Read Online Subject Seven by James A. Moore - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: James A. Moore
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even come close to looking familiar.
With no idea what else to do, Gene crossed the street to the garage and stepped into the air-conditioned reception area.
The heavyset woman behind the counter looked at him for a moment, her face twisted into a bitter scowl. âMay I help you?â If the air hadnât already been chilly, the tone of her voice would have cooled it off.
âUm. I think Iâm lost.â
âHon, youâre either lost or you ainât.â She looked him over from head to toe and seemed ever so disappointed in what she was examining.
His stomach did another roll over.
âIâm supposed to be in North Tarrytown.â
The woman stared at him for several seconds, her dark eyes narrowing in suspicion. Maybe she thought he was joking, but he was deadly serious.
âIf youâre supposed to be in North Tarrytown, then youâre lost. This is Brooklyn.â
Gene nodded and tried not to hyperventilate. Oh yes, he was lost.
âMy momâs gonna kill me.â
Chapter Eight
Tina Carlotti
IT WAS LATE SEPTEMBER and Tina Carlotti was shivering as she woke up. She knew something was wrong immediately because there was something drying on her skin that left her feeling like sheâd been rolled in glue.
She opened her eyes and frowned, trying to identify anything around her. There were sheets of plywood, old and warped, where her bedroom walls should have been.
Of course, she hadnât been in her bedroom in a couple of days. Mr. Sizemore, the landlord, had locked the doors and changed the locks after her mom went off on another bender. She tried not to think about that. Her mom was a good woman, but now and then she was weak. When she gave in to temptation, everything else stopped mattering.
Temptation these days was heroin. Great stuff to make the world look prettier, no matter how shitty your life was, at least according to Mom.
Thereâd been a time when the family was in good shape. Her dad was a made man, in the mob and doing well. They should have been good; even after he disappeared, they were taken care of, but it didnât last. She remembered her mom crying after a couple of old Italian men came to visit them in their house. A much nicer house in a different place, thank you. And Mom told her Daddy wasnât coming back. She remembered it, but just barely.
She didnât know the details. When she tried asking, Mom used her fists. So she learned not to ask. Really a no-brainer, that one.
Mom did something wrong. Something stupid. Another place where she didnât know all the details, she just knew that it was the sort of screwup the big boys didnât approve of.
Now? Now the future wasnât looking all that sunny and Mom did anything and everything for another fix.
Tina didnât like to think about that. She liked to think about her mother at home and being, well, her mom.
Still, none of that changed the fact that she was sitting in a place that was completely unfamiliar to her, in near darkness. She could see some light coming from beyond the boards that covered the windows. Enough to let her know it was the daytime, at least. That was something.
Tina stood up and immediately let out a squeal. It wasnât until she really moved that she realized she was naked. The sound of her outcry echoed off distant walls. It was the only sound she heard, except for the angry squeak of a rodent sheâd startled. The rat didnât bother her. Vermin had been a part of her world for years.
She looked around more carefully, awake now and frightened. Sheâd never been fast at waking up and never really thought about it as a disadvantage, but now she was feeling differently.
No one was around to look at her in the nude, so she decided to keep it that way. She scanned the oversized bags of trash around her and started sorting through them for something to wear.
Nothing! The first three bags were absolutely useless, revealing nothing
With no idea what else to do, Gene crossed the street to the garage and stepped into the air-conditioned reception area.
The heavyset woman behind the counter looked at him for a moment, her face twisted into a bitter scowl. âMay I help you?â If the air hadnât already been chilly, the tone of her voice would have cooled it off.
âUm. I think Iâm lost.â
âHon, youâre either lost or you ainât.â She looked him over from head to toe and seemed ever so disappointed in what she was examining.
His stomach did another roll over.
âIâm supposed to be in North Tarrytown.â
The woman stared at him for several seconds, her dark eyes narrowing in suspicion. Maybe she thought he was joking, but he was deadly serious.
âIf youâre supposed to be in North Tarrytown, then youâre lost. This is Brooklyn.â
Gene nodded and tried not to hyperventilate. Oh yes, he was lost.
âMy momâs gonna kill me.â
Chapter Eight
Tina Carlotti
IT WAS LATE SEPTEMBER and Tina Carlotti was shivering as she woke up. She knew something was wrong immediately because there was something drying on her skin that left her feeling like sheâd been rolled in glue.
She opened her eyes and frowned, trying to identify anything around her. There were sheets of plywood, old and warped, where her bedroom walls should have been.
Of course, she hadnât been in her bedroom in a couple of days. Mr. Sizemore, the landlord, had locked the doors and changed the locks after her mom went off on another bender. She tried not to think about that. Her mom was a good woman, but now and then she was weak. When she gave in to temptation, everything else stopped mattering.
Temptation these days was heroin. Great stuff to make the world look prettier, no matter how shitty your life was, at least according to Mom.
Thereâd been a time when the family was in good shape. Her dad was a made man, in the mob and doing well. They should have been good; even after he disappeared, they were taken care of, but it didnât last. She remembered her mom crying after a couple of old Italian men came to visit them in their house. A much nicer house in a different place, thank you. And Mom told her Daddy wasnât coming back. She remembered it, but just barely.
She didnât know the details. When she tried asking, Mom used her fists. So she learned not to ask. Really a no-brainer, that one.
Mom did something wrong. Something stupid. Another place where she didnât know all the details, she just knew that it was the sort of screwup the big boys didnât approve of.
Now? Now the future wasnât looking all that sunny and Mom did anything and everything for another fix.
Tina didnât like to think about that. She liked to think about her mother at home and being, well, her mom.
Still, none of that changed the fact that she was sitting in a place that was completely unfamiliar to her, in near darkness. She could see some light coming from beyond the boards that covered the windows. Enough to let her know it was the daytime, at least. That was something.
Tina stood up and immediately let out a squeal. It wasnât until she really moved that she realized she was naked. The sound of her outcry echoed off distant walls. It was the only sound she heard, except for the angry squeak of a rodent sheâd startled. The rat didnât bother her. Vermin had been a part of her world for years.
She looked around more carefully, awake now and frightened. Sheâd never been fast at waking up and never really thought about it as a disadvantage, but now she was feeling differently.
No one was around to look at her in the nude, so she decided to keep it that way. She scanned the oversized bags of trash around her and started sorting through them for something to wear.
Nothing! The first three bags were absolutely useless, revealing nothing
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