by Bradon Nave
Looking to the sky I felt only sorrow for Jessie. I understood that with my demise would come his downfall. His stunned emotional state coupled with the sedatives coursing through him could only equate one outcome.
Climbing in the truck I rested my head on the widow, staring at my knees. “Please be gentle. I don’t want to wake up hurting.” My words nearly escaped me as the thought of my death took over.
Avery stared at me from the other side of the truck prior to climbing in. “I could probably do that if that were the intention.”
His words didn’t make sense, but at this point I was done with all of it. I didn’t want them to make sense—I just wanted to go to sleep but the water wasn’t working.
“I had to make sure you weren’t gonna fight me none…I had to make sure you was telling the truth.”
“What?” My gaze instantly fell upon his face as he climbed inside.
“You just drank water…nothing else.”
“You’re serious? You’re not…you’re not going to kill me?”
“Nope. Not as long as you keep up your end of the bargain. I need that boy happy. For whatever reason you make him that way. At least for now, I plan to keep you around. But I need to make something damn clear.” His eyes seemed to pierce through mine.
“Okay.”
“You keep your hands outta that boy’s britches. A boy his age don’t know what he needs in a woman and will go to gettin’ stiff if the wind blows right. You ain’t right for my boy…not now anyway.”
“Okay, Avery. Whatever you say.”
“I know you love that boy. I know he loves you…but you gotta get right with the man upstairs before I let you take my boy’s name…Jessie Turner. That’s gotta nice ring to it, don’t it?”
“What?”
“Jessie…I gave him my name. My boy has my name now.”
“Oh…yes, Avery. Jessie Turner is a great name.”
Thankful for the momentary reprieve, I wasn’t about to offer any sort of retaliation. He could call Jessie whatever the hell he wanted as long as he didn’t kill either of us.
***
The well-lit trailer was something almost foreign to me as I stepped inside. The urge to charge to the back bedroom was nearly impossible to quell—still I paced softly in the living room, giving small smiles of appreciation to Avery. “Do you mind if I say hi to Jessie? Would that be okay?”
“That’ll be okay…you just remember what I said now.”
“Yes sir.”
Making my way down the hall my heart raced—flinging the door open, my heart sunk. Sprawled on the bed was a pale-looking Jessie, wearing nothing but urine-stained boxer shorts. His hair was greasy and unbathed and he was breathing softly. “Oh my god…Jessie…”
Attempting to pry his eyes, Jessie was unable to focus, his lips appeared stuck to his teeth. “Kacey…are you really…are you here?”
“I’m here.”
“Why did you leave me?” Soft and slow was his question—his eyes clasped shut.
“I’m here now.”
“It’s okay…he’s coming…I called him and he’s coming…”
“What? Who?”
“He left his phone…he’s going to save…”
“Jessie, who?”
“Ain’t he just something?” Standing in the doorway, Avery peered down on me as I sat next to Jessie.
“Yes, Avery. He…he certainly is. Do you mind, or would it be okay if maybe I helped him to the bath? I think he could use a shower, don’t you?”
“He stink or something?”
“Um…well, he’s a bit sleepy and I think he might need help washing.”
“I’ll do it.” Walking to the bed, Avery lifted Jessie like a limp ragdoll from the bedding, he then turned to exit the room. Watching my lifeless boyfriend’s head dangle helplessly sank any sense of humanity I might have had. I had to save him.
***
“Here’s another bite.” His tired eyes were only that—tired. His eyelids were no longer bound to each other. He was functional. He wore oversized sweats as he rested in bed.
“I don’t…I can’t Kacey. Everything runs right through me. I can’t.”
“Jess…you’re not going to be sick anymore, I promise.”
“Kacey…I really do think I’ve been drugged or something. I had to have been. These last couple of days have been scrambled.” The morning sun illuminated the circles under his eyes. I’d been at his bedside nearly all night.
“Jessie, who did you call? You said you called somebody.”
“What?”
“Last night…you said you called him?”
“I don’t know…I thought I was with my dad for a little bit last night. My mind was in so many places but I thought I called Duke. I called him from Avery’s phone.”
“Oh…gosh. There’s no way that could have happened. Listen, I have a plan, but you have to trust me.”
“Duh, Kacey. Who else am I gonna trust at this point?”
“We’re going to run tonight.”
“Run?”
“We’ll take the car and run. We have to get you out of here.”
“Kacey, he’ll be expecting it. He’ll be expecting us to do something.”
“Jessie look at you…you have lost at least ten pounds if not more. We have to get you out of here. Avery is freaking crazy.”
“And we’re not? Look at us, Kacey…this entire situation is beyond bizarre. I’m past the point of trying to make sense of any of it.”
“We don’t need to make sense of it, we need to get the hell away from it. Don’t you get that? You couldn’t run down the hall right now if this house was on fire; you’re too weak. He has been keeping you sedated so that you can replace his dead son.”
“What?”
“I know it sounds crazy…but like you said, this entire situation is bizarre.”
“How do you know that, Kacey? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Just listen to me, we’ll make sense of it later. We will take his car—”
“Neither of his vehicles will make it back home.”
“They don’t have to make it back home, Jess. We’re going to turn ourselves in…it’s time.”
“How?”
“We’ll go to the station in town…they won’t be expecting us. Jessie they’re not going to hurt us. We can’t live like this…we can’t run like—”
“You’re right. I know you’re right. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“You’re gonna be okay, Jessie. I promise you…you’re gonna be okay. Listen to me. Do not, under any circumstance, eat or drink anything that man tries to give you.”
“Do you really think he’s been drugging me? Really?”
“Trust me, Jessie. Promise me you won’t touch anything else he offers you.”
“I promise. Kacey…I’m scared.”
“Me too…but we’re going to be okay.”
CHAPTER
TWENTY-ONE
Strange how the world around me could be completely chaotic and I face an unfathomable circumstance, but everything was tolerable because I was breathing the same air as Jessie.
The thought of turning on the television sent a chaotic fret racing through me. I wondered exactly how desperate our situation truly was. I imagined it to be quite desperate—our faces plastered on each channel and the details of our motives twisted into something that suited a media’s agenda. The majority of me wanted to continue pretending it wasn’t there—living inside the 1990’s style TV, but the reality was that I needed to prepare myself for whatever I was up against.
Ever watchful within our cramped quarters, Avery’s eyes cautiously kept my actions in check. I remained hypervigilant in my efforts to erase any sense of worry or intent from my expression. The last thing I wanted was for Avery to cast me out prior to my plan being put into action.
Near noon, I gathered supplies to dust with from beneath the kitchen sink. Avery seemed pleased with my intentions, as they
were my own and not of his instruction.
“After I fix you us some good grub I figured you and I would head over to the old homestead—”
“You’re taking me back?”
“What? No. Kacey I done told you. We’re gonna try this thing out.” He looked uneasily at me from the kitchen table where he sat.
“O…okay.”
“I can’t leave you two here alone by yourselves. Not yet. That boy…my boy ain’t ready to be up and around yet. So you can come with me if that’s okay.”
“Of course. What do you do at the homestead?”
“The land. I tend to the land. Ain’t much else to do.”
“Tend?”
“I make sure I give back to it. That fire took a good piece from it…and it gave me so much.”
Looking at him—staring at him, I was lost in his rambling. “I don’t understand.”
“Silly girl. I burnt that house, that bitch, and the land up. I got me a whole mess of house and life insurance after it was all said and done. I’m set, Kacey. I feels I owe it to the land to keep it clean and presentable because it gave me so much.”
“Oh. Okay.” Turning from him I imagined his poor wife, how scared she must have been to have been trapped in the burning house. Avery was a horrific excuse for a human being.
Grabbing the dust rag and cleaner, I made my way from the kitchen and to the living room—to the TV. Dusting it, I was surprised to find it relatively clean and dust free. “Do you mind if I turn this on, Avery?”
“I do. Please leave it off.”
Damn you! I hated him. There was no escaping him. He was everywhere like a wretched virus. Thick and overpowering, there was nothing I could do to get away from him but outwit him. I had to outwit him for Jessie.
“What do you want on your sandwich, Kacey?”
“Oh…whatever you’ve got. I like mustard.”
“And my boy? What does my boy fancy?”
Thoughts of sliced roast beef laced with sedative shot through my mind. “Avery…you do so much for us. Why don’t you let me make Jessie’s lunch. I’ll make our lunch if that’s okay.”
Setting the rag and cleaner down, I casually walked to the refrigerator and hugged Avery around the waist—wanting to momentarily transform into a bear and squeeze the life from him.
“That’s so sweet, Kacey. Having a female in the house that isn’t a conniving bitch is something that might just come to grow on me.”
“Well, you certainly deserve it after everything that you’ve been through, Avery.”
Removing the condiments and deli meat from the fridge I attempted to appear as upbeat and carefree as possible. Giving Avery’s psychotically delusional idea that this family setting might work was the only way to rescue Jessie. I had to pull every manipulative move I had to ensure my mission was successful. Even if it meant my own demise, Jessie would have a future—I would ensure he made it home safely to his father.
“Thank you, I’m glad to hear you say that.”
“Avery…do you think we could have a fresh garden this spring? I’m not the best gardener or anything…but I would sure love to learn.”
“I sure as hell do!” His enthusiasm had him rocketing upward from his chair, smiling largely. “I got me just the perfect patch right behind the hitch…fenced from the cottontails and deer.”
“That’s fantastic! I love cucumbers and tomatoes…maybe some watermelon and cantaloupe.”
“Now that is a plan I can get behind.”
***
With Jessie situated and snoozing again, I prepared for my afternoon with Avery. The plan was simple—either knock his bitch-ass out and take his truck by force, or just wait until he was “tending to the land.” If he left the keys in the truck there would be no hesitation what-so-ever.
Making my way from the bathroom, I found a rejuvenation bubbling within me—an excitement that I’d previously been lacking. I would kill him if I had to. I would gladly kill him.
“You just about ready to load up and head out, Sister-Kacey?”
Making my way to the kitchen, I contained the urge to roll my eyes or hurl the nearest object at his ignorant face. “I am, Avery. I surely am.”
“Good deal! We have a whole mess of cleaning to get done over there. I got a pair of women’s gloves.”
Taking the worn yellow gloves, I imagined his wife’s hands were the last hands to slide into them. This left me uneasy.
“I sure do hope these fit.”
Sliding them on, I forced a smile. “They fit great, Avery.”
“Well then let’s get. Gotta get back before nightfall to get the boy fed.”
“Yes sir.” I hated the way he spoke of my boyfriend like he was some defenseless invalid. The only reason Jessie was partially bedridden was because of Avery’s actions. Jessie wasn’t Brock—he would never be Brock.
The smells of the truck were becoming nauseatingly familiar. Each time I ascended into the cab the smells of Avery were present. Gear grease, dirt, and other farm-like scents wouldn’t otherwise offend me, but now I associated them with the bastard sitting next to me.
Trudging down the road, I was sure to pay extra attention to my surroundings as I needed to ensure I could navigate my way back to Jessie.
Thick and heavy, the fog blanketed the ground and lurked just shy of the bare treetops. Visibility was slight at best, yet Avery continued happily down the road as if we were going to a Sunday dinner.
“Thank you, Avery.” My hand tightly secured to the door handle of the passenger side, I forced my gaze to rest upon the side of his wretched face.
“What?” He seemed almost stunned by the three words. He truly was an idiot.
“Thank you. Thank you for the second chance. I don’t want to let you down.”
“Well, Kacey…I’d hate to see that too. Cucumbers ain’t all I can plant in a garden, ya know?”
“I won’t let you down…I promise.”
“It ain’t about you lettin’ me down, Kacey. It’s about you deceiving me. I can give second chances for honest mistakes…the good book tells me to and that’s how a family man does. What I can’t deal with is deliberate deceit that aims to put a hurt on me in any manner. I suspect that and it proves true…I’ll end you.”
His words, stone cold and piercing, tugged on my brain a bit—forcing me to momentarily reevaluate the plan.
Self-sacrifice was never the issue—I had to make sure however that if I perished during this escapade that Avery did as well. Jessie would only be saved if I ended Avery.
“Tell me about him…I want to know more about Brock.” Racing and bounding, my heartrate instantly accelerated as I was unsure of the approaching response.
“Well…he was my everything. I loved that boy with all my being. He could cast a mean line, talk himself out of any ass-whoopin’, and sing just about every single Joe Diffie song there is.
“Joe Diffie?”
“Kacey…if we’re gonna get along, you have got to listen to decent music.” Removing a cassette tape from a small tin coffee can on the console, Avery proceeded to insert it into the cassette deck—something I had only seen in movies prior to meeting this asshole.
The song was good—slow, but good. It reminded me of something my mother and father would dance to on the back porch when I was younger.
Within a few minutes we were pulling up to the stuff of nightmares—my nightmares. The small storm shelter rested in a mound and looked less than menacing in the daylight. The area behind it was dappled in bare trees, many of them blackened still from the wrath of a blaze several years prior.
As the vehicle came to a complete stop, I took a moment to evaluate the area. Finally parking and turning the engine over, Avery ignorantly left the keys in the ignition.
“I bet this place is really pretty in the spring time, Avery.”
“This whole damn area is breathtakin’ come spring time. Now…who the hell is that?” Reaching for his phone, Avery’s brow developed a scowl. �
�Damn California number…”
Exiting the truck, I left Avery to his call and his privacy. The fog was lifting, yet the remainder aided the creation of an eerie scene. The sky was a soft gray. There wasn’t much trash, a few small pieces of debris were here and there but nothing major.
“You didn’t delete it out the pictures, sweetheart.” Avery’s eyes were menacing and hate-filled as he exited the truck.
“What?”
“You didn’t delete it from the pictures. Ain’t too smart of ya.”
And then he was on me. His massive hand was wrapped around the back of my head, gripping my hair. In a quick flash of pain and shock, my entire face met the side of his truck. Blood spewed from my nose and mouth.
“Avery! I don’t know! I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“Bitch! Who did you send this to? The police?” Producing a screenshot of a Google Map on his phone, he showed me what enraged him as I cowered near the back tire attempting to squint through teary eyes.
“Avery! I didn’t take that. I didn’t send it…I’ve never had your phone.”
“You lying harlot!” Looking closer at the picture and thumbing on his touchscreen as he stood over me, his face developed a look of confusion. “You was…you was in the cellar. You was in the shelter when this was took. The boy did this.”
“What? Avery I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“Jessie. Load up, Kacey. I’m puttin’ that boy across my knee and whoopin’ his bare ass when we get home. He gots to learn.”
“What? Avery…Jessie is sick. He didn’t do anything—”
“Spare not the rod! That boy disobeyed me and he’s getting his ass whooped—”
“That boy is a nineteen-year-old man who is very sick because of you, Avery! You’re not going to touch him!” Standing to my feet, my gaze settled upon a hammer boasting a rusted head in the bed of the truck. Reaching for it, I eyed my target. “I’ve killed once. I’ll kill again.”