Zeke

by Wodke Hawkinson

  Sue sighed with relief, as the tension that had been building ebbed, at least for the time being. She tried to smile at him as she opened her Coke and took a sip. Zeke totally ignored her as she walked shakily to the small bathroom. Once there, she set her drink on the counter and collapsed onto the side of the tub.

  She slipped from her skirt and blouse after closing and locking the flimsy door. Stepping into the shower, Sue used the noise of its spray to cover her sobs. How am I going to get out of here? How can I get away? No answer came, and eventually Sue turned off the cooling water and slipped into a short nightshirt, wishing she still owned some underwear. She tugged at the hem of the shirt until she’d stretched it out of shape and managed to gain an inch or so of length, enough to give her a small amount of comfort.

  “Aren’t you going to sleep?” she asked Zeke a short time later, her voice timid. He had just made love to her with tenderness reminiscent of the beginning of their affair. He whispered sweet words of affection that would have been accepted more easily if not for all he had put her through. It threw her off, though, and made her doubt her own beliefs. Maybe she was imagining him being mean. But no, she couldn’t forget those minutes in the van after he’d found out she’d called home. She wouldn’t forget that, ever.

  “I’m too hyped up,” he said as he fidgeted. “You sleep, though. You need your rest, bunny.”

  Sue surprised herself by doing just that. In her dreams, she was running. Running, but she felt mired down and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get away.

  When Sue woke, a pale light framed the edges of the cheap curtains. It was hard to tell whether it was morning or afternoon, but the day had an dreary feel to it. Zeke was sitting in the chair staring at her. She got up and went into the bathroom. She could hear Zeke’s voice, talking low, whispering. He was just hanging up the phone when she came out.

  “Get dressed,” he told her as he put the receiver back into his bag. “We have an errand to run.”

  “Okay.” The digital clock on Zeke’s side of the bed said 9:10. It was morning. Yawning, she asked, “What errand?”

  She slipped on a peasant skirt and pulled on a pair of dark purple knee socks, a lilac-colored sweater, and her boots.

  “You’ll see,” Zeke said darkly, his eyes unfathomable.

  They stepped outside under a gray, overcast sky. A light fog lay over the town, and Sue searched signs and storefronts for a clue to their whereabouts. Zeke hummed to himself as he drove. Finally, he pulled into a hardware store where they bought a shovel and another flashlight.

  Sue peeked into Zeke’s wallet as he pulled out the bills to pay for their purchases. There wasn’t much left of her money. Unless he had it hidden somewhere and she doubted that. He wouldn’t want to take a chance of her happening across the hiding place. She hoped he’d ask for more so she could use the ATM. If anyone was looking for her, this would be like leaving a message. A way to be saved.

  Their next stop was a drive-through burger joint, and Zeke ordered cheeseburgers and sodas.

  “We’ll eat while we drive,” he told Sue, taking a big bite before pulling onto the street. The town looked ghostly, draped in fog. Pedestrians, streetlights, and even other cars with their lights on passed quietly in the misty white. She chewed her food slowly.

  Sue frowned as they pulled up outside a shop named Merlington Floral. Through the window, she could see a gray-haired lady behind the counter and was reminded of her grandmother. Her throat tightened on a rush of emotion. She forced it away into a small corner of her mind.

  “What are we doing here?” Her curiosity made her ask the question without thinking as she swallowed the last bite of food and washed it down with her drink.

  “Well, now, that’s none of your business. But let me tell you something. If you cause any trouble, Sue, I’ll slice the old lady and gut her like a fish. Would you like to see that? Granny’s intestines spill out on the floor?” His grin was maniacal.

  Sue shook her head. “No. I won’t cause any trouble, Zeke.” Her voice trembled.

  “Ah, honey, I’m just kidding!” Zeke punched her in the arm like she was a boyhood buddy before wrapping his arm around her shoulders and escorting her inside. Once there, he purchased a dozen bright, cheery daisies. He even joked with the clerk as he paid for them, telling her that daisies always seemed like such happy flowers.

  Sue stood silently beside him wondering why everyone was fooled by his shallow charm. She was uncertain he would make good on his threat if she tried to signal the clerk in any way, but she couldn’t risk it.

  The clerk gave Zeke a delighted smile. “You’re right, these do look happy. Are they for your honey, there?” She nodded toward Sue.

  “Sadly they’re not.” He glanced at Sue. “They’re for a lost friend.” Zeke passed the flowers to Sue and said, “Hold these for me, sweetie.”

  “These are perfect, Zeke.” Sue put stress on Zeke’s name, hoping the clerk would remember it if someone came asking about them, though she figured the chance was slim to none that anyone would check for her here. Or check for her anywhere as far as that went. After all, she had told her parents that she was fine. She wished she could go back to that conversation and scream for her mom and dad to help her, to come find her.

  “Which road do we take to get to the old cemetery?” Zeke asked the clerk just as they were going out the door. She gave him directions and Zeke walked Sue to the passenger side of the van, opened the door, and helped her in. She clutched the bouquet tightly to her chest. The pleasant smell of the flowers contrasted with the stench in the van. They really needed to clean up. She shook her head, mentally reprimanding herself. What did she care about the condition of the vehicle? She only wanted out.

  They left the busier streets behind and traveled to the edge of town, an ugly area of factories and warehouses. Before long, they were in the country and Zeke was peering intently over the dash, turning this way and that. The fog was thicker outside town, and Sue strained to see the countryside, but could make out very little of their surroundings.

  “How far is it to the cemetery?” she asked.

  “What cemetery? Oh, you mean what I asked the old lady. That’s not where we’re going, but it’s close. I just needed a reference point. It’s been a while since I was here. But, I think you’ll like the place.”

  “Where, Zeke?”

  “You’ll see.” Zeke flashed a humorless grin. “No more questions right now, Susie-Q. I’m not in the mood.”

  She placed the flowers on the ice chest between the seats and sank down, pulling her coat tighter around her body. The cheeseburger had left her feeling queasy. Her eyes filled unexpectedly with tears; she wanted her mother. She wanted to be home, stretched out on the sofa under a warm blanket, while her mom brought her soup, and Sprite in an icy glass. And a cold cloth for her forehead. She glanced over at Zeke, his face twisted in some private amusement. How odd that she ever thought him sensitive and kind. She couldn’t see those traits in him at all anymore.

  Zeke turned into a lane flanked by denuded trees, their branches and limbs swathed in fog. Ahead, Sue could make out an old barn looming in the whiteness.

  They bumped over the ruts and drove up to a broken down gate.

  Sue sat up in her seat. When he gets out to open the gate, I’m going to slide over and lock the doors. Then I’ll slam it into reverse and floor it out of here. I’ll go to the police. I don’t care what the consequences are. Jail would be better than this.

  But Zeke didn’t get out. He tapped the gate with the front of the van, bit by bit swinging it out of the way. When he stopped in front of the barn, he stared at the graying structure and grinned. “Ah, the memories,” he said softly. Then he told Sue, “Grab those flowers, and come on.”

  He lifted the shovel from the backseat and got out, walking around to her side of the van. She still sat frozen, staring straight ahead. Zeke yanked the door open and repeated his order.

  Slowly, Sue picked u
p the daisies and climbed out. A thin frost covered the brittle dead grass causing the ground under their feet to crunch as they walked. The doorway to the barn yawned just ahead, a dark mouth waiting for a tasty morsel. Sue looked around the dim interior as they entered and noticed strips of dusty light seeping through the cracks in the boards. The building was empty except for an old rusty implement of some kind and a few rotting burlap bags piled against one wall.

  “Hold the flashlight.” Zeke shoved it toward her and she took it in her trembling hand. “Shine it in that corner.” He strode to the spot, shovel in hand.

  “What are you looking for?” Sue asked, shaking more from trepidation than from the cold. She prayed he wasn’t digging her grave, worried the flowers were for her.

  “I told you no more questions. Now don’t piss me off or you’ll wear this shovel up side your head.”

  He began digging in the dirt floor, grumbling and swearing every so often.

  “Where the hell is it?” he mumbled to himself. The hole in the ground grew in size. As did his frustration. Finally, he exploded and threw the shovel away from him. It hit the wall and bounced to the ground. He turned in circles, his hands clutching his hair. Sue wanted to run, but they were miles from anywhere, and he had the van keys. She knew she wouldn’t make it far on foot. Suddenly, he stopped and a beatific smile spread across his face.

  “Ah, shit,” he laughed. “I was digging in the wrong corner.”

  He retrieved the shovel and moved to a different corner to dig, Sue trailing obediently after him. Soon, he was making noises of pleasure as he lay the spade aside and reached into the hole to brush some dirt away.

  “Look here, Sue,” he instructed.

  She stepped closer to where he crouched.

  He gazed up at her expectantly, his eyes shining. “Look, look at that.”

  Sue bent to peer in the hole and at first couldn’t make sense of what she saw. It was gray and dingy with a vaguely round shape.

  Zeke brushed more dirt away, and the image resolved itself in her mind. “Meet Daisy.” Zeke smiled gleefully, looking back and forth between the hole and Sue.

  “Oh, no!” Sue backed away, the daisies falling from her hand. “Oh god! Oh, no!”

  Resting in the cold ground was a head. Details of the grisly image seared Sue’s mind: long dark hair still attached to a rotting scalp, eyes gone from their sockets, flesh pulled away from bone.

  Keening like a wounded animal, Sue ran for the barn door, but got turned around in her flight and didn’t find it where she expected. She spun in panicked circles, searching for the opening before collapsing to the dirt floor where she vomited her lunch. As she knelt, dry heaving now, she lost control of her bladder and urine soaked the front of her skirt. She put her hands over her face and sobbed.

  Zeke was instantly at her side. He took her arm and pulled her to her feet. He tried to hug her, but she strained away, flinging her arms, and whipping her head from side to side. Grabbing a flailing arm, he jerked her to him and wrapped her tightly in his arms.

  “Come on, now, it’s not so bad,” he crooned, rocking her slightly. “Come on, come on. Didn’t you ever take biology class? It’s just a head. A head, that’s all. Stop crying now.”

  “Oh, Zeke. Did you kill her? Why? For the love of God, why?”

  “God?” Zeke giggled. “Well, let’s face it, Susie, God wasn’t here that night. And besides, it was an accident. Do you really think I would deliberately hurt someone? Kill someone? Use your head.” Zeke forced Sue’s face upward so she had to look at him. “Susie, you know me better than that. Stop and think. Have you ever actually seen me physically hurt anyone?” His eyes were bright with conviction.

  Sue swallowed and tried to slow her breathing. Only me. And you’ve threatened to hurt others, including Dilly. But Sue kept these thoughts to herself, knowing instinctively that her life now depended on her reactions. She finally shook her head and said, “No. But…what did happen?” Sue steadied herself and managed to ask the question in a calm voice.

  Zeke released her and walked nonchalantly back toward the hole. “I got a little carried away, is all. You see, Big Ben was making love to her, handle first, of course, and somehow he got a bit turned around. Lord, Susie, you should have seen it. It was one big mess.”

  His tone was casual, as if he had just confessed to drinking more beer than was naturally good for a person. Sue tried to hide the fact she was shaking from head to toe.

  “Want to touch it?” Zeke offered. “It’s kind of mummified. Doesn’t even feel like flesh anymore.”

  Sue reacted without thinking. “You’re sick!” She began backing away. “You’re crazy in the head, Zeke.”

  Zeke hurried to block her escape. “Never talk to me that way again.” He buried his hand in her hair and pulled her face toward his. “I mean it, Sue. A man can only take so much.”

  The fight drained from her as she envisioned the poor girl bleeding to death here on the dirt floor of an abandoned barn. She didn’t want to end up like Daisy. She wept quietly.

  Zeke released her hair and took her by the hand, pulling her back toward the hole.

  “I need to cover that up,” he said. “Rebury her, if you know what I mean.” He started throwing dirt back into the hole, covering the head once more. “Pick up those flowers for me, honey. We’re going to leave them here. Daisies for Daisy. Fitting, don’t you think?”

  Sue gathered the flowers, her hands shaking so badly she could hardly hold them. Zeke finished filling the hole and stomped the dirt down. He then took the flowers from Sue and laid them on the ground.

  They walked in silence to the van. Zeke tossed the shovel in back before moving around the van to open the door for Sue.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” he said. “Why did I show Daisy to you? Well, I did it so we won’t have any more secrets between us. It’s a gesture of trust. We need to get that back into our relationship, heal the damage you caused. Plus, I want you to understand what happens when I can’t get the satisfaction I need. Daisy used to help me find girls, you know. She understood; she was really special. But then, one day she just refused. It was like she didn’t care anymore. About me, or even about herself. It’s a shame when that happens, you know what I mean?” He took Sue’s arm in a firm grip. “From now on, if I say we need to find a girl, you better by god help me find one. Or it could be you that ends up dead. Accidentally, of course.”

  Sue’s teeth chattered. She could think of no response.

  Zeke really took in her appearance for the first time since they’d entered the barn. “What the hell happened to you? Goddamn. Did you piss yourself? What do I have to do? Put you in diapers?”

  Sue hung her head in shame as Zeke tore away the offending garment and flung it into the weeds alongside the driveway. “Get in.”

  “Like this?” Sue sobbed.

  “Yes. Like that. Jeez, I buy you nice clothes and you pee all over them. Your mom forget to potty-train you or something?”

  She stepped into the van, pulling her legs up inside her coat.

  Zeke leaned in and looked into her eyes. “So, we straight about you getting me girls when I need them?”

  Sue agreed. She kept nodding her head on the drive back to town. Her mind grappled to find some kind of answer, some way she could survive. She cried softly, tears of sorrow for herself, and tears of grief for a girl named Daisy, who must have been at some point just as stupid, gullible, and starry-eyed as she herself had been.

  When they arrived at their motel, Sue dashed into the room as soon as Zeke opened the door. He closed and locked it behind them, then went to the bathroom to wash his hands. Sue stared at the locked door with longing, but she knew he would be after her in a heartbeat.

  “Take off the rest of your clothes now, bunny,” he called pleasantly over the sound of running water.

  The running water stopped and Zeke walked back into the room, drying his hands on a towel. Watching her the whole time, he tossed
the towel aside and removed his jacket. A small piece of paper fluttered out and landed unnoticed beneath the edge of the bed. “Come get in the shower with me. We’ll both be more comfortable afterwards.” When Sue didn’t move, Zeke snapped, “What are you waiting for?”

  Sue hurriedly removed the rest of her clothes and followed Zeke into the bathroom.

  After their shower, Zeke paced the small room. “We need to leave, Sue.”

  She looked at him strangely. “But we already paid for the second night.”

  Zeke moved to the window and peered out the curtains. “I don’t know why you care about money all of a sudden, the way you blow through the bucks.”

  Sue swallowed hard, wanting to remind him that he had control of all the money. But she thought better of arguing with him. “I don’t understand.”

  He turned to face her, eyes burning. “I’ve got a weird feeling in my gut, Sue. I always listen to my gut. And right now, it’s telling me this place isn’t safe. We have to get out of here. Now gather up your shit.”

  Sue felt prickles crawl up the back of her neck. Safe from what?

  They loaded the van in a hurry.

  “Aren’t we going to check out?” Sue asked as Zeke drove on past the office.

  “There’s no time. Just trust me on this.” He pulled out of the motel parking lot and sped down the street.

  Backtracking

  “This day has pretty much been a waste so far,” Will told Roxie. He had stopped at a gas station to fill up the tank, grabbed some coffee and beef jerky. He shifted the phone to his other hand and paid for his purchase.

  “Where are you now?”

  Cold wind slammed into Will as he walked outside and unlocked his car. “Just a sec. Let me get out of the weather.” He set his cup in the holder, tossed the package of jerky into the passenger seat, and pulled the door shut. “I’m about fifteen miles south of LaBelle. I’ve stopped at every convenience store and gas station along the interstate and have turned up zilch. I don’t think they’re on this road. I think they got off the interstate somewhere along the way. I’m going to have to backtrack.”