by Dawn Brazil
San Diego! Move. I wedge myself beside Ferris and Joe.
She raises one of her long, red nails and runs it across the front of Joe's face from the crown of his head, stopping at his chin. She purrs loudly as she touches him. I suck in a disgusted breath at her affection, but something else is present and I don’t want to even acknowledge that feeling exists.
She pushes Joe’s head to the side and hisses at me. Her eyes travel back to Joe, before she saunters off and plops down on a colossal feathered pillow. Her sigh is so loud, it echoes around us. "Continue," she orders Joe with the wave of her paw hand.
"We’re trying to determine if Sam has ever been to VOLT."
“Well, we have ourselves a slight conundrum,” she says, cutting him off. “Joseph, why don’t you be a dear and come sit beside me?” She winks and smiles over at him.
“No, thanks.”
“Why are you gallivanting with the likes of It? It’s not even being truthful with you about why it’s here.” I squirm backwards a step.
It’s not time for confession. San Diego. I hope this Boston doesn’t mess this up for me.
“I know. She’ll explain when she’s ready. Can you help us?” Joe says. I smile over at him, but my heart beats like it’s at its last seconds to do so.
“I see you are taken with It,” she thrusts a hairy hand toward me. "Regrettably, I have little patience with you. That is, darling, unless you are willing to walk away from It. You can forego the remainder of your journey and return to your mother, then to me. You will never have to see It again." Joe squares his jaw but says nothing. "Aw, alas, I see. I anger you at the mention of this. You would wish no harm should come to It. Such the imbecile you are."
No one moves or says anything for an uncomfortable few seconds.
The giant feline sighs. “I don’t understand the appeal. It’s of poor diet—look at Its diminutive size. What do you call that again—skeletal? It has matted hair. It doesn’t even return your affection. It’s not even worthy of the love of the ones it seeks.” I cringe at her words and my heart shatters in my chest. I stumble back a step. Joe reaches back, grabs my hand, and pulls me back beside him and Ferris.
"Its lover," she continues with a giant smirk. "Is here still. He will be waiting for It at The End.” She glances over at Joe with a grin. A beguiling expression spreads over her and my heart races, along with my thoughts. What is she up to? “It is a few day’s journey on foot, and unfortunately you do not have the luxury of time. He is planning to depart VOLT in less than twenty-four hours."
Her grin is directed at me, like she wants me to laugh at the punchline to her twisted joke.
Chapter 29
Joe, Ferris, and I exchange looks of frustration. “By foot is our only method of travel in VOLT. Of course you know that,” Joe says.
"Ah," she drones sweetly. "I am able to assist with this. I will kindly loan you one of my many vehicles, with a driver who knows well how to navigate our great city. He can get It to its lover in record time."
"What do we have to do for you in exchange for this kindness?" Joe asks.
"It is going to its lover, another Dud. It does not want you. Stay with me and I will allow the two of them to leave with my vehicle and my Feline driver.” She smiles triumphantly, rolls off the feathered pillow, and comes to stand in front of Joe again. “Don’t contemplate this offer too long, darling, or I might feel slighted.
She wrenches our hands apart.
I gasp and ball my fist to punch her in her furry face. Ferris snatches my hand before I can do it. She seizes Joe’s hands into her own, much larger and hairier than I’ve ever seen. “It won’t find what it wants and it’ll blame you, Joseph. It’ll be your fault. You didn’t live up to the promise you made It. Do you want that on your conscience? Again?” I glance over at Joe. His face is scrunched, like he’s working a difficult math problem. “I’ll let you see your mother for a while. But you’ll live here with me for a measure of time of my choosing."
What would she have Joe do? How long would he have to stay with her? It’s probably a horrible sign I’m considering this offer. Sometimes my level of selfishness astounds me. But still… Ferris could go back to what he was doing before me. Joe could too, eventually. They won’t be corrupted with my curse. But I don’t want to be in VOLT without them.
My heart is a fraud.
If I don’t take her deal, I’m ruining any chance of getting to The End on time.
I want to tell Joe to stay, but I don’t want them to think of me as selfish. Or… I don’t want to think of myself that way. Even more than selfishness, I don’t want to think about Joe being stuck here with this Boston. How will I feel if I get to The End, knowing what I sacrificed to get there?
Joe catches my eyes and for a second, I see the contemplation in his. He’s considering her offer. Friends don’t let friends make stupid decisions, he said.
At least, here in VOLT, he’s my friend. I have to believe that because he does. I shake my head almost imperceptibly, and I can tell by the quick breath he releases, and by his pleased eyes, he’s relieved. "We can make it on foot," he says. I bite my lower lip to stop the smirk I feel from rising to full tilt. I push her hand away from his.
"No thanks, you furry Boston," I say. I turn and pull Ferris and Joe along with me. This was a Florida waste of our time.
"You remind me of someone. Yes, quite a bit like someone. I can’t recall the name at the moment. It is a bit disconcerting, because the two of you in the looks department…" she says, trailing off. Her voice is whimsical, like she’s singing.
I stop moving, turn, and glare at her. I wish I had a superpower. I’d use mind control to get the kittens in this place to scratch her senseless.
“Oh dear,” she says. “They obey me only. They have a profound distaste for your kind, also.” I stare at her. Florida. Is she reading my mind? No matter. I’d stuff that feather pillow down her throat to shut her big trap. “I would love for the likes of you to try and best me.”
I release Joe's and Ferris' hands and move toward her. My hands ball into fists at my side. I haven’t had a fight in a while.
Joe grabs my arm and pulls me back with them. Both the giant Boston and I keep up a heated eye-to-eye battle. “What is she talking about?” Joe whispers beside me.
“It is unfortunate you are unwilling to share, yet you have so much," she continues. “Selfish, emaciated Dud.”
I shake my head and continue walking out. She obviously doesn’t know as much as she thinks, because aside from Ryan, I have nothing. I pick up my stride, frightened she might divulge something the others shouldn’t know about.
I’m also afraid Joe might take her offer to help us out. I can't allow him to make that sacrifice for me. And I don’t want her hands all over him. Though I’m certain I shouldn’t care who touches him.
We walk past the bizarre rooms and head back to the front. No one attempts to stop us or escort us to the entry. Once we reach the lobby, the giant pops out of nowhere in front of us.
Ferris pierces the air with an ear-splitting scream. Lurch glares at us. His mouth is a straight line, his eyes are cold, and his stance insinuates he’s ready for us to leave. “Go away, little bitch, and never come back,” Lurch says. He has the emotional range of a rock. Joe pushes past the giant to reach the hatch.
We all rush through at the same time—falling on the ground outside in our haste. We lay on the gravel-covered cement outside the building. As we look at the building, the entrance vanishes and the keypad steals away into the brick again.
Ferris squeaks out a loud laugh on my right. Joe and I join in. That was the weirdest thing that’s happened since I came to VOLT. I can’t stop the laughter that belts from my gut.
“Um, Ferris, where was your tongue in there? I thought you’d met her before,” Joe asks.
“She’s… different,” he stammers.
“Different is an understatement,” Joe says.
“I don’t even recall her
being a she before. Well, it’s barely a she now. I don’t even know what to call that thing.”
Joe and I laugh even harder at his words as we sit on the gravel-covered sidewalk.
“I don’t even want to contemplate what she was going to do to you, Joe,” Ferris says. “Maybe she was going to have you in there with your underwear on, petting her kittens all night.”
We laugh even more at this.
“As much fun as this has been, we’d better get going,” Joe exclaims. He pulls me and I pull on Ferris. Once we’re standing, I brush my hands over my bottom to wipe away the pebbles that cling to my clothing and legs. Joe and Ferris do the same.
Except, the pebbles don’t swish away when Joe runs his hands over them. They cling to his skin and his clothes.
“Uh, Joe,” Ferris says. Something in the way he says Joe’s name makes me stop moving and look at him. “You have abocos all over you.” Ferris inspects his own arms and legs. He shakes his head like he’s okay. What the Houston are abocos? I do a quick inventory to make sure I don’t have anything sticking to me. I don’t.
“What?” Joe asks. He looks in the direction Ferris points. I look also because other than the pebbles that are still on him, I don’t see anything.
“Are you talking about the pebbles?” I ask, confused.
“They’re not pebbles. They’re VOLT’s equivalent of a leech. They’ll suck the blood out of your veins. And having too many sucking can kill you.”
“How do I get them off?” Joe asks, shrugging.
“I could set you on fire,” Ferris says putting his finger to his head in a contemplative manner.
“Serious answers, please,” I say. Red splotches show on Joe’s skin and I inch closer to inspect them. “There’s blood oozing from his left leg and both his upper arms now.”
Joe bends to peer at the puncture wounds on his leg. He brushes his fingers over the abocos again. They move in a straight line down his leg at a sloth’s pace, like tiny soldiers marching in formation. The swat from Joe does nothing to loosen their hold.
“I don’t know another way to kill them,” Ferris admits. He turns to Joe and scrapes his hands down Joe’s left leg, trying to dislodge the sucking soldiers. I dart over to help, to no avail. The slimy, slithering, pebble-looking bugs have a good hold on Joe’s veins and aren’t releasing them, no matter what we try.
“I’m good. I barely feel anything.” Both Ferris and I turn to peer at him. As we do, he falls face-first toward the concrete sidewalk.
I run and dive underneath him before his head smacks the solid ground. A sharp pain lances through my injured leg. I push the pain away and smile, because I actually did something right. I saved Joe now.
I peer at his legs that have streaks of blood and abocos covering them. Did I save him, or only delay what the abocos have already started—the slow, lecherous drain of all his blood.
Chapter 30
An aboco, next to where I had been furiously wiping, falls to the earth and liquefies into a chocolate-colored, gooey mess. “That’s gross.” More fall but I can’t tell from where. “Look, these are falling and dying.” I motion to the place where they fell.
“What did you do?” Ferris asks.
“I don’t know.” Sweat rolls from my poof of hair to the side of my face. A few drops fall to the side of Joe’s face. He doesn’t open his eyes to acknowledge them. I swipe my hands across my forehead. I have no idea what I did. I panic as more clots of blood appear on Joe’s legs. Florida, Sam. Think. I’m breathing like I’m in the fourth quarter of a game with ten seconds on the clock and down by one possession. Calm yourself, Sam, before you pass out. I inhale a lungful of air, then push it out slowly. Three abocos fall where my breath is released.
“San Diego. I think I have it.” Joe’s caramel eyes open slowly. He doesn’t say anything about me holding his head in my lap and I don’t offer an explanation. His eyes dance across my face and my stomach flutters into my throat.
San Diego, stop that.
Abocos slither around his legs, arms, and neck. The neck. I’ll start there first.
When my eyes next meet Joe’s, he’s staring back with a smirk. Even under duress, he’s still his same arrogant, adorable self. I can't say I don‘t find that at least a smidgen attractive.
He doesn’t say anything as I pull myself from beneath him. I prop his head on his jacket. On my hands and knees, I lean forward. I tilt my head to reach the base of his neck. He pushes forward on his elbows and his eyes burn into me. The expression he wears doesn’t allude to any pain. A shooting ache slams into me at the pleasure his eyes provide.
San Diego! You can’t be nice Joe, or caring Joe, or gentle Joe when I’m this close to you. I carry enough guilty baggage already that I feel like an airport baggage claim. I don’t need this guilt, too.
I drive him back with a light shove and release the breath I held to perform my experiment. He releases a soft moan. Every instruction I give my body to not react to his response is ignored. For a split second, we share a gaze that leaves me reeling. Shame, guilt, and desire commingle into one unique sensation.
I’m not certain I like it yet.
Pulling my eyes from his, I glance at what I’ve done. Abocos still slither in formation on his neck. To ensure an even distribution of air, I blow softer. I target an area where many abocos squirm. I step back quickly, not wanting to meet Joe’s eyes and not wanting to have the slimy things liquefy all over me, hoping they do liquefy.
I’ve never been this close to him, and it surprises me how my heart accelerates to the point of near bursting from my chest. Why can’t I thwart the sensations his closeness causes?
I’ve got to stay focused and not allow my emotions to rule me. I’m in control of me.
One by one, the tiny creatures fall to the earth and dissolve.
“You did it,” Ferris yells. He rushes to us and blows on Joe’s neck also.
“Whoa, Ferris… I appreciate you helping, however—first, don’t blow on my neck. Just not right, bro. How about moving to my legs? Second, maybe you should blow a bit slower. The thought of being covered in your saliva is almost worse than them sucking my blood.” He points to the abocos on his leg.
“Ha,” I laugh and shake my head. Eventually, I move from his neck to work on his upper arm and right leg.
Joe leans back with his eyes closed while we try not to cover him in our saliva. My breaths against his skin are slow and steady. The slimy, blood-sucking critters detach from Joe’s skin in droves.
Soon, all the bugs are liquefied, and Joe, Ferris, and I lie back on the ground, as far away from the liquefied creatures as possible. I inspect the puncture wounds from the many sites where the abocos had sucked out Joe’s blood.
I trace my index finger over the trail of blood from his wrist, to his elbow, then to his biceps. “Does it hurt?” I ask, still retracing the line on his arm. Bite marks that resemble small red pinpricks cover his skin.
“Not when you touch me like that,” he says. His voice is soft and rumbles through me. It’s nearly unrecognizable. I glance up and our eyes meet. The way Joe’s eyes touch me has been the catalyst for many disasters—spontaneous fires consume forests, earthquakes rattle the land, and wars are waged because of expressions like his. I’m surprised at the level of attraction I have for him. A few days ago, we were each other’s number-one enemies.
Ferris, sitting a little to the left of Joe and me, pushes himself up. “I guess we better go and find your boyfriend, Sam, before it’s too late.”
Disconcerted, guilt sweeps over me. I messed up. I promised, no I owed Joe more than to fall for him. Standing, I wipe away the little pebbles that remain and purposely don’t meet his eyes.
“Ferris, I don’t see how we can get to him with the time the cat gave us,” I say.
“There’s this man called the Navigator who can help you get anywhere in VOLT. Fast. Now that we have confirmation he’s still here, the Navigator might be able to get us there.”
>
“Why am I sensing a but in there somewhere?” Joe asks.
“Well, usually… I mean, I’ve heard… he charges outrageous fees for his services.”
“Pay?” I’m certain Joe’s mother didn’t supply him with a ballers amount of money. “Why won’t VOLT let me win?”
“We barely have any money left,” Joe says.
“I don’t understand this place at all.” My voice raises an octave, the threat of a breakdown imminent. I’ve got to find Ryan, and fast, because if I don’t, I might make a terrible mistake and kiss Joe or something.
Chapter 31
“Well, sometimes he’ll barter services with his clients,” Ferris offers.
“Come on. Don’t get discouraged now. We can do this, Sam. We should at least determine what he’s able to do for us. His office is in that building across the street,” Ferris says. He points to another white brick building, similar to the one we exited.
He doesn’t wait for us to get on board with his plan. He crosses the street and heads to the building without us. I hunch my shoulders and follow behind him.
We have no other choice at this point.
Ferris stops short in front of the building. “The entrance alone is an improvement over what we just left,” he says. Joe and I nod our agreement.
The building is white brick, three stories high, and has an abundance of windows. The ground level has two enormous glass double hatches. Ferris enters and holds it open for me to follow.
Once inside, a large black ape greets us. He’s wearing dark blue slacks and a white heavily starched button-down shirt. I’m not surprised by our reception. I wonder what animal species the Navigator will turn out to be. I’d bet hound dog.
“Do you have an appointment?” the ape, whose name tag reads William, asks. His voice is soft and has an undercurrent of a lisp. Rising from such an aggressive-looking animal, his voice is severely out of place. Still, it’s an improvement over Lurch from across the street.
