Seven
Steven checked off the last item from the shopping list Eliza
relayed to him. He’d found a small medical supply store in Mesquite and was
finishing up his purchase.
As he drove back to Overton, he wondered how Roy and Deem
were doing. They’d been gone over two hours, so he figured they must be in the
heart of the operation. Hopefully they’d return before lunch.
He also wondered about Michael. He hadn’t seen him since
yesterday when they’d first found Jason. He wondered if Michael was in his
motel room, trancing to St. Thomas, filling Jason’s mind with bullshit.
Then he wondered about Aka Manah. Deem mentioned that demons
didn’t care for the downwind area. He wondered if Aka Manah tried to stop by
his house, as he promised he’d do, to leave his list of objects that Steven was
to obtain. He would not find Steven at home, and he wasn’t likely to travel
into this area looking for him. He might think I’ve skipped on the deal, Steven thought. It gave him a little anxiety. He didn’t want to have Aka Manah
mad at him. He didn’t know if his promise to protect him from Vohuman would be
needed or not – Aka Manah said Vohuman would be pissed, but who knew if that
was true or not. Still, he wished there was some way he could just let Aka
Manah know that he wasn’t ditching the deal. He had to focus on Jason’s
kidnapping – if that’s what it was. Aka Manah would have to wait. There was no
Eximere trip in the immediate future.
He pulled into the motel parking lot and took his supplies up
to the room where Jason was still lying peacefully on the bed. He called Eliza,
put her on speakerphone, and she walked him through the steps he needed to get
the IV properly set up and hooked into Jason’s arm.
When it was all done, Steven stopped and looked at Jason,
lying in the bed. Seeing him with his arm stuck out, wired to the IV, he lost
it. He began to cry.
“Steven,” Eliza said from the speakerphone, “you still
there?”
“Yes,” he said, wiping his eyes. He was glad Roy wasn’t
around to see him crying – he assumed Roy would just make fun of him if he did.
“I’m here.”
“You OK?” Eliza asked.
“Yes, no,” he said. “I don’t know.” He started to lose it
again, then stopped himself by becoming angry. “I just feel so goddamn responsible
for the trouble my son is in right now. That fucking IV in his arm is my
fault.”
“It sounds like you have a plan,” Eliza said. “You’ve met
some good people. My friend says Deem is very good at what she does. I think
you’re going to be OK. Do you want me to come down?”
“No,” Steven said, “no, you’re right, Deem and Winn seem to
know what they’re doing. I don’t know what you could do to help, other than
emotional support, which you’re already excelling at.”
“Alright,” she said. “Check that IV every hour, OK? Just to
make sure the needle is fine and there’s no infection. If anything looks wrong,
call me.”
“Will do,” Steven said. “Thanks Eliza. You’re a lifesaver in
so many ways, I can’t thank you enough.”
“No need to thank me,” Eliza said. “We’ll have a drink on
that back porch at Eximere when it’s all over, alright?”
“Sounds good,” Steven said. “Bye.”
He hung up, feeling a little better. Eliza always made him
feel better.
◊
“Roy!” Deem yelled, setting her lantern down and kneeling
next to him. She watched as dozens of snakes released their grip and slithered
away from her light. His hands and face were covered with scorpions that had
attached themselves with their pinchers. She held the canteen to his lips,
pouring a little of the liquid into his mouth. A scorpion that had attached
itself to Roy’s lower lip released its grip as the liquid passed by. It
scuttled off.
“Swallow!” she said, shaking him. The scorpions attached to
his head began to loosen their grip and drop away, but the ones on his hands
and fingers remained firmly
Steven checked off the last item from the shopping list Eliza
relayed to him. He’d found a small medical supply store in Mesquite and was
finishing up his purchase.
As he drove back to Overton, he wondered how Roy and Deem
were doing. They’d been gone over two hours, so he figured they must be in the
heart of the operation. Hopefully they’d return before lunch.
He also wondered about Michael. He hadn’t seen him since
yesterday when they’d first found Jason. He wondered if Michael was in his
motel room, trancing to St. Thomas, filling Jason’s mind with bullshit.
Then he wondered about Aka Manah. Deem mentioned that demons
didn’t care for the downwind area. He wondered if Aka Manah tried to stop by
his house, as he promised he’d do, to leave his list of objects that Steven was
to obtain. He would not find Steven at home, and he wasn’t likely to travel
into this area looking for him. He might think I’ve skipped on the deal, Steven thought. It gave him a little anxiety. He didn’t want to have Aka Manah
mad at him. He didn’t know if his promise to protect him from Vohuman would be
needed or not – Aka Manah said Vohuman would be pissed, but who knew if that
was true or not. Still, he wished there was some way he could just let Aka
Manah know that he wasn’t ditching the deal. He had to focus on Jason’s
kidnapping – if that’s what it was. Aka Manah would have to wait. There was no
Eximere trip in the immediate future.
He pulled into the motel parking lot and took his supplies up
to the room where Jason was still lying peacefully on the bed. He called Eliza,
put her on speakerphone, and she walked him through the steps he needed to get
the IV properly set up and hooked into Jason’s arm.
When it was all done, Steven stopped and looked at Jason,
lying in the bed. Seeing him with his arm stuck out, wired to the IV, he lost
it. He began to cry.
“Steven,” Eliza said from the speakerphone, “you still
there?”
“Yes,” he said, wiping his eyes. He was glad Roy wasn’t
around to see him crying – he assumed Roy would just make fun of him if he did.
“I’m here.”
“You OK?” Eliza asked.
“Yes, no,” he said. “I don’t know.” He started to lose it
again, then stopped himself by becoming angry. “I just feel so goddamn responsible
for the trouble my son is in right now. That fucking IV in his arm is my
fault.”
“It sounds like you have a plan,” Eliza said. “You’ve met
some good people. My friend says Deem is very good at what she does. I think
you’re going to be OK. Do you want me to come down?”
“No,” Steven said, “no, you’re right, Deem and Winn seem to
know what they’re doing. I don’t know what you could do to help, other than
emotional support, which you’re already excelling at.”
“Alright,” she said. “Check that IV every hour, OK? Just to
make sure the needle is fine and there’s no infection. If anything looks wrong,
call me.”
“Will do,” Steven said. “Thanks Eliza. You’re a lifesaver in
so many ways, I can’t thank you enough.”
“No need to thank me,” Eliza said. “We’ll have a drink on
that back porch at Eximere when it’s all over, alright?”
“Sounds good,” Steven said. “Bye.”
He hung up, feeling a little better. Eliza always made him
feel better.
◊
“Roy!” Deem yelled, setting her lantern down and kneeling
next to him. She watched as dozens of snakes released their grip and slithered
away from her light. His hands and face were covered with scorpions that had
attached themselves with their pinchers. She held the canteen to his lips,
pouring a little of the liquid into his mouth. A scorpion that had attached
itself to Roy’s lower lip released its grip as the liquid passed by. It
scuttled off.
“Swallow!” she said, shaking him. The scorpions attached to
his head began to loosen their grip and drop away, but the ones on his hands
and fingers remained firmly
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