Read Online Body of Immorality by Brandon Berntson - Free Book Online

taken a detour during the holocaust. Highway 91 was behind him to the east. Baby was now brutalizing one of the small island civilizations under the relentless fury of eighteen wheels. Henry steered Baby over and through backyard barbecues, swing sets, garbage cans, mailboxes, doghouses, tool sheds, lawnmowers, motorcycles, and other various, gangly forms of motorized vehicles and lawn equipment. The rig bounced and jolted; it wailed and screamed, but never wavered. Baby roared through neighborhood houses. Baby screamed through American lives.
    A shovel landed on the scarlet hood. Twisting metal screeched through the air. Glass shattered. A bright shiny red smeared the windshield. A living room curtain replaced the shovel and quickly blew away. Various tools flew through the air on each side of the rig as Henry plowed through manicured lawns, fences, houses, and tool sheds. People of all shapes, sizes, and ages—hands in the air, terrified, and screaming—fled in all directions.
    He’d never had so much fun in his life!
    Rohrey pressed the pedal closer to the floor.
    If this wasn’t entertainment, nothing was! If this was how he was supposed to replace the lonely nights, he welcomed it! He was a child. His dreams had come true at an absurdly tender age…
    It’s been a long time since you were able to relax, he thought. Soak in good cheer. Root for the bad guys.
    “ Yes sir! Whoo-eee! That’s what I’m talking about, Rohrey ole girl! That’s the issue I’ve been trying to make! The light, Rohrey, the light! You have come into the light, and things are definitely brighter! Or at least more red! Hehehe! Yee-haaww!”
    Something nudged Henry’s ribs, an elbow in his side. The phantom laughed. It was sitting next to him, a tangible shadow.
    He’d never found a situation so comical, he admitted. Yes, Rohrey was enjoying himself. A clown lived inside him, and goddamnit, he was making the most of every second!
    From what Henry saw, the town he’d bulldozed through was completely demolished, a blood-filled graveyard as Baby roared through it all. The screams echoed in his ears, the sight of horror-stricken faces…
    Then suddenly, all was quiet.
    Rohrey turned the truck around, rumbling over broken fences, and upturned lawns. He looked for the highway again. No one chased him. He did not hear sirens.
    Dusk moved over the horizon. Stars came out one by one.
    Henry turned on the headlights. In the distance, a row of dual beams was coming his way down the road.
    “ Now, you got to be careful, Rohrey-ole-girl! When the cars come, you just wait and veer a little to the left. You’ll hit them— smack — head on, see? It’s reeeaall easy. Like poppin’ popcorn! Like dancin’ the jig!”
    Henry pushed the accelerator all the way to the floor. The engine whined with new, demented life. Baby was picking up speed!
    “ Hell yes, Henry! It’s a new start. I knew you had it in ya! You ain’t all yellow! It’s the start of something beautiful, girly-boy, can’t you see? Damn, ain’t it pretty! We’ll see all the new sights, take in a movie or two! We’ll see the Grand Canyon, Mt. Rushmore!”
    An eagerness Rohrey waited his whole life for enveloped him now. For some reason, he’d made the phantom happy. What had he really done but be himself? And to whom did he owe his gratitude?
    Henry discerned the shadowy specter sitting beside him, his newfound friend, the origin of that ghostly voice. It was a shadow—a lunatic jester, perhaps a long time rival like a black silhouette.
    It felt good to be a part of the highway again, to have a friend to share the…interminable hours with.
    “Five syllables,” Henry said, chuckling.
    The phantom slapped its knee in lunatic delight. Henry steadied the wheel, readying the semi for the cars coming down Highway 91.
    Take everything with a little grain of salt, Henry thought, and find your place in the world amid the chaos and destruction.
    Henry had found his place and a friend to