Karma gave Tom a hard stare. “So what I’m doing doesn’t count because my child is dead?”
“That’s not what I meant.” Tom took a pause as he thought about what to say next.
“You robbed me of a life with my child.” Karma looked at Tom with eyes filled with revenge.
“There was no way for me to know the child she was carrying didn’t belong to me.”
“You forced her to abort.” Karma raised his voice.
“She kept the truth from me and you. Sheila denied you of the fatherhood that was rightfully yours. We’re victims, you and me together.” Tom motioned toward Karma then himself with his hands trying to make a connection.
“She must pay.” Karma tilted his head to one side, as if what Tom was saying made sense.
“That’s right, she has to pay. This is all her fault.” Tom relaxed, thinking he was getting through to Karma.
“You have a point, but, if you hadn’t been unfaithful to your wife, none of this would be happening right now. I would’ve had a better chance of having a family of my own. You’re both to blame.”
“Sheila could have told me the truth. She didn’t have to agree to the abortion.” Tom sounded desperate.
“You should’ve been a lawyer with that tongue of yours. You’re both sinners and sinners must feel the wrath of God. Since, I was created in his image; I’m going to make sure you’re punished for your transgressions.” Karma gave Tom a hard look.
Tom swallowed hard knowing he was going to take a chance with his next few words. He spoke, even though, the gun Karma was holding looked bigger and more deadly as time went by.
“You’re not God.” Tom said calmly.
“Are you sure?” Karma smiled. His dark eyes shining with the knowledge of something only he comprehended.
Tom took in a deep breath for he understood that a man who believed he was linked to the supernatural was dangerous.
“So, you believe you’re God?” Tom asked.
Karma smiled. “I’m the vehicle by which he will exact his heavenly justice.”
Tom mentally cursed his luck; thinking he was dealing with a Jesus freak. He felt like his chances of talking his way out of this predicament were lost in the celestial musings of a psycho.
“What’s the matter Tom? No more arguments and rebuttals.”
“I believe no one knows what God wants. Nor do we know what God is or isn’t.” Tom felt a sense of triumph at his words.
“That is your opinion.” Karma pointed at Tom, this time with his empty hand. “And you’re entitled to one.” Karma laughed out loud tilting his head back.
Tom watched Karma’s Adam’s apple dance up and down.
Tom’s mind urged him that now was the time to propel his body forward and fight. However, Tom remained glued to the couch, his body disobeying the commands of his mind.
Karma continued to laugh as the very act of laughter fed the desire for more laughter. Karma couldn’t contain himself. His body shook as he gave free reign to his glee.
Tom thought about how Karma mentioned the act of sinning and God’s plan of using him for retribution. He tried to think about what made Karma tick.
Tom was so distracted by his thought process that he didn’t realize Karma was staring at him. He’d stopped laughing.
“What are you planning Tom?”
Tom realized Karma had been watching him as he sported a mischievous grin. He stood up from the couch.
“I’m going to get a beer. You want one? It might help you relax, you know give you some clarity so you can manifest your thoughts on how to best me.” Karma waved his hands in front of him as he spoke.
“Sure, why not?” Tom looked passed his captor.
Karma noticed; laughing as he made his way to the kitchen. His enjoyment amplified by the fact that Tom bought his ploy of being a religious fanatic. There was nothing like religious fervor to unsettle a person’s ability to think rationally.
Tom heard the clink of the beer bottles as Karma got them from the fridge.
Afterward, he heard the hiss of the bottle caps as Karma pried them open with a bottle opener.
Karma drank from one of the bottles. His consumption of the beer sounded ravenous.
Tom pictured Karma’s Adam’s apple moving up and down as he drank.
“Ah, that’s nice and cold.” Karma said out loud.
Karma made his way back over to the loveseat. He was pointing his gun at Tom, holding it at waist level. In the other hand he held two bottles of beer.
“Here you go, Tom.” Karma extended his hand.
Tom took the beer. He watched Karma walk over to the other couch. Karma started chugging his beer as he sat down. The bottle was empty by the time he settled into the soft leather.
Tom took a sip of his beer, more so too wet his lips than to drink.
“What’s the matter Tom?” Karma laughed. “You should be drinking with gusto. I mean, you never know.” Karma pointed at Tom’s beer. “That may be the last thing you ever drink. You should be savoring that beer. Come on; let me see you take in a good gulp.”
Tom tilted back his head and drank half the beer.
“Is that better?” Tom looked straight at Karma.
“Not yet.” Karma smiled.
In just a matter of seconds Tom felt like his body sank into the leather of the couch. He suddenly felt like taking a nap. He stood up; his body swaying and his vision blurred. Tom closed his eyes.
Karma remained still as he watched Tom’s feeble attempt at keeping conscious.
Tom wanted to keep standing, but, his need for sleep was too much. He allowed himself to fall backward; his eyes closed the whole time, trusting that his body would meet with the sofa.
Tom was sleeping the moment his body crashed into the loveseat.
The beer bottle dropped to the floor, the leftover beer spilling out as the bottle rolled away.
****
Tom woke up to find that he was face to face with Sheila.
Tom studied Sheila’s sunken face. Her hazel colored eyes were bright despite how Karma had starved her. They had a vitality that made them seem out of place on her emaciated face.
Tom tried to yell, but, his mouth was covered with duct tape.
Sheila’s mouth wasn’t covered. Of course, she didn’t have the strength to scream, at least not loud enough for anyone to hear.
There was artificial light coming from somewhere. Tom lifted his head as much as possible so he could look down the length of his body. He had been tied to Sheila with rope. Looking around he saw that he was in some kind of box.
Tom felt terror like he’d never experienced as he tried to figure out where he was. Turning his head to look at the night sky; he noticed it was filled with stars. Tom was captivated for a moment with the wonder of the natural world. It offered him a moment of escape from whatever was next in the nightmare that this day had become.
Tom wished he could transport himself into space and become one of the many stars that shone above. Even though every one of those stars would one day burn out, they didn’t have a conscious with which to fear their impending annihilation.
Tom was so intent at looking at the stars that it took him a few seconds to notice that Karma was looking down at him. He was standing over the mouth of the box.
Even though it was night, Tom could see Karma’s black eyes. They seemed kind and innocent; like the eyes of a child that hasn’t seen the ugliness of the world. Karma’s eyes were proof of the undeniable contrast that existed between his true nature and what his eyes portrayed.
“Do you like the final resting place I have prepared for you and your old girlfriend? I made sure that you faced each other. You should be able to behold the face of your lover until eternity.” Karma’s face was void of emotions.
Tom’s voice came as a desperate moan from behind the duct tape as he pleaded for his life.
“What’s that Tom?” Karma smiled. “You must be worried about Megan and Ian. Well don’
t worry Tom. I have something special set up for the both of them.”
Tom’s agony was clear even though he couldn’t talk. His imagination took over as he pictured Karma in some ritualistic religious ceremony where his son Ian would be sacrificed, leaving Karma the freedom to do as he pleased with Megan.
Tom watched as Karma closed the lid on the box. His eyes flinched as the heavy metal door made contact with the edges of the box. Tom heard the sound of metal on metal as Karma secured the Hasp Latch on the box with a padlock. Tom thrashed around, but, it was useless. Karma had done a good job of tying him to Sheila. His ability to move was hindered by the space. The box was big enough to hold the both of them snug.
“Relax Tom. You’re not going to die just yet. Look for my finger.” Karma wiggled a finger through one of the many holes around the metal box.
Tom let himself be led by Karma’s voice. Looking around he saw Karma’s finger wiggling up and down. He could see because Karma’s van was facing the box and the headlights were on.
“Are you calm? Do I have your attention now?” Karma looked at Tom through another hole.
“Okay, as you’ve probably already figured out, you’re in a box. It’s made of metal and has holes all over. It will sink along with you and your girlfriend to the bottom of the lake you love so much. However, that won’t happen until I say. It’s fitted with flotation devices that will keep it from sinking. It also has an underwater motor and thruster attached to the bottom. I’m going to pilot this bad boy to just the right spot via remote. Afterward the anchor will drop, yes it has an anchor.” Karma’s enjoyment came through in his voice.
“At just the right moment the flotation devices, the anchor, the motor and the wheels will be released from the box before my symphony of death begins. Of course, you’ll witness the whole thing. You have front row seats.”
Karma slapped his hand on the side of the box. “I’d love to continue chatting, but, I have your family to tend to.”
Karma grunted as he pushed the box into the water until the wheels were no longer touching the bottom. He was happy to see his creation floating.
****
Tom listened as Karma fiddled with what he imagined was the remote he had mentioned just a moment ago. He heard the click of buttons before an electrical hum accompanied by a slight vibration set the box moving.
Tom would give anything to be at the front of his classroom trying to keep his students interested in the nuances of reading and writing. Instead of being stuck in a contraption invented by a man bent on revenge.
Tom brought his attention back to the box as the waters of Sparrow Lake seeped into what would be his coffin. Tom was reminded that he wasn’t alone as Sheila let out a long moan of despair. Tom tried to block her from his mind, more out of a sense of impotence than sympathy.
Sheila continued to cry as the bottom of the box filled with an inch of water. Tom lifted his head; his instinct for survival automatic. He felt her hot breath on his face and the cold water seeping through his clothes and onto his skin.
Tom could understand paying with his life for what he’d done. However, he couldn’t deal with leaving his family behind and at the mercy of the man who put him in the box. Tom felt the weight of his betrayal like never before. His wife and only son would suffer for what he’d done. Tom sobbed like never before.
****
Karma watched the box glide across the water as he worked the controls on the remote. He followed the silhouette of the box for as long as he could as it drifted across the lake. Confident that his creation would work as planned, Karma got into his van. It was time to drive back to Tom’s cabin. There was still a lot left to do.
****
Tom’s sobbing gave way to despair as he thrashed around. He yelled as loud as he could even though no one would hear him through the duct tape.
“Tom stop, please stop. Stop moving.” Sheila cried out. “You’re hurting me.”
Sheila started to cry. “Oh God, why did I betray my sister, I’m so sorry Megan.”
Tom couldn’t help feeling sorry for Sheila even as he lamented being tied to her in her weakened state.
Tom did his best to drown out her crying as he concentrated on moving, although, not as aggressively as he had a moment ago. He hoped his movement would loosen the ropes enough for him to wiggle out and have a chance at surviving somehow.
****
Russell was leaning back on the swivel chair to his skiff looking up at the Moon lit night. The Budweiser he was drinking had gone warm, but, he didn’t mind. It was the taste of beer that he liked and not how cold it was. Russell held onto the can of beer with both hands as he rested them and the beer can on his amble belly. Every now and then he parted his walrus mustache away from his lips with two fingers. The swivel chair was his favorite part of his small fishing boat. At his age, it was nice to have a chair with a backrest as opposed to the conventional seating that came with most small boats.
He gently swung himself from side to side as he waited for the minnow traps to fill with the small fish he sold as bait. There was one way into the traps and no way out. The three traps suspended several feet under the boat would collect minnows. He usually collected enough to last for several days’ worth of sales.
Russell set the traps up at night. It was easier to catch the small fish without the commotion of the day. Russell sat up in his chair and drank the last of his beer. He crushed the can and let it fall into his boat.
One by one Russell pulled up the traps with the minnows. He dumped the small fish into a large cooler equipped with a portable aeration system. Using his flashlight to look into the cooler, Russell was happy with the amount of minnows he saw.
After he pulled up the anchor, Russell hit the switch on the outboard motor before he sat in his chair.
Using the tiller to put the propeller in the water, Russell started making his way back to the communal dock near the city center of Orange County.
Russell looked far and wide not concentrating on anything in particular. He knew how to navigate the waters of Sparrow Lake just as easily at night as he did during the day.
****
Tom kept moving, although, not as vigorously as he had a moment ago. He was getting tired and the ropes didn’t seem to be loosening.
Tom stopped moving when he felt the box make a slight tug before it settled to a stop. The movement of the water inside the boxed calmed. Tom realized they had been anchored in place. Remembering what Karma said about the workings of the box, Tom fought the urge to start thrashing around again, even though, it wouldn’t help his predicament.
Tom knew the next thing to come was the release of the flotation cylinders which would allow the box to sink.
Tom laid his head against the cold metal of the box. The inch of water lapped around his head. Tom tried to concentrate on the sound of the water. It wasn’t so easy knowing that at any moment he would sink to the bottom of Sparrow Lake.
Tom couldn’t help think at the mocking nature of life. He was going to die in the one place that had always offered him refuge from the chaos of living.
****
Even though he was looking far and wide Russell noticed the silhouette of something a few yards in front of him and to the right. Russell squinted to try and make out what it was. He had no idea what he was looking at. All he could make out was the orange glow of the flotation cylinders. He’d seen plenty of those in his life, but, whatever it was attached to didn’t look like a boat.
Russell let go of the throttle so his skiff would glide at a speed that would allow him to see what it was.
Russell bent at the waist and picked up his fishing gaff. It came in handy when you were fishing from an elevated spot like a boulder or needed to retrieve the occasional plastic bag or other piece of floating garbage from the lake.
Coming up alongside the shape Russell used the gaff to prod the floating article and to stop his boat. When the metal hook of the gaff made contact with the object, Russell real
ized it was made of metal. He saw that it was rectangular in shape with a length of more than six feet. It was two and half feet wide and three feet high. It had a sturdy Hasp Latch secured by a heavy padlock.
Russell used the gaff to bring his boat side by side with the box. He tried the lock to see if it was secured shut and it was. He passed his hand on the top of the box. It had holes all over. Russell grabbed the small flashlight from its holder on his belt to shine some light on the box.
****
Tom was trying to keep calm when he noticed a light come on and dance around the inside of the box. He followed it with his eyes until it passed his line of sight blinding him momentarily. Tom turned to Sheila. He looked at her with wide eyes. He turned his head looking for the light then back at Sheila. Tom continued this while he mumbled for her to notice the light; to yell for help.
Sheila looked at Tom, wondering what he was carrying on about when she noticed the light dancing inside the box.
She opened her mouth. “Help us.”
****
Russell stood up in surprise when he heard what he thought was the voice of a woman. He bent at the waist again and spoke. “Hello?”
Russell shined his flashlight looking for a sign that he had heard a human voice. “Is someone in there?”
****
Tom looked at Sheila imploring her through moans to continue to call for help.
“Help us.” Sheila tried calling out louder than the first time. She was weak. Sheila swallowed, trying to moisten her mouth and throat.
She called out one more time. “Help us, please.” This time she tensed her body so as to make her voice come out stronger.
****
Russell couldn’t believe he was hearing someone’s cry for help. He panicked for a moment. What was he to do? He was alone. Russell cursed himself for not having his cellphone. His daughter always told him to carry it, but, he liked being out of touch.
Russell thought it was bad how everyone was so connected these days. There was no adventure to life. No way for people to learn how to fend for themselves with apps like Google Maps and the Internet to help them make their way. How he wished he had his phone now.
Karma Page 4