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!"