Cul-De-Sac, page 5
“Which probably won’t come up.”
His granddad winked at him.
“That’s a real enough point. Unless we have to use him on a mission, sometime?”
Laura nodded, but then chuckled.
“I think he gets a bit of time, before he has to save the world, all by himself.”
There was a weird look, from Jim then, locking on his wife. It was slightly sad seeming.
“Maybe. Or we might need him sooner than that. He’s planning to head over to blue tomorrow, to put notes on the doors of the vampires, to see if they want lawn work done. He’s been here for twenty-five hours and already has that much worked out. He got that information from Elizabeth Applegate, herself. On their first meeting.”
The older woman, who didn’t look it at all, blinked.
“What does that mean?”
Jim, seeming muscular and upright, shook his head, his square, powerful seeming jaw, tensing a little as he locked his teeth together. Then, after a bit, he relaxed.
“I have no clue. He’s also planning to help Mr. Prentis with his new sacrificial altar.”
There was a pause then.
“Oh. That’s advanced, then. Did you find out why he wants an altar?”
That was a good question.
“Um, no? I assumed it was for magic. The kind you use blood for? He was open about that and claimed that it was for animals only, so animal sacrifice, unless he was lying about that. About ten feet across, though we might go with a pentagon shape. That should be large enough for some bigger animals, or, I guess, humans.” He shrugged, which was fake.
For some reason he didn’t love the idea of human sacrifices for magical purposes. Mainly, of course, because as far as Jake knew, he was one of the only people available there for that kind of thing. Worse, if anyone needed a virgin sacrifice, it was going to be hard for him to hide that part, too. None of this was spoken of, out loud. The others didn’t refute the idea, either.
Instead, Laura winked at him and gave a nod.
“We need to get you some range time, on the base. As soon as you’re cleared. That and work on running. Once your foot finishes healing? You walked a lot today, how is that feeling?”
Jim looked concerned, but jake was just honest about it.
“Red, sore and weeping a bit. I have to keep it clean, but it’s healing. That...”
His grandfather seemed concerned, but Laura didn’t tell on him. Meaning she hadn’t shared his story with her own husband. Not yet at least. It probably meant they were good with secrets.
Blowing out, hard, he cleared his throat.
“Right. Um, mom and dad were attacked by a flame creature. That looked like a man. I kicked it and melted my shoe to the bottom of my right foot. I had chunks of plastic and rubber coming off until about two weeks ago. Now I have to keep it moving, so the scars don’t tighten up and leave me crippled. At least one of the doctors mentioned something like that. It still weeps, a bit, if I walk a lot.”
The man glanced at the burn scar on Jake’s arm, and simply nodded, not asking any questions. Then, there wasn’t a lot more to the story. Not unless he wanted to learn about how much his grandson hated the police. A thing that, even he knew, might not be totally fair. They hadn’t caught some kind of fire monster, and thought he’d murdered his parents. That kind of mistake probably worked for them, most of the time.
Jim stretched, muscles bunching and leaving him looking like a bodybuilder for a moment. One posing on a stage. Not oiled up, but still, large and with veins showing in places they probably shouldn’t be.
When he was done, he nodded.
“So, the plan is running and shooting, for self-defense?” He locked eyes with Jacob, as if he were supposed to know the answer.
Smiling a bit, not meaning it, he shook his head.
“No? For that I get to use politeness and I think there was a hint at being so useful to everyone that no one would want to lose me? I’m not sure if yard work is enough for that, to be honest. I’ll probably have to help hide the bodies and smuggle in contraband, as well.”
For once, in the whole day that he’d known the man, Jim smiled in a way that was probably real, getting the joke, as it was. There was a slow nod then.
“Make sure you clear all of it with the guards, first. What’s allowed here is ridiculous in a lot of ways, but you can’t risk making them angry at you. One way to do that is paperwork. On top of the other duties, of course. Still, running and shooting as a backup plan? We need to get you a weapon of some sort for that.”
Laura stood up, and left the room, but called out, from the kitchen, across the small bar that was there. It had two tall stools at it, and was painted white, with a real wooden countertop, to match the large kitchen space on the other side.
“I gave him my old thirty-two for that. It’s a good starter weapon for targeting and learning how to care for that kind of thing. Plus, too small to kill us with, if he goes off the rails. Not that he killed his parents. That report was a bit... Well, civilians, you know?”
Jacob wasn’t following all of what was being said, since it was clearly in shorthand. Also, if he had the ability to even fake having control over fire on the level of the killer, he probably wouldn’t need a gun to kill with. Thinking that, of course, caused a flashback. He tried to hide it, but that meant going still and just sitting there. Obviously enough that Jim was watching him, when he finally looked up.
Seeming concerned.
Blinking, shaken and probably pale, Jake closed his eyes.
“PTSD, probably. Undiagnosed, of course. They didn’t really have a lot of resources that way in jail.”
That part had been less than fun, of course. His grandparents hadn’t brought it up, but he’d been held the whole time in lockup, a lot of that in isolation or in medical, due to his injuries. That had lasted for two weeks after he’d been told that the charges had all been dropped. No one had explained why that was to him and his court appointed lawyer had stopped visiting, after letting him know he was good and should, eventually, be getting out.
The woman hadn’t really been that great at her job, but he’d been getting the help for free, so probably couldn’t complain about that part. Then, the day before, in the afternoon, he’d been pulled from his cell, and released, to find Jim and Laura standing there, looking like action heroes from a movie, dressed up to pretend to be regular people.
Claiming that Jim Hines was his dad’s father. That they were related. Then they hadn’t even bothered to mention why they both looked at least forty years too young to be who they were claiming to be. Still, if they were pretending, they were, in their own odd way, living the role. He also wasn’t in solitary confinement any longer, which was nice. That had been hard, really.
Not wanting to break down, he made himself forget all of that, for the moment. Then realized he should probably help get things from the kitchen, even if he was a little tired. Standing, he moved in that direction. Holding his hands out, to indicate he could carry the pot roast, or potatoes that were coming out of the oven.
Laura set the large oval pan on the counter, then moved in and hugged him. Which got him to chuckle but do it back. Just in a friendly way, even if she was too good looking for a grandmother.
“Um, my hands were close together? International sign of, I can help carry? Not out wide?” He stood back and showed the difference, which had Jim nodding at least.
“I noticed that one, but you know how it is... One of our men was in the shit, so we have to prop him up until he’s back on his feet.” The man stopped talking then, realizing that he was dropping clues.
Which Jake didn’t comment on, just nodding.
“Thanks. Anyway, food? I missed lunch. Locked out of the house. Ken is getting me a key, and said I can be let in, if I ask, but I ended up working the whole time. I need to get an earlier start, in the morning. Um, you’re going to be gone for a while?” He waved a bit. “On the mission I don’t know about?”
Instead of glaring at him, there was just a nod.
“I can’t give specifics. This is... Slightly dangerous, but nothing we can’t handle. Laura’s team isn’t on this one, so she’ll be here, most likely. Unless something else comes up. In that case, for now, you’ll need to hold down the fort here. So far, your mission set seems to have you working locally, so that works.” The man was playing of course.
The tone had shifted, and it was clear that he was treating Jacob like a kid. Which he was, but still, in the moment he didn’t feel that way. Part of his soul was just... Ancient, now. Tired, as well. Jaded and slightly annoyed at being patronized. Not that he mentioned that idea.
Instead, he moved in and helped move the roast from the cooking pan to a serving dish, and then, as Laura arranged the potatoes, moved the other parts of the meal, including the salad and side veggies and bread over to the table. When they all sat, some three minutes later, Laura looked at him and nodded.
“Thank you, for the help. Is this all right? You said you eat almost anything...”
He nodded, but knew speaking was needed, as well.
“This is great. Probably too fancy, really. I’ll try to get in earlier, most nights, so I can help with making it? Then I can sneak in burgers and pizza part of the time.” He grinned, and got one back, from the others.
Jim shrugged.
“We can do that, too, I bet. Especially if you’re making it. It’s hard to order in here, but shopping is shopping, and we can go off base to eat. Out of Terrace Springs, I mean. Most nights we eat in.”
That made sense, even if his parents had ordered things like that, about four nights a week. It was probably just going to be a lot harder, there, that way.
Thinking, he shrugged.
“I can’t drive. I mean, Ken is letting me do that here, but not out on the real roads. I had the tractor out today, pulling one of the trailers. That was fun. I could... Get an Uber or something? For shopping? That or... use a service for that and pick it up at the front gate?”
No one spoke for a bit, but after a while, Laura started to nod. It was several minutes later, leaving Jacob wondering if he’d said something wrong. Instead, she twisted her mouth a bit.
“That second one is probably the best plan. No one has thought to do that, yet. You’d have to arrange the delivery times, but other than that, it should work well. I can get you a list, for that?”
Nodding, he ate. The roast was good. It all was.
There wasn’t a lot of talking after that, until the meal was finished. There was no dessert on offer, which was fine. Honestly, Jacob didn’t really feel like doing anything but going to bed. After he did the dishes. Not that he wanted to, but pulling his own weight was pretty much needed and little chores were all he could really manage for these people.
Laura helped package up the leftovers, and put them in the fridge, which he pointed at.
“That’s lunch? Unless we need to turn it into dinner tomorrow?” There was a lot of it left, so that could be the plan.
She nodded.
“You can pack that with you? You need to eat, if you can. How... How are you holding up? This is all new, and that can throw people off, at first. This isn’t really a great situation for a kid.”
He nodded.
“It’s also not solitary confinement. I mean, I’m not really certain this is real at all, or if I’m being kidnapped by some kind of strange television show, but it’s still better than where I was, so... yeah.”
Jim was on the other side of the counter, not helping for some reason. Just standing there, watching them work. His eyes were green, Jacob noticed. Like his own.
“Kidnapped?”
That got a nod.
“Sure. I mean, you’re claiming to be my grandpa? Granted, you look a bit like my dad, but have you bothered looking in a mirror lately? You look like you’re thirty. Maybe even just late twenties. Laura is even younger seeming than that. Claiming to be dad’s brother makes more sense, given that. Then, this place... I mean, I get the story, but why have a half prison like this? With curfews and walls, but letting people come and go? That very nearly doesn’t make any sense at all. Only...”
They were both watching him, far too closely, for some reason.
Laura nodded at him, to get him to go on.
“Only?”
“Right, well, no one would do this just for me. Meaning this is actually what it seems or my mind broke and I actually burned the house down and killed my parents. I can’t feel the straitjacket, though.” He tried to tug side to side, to show what he meant.
Jim gave him a very serious look.
“I can confirm this is all real. That doesn’t mean, given the small amount of information we’re allowed to provide you, that you can, or even should trust that. Still, this isn’t an insane asylum, and you seem to be processing reality pretty well, from the outside looking at you. Also, from the report, your house didn’t burn down. There was fire damage, but only in places. Burned-in footsteps on the ground. Those didn’t match your shoe size. Too big, by about half.”
Which meant nothing, if he’d invented some kind of killer fire suit. Big burning boots made sense, if he needed insulation on the inside of it for protection. He didn’t mention that part. For the first time though, he realized that he could have done something like that. Not easily, since he wasn’t some kind of craft genius, to be making fireproof clothing, but even the burn on his arm, a clear handprint, could have been made by him, to fake being attacked.
Then, if he’d delayed calling the cops, he could have gotten rid of the whole outfit somewhere and made his fake claim of a man on fire having attacked.
Jake hadn’t done any of that, but suddenly it didn’t seem nearly as impossible as it had been before. Except the part where he’d loved his parents and wouldn’t have hurt them.
Realizing he’d been lost inside of himself again, he finally rallied, the others staring at him closely.
“Yeah. Anyway, I should get this cleaned up, and then get to bed. I need to be up early.”
No one spoke to him, after that.
Chapter four
By being pushy, Jacob had printed letters to go out to the houses that needed them, as well as a list of recommendations for places that needed lawn care from some of the guards, by nine the next morning. Calley let him go behind the desk and use a typing program to write the whole thing, then proofread it for him and made corrections, so he wouldn’t sound like a little kid.
Then they printed out seventy of the things, so that each house would be able to have one. The slightly goofy, but friendly woman patted him on the back as she handed those to him.
“Most of the people here won’t use your services, for various reasons. Still, making the offer will be seen as nice, by most. Especially if they need trash or bodies removed. We need to get that part logged in, so that, you know, if it ever actually comes up, it’s official.” She didn’t so much as crack a grin, and actually started some paperwork, which he was required to help with, covering the various kinds of trash removal, as well as being handed a book, at the end.
The title was interesting.
“Biohazard Waste Removal and Control.” That was the title, but it wasn’t a vast thing, really. The cover was soft, made of cardboard, like a paperback novel. That was bright red and yellow.
Calley nodded.
“There’s a test, to be cleared for that, so read this and get back with me as soon as you’re ready. It should take less than a week for that. When you have that one, I can give you the next course. There are sixty-three of them, in all.” She went blank, which probably meant it was a joke. Homework, to tease the little boy with.
Still, he had the book and other than some lawn care duties that Ken had, rather clearly, made up for him to do, nothing else to keep him busy at all.
This way, at least he had a book.
“I’ll get right on this. I should go and pass those out, then get to the real work. I’m doing gold today. Only four of the places, so far. Is there anything else that needs to be done?” There probably wasn’t going to be any emergency landscaping needed. “Oh, right! Can I order in cement and stuff like that? Mr. Prentis, in gold, wants to put in an altar for sacrifices in his back yard. Animals only. So far, at least. He was pretty firm on that part. I’ll get the specs later today, but I don’t know the rules for that kind of thing.”
That, it turned out, was more paperwork. Things he needed to take with him, since Mr. Prentis needed to sign off on a few things, being it was for his place.
The guard lady waved at him as she handed those over.
“Take that and get it in as early as possible. We can order working materials like that. Even hire people to do the work. Which, for this it sounds like that’s you. Make sure you look at the water system and power layout first, so you don’t hit anything while you dig. Let us know here, if there are any problems you can’t handle? Really, report in, each day, even if everything is cool. Just talk to whoever is at the front desk that day for that or leave a note.”
One thing that was clear, Jim, whoever he really was, had not misled him about the love of paperwork for the place. Or, really, how to game the system there, by doing a lot of it.
He walked for the first part of the day, going from house to house, to pass out the fliers. Then, after eating leftovers out of Tupperware in the form of a dry sandwich, with a lot of lettuce on it, he started in on the lawn care for gold. It took a few hours, but even checking in with Mr. Prentis and filling out the paperwork for the items they needed to order, he was finished by three in the afternoon. Also, of course, locked out of the house.
Instead of whining, he found some shade under a tree, in the back yard and settled in, to read. All about how to handle potentially hazardous waste. The booklet did cover moving bodies, both human and animal, as well as disposing of them, but most of it was about handling chemical spills. It was pretty basic, and a lot of the real answers came down to call in the hazardous materials team. Even for little things, like spills of gas that were more than ten gallons.
