Night Crawlers

by Ron L. Carter

When Sherman and Lynn needed more drugs Sherman would load up the pick-up with stolen goods and make the trip to Los Angeles. He would always take either Jed or Justin with him for company. He would wake one of them in the early morning hours and tell him he need him as a companion. Most of the time he took Jed, because he was the oldest, but there were times he would take Justin. There were also times when he would take both of them and those were the trips they loved most. They loved the idea of getting out of the enclosed compound, where, at times, they felt trapped. It also gave them the opportunity to see what other parts of California looked like besides Red Mountain.

  One of the things Jed and Justin loved most about the trips was that Sherman would always stop at one of the fast food restaurants on the way there and also on the way back and let them order whatever they wanted from the menu. He would tell them it was their reward for being his lookout and helping him get the stolen goods.

  The one thing they liked more than anything was that Sherman always let one of them drive the pick-up on the way back home from Los Angeles, while he slept. It didn’t matter to Sherman that they didn’t have a driver’s license. It also made Jed and Justin feel like they were getting away with something illegal and that even made it more exciting for both of them. Driving the pick-up by themselves also made the two of them feel grown up and important.

  The time had come when Jed and Justin were both starting to get interested in the girls. They especially liked seeing all the pretty girls while on their day trips with their dad. When they made the trips, Jed would always flirt with the girls at the restaurants. When they were willing to stop and talk to him, he would tell them how pretty they were. Some of them seemed interested in Jed, but not Justin. Once the girls saw Jed was with Justin they usually became instantly disinterested in Jed as well. Jed was a good looking guy with his long brown hair that he combed straight back. It was always a little longer than normal and hung loosely over his ears and down the back of his neck. Lynn was the one that cut the boys hair and she didn’t cut it until it was sometimes way past due. Jed had hazel eyes and a soft spoken voice, but more importantly, he had a bubbly contagious personality. It was easy for him to meet people and make friends.

  Justin was just the opposite, he didn’t look normal or at least not normal in that since of the word. Unfortunately, because of his physical appearance, the girls were a little spooked by him. His skin was almost a pasty white and his hair was light blond. His hair stuck up in different directions all over his head, like he had just gotten out of bed. His face was narrow and long and his upper and bottom teeth were crooked. Some of them crossed over in front of the others and it was especially noticeable when he smiled. He looked a little like what people normally describe, as an Albino person. He was shy around the girls and didn’t talk much.

  It didn’t matter to Justin that Jed got all the attention, he had gotten used to that reaction from people since he was little. Even if the girls weren’t interested in him, it didn’t stop him from being interested in them.

  On one occasion, when they first moved to Red Mountain, he started spying on a couple of girls while they were on their way to school. The girls had heard there were boys that moved into the old house and they went out of their way to go by it to see for themselves. Justin was up early one morning and spotted them on their way to school. He watched them through the cracks and holes of the tin fence on their way to the bus stop. The girls were walking on the other side of the road from the house. They were looking for the boys when they noticed Justin’s eyeballs following their every move. He moved along the inside of the fence from one hole to the next, peeping at them. When the girls realized what was happening it creeped them out so bad that they took off running and screaming. He loved the fact that he could spy on them and they couldn’t see him. They never took that route to the bus stop again.

  There were times when Sherman just wanted to be alone and wouldn’t take either of the boys with him on his trip to Los Angeles. On those days he would grab Brutus and throw him in the truck. He was not only a watch dog but also a good companion. Brutus weighed almost one hundred pounds and he was big and intimidating. He had a deep vicious growl that scared people and kept them away. That worked out good when Sherman had to make a pit stop to go to the bathroom or get something to eat. Brutus seemed to enjoy the trip just as much as the boys. He would get really excited when he knew Sherman was taking him. Once in the cab of the truck he couldn’t sit still for the first fifteen minutes. Sherman would roll the window down on the passenger side, if it wasn’t real cold outside, and let Brutus stick his head out. He seemed to love the feel of the air as it ran through his nostrils and face. He always loved the trips, but was happy and ready to sleep once he got back home.

  After stealing thing for a few years, Sherman finally figured it was time to try and get Lynn to go with him on one of his Los Angeles trips. She hadn’t seen anything accept the Red Mountain and Ridgecrest area since they moved there. After a lot of coaxing and persuading, he was finally able to talk her into taking the trip to Los Angeles with him. He told her, “I’ll skip one of my trips to Los Angeles and save those stolen items to sell when you come with me. This way we’ll make twice as much money, get a motel room, see the dealer and spend the night down there partying. It will be fun and we can enjoy ourselves.” He figured Lynn could use some time away, since she had been with the boys every day without a break. She was a good mother. All she ever did was take care of him and the boys. Sherman and the boys were her entire life so she wasn’t crazy about leaving the boys by themselves for very long. She couldn’t resist, the more she thought about it, the more she thought that a night partying with Sherman was too tempting for her.

  Just before they left, they gave Jed instructions on what to do while they were gone. They told him they would be back late the following evening. Lynn was apprehensive, but excited, as they left. She and Sherman talked all the way there about everything they could think of. They talked about things they hadn’t talked about in years. They even talked about their families in Tennessee. Lynn said, “I wonder what my family might be doing since we left. I wonder if they are all still safe and alive.” Sherman told Lynn, “Maybe you should call your family sometime and see how they’re doing.” Lynn shrugged her shoulders and replied, “Yea, maybe one of these days I will.” She knew deep in her heart she was never going to call them. Sherman showed Lynn all the places the boys liked to stop when he took them with him on the trips.

  When they got to Los Angeles everything went just as Sherman had planned. They were able to sell all the stolen goods they had brought with them and get a good price for everything. They then met with his dealer and was also able to get the “big score” that he had promised Lynn.

  It was mid-afternoon when they finally checked into a cheap single story hotel. It was located in a run-down area and away from the main part of town. Sherman was really excited to have Lynn with him and soon after they checked into the room they started doing the drugs. They were enjoying themselves so much that they lost track of time. It was after several hours of doing drugs that Lynn stretched out on the bed and fell asleep. Sherman was still going strong and decided just because Lynn was taking a break, it wasn’t going to stop him. He wanted to keep the high going so he continued to party alone. He felt like this was his one big day with Lynn and he was going to take full advantage of it.

  Sherman hadn’t told Lynn that he had also made a score on some heroin from his dealer. Once she was passed out on the bed, he decided he wanted that extra high and would shoot up the heroin by himself. As he sat on the end of the bed, he rolled up his shirt and wrapped the rubber cord around his arm. He took the cooked liquid and injected it right into one of his veins. As soon as the heroin went into his blood stream Sherman’s body jerked back violently for a second and he got ridged and stiff. He took a big gasp of air and fell backward onto the bed. He just l
aid their and didn’t move because he had just overdosed and was now lying dead right next to Lynn. She was passed out and didn’t know what happened.

  Lynn woke up in the middle of the night and discovered Sherman lying on his back and that he wasn’t moving. She shook him to wake him, but there was no response. She saw that he still had the needle and the rubber tube lying next to him and his body was starting to get cold and ridged. When she saw his condition, she instantly realized what he had done. She began to shake him frantically and fearing the worst. He wasn’t moving or breathing. The more she shook him the more she realized her worst fears had come true as she said, “Come on Sherman, please wake up! Wake up, please!” Not getting any type of response, she stopped shaking him after a few minutes and felt for a pulse. Getting nothing, she realized he was dead. Not knowing what to do next, she put her face in her hands and started to deeply sob.

  When she was able to calm herself down a little, her next reaction was to scream out loud. She was having a hard time thinking straight in her drug induced state. As she tried to collect her thoughts, she quickly started throwing on some clothes. While she was putting on her clothes reality started to set in and she knew help was already too late for Sherman. She was still stoned as she stumbled around and fumbled with her clothes. She found the edge of the bed and sat down for a several minutes, just trying to clear her head and figure out the trouble she was in. When she was finally able to think clearly about what she should do, she knew she couldn’t report Sherman’s death to the Hotel manager or anyone else. The Hotel manager would’ve called the police and they would’ve come out to investigate Sherman’s death and wanted to know all the details leading up to what had happened. She believed that once they saw the needle marks in this arm they would’ve known he’d died of a drug overdose. They would’ve also known that she had been doing drugs with him before he died and taken her into custody for questioning. She figured they would throw her in jail until they could sort out how Sherman had died and if she had anything to do with it. At the very least, they would have gotten her for doing drugs and having it in her possession. While she was in jail, the boys would be left at Red Mountain all alone and not knowing what had happened to her and Sherman. She knew they would be scared and maybe even panic. That was exactly how she was feeling at that moment.

  Lynn also knew the law would have Child Protection Services remove Justin and Joshua from her home and place them in someone else’s care once they found out she had kids with disabilities and that they were under eighteen years old and home alone. As she sat on the edge of the bed and cried for several more minutes she tried to figure out what was going to be her next course of action. She was now all alone and had to make a decision on her own with no one to help her. The only decisions she had ever made on her own for years was what to buy at the store or what to fix for the meals each day. Sherman always made the important decisions for her. She said to herself, why did you do that Sherman? You never told me anything about doing heroin. You should’ve told me you were going to take a hit. Now you’re dead and I’m all alone down here in Los Angeles. I’m scared and I don’t know what to do. How could you do this to me?” After she thought about her options for a several more minutes, she knew there was only one thing she could do. She had to get Sherman’s body back to her boys and Red Mountain without anyone seeing or knowing what had happened.

  Once her mind was made up she said to herself, I hope I can pull this off without being seen or getting caught. She grabbed the keys to the pick-up from the night stand and went out and put the tail gate down. She looked around to make sure no one was watching her as she backed the truck up as close to the hotel door as she could get. She jumped out of the pick-up and opened the door to the room. She quickly dragged Sherman’s body off the bed and onto a blanket on the floor. She rolled him up in the blanket and dragged his body to the door. She peeked outside again to make sure no one was watching. Not seeing anyone, she dragged Sherman’s body over to the back of the pick-up. She was really pumped up with extra adrenaline by then and she used all the strength she had to lift his upper body onto the back of the tail-gate. Once she had him in position and resting on the tail-gate she picked up his legs and pushed him forward onto the bed of the truck. She said to herself, I’m sure glad you’re not a big man or I probably would never have been able to lift you by myself. I would’ve probably had to get someone to help me. That could’ve been a disaster.” She took the tarps, along with the cement blocks Sherman had used to cover the stolen goods, and quickly covered his body. No one would be able to tell there was a person’s body under it. She then slammed the tail-gate shut and went back inside to get her things.

  She sat back down and cried for a few more minutes before she was finally able to compose herself once again. She said, you have to get a grip on yourself if you want to get back home. Otherwise, you might as well just give up right now. After the pep talk she gave herself, she was ready to go. She gathered up all the drug paraphernalia and put it in her purse. She grabbed the rest of their personal belongs and carried them with her to the pick-up. All she had to do now was hold herself together long enough to make the three hour trip back to Red Mountain without falling apart. The one thing that drove her forward was the thought of getting back home safely to her boys.

  She was sobbing most of the way home as thoughts of Sherman kept bouncing back and forth inside her head. She kept saying, “We’ve been in love with each other since we were just kids and now you’re dead. I can’t believe you’re gone! Sherman. I love you. Why did you do this?” She knew it was going to be hard for her to live without him as she kept saying over and over to herself, what am I going to do without you Sherman? Just the mere thought of being without Sherman made her body tremble as she held on tightly to the stirring wheel. Tears were running down her face as she cried uncontrollably off and on until she focused her thoughts back to the boys. One of her major concerns, was how was she was going to get the drugs she knew she needed to survive. She convinced herself, I’ll have Jed get them. He’s been with his dad enough, he’ll know what to do and how to get them for me.

  When Lynn finally got back home just before dawn, she was mentally and physically exhausted. She didn’t hesitate, as she went straight into the boy’s bedrooms to tell them what had happened to their dad. When Jed first saw the look on her face he instantly knew something was wrong. She had dark circles under her eyes from no sleep and crying for several hours. He immediately asked, “What’s wrong? Where’s dad? Is he still outside?” She didn’t answer as she quickly got all of boys together. She could hardly get the words out without crying as she said, “Your dad has died of a drug overdose at the hotel in Los Angeles.” Justin and Joshua didn’t take the news very well and they began to scream and cry in disbelief. Jed said, “Oh no, mom! What happened?” Lynn replied, “I don’t know for sure because I had fallen asleep, but when I woke up I found out that he had used some heroin and I believe he overdosed on it.” Jed ask, “What did you do with dad’s body?” She said, “I didn’t know what else to do so I put him in the back of the pick-up and brought him home with me.” Jed sat down dejected on the bed and began to cry. Sherman and Lynn were the boy’s entire world and now half of that world was gone.

  After the boys were able to calm down a little they sat motionless for several minutes holding onto their mom. They didn’t say a word to each other as they sat there just feeling empty inside. Jed had thoughts running through his mind as he said to himself, dad took care of everything for us. He spent time with us and did all the planning on the houses we broke into. What are we going to do now? We’ll be lost without him?

  When she felt the time was right Lynn said, “I want you boys to go out to the truck and bring your dad’s body inside the house and lay it on the couch.” They were all a little spaced out as they slowly and reluctantly did what she told them to do. They slowly uncovered
his body and started to move him. They became even more emotional when they found out that his body had become cold and stiff on the ride back from Los Angeles. It was the first time they had ever seen a dead person before and they were in shock. Even worse, it was their dad. Jed looked over at Justin and Joshua and said, “I don’t want to do this any more than you guys do. Let’s just do what mom said and take dad’s body inside. You guys take his legs and I’ll get his upper body.”

  Once they had Sherman’s body inside, Lynn told the boys she was going to let them spend some last minute time with their dad before they had to bury him. She said, “I’m going to lay down for a while and try to get some sleep. This entire ordeal has completely devastated and drained me. While I’m sleeping, I want you boys to go out back and make a wooden box for your dad’s body that we can bury him in. When you’re done with that find a spot in the back yard where you think you would like him buried. Make sure it’s at least six feet deep and wide enough for the box.” Just the thought of burying their dad underground sent waves of pain and devastation through their bodies. They also knew they didn’t have any choice, they had to do something with his body. They couldn’t just leave him like that. Before Lynn left, they all agreed to do what she had requested. Jed told her, “We’ll take care of it while you’re sleeping, mom, but first we just want to spend a little time with him.” She thanked them and went to her bedroom.

  Lynn couldn’t sleep and lay awake for several hours thinking about Sherman and crying. She listened to the boys hammering outside, putting together a make shift coffin and digging the hole. Every pound of the hammer was like someone beating on her heart with their fists and every scoop of the shovel dug deep down into her gut. She was having such a hard time dealing with the loss of Sherman that she decided to take some more drugs just to try and ease her pain. The drugs were always a momentary fix for all of her problems.

  When the digging and the pounding finally stopped the boys went to Lynn’s room and knocked on the door. They let her know they had everything completed. They then went back and sat down next to their dad’s body and cried for a while. They waited for their mom to come out of her room to tell them what they had to do next. When she came out she told the boys, “We can’t let anyone know what happened to your dad. We have to keep it a secret, just between the four of us. If we don’t, the police will come out here and start asking questions. They’ll find out I was doing drugs with your dad and throw me in jail and you won’t see me for a long, long time. Child Protection Services will come snooping around and take you boys away and someone else will raise you while I’m locked up. If anyone asks us what happened to your dad, we’ll just say he left and never came back. Is that understood?” The boys didn’t like the thought of having to tell people their dad abandoned them, but they rarely spoke or saw anyone and never left the property during the day. They knew they really didn’t have any other choice and that it would probably be the best thing to do. Lynn had them all look her in the face as she said, “Are we all in agreement with that?” They said at the same time, “Yes, mom!”

  Lynn spent some time with the boys and talked about everything she could think about regarding Sherman. She told them about how they grew up together in Tennessee and how they fell in love. She told them how Sherman’s father used to beat him and that was why they left their home. When she was through talking she had the boys take Sherman’s body, carefully wrap it in another blanket and gently place it in the wooden box. The boys weren’t in any hurry to bury him as they slowly lowered the box with ropes until it was at the bottom of the hole. While they were gathered next to the grave, Lynn said the Lord’s Prayer and told the boys more about Sherman and their life together. They waited until Lynn gave the word for them to start covering the hole until it was completely filled in. As they threw the last shovel full of dirt on the grave Jed, said, “Good-bye Dad, I love you and I’ll miss you.” When he said that, Justin and Joshua each said they loved him too. The boys made a wooden cross that they used as his grave marker. They placed it in the ground above his grave.

  The boys were still extremely distraught when they finally went to bed that night. Lynn spent some time in their room just to try and comfort them. She was trying to help ease their pain, but it also helped her to talk about Sherman. She finally went to bedroom and as she lay awake in bed she could hear the boys crying throughout the night. She could especially hear the pain in the deep and uncontrollable sobs coming from Joshua’s room.

  They all continued to mourn the death of Sherman for a few lonely agonizing weeks until one day Lynn got the boys together and sat them down in the living room. She said, “You boys need to snap out of it because it’s time we get on with our lives. It’s what your dad would want from us. You can’t keep just moping around and feeling sorry for yourselves, like you’ve been doing these past few weeks. You boys are the men of the house now and you have to start acting like it. Jed, I want you to get your driver’s license as soon as you can. I don’t want you to be thrown in jail for driving without a license. You’re going to have to take over the things your dad used to do. You and Justin are the ones that’ll have to break into the houses and steal the items you’ll need to sell in Los Angeles. You’ll also have to get the drugs for me.” Jed was almost eighteen years old but when she told him that he would now be in charge of the house break-ins, selling the stolen goods and buying drugs in Los Angeles for her he said, “Ok, Mom, I’ll try to do a good job, just like dad did.” Lynn replied, “I know you will, son, I have faith in you.”

  Though he never told Lynn, Jed was a little apprehensive and fearful as he sat there wondering what he was going to have to do next. His mind was running in circles and he didn’t really want the responsibility of doing everything his dad had done. Although he had been with his dad on a lot of the break-ins during the nights, the trips to Los Angeles and getting the drugs, he had never done any of it by himself. He knew he didn’t have any choice, his mom didn’t have any other way to get the drugs she had to have. He also knew he was the only one she could fully depend on because Justin and Joshua couldn’t do it. Jed was never crazy about stealing from people, he just liked spending time with his dad. Losing his dad made him realize just how much his mom and dad meant to him. He knew he didn’t want to let her down and he knew he didn’t want to lose her too.

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  Chapter 6 - Jed Takes Control