Killer Yarns

Worms and Oranges

Mike felt his body start to change.  His blood was cooling and his heart slowing into a normal rhythm.  He knew that without those medicine vials the change back would be excruciatingly painful and slow.  With the medication it would take no more than a matter of minutes; without it, it could be hours.  He crouched down in the corner of the garage and prepared to wait it out.

It took three hours before the process was complete. During that time Mike had watched his skin crawl back into place all the while feeling as though worms were wriggling just beneath the surface.  He felt a moment of panic when he saw the squiggly lines moving up his arm toward his head.  But the panic passed quickly as he felt them move up his neck and through his face, momentarily blurring his vision.  His bones felt as though they were on a water ride at a theme park, all slipping and sliding until they crashed back into place.  The sounds coming from inside his body were a mixture of a chain drug across an uneven brick path and the sound of running the tines of a fork down a chalkboard.  The sound coming from outside his body was that of his screaming.  It began in his other voice, the roar of an angry caged bear.  It slowly diminished to that of his normal voice creating a soft mewling sound. 

Mike now sat in the corner covered with blood and bits of Bobby’s crushed bones and torn flesh.  He stood, absently brushing at his body as though removing nothing more than bread crumbs.  Walking down the side of the service bay toward the largest pool of blood he stopped only long enough to wonder what happened to the rest of the body.  He slowly walked through the rest of the room but found nothing larger than the particles that were all down his chest.  He wondered why he could remember how much pain was involved in the changing but not what happened to Bobby. 

He saw a large sink on the back wall with a piece of metal hung above.  The sink was filthy with grease and grime covering every part including the small bar of soap sitting in the corner.  He walked up to the sink and looked into what served as the non-breakable mirror. While the image was slightly distorted and fogged it was clear enough for Mike to see he needed a shower and clothes. He searched through every cabinet, drawer and closet until he found a pair of dirty coveralls and something claiming to be heavy duty hand cleaner that smelled like a tub of oranges.  He used the sink and the orange cleaner as best he could and then put on the coveralls. He left the service bays smelling of oranges covered in road dirt and axle grease.  As he reached his car he looked back at the garage and saw that he had left the big door open.  It was dark out now and Mike doubted the station stayed open very late.  He went back, made sure all of the lights were out and closed the door.  That ought to buy some time he thought as he got into his car and pulled out onto the four lane road. Just a couple more miles Jess and I will be turning onto the two lane and on my way to the cabin.  Can you sense me getting closer? Do you feel my presence?  I’ll be feeling you soon enough my Jessie Girl and it will be so good.

Mike barked out a laugh and then started whistling a tune from some old TV show.

Join me next Friday for the next installment of Deadly Medicine.

Dawnda Schaefer

http://www.killeryarns.com