Bottled Abyss (14 page)

The coin Janet gave me—it’s still in my hand and all the pain in the world feels to be coming from its center—took it to be nice, don’t collect coins anymore at all, but this coin has brought that monster, which is leaning over me, Christ, a shark’s face that blends into the body of a dragon—can’t drop the coin—stuck to my hand—!

“You’ve taken payment for a death that doesn’t belong to you—”

Gagging on puke, feel it run down my face, feel it burning my eyes—crawling away again, palms stinging with pins and needles, blood pounding in my embattled heart and head—my house tilts sideways and whips around, the universe on a spin cycle—catch sight of my cell phone on the couch—so far away, and the monster’s behind me, but it hasn’t eaten me—don’t think it wants to eat me—maybe not yet—

Reach up and take my phone—stare at the many number keys—they collide together in a vertigo mess that makes me blink frantically for focus—none comes—a reptile hand picks the phone out of my hand and gently tosses it back on the couch—

A human mouth speaks from beyond the shark’s rows of pink stained teeth—“What were three, are now one, and I am Fury—”

Retch on something rancid and my vision darkens—it’s about to go out entirely—

“You have a chance to stay my vengeance,” says the Fury with calm reassurance—“Do you know the song—? The song my heart so dearly needs to hear—?”

Want to sing him Gabby’s song, the Beatles’ “A Day in the Life”—Can’t remember which part—can’t talk, will never talk again—

Another surge comes from the depths of my stomach, but it halts in my throat—

“Who keeps the bottle now—?”

“The bottle—?” My thoughts are lost—

“How did you come by this coin—?”