Mudcat

by John Quick

  It slammed into the windshield again, widening the hole it made and sending a fresh wave of cuts across her face. She felt one of those strips of pain along her throat, inches from her jugular, and screamed again.

  This time, there was nothing to stop its forward momentum. Steph was just reaching for her gun when that horrible mouth dropped over her head and closed with a mighty snap. She actually heard the terrible sound of her spine being bitten in two before her vision went white and then faded away completely.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  The sweats Leanne found for him were a little snug, but still comfortable enough to wear, especially considering they were dry and relatively warm. She’d even managed to scrounge up a plain t-shirt for him that she said she sometimes slept in, but was the perfect size for him. He didn’t bother with socks, since he never wore them at home anyway, and he wanted to give his feet the chance to breathe after being cooped up in his uniform boots and submerged in standing water for most of the day.

  When he emerged from her bathroom, he saw that she’d already put a pillow and a couple of blankets on the sofa for him. Seeing them gave him mixed feelings. While he knew going into it that he was only here with her tonight to make her feel safer, there had been some small part of him that hoped something more might develop despite her claims to the contrary. He supposed it was still possible for it to, but he knew he wouldn’t be the one to suggest it. She’d dealt with a strange enough experience tonight, the last thing she needed right now was to have the potential of romantic entanglement thrown in on top of it.

  For that matter, he was so tired he doubted he could do anything even if the opportunity arose.

  He looked and saw a faint glow coming from her back patio, and was just able to make out her shape sitting in one of the deck chairs. Smoke trailed a lazy line above her head, and he saw her arm drift to the side, a cigarette gripped between two fingers. He started for the back door, pausing to glance down at the food and water dishes that were still sitting on the floor, waiting for a dog that would not be returning to them. He felt his stomach clench a little at that; he’d lost pets before, and knew that while she’d maintained a strong face so far, that had to be eating away at her. He shook his head sadly and went outside.

  Leanne didn’t even glance up as he crossed in front of her and sat down in the other chair next to her. Her eyes were locked onto the spot in the yard where her dog’s body had been, and even though Rob knew there was no possible way she could see it through the shadows, rain, and darkness outside the small ring of light provided by the lantern, he felt positive she was seeing it anyway. The lantern light was also reflecting off her eyes and cheeks, and he knew immediately that she had been crying.

  He gave her space, letting her have her moment and not intruding upon her silent grief. Instead, he settled back into the chair and felt his legs begin to relax for the first time today. His back still screamed at him, but he knew it would also begin to unclench soon enough, now that he was finally stationary and off his feet.

  The air was a bit cool, but compared to the stagnant feel inside the house, it was glorious. He didn’t even mind the hints of moisture that came along with each gentle puff of breeze drifting in across the rain. The storm was apparently starting to calm itself, the raging winds he’d dealt with earlier in the night all but forgotten. Even the rain that had been pounding down like a waterfall for most of the day seemed to have faded to a gentle, steady pour closer to what they typically experienced around here. Maybe he’d get lucky and it would be mostly finished by morning. He knew the weather stations were all reporting it would hang on for several more days yet, but any break would be a good one as far as he was concerned.

  Leanne stubbed her cigarette out in the ashtray balanced on the arm of her chair, then set it down on the deck next to her. She shuddered and rubbed her hands down her arms, as if trying to warm herself. Rob realized she appeared to be wearing nothing more than her robe, still; if that was the case, he was sure she was cold. His legs were fine thanks to the thickness of the sweats, but even as pleasant as it was, the breeze managed to cut right through his t-shirt.

  “You okay?” he ventured.

  She let out a humorless chuckle and shook her head. “No, I’m not. But I will be. Maybe not until five or ten years from now, but I will be.”

  He saw the hint of a smile on her face at that, and relaxed a bit more. It wasn’t much of a joke, and held more than a trace of honesty despite the attempt at humor, but if she was making the attempt, it was still a good sign.

  “So what’re you planning tomorrow?” she asked, wiping her face and turning to look at him.

  Rob sighed. “I have no idea. I suppose I need to get on the phone and raise Hell with the boys over at the Department of Transportation, see if I can’t speed up the process of getting the bridges fixed, then I guess I’ll have to start trying to figure out what that thing is that’s killing my townspeople.”

  “I told you what it was,” she said. “You just don’t want to believe it.”

  “I know,” he said, shaking his head. “And maybe it will turn out to be what you think it is. I just want to see it for myself before I announce to everybody that they need to be on the lookout for a killer catfish the size of a full-grown man. You have to admit, if you hadn’t seen it and then the acting chief of police made that announcement, you’d be wondering if he’s started to crack under the pressures of the job, too.”

  Her mouth crooked into something resembling a genuine smile at that. “Is that what you think about me? That I’m cracking up?”

  He glanced over to her, saw she was only messing with him, then smiled back. “No, I knew that a long time ago.”

  “Cute,” she replied.

  She went silent again, as did Rob. He wanted to talk, to take this opportunity to really get to know her better, but he was too exhausted to make casual conversation. In fact, he had begun to drift off when she finally spoke again, waking him fully once more.

  “I think he floated off,” she said.

  He glanced over at her, confused.

  “Magic,” she explained. “My dog. I think he floated off into the lake. I saw a shadow moving down there a couple of minutes ago, but didn’t hear any splashing. Looks like I won’t even get the chance to bury him properly.”

  “I’m sorry,” Rob said, and meant it. “Maybe he didn’t get pulled out too far. I’ll look before I leave in the morning, and see if I can’t recover the body so you can lay him to rest.”

  “Thanks,” she replied. “I bet it sounds stupid, me worrying over a damn dog like this, especially with what you told me about Annie and Chase, but I can’t help it. I’ve had him since he was a puppy, you know. Just feels like I owe him more than to let him float away like driftwood.”

  “No, I get it. I’ve had pets before. They become like family before you know it. You being concerned about him even after… what happened makes perfect sense to me.”

  She looked over at him and smiled. “You’re really a sweet guy, Rob. Thanks. For that, and for staying with me tonight. I’m sorry I didn’t get you over here under better conditions. I’m usually more of a fun hostess than this.”

  “It hasn’t exactly been a ‘fun’ kind of day,” he said, returning the smile. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “Maybe I’ll have to invite you over again sometime,” she said. “Once this is over, and things go back to something resembling normal again. I’ll even cook you dinner, serve some wine, see where the night takes us.”

  “I’d like that,” he replied. “Gives me something to look forward to.”

  Her smile turned a bit wistful as she looked back down toward the lake again. Finally she sighed and stood up. “I’m going to bed. I’ll leave you the lantern, just feel free to turn in whenever you’re ready to. I’ve never seen you smoke, but if you want one, they’re sitting on the kitchen counter next to a pack of matches. Didn’t want to bring them out in case they ended up getting wet.”
r />   “I’ll pass, but I may sit here a little longer,” he said. “Unwind a little more.”

  She nodded, paused, then leaned over and kissed him gently. It was little more than brushing her lips against his at first, but then she leaned in and did it again, pressing her lips more firmly against his own, then gently pushing them apart so she could pull his lower lip between hers. Rob felt himself responding, one hand drifting up to rub at her shoulder as he kissed her back. Her hand went behind his head, fingers tangling in his hair as her tongue played across his mouth briefly.

  It occurred to him that she was most likely naked beneath her robe, the thought coming on so suddenly that he had no time to prepare himself for it. He felt himself begin to grow hard inside the sweat pants, and was just ready to give into the urge to reach up with his other hand, slide it between the folds of cloth at the front of the robe, and confirm his suspicions when she finally pulled away, a little breathless as she stared into his eyes.

  “That’s going into the ‘to be continued’ column,” she said.

  All he could managed was a feeble “yeah, it is.”

  She smiled, kissed him once more briefly, and then headed for the door. “Good night, Rob.”

  “Good night.”

  He sat there much longer than he intended, fighting against his own body’s urges. His mind was racing with mental images of him and Leanne doing much more than just kissing. While that was all it had been—mostly—this time, he was starting to think it was like mental Viagra; every time he thought it had gone away, it returned and brought his erection back with it.

  Finally, he was able to get up and go inside without walking doubled over, but as soon as he lay down on the sofa, the mental movies started right back up again. It was a long time before he finally drifted off to sleep, hoping that when he woke up, he wouldn’t be stuck to the blankets.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Try as he might, Jake just couldn’t sleep. He had no idea if it was the nap he’d taken after he and Carrie’s first return to a sexual relationship this afternoon, or the fact that he’d basically passed out and slept untold hours the night before, or even just something as simple as being excited about the events of the day, but his brain just wouldn’t shut down again. He and Carrie had ended up having sex again once they came back inside. Not only had they been in the bed this time, but it was also much slower and filled with more emotion than he could ever remember there being in their previous encounters. After such a performance, he’d been sure he would drift right off, but instead found himself still staring up at the ceiling, wondering why he was still awake.

  From the way his eyes felt, he was sure he had to have drifted off at some point, but he couldn’t remember doing so. Every time he closed his eyes, he felt like he’d opened them mere seconds later, and nothing had changed to let him think time was passing. He was almost thankful that the power was still out; if he’d had a clock sitting there taunting him, he would’ve probably picked it up and thrown it across the room.

  After lying there another few moments, he finally decided to give up and have another beer and smoke, then try one last time. He had his doubts that it would do any good, but then again, considering how much he was used to drinking, the one he’d had tonight wasn’t nearly enough to even let him feel it, much less take off whatever edge there might be so he could sleep. Two usually didn’t do much for him either, but since he’d neglected to eat anything other than a bowl of cereal before heading out from his own house earlier in the day, maybe it would hit harder than normal.

  He pulled the sheet covering him down and sat up slowly, not wanting to wake Carrie if he could help it, then turned and put his feet onto the carpet and stood up. He didn’t notice it at first, but after taking another step he realized that water was standing on the floor, seeping up through the carpet. Curiously, he stamped the floor and heard a faint splashing sound as his foot landed, and felt droplets of water spatter up onto his ankle.

  “Fucking hell,” he muttered, more surprised than angry. He was sure Carrie would be pissed enough for the both of them when she discovered this, and gave a brief thought to waking her up anyway to let her know, but there would be time for it later. Let her sleep a little longer. As long as he was here to break the news to her before she jumped out of bed and found out for herself, maybe he could calm her down.

  Another thought occurred to him, causing him to quickly cross the room to where his fresh pants had been discarded before he and Carrie got into bed. He picked them up and felt immediately how soaked they’d become where they were resting against the floor.

  “That’s fucking wonderful,” he whispered. He dropped them back to the floor and raked a damp hand over his head. Not only had Carrie’s house apparently started to flood, he no longer had any clothes to wear, either. Under normal circumstances, he might find some amusement in the idea that the two of them would have to wander around her house naked all the next day, or at least until their clothes dried enough to wear. Considering that he couldn’t smoke in the house, if he wanted that cigarette, he would have to go outside in the cool air naked as well. Jake thought he was many things, and not all of them good, but exhibitionist wasn’t on the list.

  He thought he remembered Carrie mentioning that she’d hung their other clothes on the shower rod in the bathroom to dry before she drifted off to sleep, but he’d been too lost in the afterglow to pay close enough attention. It was worth a shot, though, so he might as well check it out.

  It was only when he’d made it nearly to the bedroom door that he noticed he could actually see a little without having a flashlight or lantern or candle or something to light his way. He glanced over to the window, and while the curtains were closed, he still thought it looked to be a bit lighter outside than it had been when they came in. Apparently he’d either managed to get some sleep he wasn’t aware of, or his mind had wandered enough to make the time pass somewhat quicker than he thought. He made a mental note to check his cell phone, sitting discarded on the coffee table, and see what time it was. If it really was getting close to what he thought of as morning, maybe he’d skip the beer. He’d drunk until and past the sunrise on more than one occasion, but for some reason it didn’t feel appropriate today.

  His luck finally turned when he checked the bathroom and discovered the clothes both he and Carrie had worn hanging neatly across the shower rod, nearly touching but not overlapping, which would give them better opportunity to dry. His jeans and shirt were still damper than he would prefer, but his boxers were mostly normal. If he’d done the laundry, he might say they needed another five minutes in the dryer, but under the circumstances, they would do nicely. He pulled them on, already dreading the cool outside air, but he should be able to stand it for the ten minutes it would take to suck down a smoke.

  A quick check of his cell phone showed that it was nearly four-thirty in the morning. Still much earlier than he would normally be up, but past what he thought of as a cut-off time for drinking another beer. That was actually fine by him; if he took a beer, he was liable to stay outside for two cigarettes, or even three, and with nothing to keep him warm but some thin cotton boxers that didn’t even have a button fly. The last thing he wanted was to wind up getting sick just as it seemed his life was starting to turn around.

  When he stepped outside and the first gust of early-morning breeze magically found its way up one leg of his boxers, across his groin, and out the other one, he started to wonder if maybe it wasn’t time to quit smoking altogether. Another quick blast teased him, shriveling his penis and making his balls attempt to climb up inside him to escape it, apparently agreeing with his assumption. Not that it would work, of course; the lure of almighty Nicotine was too much to resist. He gritted his teeth and moved to the little table where his pack and lighter sat forgotten and hoped that the rain hadn’t blown in and ruined them.

  His luck stayed with him; the cigarettes appeared to be fine, and once he pulled one out and struck the lighter, it see
med to be in perfect working order as well. He lit up, inhaled, and then blew out a cloud of bluish smoke before wandering over to the edge of the patio and looking out over the back yard.

  It was definitely brighter out here than it had been, giving him the ability to see a fairly good distance. While the rain hadn’t stopped, it had let up a great deal, and was now not much worse than what he was used to during the spring. The water levels had risen even with the low deck, and had run over it in places, creating puddles all across it even though the roof extended far enough to block the bulk of the rain. He leaned out and looked to the side to see it seemed the same all the way around the side of the house.

  He didn’t think he even needed to check the front to know what he’d find: if the levels were this high back here, and the carpet inside was already sodden, it was obviously up over the front porch as well and was slowly seeping into the house. If the rain picked back up, or even if it didn’t stop soon, he had a feeling that the carpet would end up with the same kinds of puddles the deck had, and might even begin to resemble a bathtub that hadn’t been properly drained before too much longer.

  As much as he didn’t want to, he would need to wake Carrie up once he went back inside so he could fill her on this new development. Maybe the two of them could figure out some way to block the gaps around the doors and keep it from getting worse. At the same time, the bulk of the damage was done. He’d done a couple of summers working with his old man building houses, and knew that if the floor in there had a wooden subfloor instead of a concrete slab, then more than likely it was going to have to be torn up and replaced completely. Considering how old the house itself was, he thought that was the most likely scenario, unfortunate as it would be for Carrie to hear it.