Cash pounced on him from behind, pressed his mouth to the back of Kip’s neck. Then the others were on him, no longer worried about Kip, only cared about feeding their need, their addiction. Like rabid, hungry dogs on a side of beef.
“No! I said no!”
But they weren’t listening, were deaf to his shouting, his demands. He was on his back now, thrashing his arms and legs, twisting his face away from the mouths and teeth and tongues, but couldn’t escape them.
And they sucked and drank and snorted him dry.
—13—
Zak found himself at the Grease Shack. He didn’t know where else to go, and it was one of the only familiar places in town. He thought about just driving to school, sleeping in the parking lot, but the rumbling in his stomach brought him to the burger joint.
But once he got his cheeseburger and fries, he could only stare at it, the pangs in his belly becoming pure revulsion. The way the grease sparkled off the meat, the melted cheese running over the sides. The mayonnaise and ketchup overflowing from the soggy, soaked-through buns.
He tossed the food into the garbage, untouched, lit a cigarette and found an alternative rock station. He needed some noise to drown out the grotesque images running amok in his mind.
“Well that was a waste.”
Zak’s stomach dropped at the sound of the voice, and he was sure it was going to be one of the kids from the house, one of Kip’s addicts. He balled his hands into fists before cracking his eyes open, ready to defend himself. But then he relaxed when he saw her face.
“Gwendolyn?”
“Hey, he remembers my name. Too bad he didn’t remember our tutoring session.”
Zak didn’t know what else to do but smile at her. It was the furthest thing from his mind, and even when he saw her, it didn’t dawn on him until she had said something.
“Ah shit, Gwen. It’s been a fucked up day… my head’s all over the place. I’m sorry… I mean it. I didn’t meant to—”
“Shut up already,” she said and slugged him in the arm through the window. She wore a frown, but Zak could tell by her eyes that she wasn’t really mad. “And did you just call me Gwen? I just met you today, and you’re already shortening my name?”
Zak shrugged, grinned. “Gwendolyn’s a mouthful.”
“Gwen it is then. So… can I join you? I mean, unless you’re—”
“No. I mean… yes, you can join me. Please. I could use some friendly company right now.”
As she rounded the car toward the passenger side, Zak flicked his cigarette away, quickly checked his breath and straightened his posture. She opened the door, sat down, ran her palms over her jeans.
“So… have you been here waiting all this time?” Zak said.
“Please. Get over yourself, man.” Her cheeks burned bright red.
“Well… were you?”
She fingered a tear at the knee of her jeans, sort of snickered. Her eyes still hadn’t left her lap since she had entered the car. “Well shit. What can I say?”
Zak laughed. “That’s sweet. Now I really feel like shit.”
“Look… I just felt bad for you. I mean, when it comes to math… you’re kind of a retard.” She finally looked at him. Her smile was perfect.
“No offense, but I’m not really in the mood for math.”
“Me either. Can I ask what happened to your face? Wanna talk about it?”
Zak had completely forgotten about his injuries. He checked the mirror, winced as his tongue prodded at the tender opening on his lip. He was again reminded that it hurt to breathe, his ribs screaming in pain. His mind had been too busy to worry about his own beaten body.
“There’s something weird going on,” Zak said, turning in his seat so he was fully facing Gwen now. She did the same, looked like a little kid about to be read a bedtime story. “It’s Kip. I don’t know what the hell is going on… but it’s scaring the shit out of me.”
“Kip? As in your cousin? As in Toad?”
“Come on… out of everyone, I didn’t think you’d call him that.”
“I don’t, I’m just saying. How can Kip scare you? He’s a nice kid… but I can’t imagine him scaring anyone.”
Zak’s vision went blurry as he stared off into space, thinking about the kids all over Kip, moaning and screaming and fucking and laughing. The way Kip bled and bled, the sound of his voice when he got angry.
He’s a fucking monster.
“Zak?”
“Huh?”
“Lost you there for a second. Your mouth was moving but no words were coming out.”
“Sorry.” Zak focused his vision again, but when he locked eyes with Gwen, he had to force his stare into his lap. “It’s his acne. It’s… shit. I don’t even know where to begin.”
“His acne? I know it’s bad, but why would you be scared of it?”
“Believe me… if you only knew the half of it, you’d be scared too. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. I promise you.”
“Then show me.”
“What?”
She smiled that perfect smile again, brushed her bangs out of her face. “Well, if Kip’s in trouble, I’d like to help. I don’t know him that well, but like I said, he’s a good kid. I’ve always felt sorry for him, like it’s my duty to be nice to him or something. I don’t know. I’m a weirdo like that.”
You’re an angel is what you are.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Gwen. Trust me… you don’t want to see this. Shit, I already saw it, and if I could, I would unsee the shit out of it. I don’t even think I can make myself go back home.”
She reached across the middle console and grabbed Zak’s hand. When Zak locked eyes with her, she blushed, moved her eyes to their hands.
“I know I just met you, Zak. And believe me, I know how fucking corny this sounds.” She rolled her eyes and snickered.
“Yeah? What is it?”
“Oh god, just… Let’s just go. I want to help. Let me.”
Zak wanted to tell her no, wanted to explain everything, but he couldn’t find the words. He could only concentrate on her hand pressed against his, her thumb moving back and forth over his skin. Their eyes met again, neither of them looking away this time, staring deep into each other. And it felt good, it felt amazing. It felt right. Like nothing Zak had ever experienced with any other girl. He felt like he’d known this girl a lot longer than a day, and for whatever reason, he felt like he could trust her. Felt like she could handle the insanity that was Kip and his… condition.
“Okay. But I’m warning you. You won’t believe it. Even as you’re looking at it… at him. You won’t believe it.”
When her hand released his, he was filled with a strange sadness. He wanted to feel her touch again, wanted to reach over and hold her in his arms, press his mouth to hers.
But he put one hand on the steering wheel, the other on the shift. He reversed out of the Grease Shack’s parking lot, then was heading back home. He still didn’t know what he would do when they got there, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that taking Gwendolyn there was a huge mistake, but if that’s what she wanted, he’d let her see.
If anyone can convince Kip to get help, maybe it’s her.
It wasn’t until the child’s legs stopped kicking that Chuck realized he’d done a bad thing. He stood, staring down at the broken, tiny body. His jaw ached from clenching his teeth.
He recognized this boy. Chelsea’s brother? Where the fuck am I?
It came back all at once, and he remembered what he did, almost felt bad about it until his need kicked in again, stronger than ever. He tried to calm the shakes by licking Toad’s dried blood off his skin, but it wasn’t enough, didn’t satisfy him.