He locked the door and double-checked all the windows before going to his room. Exhausted, he dropped down on the bed.
Thoughts of Terrance whirled through his head. Katie’s image was interspersed throughout. He buried his face in his pillow and screamed to chase them away. Marginally successful, he lay there listening to his breathing. The pillow reflected it back warmly onto his face. The rhythmic sound lulled his mind to peace and he fell asleep.
Chapter Eleven
Jacob woke to the sound of heavy-booted footsteps. He jumped up in bed with a start clutching handfuls of the sheet beneath him.
It took just a few seconds for him to realize it wasn’t Old Man Jenks come to get him, but simply his father stomping about the house like he always did.
Jacob eased back onto the bed to catch his breath. He glanced at the clock and sighed. He had more than thirty minutes until his dad left to take Ann to work. Then they’d be at the bar the rest of the night.
Not interested in reminding his parents of his sorry existence, he stayed in his room and kept quiet. Oblivious to his being there, or simply not caring one way or the other, they went about their business. As always, he wasn’t a part of it.
Jacob could smell dinner cooking. The greasy scent seeped into his room uninvited. His stomach turned over, but he ignored it. If he felt better later, he’d scrounge for something after they left. He had no doubt he’d regret joining them.
He listened to their inane babble as they ate, only a little surprised to not hear his name come up. Dishes clattered and muffled words continued to fill the air, mouthfuls of food not keeping them from talking over one another.
After what seemed an eternity, they finished eating and abandoned the table. He heard his father grab his keys and go to the door, shouting at his wife to hurry up. Ann yelled her response from their bedroom as his dad went outside and started his truck. Finally, several engine revs and a bunch of horn honks later, Ann left the trailer. Her signature skunk spray of perfume invaded the rest of the house.
Jacob waited until the truck pulled away before reaching over to turn on his CD player. He hit the forward button until the darkened rhythm of Metallica’s “Fade to Black” purred into his ears. He lay back, waiting for his stepmother’s perfume to clear, letting the music occupy his mind. While it usually soothed all, it was only partially successful tonight. Once more, the images of the skulls floated to the surface.
He could see Terrance’s pain as the axe cleaved his toes from his foot. He could feel his torment as the blade wiggled in the open wound of his thigh. Blood flowed inside Jacob’s mind.
While Terrance was most likely on his way to being a career criminal, what he’d done, however stupid and careless, hadn’t been deserving of such horrific punishment. Like with Katie though, it wasn’t about what was fair. It was simply about murder and the opportunity to get away with it. The killer had come out on top in both cases.
Katie and Terrance had been alone and somewhere they shouldn’t have been. Each had paid for their mistakes with their lives. Through some tainted miracle, he couldn’t begin to understand, Jacob had watched them both die in the memories of their skulls.
Cold shivers shook Jacob. Once more his heart sputtered. The images of murder were a carousel of morbid memories, its wheel stuck in perpetual motion. He wanted off the ride. But at the same time, its lure compelled him to go around one more time. The barker’s pitch was too compelling to say no.
The horribly too appropriate song “Creeping Death” started up. Jacob shut the player off and made his way into the living room. There was the usual mess, but once again, there was no list of chores. He smiled, luck having finally rolled his way. He focused on spending time with Cass and set to cleaning up the house. He didn’t want anything to stand in the way of his going
Thoughts of Terrance whirled through his head. Katie’s image was interspersed throughout. He buried his face in his pillow and screamed to chase them away. Marginally successful, he lay there listening to his breathing. The pillow reflected it back warmly onto his face. The rhythmic sound lulled his mind to peace and he fell asleep.
Chapter Eleven
Jacob woke to the sound of heavy-booted footsteps. He jumped up in bed with a start clutching handfuls of the sheet beneath him.
It took just a few seconds for him to realize it wasn’t Old Man Jenks come to get him, but simply his father stomping about the house like he always did.
Jacob eased back onto the bed to catch his breath. He glanced at the clock and sighed. He had more than thirty minutes until his dad left to take Ann to work. Then they’d be at the bar the rest of the night.
Not interested in reminding his parents of his sorry existence, he stayed in his room and kept quiet. Oblivious to his being there, or simply not caring one way or the other, they went about their business. As always, he wasn’t a part of it.
Jacob could smell dinner cooking. The greasy scent seeped into his room uninvited. His stomach turned over, but he ignored it. If he felt better later, he’d scrounge for something after they left. He had no doubt he’d regret joining them.
He listened to their inane babble as they ate, only a little surprised to not hear his name come up. Dishes clattered and muffled words continued to fill the air, mouthfuls of food not keeping them from talking over one another.
After what seemed an eternity, they finished eating and abandoned the table. He heard his father grab his keys and go to the door, shouting at his wife to hurry up. Ann yelled her response from their bedroom as his dad went outside and started his truck. Finally, several engine revs and a bunch of horn honks later, Ann left the trailer. Her signature skunk spray of perfume invaded the rest of the house.
Jacob waited until the truck pulled away before reaching over to turn on his CD player. He hit the forward button until the darkened rhythm of Metallica’s “Fade to Black” purred into his ears. He lay back, waiting for his stepmother’s perfume to clear, letting the music occupy his mind. While it usually soothed all, it was only partially successful tonight. Once more, the images of the skulls floated to the surface.
He could see Terrance’s pain as the axe cleaved his toes from his foot. He could feel his torment as the blade wiggled in the open wound of his thigh. Blood flowed inside Jacob’s mind.
While Terrance was most likely on his way to being a career criminal, what he’d done, however stupid and careless, hadn’t been deserving of such horrific punishment. Like with Katie though, it wasn’t about what was fair. It was simply about murder and the opportunity to get away with it. The killer had come out on top in both cases.
Katie and Terrance had been alone and somewhere they shouldn’t have been. Each had paid for their mistakes with their lives. Through some tainted miracle, he couldn’t begin to understand, Jacob had watched them both die in the memories of their skulls.
Cold shivers shook Jacob. Once more his heart sputtered. The images of murder were a carousel of morbid memories, its wheel stuck in perpetual motion. He wanted off the ride. But at the same time, its lure compelled him to go around one more time. The barker’s pitch was too compelling to say no.
The horribly too appropriate song “Creeping Death” started up. Jacob shut the player off and made his way into the living room. There was the usual mess, but once again, there was no list of chores. He smiled, luck having finally rolled his way. He focused on spending time with Cass and set to cleaning up the house. He didn’t want anything to stand in the way of his going
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