“Come on man you don’t want to do that,” Kevin struggled with the tape.
“Of course I don’t want to do it,” his anger built with each word. He jabbed the gun barrel harder into my head.
“If you don’t want to kill her then put the gun down!” Kevin pleaded.
“I don’t want to. I have to. You’re making me do it. Tell me where the key is and do it now or I’m going to dye her hair red in a second, man.”
“Can I jump now?” I cried.
“Ok, ok, I’ll tell you everything,” Kevin said. “But put the gun down first.”
“I’m not putting it down Jack rabbit dag nabbit. I’m shooting in five, four, three. I mean it I do I mean it.” I closed my eyes and listened to my breath as it went in and out of my body. A sudden calmness ran through me. I thought about Jim and me when we were fifteen. We would sneak out of church during the invitation song, and make out. We had our own hiding place inside the garden shed not more than ten feet from the church’s back door. That shed was a special place for us.
“Put the gun down Finn,” Kevin demanded. “I’ll answer all of your questions if you will put the damned gun down, and come over here.”
“I get first question,” Finneaus yelled while keeping the gun against my head. “I’m first in line, and there’s no cuts.”
“Ok, ok, you’re first,” Kevin said. “Ask me a question.”
“Ask you a question and you’ll tell me some lies.”
“Only the truth, man. I’ll tell you the truth.” Finneaus tapped his foot as if in deep thought, but never took the gun away from my head. I could see the fear in Kevin’s eyes. I gave him a little smile and a shrug. I had begged for death to come. I was ready.
“What’s your name?” Finneaus asked. “And her name too.”
“My name is Kevin, and her name is Shanna. Now put the gun down, please.”
He pressed the gun harder into my head and giggled like a pathetic clown. I could hear Kevin scream “duck,” but the sound was muffled by my pounding heart, and the gun letting out a soft—click.
“Wasn’t loaded any-who,” he said and rolled his chair back to the desk. He turned his back so we couldn’t see what he was doing. “That was the stress test, and you both failed.” He pointed the gun at Kevin’s chest. “Want a take a chance or want a give some answers?”
“What is it that you want to know?”
“I said it once I said it twice, and I’m not going to chew that cabbage thrice,” Finneaus said. “Let’s get this chart in order. I need a history and physical in order to make the correct diagnosis.” I knew right away what he was saying, but Kevin was confused. Marla had used the same terminology.
“That’s such a broad subject. Instead of asking to know every minor detail, maybe you should be more specific,” I said
He snarled at me. “Did anyone ask you to speak woman? Now do what your little dark friend here said and shut up.” I put my head down, but not out of obedience or shame. I did it so that son of a bitch, crazy ass, scum bucket couldn’t see the anger in my eyes. This was the first—and only—time in my life that I thought I could kill a person without regret.
“She doesn’t mean anything by it,” Kevin said. Finneaus kept his eyes focused on me. “Come on Finn look over here. I’ll tell you everything. He slowly moved his head around to face Kevin, rolled the chair to him then quickly raised the gun to Kevin’s head, cocked it and pulled the trigger, but again there was no bullet in the chamber. Kevin flinched. “Damn it Finneaus what the fuck are you doing?”
Finneaus giggled. “You’re running out of chances Kevey. I’m not as stupid as I look. I saw you taking pictures of my lab, and my samples. I saw it all. I have it on tape so I can see it as often as I want. I heard you say touchdown like you’d found the gold you was searching for. What’s the key for Kev? Huh? What’s it for?” He stood up, smoothed his pants and started to twirl the gun with his fingers. “The way I see it is my way, and my way says you’re a dirty rotten liar. I should kill you both, and use your bones for shrapnel. I’m hungry, and I like meat. I don’t care if it’s red, pink, black or blonde.” He sat down rolled to the desk and put the gun in the top drawer. “I guess this is your lucky day Kevolater. How do you take your meat cooked?”
Finneaus clapped his hands, snapped his fingers and headed into the kitchen. He turned on the radio and started singing along with Kenny Rogers while cooking, singing especially loud on the chorus. “You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em. Know when to walk away, know when to run.” When the song ended, Kevin and I remained silent until the next song began and Finneaus sang along.
“Do you think he’ll poison us?”
“No I don’t,” Kevin said. “I think that would be to fast for him. He likes to scare us. He wants to make us sweat. He had Marla a long time before he finally took her out.”
“How are we going to get out of this? Did the crew give you any solutions?” I waited for a response. “Yeah, I didn’t think so.”
“Let’s eat and get him talking to us like a friend. Maybe we can get him to loosen our hands.”
“Do you think he’s going to kill us?” I asked.
“He’s killed over five hundred people most of them children in the last week. Yes I think there’s a strong possibility that he could kill us, but I’m not going to let that happen. Are they still gone?”
“Yes Kevin they’re still gone.” I was pissed. I should have never gotten myself—let alone Kevin—into this situation. Every time I looked at Kevin, I saw Jade pointing her finger at me as a reminder of my promise. “If they come back, you’ll be the first to know.”
“I’m sorry I got you into this but I promise…”
“No more promises Kevin,” I cut him off. “I can’t handle any more promises.”
“I love you,” Kevin said softly. “I just want you to know that I love you like a family member, like a sister.”
“No. You will not start that, not yet. We’re going to get out of this. I don’t know how, but we are and you are going home to Jade.”
“If you say so.”
“I feel the same way about you, like the brother sister thing,” I said. The song stopped, and we listened to make sure Finneaus was still cooking. Kevin turned his legs and with great effort got to his knees and started shaking his upper body like a stripper shaking her tits. This was not an easy move for a man of Kevin’s size, and would have been funny to watch had the situation been different. When he stopped shaking, I heard something hit the floor. Kevin froze and listened, Finneaus was still singing.
“What’s that?” We heard footsteps from the kitchen coming closer. Kevin sat hard on his side. With his taped hands, he pushed whatever dropped out of his shirt under his legs. A second later Finneaus walked through the door.
19.
He didn’t take the tape off our arms. We waited until Finneaus had taken a bite or two before eating. The meat didn’t have a familiar flavor, but it was tolerable.
“This is a very good supper,” I said with a forced smile.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d take to rodent, but it looks like you’re a doing jest fine with it. You must be from good stock girly,” Finneaus said.
I took another bite and happily chewed it despite my eyes tearing from holding back the gags. The tears ran down my face, but I continued to eat until my plate was clean never allowing myself to think about what I was consuming.
“Why are you crying Shanna?” Finneaus asked.
“I’m not crying. I think I might have gotten a bone stuck in my throat. Could I have something to drink?” My acting was good I thought, and with a little luck it would get Finneaus out of the room for a second.
“Swaller yer spit. I got a question to ask first, and then I’ll leave you both to ponder the answer.” Finneaus continued to enjoy his meal slowly without speaking. His facial expressions would change while chewing, and he would giggle and moan happily from time to time as if he were in an
other place where we didn’t exist. Kevin finished his plate quickly, and began gnawing on a leg bone. I wasn’t sure which made me sicker, being forced to eat a rat or watching Kevin enjoy eating a rat.
“Have you lived here long?” Kevin asked.
Finneaus showed no emotion as he finished chewing, and wiped his mouth on a sleeve. For no apparent reason, he began to giggle. “This is the question you want to ask of the man who is holding you hostage at gunpoint?”
“I was trying to make conversation. I meant nothing by it,” Kevin said as he continued to chew on the leg bone.
“Let’s make this clear. I didn’t give you this disease. I didn’t make you come to my house and snoop around my lab. You did it all of your own accord.” He stood up, gathered the plates and set them on the desk. “What is my name?”
It was a stupid knee jerk reaction but I said it anyway. “Your name is Finneaus son of Flora.” Finneaus walked quickly to me and slapped me opened handed across my face. I grunted from the pain but didn’t scream. It stung and made my entire face flush with heat.
“Hey,” Kevin yelled. “Don’t hurt her for answering your question.” He tried to get to his feet, but it was impossible. “Shanna, you ok?”
“Better shut up or I’ll do worse to you,” he said to Kevin then turned to me. “Don’t use my mother’s name in vain little shit girl. I bet you think you’re cute, but I don’t.” He walked back to the desk and stood while typing on the laptop. When he had finished he moved aside, and the screen lit up with a news story about the Albuquerque bombing. He muted the sound. “I’m waiting for a visitor,” Finneaus said. “Are you that visitor? If you are, you’ll know my name and you’ll know what comes next. If you don’t then I have no use for you.” He gathered the plates and left the room.
“We have to tell him,” I insisted.
“Tell him what?” Kevin asked.
“That I’m the crew. What else can we do? He’s going to kill us.”
“I think he already knows.”
“Marla didn’t tell him everything or he’d have killed you and made me write by now.”
“He knows enough be slow to speak. It can buy us time.”
“Marla wouldn’t have told him.”
“You’d be surprised what people will do to survive.”
“We have to do something. We can’t just sit here and take the bullet,” I said.
“Still silent?”
“Yes. I can’t bring them back at will.”
“Are you sure?” Kevin asked still gnawing on the bone. “Maybe they’re giving you a choice.”
“I’ve never had a choice.”
“Maybe you can choose for them to come, and choose for them to leave.”
“You’re grasping at straws, and what in the hell are you doing with that rat bone?”
“I have to get on my feet. All I need is one good blow.” He took the bone out of his mouth to let me see the sharp point he’d whittled with his teeth, and carefully put it in the tape below the palm of his other hand.
“Do you really think he did all of this, all the bombing and killing children just to get me?”
“To get to the crew.”
Finneaus came back into the room. He typed on the laptop keyboard. When he stood to the side we saw a picture of a church on the screen. “This one was easy. Religious people are far too trusting. I told the secretary that a member of the congregation, who wanted to remain anonymous, had paid for a complete refurbish of the heating system. She didn’t ask nary a question. She was more than willing to accept the fantasy as long as she’d get something for nothing,” he giggled. “Who goes to a porn theater without wanting to pump it. What good is porn without pumping it, right Kevin? Am I right? The problem is that I don’t like the lies. No more lies. I decided to not accept the lies when I read the first book. The crew is all I listen to now, and they’ve been gone. I can’t find them. I read both books a hundred and twenty eight times. After the first one, I started my own research and development. I have to find the crew. They know me. They’ve been waiting for this meeting. I’m sure it was in their chart.”
“You’re talking about the books?” Kevin asked softly. “Because I know the books. I know them very well.”
“You know nothing,” Finneaus snarled. “His wife, now she’s the one who knew it. She had it all, and she was fool enough to let it go. But you know nothing.”
“I know your name,” Kevin said.
“Say it.”
“If I say your name what will you do with us?” Kevin asked.
Finneaus crouched down beside Kevin. “I’d be more worried about what’s going to happen if you don’t say it. I can’t let you walk out of here—not now—after all that’s happened. You must know that.”
“I’ll tell you what I know, and you let us go,” Kevin said.
“Well, well, well,” he said, and went back to the desk and laptop. “It looks as if we got us a couple o’ falderal fakers. You want to know what we do to fakers?” A video of a toe being cut off with garden shears appeared on the screen. It was an extreme close-up, and he turned up the volume. The owner of the toe was screaming in the background. I looked away as the shears began to cut the skin, and I noticed that Finneaus was not watching either. He had his back turned. His face was scrunched with disgust. It was a scare tactic. He could no more do that to someone than I could. The video ended. “You see that,” he said. “No more games. I don’t have time for games, and neither do you.” He opened the desk drawer, this time he held up two guns. He pointed one at Kevin, and the other at me. “Tell me my name and do it now.”
“Dark warrior,” Kevin said. “You’re the dark warrior prophesied by Patient Crew.” Finneaus dropped his arms, and the guns pointed to the floor.
“It worked. Huh. I never thought it would actually work. I thought it could, but I never in my wildest dreams allowed myself to think it would. If you know my name it worked.” He was giddy. “It was really a fluke. I’ve seen it work in the movies, but never thought it would really work. I studied on the theory for weeks, but then one day I said it’s now or never so I just did it. I put the bomb in the car, snuck into their house and waited. I knew sooner or later those two suits would leave. I should have waited because Tim saw me, oh yes he saw me. I bet the feds think he did it, but that ain’t so. Tim don’t got the brains enough to build a bomb. Don’t matter now, all’s well that ends well. Honestly I didn’t put that much thought into it.”
“So what’s next?” Kevin interrupted.
“I don’t know,” he said with a giggle. “Like I said, I hadn’t put that much thought into it, but I guess next I want to meet them. I want to meet them immediately, right now all seven of them. I want to know where they are right now.” He pointed the guns at us again. “Now!”
“You can’t meet them,” Kevin said.
“What?” Finneaus yelled. “Why? They know who I am or you wouldn’t know, and you wouldn’t be here. Tell them it’s me. They’ll want to meet me.”
“It doesn’t work that way,” Kevin said.
“I don’t care how it works,” he pointed both guns at me. “I’m going to kill girly if you don’t get the crew here in the next few minutes. Call them, and tell them to come or you’re both dead. That’s what we’re going to do, call them.”
“My phone’s outside, remember?” Kevin said.
“You can use my phone,” Finneaus said, and left the room.
“I sure hope you know where you’re going with all this because I sure as hell don’t,” I fumed.
Kevin leaned over and I saw what he’d dropped from his shirt earlier. It was a cell phone. “Take it,” he said. “Turn it on, and then mute the sound.” I couldn’t find either button as I fumbled and dropped the phone twice before Kevin wiggled closer to me, and picked it up. He pushed a couple of buttons. “They’ll get my signal.”
“Who, the crew nerds? We need the cops Kevin. Call the cops.”
“He’s not going to kill u
s,” he argued. “You saw him. He couldn’t even look at that stupid toe video.”
“That church he showed us is the next target. We have to stop him,” I said.
“No cops, not yet. Give the Crewbies enough time to get here and get you out.”
“Get us out,” I said. Kevin pushed the phone under his leg just as Finneaus entered the room with both guns pointed at us, and a cordless landline sticking out of his pants pocket.
“Call them,” he said, and moved his body around so Kevin could reach up and grab the phone. “Call them, and tell them where you are. Tell them I’ll blow us all up if they don’t come alone. I see a police car, and I’ll blow the whole block to smithereens. Tell them I just want a consult. I won’t hurt anyone if they follow the treatment, and come in for the appointment. Go ahead now and call them.”
“I can’t,” Kevin said. “There’s not anyone to call.”
“How do you contact them?” he asked.
“I don’t. They contact me.”
“I see,” his shoulders slumped with disappointment. “What did they tell you about me? When did they know it was me? When did they know that I am the dark warrior? I need to know specifics here.” He laid the guns on the chair and took a Patient: Crew book out of the desk drawer.
“Tell him,” I whispered to Kevin.
“They know all about you. They’ve said your name over and over in the passages. I can take you to them in my car.”
“No. They must come here,” Finneaus said.
“They want you to come to them.”
“No. They will come here. That’s the plan,” Finneaus insisted.
“The plan has changed because of what you did to Tim and Marla.”
“No. Nothing’s changed.”
“It’s the only way,” Kevin said.
“They go to find the place of hell,” Finneaus said quietly as he flipped the book pages. “They go to find the place of hell. Where is it? I saw it last time, and now I can’t find it. They go to find the place of hell.” He massaged his forehead and continued to mumble. “They go to find the place of hell. They will come here.”
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