Zeke (36 page)

They stopped for lunch at a
drive-in. Though starving only an hour ago, Sue now found herself less than
hungry. Still, under Zeke’s watchful eyes, she ate her food without comment.
Afterwards they drove around town, looking at anything that caught Zeke’s eye.
After a while, they stopped at a hardware store.

“Find the flashlights,” Zeke
instructed.

“Don’t we already have a couple?”
Sue asked, knowing full well they did.

“Yes. But they’re like you, not very
bright.” He jabbed her several times on top of the head. “I need better ones
for what I have planned. I want to be able to see what I’m doing.” He looked
down each aisle as they came to it. “Ah, here they are.”

Their purchases included two
high-powered flashlights with batteries attached to the packages, a hammer, and
some six-inch nails. Sue shuddered, afraid to speculate what Zeke had in mind
for the latter two items.

He had remained silent since they’d
left the hardware store. Now he spoke. “I need to make a quick trip, then we
need to get out of town a ways and sleep a while. It’s going to be a long night
and I want to be at my best. Put the flashlights together while we drive.”

Zeke returned to the abandoned
buildings they’d discovered earlier. Making Sue follow him, he went to the desk
they’d moved and opened a drawer. He stuck the camera, nails, and hammer
inside. He shoved the assembled flashlights into a second drawer. “There, all
ready.” Just before closing the drawer, he unobtrusively added Big Ben to the
stash.

“I’m tired. Let’s get some sleep.”
He found an old lane that led down to the river and pulled as far into the
bushes as he felt he safely could. Zeke and Sue stepped over the ice chest into
the rear of the van.

“I have to pee,” Sue said softly.

Zeke paused. “Yeah? Me too.” He
slid the side door open and they stepped out into tall brown weeds. Sue started
to move away but Zeke stopped her. “Go right here. You don’t have anything I
haven’t seen.”

Sue stamped down an area, pulled
her skirt up, squatted, and left a puddle beneath herself while Zeke playfully
squirted urine all over, shooting it high up and from side to side in a
childlike manner.

When finished, Sue climbed back
into the vehicle and curled up on the filthy mattress, Zeke right behind her.

He handed her a couple of Xanax and
her soda pop. “Take these.”

Without complaint, Sue swallowed
the pills and opened her mouth so Zeke could be sure she hadn’t hidden them
under her tongue. She lay back down. Zeke spooned her, resting one arm over her
body so he could feel if she moved. Soon, they were both asleep.

Hours later, Zeke stirred. He held
his wrist out to catch the moonlight and checked the time on his watch.
Excitement lacing his voice, he shook Sue awake. “Hey, bunny. It’s time to find
me a woman.”

Groggily, Sue followed Zeke back
into the front seat. “What time is it?” she asked.

“I told you.” Zeke smiled.

“Other than that?” Sue grimaced.

“It’s ten o’clock. Time to hit a
convenience store to clean up a little and then to a bar.”

“Bar?”

“It’s the best place to score.”

A good place to get away from
you.
Sue visualized a crowded tavern, people milling about, loud music.
I
don’t care who he threatens; I’m gonna run like hell when we get there. It’s
not my fault if he hurts someone.

They found a small store and Zeke
slipped into the women’s restroom with Sue. Using almost the complete supply of
paper towels, the couple cleaned themselves and combed their hair. Once
presentable, they drove to The Loose Screw, a country-western bar on the
outskirts of Four Falls, a bar Zeke had earlier chosen as a good place to find
a victim.

“Don’t forget, Sue. I’ve got you
covered.” He patted his pocket. “And if you cause a scene, I’ll kill everyone,
including you, but I’ll do you last, so you’ll get to watch all those people
die.”

They got out and Zeke held the
bar’s door open for her, putting on a good face for potential prey. He stood
close behind Sue and she could feel something pressing into her back through
the fabric of Zeke’s jacket.

They were stopped by a hand
belonging to a bearded bruiser of a man perched on a stool right inside the
door. “You’re okay,” he told Zeke, “but I need to see her ID.”

Sue’s hopes rose.
He’s not gonna
let us in.

Zeke turned to Sue. “Do you have
your bag?”

“Oh, no.” Sue slapped her side,
feigning surprise that it wasn’t hanging from her shoulder. “I left it at the
motel.”

“Damn,” Zeke groused. “I guess
we’ll be back,” he told the bouncer.

“Really?” The man smiled sardonically,
a gold tooth glinting in the dim light. “I can hardly wait. Do hurry.”

Zeke flushed and turned on his
heel, dragging Sue along by the arm. “Fucking sarcastic sack of shit,” he
ranted as they crossed the parking lot. “I ought to kick his ass.”

It was the first truly funny thing
Zeke had said in a long time, and in spite of her predicament, Sue snorted.
Right,
that dude would flatten you without breaking a sweat.

Zeke jerked her to a stop.
“Something funny, Sue? You laughing at me?”

Her mirth evaporated. “No, of
course not. I was just imagining that jerk getting what he deserves, that’s
all. It would be hilarious if you beat him up.”

He stared at her a few seconds,
uncertain. “Don’t fuck with me, Sue,” he said softly.

She swallowed hard and looked down
at the ground. “I wouldn’t. I’m not.”

Back in the van, Zeke fumed. “God
damn it! I would have to pick a bar that actually checks IDs.”

“Do you want to try another?” Sue
asked.

“Shit! Let me think.” Zeke held his
head between his hands for a couple of minutes before answering. “No. We
probably can’t get in anywhere, thanks to you.”

“Me?”

“Yes, of course you. You’re the kid
here, not me.”

“So what now? Are we going to
leave?”

“Leave? Hell, no. The night is
calling, Sue. Can’t you feel it?”

“Not really,” she said softly.

“Well, I came to find a woman, and
I’m going to find one. We’ll wait here and snag someone leaving. Otherwise,”
Zeke looked sideways at Sue, “I’ll have to make do with you.”

Their vigilance continued. Zeke
used the time well; he taught Sue her scripts, and told her what would happen
if she blew this opportunity for him. He explained repeatedly what he wanted
Sue to do, depending on the situation. “You getting all this?” He reached over
and poked her in the head.

“Ow! Yes, I’m getting it. Stop
poking me.”

“
Stop poking me
,” Zeke
parroted and prodded Sue in several places before becoming bored. “I just wish
someone worthwhile would come out.” He settled back in his seat and stared at
the door, reaching to hold Sue’s hand, not out of affection, but to keep her
from doing anything stupid, like running off.

Friendly Vibes

Several people left the bar between
11:30 and midnight, but none met whatever criteria Zeke had in mind. Finally,
about 12:15, a lone woman exited the tavern. Long legs encased in blue jeans
and cowboy boots caught his attention immediately. He worked his way up to
where her large breasts strained against a bright red sweater. They jiggled
delightfully as they tried to escape their tethers. He smirked at her short,
faux-fur shrug and moved his gaze higher. Her heavily made-up face was framed
by bleached blond hair that fell to her waist in cascades. She wove her way
toward a blue Toyota Camry, about three cars away from Zeke and Sue. She swayed
a little as she attempted use her remote keyless entry to release the door
locks. The key ring slipped from her fingers and hit the ground.

“That’s the one, come on.”
 
Zeke
got out, walked around to pull Sue from the van, and they swiftly descended on
his prey.

“Let us help you,” Zeke said as he
reached down to pick up the now muddy keys. Up close, Zeke could see she was
nearer to thirty-five than the early twenties he had originally thought. Still,
with her build, he figured she’d do just fine.

Pressing her hand to her heart, the
woman backed up against her car. “You scared the bejesus out of me. Where’d ya
all come from, anyway?” Her eyes traveled between them.

Zeke nudged Sue and she stepped
forward. “We came out right behind you. We’re just parked over there.” She
gestured randomly.

“I didn’t see you inside.” The
woman eyed them with suspicion.

“Well,” Sue said with a forced
smile, “we were in there. But, hey, the place is hopping. We only saw
you
as you left.”

“It
was
crowded,” the woman
conceded. She held out her hand. “Can I have my keys?”

“I don’t think so,” Zeke
proclaimed; then, at her look of panic, he quickly added, “We heard they’re
going to have DUI checkpoints set out tonight. Hell, that’s why I didn’t
drink.” Zeke threw her his thousand-watt smile. “Why don’t you let us drive you
home and save you getting a ticket? You can have a friend, or your husband, or
someone bring you back for your car tomorrow. How about it?”

“DUI checkpoints? Boy, I can’t
afford another one of those or I’ll end up doing some jail time.” She hesitated
a minute.

“Well, no skin off our noses.” Zeke
started backing away, pulling Sue along.

“Hold on. Maybe I’d
better
let you drive me.” She stumbled after the couple, worried now that they might
leave her behind.

“Sounds good,” Zeke said. “Do you
need to grab your purse or anything?”

“No, I never take it to the bar. I
carry everything I need in my pockets.”

She caught up with them, and Zeke
told Sue to sit in the rear. “Let our guest have the front seat. By the way,
I’m Zeke and this is Sue.”

“My name is Brenda.”

Zeke warmed her with his eyes.
“Brenda? Well, that’s a pretty name, but I had you pegged as a Juliette. Or
maybe a Veronica.”

She giggled. “Nope, just plain ole
Brenda.”

Zeke glanced back at Sue and sent a
signal with his eyes. Sue, remembering their earlier discussions, squatted
behind the ice chest and played with a curl of Brenda’s hair. Hating herself,
she said, “You’re so beautiful. I wish I looked like you.”

Brenda glanced back at Sue. “Why,
thank you, honey! That’s sweet of you to say. But you know, you’re pretty
enough. You just need your hair fixed up and some make-up.”

Sue frowned. “I don’t know about
that. But anyway, we’re going to go party at this cool place we found. You want
to come along?”

“Oh, I couldn’t do that.”

“Why not? All you were going to do
was go home to bed, weren’t you? This would be way more fun. Plus...” Sue held
up a bottle of grape schnapps and one of tequila. “We got a couple of friends
here to help us loosen up.”

Brenda, tipsy and feeling friendly
vibes around her, smiled. “What the hell. A girl only lives once, right?”

Zeke grinned broadly.
If you
only knew.

Blood Games

Zeke pulled the van inside the
abandoned building he’d chosen for his dirty deeds, the darkness broken only by
the headlight beams. They rolled to a smooth stop behind the large machine.

“Where are we?” Brenda seemed
nervous.

Sue once again played her role.
“It’s okay. Zeke and I party here all the time. It’s kind of creepy at first
but you’ll get over it.”
Boy, will you get over it.
The corners of Sue’s
mouth turned down as she slid open the side door of the van.

“Hold on, Sue. Let me help you
out.” Zeke rushed around the vehicle, not wanting to give Sue a chance to run,
but not wanting Brenda to sense anything odd going on, either. He lifted Sue out
of the vehicle by the waist and spun her in a circle. He let her slide down his
body and pulled her in for a lavish kiss. All an act for Brenda.

Sue nearly gagged when Zeke’s
tongue slithered into her mouth like a snake down a hole. She came close to biting
him, but realized she’d pay dearly if she did, and went limp instead. Finally,
Zeke released her and turned back to assist Brenda from the van.

Affecting an air of confidence, Sue
led Brenda toward the room with the desk. “This is where we party. Come on.”
Sue handed her the bottle of schnapps.

Brenda cracked it open and took a
hefty swig.

“I got lemons and salt for the
tequila. But no shot glasses. We’ll just have to pass the bottle,” Zeke said
and followed the women. He controlled his jubilance; he’d celebrate later.

The first thing Zeke did was to set
a flashlight on the floor, facing the corner. “Gives the room a nice ambiance,
don’t you think?”

Brenda nodded. “It’s a lot cozier
now.”

“Zeke,” Sue said after licking salt
from her wrist, taking a drink of tequila, and biting into a lemon. “Can I have
a couple of those pills?”

Zeke sneaked a look at Brenda to be
sure she was paying attention. The three of them were sitting on the edge of
the desk, passing drinks back and forth. Sue, per Zeke’s instructions, had hit
on Brenda and she’d reacted as hoped, returning Sue’s kisses. Zeke slowly
joined the action and Sue began pulling back. Now she mentioned the drugs and
Zeke asked which one she was interested in.

“Xanax, I think.”

“You have Xanax?” Brenda’s eyes lit
up and Zeke smiled widely. This was better than he could have hoped for.

“Yeah, why?” he asked.

“I used to have a prescription but
my doctor wouldn’t refill it. It’s good shit. How many do you have?”

Zeke peered into the bottle, as if
contemplating whether to share or not. Finally, he looked up. “I think we have
plenty. Sue usually takes two, but if you’re used to them, maybe you want
four.”