Authors: Dan Thomas
The Reckoning (24 page)
Royce’s jaw dropped; his gums broiled to the bone. Blind, he rolled away from Craig, deeper into the molten bed. Carly’s broiling body followed his lead, still pressed into him.
“
Royce…Yes!
”
He felt her love muscles flutter wildly. Then white hot. Latex melting.
“
Hold me!
”
Royce imagined he ejaculated.
The mattress liquefied and sucked to his sizzling skin, becoming part of him. His body curled tightly, crackling like a pork rind.
Finally, the mattress collapsed, water smothering him. Dragon’s roar.
He dove deep where it was colder, touched bottom, rose slowly to the silvered surface.
Reaching out to him—a black hand.
Nothingness…
Waking, in the house of pain.
22
Three Wise Men
“
Esse…?
”
The universe: a numbed, unblinking eye.
Tony stepped into the eye’s periphery, drawing closer.
Fevered whisperings: “You awake, Royce?”
Inhale, exhale, auto breathing. Beeping. Drip.
“Royce?”
Gurgles, tubes sucking saliva.
“Uhhh.”
“It’s okay. It’s me, Tony. Don’t try to talk.” Where Tony’s nose should have been was a beak of steel wrapped tape, nostrils made of tubing.
“Oneh.” Mouth immobilized. Mouth not here. Hardware. Where’s my mouth?
Just the eye. Nothing else.
“It’s Christmas Eve, Royce.”
Leslie?
The lawyer introduced a small, decorated tree into the eye’s world.
Merry Xmas, Royce. Tony, Carmen and the Kids.
“They’re gone, Royce. Those two psychos.”
“Egha.”
“Tom’s here, in town, came for the estate settlement.”
“Egha?”
“Tom has custody of Craig. The boy’s okay. A little beat up. Couldn’t talk for a couple days, but the grief therapist said that was normal. Craig’s young enough to get through it. Probably opening presents tonight.”
Blink, please.
Danger: dilation.
Tony was reading from a matchbook cover.
“I jotted it down for you. They call it the Rangevertiz Process. Severed the nerves, so you don’t feel the pain.”
Tony slipped the matchbook into his left coat pocket; right sleeve, empty.
Safe now. Retracting.
“The Ravens were six and ten.”
“Off.”
“Hate to tell you, Royce, but you’re famous. There’s an army of media types camped out in front of the hospital with their microwave dishes. You’ve been out of your head. Did you really think those two were zombies?”
“Zom…”
“I’d better let you get some rest, bud. I’m here, when you need me…”
“Ouuueee, look at you. You is one ugly dude.”
What’s dat?
“Better get my coat off you. Nurse is a real bitch. Don’t see how it matters, though, the way they got you wrapped up like the Mummy. Why, the only thing that works on you is that stinkin’ eye. Doc says you’ll probably lose it anyway, cause you don’t have an eyelid. Hell, even your jamoke was burned off. Nuts, too. You’re doin’ your number one out of a tube, and how your BMs are workin’ I don’t have a clue. Man, they’ll have to pump you full of testosterone just to keep you from growing tits and taking up the viola.
“Ah! And that’s the good news!”
Cal boomed a laugh.
“Seriously, though, the Jews say when you’ve got your health, you’ve got everything. So I guess you’re down to nothing.”
Hee Haw.
“What you do have, Royce, are enough problems to keep an army of bloodsucking lawyers and plastic surgeons enjoying the good life well into the new century. Why, some of the crimes they’ve accused you of aren’t even on the books yet. The tabs are going to make a sham of what little dignity you have left. And that Swiss cheese health insurance policy you took out as being self-employed? Shit, you tapped that out three, four days after I pulled you out of the roaster. You better hope a national health plan passes soon, or you’re screwed.”
“Ucker.”
“But some things, slim as they are, happen to be in your favor. You’ve got Tony Garza working for you. A good man, a competent lawyer. Too bad about his nose. Why he’s stood by you I’ll never know. And that Marvin Garden was one smart cookie. He didn’t trust you, Royce, so he wore a wire, even up to the time that vampire cut his head off. From the tapes the cops found they’ll be able to piece together some of what happened, might even chalk it all up to satanic cult craziness and let you cop a plea of self defense in the murders of those two ghouls.
“Those frightened kids at Craig’s school will make some great witnesses, if the child psychologists don’t get their hands on ‘em first. And Brenda. You owe that woman the best rib dinner in town for hustling that rifle out of your office.”
“Bennnah?”
“Don’t try to talk. I just ate.”
Guffaw guffaw.
“I gotta go now. Took a new job with Anheuser Busch in St. Louis. I’ll check in on you, in ten years or so when you’re not so butt ugly.
“And hey, I think you’re going to make it, Royce. Unless you’ve got the guts to off yourself first.”
“Kaa.”
“There’s a kid in the waiting room whose been trying to get in to see you, wish you a Merry Christmas and all.”
Please, closer. I can’t bite.
“You awake, Royce?”
“Egha?”
Face full of repulsion. Eyes so big, hollow. Shit scared out of him.
“They said I shouldn’t make you talk.”
“Egha.”
“I guess they’re still feeding you with these tubes. Dad—Tom is waiting for me down the hall. I’m going back with him to LA. Mom, she uh, they took her out there already.”
“Kay.”
“I want you to know. About Mom, I mean…what happened. It was awful. It was bad what you did. I hate you for it. I sorta hate myself, too. All the shit I gave her. All she did wrong was love us.” He choked a sob. “I miss her a lot.”
“Esse.”
“It’s weird, because I’ll miss you, too. I will. Okay?”
The boy turned to go, paused. “Oh, and I want you to know: I still have thirty-three dollars left.”
About The Author
Dan Thomas is also the author of
Dark Highway
. He currently resides in Denver, Colorado.
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