Scratch, page 10
“No,” Shelley murmured in the dark.
And then they laugh. He’ll never want you. Not the way he wants her.
Shelley knotted her fists at her sides. She looked around the room. Empty beer cans on the floor, a jar of Vaseline by the bed. She saw a vibrator on the nightstand and gasped. What kind of woman was her sister?
They talk about both of them having you at the same time, Scratch said. What do they say? Incest is best.
Shelley heard the noise of the mover’s truck rattling into town. She swallowed her rage and snuck out of the apartment. She would do something to get even with them. She didn’t know what yet, but she would. She glided down the steps and went back into the store before the truck pulled into the lot.
* * * * *
“You go in and ask,” Elmer said. “I’m just gonna sit here in the truck a spell. My feet are killing me.” The parking lot at the store was full of the cars of people who had driven in for church. Elmer blocked some in, hoping they would be gassed up and away before anyone had to leave.
“Okay. I’ll let you know what I find out.” Joe opened the door and hopped out, then walked across the lot to the front of the store. The lights were still on inside, so he pushed the door and went in. A small bell jingled above his head.
“Hello,” he called. “Anybody here?”
“Yeah.” Shelley stepped out from the back room. “Can I help you with something?”
“We need some gas. Is there anyplace in town to get some?”
“Well,” Shelley said as she walked out in front of the counter, “there’s an emergency tank out back, but I don’t have the key.”
scratch scratch
He’s cute, Scratch whispered. It would serve Jim right if you cheated on him. Take him upstairs. Fuck him on Jim’s bed.
“Maybe,” Shelley said, “the key is upstairs. Wanna come with me and look?” She moved forward and pressed herself against Joe. The invitation in her eyes was unmistakable.
Do her, Scratch said to Joe, then scraped around in his mind to see what he could discover. Mona will never know. She hasn’t been paying attention to you anyway. Do her, then leave.
“I don’t know.” Joe glanced over his shoulder and out the front window.
He could take you out of here, Scratch said to Shelley. Fuck him, and then he’ll take you away from here. You want out, don’t you?
Shelley grabbed Joe’s face in her hands and pressed her lips against his. There was a moment’s hesitation, then she felt his tongue respond.
She’s such a slut. Is that what you want, Joe? It is, isn’t it? Mona isn’t a slut anymore, is she? Do her then get out of here.
“Slut,” Joe murmured as they kissed. She pulled away quickly.
“What did you say?”
See, he knows what you are. What you’ll always be, Shelley. He’ll use you and leave.
“Nothing,” Joe stammered. “I’m married, and…”
And he thought you were easy. He wanted to hurt you. You should hurt him. You know how.
“Fine,” she snapped. “My mistake. Jim has the key to the gas tank. He’s over at the church, along with everyone else. Why don’t you go get him? They won’t mind.” She turned and stomped away into the back room.
Joe shook his head, then walked out of the store.
Shelley poked her head out of the storage room. Her heart raced and fear made her sweat. She almost yelled out to him to come back, but the hurt part of her kept her silent. She had set events in motion that now had to play out. Jim was at the church, after all, and tonight was a special night.
A healing night.
* * * * *
“Hey Elmer,” Joe called to the truck. “I’m heading over to the church to get Jim to help us out.” Elmer nodded and waved Joe on, and then leaned his head back to grab some shuteye.
Joe walked over the small footbridge and onto the lawn of the First Church of the Blessed Angel. Bluish light poured out of the tall windows, and Joe heard singing. He hadn’t been inside a church since his wedding last fall, and that had been the first time in years. He always felt awkward in churches, small and insignificant, as if he were guilty of something.
He could still taste Shelley on his tongue. There was a slightly greasy film on his lips from her lipstick. He wanted her, no doubt. What had made him say something so stupid?
He walked up the six stone steps to the front doors of the church. The singing was louder now, and Joe recognized the chorus of “The Old Rugged Cross.” He hated to interfere, but they really needed gas. Maybe he could just poke his head in and get Jim’s attention without a lot of fuss.
He opened the right hand door and stepped into a foyer. A bell rope hung from a hole in the ceiling. There was a slight odor of must and wood cleaner. A set of swinging doors led into the main part of the church.
“I will cling, to the old rugged cross,” the parishioners wailed, accompanied by a weak piano line.
Joe carefully pushed against the swinging doors, trying not to make too much noise. He was assailed by warm, blue light as he looked into the church.
Joe saw the first and last miracle of his life.
A small girl stood at the front of the congregation, large white wings spread around her. Heavenly light bathed her features.
“What the hell?” Joe muttered.
The singing came to an abrupt end as everyone in the room turned to stare at him. Mouths were open in surprise, and something else; fear Joe thought. He recognized April Toland standing at the altar. A thin man in a black suit stood next to her, holding a large bible. Slowly, everyone turned to look at this man, seeking guidance and leadership.
Raz Toland cleared his throat, uncomfortable with his position and with what he knew must come next.
“Can we help you?” he asked.
“We…” Joe began, unable to take his eyes from the apparition in front of him. Gabrielle looked into his face, and in her unfathomable blue eyes Joe thought he saw understanding, and compassion beyond anything he had ever dreamt of.
“We need gas,” he finished weakly.
“I see,” Raz said. “Well, we’ll do what we have to under these circumstances.” He turned to his wife and said, “April, would you continue with the service please?” She nodded, face white and drawn. Raz stepped down from the altar and into the aisle between the pews.
“Jim, Ed, Larry,” he said. “Could you assist me, please?” The three men rose from their seats. Raz looked at Jack Hardy.
“I can’t.” Sadness washed over Jack’ss face. “I’ve done this too many times.”
“Which is why I need you, Jack,” Raz said. “Your part will be minor. I promise.” Jack lowered his head for a moment, then stood and fell in line.
“Nellie,” Raz said. The widow looked up from her place at the piano. “Could you begin another hymn? I think number 132 would be good.” Nellie slowly flipped through the pages of her songbook, then began to play. The congregation hesitantly took up the melody as Raz and the others took Joe by the arms and escorted him out of the church.
“There will be showers of blessing!” the congregation sang.
Gabrielle resumed her healing.
* * * * *
scratch scratch
He floated around their heads, leaping from one mind to another. He could taste the tension, the shame and guilt that were already beginning to grow. Joe wasn’t afraid yet, not really, but that would come. Scratch shivered in anticipation of the feast.
* * * * *
“What was that?” Joe said as the men led him across the church lawn. “Was that an angel? What’s going on in there?”
“Shut up!” Jim said. “Goddammit, just shut up!” His beefy hands wrapped tightly around Joe’s arm. Ed held him on the other side.
“It’s gonna be fun,” Ed said.
“Shut up, Ed,” Jim said. “Stupid fucker, ain’t nothing fun about this.”
“No.” Raz’s voice cracked with emotion. “Just something we have to do. This hasn’t happened in a long time.”
“Not since before your dad died,” Larry said. He and Jack were walking behind Joe and the others.
“I have to do this.” It sounded like Raz was trying to convince himself.
“Why the hell did you have to come to the church, Joe?” Jim asked. “Goddammit, I liked you guys.”
“The girl said I could find you there,” Joe explained.
“Girl?” Jim said. “Aw, shit. Shelley, what the fuck did you start?”
They crossed the bridge and went to the front of the store. Ed went to his Buick and opened the trunk. He pulled out a shotgun, checked to make sure it was loaded, and then returned. He leveled it at Joe’s head and smiled.
“Don’t make me use it,” Ed said. Jack lowered his head in shame.
* * * * *
scratch scratch
There was the fear. Scratch inhaled its musky scent and allowed the flavor to seep in.
* * * * *
“What?” Joe said. His heart pounded, and he was sweating in spite of the night air.
Jim let go of Joe’s arm and walked toward the mover’s truck. He reached under his flannel shirt and pulled a .38 Special out of the holster tucked into the small of his back. He opened the door of the truck. Elmer jerked awake and stared with groggy eyes into the barrel of the gun.
“Get out,” Jim said. “Don’t make this hard.” Elmer swallowed, then did as he was told. “Keep your hands where I can see them,” Jim said.
“What’s this about?” Elmer demanded.
“Keeping your nose out of our business,” Jim said. “I’m sorry, but this is the way is has to be.” They went back to the storefront. Elmer stood by Joe, fear and astonishment on both their faces.
“What the hell did you do?” Elmer asked.
“They have an angel,” Joe said.
“What?” Elmer asked.
“Shut up!” Ed yelled, and slammed the butt of the shotgun against Elmer’s head. Elmer dropped to his knees, blinded by blood. The wet cigar flew from his mouth. Ed giggled and leveled the shotgun.
* * * * *
Thank you, Ed, Scratch shuddered in delight. This was beautiful. This was pure. Scratch may have whispered in a few ears, but they were doing all of this on their own. Don’t kill them yet, Scratch thought. Fear was like wine; it got better with age.
* * * * *
“Goddammit, Ed!” Jim yelled. “That’s enough of that shit!”
“Jim’s right,” Jack said. “It’s bad enough. We don’t have to torture them as well.” Ed scowled, but backed down. Elmer moaned on the ground.
“Okay, Raz,” Jack said. “How do we do this?”
“I…” Raz began. He was nervous. This went against the Bible, he knew, but a sacred duty had been entrusted to him, to his whole family. He must protect the community. He must protect Gabrielle. She could not be freed, for if she were, something else, something evil, Raz believed, would be freed as well.
“Okay,” he said, gathering his courage. “The old ways work best. Jim… you, Ed and Larry take them up to the Boneyard. Jack, I need you to get rid of their truck.”
“Okay, Raz,” Jack said. “Thanks. I’ve been up to the Boneyard too many times.”
“Shelley!” Jim yelled when he saw her peeking out of the store. She jumped at his voice. Her chest was constricted in fear, but a part of her was excited. She had caused this, she knew. It felt powerful.
“Yeah?” she said through the open door.
“There’s some shovels in the back room,” Jim said. “Go get them and put them in my truck.”
“Okay.” Her eyes met Joe's briefly. She saw panic there, and a plea for help. She flashed him a Reject me, will you? look, then went to find the shovels.
“Stupid girl,” Jim muttered, then addressed Elmer and Joe. “Okay, you two. Help him up, then head over toward my truck. Get in the back, and don’t try anything.”
Joe took Elmer by the arm and helped him to his feet. They shuffled toward the parking lot.
“Why are you doing this?” Elmer’s words were slurred with pain. “I don’t understand”
“Because we have to,” Jack said.
“May I suggest, gentlemen,” Raz said, “that if you believe in God, now is the time for you to get right with him in your hearts. It’s not a long drive. Spend it in prayer.”
“What are you going to do, Raz?” Larry looked uncomfortable, but determined.
“Go back to the church,” Raz said. “I need to finish the service. Let the people know that everything has been taken care of. That we helped these men on their way.” He bowed his head and chanted a brief prayer, then turned and walked back across the footbridge.
“Ed,” Jim said, obviously in charge now that Raz was gone. “Give the gun to Larry. You’re going to drive.” He pulled his truck key out of his pocket and thrust it at Ed.
“I wanna sit in the back,” Ed said. The gun never wavered.
“You wanna torment these men,” Jim said. “There’s no need for that. Give the gun to Larry.”
Ed’s eyes challenged Jim, and then quickly looked away. He scowled, but handed the 12-gauge to Larry. Ed brushed a hank of greasy hair out of his eyes and took the truck key from Jim. He got in the cab and slammed the door. A moment later the truck was running.
“Get on up there,” Jim said to Elmer and Joe. He gestured to the bed of his truck with his pistol. Larry reluctantly pointed the shotgun at the men as they climbed over the bumper.
Shelley came out of the store, awkwardly carrying a pair of shovels. She laid them in the bed of the truck, then stood back and stared at Joe. Her eyes were filled with malevolence and hunger.
“Can I go with you?” she asked.
“No,” Jim said. “Haven’t you done enough as it is? Get back in the store, or better yet, just go home, and think about what you’ve done. Do you know what danger this puts the whole town in? Jesus, girl, what were you thinking. Could you be any stupider?”
Shelly jerked back as if she had been struck. A look of hurt crossed her face, only to be quickly erased by a venomous stare. She felt tears begin to form, then turned and ran back into the store before they could spill.
Jim shook his head, then climbed into the truck
“Jack,” Jim said as he sat down on the side rail, “when you’re done at the quarry, just wait there. We’ll swing by when we’re done and give you a ride.”
“Don’t bother,” Jack said from the cab of Holland’s Moving, Delivery, and Storage truck. “It’s not that far from my house.”
“It’s a dark road,” Jim pointed out.
“It’s a path I’ve walked too many times,” Jack said.
Jack closed the door and started the engine, then waited for Ed to pull out of the lot. He followed Jim’s truck up the dirt road out of Canaan. He could see the doomed men in his headlights.
Scratch rode spread thin on the web of fear and violence that united the men.
The trucks followed the same route they had earlier in the day, past Ed’s Garage and up the hill. It seemed to take far longer than before. Elmer sat with his head in his hands. His face was beginning to swell, and there was a pitched ringing in his ears. Blood stained his face and every bump of the road caused waves of agony. He found that when he did look up his vision was blurry and unfocused.
Joe watched the world pass by. He was finding it all hard to believe. He felt he had been pitched into some TV drama, and was incapable of doing anything but watching to see how it ended.
“Your wife makes good buns,” Joe said to Larry as they passed the Porter house.
“Yeah.” Larry was unable to look directly at Joe. “Yeah, she does.”
“That was good chicken, too.” Joe’s voice drifted off toward the end.
About a mile past the house Joe saw Jack turn off on a side road. It was narrow, and overgrown with disuse. A sign, rusty and scored with numerous bullet holes where someone had used it for target practice, proclaimed “Canaan Coal #2 Quarry Road,” in raised letters on its surface.
Jim’s truck continued for several more miles, twisting up the constricted switchbacks that led up the mountain. Tree branches grew over the road in thick profusion, so that even this early in spring the sky was blocked from view. It was dark, and a chill fog closed around them.
Finally, Jim banged on the roof of the truck with his fist and yelled for Ed to stop. They pulled over to the steep shoulder of the road and parked. Jim and Larry stood and motioned for Elmer and Joe to get out. Elmer was disoriented and nauseous and Joe had to help the older man down. As he stooped to throw up, the first few spatters of rain began to bead the dust of the road. Light thunder rumbled far over the western mountains.
“Great!” Ed said. “Rain, just what we need right now. Let’s get this show on the road.” He grabbed the shotgun from Larry and poked Joe in the ribs with it. “That way,” he said and pointed to a narrow path that ran up the hill and into the woods.
“Ed!” Jim said.
“Just hurrying them along,” Ed smiled.
Larry got two flashlights out of the cab of the truck. He kept one and handed the other to Jim, then grabbed the shovels out of the bed. He flicked on the light and shone it onto the path.
The five men climbed the embankment, using tree trunks to brace their ascent. Joe had to help Elmer, who was becoming weaker with each step. They walked for half an hour, stumbling over roots and fallen logs. The rain grew steadier as they went, spiking their heads and necks with cold. They were soaked by the time they reached the boarded up entrance to an abandoned mineshaft.
Larry leaned the shovels against a tree and pulled the boards away from the hole in the mountain. He heaped them in a pile on the ground, then shone his light into the depths.
“Looks clear,” he said, stepping into the dark mouth. Jim motioned for the others to follow.
A set of rails, rusty and broken, led into the mountain. A metal coal car, still filled with the black rock of its last load sat about thirty yards inside the shaft. Once the men were past the car, the passage narrowed. Jim had to stoop to get through. Elmer stumbled and bumped against the walls. Joe saw blood coming out of the older man’s ears.
Several tunnels branched off from the main one, and Larry led them through a complicated path. He paused occasionally to get his bearings, then moved on, going deeper into the earth.
