care!
Seeing the world through his eyes, I want to strangle Gary.
KILL HIM!
I will his hands to grab Gary’s throat
.
Nothing. Nada. Zip
.
Not even a muscle spasm.
I can’t control his mind or his body
.
SHIT! Possession must be “for demons only.”
Is this what I stuck around for?
To watch them go on with their lives while my body rots?
Not happening.
In an instant, I’m back in my own body.
It’s nothing but a shell now, but—
Home is where the heart is.
A flatulent sound split the silence, and Eric stared at Gary with disgust.
“It wasn’t me,” Gary said, looking at Johnny. “It was him. It’s just escaping gas.” He turned to Karen. “Get the door!”
Hurrying ahead of them, Karen opened the driver’s side door. Gary guided Johnny headfirst into the car, then he and Eric pushed the corpse across the seat until Johnny’s ass rested where it belonged. Gary ran around the car and opened the passenger door. Eric turned to Karen, hoping she would protest their actions, but she just passed a sleeve beneath her runny nose.
Gary hopped in beside Johnny with a determined look on his face, then grabbed the corpse by its shoulders and propped it upright. Johnny fell face-first into the steering wheel. Gary held him up with his left hand, then fastened the seat belt and shoulder strap and slid out of the car. He closed the door and Johnny slumped forward.
Joining Eric, Gary spotted something glinting in the pale light. Leaning across Johnny, he retrieved Eric’s unopened beer. He pulled the tab, triggering a soft explosion of foam. Eric flinched and wiped suds from his face. Gary took a single sip from the can, then poured beer over Johnny’s head, drenching his hair and leather jacket.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Toast to the dead,” Gary said. “Sign of respect.” He tossed the can onto the passenger seat.
“If you say so. Now what?”
Gary slammed the door and the dome light went out. “We give our man here a burial at sea.”
I don’t care how long it takes: their asses are mine.
Chapter 6
They walked back along Willow Road, with only an occasional streetlight for guidance, their feet kicking snow. Gary clenched his hands into fists as Karen sobbed. Sobered by the cold, Eric put one arm around her shoulders. It felt strange, comforting Johnny’s girl. She leaned against him, making him feel needed.
We’re never going to get away with this
, he thought.
When they had gotten a quarter of a mile away from the bridge, headlights appeared in the distance.
“Get down!” Gary said.
They ran along a ditch, searching for a spot to hide, but snow had filled it. Leaping across it, Gary jogged to a nearby fence. Eric made the jump as well. Grabbing a wooden post for balance, Gary threw one leg over barbed wire and slid through the barrier.
Karen’s right leg disappeared into the ditch and she cried out. The headlights grew closer, the coughing sounds of an old engine louder. Eric grabbed her outstretched hands and pulled her out. They ran to the fence and Gary helped her climb between the wire strands.
“Hurry up!” Gary said.
Eric climbed through the same way he’d seen Gary do it, and the three of them huddled behind the post, their breathing labored. The truck turned left before reaching them and traveled a desolate dirt road with no streetlights. Within seconds, darkness and snowfall devoured it.
“Shit,” Gary said.
Karen covered her eyes with one hand. “That was close.”
Eric said nothing. What had he gotten himself into?
Murder,
he thought.
My best friend’s murder.
The light from passing cars splashed the dark windows of Johnny’s house.
“Nobody’s home,” Gary said.
“It’s nine thirty,” Eric said. “Charlie went downtown an hour ago.”
“Poor Charlie,” Karen said.
“Let’s go,” Gary said.
Emerging from the grape vineyard, the trio approached Gary’s truck, parked at the far end of the driveway. Gary climbed in and started
Seeing the world through his eyes, I want to strangle Gary.
KILL HIM!
I will his hands to grab Gary’s throat
.
Nothing. Nada. Zip
.
Not even a muscle spasm.
I can’t control his mind or his body
.
SHIT! Possession must be “for demons only.”
Is this what I stuck around for?
To watch them go on with their lives while my body rots?
Not happening.
In an instant, I’m back in my own body.
It’s nothing but a shell now, but—
Home is where the heart is.
A flatulent sound split the silence, and Eric stared at Gary with disgust.
“It wasn’t me,” Gary said, looking at Johnny. “It was him. It’s just escaping gas.” He turned to Karen. “Get the door!”
Hurrying ahead of them, Karen opened the driver’s side door. Gary guided Johnny headfirst into the car, then he and Eric pushed the corpse across the seat until Johnny’s ass rested where it belonged. Gary ran around the car and opened the passenger door. Eric turned to Karen, hoping she would protest their actions, but she just passed a sleeve beneath her runny nose.
Gary hopped in beside Johnny with a determined look on his face, then grabbed the corpse by its shoulders and propped it upright. Johnny fell face-first into the steering wheel. Gary held him up with his left hand, then fastened the seat belt and shoulder strap and slid out of the car. He closed the door and Johnny slumped forward.
Joining Eric, Gary spotted something glinting in the pale light. Leaning across Johnny, he retrieved Eric’s unopened beer. He pulled the tab, triggering a soft explosion of foam. Eric flinched and wiped suds from his face. Gary took a single sip from the can, then poured beer over Johnny’s head, drenching his hair and leather jacket.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Toast to the dead,” Gary said. “Sign of respect.” He tossed the can onto the passenger seat.
“If you say so. Now what?”
Gary slammed the door and the dome light went out. “We give our man here a burial at sea.”
I don’t care how long it takes: their asses are mine.
Chapter 6
They walked back along Willow Road, with only an occasional streetlight for guidance, their feet kicking snow. Gary clenched his hands into fists as Karen sobbed. Sobered by the cold, Eric put one arm around her shoulders. It felt strange, comforting Johnny’s girl. She leaned against him, making him feel needed.
We’re never going to get away with this
, he thought.
When they had gotten a quarter of a mile away from the bridge, headlights appeared in the distance.
“Get down!” Gary said.
They ran along a ditch, searching for a spot to hide, but snow had filled it. Leaping across it, Gary jogged to a nearby fence. Eric made the jump as well. Grabbing a wooden post for balance, Gary threw one leg over barbed wire and slid through the barrier.
Karen’s right leg disappeared into the ditch and she cried out. The headlights grew closer, the coughing sounds of an old engine louder. Eric grabbed her outstretched hands and pulled her out. They ran to the fence and Gary helped her climb between the wire strands.
“Hurry up!” Gary said.
Eric climbed through the same way he’d seen Gary do it, and the three of them huddled behind the post, their breathing labored. The truck turned left before reaching them and traveled a desolate dirt road with no streetlights. Within seconds, darkness and snowfall devoured it.
“Shit,” Gary said.
Karen covered her eyes with one hand. “That was close.”
Eric said nothing. What had he gotten himself into?
Murder,
he thought.
My best friend’s murder.
The light from passing cars splashed the dark windows of Johnny’s house.
“Nobody’s home,” Gary said.
“It’s nine thirty,” Eric said. “Charlie went downtown an hour ago.”
“Poor Charlie,” Karen said.
“Let’s go,” Gary said.
Emerging from the grape vineyard, the trio approached Gary’s truck, parked at the far end of the driveway. Gary climbed in and started
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