Gerald Dean Rice's Blog, page 101

The 5000 Fingers of Bob, pt XV

Howie sprang up from the floor and was suddenly across the room pressing Ed against the wall.

"Whose blood do you believe this is, huh?" Howie said. "How long before it's somebody else's? How long before it's Marcie's? Then will it be right?

Ed squirmed away from Howie, muttering to himself and wiping at his clothes.

"I don't want no part of it," he said, turning back to us. "You go on, you killers. Kill him. But nobody can say Edward A. Paris had a hand in it, no sir!"

"We agreed," Jack said. "We agreed," he reemphasized pointing to all of us. "However the vote came, we agreed to abide by it."

"I ain't abidin' by no killin' of no man. He's a retard for chrissake, he couldn't have been behind this. There ain't no way!"

"You doubtin' your own eyes already?" Jack said, winding a dirty strip of shirt around his hand. "You know what you saw, just like everyone in town does. We agreed we had to do somethin' about it. Now, I admit, I wanted to kill Bob outright, save us some trouble. But no, we voted because it was the only way to have all five of us on board. We voted that if burnin' down that house would stop whatever the hell craziness gat hold of this town, it would end right there. We'd let Bob go. You think it's over after what we saw go on in that basement? Bob may not be the end of it, but it's a helluva good start. I don't want to see him lookin' at my daughter the way he does knowin' he can do even a tenth of what we seen. And I'm not turnin' a blind eye like everyone else in this town no more. Glenn is dead probably because you wanted to vote. Now it's time for you to stand with us on somethin' you don't want."

I felt the hairs on the back of my neck prickle when Jack mentioned his daughter. He hadn't heard Howie's tale. Ed waved his hand like Jack's words had attached themselves to him and he was tossing them off.

"Can I go home now?" I heard a muffled voice say. "Ma'Dear gon' be mad if I'm late for supper." We all turned and looked at Bob, sitting there like he had sprung another head.

I felt hate surge through me and before I knew it I had the coil around his neck, strangling him. Jack had the presence of mind to push me aside, throw the coil over the support beam and hoist him up. Bob kicked helplessly with the wire binding his feet cutting into his ankles. Jack wrapped the coil around an anchor built into the wall and bent, picking up the jumper cables. He attached them to that coil and jumped back, looking back up to Bob.

As deserved as it was, I don't think we were prepared for what happened next. Bob's whole body spasmed as the electricity surged through him, his arms worrying at the wire binding his wrists like he was trying to free himself. Sparks jumped off him, one of them so bright I had to turn my head. I saw Ed, pressed against the wall like a gun was pointed at him, staring at Bob in horror with his head half-turned. A rapid metallic drumming began building in speed and I realized it was his feet in the bucket, sloshing the water out he kicked so violently.

A scream rose up over the loud hum of the generator; a scream Bob shouldn't have been able to make. Worse yet, it sounded like several screams all wrapped up in one, hollering in one wicked chorus. One was impossibly high, another so low I almost couldn't hear it. The generator began to kick and sputter and Jack pressed himself as far against the wall opposite Ed's as he could. I glanced around, looking for Howard and saw him slowly approaching the coil.

The 5000 Fingers of Bob, pt XIV

"I wanted to hold him down, to keep him still. I could feel his blood comin' all the way up my pant legs and for some reason I wondered how I was gonna explain my bloody drawers to Onnie! 'Honey, I got the shits somethin' powerful,' I thought. 'Tore my asshole cleeeeeaan out!' I turned my head up and champed down on the insides of my cheeks as hard as I could to keep from laughin' out loud.

"'Oh God, it's awful up there, How,' he said after he had eased down. 'Don't tell Jack his little girl is up there.' His lips were completely blue. He didn't blink his eyes no more, just kept starin' up at the sky.

"'That's nonsense talk' I told him, wantin' to take my mind off my crampin' hand, holdin' in his stinkin' insides. 'Jenny's just fine, she's leavin' for New York come mornin'.

"'In that attic. That's where he kept her tied up. She sounded so scared and alone, but he was with her.'

"'Who had her in the attic, Glenn? We didn't see nobody.'

"'Bob was there. In the attic. He put the fire out soon as we left. He won't let that house burn.'

"'Then we'll set it again. We'll set it on fire till it's nothin' but ashes, y'hear me? You just keep holdin' onto me and you can light the match yourself.'

"Right then Glenn's mouth started workin' like a fish out of water. I saw tears well up in his eyes as they searched around, blindly.

"'They're up there, How! Didja see? Didja see?' And just like that, he gave up the ghost." Howie's face sagged like all the fight had been taken out of him too. "I don't know what we thought you couldda done if we had got here in time, he was tore up so bad. I don't think anyone couldda saved him."

Howie turned his face away, ashamed he was still crying. Truth be told, I couldn't blame him for it and I broke down sometime later myself. But right then I was charged with rage. I ran back in that room, shoving Ed out the way and seized Bob by the neck, strangling him. I heard him gagging stupidly under his hood while his feet kicked uselessly inside that bucket. I held on a second longer before dropping him back in the chair and spat on him.

I must have used every swear I knew on him as I began wrapping the copper coil around my hand. I think I meant to strangle him to death with it, but an idea overtook me and I made a noose.

"Hold on a sec--, we ain't voted yet!" Ed cried. He cringed when I turned and looked at him.

"Does Glenn get to vote too?" Jack said, suddenly in the room. He had his hand raised, a deep gash running blood down his forearm and used his free hand to pull a chair over to him. He propped his foot up on it looking at Ed first, then the rest of us. I stood there, a length of copper coil around my hand. Jack raised his other hand and Howie slowly followed, his face looking empty. I raised my own hand, looking defiantly at Ed, who sauntered over to a corner.

"This ain't right! I can't believe you're really considerin' this!"

The 5000 Fingers of Bob XIII

The knife came out of him and disappeared along with the rest of him and an unbelievable amount of blood came gushin' out of Glenny and he collapsed in my arms.

"'Help me, you guys! Glenn's hurt!' I called and Ed and Jack came runnin' over.

"'What happened to your hair?' Ed asked me.

"The most god-forsaken scream started up behind us and I swear the floor moved. We turned and saw what looked like the far wall, the whole thing rushin' at us like a giant fly swatter. As far away as we were I could still see things… movin' on that wall.

"'Jack, let's go!' I spat.

"'Wait,' he said, turning to face the thing, racin' at us.

"'We gotta get out of here, Jack!' Ed shouted.

"'It isn't real,' he said, pullin' a wooden match from his pocket. 'Itisn'treal itisn'treal itisn'treal itisn'treal itisn'treal,' he repeated over and over, strikin' the match with his thumb and then throwin' it onto the floor. Tongues of flame leapt up and started lickin' at the walls, runnin' all the way back from where we'd come.

The thing was completely engulfed, but suddenly it looked like it had only been shadows playin' off the bare wooden beams and not the house set to devour us.

"Jack heaved Glenn's shoulder back over him and we hauled like we never done haulin' before. Glenn's head lolled as we ran, but he was still moanin'. There was other sounds comin' from all around, Tommy, sounds like you never heard before, but I swear they sounded like screams. Angry screams like we had just kicked up some dust in the worst way.

"When we got outside, Ed tossed the lamp back inside and slammed the door. I heard the lamp break and wondered if it would catch fire, but couldn't afford another second to look. I was glad Jack decided to park near the house instead of by the road because Glenn had gotten really heavy and I didn't think I could have made it. We slid Glenn back first onto the flatbed of the truck and I got in with him, proppin' his head up on my leg and pushin' a knot of intestine back inside him.

"I don't know what made me look up at the house as we drove away, but I did. I looked way up to the attic window and I saw those lights up there, circlin' around somebody somethin' furious. I swear it was Bob, but he didn't look the same. There was hate deep as the ocean in those eyes.

"We peeled out on the main road and Jack floored it as fast as that truck would go. I knew it wasn't enough time to make it to a hospital. That's when I yelled for Jack to come to you.

"I held him in my arms while he died, Tommy," Howie sobbed. "I kept his guts in while he bled all over me; his life was leakin' out between my fingers. I squeezed so hard my hand went numb. He'd passed out, but then he woke up, eyes clear like he'd just woke from a long night's rest.

"'I heard her up there, How', he whispered to me.

"'Who, Glenny? Who'd you hear?' I asked him, squeezin' his arm.

"He just continued on like I hadn't even spoke. 'I thought if I kept lookin', I'd find her. She sounded all scared and alone up there and I couldn't get to her. I kept… lookin' and lookin' until I was lost and she just kept on moanin' and moanin' like all the… fight had been drained out of her; like she was an animal waitin' to die. The smell up there was somethin'awful. Waste side and piss and blood- the closer I got to her voice, the worse it got. Till finally—' and he reached up and grabbed a fistful of my shirt. I thought he was about to meet his maker then how his back arched and this look of… pain something terrible crossed his face. He moaned, long and deep and loud, like the pain was finally too much, but that wasn't it. He was tellin' me how the girl was cryin' out to him.

The 5000 Fingers of Bob XII

'"Leave that can and keep movin'!' Jack screamed at us. I turned to look back at Jack as I started walkin' and his face was all beaded up with sweat, eyes bugged out like he had seen somethin' churnin' in the shadows behind him. Ed and I picked up on the look in his eyes like and we started movin' like one body, almost runnin'. We squeezed closer together, crowdin' around the lamp.

"Two more lights streaked past us. I closed my eyes, momentarily blinded by how bright they were. I could have steered us all off a cliff anyhow as fast as we were goin'. It was like the dark ate up the light once it got past arm's reach.

"'Jack, what was that?' Ed asked in a panic. I knew better than to ask because I knew that was a question nobody could have answered.

"'It was just light, now move your asses!' Jack shouted.

"I could swear we ran farther than that house should have had basement. It felt like five minutes by the time we set down.

"'Howie, make a nice big puddle right over there,' Jack said, gesturin' with his head and settin' his two cans down. He took the mop from Ed and as I poured, he spread it out. 'Make sure you splash it up on these wood beams too.'

"Ed held the lamp, givin' us light and bein' the lookout while I poured and Jack mopped. There was old furniture covered in sheets and Jack told me to soak all those down as we worked.

"We came to the can Ed dropped and I pitched the can I had and started with that one. A breeze started kickin' up from behind us and for no reason I can fathom, I turned and lost my lunch. As quick as the nausea hit me it was gone, but I looked away from it because it almost looked like worms wriggling around in clotted up blood.

'"Somebody's comin'!' Ed said in a harsh whisper. We all froze on the spot, listenin' and sure enough, Glenn's voice started echoin' a ways off.

"'Call it off! There's somebody upstairs!' he shouted, wavin' his arms as he raced toward us. Just then one of those balls of light came racin' back from where ever they went to and spun Glenn around, hoverin' just in front of him, twenty feet ahead of us. We all stood there, watchin', waitin' for it to do somethin'.

"'It can't be real,' Ed said so low he had to be talkin' to himself. 'What is that?'

"Glenn grunted like somebody'd punched him hard in the belly and I ran up next to him. I looked down and saw a dark hand holdin' a knife, out of thin air, workin' at his innards like it was shakin' hands with his guts. And he just stood there. Stood there like a deer in headlights.

"I drew my gun, meaning to shoot at the light but it rushed me as I raised my gun. It hit me and I felt like I was under water, but everthing around me had slowed down.

"Glenn was blurry, but still rooted to that spot, a surprised 'O' on his face. I turned to Jack and Ed and everthing turned to black spots for a moment, but then there they were, blurry too, still staring at the back of Glenn's head. There was somebody just in front of Glenn. At first I thought he was frozen too and then I saw his arm directed at Glenn's middle. He was all in shadow, but I saw this thing in his hand glowin' red through Glenn. It was that knife! I pointed my gun at him and shot and there was this explosion like I was shootin' thunder and then all these sounds just started goin' off and I realized it was Ed and Jack screamin' behind me. Whatever had happened to me had passed. I looked by Glenn again and the man was gone.

The 5000 Fingers of Bob, pt XI

'"Leave that can and keep movin'!' Jack screamed at us. I turned to look back at Jack as I started walkin' and his face was all beaded up with sweat, eyes bugged out like he had seen somethin' churnin' in the shadows behind him. Ed and I picked up on the look in his eyes like and we started movin' like one body, almost runnin'. We squeezed closer together, crowdin' around the lamp.

"Two more lights streaked past us. I closed my eyes, momentarily blinded by how bright they were. I could have steered us all off a cliff anyhow as fast as we were goin'. It was like the dark ate up the light once it got past arm's reach.

"'Jack, what was that?' Ed asked in a panic. I knew better than to ask because I knew that was a question nobody could have answered.

"'It was just light, now move your asses!' Jack shouted.

"I could swear we ran farther than that house should have had basement. It felt like five minutes by the time we set down.

"'Howie, make a nice big puddle right over there,' Jack said, gesturin' with his head and settin' his two cans down. He took the mop from Ed and as I poured, he spread it out. 'Make sure you splash it up on these wood beams too.'

"Ed held the lamp, givin' us light and bein' the lookout while I poured and Jack mopped. There was old furniture covered in sheets and Jack told me to soak all those down as we worked.

"We came to the can Ed dropped and I pitched the can I had and started with that one. A breeze started kickin' up from behind us and for no reason I can fathom, I turned and lost my lunch. As quick as the nausea hit me it was gone, but I looked away from it because it almost looked like worms wriggling around in clotted up blood.

'"Somebody's comin'!' Ed said in a harsh whisper. We all froze on the spot, listenin' and sure enough, Glenn's voice started echoin' a ways off.

"'Call it off! There's somebody upstairs!' he shouted, wavin' his arms as he raced toward us. Just then one of those balls of light came racin' back from where ever they went to and spun Glenn around, hoverin' just in front of him, twenty feet ahead of us. We all stood there, watchin', waitin' for it to do somethin'.

"'It can't be real,' Ed said so low he had to be talkin' to himself. 'What is that?'

"Glenn grunted like somebody'd punched him hard in the belly and I ran up next to him. I looked down and saw a dark hand holdin' a knife, out of thin air, workin' at his innards like it was shakin' hands with his guts. And he just stood there. Stood there like a deer in headlights.

"I drew my gun, meaning to shoot at the light but it rushed me as I raised my gun. It hit me and I felt like I was under water, but everthing around me had slowed down.

"Glenn was blurry, but still rooted to that spot, a surprised 'O' on his face. I turned to Jack and Ed and everthing turned to black spots for a moment, but then there they were, blurry too, still staring at the back of Glenn's head. There was somebody just in front of Glenn. At first I thought he was frozen too and then I saw his arm directed at Glenn's middle. He was all in shadow, but I saw this thing in his hand glowin' red through Glenn. It was that knife! I pointed my gun at him and shot and there was this explosion like I was shootin' thunder and then all these sounds just started goin' off and I realized it was Ed and Jack screamin' behind me. Whatever had happened to me had passed. I looked by Glenn again and the man was gone.

The 5000 Fingers of Bob, pt X

I started suddenly as if I had drifted off to sleep. I looked up and saw Bob, looking at me with guileless eyes. I felt like a significant amount of time had passed without my realizing, but I don't think I fell asleep. Bob smiled, but said nothing and a nagging feeling gnawed away in the pit of my stomach, like something had happened I didn't remember. I let go of a breath in a loud gasp I hadn't realized I'd been holding, looking at my hands shaking uncontrollably even as I gripped my knees.

There was something. Something about stepping through a single door and going everywhere all at once, but before the thought solidified, the door burst in and there stood Jack coated in blood from the belly down. He had a vacant look in his eyes, but he stared at Bob, looking almost afraid to move.

"Is he still in there?" I heard Ed call from outside.

Bob's head snatched toward the doorway as soon as it opened. I looked at him and saw his face was almost a mirror of Jack's, but there was something different. He didn't seem to be looking at Jack so much as staring at the open space behind him.

"Shut the door," I said, a feeling of subconscious understanding rising in me. Jack stood rooted to that spot and a well of anger shot out of me and I screamed, "Shut the goddamn door!" That roused him and he leapt inside, slamming the door behind him. Bob's gaze immediately fell to the floor and he slumped down in his chair, deflated. We both stood there in silence, wondering what, if anything, had just happened.

Howie came in then, his hair white as snow and drenched in blood like he'd waded in a pool of it, Ed shortly behind.

"It's Glenn," Howie said.

'"We're gonna do this quick,' Jack whispered. The three of us huddled around him and he turned his eyes to Glenn, sayin', 'Ten minutes and meet us in the basement. Let's get to it.'

"Glenn made off, goin' up those rickety stairs like a coon dog on a scent. Jack hitched his head for us to follow, carryin' two cans of kerosene to our one a piece and we still had trouble keepin' up.

"'Shine that lamp over here,' he barked back at me. The door to the basement was locked, but he made easy work of it, droppin' the cans and takin' the hammer out of his belt loop and knockin' the knob off with one swipe. He tucked it back and jammed a screwdriver into the hole and turned it. He pulled the door open gently, took out the screwdriver and dropped it back in his pocket.

"I took the lead with the lamp and Ed fell in right behind me. Goin' down those stairs I can't tell you how many shadows danced around like they were gonna lift right up off the wall and swallow us whole. It was cold as a snowman's balls down there, but I sweated harder than on the hottest Georgia night. It felt like the air itself was puttin' its cold hands around my throat and squeezin'. I made all right with my one can, but Ed's sloshed around like he was havin' trouble carryin' it with his good arm.

"Some kind of light flew by me quicker'n a falling star.

"'The hell was that?' I heard Ed say before I had a chance to register it in my mind. I heard his can hit the floor.

The 5000 Fingers of Bob IX

I don't know how long it had been when Bob eventually woke up.

"Hello?" he said, groggily. "Bob, you there?"

"I'm here, Bob."

"Where M'Dear? Can I go home now?"

"No, not yet. I just need you to be quiet a little while. Let's play a little game."

"A game? Okay, but just for a little while. I gotta get home. We expectin' visitors."

I felt like something had gotten caught in my throat, suddenly. "Visitors, Bob? Who told you that?"

"Uh… nobody." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "They don't like me to talk about them."

"It's just me and you here, Bob." I whispered in turn. "You can tell."

"Glenn, Howie, Ed and Jack," he said. I sat dumbfounded after he said their names. Bob had never used anyone's name so long as I'd ever heard and there was no way he knew about what we had been planning.

"What are Glenn, Howie, Ed and Jack comin' over for?" I asked.

"They gon' try to kill it, but they's already waitin'."

"Who's waitin', Bob?"

Bob shook his head and said, "Mm-mm. Mm-mm," over and over again.

"What are they gonna do, Bob? Your friends, what are they gonna do?"

Bob kept shaking his head, going so fast the hood was a black blur. I stood up and stepped away from him. Never in my life before did I wish I could undo anything I had ever done like what we were doing tonight.

I stood in the farthest corner of the shed as Bob continued his seizure or whatever it was.

"Bob," I said, trying to sound calm over the loud flapping of the hood. I had to raise my voice to hear myself speak. "Bob, you quit that now, y'hear?"

Abruptly, he stopped. His posture straightened and his shoulders rose. He cocked his head to the side and faced me, as if he could see me.

"Could you take this off me, please?" he asked, his voice small and weak. "It's difficult to breathe under here."

I approached him carefully, not knowing what to expect.

"You okay, Bob?" I asked.

"No. It's dark and I'm scared," he said in a monotone voice. He didn't sound afraid in the least.

I cuffed the sack and let it set on his head like a misshapen hat. His eyes were a drowning brown, the pinpoints of light in them so far away that for a moment my stomach quivered with vertigo as if I'd fall in. I stepped away from him, my head spinning as if the buzz from the beer we'd had hours ago hadn't worn off. I tried telling myself that was what it was as I sat down to clear my head. I kept my eyes on Bob's feet, afraid to look up and meet his again. He didn't say anything, but I could feel the twin weights of his gaze heavily on me.

The 5000 Fingers of Bob, VIII

I remember it all with crystal clarity now, but at the time everything was as blurry as a Picasso. I came back into the kitchen and saw Glenn bent over halfway inside my ice box, rummaging for something to snack on and in the next moment I was sitting in the dark of the shed, waiting for them to return with Bob. The agreement was I would watch Bob while they went into the house. Considering Bob would see his kidnappers' faces, it would be best for whoever was going to stay with him to not be there when they caught him so that he could keep Bob calm. He also had to be big enough to sedate Bob in case he got loose, so that meant Jack, Glenn or me. Being neutral on the issue of killing Bob made me the best choice.

The shed was a few miles from Jack's house and was about fifteen by ten feet. The hard-packed dirt underfoot was as sure as concrete with occasional tufts of stubborn crabgrass that refused to die, despite the lack of sun and moist earth. I can't remember my thoughts as I sat there alone, stroking my calloused thumb across the head of a wooden match with the lamp in my lap. All I remember was the waiting. Waiting that felt like forever but slipped through before I realized.

I felt rather than saw the sun go down like a door closing all around me. The crickets had been chirping a good half hour before I heard the truck pull up. I struck the match and lit the lamp, then got to my feet and walked to the door.

Glenn and Jack each had an arm around their shoulders as they carried him inside. Bob's bare feet dragged behind him, his knees almost scraping the floor as they hauled him over to the chair and sat him down.

"Gimme that," Jack said reaching toward Howie standing just outside the door. Howie tossed him a length of rope and Jack commenced to tie him up. I noticed how both Jack's hands never left Bob at the same time. He was always touching him as if to be sure he was always there. He cinched his knots tight around Bob and stood up.

"That'll hold him, Tom, but you make sure you keep an eye on him," he told me. "For a boy his size, he's quicker'n shit and I don't need to tell you how strong he is." He backed away slowly, watching Bob slumped over in the chair, a black sack over his head. "Hold on a second." Jack ran out and a minute or two later, he and Howie carried a generator in and set it on the floor behind Bob. Jack took a length of copper coil out of his back pocket and threw it on the floor next to the generator.

"What's that for?" Ed asked, a concerned look on his face as he stood in the doorway.

"Just in case. C'mon, let's get." Jack nodded at me, turned and went out, Howie close on his heels.

Ed looked suspiciously at the generator as he left, but before Glenn left he looked to me, his face knotted with worry and said, "You watch him real careful, y'hear? And don't listen to him, no matter what he says." I shut the door behind him, making sure I kept my eye on Bob and sat down on the stool in front of him. The house was a good ten-minute drive from here and Bob and I were due for a long night together.

The feeling of déjà vu came over me as I sat with Bob. Time felt like it was stretching on forever as it thickened into an almost palpable physical presence between us. Bob was here, but he wasn't. I can't explain it except that he felt completely empty to the touch. Like my hand would push a hole in him and he'd be hollow inside. I lifted the hood I don't know how many times to be sure who was under there. Each time I saw Bob's eyes rolling back and forth under his lids as if some spark in his simple mind refused to rest. It was almost violent how fast his eyes moved and I replaced the hood only because of how thoroughly disturbing it was to look at.

The 5000 Fingers of Bob, pt VII

I remember it all with crystal clarity now, but at the time everything was as blurry as a Picasso. I came back into the kitchen and saw Glenn bent over halfway inside my ice box, rummaging for something to snack on and in the next moment I was sitting in the dark of the shed, waiting for them to return with Bob. The agreement was I would watch Bob while they went into the house. Considering Bob would see his kidnappers' faces, it would be best for whoever was going to stay with him to not be there when they caught him so that he could keep Bob calm. He also had to be big enough to sedate Bob in case he got loose, so that meant Jack, Glenn or me. Being neutral on the issue of killing Bob made me the best choice.

The shed was a few miles from Jack's house and was about fifteen by ten feet. The hard-packed dirt underfoot was as sure as concrete with occasional tufts of stubborn crabgrass that refused to die, despite the lack of sun and moist earth. I can't remember my thoughts as I sat there alone, stroking my calloused thumb across the head of a wooden match with the lamp in my lap. All I remember was the waiting. Waiting that felt like forever but slipped through before I realized.

I felt rather than saw the sun go down like a door closing all around me. The crickets had been chirping a good half hour before I heard the truck pull up. I struck the match and lit the lamp, then got to my feet and walked to the door.

Glenn and Jack each had an arm around their shoulders as they carried him inside. Bob's bare feet dragged behind him, his knees almost scraping the floor as they hauled him over to the chair and sat him down.

"Gimme that," Jack said reaching toward Howie standing just outside the door. Howie tossed him a length of rope and Jack commenced to tie him up. I noticed how both Jack's hands never left Bob at the same time. He was always touching him as if to be sure he was always there. He cinched his knots tight around Bob and stood up.

"That'll hold him, Tom, but you make sure you keep an eye on him," he told me. "For a boy his size, he's quicker'n shit and I don't need to tell you how strong he is." He backed away slowly, watching Bob slumped over in the chair, a black sack over his head. "Hold on a second." Jack ran out and a minute or two later, he and Howie carried a generator in and set it on the floor behind Bob. Jack took a length of copper coil out of his back pocket and threw it on the floor next to the generator.

"What's that for?" Ed asked, a concerned look on his face as he stood in the doorway.

"Just in case. C'mon, let's get." Jack nodded at me, turned and went out, Howie close on his heels.

Ed looked suspiciously at the generator as he left, but before Glenn left he looked to me, his face knotted with worry and said, "You watch him real careful, y'hear? And don't listen to him, no matter what he says." I shut the door behind him, making sure I kept my eye on Bob and sat down on the stool in front of him. The house was a good ten-minute drive from here and Bob and I were due for a long night together.

The feeling of déjà vu came over me as I sat with Bob. Time felt like it was stretching on forever as it thickened into an almost palpable physical presence between us. Bob was here, but he wasn't. I can't explain it except that he felt completely empty to the touch. Like my hand would push a hole in him and he'd be hollow inside. I lifted the hood I don't know how many times to be sure who was under there. Each time I saw Bob's eyes rolling back and forth under his lids as if some spark in his simple mind refused to rest. It was almost violent how fast his eyes moved and I replaced the hood only because of how thoroughly disturbing it was to look at.

The 5000 Fingers of Bob, pt VI

"But what about the people?" Glenn asked, pressing a fresh bottle to the cut over his eye.

"Oh what people?" Jack asked, frustrated.

"Miss Kelly lives there, for one. We can't just burn her up in her own house."

Jack turned his head and spat, clearing a good four feet at least past the porch. A fresh mound of chaw was tucked underneath his cheek.

We sat on in silence a while, avoiding eye contact when I came up with the idea.

"How about we split up? Two of us can search the upstairs and the rest can pour kerosene in the basement. We meet back on the main floor, Miss Kelly in tow, and torch it."

"Well, there's one other thing to consider," Howie said. "What about Bob?" He looked at us, as if we should have understood what he meant and when no one said anything, he continued. "You haven't seen him just disappear?" Howie looked around at us, fixing his shoulders as he rested his elbows on his knees to explain.

"Last week, I was helpin' out at the store, y'know, sweepin' up? And in comes Bob with that same old grin on his face. He went to the back like he always does and I figured I'd keep an eye on him, y'know, make sure he didn't take nothin'. By the time I got back there he was already gone. I walked up and down those aisles and he was nowhere in sight.

"And don't tell me he snuck out 'cause I'da heard the bell ring as he went out the door. I walked the length and breadth of that store and couldn't find hide nor hair of him. That ain't even the first time it's happened, neither."

I hadn't had a similar experience with Bob, but I saw the current of truth flow through each man's face; their eyes becoming momentarily distant as they reflected on their own experiences. I thought of what Jack told me the night before.

Ed spoke first. "So long as you watch him, he's there. It's when you look away…" he trailed off, not wanting to flesh out his thoughts with words. In my half-drunken state, I was apt to believe him.

Jack hiccupped. "So someone's gotta stay with him. That is, after we get him locked away somewhere. We can't do the basement with any less than three people. I been in that house once, did some plumbin' 'bout six months back, and if that house's gonna go up right, we have to have three people at the least to haul all that kerosene down there."

"So who's gonna go upstairs by himself?" Glenn asked, holding his fifth beer to his forehead.

Somewhere in the midst of our conspiracy, Nettle had gone out. She was always good at not disturbing me and the boys, but just this once, I wish she had. We had gone inside to work out some of the finer details of our plan and as they waited in the kitchen, I got the needle and thread out of the medicine cabinet for Glenn's face. I stared at myself in the mirror a moment. The dark circles under my eyes had made me look sick when I was little, but it wasn't something I'd noticed in all the years since until then. They made me look tired; like I was teetering on the edge of exhaustion and those eyes would swallow me whole, but exhaustion for me hadn't yet truly begun. With a sudden stab of despair I realized none of us was going to come away whole at the end of this, but the moment ended and I simply saw my reflection, staring wide-eyed at me in the mirror.