Blood Fugue

by D'Lacey, Joseph

  The woman turned towards Kath.

  She was close enough that she could have said ‘hi’ and been heard easily. Kath wondered if she should get herself indoors. She’d left it too late, though. First she’d have to struggle up from the rocker and it would take her a few moments before she could walk comfortably. Then she’d have to make it to the front door and get inside before the woman ran the few steps from the kerbside to the porch. Why she hadn’t moved earlier she didn’t know. Now, she was stuck.

  ‘Hi there,’ she said after too long. ‘You okay?’

  The woman didn’t answer for almost a minute.

  ‘Yeah. I wanted to feel the twilight. Can you feel it?’

  It was strange talk; crazy talk perhaps, but Kath felt better now that they weren’t just staring at each other.

  ‘I guess I can. You need any help, ma’am? You look a little lost.’

  ‘No, I’m not lost. I know where I am. I know where I’m going.’

  ‘Where are you going?’ asked Kath.

  ‘To the forest.’

  ‘Uh huh. Well, the forest is the other way. You’re heading out of town.’ Was having this conversation the right way to go? Maybe she ought to get herself inside and call the law instead.

  ‘The forest is all around us. Out of town is the forest.’

  Kath didn’t want to argue with the woman’s peculiar logic. Now that she’d had a chance to see her a little closer, she thought she recognised her. She’d seen her working at Olsen’s in the days when she could still be bothered to shop there.

  ‘Sure it is,’ she agreed and then, as if it was urgent added, ‘I’ve got to be getting some supper ready. Guess I’ll see you.’

  Kath took the opportunity to stand. It wasn’t easy. She’d been sitting there for so long that her ass was numb and her legs were cold and stiff. Still, she pushed herself upright and began to walk towards her front door. In those long moments she didn’t look back towards the street but she felt the woman watching her. She didn’t like the way it felt to be watched like that and didn’t think she was imagining the dynamic between them; stalker and prey.

  She fumbled at the door handle, her fingers failing to gain the necessary purchase. All the time she felt the insistent eyes on her back, waited for the hand to fall upon her shoulder and spin her around. She managed to grip the handle and turn it. Leaning her weight against the door, it opened and she turned to close it before the woman could make her play. Through the glass panes in the door she saw the woman still standing on the sidewalk staring. She hadn’t moved. Kath drew a small drape across the door and backed away.

  Chapter 19

  Was the woman dangerous?

  Or am I just scaring easier now I’m on my own?

  Maybe the woman was drunk or high or something. Maybe she meant no harm at all. Hell, for all Kath knew, the woman could be depressed or confused. She was probably more in need of help than she was of a ride in a police car. But Kath had closed her door and that was that. She turned the lock over.

  The feeling was slowly returning to her backside, making her realise how much it ached from sitting so long. She kneaded her soft loose flesh and felt the bones beneath. They seemed more prominent than ever and she sighed at her advancing frailty. What a thing it was to be young and what a terrible thing it was to lose that youth. None of her musings out on the porch made any of it easier. Maybe thinking about things too much would always lay a person low.

  A cup of hot chocolate and a crossword puzzle was the only remedy she could think of for the blues. She went to the kitchen, still dragging her feet a little, to put on a pan of milk. Dingbat was nowhere around; he tended to spend most of every day out back, prowling through their overgrown acre of ground. It had featured a lawn and vegetable patch until a few years previously, but now it was a jungle; Dingbat’s kingdom.

  She took a pan down from a hook above the stove and brought out a carton of milk from the fridge. Closing the fridge she turned back to the stove and dropped the milk. It hit the floor and split, spraying a brief white explosion across the tiles and then bleeding the rest of its contents more sedately into a spreading creamy pool.

  The woman was looking in at her through the back door.

  Kath’s hands went to her heart as it lurched and fluttered in her chest before finding a rapid rhythm and beating it out hard enough that she felt a small stab with each thump. She prayed that she’d remembered to lock the back door but didn’t dare try and cover the distance. The woman would beat her so easily there was no point trying. They stared at each other for what felt like minutes and, as each one passed, the daylight faded further, draining all colour from the kitchen as it went.

  Because she was so still, Kath began to think once more that the woman just needed help. That notion gave her courage. Her heart settled down a little and she found her voice.

  ‘I thought you were headed for the forest.’

  ‘I am.’

  ‘You won’t find it in here, sweetheart.’

  But the woman’s reply was more crazy logic.

  ‘The forest is in everything. It’s inside me. Wherever I go, the forest is there.’

  Kath had to find a way of getting rid of this woman.

  ‘Is there something I can help you with?’

  ‘Yes. You can help me.’

  The woman reached out and twisted the doorknob. Kath watched as the door swung inwards and the woman stepped into the kitchen. The door slammed shut behind her. Kath felt the milk soaking through her house slippers. The woman looked at her. She seemed normal in every way but there was something wrong with her that Kath couldn’t define. It wasn’t just the trance she was in; her body seemed wrong but in the gloom Kath couldn’t see why. The woman stepped towards her and Kath backed away. She had nothing to protect herself with. The knives were out of reach in the drawer and the broom was in the cupboard.

  Dingbat barrelled through the dog flap and took hold of the woman’s calf. She whirled and tried to lash out at the dog, but every time she moved Dingbat backed up, pulling her with him.

  The voice that came from her then wasn’t human. Kath recognised the language from a hundred interrupted nights when Jimmy was a child. She shivered to hear the language spoken in such cruel tones. Even though the words were unintelligible, the woman spat curses of pure hatred. Kath had her opportunity now; she could reach for the knives if she wanted to, but she knew the woman would be too strong for her. She’d die by her own blade. All Kath could think of was the necklace Jimmy had given her. She reached between the buttons of her blouse and held it out.

  Something was happening to the woman. It was difficult to discern exactly what in the near darkness. Her fingers lengthened, her head changed shape. She sprayed Kath with spittle as she poured forth her incomprehensible abuse and laughed when she saw the necklace. But Kath approached and the woman pulled away. Whatever changes she was going through stopped. Dingbat continued to shake the leg he held in his jaws but ended up shaking himself because the woman was now too strong for him. His teeth were doing damage though, and the woman slashed at him with her newly grown claws as Kath approached.

  They reached the back door and the woman seemed not to know how to open it. Instead she pressed back against it and held her hands up to protect herself. In the gloom, her skin appeared to take on a hint of purple. Kath took the necklace off and brought it towards the cowering woman as she sank down towards the floor with her hands over her head. She looked like she expected to be beaten to death with clubs.

  Kath touched the charm to an exposed part of the woman’s head. There was a thump and an amethyst flash that blinded Kath. She flew back from the woman as if she’d stood on a land mine and fell in the spilled milk, lying still in the dusk’s deep shadows.

  Kath couldn’t tell how much time passed before she could move again, but when she did she was in a lot of pain. Dingbat must have been whining and nuzzling at her for a while because the kitchen was in darkness.

  Once
she’d managed to stand, she turned on the kitchen light to find the woman still unconscious beside the back door. She looked peaceful and Kath prayed she hadn’t killed her.

  ‘You think she’s okay, Dingbat?’

  The dog whined and crept forward to sniff the unmoving body. He licked the woman’s face. She stirred and was soon trying to escape Dingbat’s resuscitation technique. He only wagged his tail and tried harder to revive her.

  ‘That’s enough, boy,’ said Kath. ‘You come to me now.’

  The woman looked around her, and pulled her bathrobe tighter.

  ‘Where am I?’ she asked.

  ‘You’re in the Kerrigan residence.’

  ‘You’re Kath Kerrigan?’

  Kath was surprised.

  ‘Yes I am. Do you know me?’

  ‘I know — I knew your son, Jimmy.’

  ‘I see.’

  The woman looked confused, embarrassed.

  ‘What happened to me?’ she asked.

  ‘Don’t you remember anything at all?’

  ‘No. Not really. I remember thinking what a beautiful afternoon it was.’

  ‘Do you remember going for a walk?’

  ‘Maybe. I don’t know.’

  Kath walked over and helped the woman up. There was no sign of Dingbat’s bite wounds on her leg.

  ‘Sit down over here,’ said Kath pointing to a kitchen chair.

  ‘I don’t want to sit. Can you just tell me what happened?’

  Kath didn’t hesitate.

  ‘Sure, sweetheart. I heard a knock on the back door and saw you standing on the back porch. I opened the door and you just fainted right where you are.’

  ‘That’s it? What about all this mess on the floor?’

  ‘Well, I was making myself some hot chocolate. I don’t get many visitors and your knock just about finished my heart off forever. I dropped the milk.’

  ‘Oh. God, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?’

  ‘When I’ve cleaned up and get that pan boiling, I’ll be just fine.’

  The woman took a half step forward.

  ‘Can I help you with it?’

  ‘Oh no,’ said Kath, backing away. ‘Won’t take me but a minute. You better get home before you catch cold.’

  The woman looked down at her bathrobe and bare feet and blushed. Kath gestured towards the back door and the woman moved to leave. She looked small and lost as she stepped into the back yard.

  ‘Listen, do you want me to call one of your friends or something? Maybe the doctor?’ Kath asked.

  The woman turned back.

  ‘No, I feel fine now. I’ll be okay. My name’s Amy by the way.’ She offered her hand and they shook. ‘Jimmy always talked about you and Burt. Said how great you were. Is your husband here?’

  Kath thought she saw a hint of purple return to the woman’s eyes.

  ‘I think you’d better be going,’ She said.

  She didn’t watch Amy walk away.

  When she’d locked all the doors and checked all the windows, she mopped up the kitchen. There wasn’t too much to do; Dingbat had licked up most of the milk by then.

  ‘You’ve been a brave, brave boy. I think you may have saved my life.’

  Chapter 20

  Nicholas and Isobel Priestly sat opposite their daughter in the living room of the home they’d built themselves after years of overtime and saving every dollar they could. The silence continued. Nicholas plucked at the hairs of his goatee until Isobel shot him a tight-lipped stare. As soon as she looked away he started again.

  ‘What is it, Geen?’ asked her mother. ‘We want you to know that you can tell us anything. All we want is to help and to see you happy again.’

  ‘I can’t ever be happy.’

  ‘Come on, honey,’ said Nicholas. ‘Whatever you’re going through is bound to seem bad when you’re in the middle of it. But in a few hours or days you’ll feel better, I promise.’

  ‘Oh, you promise, Dad?’

  ‘Sure I do.’

  Gina shook her head and began to cry. Nicholas glanced to Isobel for support.

  ‘Your daddy’s right, Geen. Nothing’s ever as bad as it seems at first. You’re going to start feeling better the moment you get some of this worry off your chest. We support you, we’re on your side and anything you need to say will stay between us only. Within these walls. Okay?’

  Gina nodded. Nicholas held out a box of tissues to her. She took one, blew her nose and let her hands fall into her lap. He waited for her to look up, a little brighter, but she couldn’t meet his gaze.

  ‘I think there’s something wrong with me.’

  ‘What kind of thing?’ asked Isobel.

  ‘It’s so difficult to explain. It’s like I’m sick or something.’

  Nicholas was already adding things up in his mind — the mood swings, the change in diet; it was all familiar. He sat forward.

  ‘It’s not the weight thing again, is it?’

  Gina’s sobs, having been under control for only a few moments became worse and she shook her head, her hair hiding her face.

  ‘For God’s sake, Nick, shut up and let her tell us in her own way.’

  ‘Sure.’ He sank back into the sofa. ‘Okay.’

  Gina looked up at them, her eyes raw and red, her makeup smeared and running.

  ‘I have these. . .gaps. . .in my memory. They’re getting worse, I think.’

  She blew her nose again. As Nicholas watched her he could see that his daughter had grown up, perhaps in some moment when he hadn’t been paying attention. She looked mature.

  ‘How long has this been going on for?’ He asked.

  Isobel took hold of his arm.

  ‘Nick, please.’

  He shook her hand off.

  ‘We need to know. Well, Gina?’

  ‘Not long. Two, maybe three weeks. But I’m getting real scared now.’

  Silence again. Nicholas wiped his palm over his mouth, pinched his lower lips in his fingers. He pointed a finger at his daughter and waded in.

  ‘What drugs have you taken? ‘

  Gina snorted; a sad half laugh as if she knew the question would come.

  ‘I’ve smoked pot since I was fourteen. Not every day but definitely every weekend. It’s never done anything more than make me giggle a little and think a lot about the meaning of life. I don’t do any other drugs. I never have and I don’t plan to.’

  Nicholas was shocked by the directness of the admission, but this was not a time for recrimination.

  ‘Okay. What else?’

  ‘There is nothing else. Nothing wrong with my friends or anything like that.’

  ‘What about this meat fetish you’ve suddenly developed?’ asked Isobel, ‘Is that anything to do with this?’

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘Come on, Gina, you’ve been asking for and eating nothing but beef and pork for the last three weeks.’

  Gina looked at them, her eyes owlish with fear.

  ‘I didn’t realise. I do that at every meal?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Gina’s head sank down until she was bent double into her own lap with her hands over her face.

  ‘Oh God, oh God, oh God,’ she whispered, ‘What is fucking wrong with me?’

  Nicholas stood up and took a place beside Gina on the sofa. Isobel followed, sitting on Gina’s other side. They both placed their hands on her back. All Nicholas felt for several minutes was Gina’s body shaking with spasmodic bursts of crying. When it had subsided a little, he spoke to her.

  ‘We can talk about this some more later, honey. You don’t have to do it all now.’

  Gina sat up again and looked at her father.

  ‘We have to talk about it now. Before I forget again.’

  ‘Well, what else is there?’ he asked.

  She sighed.

  ‘I’ve been waking up in strange places.’

  ‘What places?’

  ‘In the woods. Other people’s houses. I have no idea ho
w I get there or why I went. I just have this sense that something terrible has happened. That I’m responsible.’

  There was a pause. When Isobel spoke, Nicholas could tell she was trying to keep all emotion from her voice. But all he heard was dread.

  ‘What terrible things do you mean?’

  ‘I don’t know, mom. I just don’t know.’

  ‘Think back to when it started. What were you doing? Where were you? Do you remember the first time it happened?’

  ‘Jesus, mom, I already told you I don’t . . .’

  Gina stopped shaking her head in denial and looked up.

  ‘What is it?’ asked Isobel.

  ‘Have I trained in the last three weeks?’

  Nicholas didn’t need to think long. It was on of the first things they’d noticed.

  ‘No. Not for almost exactly three weeks. Why?’

  ‘It’s something to do with that.’

  ‘I don’t understand, Gina,’ said Nicholas.

  ‘I was running in the forest. Something happened. That’s where this started, I know it.’

  Nicholas thought it over for a few moments.

  ‘Maybe you fell and knocked yourself out. That would explain a lot of this. You could be suffering the after effects of a serious concussion.’

  ‘Did you have a headache or a lump on your head anywhere?’ asked Isobel.

  ‘No. It’s something else. I feel like I lost something. Something real important.’

  Nicolas frowned.

  ‘Lost something? What the hell does that mean, Gina?’ He stood up and paced to the window before turning back. ‘Can you tell us anything more about who else might have been out there that day? What time it was? Who saw you running? Anything at all?’

  Gina thought about it for a while.

  ‘I left here around four in the afternoon, I guess. I remember thinking it was a little later than I usually go. That kind of purple haze was already out and I ran a little faster than usual because it gave me the creeps.’