Chapter  37

; ‘No! ’ Eric cried.

‘Shut up. ’

Mrs Doons didn’t look up. He split the back of her head.

‘Let’s get the others. ’

‘No. ’

He holstered the revolver, and clutched a lapel of Eric’s jacket. ‘Don’t snivel and whine. It’s their night to snivel and whine. It’s their night to pay for all the times they pissed on you. ’

The side of the hatchet head pressed against Eric’s pants, rubbed his penis.

‘We’re gonna fuck ’em. You want to fuck ’em, don’t you? We’re gonna fuck ’em all, and chop ’em up. ’

Eric felt himself getting hard. ‘I don’t want to kill them. ’

‘Want ’em to tell? Wanta go to prison? I been there, been fourteen years – long as you been alive, almost. Know how I got there? Somebody told. Out in California. I slit her open but she didn’t die like the others, and she told. Can’t let ’em tell. Gotta chop ’em up. ’

The hatchet went away. A hand touched him through his pants.

‘First we’re gonna fuck ’em. ’

Eric stared at the face of the gorilla. The hand stroked the length of his erection.

‘You’ll like that, won’t you? ’

Eric nodded.

‘When we’re done, I’ve got a surprise for you. The best surprise of all. ’

‘Okay. ’

He took a flashlight from his pocket. ‘Come on. ’

‘Elmer, ’ groaned a low, quiet voice.

Elmer, under the table in the main room, curled closer to the transister radio. It was a large radio, but too small to conceal all of him. He tucked his legs against his belly.

‘Elmer? ’ the voice called. It sounded weak.

He trembled.

He’d thought he was alone in the big, candlelit room.

‘Elmer, help me. ’

My God, he thought. The gorilla! The voice came from one of the hanging gorillas! He wanted to scurry from under the table and run. But where could he run to? That little shit Eric had padlocked the front door. The rear door, if he could find it, was probably also locked.

To find it, he would have to wander through the dark house. The gorilla with the pistol was out there.

‘Elmer. ’ The voice was stronger now. ‘Get out from under the goddamn table and help me. ’

The voice, though muffled, sounded vaguely familiar.

Elmer got to his hands and knees. He crawled out from under the table, and gazed up at the nearest gorilla. Its thick, hairy legs were swinging. The other gorilla remained motionless.
‘Get your ass in gear and cut me down. ’

‘Sam? ’ Elmer whispered.

‘Do it! ’

Elmer nodded. He turned to the liquor table and picked up a bottle of bourbon. He hated to break it – the noise. Looking around, he saw a heap of clothing on the floor. He rushed to it, tossed aside a vest and striped T-shirt. Hanging from the rope belts of the cut-off jeans were two big knives. He slipped them out of their sheaths and hurried to the window. He looked up at the black gorilla. ‘You’re too high. ’

‘Climb the bars. ’

‘I don’t know if I can. ’

‘You’d better give it the best try of your life. ’

They found Sue Diamond curled in the corner of a hallway closet. She whimpered and covered her face as the flashlight shined in her eyes. ‘Hold the light. ’

Eric took the flashlight.

His father grabbed Sue’s feet and dragged her from the closet. She kicked her feet free. She started to sit up. He kicked her in the face and she fell. The back of her head smacked the floor. She didn’t move.

He knelt beside her and jerked down the zipper of her jumpsuit. It stopped at her groin. She wore black, lacy panties. He pulled open the jumpsuit, and Eric stared at her big, pale breasts. They jiggled as his father peeled the jumpsuit off her shoulders and down her back. The nipples looked smooth and pink, but they didn’t stick out as Eric would have liked.

His father tugged the cuffs, pulling the jumpsuit down her legs and off. He tore off her panties. Eric stared at the curly black tuft of hair.

‘Go ahead, she’s all yours. ’

He ached, but he hesitated.

‘Go ahead. ’

‘What about the others? ’

‘They’re not going anyplace. ’

‘Can’t I wait? ’

‘Suit yourself. ’ He handed the hatchet to Eric. Then he knelt between Sue’s legs and opened his pants. ‘I’ll warm her up for you, ’ he said. He laughed quietly inside the gorilla head, and grabbed her breasts.

Grunting and moaning, Elmer tried to pull himself up the bars. Sweat dripped into his eyes. He tried to find a toe hold in the wall, but his feet slipped down. He let go. ‘I can’t … can’t make it. ’

‘Bring over the table. Stand on the table. ’

‘Yeah! ’ He rushed to the table. It was laden with a dozen bottles, and two big plastic bags of ice. He lifted one end of the table, and pulled. Its far legs skidded and squawked on the hardwood floor. The table vibrated. The bottles shook and clattered together. One tipped. Elmer gasped and held the table motionless, but it fell. It burst on the floor.

‘Oh Christ oh Christ, ’ he muttered. ‘Now we’re in for it! ’

‘Get that table over here! ’

‘I’ll take the things off. ’ He set it down and reached for the two nearest bottles.

‘It’ll take too long. Don’t. Just … just get it over here and cut me down. ’

Elmer moaned. He looked toward the foyer, then around at the closed door to the rear.

‘Hurry! ’

He picked up the end of the table and again began to drag it toward the window. The bottles swayed and clinked. Another fell and exploded, but Elmer didn’t stop.

‘What was that? ’ Eric said.

‘Who cares? ’ His father climbed off Sue Diamond. ‘Your turn. ’

‘I don’t want to. ’

‘Why not? ’

‘I want to wait. ’

‘What for? ’

‘Aleshia. The ballerina. ’

His father nodded. He held out a hand. Eric gave him the hatchet. ‘Watch this. ’

Eric tried to watch. At the last moment, he shut his eyes. He heard a wet thud, and splashing sounds. More thuds.

‘Let’s go. ’

Eric looked down. Sue Diamond’s white skin was shiny with blood. She no longer had a head.

His father hurled it down the hallway. It vanished into the darkness, trailing black hair. A moment later, it crashed against something. It thumped once more, and was quiet.

They walked up the hallway.

The head lay near a shut door, looking up at them. The nose was smashed almost flat. Most of the front teeth were gone. The door had a red smear where the head struck it.

Eric stepped around the head.

His father stepped over it and pushed the door. As it swung open, Eric heard a quiet gasp from inside the kitchen.

They stepped in.

He swung the flashlight. Its beam lit the door to the back porch, safely padlocked shut on the inside. It shined on the linoleum floor, on cupboards and a sink, on a white-painted wooden door.

‘The utility closet. ’ His father laughed softly.

They walked toward the closet door, and Eric’s father jerked it open.

Aleshia sprang out at him. He drove a knee into her belly, the impact lifting her feet off the floor. She fell facedown.

‘This Aleshia? ’

‘Yeah. ’

‘The one you want? ’

‘Yeah. ’

‘Know what’s funny? ’

‘What? ’

‘This is where I got Hester. Right here. Right where you’re gonna get Aleshia. ’

‘Who’s Hester? ’

‘Hester Sherwood. Lived here a long time ago. This is where I fucked her. Right here. ’ He rolled Aleshia over. Eric shined the flashlight on her. She was grimacing, gasping for air, clutching her belly. ‘Right here on the floor. ’ He ripped her bodice down.

Standing on the table, Elmer sawed through the rope that bound Sam’s right hand to the upper crossbar. When the rope parted, Sam’s arm flopped down as if lifeless.

‘How’d you get here? ’ Elmer asked, starting on the other rope.

‘Crashed. My head …’

‘You’ve been unconscious? ’

The gorilla head nodded. ‘I heard shots. Guess they brought me out of it. I saw you come running in. ’

Elmer grabbed one of the bars, pressed himself against Sam, and cut through the rope. Sam’s arm dropped. Elmer used all his strength to force him against the bars, but it wasn’t enough. Sam’s heels slid over the table top, pushed through bottles, knocked them to the floor. Then he was sitting on the table, straddled by Elmer. Elmer climbed off and jumped to the floor.

Sam continued to sit on the table.

‘Now what? ’ Elmer asked.

‘Help me to my feet. ’

‘Want her? ’

Eric swallowed. He stared at Aleshia’s small, pale breasts. The nipples stood rigid. ‘Yeah, ’ he said.

His father tugged Aleshia’s tutu down her legs. He peeled down her tights.

Off to the side, a cupboard door squeaked open. Eric swung the flashlight. In its beam he saw Beth. She climbed from the cupboard and stood up.

‘Get out of here, Beth, ’ Eric said.

Her eyes widened and gazed at him with a dull stare. Her mouth dropped open. Her head tilted to one side, and she moaned.

‘Beth. ’

She staggered toward him.

‘What the fuck is she doing? ’

Eric shook his head.

His father gave him the hatchet. ‘Chop her down. ’

She shambled forward as if in a daze. Her face was streaked with burnt cork, smeared with Vampire Blood. Her thigh showed through the tear in her dress, and Eric remembered how she’d ripped her clothes to better look the part.

Her arm went behind Eric’s back. He felt the pressure of her breasts against his chest.

‘Chop her. ’

He felt her warm breath on the side of his neck. Then her teeth. They bit into his neck and ripped. He shrieked. Beth jerked the hatchet from his hand and shoved him backwards.

Spitting Eric’s blood and flesh, Beth lunged at the man in the gorilla head. She swung the hatchet, but he caught her arm and took it away. Roaring, he flung her to the floor. He raised the hatchet high.

Something huge and dark ran at him from the kitchen door. He turned, swinging the hatchet. It hacked int