Heckel Casey (15 page)

"Whoa, slow down. One at a time," Jack said, holding up his hand and smiling.

"Sorry, it's just that…"

Sela interrupted me and said calmly, "Jack, we are just a little excited to see real people again, good people. We were beginning to think that maybe we were the only sane people left…besides the ev—"

Before Sela could mention our encounters with Madeline, I interrupted her and said, "It's just that we are so happy to see a normal, loving family."

"I know what you mean," Jack said. "I watched many of my friends and family members die."

The awkwardness of the conversation was broken when Vonnie came hurrying into the dining room, carrying a large platter of beef and vegetables.

"Oh my God," I exclaimed jumping up off the couch. "That is…"

"Exquisite," Sela said standing next to me as we stared into the dining room.

"Well, hurry on over here and grab a seat," Vonnie said proudly.

After Jack said the blessing, we all filled our plates and ate in silence for the longest time. I got the feeling that our hosts didn't always eat so well. For Sela and me, it was like a Thanksgiving Day dinner, and I'm not even sure that holiday existed anymore. Before the collapse, the months of November and December were pretty much consumed by Christmas. My grandfather used to tell me that on Thanksgiving when he was growing up, no stores were open at all. It was a real family day. Then Black Friday started to spread. First, the shopping day took over Thursday, Thanksgiving. Soon it was Wednesday, Tuesday and finally it became known as Black week.

"You look deep in thought," Jack said.

"Oh, sorry. I'm just enjoying this meal so much and to actually sit around a table is…" I choked up and couldn't finish. Tears welled up in my eyes.

"Heckel's right. We can't thank you enough," Sela said, patting me on the back.

"You're most welcome," Vonnie said, handing a bowl of mashed potatoes to Jack.

Silence took over once more, helping to suspend the awkwardness. After a few minutes, Missy asked, "How long have you been traveling by horse?"

"Those are Sela's horses. I hooked up with her and those beautiful animals…hmm…I think it was sometime in…um…" I said looking to Sela for help.

"It was in the early fall, I think. I've lost track of the months," Sela said.

"They are beautiful," Missy offered.

"What are you folks planning to do?" Jack asked.

My insides squirmed and I flashed a concerned look at Sela. She smiled at me.

"Not sure. We were just trying to get somewhere for the winter. Heckel said he had a brother-in-law who used to live in McKinney who bragged that it had a mild winter."

"That's true. You are welcome to stay here. There are several empty houses around, and we'll put you to work," Jack said taking another slice of beef.

"Great," Sela and I answered together.

Leaning back in my chair, I rubbed my belly and thanked Vonnie for an outstanding meal.

"Did you save room for pie?" she asked.

My eyes widened and I felt my mouth watering once again. "You're kidding. Pie? You have a pie?"

"Apple. We still have some trees around here and I get a couple of good crops off them."

"Fantastic. Yes, I'd love some," I said eagerly. "Soon, I'll be in a food coma."

Missy and Jack both laughed.

Vonnie asked Missy to clear the table and suggested we all migrate into the living room.

Following us into the room, Jack asked, "So, tell me what you know of Madeline."

My heart felt like it had dropped five stories. The palms on my hands felt sweaty like I was going into an interview for a job.

"Madeline Blackwell," I uttered the repulsive name nervously.

"Yes, that's her name," Jack said as he sat down in a large overstuffed chair.

Sela and I sat close to each other on the sofa. She put her hand on my knee as if to assure me that I could tell them what we knew.

"Well, what do you want to know? I've been aware of her evil and malevolent intentions since I was in junior high."

"Yes, I know what you mean," Vonnie said, walking into the room with three plates of pie. Missy followed her with the other two.

For the next three hours, Sela and I shared our experiences for the past year. Jack and his family also contributed their stories of Madeline's influence.

However, I nudged Sela with my knee when she was about to divulge my supposedly supernatural powers. She got the hint. I was still struggling with the whole prospect of me being somehow a superhero or force or whatever you want to call it to confront Madeline and I didn't think anyone would believe me anyway. The last thing I wanted to be was locked up in a straitjacket somewhere in McKinney, Texas.

Jack looked at his watch and said it was almost midnight. Missy had fallen asleep leaning next to her mother. Sela was fast asleep on my shoulder as well.

Just as Jack stood up, a wolf bayed. Its bloodcurdling sound was especially loud.

"Oh, don't worry. We hear that every night. We have people patrolling the area and they keep our livestock from any harm. The wolves have increased in number along with coyotes. They're all hungry."

"It's not the natural wolves I'm worried about. It's Madeline's demons with glowing red eyes that concern me," I said.

Jack assured us that we'd be fine. I suddenly realized that Jerky had been outside for the longest time and I went to the front door. The cat was curled up in a tight ball on the front porch swing.

"Can she come in?" Sela asked Jack.

"Absolutely," he answered.

I gently reached down and picked Jerky up. The cat purred loudly. "She's our best advanced warning system."

Jack smiled, closed the door and bolted it. "I'll show you to the guest room."

After he left, Sela went into the bathroom and showered. I put Jerky on the bed and waited for my turn. As I walked around the room, a weird creepy feeling welled up inside me. I went to the window. There was a half-moon so there weren't many shadows, but from the edge of a tree line where the shadows morphed into complete darkness, I could see a faint set of red eyes staring at the house.

Chapter 13

Starting with Bloody Super Bowl Sunday, Madeline's power grew exponentially after each tragic event. It wasn't long before chaos and anarchy spread across the globe. The year martial law went into effect in the United States, Madeline Blackwell had assumed power and from that point on there was no stopping the machinations of evil.

Madeline sat on a park bench next to the reflecting pool at the National Mall. Four of her bodyguards remained close behind, all the while scanning the area. A huge grin spread across her face as she thought of the famous quote from John F. Kennedy—"One person can make a difference and every person should try." And Madeline Blackwell did make that difference and without having to try very hard. All she did was give humanity a simple push down a path to destruction.

It wasn't a nuclear bomb.

It wasn't a pandemic.

It wasn't a plague.

It wasn't another world war.

It wasn't even global warming or a new ice age.

It was Madeline…one person who made a difference.

"I bet Mr. Kennedy didn't think that it'd be little ol' me who'd make such a dark difference."

Turning to one of her bodyguards, she said with a lecturing tone, "You know, throughout history, there have been events that have…hmm…shall we say culled the population. I'd say humanity is doing a splendid job of helping out the planet by reducing some of the riffraff. It warms my heart to know that the survivors are eager to try something new. And I will give it to them."

She looked over at the bodyguard whom she was having a one-sided conversation with and saw that all four men were gone. She jumped up scanning the field behind her. No one was in sight.

"Yes, you
will
give them something new," someone behind her said.

Madeline sighed heavily, recognizing the voice. She turned around and extended her hand. "Hello, Mr. Barker. Nice to see you."

Barker ignored the salutation and sat down on the park bench. "You've done a remarkable job bringing our plan to this point. The events that you have orchestrated have demonstrated some astounding numbers. I am very impressed."

"Thank you, Mr. Barker. It is going very well."

After several minutes of silence, Barker leaned closer to Madeline, making her more uncomfortable. "I take it you discovered a bit of a problem emerging."

Madeline wrinkled her brow, trying to portray a questioning façade. "Not sure what you mean."

Barker stood up slowly from the park bench and began to pace in front of Madeline. "Casey…Heckel Casey. I know you are aware of him and you've been tracking him. That's good. It has come to our attention that he could be the…" Barker stopped and tapped his mouth as if he were hoping the right expression could be coaxed out.

"The proverbial fly in the ointment," Madeline said proudly.

"Yes, that's very good, Ms. Blackwell. I like that. At any rate, your attempts to eliminate him need to be ramped up, and that is precisely why I am here." He continued his pacing in silence. With each pass in front of Madeline, she became more visibly irritated.

"The dogs I sent were almost successful. They took out that stupid friend of his. Then that little thunderstorm I brewed almost did in his new little sweetie," she said with a cocky tone.

Barker clapped his hands in anger producing an earsplitting crack of thunder. "Almost! Almost is never good enough. It cannot be a part of your vocabulary. It means failure. Do I make myself clear?" he said standing directly in front of Madeline.

Taken aback by his sudden, vicious change, she didn't respond.

Barker grabbed the side of her head and squeezed. A dim blue luminescence glowed from around his hands. Madeline went completely limp. Her eyes rolled up into their sockets.

When she awoke, it was dark. Her four bodyguards were behind her.

"Son of a bitch," she mumbled, rubbing her temples. "I feel like shit."

"Can we get you anything, Ms. Blackwell?" one of the bodyguards asked.

Madeline didn't respond. She got up and walked to the black stretch limo parked on the street.

The next morning as Madeline lay in bed visualizing her encounter with Barker, she wondered what he meant by ramping up her efforts.
And what the hell did he do to my head!
Suddenly, her thoughts focused, sharpened as if they were displayed on a gigantic HD flat-screen TV in her head. "More power," she muttered slowly. She knew what Barker had given her.
Special tools! Tools to kill.
A sneer of disgust and hatred inched its way across her face. "Heckel," she intoned slowly.

The covers flew off the bed. She got up and walked to the window, all the while feeling her new talents coalesce. Dark clouds flashed across the sky. She placed her head against the window, fixating on the storm brewing.

Humming a singsong, childlike melody, Madeline played with the curtain, slowly twisting it as if she were wringing out a wet towel. "Heckel, Heckel…come out and play with me. I've got some new toys to show you."

The demonic little tune she hummed grew louder and louder.

Chapter 14

The day after arriving in McKinney, Jack took Sela and me to a house he thought we'd like. He kidded with us saying the owners were eager to sell and that the down payment was very affordable. I asked what the interest rates were like, and he thought we'd have no trouble getting a loan. Banks were practically giving houses away. It was a few blocks away from his. There was even a barn out back for the horses. It didn't take us long to say yes, especially when Sela heard the word
barn.
Missy and Sela got the horses secured in the barn. Jack turned the water on and made sure we had some hurricane lamps with a supply of oil.

At one point when Jack and I were alone in the house, standing in the kitchen, he stood in front of me and asked, "Heckel, do you believe in…um…the supernatural?"

Biting my lip nervously, I looked down and mumbled, "Excuse me?"

"Things we can't exactly explain by science. You know…the supernatural, like those bikers who were after you."

Funny how the subject of those possessed bikers never came up last night at dinner. I know Sela and I didn't want to bring it up.

"Ah, those bikers," I mumbled as I walked into the living room. "Yes, given everything that's happened, I do believe there is something going on that is more supernatural than natural. Why are you asking?"

Jack put his hand on my shoulder, turned me around and whispered, "Are you sent here to lead us?"

Whoa! I took a step back. His question hit me hard, reminding me of the time in geometry class when the teacher asked me to name all the theorems for something or other. My palms got sweaty and my heart beat faster.