Closet Treats

by Paul E. Cooley

  There was a pause. "Okay. I'll, um, call the nurses' station in a minute and let them know."

  Carolyn frowned. "You sounded a little hesitant there. Is there a problem?"

  "Um, not really," Kinkaid said. "I just want you to be prepared. I know what kind of...hallucinations he's had. I assume he told you as well."

  "Yes."

  "Okay. Then I want you to be prepared that he may see those again. I'm just not sure what kicked them off. So do me a favor," Kinkaid said, taking a deep breath, "let's try not to get him excited for the moment. Okay?"

  "Okay," Carolyn agreed.

  "Keep the visit pretty short, please. I'm going to come in later this morning and talk to him."

  Carolyn felt a sob trying to break its way past her throat. She managed to choke it back. When she spoke again, her voice quivered. "Okay," she sniffed.

  "Carolyn? It's going to be okay. He's been resilient in the past and you and Alan have a lot to do with that."

  "I abandoned him last time," Carolyn said, unable to hide the tears in her voice.

  Kinkaid sighed on the other end of the line. "No, Carolyn. You didn't. If you'd abandoned him, you never would have allowed him back in your house. And I can't tell you how much courage that took."

  Carolyn stifled another sob.

  "Carolyn? Be strong, dear. You're doing fine. He's going to get better and he'll be back home before you know it."

  "Okay," Carolyn said, wiping her eyes. "Just a little visit."

  "Yes," Kinkaid said back to her. "Just a little one."

  "Okay."

  "You all right?"

  "Yes," Carolyn lied, wiping at her eyes again. "I'm okay."

  "All right. Call me anytime, okay?"

  "Yes," Carolyn said.

  "Good. I'll call the nurses' station and let them know, all right?"

  "Yes."

  "Have a good visit. Trey loves you. Help him get better, okay?" Carolyn didn't respond. "Bye, Carolyn." The phone beeped as the connection ended.

  For a moment, Carolyn sat in the seat, the phone still held to her ear. She lowered the phone to her lap and stared at the hospital.

  Short visit, she thought to herself. Short visit. Wasn't that like abandoning him all over again? Just walking in and saying hello?

  "Christ," she muttered aloud.

  She unfastened the seat belt, opened the door, and stepped out into the humid winter air.

  Chapter 27

  Trey opened his eyes and immediately felt ice cold. The temperature in the room seemed to have dropped at least thirty degrees. The blankets wrapped around his legs were little protection. He'd come awake because of the sound near his left ear.

  Click. Click. Grind. Trey turned to his left and choked back a scream. It stood there, towering above him, its shadow swallowing him whole.

  "What--" he asked in a breathy whisper.

  The ghoul. Its misshapen jaws clacked together and then ground, the canines protruding from gray lips. Drops of saliva fell as its mottled tongue flicked in and out.

  "I told you I'd come for you," the thing said. It wore the ice cream man's uniform, cream colored overalls, pork pie hat sitting jauntily on its crusted and matted scalp. The yellow eyes danced with crimson in their centers, the color swirling like flame. "You didn't ask permission, boy," the thing said.

  Trey choked back another scream. "I'm sorry," he whimpered. "Don't put me--"

  The thing smiled and leered. It bent down, close to him, cutting off his thoughts, his speech.

  "You're going back with me," it breathed. "You're going back with me and this time I won't let you out." The crimson pupils faded and turned black.

  "No," Trey whispered. "I won't--"

  The thing laughed, its eyes turning green. "Yes, you will. You'll do everything I tell you," the ghoul said, stretching out a taloned finger to scrape against Trey's chest. "Or I'll split you in half like I should have all those years ago. Bad boy," the thing growled. "Bad, dirty little boy."

  "No," he whispered. He closed his eyes. "You're not real." He felt its hot, rancid breath against his ear. Its jaws clicked. A single drop of saliva wet his cheek, stinging his flesh. "You're not real!" he screamed aloud.

  "You," it tittered, "you are the one who's not real."

  "Fuck you!" his voice broke on the last syllable. He opened his eyes, his fists ready to strike, and stared into the ghoul's rotted face. "Fuck--" The overhead lights flipped on.

  "Trey!" a voice yelled from the doorway.

  Trey whipped his head around, fists still raised. Carolyn stood in the doorway with one of the many nurses that had checked on him during the night. "It's here!" he yelled and whipped back toward the left side of the bed.

  There was nothing there. Nothing.

  Carolyn and the nurse walked in. He turned around to face them. "It was right there," he whispered.

  "What was, Mr. Leger?" the nurse asked. She had reached the IV cart and picked up the clipboard at the base of his bed. Her deft fingers reached around his wrist, checking his pulse against her watch. "Can you tell me?" she asked softly.

  "The--" He looked over the nurse's shoulder at Carolyn. Her face was ashen. Trey thought he saw a tear hiding at the edge of her eyes. "It--" He swallowed hard. "It was just a dream." He let his head fall back into the pillow.

  "You're very cold," the nurse said, pulling the blankets back atop him. "You may have a fever. I'll come back in a few minutes and check your temperature," she said, marking something on the chart. She looked at Carolyn. "Short visit, okay?"

  Carolyn nodded to her and the nurse walked out of the room. She stared at Trey, a weak smile breaking through her deep frown.

  "Hello, baby," she said softly.

  He smiled back at her, his forehead still covered in sweat.

  Carolyn walked to the side of his bed and pulled up a chair. She sat down and placed a hand in his. He gently squeezed her. "You have a bad dream?"

  Trey nodded. "Yeah. Bad dream."

  "Can you tell me about it?"

  Trey opened his mouth, and then closed it. "No, honey, I can't." He could have. He wanted to. But she had seen enough already. She didn't need to know he saw the damned ice cream man in the room. She didn't need to know that. Not now. "How are you?" he whispered.

  "I'm okay," Carolyn said with a smile. "Just worried about you." She gave his hand a healthy squeeze. "Alan said to tell you he loves you." She laughed a little. "He was very adamant."

  The smile on Trey's face didn't feel awkward or fake. He imagined the boy telling his mother that, face stern and serious. "You'll tell him I said I love him too. Won't you?" She nodded. "Okay, good."

  "He wants to come see you," she whispered.

  Trey broke her stare and looked down at the cast on his arm. "I don't think that's a good idea right now." He heard her sigh and turned back to her. "Maybe in a day or two."

  She nodded. "Dr. Kinkaid said she's going to check on you later this morning."

  "I'm sure she will," Trey said.

  Carolyn giggled. "She's your girlfriend, isn't she?"

  Trey snorted. "Yeah, I'm her centerfold for psycho weekly." He watched her laugh, loving the way her lips curved upward and the sound of her voice. So many things he wanted to tell her. So many things. "She's a good quack." Trey grinned.

  She nodded. "Yeah, I like her, Trey." Carolyn paused, staring down at their clasped hands. "I'm not leaving you." She slowly raised her eyes to his. "You know that, right?"

  "Yes, baby," he whispered. "You never have."

  "Before," she said, "last time. I stopped--"

  Trey shook his head. "Baby? I-- I hurt you last time. There's no reason to--"

  "I was afraid," her voice choked. "I was afraid--"

  "I know you were." He squeezed her hand, but she didn't look at him. "Carolyn?"

  She nodded, but didn't meet his eyes.

  "Carolyn? Please look at me?" Slowly, she raised her head. He smiled at her. "It's okay, baby. I know you were scared. I'
m just happy you brought me home again."

  "I will this time, too," she whispered. She leaned over and kissed his damp forehead.

  "Mrs. Leger?" the nurse called to her from the doorway. Carolyn turned around. The nurse tapped her watch.

  Carolyn nodded to her and then turned back to Trey. "I'm being kicked out."

  Trey sighed. "I know. Goddamned nurse ratchet clones," he whispered. He paused for a moment, and then leered. "You think they'd let us get freaky in the bed?"

  She laughed. "Maybe later." She kissed his forehead again. "Maybe I'll wear something more appropriate next time."

  "Sure, baby. Sure. We can try and find a use for the bedpan."

  "Eewww," she said. "I'm not sure I want to come back after that!"

  They laughed together. "Go on, get out of here." He waved his good hand.

  "Okay, baby. Call me when you have a chance?"

  He nodded. "Assuming they don't put me in the rubber room, I will."

  Carolyn stood and walked to the door. She turned back to him. "Alan misses you, baby. And so do I."

  "I'll make sure to call you when I'm--" He swallowed hard. "When I'm ready to see Alan."

  She nodded to him and waved. With that, she left the room.

  Chapter 28

  As with the ride to the hospital, she barely remembered the ride back. The moment she'd walked out of Trey's room, his terrified and shocked face flitted into her mind. He'd looked so lost, so desperate. What did he see to cause that, she wondered. He'd told her what he'd seen, but she couldn't really imagine it. Not what it looked like through his eyes.

  For years, he'd rolled about the bed at night, dreaming his dark dreams and muttering in his sleep. Every time she woke at night from his moans and whispers, she'd see that same terrified expression on his face. But with him awake-- Christ. What the fuck was so bad that it left him so shaken?

  Carolyn pulled into the neighborhood and made her way down Pine. The tall pine trees, for which the road was named, swayed gently in the wind. She wound past Crystal, the intersection where Trey had collapsed. Carolyn forced herself to keep her eyes on the road. She didn't want to remember the blood on the concrete, or the crowd standing around Trey like he was some kind of circus attraction.

  Alan had watched all that from the car. She choked back a sob. He shouldn't have been exposed to that.

  As she turned on to Moss, she slowed to a crawl. The van. The white van was in front of her house. Its back faced her, the scarlet word "YUMMY!" staring at her with gleeful malice.

  She shivered as she pulled around the van. She didn't dare look through the darkened windshield as she pulled into the driveway. Once the car was off, she looked in the rearview mirror. There was no movement inside the van. Carolyn pulled out her cellphone, hands shaking.

  She typed in the code to unlock the phone three times before she got it right and scrolled through the address book. She pressed on the phone's screen and put the phone to her ear. "Please be home, please be home, please be home," she whispered to herself with each ring.

  "Hey, Carolyn. How are you?"

  "Dick," she whispered.

  There was a pause. "Are you okay, dear?"

  "You home?" she asked.

  "Yeah. Carolyn, you sound scared. What's going on? Something happen to--"

  "That van is in front of my house."

  She heard Dick take a deep breath. "Where are you?" he said, his voice stern.

  "In the driveway."

  "Okay, Carolyn. I'm coming, okay?" She heard the jingle of a jacket zipper. "Stay put and keep the car doors locked." The line went dead.

  Carolyn glued her eyes to the rearview mirror. The van sat silent at the curb, bright decals showing smiling children and pictures of candy and ice cream treats. There was a blur at the tinted driver side window. The tiniest movement.

  She sucked in a deep breath. What if he was in her backyard? Or in the house? She shivered again. The idea of the tall man with the shadowed eyes hiding in her closet, under her bed, anywhere--

  The van's door opened. The tall man stepped out. Carolyn sucked in a shuddering breath. The man closed the door and turned toward her. The ice cream man's clean, cream overalls seemed to glow in the dim sunlight. He stepped toward her, his hat slung low over his forehead, once again hiding his eyes.

  As she watched, the man stopped and turned. Dick was walking across the street, a smile on his face. His blue windbreaker bulged at the side. Carolyn blew out a shuddering breath and unlocked the car door.

  As she stepped from the vehicle, she heard Dick talking to the man. "How you doing?"

  She watched the ice cream man shrug. His voice was raspy, choked with phlegm. "All right, I guess."

  Dick walked to the man and offered his hand. "I'm Dick Dickerson."

  Carolyn walked down the driveway to the side of the ice cream man. She watched as the two shook hands. "Reggie," the man said in his raspy voice.

  "Hi," Carolyn said, walking to stand beside Dick. She still couldn't quite make out Reggie's eyes. "I'm Carolyn," she said, extending her hand. The man dropped Dick's and immediately placed his large hand around hers. "You're Reggie?"

  The man nodded, releasing her hand after a gentle shake. "Yes, ma'am."

  Carolyn tried hard not to glance at Dick. She didn't want the ice cream man to see the look, to know she'd called Dick. "Nice to meet you," she said.

  Reggie nodded. "Nice to meet you too."

  "So," Dick said, causing Reggie to turn toward him, "what brings you here? Kids aren't out for another couple of hours yet."

  There was an awkward pause as Reggie stared at him. The man's gloved hands rubbed together, sounding like sandpaper. "I came here," he said, turning toward Carolyn, "to apologize for taking off so fast yesterday." Carolyn blinked at him. "And to make sure your husband was okay."

  She opened her mouth, but Dick spoke first. "What do you mean 'take off'?" he asked.

  Reggie turned back to him with a sigh. "Her husband kind of...had a fit or something. He fell and hit his head on the concrete." The cream clad man sighed. "I, um, noticed he wore a medical bracelet. So I called the number on it." Neither Carolyn nor Dick said anything in the awkward silence. "I got word to Mrs. Carolyn--"

  "Leger," she said softly.

  Reggie turned toward her, the barest smile visible beneath the shade of his hat. "Mrs. Leger, that her husband had an accident."

  Dick nodded. "So you--"

  "Let me finish," the man said, his voice flat. "I waited until she got there. I wanted to make sure Mr. Leger was okay, but I was a little freaked out." He lowered his head. "He, um, looked like he was going to attack me or something."

  Carolyn exchanged a quick glance with Dick. He blinked at her. She could tell he wanted to ask a question, but would hold it until after this. "I'm sure it was a little unsettling," she said. "I do appreciate your calling me, Mr.--"

  "Reggie," the man said simply.

  "Reggie," she agreed. "I appreciate your calling us and letting us know."

  "Is your husband okay?" he asked, lifting his head just the slightest bit.

  Through the shadow cast down upon his face, she saw that long nose again, the gray lips. "He broke his arm," she said. "And he has a concussion."

  "What's wrong with him?" Reggie asked.

  Dick laughed. "I'm sure that's none of your business."

  "Oh," Reggie said. "My mistake."

  For a moment, no one said anything. Carolyn and Dick exchanged glances again.

  Reggie shuffled his feet. "All right," Reggie said, "I just wanted to make sure the man was okay." He extended his hand to Carolyn again. "Sorry it happened, ma'am. But it was nice to meet you." Carolyn managed to put her hand in his again and shake it. "Both of you." Reggie offered his hand to Dick.

  Dick was slow to take it, but squeezed hard once he did. Carolyn noticed Dick's eyes and knew there was little question as to whether or not he liked the ice cream man. "I'm sure," Dick said. He grinned at Reggie, but his
eyes still burned.

  "I'll be going," Reggie said. He headed back to the van and stepped inside. The engine started up, the tail pipe blowing a small puff of blue smoke into the winter morning. The two of them watched as the van drove into the cul-de-sac, rounded it, and headed back out into the neighborhood. They saw the barest glimmer of a wave through the passenger-side window as it passed.

  "I don't like that guy," Dick whispered as the van disappeared.

  Carolyn shivered. "Buy you a cup of coffee?" she said.

  "Your place or mine?" he asked.

  "Definitely mine," she said.

  Dick placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yeah," he chuckled. "Your coffee rocks, mine always sucks."

  She turned her head toward him and smiled.

  "Come on," he said, "let's get out of this cold."

  Chapter 29

  "So he just collapsed?" Dick asked, a chocolate coffee biscuit rising to his mouth. He munched on the cookie with a satisfied "hmmm."

  Carolyn sipped her coffee. "Yeah, I guess. He doesn't quite remember falling down."

  Dick nodded. "Does he remember passing out in front of the house?"

  Her fingers picked out one of the biscuits, sliding it into her mouth. She crunched the end and swallowed it. "Yeah, he does."

  "Is it that guy? That Reggie?" Dick asked with a look of distaste.

  "Yes," she said, wiping crumbs from her lips.

  "Guy creeps me out," Dick said, pushing the rest of the cookie into his mouth. He brushed crumbs from his jacket and took a sip of coffee. "I think we should call the HOA, get him banned."

  She harrumphed. "Good luck with that. Trey said the elementary school kids flock to him."

  "Sure," Dick agreed. "But those damned bells. Man, they could wake the dead." He paused, staring into his coffee cup. "Think we could file a noise complaint"?

  Carolyn stared past him to the window overlooking the deck. Fall leaves, brown and dead, littered its wooden surface. "I don't know. Is it really worth it?"

  He shrugged. "Don't know. But that guy creeps me out," he said. "Just creeps me out."

  She laughed. "You need a thesaurus."

  With a grin, he picked up another coffee biscuit. "That's gonna cost you," he said, lifting it and then consuming it in one bite.