bleeding stopped.
Keeler released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and his thumping heart slowed in time with the boy’s crying. Sweat dripped into his eyes and he swept it away.
“I’m sorry, Davey. I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
The boy just whimpered.
Keeler didn’t know what to do for the boy. There seemed to be no way to extract him from the tree without killing him, but he wasn’t about to leave him inside this world. Keeler stroked a hand over the boy’s gnarled head to soothe him.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get you out of there. I’ll think of something.”
Too preoccupied with the boy, Keeler didn’t hear the grunting at first. When he did, a chill raced through him. He sensed danger and his fight or flight instinct kicked in, but flight wasn’t an option without the boy.
“Michael Keeler, as I live and breathe,” a familiar voice announced.
Keeler turned, careful not to make any sudden moves. His mission was over. He’d found Lefford and Allard.
Chapter Six
Lefford and Allard
Lefford and Allard were only recognizable by the nametags on their clothes. Jeter’s cancerous world had infected them, which sent a ripple of dread through Keeler. Their fate was his fate. Lefford grunted, but that was all he could do. He was on all fours, no longer able to stand. His spine was incapable of supporting a biped and his arms and legs had adapted to his four-legged needs. His change hadn’t stopped there. His head was boar-like. He possessed a fearsome under bite courtesy of an elongated snout. Tusks protruded from his upper and lower jaws. The lower pair had been self-mutilating. Fearsome and enlarged, the tusks had curled back into his face and stabbed out his own eyes. Lefford snarled again and smacked his jaws together a couple of times. Each time, the tusks found a comforting home in his bloody eye sockets. Lefford snorted, sensing Keeler’s presence.
By comparison, Allard was relatively unharmed by Jeter’s manipulations. He was upright and human except for one small defect. A pair of snakes lived where his eyeballs had been. They weren’t occupying the space left behind by his eyes. They were his eyes, part of him, melted into his skull. The snakes opened their mouths. Fangs held his eyeballs in place and forked tongues flicked and cleaned Allard’s lenses.
Keeler wondered if these creatures were the real Lefford and Allard or just versions of them conjured up by Jeter. Either way, it didn’t much matter, the stubby machine gun with the banana shaped magazine nestled in the crook of Allard’s arm looked real enough.
“Looks like we’ve found each other,” Keeler said.
“I would say we found you.” Allard laughed. He sounded like there was dirt in his throat. His snake eyes glanced over at Lefford. The hog that was Lefford grunted in agreement.
The boy broke into a new wave of sobs that threatened to drown out Allard’s words.
“Can’t you shut that kid up?” Allard barked.
“Davey, you’ve got to be strong now.” Keeler kept his gaze on his fellow inmates. “This isn’t the time for tears.”
Keeler’s plea did nothing to stem the boy’s wailing.
“Shut the fuck up,” Allard barked at the boy with immediate effect. The boy’s sobs withered to an acceptable whimper. “You’re not too good with kids are you, Keeler?” Allard said with a sneer, then laughed. “No, you’re not. I just remembered what they sent you down for.”
Keeler swallowed his rage. He wouldn’t be drawn out. Allard wasn’t worth his time.
“I can get you back to the Rift and back home,” Keeler said diverting the discussion away from the boy.
Lefford took two quick steps forward and champed his jaws together in irritation, stabbing and re-stabbing his eye sockets. Allard delivered a single kick to
Keeler released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and his thumping heart slowed in time with the boy’s crying. Sweat dripped into his eyes and he swept it away.
“I’m sorry, Davey. I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
The boy just whimpered.
Keeler didn’t know what to do for the boy. There seemed to be no way to extract him from the tree without killing him, but he wasn’t about to leave him inside this world. Keeler stroked a hand over the boy’s gnarled head to soothe him.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get you out of there. I’ll think of something.”
Too preoccupied with the boy, Keeler didn’t hear the grunting at first. When he did, a chill raced through him. He sensed danger and his fight or flight instinct kicked in, but flight wasn’t an option without the boy.
“Michael Keeler, as I live and breathe,” a familiar voice announced.
Keeler turned, careful not to make any sudden moves. His mission was over. He’d found Lefford and Allard.
Chapter Six
Lefford and Allard
Lefford and Allard were only recognizable by the nametags on their clothes. Jeter’s cancerous world had infected them, which sent a ripple of dread through Keeler. Their fate was his fate. Lefford grunted, but that was all he could do. He was on all fours, no longer able to stand. His spine was incapable of supporting a biped and his arms and legs had adapted to his four-legged needs. His change hadn’t stopped there. His head was boar-like. He possessed a fearsome under bite courtesy of an elongated snout. Tusks protruded from his upper and lower jaws. The lower pair had been self-mutilating. Fearsome and enlarged, the tusks had curled back into his face and stabbed out his own eyes. Lefford snarled again and smacked his jaws together a couple of times. Each time, the tusks found a comforting home in his bloody eye sockets. Lefford snorted, sensing Keeler’s presence.
By comparison, Allard was relatively unharmed by Jeter’s manipulations. He was upright and human except for one small defect. A pair of snakes lived where his eyeballs had been. They weren’t occupying the space left behind by his eyes. They were his eyes, part of him, melted into his skull. The snakes opened their mouths. Fangs held his eyeballs in place and forked tongues flicked and cleaned Allard’s lenses.
Keeler wondered if these creatures were the real Lefford and Allard or just versions of them conjured up by Jeter. Either way, it didn’t much matter, the stubby machine gun with the banana shaped magazine nestled in the crook of Allard’s arm looked real enough.
“Looks like we’ve found each other,” Keeler said.
“I would say we found you.” Allard laughed. He sounded like there was dirt in his throat. His snake eyes glanced over at Lefford. The hog that was Lefford grunted in agreement.
The boy broke into a new wave of sobs that threatened to drown out Allard’s words.
“Can’t you shut that kid up?” Allard barked.
“Davey, you’ve got to be strong now.” Keeler kept his gaze on his fellow inmates. “This isn’t the time for tears.”
Keeler’s plea did nothing to stem the boy’s wailing.
“Shut the fuck up,” Allard barked at the boy with immediate effect. The boy’s sobs withered to an acceptable whimper. “You’re not too good with kids are you, Keeler?” Allard said with a sneer, then laughed. “No, you’re not. I just remembered what they sent you down for.”
Keeler swallowed his rage. He wouldn’t be drawn out. Allard wasn’t worth his time.
“I can get you back to the Rift and back home,” Keeler said diverting the discussion away from the boy.
Lefford took two quick steps forward and champed his jaws together in irritation, stabbing and re-stabbing his eye sockets. Allard delivered a single kick to
Similar Books
