Skulls (15 page)

The man leaned in again and whispered into her ear, “Repeat what I say, exactly as I say it.”

Sharon nodded shallow. Fear made her willing.

“I’m yours, Jacob. Now and forever.”

Sharon drew in a deep breath and mumbled what she’d been told.

“Louder!” the man shouted in a voice like thunder.

Shaking so much she bounced against her bonds, Sharon spit out the words. “I-I’m yours, Jacob, now a-and forever.”

The man tightened his grip on her shirt and peeled it away. He cut the remainder free and tossed it to the floor. Sharon could see her black bra. It stood out against her pale skin. The swell of her small chest heaved beneath it.

The man ordered her to look down at herself and she did, tears blurring her sight. Not sure of anything, she did as she was told. Her eyes roamed across her body. She hoped her compliance would satisfy the man and he would let her go.

After a few moments, the man lifted her chin and stared into her eyes. “There are no limits to experience.” Sharon’s eyes locked on his, but she knew he wasn’t speaking to her. He was speaking to the other—Jacob. “You’ve found the altar and I know you’ve prayed to its god, feasting upon the memories of the dead. They’re a part of you forever now, Jacob. There’s no going back.”

Sharon shivered at his words. Her flickering glimmers of hope slowly sputtered to black. The man was insane. He was going to kill her.

He knelt and grabbed the hem of her jeans. He slid the axe up the leg, peeling them away from her as he sliced them open. One side done, he did the same at the other. He left just a few strands at the waistband to hold them together.

He stood before her once more, a cold numbness washing over her. He ordered her to repeat his words. Sharon did so through a sobbing gasp.

“I love you, J-Jacob.”

“Now smile.”

Her lips twitched and she forced a smile on her face. She could see herself reflected in the dark pits of the man’s eyes. She hoped it was good enough.

Apparently it was. The man nodded, then tore away the remnants of her jeans and cast them aside. He nestled his fingers in her hair and forced her to look down. She stared at her nearly naked body. Her cotton panties were exposed in shame.

“Does she remind you of anyone, Jacob?” He ran a hand over her thigh and along her side. Goose bumps trailed in its gloved wake.

He ordered her to keep her head down and disentangled his hand from her long black hair. He grasped at the strap of her bra and cut it free with a chuckle. It fell open, exposing her full breasts to the cold air. Sharon closed her eyes and turned her head. The man growled at her and she reluctantly returned her attention to her body.

She stared at herself without feeling, but her eyes were full of her flesh.

“Dreams can be more than just dreams, if you’re willing to pursue them. This is a reality you can have every day.”

The man reached down and cut her panties off. He let them slide to the floor. Sharon sobbed. Her legs went weak. Only the biting restraints at her wrists kept her upright. She looked at her naked body. Tears fell over it, running cold down her belly.

The man left her there staring for a moment. Her head was a whirlwind of confused thoughts. She wanted to close her eyes. She wanted to hide, but she knew it would only anger him. She continued to look as he hovered before her.

The light shimmered on the stiff leather of his apron as she cast a furtive glance at the man. The axe was nestled tight in his hand. She looked away quick and heard him speak.

“This is my gift to you, Jacob.” He adjusted her head so she could see all of herself. He then lifted her chin until the back of her head pressed against the hard wall. “Cherish this moment. I will come for you soon.”

Sharon looked into the man’s eyes. They were awash in red. She gasped as he raised the axe and turned away when she saw its silvered edge streaking toward her. She felt a searing pressure at her throat. Her head slammed into the wall.

Then she felt nothing.

Chapter Twenty-One

Released from the memories, Jacob gasped and slipped from his bed. The skull still clutched in his hands. He felt his body shaking, but couldn’t seem to move. He stayed still as the memories washed over him like turbulent waves.

Willing his hands to release the skull, he finally managed to set it in his lap. He snatched the skull back up with a gurgled shriek and tossed it on the bed. He was surprised to realize he was excited.

He jumped to his feet, expecting to feel ashamed. The feeling never came. He looked to the skull again only to have visions of Sharon take center stage. She was so similar in appearance to Cass that his mind overlapped their images.

Cass in her bikini, Sharon in nothing. Both smiled back at him.

He couldn’t stop thinking about it…them…her. He glanced at the clock. It was only a little after six p.m.. His dad would be gone until after two am. He had plenty of time to indulge.

He crawled across the bed. He scooped the skull into his hands and got comfortable. Once more he stared into Sharon’s empty eyes, willing the dead to arise. She came to him on tendrils of willowy smoke.

* * * *

The visions ended. Jacob slipped from its memories and found himself once more alone in his room. His shirt, long since removed, though he couldn’t remember when. He lay there in a pool of cloying sweat. His skin was flushed.

I love you, Jacob. I’m yours, now and forever.

Love was a fairy tale he’d never believed in, a “happy-ever-after” that never came. His parents had never loved him, or even each other. His real mother leaving when he was twelve made it clear how little she cared. He knew for sure his dad didn’t love Ann. He certainly didn’t.

He looked at the skull in his hands. His heart pounded so loud in his chest he could hear its dull knock. He sat there, enveloped in his visions.

His eyes were dry as he thought about Sharon. He had no tears for her. He managed to blink some moisture in to them, but that was all. The knock of his heart was suddenly echoed by one at his window. He pulled the curtains aside.

Sharon stood outside his window.

No, not Sharon. Cass.

He held a finger up, telling her to hold on. He staggered away from the window. He spied the skull on the bed and quickly hid it in the closet. His legs were rubbery as he made his way down the hall. He ran his hands along the walls to keep him steady.

It took him a few moments to undo the locks on the front door. When he finally managed it, he let Cass in. He went over and flopped down on the couch. He felt the heat of her stare.

She came into the house complaining. “I’ve been calling you all night. It’s after eleven—” She started to slam the door, but stopped when she saw him.

“What’s wrong?”

Jacob shook his head. His eyes felt as though they were swirling inside their sockets. He stared at Cass, but could only see Sharon. Their images had melded into one.

“What are you on?” Cass’s walked over to lay her hand on his forehead. She flinched and pulled it away when she felt the cold sweat. “You’re wasted.”

“No I’m not, Sharon.”

Cass took a step back like she’d been shot. Her brown eyes went wide. “Who the hell is Sharon?”

Jacob just stared at her a moment, not understanding. “I mean Cass.” He got up and walked over to apologize, but he slipped and fell onto the coffee table. The legs snapped and he hit the floor hard. The table had broken in half beneath him.

Cass leapt to his side and pulled him up, setting him back onto the couch. She didn’t stay close though. She stepped away again as Jacob reached for her.

Jacob watched her retreat. A spark of anger flickered. “You said you loved me. Why won’t you come here?”

Cass just stared at him as he pawed at the air after her. “You’re drunk, Jake.”

“I’m not, I swear.” He got to his feet and managed to stay on them. He took a tentative step forward. He steadied himself, and took another. His arms reached out for her once more.

Cass just stood there waiting for him. He wrapped her in a deep hug, squeezing her so tight she groaned.

“Easy, Jake.” She wiggled loose a little, pulling her face away from his sweaty cheek.

“Now and forever,” he whispered in her ear. “I love you, Sharon.”

With a feral growl, Cass shoved him with everything she had. Jacob stumbled back and tripped over the broken table. He crashed into the couch and nearly toppled it over. He glared at her in his fury.

He screamed at her. Frothy spittle sprayed the air. He started to get up.

Before he got to his feet, Cass was out the door and down the stairs. Jacob could hear her feet as they hit the asphalt.

He stared after her, unable to understand why she’d run. But he knew she hadn’t gone far. He knew how to bring her back.

He went to the closet and pulled the skull out. It sat comfortable in his hands. He slumped over on his bed and set it on his chest. He grinned as he stared into its eyes.

“Come back to me,” he told it.

The night sky swirled in its sockets. A moment later, he was sucked back into the dreams of the dead.

* * * *

Jacob heard the rumble of thunder. The sound drew him out of the skull and back to the trailer. He felt his arms go limp and fall to the mattress. The skull slipped from his numb fingers and tumbled to the floor. He watched it fall away.

He didn’t have the energy to care.

He stared at the wall as though it were a movie screen. Flashes of flesh played across his vision. Loud voices fluttered in the background, but Jacob paid them no mind. Warm flushes lapped at his body as he focused on the memories.

Jacob was oblivious to the shaking of the trailer. He barely registered the door to his bedroom being flung open.

“What the hell is—” His father stopped cold when he saw him. He had a broken table leg in his hand.

Jacob looked at his father. Shades of recognition pummeled past the cloudy murk of his mind.

His dad walked over to him and stared. Jacob struggled to focus his eyes. He watched through a blur as his father’s face turned a deep shade of red. His dad reached out, grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled him to his feet. Jacob didn’t seem to notice.

“That’s it,” his dad growled as he pulled Jacob out down the hall. At the front door, he tossed Jacob outside.

Jacob flew past the stairs and fell flat on his face. He groaned and rolled over. A trickle of blood ran warm from his nose.

The smile slipped from Jacob’s face as the pain sunk in. He stared up at his father and saw his fury coloring his cheeks. Ann stood behind him. She shook her head as she puffed lazily on a cigarette. Jacob wasn’t even sure where he was.

“You want to live by your own rules, then go and find someplace else to do it. I’m not going to have some drunken lowlife sponging off me like I owe him something.” He pointed a meaty finger at Jacob. “Get the hell off my property.”

The words sunk in, but Jacob couldn’t understand why his dad was so mad. He shook his head and got to his feet. He tried to say something. The front door slammed shut before he could. He heard the bolts slide home a second later. His father’s voice ranted loudly through the thin walls of the trailer.

Jacob’s head was a rambling cavalcade of images. The night air chilled the cold sweat that layered his body. He shivered and started toward the house, but a crash inside made him change his mind. Despite his confusion, he knew not to risk his father’s wrath.

Everything he owned was still inside, his clothes, his music. He knew he would have to leave it all behind, including Sharon’s skull. His heart sank as he thought about losing the skull. He would miss it most of all.

Spurred on by the cold air, he stumbled off into the night. He had no idea where to go, so he let his feet lead the way.

* * * *

Jacob found himself outside of Cass’s house. It had been his sanctuary for most of the six months he’d lived in town. It was all he knew.

The front windows dark, he slipped around the side. He didn’t bother to avoid the yard lights that illuminated him as he passed.

He reached the fence and barely managed to pull himself over. His entire body felt drained of strength. Almost in a daze, his world fluctuated between the cold gray of memories and the dark of night. He made his way to Cass’s window. He barely noticed the blood had been cleared away as he passed the back door.

He nearly ran headlong into a lawn chair as he looked at the stain. He caught himself and nudged past, trying not to fall over. The rope ladder dangled from her window and he could see the light on in Cass’s room.

He smiled when he saw it, latched his hands onto the rungs and started to climb. He made it five feet before his hands slipped loose and he fell with a shout. He hit the ground hard. Bright dots flickered before his eyes. He rolled over and saw Cass. She stared down at him.

She growled and put a finger to her lips, then climbed down the ladder. He got to his knees as her feet hit the ground. He smiled at her. It faded when he saw the fury in her eyes.