got that? Turn up the next dirt road.”
“Okay, that’ll work. I’ll just drop you off there.”
“No, you’ll do no such a thing.” She looked at him sadly, her tone softening. “I’m mighty sorry, but you’re tied up in this now. We’re gonna need you to take us up the mountain as far as you can.”
“Well, sweetheart,” Jesse said. “I’m not really in the mood to go and get myself stuck up in them woods . . . not tonight. I’m gonna drop you guys off right here.”
She poked the pistol against his ribs. “I’m not really in the mood to shoot you either, but I will.”
Jesse gave her a quick, spiteful look.
“And my name’s not Sweetheart. It’s Isabel.” After a long moment, she asked, “And you, you got a name?”
“Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do. It’s Jesse.”
“Well, Jesse, this here’s Vernon.”
The bearded devil smiled and stuck out his hand. “Good to make your acquaintance.” From the way he spoke, Jesse knew he wasn’t from around here, from somewhere up north maybe. Jesse looked at Vernon’s extended hand as though it were covered in spit.
Vernon’s smile withered and he withdrew his hand. “Yes, well . . . and this remarkably unrefined specimen here,” he gestured to the tall devil in the bear hide, “is Makwa. Beside him is Wipi, and the unfortunate gentleman with the bullet hole in his face is his brother, Nipi.”
Despite their appearance Jesse got the feeling that these creatures, or people, or whatever they might be, were more scared and desperate than menacing. On any account, they didn’t seem to harbor him any ill will. Still he knew what they were capable of, couldn’t get the image of Lynyrd’s slit throat out of his mind, but decided maybe they weren’t the murdering monsters he’d first thought. Either way, desperate people did dangerous things, and Jesse figured the sooner he got away, the better his chances of seeing another day.
“Just what are you guys supposed to be anyhow?”
“What’d you mean?” the girl asked.
“What’d you mean, what’d I mean? Are you werewolves, boogeymen, or just been out trick-or-treating?”
“Well,” she replied, irritated. “I ain’t any of those, thank you. I’m a person just like you.”
Jesse laughed and not very kindly. “No. No, you most certainly are not.”
“Krampus calls us Belsnickels,” Vernon put in. “You’ll have to ask him exactly what that means.” His tone turned bitter. “But any way you want to put it, it means we’re his servants . . . his slaves.”
“I got another idea,” Jesse said. “How about you let me out then? I’ll just hitch a ride out of here. Take my chances.”
Isabel shook her head. “I’m sorry, Jesse. But we can’t do that.”
“Why the hell not? I’m giving you my damn truck! What else do you need me for?”
No one answered.
“Well?”
“Can’t none of us drive very well.”
“What?” Jesse stared at her, then burst out laughing. “You gotta be shitting me.”
Isabel frowned. “I wasn’t but sixteen when I left home. And Mama didn’t own a car no how.”
“What about good old Vernon here, or them Injuns?”
Isabel smiled at that. “I’d like to see one of them Shawnee trying to drive. So long as I wasn’t riding with ’em that is. And I’m guessing the last thing Vernon drove was hitched up to a horse.”
Vernon sighed. “There weren’t very many automobiles about when I was still human.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well,” Vernon said. “We’re a bit older than we might seem. I was forty-nine when I started surveying this part of the country. Was working for the Fairmont Coal Company at that time. That was about 1910. And Isabel, we found her around—”
“It was the winter of seventy-one. That’ll put me somewhere in my fifties, I guess.” Jesse caught a note of sadness in her voice. He glanced over. She was staring out the window into the darkness. She certainly didn’t look in her
“Okay, that’ll work. I’ll just drop you off there.”
“No, you’ll do no such a thing.” She looked at him sadly, her tone softening. “I’m mighty sorry, but you’re tied up in this now. We’re gonna need you to take us up the mountain as far as you can.”
“Well, sweetheart,” Jesse said. “I’m not really in the mood to go and get myself stuck up in them woods . . . not tonight. I’m gonna drop you guys off right here.”
She poked the pistol against his ribs. “I’m not really in the mood to shoot you either, but I will.”
Jesse gave her a quick, spiteful look.
“And my name’s not Sweetheart. It’s Isabel.” After a long moment, she asked, “And you, you got a name?”
“Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do. It’s Jesse.”
“Well, Jesse, this here’s Vernon.”
The bearded devil smiled and stuck out his hand. “Good to make your acquaintance.” From the way he spoke, Jesse knew he wasn’t from around here, from somewhere up north maybe. Jesse looked at Vernon’s extended hand as though it were covered in spit.
Vernon’s smile withered and he withdrew his hand. “Yes, well . . . and this remarkably unrefined specimen here,” he gestured to the tall devil in the bear hide, “is Makwa. Beside him is Wipi, and the unfortunate gentleman with the bullet hole in his face is his brother, Nipi.”
Despite their appearance Jesse got the feeling that these creatures, or people, or whatever they might be, were more scared and desperate than menacing. On any account, they didn’t seem to harbor him any ill will. Still he knew what they were capable of, couldn’t get the image of Lynyrd’s slit throat out of his mind, but decided maybe they weren’t the murdering monsters he’d first thought. Either way, desperate people did dangerous things, and Jesse figured the sooner he got away, the better his chances of seeing another day.
“Just what are you guys supposed to be anyhow?”
“What’d you mean?” the girl asked.
“What’d you mean, what’d I mean? Are you werewolves, boogeymen, or just been out trick-or-treating?”
“Well,” she replied, irritated. “I ain’t any of those, thank you. I’m a person just like you.”
Jesse laughed and not very kindly. “No. No, you most certainly are not.”
“Krampus calls us Belsnickels,” Vernon put in. “You’ll have to ask him exactly what that means.” His tone turned bitter. “But any way you want to put it, it means we’re his servants . . . his slaves.”
“I got another idea,” Jesse said. “How about you let me out then? I’ll just hitch a ride out of here. Take my chances.”
Isabel shook her head. “I’m sorry, Jesse. But we can’t do that.”
“Why the hell not? I’m giving you my damn truck! What else do you need me for?”
No one answered.
“Well?”
“Can’t none of us drive very well.”
“What?” Jesse stared at her, then burst out laughing. “You gotta be shitting me.”
Isabel frowned. “I wasn’t but sixteen when I left home. And Mama didn’t own a car no how.”
“What about good old Vernon here, or them Injuns?”
Isabel smiled at that. “I’d like to see one of them Shawnee trying to drive. So long as I wasn’t riding with ’em that is. And I’m guessing the last thing Vernon drove was hitched up to a horse.”
Vernon sighed. “There weren’t very many automobiles about when I was still human.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well,” Vernon said. “We’re a bit older than we might seem. I was forty-nine when I started surveying this part of the country. Was working for the Fairmont Coal Company at that time. That was about 1910. And Isabel, we found her around—”
“It was the winter of seventy-one. That’ll put me somewhere in my fifties, I guess.” Jesse caught a note of sadness in her voice. He glanced over. She was staring out the window into the darkness. She certainly didn’t look in her
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