Skulls (17 page)

Jacob’s eyes went to Sharon. Bound in the chair, she too smiled.

Now and forever
.

A chill trickled along his spine as he stared at her naked flesh, taking it all in. He felt his excitement warming him as he took a slow step toward her.

I love you, Jacob
.

He smiled at the words, basking in their glow. “I love you too, Sharon.”

His entire body shook, yet he took another step forward. Sharon squirmed before him. Her eyes were wide as she waited for him.

“She’s all yours, Jacob.” The masked man gestured to the bound girl. “Take her.”

Jacob tore his eyes from Sharon and looked to Jenks. The fact that he was supposed to be dead meant nothing. Here he stood, the instrument of Jacob’s dreams held in his hand. Its blade glistened. It knew what it must do.

“Forever?”

The masked man nodded. “All you have to do is rid her of the flesh that binds her. She will live on forever in the skull…and in your memories.”

Jacob drew in a deep breath. The earthen musk of the bunker settled in his lungs. He glanced again at Sharon. The pull of her nakedness was a call he couldn’t ignore. He stepped closer and set his hand on her cold cheek. He felt a cloying wetness there, as though she had been crying. But yet, she still smiled.

Forever
.

His hand traced slow down her jaw, easing into the crook of her neck. A splotch of color wormed through the gray and he thought he heard a muffled cry. He pushed the thought away. He slid his hand to Sharon’s chest. Memories congealed into reality as his palm settled on her soft breast.

“You must make her yours first, Jacob. You cannot sully the flesh and keep the spirit pure.” The man’s voice cut into his mind. His voice drew his eyes.

Jacob let his hand fall away and turned to face the old man. His thoughts swirled inside his head. He didn’t know what to do. He looked to Jenks like a lost dog, his breath panting.

“What should I do?”

The man held out the axe.

Jacob trembled at seeing it so close. Its silvered edge shimmered as though it had a life of its own. He could feel his hand clenching. It begged to wrap its fingers about the haft.

“Take it.”

The axe wavered before Jacob. His eyes locked on the blade as it hung in the air. The temptation was too much. He reached out with a tentative hand and touched the cold steel of the blade. Shivers danced across his body at the contact.

His hand shook as he ran his finger along the sharpened edge. He fought to keep it steady. After a few silent moments, he slid his hand to the haft, and closed his fist around it.

Once in his grip, the man let it go. Jacob suddenly had the full weight of the axe in his possession. He drew it in. Holding the edge close to his face, he could see his reflection. His breath steamed the blade. He tested its balance. His fingers tingled and his knuckles cracked with the fierceness of his grip.

He looked again to Jenks, but he was gone. Dressed in the blacks and leather of Old Man Jenks was someone else. The mask was missing. Jacob stared into the dark eyes of the man who stood before him. Recognition was a dim flicker that grew into slow maturity.

Standing before him was Sheriff Tate. The man’s warm smile gleamed in the dark of the bunker.

Another muffled cry sent slivers of color through his vision and he glanced at Sharon. He saw a hint of fear in her brown eyes, and then it was gone. Her smile washed away everything, but her love for him.

Now and forever
.

A comfortable warmth settled inside his chest as he hefted the axe. He looked to the sheriff.

“Waylon Jenks would have taken all this from you, Jacob.” He gestured to the skulls that sat in their earthen niches. “He would have ruined everything, but I took care of him.” He laughed low, nodding toward the axe. “I killed him to protect the skulls.” He ran his hand over the back of Cass’s black hair. “He would have taken her too, but I saved her…for you.”

He looked at Tate, who smiled at him, then back to Sharon. She sat in the chair waiting. She knew what was coming, but she didn’t try to run or scream. She was waiting for him.

A quiet sigh slipped from his lips as he felt the weight of her love. He took another step forward, the axe cradled in his hands. He could hear his breath as it oozed from his lungs. The skulls took up its rhythm.

He met their blackened eyes, each and every one in turn, and saw the stars that flickered in their obsidian depths. Their memories flooded over him like waves upon a beach. He knew their every dying moment.

He had experienced their deaths, the very intimate details of their ends. They were connected in a way no other beings could ever be. The axe had made them one.

He suddenly remembered the solidness of the weapon clenched in his grasp. He realized he had the power to make more memories. In his hands was the maker of dreams. He no longer had to live them through the eyes of another. He could make his own.

He glanced down at the brown wooden haft and saw the whiteness of his hands. They begged to bring the axe to bear. He looked again to the sheriff, who nodded and gestured toward the bound girl.

“Take her head, Jacob. Make her yours forever. Take the love you deserve.”

The words settled over him like a comfortable old blanket. Jacob drew in a deep breath and let the cool air flutter in his lungs. His hands trembled and he cast his eyes back and forth between the two. He steadied his hands. Tate stepped to the side to give him room. He offered encouragement.

Having never known love until the skulls had come into his life, he couldn’t imagine giving the feeling away. Sweat trickled down his neck as he hefted the axe. He readied its edge. He need only bring the axe down once to claim what was rightfully his.

He knew what he had to do.

He drew in one last breath and clenched his teeth. The eyes of the skulls were on him. With a roar that reverberated through the bunker, he swung the axe with everything he had.

Its edge arced through the air like a silver rainbow.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Jacob sat in the corner and stared at the gray walls. Images flickered in the shadows of his mind. The sunlight filtered through the curtains in hazy wisps.

He could hear the world around him. It fluttered by in muffled waves, punctuated by the occasional shriek. The sounds drifted to his ears as though they were miles away. Their steady rumble was like a distant storm.

He sat with the cold wall pressed against his back. Chills prickled his skin with goose bumps, but he didn’t care. He let his gaze drift to the window where he watched the flitting shadows of birds as they played on the windowsill. He could barely hear their trilling chirps through the thickened glass.

A gentle knock at the door drew his attention from the window. He looked up, blurry-eyed, as the door to his room was opened.

“You’ve a visitor,” a sweet voice told him. “Are you up for it?”

He stared at the young woman. Her blond hair was pulled tight into a ponytail. Her smile reflected a casual warmth that was amplified by the soft white of her outfit. Jacob thought about her question a moment and returned the smile.

He nodded. “I think so.”

She waited as he slid a pair of soft slippers onto his feet. Dressed in matching, light blue pajama pants and top, he shuffled past as she held the door open.

“Your first visitor. How exciting,” she said as they made their way down the long, gray hallway. She smiled at him again as she wrapped her hand gently about his elbow. She guided him toward the foyer.

Jacob stayed quiet as she led him past security and through the sliding glass doors that led outside. Out into the bright daylight, the birds greeted him loudly. Their song filled his ears.

The brightness of the grass stung his eyes as he looked across its expanse. It was like an ocean of green laid out before him. Trees blossomed in the walled-in yard. The overwhelming scent of pine trees and fresh cut grass tickled his nose.

The nurse led him down a stone path. It curved under the shady canopy of the cloistered trees. They came to a wooden bench nestled in the shade. A young girl sat on it. She was faced away from them.

Her part done, the nurse let go of his elbow. She gave him a gentle push.

“Don’t be shy,” she told him. Her voice was tinged with gentle laughter. “I’ll be right here if you need me.” She stepped away and found herself a place in the shade.

The nurse forgotten, Jacob took a tentative step. The young girl stood and turned to face him.

Cass’s brown gaze met his. A sudden pang of nervousness hit him. The broad smile that brightened her face washed it away.

She flung herself at him, nearly knocking him over. She wrapped her arms tight about his waist and clung to him. She squeezed hard and Jacob couldn’t help but smile. He returned the embrace with equal enthusiasm.

He’d dreaded this moment for months, afraid it might never come. Trapped in the somber halls of the hospital, he feared he might never see her again. But as he held Cass in his arms, his doubts withered on the vine.

He clutched her, reveling in the realness of her. They pulled apart at last and made their way to the bench. Their hands never separated. Fingers entwined, they sat. Jacob couldn’t stop smiling as he stared into Cass’s big, brown eyes.

“I’m glad you came.”

Cass squeezed his hand. “I was just waiting until they said it was okay.” She leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss. When she pulled back, her face turned serious. “Thank you.”

He wondered for what, then realized what she meant. His memories flickered like an old horror film screening. He just sat there, unable to speak. The moment in the bunker played on in his mind.

The axe cleaved through the air as though in slow motion. Cass screamed into the tape that held her silent. The bitter stink of blood filled the air. Sheriff Tate’s grin slipped from his face.

“I thought you…” Her voice trailed away into a quiet whimper as she too remembered.

Jacob took her hand in both of his. He shook his head. “I could never hurt you, Cass,” he told her. Staring into her eyes, he willed her to believe him. “When he told me to take the love I deserve, I knew I didn’t need to. You had already given it to me. Right then, when I realized that, I could see you clearly.”

Tears streaked down her cheeks and Cass buried her face in his neck. Quiet sobs slipped from her as Jacob pulled her as tight as he could bear. After a moment, his tears joined hers. They stayed that way until the nurse came to return Jacob to his room. Alone in the dim light, the sky darkening outside his window, Jacob stared at the gray walls. He thought of Cass. She brought a smile to his lips. He’d be getting out of the hospital soon and it made him happy to know she would be there.

He had no idea what he was going to do when he got out. He had nothing. His entire life was up in the air. There was only one thing he knew for certain.

He would never again set foot in Paranoid Park.