Read Online The Eye of Madness by John D; Mimms - Free Book Online

each grabbed an old shovel and dug a grave in a well-lit area to the side of the drive. When they finished, Sam and Derek deposited Dr. Winder’s body in the hole. Cecil did not want to see the doctor, not in this state. He handed his shovel to Derek and strode towards the house.
    â€œI’m going to check on Barbara,” he called, keeping his eyes on the house.
    Burt handed his shovel to Sam. “I’ll go get the ladies so we can have a service for the doctor,” he said and turned to follow his friend inside.
    â€œWhy bother,” Sam mumbled. “He was an jerk anyway.”
    Without thought, Burt rounded on him with his uninjured arm and clocked him on the jaw. He had wanted to hit Andrews for a long time, but he immediately regretted it. The motion strained his injured arm sending a stabbing pain through his shoulder. However, the pain was secondary to his nausea as Andrews tumbled backward into the hole. He landed on top of Dr. Winder with a sickening smack.
    Burt turned and headed back toward the house. He glanced at Derek who wore a strange expression of horror and amusement on his face. A stream of slurred curses flew from Andrews as he struggled to pull himself out of the hole. Burt couldn’t help smiling.
    Soon he was upstairs where Sally met him at the door in a tight embrace. Cecil had given the women the sad news and Charlotte sat on the edge of the bed crying. Barbara still lay unmoving with her eyes closed. She breathed in and out in an awkward, yet rhythmic, cadence. Cecil sat beside her and stroked her hair while whispering in her ear.
    Cecil carried Barbara downstairs and placed her on the sofa. It was much brighter and he wanted to keep an eye on her. He left the front door open while they conducted a brief service for Dr. Winder. There was a clear view from the grave to the sofa. Cecil never took his eyes off of her, even when he said a few kind words about the former scientist. He found it hard to concentrate on his words as he watched his wife and listened to the inhuman hissing and clicking. They were a chorus of hellish insects and reptiles trying to form cruel words.
    Cecil was so engrossed, he did not notice Andrews’s irreverent behavior, but everyone else did. He stood by the grave taking long swigs of beer, while acting impatient and bored. He emphasized his boredom with an occasional belch. When the service was over he took his empty bottle and shoved it neck first into the soft dirt of Dr. Winder’s grave.
    â€œHave a drink,” he murmured.
    Burt wanted to deck him again and moved in his direction, but Derek moved to intercept him. “Come on, let’s go talk to the major,” he said, giving Burt a reassuring pat on his uninjured shoulder. “Maybe the lush will get drunk and stumble into the woods.”
    Even though they both hated Andrews, Derek immediately wanted to take it back. The thought of anyone stumbling into the woods sent a clammy coldness through them.
    They went into the kitchen and poured themselves a cup of coffee while they waited on Cecil to sit with Barbara. A few minutes later, Sally and Charlotte came in and sat with her so Cecil got up and trudged to the kitchen. He was a hollow shell of his former self. His gaunt and pale countenance resembled a man who just crawled to Hell and back. They couldn’t imagine Hell being much worse than today.
    â€œWhere’s Andrews?” Burt asked, glancing at the windows.
    â€œOn the front porch drinking another cold one,” Derek said, motioning toward the door. “You better hope he doesn’t sober up,” he added with a grin. “He is liable to come looking for payback.”
    â€œHe probably won’t even remember it,” Burt growled.
    When Burt told Cecil the story, the dark cloud dominating the major’s features seemed to break, if only for a moment or two. He grinned and tapped his fingers on the tabletop. “Damn, I wish I had been there