Skulls (3 page)

“Thanks, Cass.” He nearly choked on the words.

She poked him in the ribs, her face going sullen as she ran her hand along his side. “Somebody’s got to feed you or you’ll wither away. I worry about you when the wind blows.”

He grinned, unrolling the silverware from the cloth napkin to the accompaniment of his growling stomach. He didn’t want to discuss it. “What are we watching tonight?”

Cass worked the remote. The TV and DVD player kicked on. “I figured we’d watch a romance.”

Jacob snarled and glared at the screen until the opening credits for
Psycho
rolled. He chuckled. “Ah, it’s a classics night.”

She adjusted the volume and settled in beside him. “We’ve watched all the new slasher flicks, so I figured this would be a good change of pace.”

Jacob nodded as he stuffed a quick bite into his mouth. More interested in Cass’s attention, he set the tray aside. He draped his arm over the back of the couch and let her sink into his side. Once she settled, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder to keep her there.

“Besides, with you wanting to become a serial killer, I thought you could learn something.” Her quiet laugh tickled his side.

“Glenn is going to be the killer, I’m the coroner, remember?” He squeezed her against him. “I get to cut them up after they’re dead, not before.”

Cass shivered. “I couldn’t imagine being there in the morgue with a bunch of dead people. It’d freak me out.”

“It’s not the dead ones you need to worry about.” He motioned toward the screen.

Cass agreed and snuggled in even tighter. “It’s a good thing I have you here to protect me. I’d be real scared otherwise.”

“Yeah, right. You don’t need me. You don’t need anyone. Nobody’s brave enough to come after you.” He smiled down at her. “But I’d be there anyway to watch you kick their ass.”

* * * *

Jacob ran down the darkened streets, slipping into the bushes anytime a vehicle passed. The chilly mountain air numbed his lungs as he jogged up to his front door. He was relieved to see the driveway empty.

He dug in his pocket as he heard the distinctive rumble of his father’s pickup. It echoed through the trees. He scrambled and finally got his key into the lock. He shut the door quickly behind him, locking it with shaking hands before racing to his room.

Without bothering to take his clothes off, he climbed into bed and piled the blankets on top—not that he expected his dad to check on him. He lay there breathing heavy and tried to settle his heartbeat as the truck pulled into the driveway.

He heard his stepmother’s voice as it drifted through the thin walls. Her words were slurred and agitated. His father hushed her—not because he was worried she’d wake Jacob, but because he couldn’t concentrate on opening the door with her yammering in his ear.

After what seemed an eternity, the front door slammed open and heavy feet stomped inside, rocking the trailer. Another slam followed a moment later and the mumbled chatter moved away toward the other side of the house.

He heard rustling in the kitchen. The crystal glasses chimed as the refrigerator door slammed shut. Its sound was followed by the loud hum of the microwave. Further back in the trailer, the floor vibrated and his father’s voice was suddenly absent. Ann’s tuneless humming drifted to silence shortly after. A few minutes after that, the microwave cried out to a silent house.

Too worn out to do any more than remove his shoes, Jacob settled in under the blankets. It would be hours before he slept.

Chapter Four

Vaguely remembering hearing his father’s truck pull out of the driveway, Jacob crawled bleary-eyed from bed hours later. Still dressed, he wandered out of his room and sighed at the mess that awaited him.

A half-full milk carton sat abandoned beside an empty bowl on the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room, splashes of milk and cereal all over. A coffee cup, knocked on its side, fed a tiny brown river that dripped onto the seat of the wooden stool below. A thick puddle formed in the carved indentions.

He grimaced and ran his hand over the warm milk carton as he passed. He left it and went to the fridge. He pulled it open and looked inside only to close it right away. Muttering, Jacob snatched a glass from the cabinet and filled it at the sink. He swallowed the water down, grimacing at the warm, slightly metallic aftertaste and dropped the cup into the sink. He splashed a little more of the water onto his face. His wet hands sliding across his hair, he smoothed it back out of his eyes. He surveyed the rest of the kitchen.

He glanced over at the microwave and opened the door without expectation. Inside sat the small bowl with its two lonely pieces of meat. The plastic edge had melted oblong. The walls were splattered with seared steak sauce. They were like backward stars against the white. He shut the microwave, knowing he’d be back to clean it later, then headed to his room to collect his shoes.

He thought it better to get going on his chores before he fully woke up to realize what he was doing, so he dragged himself outside. He dug through the stacked junk in the shed and pulled out what he needed to cut the grass. After beating the decrepit lawn mower into being functional, its sputtering engine threatening to quit every few minutes, he was as ready as he was going to be. He headed off into the wild to conquer the half acre of weeds and shrubs his father called grass.

* * * *

The day was a blur of sneezes and violent curses aimed at the stalling mower. Through it all, Jacob heard his name being called. A little more than half finished, he was loath to turn the mower off. He didn’t think he could get it started again. He shut it off anyway when he saw Cass’s face peeking over the fence.

The mower whined to silence, its death rattle a grinding whir. He wiped the sweat from his eyes and waved her over.

“Hi,” she said sweetly as she opened the gate, once more dressed in her uniform of black jeans and Metallica T-shirt, steel-toed boots adding a couple inches of height. There was no trace of pink to be found anywhere.

Chris, Dee, and Glenn followed her in. Dee’s bright blond hair was the only hint of color to be seen amongst the group. It stood out amidst all the black.

“We were headed out to the canal to drink a couple of beers. You in?” Chris asked. Dee hung heavy on his arm, waiting for Jacob’s answer.

Jacob looked to Cass, then back to the yard. If he wanted to spend time with her later, he’d have to get the yard done. He gave her a sad smile and turned to Chris. “No, man, I can’t today. I have to finish up here or my dad will put his boot up my ass.” He saw Chris trying not to smile.

“C’mon, dude, it’s beer,” Glenn said, all the grace of a used car salesman.

“Nah, you guys go ahead.” He waved them on, fighting the urge to give in. “Maybe I’ll catch up with y’all later.”

Chris just shrugged and lit a cigarette. “Don’t expect there to be any beer left.”

“More for me,” Glenn added. He was already heading for the gate.

“Last chance.”

Jacob shook his head. “Sorry, guys.”

“All right. Laters.” Chris gave a half-hearted wave and followed Glenn out. Dee jumped to keep up.

Cass put her hand on Jacob’s arm and gave him a big smile. “You sure?”

He pushed his sweat-slick hair out of his face and nodded. “My dad’s going to be hung over as shit when he gets home. If the yard’s not done, there’s no way I’ll be able to go out tonight.” He put his hand on hers and squeezed. “I don’t mind missing out on beer if it means I get to see you later.”

“Hurry up, Cass,” Chris shouted from the driveway.

“The natives are getting restless,” Jacob added.

She rolled her eyes and gave him a quick kiss. She had a crooked grin on her lips. “See you tonight.”

A car horn sounded. Jacob growled in response, then smiled back at Cass. He reluctantly let her hand go as she ran off, closing the gate on the way out. He heard the roar of Chris’s Camaro before its wheels squealed and it tore off down the road.

Alone again, Jacob turned back to the yard. Glancing out across it, he felt a chill ricochet along his spine. The stone barriers protecting his stepmother’s withered fruit trees looked like headstones against the cut grass. In the cemetery of his mind’s eye, he thought again of the skulls.

Though he’d put it out of his head, certain there was nothing sinister in their display, he kept coming back to them. His curiosity piqued, he wanted to look them over again, to see once and for all if they were real. To see if he could figure out how they got there and why.

He looked at the yard once more and then to the sun. Though he’d started a little later than he intended, he figured he still had several hours before his dad made it home. That was plenty of time to run up to the bunker and take a look, then get back and finish up.

Convinced he could make it in time, he headed off. He stuck to the trees when he reached Sudderth Street, just in case Chris happened to drive by. He knew Cass wouldn’t be happy if she caught him.

He bolted across the road once he was sure he wouldn’t be seen. In the woods, he worked his way around the hill where they’d been playing
Zombie
the day before. He followed along the barbed wire fence until he found a point he recognized.

He waited a few minutes, surveying the tree line to make sure he was alone, before hopping over the fence and backtracking his way to the bunker.

He found it just like he left it. Undisturbed.

His hands shook as he stood over the entrance to catch his breath. His heart thundered in his chest. At last, he convinced his hands to open the hatch. The subtle scent of earth and damp greeted him and settled in his nose. He looked to the ladder and drew in a deep breath for courage, scrambling into the bunker fast to avoid changing his mind.

He stood at the bottom of the ladder a moment, his back to the skulls. His hands were clenched to the rails, his knuckles white. After a few more deep breaths to gird him, he spun around fast.

The skulls stared their greeting through the gloom. Just like the first time, he had the distinct impression they knew he was there.

For the first time, he realized they were scoured clean. Polished to a shine, they glistened in the dull light of the bunker. Arrayed just as they had been the day before, he took a moment to examine them more closely. Cass wasn’t around to catch him this time. He hoped no one else was either.

He stepped to within a foot of the skulls, the circular room seeming to bend around him. The bunker seemed to brighten as well. His vision was suddenly clear despite the gloom.

He could hear his breath as it echoed off the walls, the sound fluttering through the skulls as though they were breathing along with him. Each breath tugged at his lungs, as if he were drawing air for them all.

His brain screamed at him to flee, but he forced his fear down and held his ground. He ran his hand along the smooth dome of the closest skull. An insistent tingle danced up his fingers and tickled his arm. Goose bumps spread in its wake.

His heart fluttered, but this time he didn’t pull his hand away. He gripped the skull and lifted it gently from its cradle, pulling it to him. His other hand sliding back and forth along the side of the skull, there was no longer any doubt in his mind that they were real.

He held a human skull in his hand.

His curiosity greater than his reluctance, he turned the skull around in his hands. Its blackened sockets met his gaze. He stared at it a moment as the temperature around him seemed to drop, his breath wafting up in willowy gusts.

Stars flickered alive in the eyes of the skull and Jacob had the sudden feeling he was falling. He saw the gaping wells loom before him. They grew larger as he plummeted forward. His heartbeat pounding tribal in his ears, he drew in a frigid breath…

…just before he tumbled through the eyes of the skull.

His screams were drowned by the darkness.

Chapter Five

The rain fell hard. Each cold drop hammered against Katie’s skin. She huddled to herself, trembling arms going numb as she trudged up the hill. The oily asphalt felt slick beneath her. Her slapping footsteps were silenced by the rumbling tumult of the thunder breaking overhead.

Her long hair hung in her face. The wind whipped the wet strands so hard they stung her cheeks. She’d taken her glasses off, the rain making them worthless. Her bare green eyes stung and she could see the tip of her nose glowing pink. She sniffled and forced her feet to keep moving. The rain was a challenge she hadn’t foreseen.

The sudden brightness of an approaching car sang to her through the evening murk. It appeared like a ghost around the darkened bend. She forced a hand free and stuck her arm out, her thumb extended. She stood at the roadside, praying the driver would see her and stop, so she could go home. She just wanted to go home.

The lights grew closer and she heard the sudden shift of gears as it lumbered up the hill. A smile, however slight, crept to her lips as the car slowed and inched toward her. She stuck her arm out further and shouted herself hoarse as it came close. The splash of ice-cold water was her only reward. The car whipped past, accelerating, leaving her unsure whether the driver had seen her or not.