Fiends

    ‘You’re gonna…’

    ‘I’m gonna what?’

    Marty couldn’t quite hear the answer.

    ‘Is that so?’ Dan smashed the head of the flashlight against Willy’s face.

    ‘I’m gonna cut off your…’

    Dan stuck the bottom edge of the flashlight under Willy’s nose. ‘Sharp, isn’t it? If I ever run into you again, I’ll put your nose where the batteries go.’ From the squeal of pain, Marty thought he was already doing it. ‘You understand?’

    Willy muttered something.

    Then shrieked.

    Then, sobbing, said, ‘I understand.’

    ‘Good. Very good.’ Dan stood up, wiping the edge of the flashlight on his pants. ‘Just remember, okay?’ He whirled the sock until the weighted toe picked up momentum, then crashed it against Willy’s head. ‘Good night, now,’ he said. Willy looked unconscious. ‘Come on, Marty. Time to go.’

    She stepped out from behind the tree, shaking.

    ‘That should give Willy some second thoughts,’ Dan said.

    ‘You bastard,’ Marty said. ‘You didn’t have to… torture him!’

    ‘I wanted him to get the message.’

    ‘God, Dan…’

    ‘You think I liked doing that?’

    She gazed at his face. It was pale in the moonlight. Reaching up, she brushed his messy hair away from his eyes. His forehead was hot and damp under her fingertips. ‘Yes,’ she whispered. ‘I think you liked it. A lot.’

    Dan made a sound that was almost like a laugh.

    A nasty laugh.

    Then he untied the knot from his sock and dumped the batteries into his hand. He slipped them into the metal cylinder and screwed the bottom into place over them. With his thumb, he flicked the switch. Nothing happened. ‘Look at that,’ he muttered. ‘The fucker broke my flashlight.’

    Marty walked behind Dan, staring at the ground to keep from stumbling even though her mind paid no attention to the dips and turns and sudden rises of the trail. She didn’t hear the water caressing the shore, or the summer night sounds of small animals. She didn’t see the lightning bugs that drifted among the bushes, silently glowing and fading. She knew they were there; they always had been. But now she didn’t care.

    When Dan opened the car door for her, she muttered, ‘Thanks’ and climbed in.

    ‘Amazing,’ Dan said, sliding into the driver’s seat. ‘A person could get murdered here and nobody would even notice.’

    ‘They’re busy,’ Marty muttered.

    Dan pushed the key into the ignition, but he didn’t turn it. Instead, he stared at the dashboard. Marty wondered what he was waiting for. She said nothing, though. She felt as if he’d turned into a stranger.

    Letting go of the key, Dan moved toward the middle of the seat and put his arm across her shoulders. When she faced him to protest, he kissed her.

    She pushed him away. ‘Cut it out.’

    ‘What the hell’s wrong with you?’

    ‘Wrong? You just beat a man senseless.’

    ‘So?’

    ‘And you enjoyed it.’

    ‘Yeah?’

    ‘Yeah!’

    ‘I didn’t exactly enjoy it. More like, it gave me a nice feeling of accomplishment. You know? Like throwing a touchdown pass.’

    ‘This isn’t football.’

    ‘That’s right. Maybe I’d better go back and finish him off.’

    ‘Great. Wonderful. Why don’t you just do that?’

    ‘He wouldn’t ever scare the hell out of you at the movies again.’

    ‘That’s a great reason for killing a guy.’

    ‘What did he do to you?’

    She said nothing.

    ‘How did he make you so afraid of him?’

    ‘None of your business.’

    ‘I just beat the crap out of the guy for you. Don’t I deserve to know why?’

    ‘I didn’t ask you to do that. You did it because you wanted to.’

    ‘Crap.That’s crap. And don’t go around trying to read my mind. This character did something to you. I don’t know what he did, but you’re my girl and I’m not about to let some asshole go around intimidating you. Clear?’

    ‘Yes,’ she said quietly, rubbing her face. ‘It’s clear. But Dan, don’t you see that it’s wrong? You can’t go around hurting people.’

    ‘You can try.’

    She turned away from him. ‘Take me home. Please.’

7

    ‘This stuff really hits the spot,' Tina said.

    ‘That’s what it’s for.’ Brad refilled both glasses with champagne. He set down the bottle, clamping it between his bare feet to keep it from following the roll of the deck, and put his free arm around Tina.

    Fiends

    ‘You sure know how to throw parties,’ she said.

    ‘Better than your parents?’

    ‘Better than the one they threw me, that’s for sure. Which was no party at all, if you wanta know the truth.’

    ‘I’m sorry.’

    ‘That’s okay. I haven’t had a party since I was eight. Till now.’

    ‘Ready for your present?’ Brad asked.

    ‘Sure.’

    He took the package off the seat and handed it to her. ‘Happy birthday, Tina.’

    She set down her glass and began working on the ribbon. She slipped it off, then unfastened the tape at each end of the package and removed the paper without tearing it.

    ‘Going to save the wrapping?’

    ‘Sure.’

    ‘So you can re-use it sometime?’

    ‘No! I wouldn’t re-use it. I’ll save it for a keepsake.’

    ‘Oh,’ Brad said, and felt a tightness come to his throat.

    Tina held the flat, rectangular box by its lid and shook it until the bottom fell onto her lap. Then she folded back the tissue paper inside. ‘Brad! Oh, it’s beautiful!’

    ‘The saleswoman called it paisley. That’s the pattern, I guess. Real colorful and everything, but you can’t see it much in this light.’ The dress unfolded as Tina lifted it from the box. She stretched her arms upward, holding it under the moonlight. ‘It’s just gorgeous! Look how it shines! Oh, thank you. It’s wonderful!’

    She hugged him tightly, awkwardly, squeezing his neck. But the hug only lasted a moment. Then Tina put the box and wrappings on Brad’s lap. ‘I’ll be back in a jiffy,’ she said, and hurried across the deck, the dress in front of her like a wispy dancing partner. Once, she made a dizzy sidestep and almost fell. Brad jumped up to help, but