere?”
“Like where?” he wondered, curious. Should he be?
“Just…anywhere, I guess. Like your neck?”
“Why would I hurt in my neck? Why would you ask that?”
“Because… of the incision. The scar I guess.”
He glanced back at him. “What’s wrong with the scar?”
“Nothing Dad, I’m just asking. You’re still having a lot of worry about everything?”
Ben realized what he was doing. Trying to bait him. “No, why? Should I be?”
“You could or couldn’t,” Charlie said. “It’s one of the symptoms they said you might have.”
“They, huh?” he muttered. “Who’s they, Charlie? What do you think they really know about it?” He glanced back to find him looking out the window. “Huh Charlie?”
“I don’t know. I’m technically not a man yet. And you’re my dad. I love you is all.”
Ben faced forward at feeling the phone buzz. His cock jerked as he read her message. No thank you I have everything. How are you and Charlie? When will you be back? I love you.
Ben looked out the window. She loved him? When would he be back? How was he and Charlie? He texted back. Why do you ask so many questions and follow it with you love me? He erased the text, his fingers trembling.
“Uncle Leroy’s coming.”
Ben texted, We’ll be a couple more hours. We’re good. Charlie is good. Call you soon. Ben put his phone between his legs as Uncle Leroy climbed in and tossed the bag on the seat.
“Where to?” he asked, panting like an overworked mule.
“Home,” Ben said. Surprise Cheryl. “Charlie can shave the head and we’ll see what the fuck is on it.”
“It’s the head now?” his uncle asked, backing out the parking spot.
“It’s always been the head,” Ben said, wondering what he meant by that. “It’s not my head.” He looked at his laughing profile, wondering what was so funny. “I got a head transplant, if you forgot.”
He laughed even more. “No, I didn’t forget! I just find it kind of nuts still.”
“What’s nuts?” Ben wondered, trying to hide his annoyance.
“The whole transplant!”
Ben traced the perimeter of his phone with his thumb, blindly watching the town pass by. “You think this transplant was nuts?”
He felt his uncle’s glances. “Any head transplant is nuts!”
“When are we going fishing Uncle Leroy?” Charlie asked.
Ben glanced back at him. He’d intentionally changed the subject. Why? He waited for him to look so he could see what was in his eyes. When he finally did, Ben held his gaze. If he turned away, he’d know he couldn’t trust his son. Charlie reached across the seat and gave his shoulder a squeeze, never breaking eye contact. “It’s gonna be okay,” he whispered.
“What’s that?” Uncle Leroy called.
“Nothing,” Charlie said, smiling at Ben now.
He was on Ben’s side. The realization gave him a strange feeling and Ben covered Charlie’s hand with his own, still looking at him. He finally faced forward and picked up his phone, looking at it to see if Cheryl had texted.
What was she doing now? Where are you? he texted.
A minute later, she answered. Alice and I went to the little store near the house for a couple things. We’ll be back in an hour. Everything okay?
Everything’s fine. We’re headed home early.
He tapped his index finger rapidly on the edge of the phone, waiting.
Good! Can’t wait to see you! <3
Follow the Notes
“I don’t want your mother knowing yet,” Ben said to Charlie as they headed into the house, waving at Uncle Leroy once more.
“Okay,” Charlie said.
“We’ll look first.” Ben didn’t want him knowing he didn’t trust her. He wasn’t sure what was going on with her, but something was. The way she was into sex was… almost like she’d done it all before. She was too good to not have. He did a lot of nasty things with her, but that’s because of the head he wore. What about her? Where had she done it before?
Once in the bathroom, Ben removed his shirt and got the clippers ready. Selecting the shortest comb setting, he decided to get started without Charlie. He wanted to do this before she returned. Halfway through, Charlie entered with his laptop.
“You have the camera?” Ben asked.
“I have my phone. Here, let me get the back for you.”
Ben handed him the clippers, eyeing him in the mirror as he finished the job.
“Dad, there’s more,” he said, sounding amazed and yet worried.
“How many?” Ben wondered, his pulse racing.
“Three so far.”
When Charlie had to reach for the top of his head, Ben spread his legs out, making himself shorter.
“Another one,” he said.
“What the fuck,” he muttered. “Music notes?”
“Yes, they seem to be.” When he was done, he set the clippers down. “Look up.”
Ben tilted his head back.
“Wow, there’s three on the top, like in a straight line.”
“Take pictures of them so I can see this bullshit.”
Charlie took several pictures from different angles then handed the phone to him.
Ben wasn’t sure how to enlarge. “I can’t see them.”
He reached over and pressed a button, enlarging them.
“Definitely a music symbol?” Ben double checked.
“I think so. I can match these to music notes.”
“Yeah?”
“I think so.”
“Then what?” Ben caught his head shake while he scooped up the gobs of hair. “Not sure. I guess pray God shows us what this means.”
God? Something tugged inside Ben’s stomach at the term. He was forgetting something. “You think God can show us?”
“Yes, he can,” he said, sounding surprised.
Ben dumped the pile of hair in the toilet and flushed it. “Was I…religious before this?” Why couldn’t he remember that?
He eyed his son’s shocked look, getting his answer. “Very much. You forgot?”
Ben rubbed his hand over the spiky hair on his head, feeling more lost than ten seconds before. “Maybe a little.”
“Then I’ll pray you remember,” he finally said, not sounding worried. “Let’s go find out what these mean.” He smiled while eyeing his head. “You look kind of bad-ass now.”
Ben managed part of a smile, rubbing his head again. He spotted his cap and slid it back on. “Don’t really want everybody seeing what we found.”
“Good idea.”
He eyed Charlie. “Why?”
He shrugged a little. “Just…it’s nobody’s business, and the less people know, the less…people know.”
Ben’s stomach loosened with his nod. “Yeah.” He grabbed his gloves off the vanity. “What if…what if the one you want to hide it from is…” He rubbed his forehead, shaking his head. “I can’t help but feel like…everything we’re uncovering is for him, not me.”
“How do you mean?”
“I just feel like he’s�
��” He looked around. “Leading me. To something. Something I won’t like, you know?” He shot a glance at Charlie.
“We’ll figure it out,” Charlie assured.
“I mean…what if…what if whatever we find out…you know…” He stared at the gloves in his hand. “Makes me more…”
“I won’t let that happen,” Charlie whispered, drawing Ben’s gaze. “I won’t let it take you.”
They stared at each other for several seconds. “You remember what I told you?” Ben asked, finding it hard to even get the words out, like the one in his head didn’t want him to.
“I remember. I won’t let anything bad happen.”
Ben let out several breaths, nodding his head. “Good. You can’t trust me,” he forced out. “Don’t trust me, whatever you do, you understand me?” He pulled Charlie’s head to his shoulder, rubbing it. “Don’t fucking trust me.”
****
“What’s wrong?”
Charlie locked the door, tired of hiding everything from Alice, but he couldn’t tell her this.
“I know you’re hiding something from me,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest before declaring, “I had a dream.”
He glanced at her, his hand on the knob. “What kind of dream?” God, if you want her to know, please show me.
“I dreamed that you needed my help and you thought you couldn’t trust me. I kept trying to tell you, ‘you can trust me you can trust me,’ but you weren’t hearing me!” She stormed up to him and held his shoulders. “You can trust me Charlie Brown! Is this about your father?”
He drew back a little. “Why do you ask?”
“Because that’s what it was in the dream,” she said, like duh.
He closed his eyes, turmoil building inside him. “It is,” he finally said. God, shut my mouth if I’m not supposed to say, please. He waited in the silence for a sign, but none came.
Then it hit him. She might know things about the head they couldn’t find out. “We found out my dad’s head belongs to a serial killer,” he blurted, needing to do it quick.
She sucked in a huge breath with wide eyes. “How do you know this!?”
