Zeke found a parking space on the other side of the restaurant and they listened to the radio as they ate. When Sue was almost finished, Zeke fished something out of his pocket and handed it to her.
“Take a pill, Susie. You look like you need one.”
“I’d rather not.” Her voice was timid. “I finally feel like I’m waking up.”
“Come on, now,” he cajoled good-naturedly. “Open your mouth.”
“Wait a minute. That’s not Xanax; what is it?”
“Don’t worry about it; just take the damn thing.”
She did as he ordered, knowing to resist would only invite trouble. He placed a pill on her tongue and she swallowed quickly, washing it down with her soda. Still, it left a bad taste.
“Let me see.” Zeke took her chin in his fingers.
She opened her mouth so he could check. Satisfied, he smiled at her and stroked her hair. She recoiled from his touch, but he didn’t seem to notice.
As she waited for the effects of the medicine, she stared out the window. Looming in the distance was the Gateway Arch, sun glinting prettily off its surface.
Zeke followed her eyes. “Quite a sight, huh?”
“Yes.”
“They condemned and demolished neighborhoods, including historical districts, to make room for it. It’s okay, but hardly worth the sorrow and cost.”
“I think it’s beautiful.”
“You would,” he said, his tone indulgent, as if he were humoring a child. Zeke powered up his laptop, attached his camera, and uploaded the contents. He hummed as he scrolled and clicked. “I got some great pictures of last night. Wish the flash had worked a little better. Still, you can see quite a bit of detail. Want to see?”
Sue shook her head. Zeke shrugged and returned to his task.
“Delete that one. Keep that one. Keep. Keep. Delete,” he mumbled to himself. “Oh, wow. Keep that one for sure. Whoa, that’s graphic! What a shot!”
Sue’s stomach churned. She swallowed hard to hold down her food.
He finally completed the project and put the camera away, but he stayed glued to the computer’s screen. Just as Sue felt a numbing relaxation creep over her, he spoke again. “Guess what, Sue? We’re going to church.”
“Church?” she managed. Was he experiencing remorse? Ready to confess his sins and seek forgiveness?
“The St. Mary Basilica,” he announced. “Closed down in 1978 and sitting vacant ever since. Ready to be explored. It’s got a big fence around it, but that won’t stop me. The place is supposed to be magnificent still, even in its derelict condition.”
He tucked away the laptop and put the van into gear. Sue sank down into the seat as he traversed the city streets. It seemed he knew just where to go.
Zeke reached over and shook Sue. “We’re here.”
Sue yawned and looked around. They were on a street lined with old cars, some of which sat on blocks, their tires long gone. On one side, houses in ill repair were fronted by yards bare of grass. On the other, the massive St. Mary Basilica towered above them, occupying the entire block.
Sue felt breathless anticipation as she stared up at the spires and buttressed gables. It wasn’t a pleasant sensation, more of an uneasy foreboding.
“Damn.” Zeke peered at the ten-foot fence that surrounded the property. “There wasn’t any mention of the concertina wire on the website.” He chewed his bottom lip as he drove around the corner, looking for a way in. Finding an alley that led to the rear of the monstrosity, Zeke drove along the fence, searching for a weak spot. What he found was a gate.
He pulled right beside it, checking out the padlock that secured the gate to the fence.
“Ahh,” he breathed softly. “My luck just goes on and on. Some idiot didn’t get the shackle down into the locking bar.”
He turned to Sue, grinning. “Hold my hand, sweetie. I wouldn’t want you trying to run off while I’m hanging out the window.”
Resigned, Sue slipped her hand into his. He reached through the window, leaning his upper body out, doing something she couldn’t see. Popping back in, he opened the hand he’d been holding and dropped a padlock into it. “Bingo, baby!”
Backing up, Zeke aimed the van toward the entry, pulled forward, and nudged it open. After driving onto the church’s property, he peered in his rearview mirror, frowning. “Okay. I have to shut the gate. You stay right where you are.”
He took the keys from the ignition. In a move that scared Sue badly, he squeezed past the ice chest and hovered over her in her seat. Grabbing her butt, he pulled her up to meet his crotch, humping her as he kissed her deeply. “Damn, I want you. But first things, first.”
He opened the door and jumped out, pulling Sue behind him.
They moved to the gate, swung it closed, and Zeke put the padlock back the way he’d found it. Unless you were right on top of it, you couldn’t tell it wasn’t latched. He escorted Sue back to her seat, swatting her on the ass as she climbed in. “I’m going to tap this before long.” He threw her a lewd wink and returned to the driver’s seat.
Zeke pulled the van through tall weeds and found a ramp leading a short distance down to a loading dock. He parked there, effectively hiding the vehicle from view. He grabbed his camera and handed Sue a plastic bag with the top tied shut. “Carry this.”
Sue took the sack, which she discovered was heavier than she’d anticipated. She cradled it against her chest, not asking what was inside; she didn’t think Zeke was in the mood for questions.
After trying half a dozen doors, they finally found one that had already been broken into. It was obvious immediately that no one had entered the door for a while; spider webs crisscrossed the opening in several layers.
Zeke pushed Sue forward. “Knock those down.”
Sue squealed, stumbled several steps away from the doorway, and dropped the bag she carried.
“Easy there. That’s fragile.” Zeke laughed good-naturedly and broke a dead limb from a nearby tree as Sue picked up the sack. He swept the branch through the webs and used the stick to pull the door open. Seeing the way clear, he steered Sue into a huge kitchen. Tall cabinets lined the walls, but the appliances were all missing. Peeling tiles, dirt, and leaves littered the floor.
They explored both wings of the great building, discovering a large cafeteria, what appeared to have been study rooms, a vestry, and a small chapel. In another room, curled and yellowing announcements festooned a brittle bulletin board, reminders of the church’s former vitality.
Zeke’s footsteps echoed as he strode about, taking photos, kicking up dirt and debris. “It’s in pretty damn good condition, considering,” he remarked.
Sue silently agreed. There was a surprising lack of graffiti and vandalism, although the large wooden cross behind the altar was upside down and marked with black pentagrams.
“I said, it’s in good condition,” Zeke repeated impatiently, expecting a response.
“That’s because people know they shouldn’t do bad things in a church,” Sue whispered.
Zeke scoffed at her. “People do bad things in churches all the time, Sue.”
“Well, they shouldn’t. It isn’t right.”
“I didn’t know you were religious, Susie.” He squinted at her.
“I’m not,” she said softly. “But I believe.”
“You sure don’t act like it.” He took a quick picture of her standing forlornly in the aisle, dust motes swirling about her. “I haven’t seen any evidence of morality issuing from you on this trip. In fact, I’ve never seen any. And I have the pictures to prove it.”
Sue hung her head in shame, but held her tongue.
“Religious people crack me up. Look around you.” He held out his arms and spun slowly. “All this and for what? There’s no glory in this kind of opulent waste.” He gestured toward the cross. “And that. That totally cracks me up. Some miscreants crept in here, probably self-proclaimed anarchists, and turned a cross upside down. Like they were making some kind of
bold statement. What’s it supposed to represent? An insolent poke to the eye of God? Some lame-ass homage to Satan?” Zeke was genuinely amused. “The joke’s on them. Neither one exists.” He took a picture of the defaced symbol. “They probably scurried back to their mothers’ basements and snickered into their sweaty palms over the audacity of their act, their brave crime against the church. People like that are the funniest of all. They’ll go to all kinds of extremes to be cool, and they just end up looking like fucking morons. What do you think they say when their lives are on the line? Huh? Well let me tell you what they say. They cry out to God to save them, the very God they claim to reject and despise. Hypocritical douche bags.”
Sue kept quiet, letting Zeke vent until he got it out of his system.
When they’d entered the sanctuary, Sue noted the rows of dusty pews with the confessionals along the side, their curtains tattered and limp. She felt nearly as lifeless herself, overcome by exhaustion and the debilitating effects of shock.
She gazed up at the lofty arches high overhead. Light streamed through the remaining panes of stained glass and multi-colored beams danced over a mural of Jesus and his disciples, damaged but still heartrending. A sweeping staircase, minus sections of its banisters, led to the upper levels. Toward the front of the church, a stone angel watched with sad eyes as if presiding over an invisible congregation, ghosts of past worshippers. Sue yearned for the angel to come to life, lift her up in its comforting arms, and fly her away from the nightmare in which she was trapped.
Zeke had been snapping photos of a headless statue. All that remained was the jagged stump of its neck. Suddenly he stopped and looked at the bag Sue carried. “I’ve got a great idea. Bring me that sack.”
Sue willingly relinquished her burden, glad to be free of its weight. In the next second her relief turned to horror as Zeke removed her favorite skirt from the sack and unwrapped it to reveal Brenda’s head. He held it by the hair, and it swung slowly under his hand like a macabre pendulum.
“Oh my God! Zeke! What have you done? Did you have to take her head?”
Zeke looked from the head to Sue. “What? I just got me a little trinket to remember Brenda by. But it’s too big to hang on a keychain, so I just had an inspiration.” He smiled broadly. “You’re going to stick it on this statue. It needs a head and we just happen to have a spare.”
Sue started backing up as Zeke offered her his trophy. Brenda’s half-closed eyes were dull, her mouth slack. The stub of her neck was still sticky with blood. “No. No! I can’t. I won’t.”
Two long steps brought Zeke face-to-face with Sue. “You will not tell me no. Not now. Not ever. Do you understand?”
Sue cringed under his iron gaze. “Yes,” she whimpered.
“Alright then. Take ole Brenda’s head. I’ll lift you up so you can get it up there. You’ll probably have to twist and shove on it to get it to stay.” He waited. “Come on, Sue. Now!”
Sue moved between Zeke and the statue. She timidly took the head by its hair.
“You can’t get it up there like that. Jesus Christ. Get hold of the sides. Grab the ears if you have to, like handles.”
“I just can’t do this, Zeke!”
“I’m not giving you a choice!”
Sue adjusted her grasp and Zeke lifted her by the waist. She gagged as she placed the head on the empty neck. It almost fell off, but she quickly grabbed it, twisting it into place. When she let go this time, it remained.
“Okay. Put me down.” As soon as her feet hit the ground, Sue knelt, grasping her stomach, and took deep breaths, fighting the urge to throw up.
She remained on her knees as Zeke recorded the artwork for posterity.
Zeke walked over to Sue and took her hand, pulling her to her feet. “Come on. I want to go upstairs.”
Sue followed meekly behind.
The upper levels in the rear of the enormous structure split into two separate wings of dormitories, one half probably for long-gone priests and functionaries, the other for nuns. The small rooms, some of them still furnished with decrepit beds, lined the hallways. They retraced their steps to the head of the stairs and Sue looked down. She was struck with a sense of vertigo; it was a long drop to the marble floor below.
A third hallway led straight from the stairway. “We still need to look down this hall,” Zeke said, contemplative. “There are so many rooms to choose from. I wonder which one we should use?”
He edged closer to Sue, backing her toward the dangerous drop-off.
“Watch out,” she said. “I could fall.” Her foot slipped over the edge and she clutched at Zeke’s arms to steady herself.
Zeke peeled her grasping fingers from his sleeves, held tight to one of her hands, and shoved her.
She screamed as she lost her balance and felt herself falling backward. The drugs slowed her reflexes; she couldn’t right herself. At the last second, Zeke jerked her toward his body and pulled her close. In a low voice, he admonished her. “You’re so clumsy, Sue. You almost fell.” He bent to nuzzle her neck as he danced her away from the precipice.
She shoved away from him, and backed against the safety of the wall.
“You pushed me,” she yelled in his face.
With a slow smile and boyish shrug, the same mannerisms that used to melt her heart, he stepped toward her. “It’s not my fault you’re a klutz. Don’t blame me.” He took her elbow and propelled her down the one remaining hallway. “Good thing I had a hold on you. You’d be a bloody splat on the floor right now. But do I hear a thank you? Not an ounce of gratitude.” He looked down the corridor. “Still I put up with you.”
Sue’s body buzzed from the adrenaline overload as Zeke led her into one of the rooms and eyed the interior. It was an outer office, lined with bookshelves, empty now except for rodent droppings. He opened the only other door in the room and found a decent-sized bedchamber, bed still intact.
“This must have belonged to the big cheese.” Zeke admired the brass head and foot boards. Stuffing protruded in many spots, and more droppings littered the surface. The light from the small windows also revealed a straight-backed chair and a dresser.
“What’s in here?” Zeke pulled open another door, revealing a small restroom, complete with walk-in shower. “Oh, yeah. This was no flunky’s room. I like this. It’s perfect.”
“Perfect for what?” Sue wished she could take the question back when she saw the sadistic glitter in Zeke’s eyes. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.”
“But baby, I’m setting this whole thing up just for you.” He blew the dust off the surface of the dresser and set his camera down. With one quick movement he flipped the mattress over, revealing a much more acceptable surface. “This is better,” he said with a sigh of satisfaction. “Take off your clothes.”
“In a church? Zeke!”
“Are you telling me no? Besides, it’s not a church anymore; it’s just a building.” His tone turned snide as his mood shifted. “Don’t go all pious on me. We both know that you’ve sinned big time.” An odd smile raised the corners of his lips. “After all, you’re a killer.”
“I’ve never killed anyone!” Sue exclaimed.
Zeke crossed his arms and gave her a skeptical look. Her eyes darted around the room, but he stood between her and the door. “You were there when it happened. You’re an accomplice; that’s pretty much the same thing. Face it, babe. We’re a team. Like Bonnie and Clyde. You’re just as culpable as I am. The police will agree with me on this; you can take my words and bank them. So what do you say we cut the crap and you just take off your clothes like I asked you?”
He pulled the cord from his camera and used Big Ben to cut one side, making the thin strap longer. He dropped his knife on the dresser and twisted the garrote around his hand as he approached her.
With trembling fingers, Sue removed her coat and blouse. Goosebumps sprang up on her flesh. Stripping the rest of her clothing away, Sue stood shivering before him, arms crossed over her body.
“Turn around.”
“What? Why?”
“Well, you’re naked. Can’t you think of any reason I’d want your backside to me?” Zeke fiddled with the cord in his hands, watching her intently.
Filled with trepidation, Sue turned away from him. Immediately, the strap he held was tight around her neck. Zeke applied pressure, pulling Sue against himself.
Sue was unable to breathe. She struggled frantically to get her hands under the cord, slapped at Zeke’s head, and kicked her feet.
Zeke panted behind Sue and licked her ear. “You like this, don’t you, bunny? Oh, I know you want it; I can tell.” He ground against her bottom, his breath coming faster.
Urine ran down Sue’s legs and dripped on Zeke’s boots.
“God damn,” Zeke complained. He released the rope and caught Sue as she collapsed, fighting to pull air into her aching lungs. “You’re damn gross. Do you know that?”
Zeke reached around and held her up, massaging her breasts and pinching her nipples. Once Sue regained some control, he turned her around and kissed her neck. “Ah, sweetie, did that hurt?”
“You psycho bastard!” Sue wheezed.
“Psycho bastard? I’ll show you psycho bastard. Now, get your ass on the bed.”
The hard edge in his voice brooked no refusal. She fell onto the decayed mattress and, with effort, rolled to her back. Quick as a flash, Zeke had the camera cord around her wrists, pulled them over her head, and secured them to the rusted metal headboard.
“Let me go!” Sue begged. “You don’t have to tie me up! I’ve always done whatever you wanted. Zeke, please!”
“Too late, bunny.” Zeke drew back his fist and punched her in the face, breaking her nose. Blood spewed.
Stunned for a second, Sue blinked in disbelief and then broke into hysterical sobs. She watched with terrified eyes as Zeke calmly turned to the camera, and set it to record.
He removed his coat and draped it over the chair. Winking at Sue, he unzipped his jeans and pushed them down his hips. Yanking her legs apart, he jumped between them, achieving penetration with one thrust.
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