Fresh Flesh by Todd Russell Page B

here this Oswald guy killed the
President. Oswald claimed he was innocent in an interview on TV. Maybe that's how killing other people works , Kyle
thought . Blame the grassy knoll.
    "Kyle, dear, can you get the turkey out of
the oven?" Angela asked.
    "Sure," Kyle went to the oven, donning the
oversized cloth gloves. He opened the door with heat rushing out at
his face. Sliding the metal rack toward him he started to grab both
edges of the pan and locked eyes with the turkey.
    The head was gone and it seemed to be there
staring headless back at him, blaming him for its condition.
Charles had taken Kyle hunting and they'd caught the turkey
together. It was one of the few fond fatherly-like memories Kyle
had of the two of them.
    A turkey shoot , Charles had said too
many times. Charles was fond of clichés. He was the master of C
words: clichés, cruelty, crime .
    Yes, in the future, a mere two years after
Kyle went to college, Charles would be sent to prison for chopping
up cars. Another C word. Chop, chop.
    Back to the headless turkey that Kyle saw in
its death throes. Running around with blood squirting from its head
and now roasting in the oven at their foster home.
    We'll be eating you soon . Kyle licked
his lips.
    He pulled it out of the oven and his grip
loosened. Some scalding juice came out of the pan and burned his
flesh. "OW!" He lost control of the pan. The turkey and pan went
flying on the floor.
    "Kyle, are you ok?" Angela reached for Kyle's
hand.
    "Um, I think—yes, I'm ok. I'm sorry, Angela."
He had wanted to call Angela mom for some time, being that she was
the closest thing he'd ever known to a mom, but couldn't screw up
the courage. He was scared of getting that close to anybody. Even
though he would never be closer to another mother-like figure than
Angela.
    The garage door slammed shut and big steps
stomped toward the kitchen. Charles had come home from work. He
worked every holiday including Thanksgiving and Christmas. The look
in Charles eyes seeing the bird on the dirty floor cut through Kyle
like diamond.
    "Is this your work, boy?"
    "It was an accident, Charles, he—" Angela
started and Charles stuck his big white palm in the air.
    "There are no accidents with Kyle. Haven't
you learned that, woman?" He stood, glaring at Kyle.
    "It really was an accident, sir, I—"
    "Shut it, boy. I come home hungry for a
dinner. What are we going to eat now?"
    Angela had started to pick up the turkey when
Charles started stomping it with his foot. Turkey pieces flew every
direction.
    "Dog food now."
    "I didn't mean—" Kyle raised his hands in a
pleading motion.
    "Don't." Charles shook his dirty mechanic
nail finger at Kyle and then headed out of the room wiping the
crushed turkey off his work boot with a towel he'd snatched off the
counter. "Help me build a fire, boy."
    Kyle knew better not to say anything more. He
followed Charles to the fireplace.
    "We need some kindling to get this fire going
strong. Bring some to me."
    Kyle knew what Charles wanted from him and he
started shaking his head. Not his collections. No. Anything but
them.
    "If you don't get them, I will."
    They stared at each other with Kyle's heart
pounding. Charles sighed and pushed past Kyle, storming toward his
room.
    "Please, not them."
    Charles had always left his collections alone
but the threat was there.
    "You spend way too much time with childish
garbage," Charles told him as he went into the room and took down
three of his wood collections, one of them being the butterfly.
    Kyle rushed Charles from behind and knocked
the mounting boxes out of his hands. He reached for the butterfly
one and held it against his chest. Charles could burn the other
ones and he'd miss the hard work he put into them, but if something
happened to the butterfly? Unspeakable.
    He would do anything to protect the
butterfly.
    "A little vinegar today, huh boy? Good."
Charles chuckled, taking the other two and ripping down four more
wooden mats. He moved back into the