Chapter 14: Strange Dreams

The screamer was me...

Some son of a bitch shot my Jezebel. Worse ... she was missing most of her face. I don't know who shot her, but I knew who made the phone call that got her killed. I knew he was going to have a very short rest of his life. I was pretty sure it was going to be painful.

Oooooh! I am extremely unhappy right now. As soon as I get over the mad I'm going to be crying like a baby, so I'm holding on to the mad for all I'm worth. She didn't do anything ... no! Don't think like that. Get to the house, David.

There was a rifle stuck in the dirt under the balcony ... I left it. Crime scene, don't touch anything, just wait. I fell asleep sitting on the steps.

The fog was swirling, there were faces in the mist ... one by one the faces grew a third eye in the middle of the forehead ... it was extremely slow ... I could see the bullet moving toward the face. A shadow of the bullet formed ... grew smaller ... the tip of the bullet touched a dot ... a pimple ... the pimple grew, so slowly. The grooves, barely moving as they spun the bullet, keeping it burrowing into the skin. It began to flatten as the hollow point touched the bone. It spread, four copper arms slowly extending as the bullet continued on its way. The lead core flattening so slowly. Her eyes had a flutter, the beginning of a blink. The bones of the skull deformed, pushing in, a splatter of pink and red pushed away from the face, the drops of blood and shreds of skin creating a slow halo expanding away from the center. The four copper arms peeled away from the expanding core. The dream slowly moved to the side of the skull ... the bullet is more than half way in ... the base still visible on the forehead. The back of the skull began to balloon, expanding from the force of the forehead compressing. A tiny hank of hair stood straight out, a tiny bit of bone detached, the hair, skin and bone flew straight back ... stiff for an instant, then the hair wrapped backwards around the bone and the rest of the back of the skull folded, tore, flung away by the force of the jellied brain exiting just in front of the totally deformed projectile...

Empty head, empty head, you tried to duck and now you're dead.

Delia's gone, one more round

Delia's gone, one more round

Jess is gone, one more round

Jess is gone.

Strange dreams, indeed.

A slap ... I moved to the right.

A slap ... I moved to the left.

Someone picked me up ... Voices cut through the fog.

"He's not waking up. David James Austin! Wake up."

Mother.

Mother?

"Mom? I can't move my arms. MOM?" I croaked.

A water glass with a bendy straw bobbed before my eyes.

A pleasant woman's voice, "No, don't try to sit up."

"Ow!"

"Use the straw, David." Very nice voice. She reminds me ... of what?

"Mr. Austin? Mrs Austin? He's awake. Mrs. Austin, he's calling for you."

"Thank you, Doctor."

My dad.

My dad ... My dad?

The light hurts my eyes ... the room too white ... I can't move.

"David James Austin! How dare you scare me so!" My mom ... it's actually nice to hear her grouchy voice.

"Mom, I can't move my arms."

"You're tied to the bed, son." My dad, he'll give it to me straight.

"Jezebel?" I asked.

"Jezebel? Who is Jezebel?" Enquiring mom's want to know.

"My fiancé. She was shot."

"David, you were shot. The police want to talk to you. Are you up for it?" My dad, the lawyer.

"Wait. Please? Jess? She was shot, not me."

"David. You're ten years old."

"What year is it?"

"1952."

"SHIT!!"

"DAVID!"

"Sorry mom."

"You just wait, young man."

"Mrs. Austin. The police are here."

"David."

"Officer Ott."

"Do you know, I don't know what's going on?"

"You were shot. Did you see who did it?"

"Give me a minute, please. Daddy, how long have I been here?"

The doctor started to speak, Officer Ott shook his head.

"David. It's important. Did you see who did it?"

I tried, the room turned grey and faded into black.