The Devil's Demeanor

by Hart, Jerry

  But they weren’t traditional. She was just Dad’s longtime girlfriend whom he refused to marry or impregnate. And Jordan’s cousin was treated like a brother and son. Perhaps Samantha was trying to impress upon Dad that she could be a good wife and mother so that he would pop the question. She wanted him to think it was his own idea even though she was subtly leading him in that direction.

  The boys looked at Dad, waiting for...something. Anything. After what Conner had said about Samantha, Jordan was sure she’d grown tired of waiting for a real commitment. He couldn’t blame her, but that didn’t mean he agreed, either.

  “Look at us,” she said, beaming at them all. “We look like a real family.”

  Dad suddenly stopped eating and stared directly at her. “Just like a real family,” he agreed.

  “But we’re not a real family,” she added coldly. “Not yet.”

  “And tell me, what does make a real family?” Dad sounded emotionless and weird.

  Samantha swallowed. “A mother and father. Marriage.”

  “So,” said Dad, “if we were to get married, my kids would automatically become yours? Is that what you’re saying?”

  Samantha looked at the boys. “No, but it would be a start. And if we had our own kids—”

  “I don’t want any more kids,” Dad interrupted.

  Samantha looked like she’d been slapped. “But, Donny, why—”

  “We’ve talked about this before,” he interrupted again. “Why do you look so surprised?”

  Samantha looked scandalized. She absently toyed with a napkin as her eyes darted toward everyone at the table. “Don’t you love me?” she asked Dad in a near whisper.

  “I do.”

  “Then why are you doing this to me?” she wailed.

  “Doing what?” Dad returned in kind. “What am I doing?”

  “You make me feel like some goddammed...”

  “Slut?” Conner supplied.

  Samantha flashed him a glare cold enough to freeze hell before continuing. “You won’t marry me, you won’t have kids with me. What am I doing here if this relationship is going nowhere? I feel like an intruder.”

  “You’re welcomed to leave.” That was all Dad would say.

  If Samantha had looked like she’d been slapped before, that was nothing compared to how she looked now. Was she expecting a marriage proposal now? She looked close to tears but managed to stay composed. She stopped playing with her napkin, stood up, said “Fuck you” to Dad, and then walked out the door.

  * * *

  Samantha and Dad broke up that very night. Though Jordan didn’t miss her, he did feel sorry for her. She’d committed ten years of her life to nothing. She and Dad had fought many times over the years, but this time felt like the final time. Now that Samantha knew for certain where Dad stood on the subjects of marriage and children, she no longer felt committed to the relationship.

  She left within the week, taking many things with her. The house actually looked significantly different without her, prompting Jordan to realize just how much she’d contributed to its interior design.

  Every day at school, Jordan paid more attention to all the couples than he had before. He gauged the levels of love they showed, wondering how long they would last. Not long, judging by some. Others would probably last through most of college.

  When it came to Erin and Travis, however, Jordan liked to think they were on the verge of a break-up. Erin was a wonderful human being who deserved to be treated like a goddess. Travis was a grade-A asshole. It made Jordan sick to his stomach knowing they were together. But Erin was smart; she was with Travis for a reason. If only Jordan could figure out what that reason was.

  He sat in the darkened English class, watching the tiny TV. The teacher, Ms. Randall, sat at her desk, also watching. She’d put on some Tennessee Williams movie, an adaptation of one of his books that the class had read the previous week. They’d even written an essay on it. Jordan didn’t care, though; he liked watching movies.

  He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned back to see Erin grinning at him.

  “Your cousin said something about camping this weekend,” she whispered.

  Jordan groaned. “He wants to go camping in the woods behind our house.”

  “But you don’t want to?” Her grin faded.

  “Well...it’s dangerous. People have died in there.”

  “The Texas Devil, I know. Conner wants to go looking for it. Sounds like fun.”

  “That sounds fun to you?”

  “I love camping. I even have my own tent and sleeping bag. Don’t be scared; I’ll protect you.”

  Jordan was about to smile until he suddenly thought of something. “Is Travis coming?”

  “Well, he overheard Conner and me talking,” she replied. “He wants to go too.”

  “Of course he does.” Jordan sighed.

  “You don’t like him, do you.” It wasn’t a question.

  “He’s such a jerk. How can you stand being with him?”

  It was Erin’s turn to sigh. “I know he is to other people, but he’s really nice to me.”

  “Do you love him?”

  She looked at him and said, “I do.”

  She looked sad to him, though. He couldn’t explain it, and he wanted to talk to her more, but felt now was not the time. “I’ll talk to Conner about the camping thing. Don’t tell anybody else, okay?”

  “Deal.”

  That night, Jordan went looking for Conner but found him nowhere in the house. The light in Dad’s study was shining through the fireplace, so Jordan assumed his father was working again. Even so, Jordan felt alone in the house. He stepped out onto the back porch and stared at the dark woods once again. He would soon be venturing off into those woods with the girl of his dreams and her bastardly boyfriend. Would it be worth it?

  Obviously, Dad could never find out about this. Jordan and Conner had three days to come up with a good excuse for why they would be gone the entire weekend. Jordan felt a little guilty leaving his father, considering what happened with Samantha. But what could he do? He was only fifteen, and Dad was used to being alone anyway, locked in his study.

  Jordan climbed onto the trampoline and bounced slowly. He felt like he was being watched, but not from the woods.

  He stopped bouncing and sat down, the trampoline under him, and he felt like he was sinking. He was about to climb off when he made the mistake of looking at the stars. There were so many of them, so tiny and bright.

  Jordan lay flat on his back and simply marveled at that sky. He and Erin would look at this same sky in a few days. He would do his best to pretend Travis wasn’t there—

  Something touched Jordan’s back.

  He sprang to his knees. He screamed and tried crawling off the trampoline, but then realized that whoever or whatever was under it would probably grab him the moment his feet touched the ground.

  Instead, he stood up, his breathing ragged. He walked around, fearing to stay in the same spot for too long. He made his way toward the direction of the back porch, wondering where Dad was. Dad had to have heard him scream.

  Suddenly, something pressed upward at the center of the trampoline. It looked like a handprint, and it just kept rising. Up and up, until Jordan thought it might rip through the material.

  Jordan couldn’t stand it anymore. He jumped off the trampoline and ran straight for the back door without looking back. He nearly tripped on the patio steps when he heard breathing right behind him, but he managed to stay on his feet, get inside and lock the door.

  And then he made the mistake of looking through the blinds. It was instinct.

  When he looked, he saw a pair of bright, wet eyes staring straight at him. And then he passed out.

  Chapter 6

  “Jordan, wake up.”

  Jordan felt a hand lightly tap his face. He opened his eyes and saw Dad kneeling over him. The sun was rising, which startled Jordan. He’d been passed out on the floor all night. The last thing he re
membered was—

  He jumped to a sitting position, his heart suddenly racing. Those glossy eyes glaring at him through the blinds. “Dad, there was something outside. It chased me.”

  “What are you talking about?” Dad looked wary.

  Before Jordan could reply, Conner came trotting down the steps from the kitchen. “What happened?” he asked, a bowl of cereal in his hands.

  “Where were you?” Dad asked him, sounding a little angry.

  “Upstairs.”

  “All night?”

  “Yes.”

  “No, you weren’t,” Jordan chimed in. “I was looking for you. I couldn’t find you anywhere.”

  Conner looked at him, a deer caught in headlights. “I was probably in the bathroom. What’s going on?”

  He and Jordan looked at Dad.

  “I fell asleep in my office,” Dad said. “I just woke up a minute ago and found Jordan passed out right here. He said there was something outside. Did you see or hear anything?”

  “No,” Conner replied. “Maybe it was a dog.”

  Dad actually flinched at that. Why?

  “Are you okay?” Dad asked Jordan.

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Get ready for school, both of you.” He stood and looked through the blinds to the backyard.

  “Shouldn’t Jordan go to a doctor or something?” Conner asked.

  Without looking back, Dad said, “He’ll be fine.”

  The boys showered, dressed and ate breakfast; Conner helped himself to a second bowl of cereal. While at the table, Jordan asked, “Where were you? Really?”

  Conner stared at him for a moment before replying. “I was outside.”

  “Doing what?” Jordan felt a chill go down his spine.

  “Hanging out with a friend.”

  “Were you in the backyard?”

  “Sort of. We were out in the woods. We were scouting a spot to pitch the tents this weekend.”

  Jordan tilted his head, studying his cousin. “Who were you with?”

  Conner suddenly grew very uncomfortable. “A friend.”

  “Is this friend going camping with us?”

  “No.”

  Jordan continued to study his cousin before deciding to drop the subject. “You didn’t see or hear anything last night?”

  “We heard you scream, but we were far away and didn’t know it was you, so we ignored it.”

  “How did you get back in the house?”

  “I climbed up to my window, since the back door was locked. Were you really passed out all night down there?”

  Jordan nodded. “I don’t know what happened. I guess it’s possible to be so scared that you pass out. Maybe I imagined it all.”

  “Do you still want to go camping?”

  Jordan sighed. “No, but I will anyway. Somebody has to keep an eye on you.”

  * * *

  On the way to the bus stop at the end of the street, the boys saw crabby old Mr. Leper standing on his front porch, staring at them as they passed.

  “I hate that old bastard,” Conner said, staring back.

  “Dad hates him too,” said Jordan. “He’s always watching everybody, or complaining about petty things, Dad says.”

  “I hate him because he always stares at me.”

  “You’re paranoid.”

  “I’m attractive. He probably has a thing for little boys.”

  Jordan laughed. “He can be your sugar daddy.”

  They laughed together as they reached the bus stop. At school, Conner told Erin and Travis about Jordan’s run-in with the Texas Devil last night. Jordan hadn’t even thought of that as a possibility until the words were out of his cousin’s mouth. He had thought the thing to be human, or at least humanoid. Or, in the best-case scenario, imagined.

  The news seemed only to make Erin and Travis even more excited about the expedition to come.

  As Jordan walked from English to algebra, he saw none other than Diedre Marshall standing just outside his math class.

  “Hello, Mr. Scott,” she greeted cheerfully. “Just the man I was looking for.”

  Jordan smiled. He liked being called a man by a beautiful woman. Even if she was only using him.

  “Did you talk to your dad about the interview?”

  “He said he wasn’t interested.”

  The reporter tapped her chin with her index finger and chewed on her lip. Jordan could smell her vanilla perfume once again. “I figured he’d say no. I really just wanted him to know he’s still on my radar. I appreciate you asking.”

  “Ms. Marshall, why are you so interested in my dad’s past?”

  She suddenly looked at Jordan with renewed interest. “Did he say that? Does he think I’m interested in his past?”

  Jordan felt as if he’d said too much. “Aren’t you?” he asked, hoping to fix his mistake.

  She nodded. “It’s interesting that his mind went there, though. Very interesting.”

  Jordan saw his class was only half full, but he needed to ask the reporter something while he had the chance. “Ms. Marshall, did something happen to my dad when he was a kid?”

  Ms. Marshall grinned. “A lot of things happened, young man.”

  * * *

  Jordan couldn’t get his little talk with the reporter out of his mind as the day wore on. She was interested in Dad, and not because of his occupation. Jordan hated thinking there was some deep, dark family secret eluding him. He was almost tempted to help the woman if only to satisfy his own curiosity.

  But what if that secret proved embarrassing or harmful to the family name? Jordan would never forgive himself for airing the dirty laundry for the world to see. Perhaps it was best to stay away from Ms. Marshall like Dad advised.

  After school, Jordan helped Conner gather the camping gear and hide it from Dad. Next, they had to come up with a believable excuse for why they would be gone for two days. They were spared when Dad told them he had to fly to New York to visit his agent and that he would be back Sunday night.

  Dad was gone long before Jordan and Conner, along with Erin and Travis, made their way into the woods Friday evening after school. Travis brought a tent for him and Erin, answering Jordan’s unasked question about the sleeping arrangements. Conner brought his high-definition camera Dad had bought him for his last birthday to “document” the hunt for the Texas Devil. Jordan hoped Dad would never find the footage; he would kill the boys if he discovered that they’d wandered into these dangerous woods. Irony of ironies.

  Conner took them to the spot he’d scouted the other night. It was a small, round patch of treeless land, though thin trees bordered the area. It was only five in the evening, but it was already getting dark. The kids began setting up their tents. The cousins’ was fairly small, and it would be cramped; Erin and Travis’s was slightly larger and much newer-looking. Jordan could only imagine what they would do in there. His face grew hot and red as his heart hammered with jealousy.

  * * *

  The teens started a small fire once it got colder and heated up hot dogs and marshmallows on sticks. Erin had tofu dogs and patties that smelled quite good once cooked. Then they discussed the best ways to go about searching for the mysterious Devil. Everyone except Jordan was eager to begin right away, despite the darkness. They had plenty of flashlights, and cell-phone reception was excellent in case they needed to call for help.

  It was eight o’clock when the search began.

  The group decided to begin where the last victim had been found. The area was no different from any other part of the woods, and there was no way to tell if they even had the correct place. Conner assured the others that he knew where he was going. His certainty made Jordan uneasy.

  The group found nothing there and so moved on to the next murder site, which was located near a stream at the bottom of a slight rise. There they found what looked like animal prints in the damp soil. There were also a few broken sticks near the tracks.

  Travis found a hole a few feet away from the stream. I
t was large enough to hold a man. Jordan got a very bad feeling as he stared at the hole. It was at least six feet deep and two feet wide. It looked like a vertical grave. Jordan shivered as the explorers moved on.

  After an hour, the group returned to camp, dejected. Besides the weird hole and animal tracks, they found nothing noteworthy. The night grew colder as the hour grew late. The teens decided to call it a night shortly before midnight. Jordan and Conner lay shivering in their tent; Jordan could hear noises coming from Erin and Travis’s tent and he grew furious. He could imagine what the couple was doing next door.

  Suddenly, he exited his tent and walked a little ways to one side of the campsite. He stood on rocks and sticks that poked through the soles of his sneakers, trying to finish pissing as quickly as possible so that he could get out of the freezing cold and into slightly less freezing cold.

  He almost didn’t want to return to camp. He didn’t enjoy knowing the girl he liked was making out with her jerk of a boyfriend. Jordan decided he’d get blankets; he wasn’t used to this much cold. Not to mention thunderstorms. He and Conner would always become practically catatonic once the lightning and thunder came, no matter how much older they got. Conner had even dug a hole in Jordan’s closet to hide inside during such a storm; the two had been playing in Jordan’s room at the time, but Jordan never said anything to Dad.

  A branch snapped somewhere ahead of Jordan, startling him. He stared into the dark but saw nothing except trees. And then something moved.

  * * *

  Mr. Leper watched from the shadows as Jordan Scott stood a few feet away, taking a leak. The boy was staring right at him now. The old man had stumbled slightly, possibly giving away his location in the woods. After a moment, however, Jordan looked away. Then he started walking toward his house.

  How many kids were out here?

  Leper had seen four leaving the Scott house with camping equipment earlier. What were they up to? Didn’t they know how dangerous these woods were? Did their parents know about this? Leper doubted it, just as much as he doubted that anyone knew that he was, in fact, the Texas Devil.

  The nosy old man stepped out of his hidden spot and headed in the direction Jordan had come from. Soon he came across two tents in a small open area. One tent was quiet and small; the other had some activity going on inside. These kids wouldn’t know what hit them. He couldn’t wait to beat their brains in with a rock, cut off their genitalia and throw the bodies in a hole. He would keep the genitals.