Читать книгу Anthology - Robert Deshaies - Страница 6

Chapter 2

On the Run

There was so much blood. I…

It was everywhere. I mean, my vision was practically going red from how much blood there was. Fuck, this was such a stupid, goddamn idea. What the hell were we thinking robbing a bank? Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Okay, try and keep a cool head. Turn on the AC, play the Zeppelin tape, and kick back. Forget that you have three dead partners in the car with you, forget about the blood spattered everywhere, forget about the blood and possibly bone of your best friend’s skull on your cheek.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

Huff, huff. Okay, it was dark. I just needed to keep driving. I needed to get out of Nebraska, cross the state line, ditch the car on the road, walk to a motel, keep it low-key for a day, hot-wire another ride, and pass a few more state lines. Then it would be good to lie low for a while.

Okay…okay, that’s the plan. Just keep driving, and I’ll get there. Just keep driving. Don’t think about it. Don’t think about Billy, John, and Mark. They’re dead. No point to ponder on the deceased.

It was silent for a hundred miles. Nothing but plains of nothing. My headlights, the road, no radio, just silence. The tires grazing across the asphalt barely made a noise. It was the rotation that was almost relaxing me, but I thought my ears might be blown out from the gunshots when it all went wrong. My stomach began to growl. I was sure the adrenaline ate up all the energy that I had stored away. Good thing I ate those frosted flakes forty minutes before the gig. I was tired and hungry. I’d need to pull over soon. I prayed there was a diner or motel or just something along the highway.

There was silence and wind—the howling winds. Two-lane highway and me, alone.

Another thirty minutes went by. I stopped keeping count of the miles. My eyes were slowly closing. I thought I saw a light on the horizon. I checked the time, and it should be dark for another couple of hours. I prayed it was a diner. I could park, eat a burger, and get some coffee. Just…I just needed something. The growling hurt now; my head was pounding.

Okay, here we go over the crest. Thank God we’re over it now.

There it was in all its beauty—the diner in the middle of nowhere. I finally stepped on the brakes, friendly and easy, so I wouldn’t look suspicious rolling in. I saw the lights on, so that must mean they were open. I rolled up real slow, and I turned off the lights. I had shades to cover the windows in the glove, so I placed those all around. I hope there aren’t any bullet holes in the car. I couldn’t tell you how many shots I heard fired once we got going. Finally, after padding up the car, I stepped out and saw the neon shining down on me.

“Diner, 24-7.”

Under the neon blues, I walked into a happy place. I saw a gentleman sitting in the far-left corner. He was wearing a large white trench coat and seemed to be reading the paper. His car must be in the back. I thought I didn’t see it out front. I rang the bell on the counter, and he didn’t even pull the paper down. A noise from the kitchen rattled through the empty zone.

“One minute!”

Oh, thank God.

“Yeah, yeah…take your time. I’ll take a seat.”

I seated myself on the far-right side of the diner and grabbed one of the day’s papers along the bar. I thought this would be the first time I ever read the article. As soon as I took my seat, a gorgeous, small-town blondie came from the kitchen in her cute apron and hair tie. She had the smile of an angel, and it calmed me down…for even just a little.

“What will it be, hon?”

“Oh…sorry. I’ll take a coffee and a burger, please. No cheese.”

“Great, will that be all?”

“I believe so. Say, what brings a pretty girl like you all the way out here?”

“Fella, I…I don’t mean to be rude, but let’s just stick to the customer-employee thing.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“I’ll have your order right up.”

“Thanks.”

Well, that was embarrassing. Nothing was going right today. I slouched back into the squeaky plastic bar seats. As I rolled into the most comfortable position I could think of, my eyes darted to the opposite side of the diner. The strange fellow was no longer there, just a coffee cup.

“Norman.”

I looked to my right, and behind the counter was the man I saw when I walked in. How did I not see him move? I wondered if he worked here.

“Do I know you?”

“No, kid, I don’t believe you do.”

“So do you work here or something’?”

“I reckon I don’t.”

“Behind the counter, then just for the hell of it?”

“If it pleases me, then yes.”

“Would the waitress approve?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about her. It seems to be just you and me, Norman.”

Okay, the hair on the back of my neck was raising directly toward the heavens. Here I was fresh off a bank robbery, on the run from state police, with three dead friends in the car, and I was seated inside a diner talking to a man who knew my name, yet I’d never met him before. The waitress! I could ask her to come on out.

“Hello! Waitress! Can I make a change to my order?”

“Son, she’s out back on her smoke break. She won’t hear you. May I take a seat with you?”

“Depends, tell me how you know my name.”

As he moved from behind the counter, I could now see his entire frame. He was massive.

“I know quite a few names, Norman. Are you asking how I know yours specifically?”

“Yes.”

He took a seat directly across the table, staring—that was what he was doing—in absolute silence. His eyes…I’d never seen anything like them before. They were soulless things. I couldn’t decide whether I should be afraid or intrigued.

“Well, Norman, I know why you’re here.”

“A-and why’s that, mister?”

“Jacket. Mr. Jacket. Why you ask, son? Well, I know you’re on the run…”

Fuck. How could he know? I… There must be a spot of blood somewhere on me. I had a guilty face riddled all over my expression, and now I was sweating. He was just going to keep drilling me.

“Are you okay, Norman? You seem to be uncomfortable. Am I making you uncomfortable?”

“N-n-no, sir, it’s just…”

Then it clicked in my head. Just lie. He doesn’t know.

“Well, I’ve been on the run for a while, you see. My ma and pa, they kicked me out for roughing around in the household. Ya know, with a girl they didn’t take a liking to. She and I split up a few hundred miles back after an argument, and now it’s just me.”

“That’s a lie.”

He knows. He knows. He knows.

“Say, Norman, how about I go out for a cigarette. When I come back, I hope you can tell me the truth.”

The tall man hovered over the table as he stood up. He grabbed a pristine pack of unlabeled cigarettes from his jacket pocket and lit one up. In his eyes, a flicker of a shining star struck my soul to the core. I was paralyzed in my seat. I was helpless to him walking away for a smoke break. As I saw him walk out the diner door, I heard two simultaneous rings.

“Sorry, hon. I took a quick break out back. The coffee and burger will be right up.”

I almost forgot why I was here. All right, Norman, keep your head on a swivel. Eat the grub, then get the fuck out of here before any more questioning. Thank God, I saw her coming out from the kitchen with a plate and a cup.

“Care for any room in your cup?”

“No. Black, please.”

She set down the order, and instantly I began eating. I forgot how hungry I was. My stomach was practically running inside out at this point.

“Well, I guess one of us is starving.”

I looked up, and she still had that cute, little grin on her face. She was the sole person to make this day any more comforting.

“May I ask you something?”

“Sure, hon.”

“That man who was sitting in that booth back there, what time did he come in?”

She looked at me, perplexed of my question.

“Ah, I’m sorry, but you’ve been the only customer I’ve had in a few hours. No one has been here since you got here.”

“No, no, no, that’s not right. A substantial tall gentleman in a large white trench coat, he was sitting right there in that booth when I walked in. For God’s sake, there’s even a coffee cup where he was sitting.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s my cup.”

We stared at each other, searching each other’s expression for an answer. Neither of us reached an understanding.

“It sounds like you have a lot on your mind. I’ll leave you to your food. Ring the bell if you need anything. I’ll be in the back.”

I needed to go outside. I needed to see if the gentleman was there.

“Do you have a cigarette? I…I could really use one right now.”

“Sure, hon.”

She reached into her apron and pulled out her American Spirit and handed me the minted little cylinder.

“Thanks.”

I left everything on the table, and she offered a light. I took it and quickly dashed to get out. As I pushed open the door, I didn’t see any white trench coat smoking outside. Where could the enormous man have gone? As I took a quick rip of the tiny piece of calming, I noticed lights along the horizon. Fortunately, I still had a few more hours of nightfall, so I knew it must be a passing car. As the lights slowly crawled over the hill, I noticed it began to slow down. I thought he was going to pull into the diner. Shit. I don’t need more people showing up. I have three bodies in my car and a few million in duffels.

The car slowly rolled up, and I took one last rip before I saw the side of the vehicle. It read State Police Highway Patrol. I am so fucked. I flicked the cigarette onto the pile already next to the door, and I headed back in. I needed to get out of here quick.

I returned to my booth, and the food and coffee were still steaming. Thank God, I needed a warm fucking meal. It was too cold out. This whole night had been too cold. I started scarfing down the food when I heard the diner door fully open. That little jingle of the bell. The voice of the waitress. The sound of boot heels clicking on the plated floor.

“Be right out!”

“Take your time, Val.”

The officer now looked around the diner and looked at me. He gave me a quick nod and took a seat at the restaurant. He must be a regular; he obviously knew the waitress. The waitress came out from behind the kitchen, and she went to take the officer’s order. The words that came out of her mouth, well shit.

“Hey, darling. How’s my baby girl doing tonight? No weirdos, I hope.”

“None tonight, Daddy. Jus’ that young fella in the corner. I think he might be a little stressed from the cold.”

I kept my head down, pretending not to listen in on their conversation.

“Hey, son. The weather got you a bit shaking tonight?”

I kept my head down, scarfing down the food. I needed to get out of here.

“Son?”

“S-sorry, Officer. I’m on a bit of a schedule, that’s all. I gotta reach the farmhouse by dawn. Otherwise, my father will kill me.”

“No shit, you have a place around here?”

“No…no, sir. Across the state line, sir. Pa had me running some errands with a partner of ours two lines over.”

“Ah, I see. Taking a quick bite before heading back on the road. Say, what’s got you shaking up? Your fork is practically a pendulum.”

I hadn’t even noticed that my fingers were shaking so hard. My entire body had been buzzing to the tone of this man’s voice.

“A bit too much coffee, I think, sir.”

“Heh. We all get there sometimes.”

The officer and his daughter continued with their conversation. I tuned out. I had to be somewhere else; I didn’t know where. Anywhere seemed better than here, really. I finished the burger, chugged the rest of the coffee, left the cash on the table, and dipped out before anyone could say anything.

“Thank you for the service.”

I budged the door open and made a brisk walk to my car. As I peeked my head up, I noticed the man in the trench coat. He’d been out here all this time. He was just here, smoking his cigarette. I heard the diner’s bell, and I turned around to see.

“Hon, do you need your change?”

“No, go ahead and keep it.”

“Thank you. Good luck getting to where you’re going.”

“Thanks.”

As I moved to turn back around, Mr. Jacket was now a mere five feet away.

“You ready to have that discussion now, Norman?”

“W-where did you go? I…you’re not real.”

He began to circle me, and I followed him.

“Son, I’m genuine. Ask me anything. I’ll bet you I’ll know the answer. Here’s a question, Norman. What’s in the car?”

No. I’m not going to answer that.

“Nothing.”

“Really?”

He halted, his stance sideways. He turned his head, and his starry eyes cut through me.

“May I check myself? I know you’re hiding, Norman. Just tell me the truth. That’s all I ask.”

I felt compelled. I wanted to tell him. I…I… No, stop. Don’t tell him. But like a fish I grabbed in a pond, the truth just came out.

“It’s Billy, John, and Mark!”

I dropped to my knees. The confession proved its weight—the burden of my friends’ souls on my now grieving and guilty hear. I was helpless. Take me, I thought. Whoever this man is, just…take me. I looked up to see his reaction, but he was no longer there. I looked all around, and there were zero traces of anyone being here. I scanned the ground, and the dust had zero evidence of his heel tracks. I saw one pair, and they were mine. Did I just confess to midair? What was going on with me?

“I can’t breathe. Ugh. Uck. Ack. I…I can’t breathe.”

I collapsed. I didn’t feel anything, couldn’t hear anything. I just felt the burden. It was anchoring itself onto my lungs. It was hard to breathe now, harder than it had ever been. As my eyes began to close, I saw legs approaching. I saw a mouth moving, but I couldn’t quite make out wh—.

Ugh. What. Wh-where am I? I c-can’t see. Wait, am I talking to myself?

“Norman?”

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeeep.

“Norman! Norman, you gotta wake up!”

As my eyes slowly began to open, the light pierced them, and I was blinded. I was lost. I didn’t know anything. The question I wanted to ask, I’d most likely get the answer to in a second. It was coming back now. Why-why am I thinking so clearly? As I looked around, I saw that I was in a white room. It l-looked padded…heavily.

“Norman, son. You’ve been out for quite some time. I’m going to need you to listen to this. Don’t wrestle against the restraints either, son. They’re only to keep you from harming yourself. Norman, what do you remember? What do you remember before waking up just now?”

I wanted to speak, but my voice felt heavy. It was staying down in my throat. I wanted it to come out. I wanted to talk, and they were waiting. They were just staring…so soullessly. No, it’s him. It’s them. No. No. No. Get me out of here. Please. No. He’s…he’s…!

“Norman, calm down! You will only hurt yourself. Listen to us, Norman. Do you remember who we are?”

Finally, my voice returned.

“Mr. Jacket! Mr. Jacket! Get away. Get away!”

“Norman, who is Mr. Jacket? My name is Dr. Mark, and this is Nurse Billy. Dr. Valarie has been doing the rotations with me. You kept yelling our names in your sleep, son. You’ve been asleep for…well, it’s been quite some time.”

I looked to see this man move to open the windows to my room.

“What are you doing? Stop, please.”

“Norman, I need you to see this. Hopefully, this will bring some memories back.”

As he opened up the window, I saw an ocean of black—a starry abyss. I…I’m in space. I looked to the “doctors,” and I felt scared. I…I didn’t know whether to ask if all this was real or… Oh god, I am insane. I’ve…space.

“Doc, are…are we in space?”

He made a quick glance over to Dr. Valarie, who had just entered my room.

“Norman, please. Let me explain.”

“Then explain, Doc! Can’t you see I’m losing it here!”

I was practically pulling my eyes out. Why won’t anyone just give me a straight fucking answer!

“Norman, you’re on the United Continents Lunar Institute for the Mentally Ill (UCLIMI). You’ve been here since your psychotic break in July 2147. You murdered your two brothers at the age of ten without recollection of ever taking action. Your name was Benjamin before that incident. That break then formed two completely new rogue identities. You have chosen Norman, on most occasions, to remain in control as your primary personality. After years of observation here, we have discovered that you have DID, an extreme variation. Son, you have three distinct personalities who know nothing about one another. You are in this cell for one reason only. That reason is because of your third personality and most deadly identity. Think of him as the…well, the proverbial monster under the bed. The dark id. It calls itself Mr. Jacket, and Jacket is a relentless, merciless, manipulative, obsessed individual who will stop at nothing to slaughter any and everything around it. That’s why you’re here, Norman. It’s for your protection and the protection of others. You went catatonic for quite some time. Almost twelve months. We believed it was your consciousness battling for control on the inside. We found high and extremely hyperdeveloped brain activity during your coma. This indicated intense and vivid dreaming. I’m truly sorry that after all this time, we haven’t found any way to help, son. I really am.”

Speechless, one could say I was. The funny thing? At that moment, it wasn’t much of a surprise. I wasn’t sweating. I wasn’t scared. I actually laughed. After that, I was not really sure. My mind vibrated off sounds of screaming, and I felt warm liquid over my body. There were echoes of pleading, and I was watching it all happen. I was helpless to stop it. I saw lights blaring red, and my ears were ringing with sirens, but it was a distant echo. The door closed to my room, and it was painted freshly red, black, Caucasian, African, Asian, Native, and white. I walked to the window to see the big blue ball in the floating abyss, and I knew the reflection…

Starry black eyes. How beautiful.

“Thank you for finally letting me out, Norman.”

Fin