RUN.
She does, slipping little girl fast into the bushes. Ray swears, grabs my shoulder, no messing around now, yanks me around, spins me in front of him like we are dancing, claw into meat, teeth into flesh, and the world roars, shaking the way the sky rattles when thunder comes. My stomach twists like it’s opening from the inside, burns like lightning must, my body snapping harder than even Ray can move me.
“You stupid bitch,” Ray says, voice emptied out, my death in his eyes, and the world roars again, his fingers sinking deep inside me as his head cracks back, red blossom where his right eye was, staggering forward, crashing down, taking me as he falls, skin blood bone on me, running all over me, running into me.
“Alice,” he says, and then again. “Alice?”
Then he is silent, a dark heavy weight on top of me. Pressing me down into the ground. Where all things must go. Where we one day will all be. Death to make the living.
“I did it,” Jake wheezes and his face, strange hazy far away, peers at me. “I did it. Two shots but I did it. Where the fuck’s my phone? Call the police, call Mom and Dad, call Todd and—Lucy? Lucy? Where are you?”
I want to push Ray off me but I can’t move and he is dead, he is gone, and the pain in my stomach is hotter than the one in my shoulder, deeper, and when Jake says my name, phone at his ear, smeared like something melting, he touches my side and lifts up fingers dark like night.
“Oh no,” he says, and then “oh no no no” and other words into his phone, hurry I meant to stop him but she moved or something she was there she was with him.
Yes, I was with him. Ten years old and in his car, say yes you will come with me.
Say it.
Good.
I don’t have to close my eyes to sleep now it is coming for me I am so tired everything strange, slowed down, quiet, and Lucy—her name is Lucy she will never be called Annabel will never want to forget Lucy is her name. Will be able to keep it.
Lucy kneeling by me, wiggling her hand into mine, little fingers shaking and warm.
“Kyla,” I whisper, dark swimming up all around me, filling me up. My name is Kyla Davis I live at 623 Daisy Lane will you please take me home now? Please?
Yes, Ray said but he didn’t he never did he kept me with him keeps me with him still but now—
I don’t remember sleeping without him by my side heavy weight pushing me down but now I don’t feel him at all, Lucy’s hand like a ghost, little voice saying what? What? What did you say?
65
I AM FREE.
Living Dead Girl Page 9