House of Sand: A Dark Psychological Thriller

by Michael J Sanford

  “But… But…”

  Ty leans away and loosens her hold, allowing me a minute amount of freedom.

  “But Aza…”

  “She broke us up?”

  “No. It was wrong. You and me. I have a daughter. I promised Joy to stop seeing you. I promised to make things work. For our family. It was the right thing to do.”

  “A pity it didn’t take.”

  Ty sits up and resumes her previous position, staring into nothingness, away from me.

  “I tried to do the right thing,” I say.

  “Oh, come off that noble bullshit. You did not. You chose to do both things. The things in the scenario being Joy and I.”

  “I…”

  The longer I’m awake, the longer I’m with Ty, the fuzzier things become. I’m at a crossroads and I don’t know which way to run. One path leads to truth, the other lies, but I can’t even tell which is which. All I can do is run.

  “That’s when I met Ty. Man Ty, I mean. A week, maybe, after I told Joy about us. He was at the driving range. I tried to give him a few tips, not that I’m much better. We got drinks after. And I gave him a ride home…” I feel like I’m trying to recall a dream weeks after having it. I’m grasping at straws.

  “All I know is that you showed up on my doorstep that night, piss-drunk, standing in the pouring rain. I didn’t know whether to kick you in the dick or take you right there in the front yard.”

  “I never saw you that night. I dropped Ty…”

  “I really thought you had it before. Don’t be zoning out on me now. This is important, so focus.”

  Something breaks in my thinking. “Important. What about any of this is important now? You’re dead. I beat you to death with my bare fucking hands. And then I taped you to a banister and played make-believe for two days. What’s so fucking important about any of that? It’s over. Done. With you and Joy. But most of all, it’s over for me. I get that. So fuck off and leave me to rot. You’ve done enough.”

  “Oh, it’s not going to be that easy,” Ty says, standing up. “That was pretty menacing, yeah?”

  I try to look up, but she kicks me in the side, spinning me against the metal cuffs. The air is ripped from me. She kicks me again, this time lower, in the stomach. I curl up and cough violently, trying to gain just a single breath. A third kick makes me vomit. There is no fourth kick.

  “That all you got?” I ask.

  Blinking away tears, I try to catch sight of Ty—either version—but I’m alone. The forest is as dark and silent as ever. With a groan, I let my head fall back against my overextended arms. I’m covered in dirt, blood, and vomit. But sitting right in front of my face, shining in a puddle of bodily fluids, is a small metal key.

  “You sick fuck,” I say as I start to crawl around the tree. After what feels like an eternity, my fingers tickle warm metal. I want nothing more than to toss the key aside, but I don’t. I can’t.

  Ty and I aren’t done yet.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Someone’s already moved my car from the woods and left it on the side of the dirt road I previously drove off. I march my way up the tire tracks left by that misadventure, trying to work life back into my arms. My shoulders hurt with every motion, but with every motion, I manage to suppress the pain a bit more.

  Standing in the middle of the road, the moon bathes me in light. It’s full, or nearly so. It exposes every bit of my haggard appearance. What was once a nice suit is hanging off my body in tatters. Blood is smeared on nearly every exposed piece of flesh, but I can’t tell if I’m wounded. Could be just about anyone’s blood. The pain continues to fade.

  Tap.

  I glance over at the car. Ty, looking absolutely radiant in the moonlight, is leaning against the hood. She’s holding her small penknife in her hand. She lowers the blade to the hood.

  Tap.

  She smiles. “You didn’t flinch.”

  “Do it again,” I say.

  Tap. Tap. Two quick beats with her knife tip.

  A shiver runs up my legs. But she’s right. I don’t flinch. And as I look from the blade to Ty, I don’t hear the echo of it in my mind. In fact, each tap seems to drain a bit of the pain and agony from my battered limbs.

  “So, what’s changed?” Ty asks, folding the knife shut with a click.

  I shudder, but in a way that’s almost pleasurable.

  I walk up to Ty. She stands and challenges my approach. We’re chest to chest, eyes locked. Neither one of us is backing down.

  “All that bullshit back in the woods,” I say. “Nothing has changed.”

  “Isn’t that the point?” Ty asks, mouth curling in the way it does when she gets a sinister idea.

  “I guess so.”

  “So, where does that leave us?”

  I shrug. “Far as I can see, we’re both fucked. Good as dead. Maybe even worse than that if the cops catch us.”

  “Catch you.”

  I shake off her correction. It doesn’t bear thinking about. “Whatever I am, I can’t change it. Maybe I’ve been broken all along. Something bad in my genes. I don’t know. But I can’t change what I’ve done. I can’t make Joy and everyone else forget, either. The past is forever. And our future has already been cast in stone.”

  “You seem awfully sure of yourself all of a sudden.” Ty swallows the tiny gap between us and presses her body against mine.

  In truth, I’ve never felt further from it. There’s always been this nagging in the back of my mind, whispering that I’m not in control. Telling me that I’m just a pawn. For what, I haven’t a goddamn clue, but the presence is still here. Maybe it’s growing stronger, more dominant. Maybe I’ve just given up on trying to suppress it. Fighting is what brought me to this place. I tried to change. And that effort has destroyed everything I thought I had and everything I wished for.

  Maybe I’m just the puppet of some dark power. If so, then I’m done fighting the strings tugging at my limbs. I haven’t forgotten about Joy. I haven’t forgotten my broken promise to Aza. If anything, their presence in my thoughts has intensified. They don’t deserve this. No one’s innocent, but even I can’t blame them anymore. Unfortunately for them, they’re still a part of whatever disaster I am.

  The echoes of meaningless sounds aren’t gone. Eventually, they’ll return to torture me once more. Whatever strength I am feeling now is temporary, but it doesn’t matter. I embrace it. With a past and future both in ash, the present is all I have.

  I place my hand against Ty’s cheek. She leans into it, warm and electric. “We can’t be forgiven,” I say. “And there’s a price to pay for our sins.”

  Ty wraps her hand around mine and nods. “I guess we owe that bitch at least that much,” Ty says with a grin.

  I slide my hand to the back of her head and pull her in. Our lips touch and part, letting our tongues collide in ecstasy. Her fingers become claws as they pull at my back, finding the tears in my shirt to grip flesh. I grab her hair and lock her in place against me. Everything else in the world fades away and I’m left feeling like I’ve just fucked the devil.

  With a gasp, we pull apart. Ty’s face is flush. I’m panting.

  “Well, let’s not waste time, then,” Ty says, spinning out of my hold and moving for the passenger’s side.

  I open the driver’s door and catch her gaze over the top of the car. “You ready for this?” I ask.

  “You know it. But if we’re going to do this right, we need to grab some booze on the way.”

  “You read my mind,” I say as I climb into the car.

  I’m still wary of taking the highway, so I restrict our journey to back roads. I can’t be sure we’re traveling in the most efficient manner, but I know we’ll get there.

  It’s nearly dawn when Ty finally switches off the radio she’s been singing to at the top of her lungs since we started out.

  She makes an elaborate act of looking around. “Shit, we’re lost.”

  “We are not.”

  “I hav
en’t seen another car in like forever. And this road is more dirt than stone. No street signs. A handful of dumpy houses. This where you take all your girls to murder them?”

  “Not funny,” I say.

  “It was a joke. I know how you like to do it. Duct tape and all that. But anyway, we’re lost.”

  I scowl at Ty. She smiles and bats her eyelashes. It’s a hopelessly cartoonish expression, but it serves to soften the mood.

  I stop the car in the middle of the road. There’s nowhere to pull over, but, as Ty said, no other vehicles to contend with, either.

  “Well, we haven’t been seen by any cops,” I say.

  “How much gas we got?”

  “Shit. Eighth of a tank, maybe.” I hadn’t thought to even look before now.

  Ty nods, smirking in the way she does when I’ve done something foolish. It makes me laugh.

  “What’s so funny?” Ty asks.

  “Nothing. It’s just… This is nice. You, me.”

  “Sure, in a completely fucked up sort of way.”

  “It’s still nice,” I say.

  Ty leans across the center console to rest her head against my shoulder. She pulls my phone off the charger and thumbs the power button. I quickly snatch it away from her and fight to turn it off again.

  “They can track us, you know,” I say. “No way they’re not looking for us.”

  Ty reaches over and covers my hands with hers. “Relax. We figure out where we are, jot down a couple quick directions and toss the phone. Let the cops find it out here in the middle of nowhere.”

  I look deep into her eyes. “You sure?”

  “Jesus, your moods shift more than the wind. Yes, I’m sure. Now, give it.”

  Ty moves back into her seat and holds out an empty palm. She sticks out her bottom lip for added effect. I look at my phone, survey the surrounding forest, and double-check the gas gauge.

  “I can see you lost your nerve,” Ty continues. “You were all big and bad for a split second before we left, but your old habits are popping up again. Give me the phone. I can handle it.”

  I hand Ty my phone. “I know that look,” I say.

  Ty turns her body to more directly face me and holds the phone up so only she can see the screen.

  “You have something planned,” I add.

  “Of course I do. Something special. And why shouldn’t I? We deserve it. You deserve it.”

  I don’t. I’m not delusional enough to think I deserve anything special, but it’s clear Ty isn’t going to relent.

  “Don’t worry, I listened to everything you said before. Atoning for our sins and all that bullshit. I’m taking everything into full consideration.”

  I massage my temples. A dull headache is surfacing. I knew it wouldn’t last. I feel the whispers and sounds begging to rise up once more. “We’re still stopping for booze, right?”

  “Shh. I’m telling you no more. Now, just give me a minute to figure out where we are and all that. Sweet shit, this Paul fellow sure is foul. You fucking him, too?”

  I snap my head up at that. “Paul? No, that’s Aza.”

  “Really? That girl needs better role models in her life. Some weird shit coming out of that girl’s mouth. Or fingers, in this case.”

  I lunge for the phone, but a burst of pain in my palm forces me to pull back. Ty wags her penknife, now bloodied, in the air at me. “Too late for all that. Just got to trust me now.”

  I examine the gash Ty has opened up in the center of my palm. Blood runs down the grooves in my skin and snakes around my wrist and forearm. It reaches my elbow, collects, and lets loose a single drop.

  “You can still do it,” Ty says. “I know who you are.”

  I feel like I’ve been shocked. “What did you say?”

  Ty looks up from the phone and frowns. “I said, you got to trust me now.”

  I look away from her. Maybe it wasn’t Ty that had said it. Squeezing my eyes shut, I let my head fall back against the headrest. I hear Ty making small movements next to me. I hear a light breeze tearing dead leaves from the nearby trees.

  “Aza used to whisper to me,” I say, eyes still shut.

  “Your daughter is creepy. Like, ‘murder you while you sleep and feed your body to gerbils’ creepy. Must get it from you.”

  “No, it wasn’t anything weird like that. It’s… I don’t know.” I clear my throat and sit up. “You done yet?”

  Ty’s face is scrunched up in concentration. “Just a second. Want to make sure I’ve remembered everything. I’m sure they’ve already gotten your location by now, so what’s a few more minutes?”

  Tap.

  “Don’t do that,” I say.

  Ty relaxes her face and looks at me. “I didn’t do anything. But I think we’re good now.”

  She rolls down her window and tosses the phone into the underbrush. Deed done, she wipes her hands off on her shirt.

  “We’re actually not that far from civilization. Might have made it without using your phone after all. But this way, I can keep what we’re doing a surprise. We should have ditched the phone a long time ago, anyway. You’re an idiot for carrying it so long.”

  “I don’t like surprises.” An uneasiness is stirring in the pit of my stomach. I can’t remember my last meal. I’m not counting the handcuff key and whiskey.

  “Hey,” Ty shouts. She grabs my head and almost pulls me into the seat with her.

  She kisses me rough enough that our teeth hit.

  The sound of it startles me and I pull back. My headache is growing. I knew the peace wasn’t to last, but I had hoped, dreamed, and wished I was over it—the sounds. But as she lunges, a cacophony explodes all around me. I can’t distinguish the individual sounds like I normally can. Each separate note melds into a singular noise. Something akin to shouting. There are words hidden within the din somewhere, but I can’t pick them out.

  Ty makes her way into the driver’s seat, climbing atop me. Mounted, she laces her arms around the back of my head and gently bites my nose.

  “I can’t,” I say.

  “I just need you to focus. You’re slipping on me again. I liked that bullish brute back in the woods. Don’t go limp on me now. You may have killed me, but I’m not done with you yet.”

  The more Ty talks, the less the other sounds become. Feeling her body pressed against mine provides something to focus on. It serves to center me just enough that I can clearly see her.

  “There you are,” she says. “Better?”

  I shake my head. “No, not really.”

  “Aww,” Ty says, cocking her head to the side as she runs a finger along my jaw. “We need to get some food in you. And some booze. Got to try and keep you sane a bit longer.”

  I nod. “I need something, yeah.”

  Ty slides back into her seat and slaps the dashboard. “Well, let’s go, then. You don’t look like you got much left in you. Drive. I’ll navigate.”

  I grip the steering wheel and swallow. Ty begins humming, jubilant as ever. But beyond the hum of the engine and the trill of nearby birds, there’s a voice. Ty’s presence helps suppress the errant noises for the most part, but in doing so, it uncovers what’s been hiding underneath. I still can’t make out the words or the speaker. I know I’ve heard it before. I just can’t dredge up the memory. I can’t trust it.

  Tap.

  “Fuck,” I say, losing the thread of words.

  Ty reaches over and rests her hand on my leg. Warmth blossoms from it and muffles the echoes of her knife tapping on the car hood.

  I drive.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  The low-fuel light clicks on just as we pull into a dilapidated gas station.

  “See? Right on schedule,” Ty says triumphantly.

  “I didn’t catch any of the signs coming here. What town are we in?”

  “Shh, it’s a secret,” Ty says.

  I turn to give her a hard time, but she moves toward me first and plants a kiss on my lips, silencing me. She pulls back and
smiles. “Fill ‘er up and I’ll go get snacks!”

  “And drinks!” I call out the open passenger door.

  Ty spins around, now walking backwards, and salutes. I return the gesture with a middle finger. She shows me two.

  I get out and begin pumping gas. I shiver against the cold breeze, but then catch a whiff of gasoline and it warms me enough to draw sweat forth.

  Click.

  I lose my grip on the handle and have to catch myself on the car to stop from falling. I look around. No one to see. I lean against the car and resume pumping.

  “I know who you are!” a voice shouts.

  I drop to the ground and look for the culprit. I don’t see anyone nearby.

  “Who said that?” I call out, sheltered against the rear tire.

  The wind picks up and whistles past the gas pumps. Under the right circumstances, it could be mistaken for a voice, but not what I heard. It was too clear. Too loud.

  I peer over the trunk and scan the parking lot again. Ty bursts from the convenience store at a full-on sprint.

  “Time to go!” she shouts.

  She’s carrying an armful of packaged snacks and a six-pack of beer. A slight man, armed with a handgun, follows close behind. He’s shouting as well, nothing but curses.

  “Oh, fuck,” I say.

  I jump back into the car just as Ty reaches the passenger’s side. She tosses the items through the open window and follows after, head first.

  “Drive!” she says.

  I throw the car in gear and punch the accelerator. Tires squeal and a gunshot sounds. And then we’re off. There’s a moment of resistance as the gas hose—still attached to the car—pulls tight and then snaps. I check the rearview.

  The man with the pistol is standing near the pump, a quickly growing puddle of gasoline forming around his loafers as he angrily waves after us. If only I had a lighter.

  Gas pedal floored, I jump the curb and speed off down the street. After going a couple of blocks, I pull off into a vacant lot and skid to a stop behind an abandoned brick building.

  Ty’s head is in my lap, her legs still hanging from the window. And she’s laughing hysterically.