kissing his ass. You need to go over there again and you’ll find Marty I’ll bet.” She pulled away from him and plunged into her purse for a cigarette. “You know he’s down there, him and my Junior… messing with those whores.”
“I already went. I told you, it’s out of my jurisdiction. Sheriff Talbot and I don’t see eye to eye.” Clyde moved to sit in the old rocker firm in the resolution that it was going to be another one of those days.
“Yeh I know, bad blood between you, bad blood and politics.” She rolled her eyes and waved her hand in the air as she downplayed his dilemma with the neighboring county sheriff.
“He chased me away from there the day before yesterday, threatened me with a lawsuit if I didn’t leave.
“Ain’t whore houses illegal Clyde?”
“I can’t go into the next County without the States authority…and it’s a strip club, not a whore house.” Clyde put his head down and rubbed his eyes, feeling the strain of the last few days.
“Call it what you like.” She glared at him, her eyes digging into his brain like a dentist’s drill. “You know something…don’t you? He told you something ….and you’re covering for him.”
“What?” he nearly fell out of his chair, “Are you crazy?”
She stepped up to him and stabbed an outstretched finger in his face. “Don’t let me find out you had a hand in any of this….” She left her venom hanging in the air and stomped into the house, slammed the door and loudly locked it behind her. Clyde sighed heavily and shook his head. Could Marty have actually carried out his threats to run away to the tropics, surely he would have told him first.
***
Scouring the floor of the cavern on his hands and knees, Junior was able to find enough loose coal and wood to make a bigger fire. Illuminating nearly the entire cavern it gave him a better picture of where he was. Almost midnight on the fourth day, his strength had been replenished, and his outlook had greatly improved. Though his decent into madness was complete. He’d had a busy day searching for fuel, cooking his food and making a new torch. Using strips of fabric saturated with Marty’s body fat, he strapped his heart to the wheelbarrow handle and made a successful torch. The grisly scene was too ghastly to describe. Marty’s corpse splayed open from the chest down, his leg bones stripped clean. Several strips of meat were laid out to dry by the fire, and Junior was checking his gear in preparation of another search. “I’ll be back before too long Daddy.”
He moved off confidently now, having resurrected himself. Certain that he would find the way out today. As he walked away from the air-shaft he saw a hole in the wall about five feet high. In the brighter light he could see it was a doorway mostly covered by dirt, the result of a minor cave in. The dirt was soft enough that he easily pushed his way through the opening and found another tunnel. This one heading up. He crossed his fingers as he anxiously walked up the rise, around a sharp corner only to be stopped cold by more blockages. This one would not be so easy with a four-foot rock blocking the path. His agonizing despair came rushing back to him in a jolt of emotion. He fell to the ground whimpering, threw his torch down and started banging the ground with his fists. Quickly tiring he sat back staring at the wall, his wild eyes bulging and glazed. He noticed a leafy vine growing near the low ceiling, its healthy green tint a stark contrast to the muddy background. Then it struck him, this vine had to come from the outside. For a moment he wasn’t sure if it was real, then he touched it and the sunlight shown on the back of his hand. He plunged into the hole just above his head, clawing like a mad dog to make it bigger. Yanking rocks and roots from the mire. Pausing for a quick breath, his heart about to explode, he stammered back and retrieved his torch. This time using it as a lever, the cave ceiling
“I already went. I told you, it’s out of my jurisdiction. Sheriff Talbot and I don’t see eye to eye.” Clyde moved to sit in the old rocker firm in the resolution that it was going to be another one of those days.
“Yeh I know, bad blood between you, bad blood and politics.” She rolled her eyes and waved her hand in the air as she downplayed his dilemma with the neighboring county sheriff.
“He chased me away from there the day before yesterday, threatened me with a lawsuit if I didn’t leave.
“Ain’t whore houses illegal Clyde?”
“I can’t go into the next County without the States authority…and it’s a strip club, not a whore house.” Clyde put his head down and rubbed his eyes, feeling the strain of the last few days.
“Call it what you like.” She glared at him, her eyes digging into his brain like a dentist’s drill. “You know something…don’t you? He told you something ….and you’re covering for him.”
“What?” he nearly fell out of his chair, “Are you crazy?”
She stepped up to him and stabbed an outstretched finger in his face. “Don’t let me find out you had a hand in any of this….” She left her venom hanging in the air and stomped into the house, slammed the door and loudly locked it behind her. Clyde sighed heavily and shook his head. Could Marty have actually carried out his threats to run away to the tropics, surely he would have told him first.
***
Scouring the floor of the cavern on his hands and knees, Junior was able to find enough loose coal and wood to make a bigger fire. Illuminating nearly the entire cavern it gave him a better picture of where he was. Almost midnight on the fourth day, his strength had been replenished, and his outlook had greatly improved. Though his decent into madness was complete. He’d had a busy day searching for fuel, cooking his food and making a new torch. Using strips of fabric saturated with Marty’s body fat, he strapped his heart to the wheelbarrow handle and made a successful torch. The grisly scene was too ghastly to describe. Marty’s corpse splayed open from the chest down, his leg bones stripped clean. Several strips of meat were laid out to dry by the fire, and Junior was checking his gear in preparation of another search. “I’ll be back before too long Daddy.”
He moved off confidently now, having resurrected himself. Certain that he would find the way out today. As he walked away from the air-shaft he saw a hole in the wall about five feet high. In the brighter light he could see it was a doorway mostly covered by dirt, the result of a minor cave in. The dirt was soft enough that he easily pushed his way through the opening and found another tunnel. This one heading up. He crossed his fingers as he anxiously walked up the rise, around a sharp corner only to be stopped cold by more blockages. This one would not be so easy with a four-foot rock blocking the path. His agonizing despair came rushing back to him in a jolt of emotion. He fell to the ground whimpering, threw his torch down and started banging the ground with his fists. Quickly tiring he sat back staring at the wall, his wild eyes bulging and glazed. He noticed a leafy vine growing near the low ceiling, its healthy green tint a stark contrast to the muddy background. Then it struck him, this vine had to come from the outside. For a moment he wasn’t sure if it was real, then he touched it and the sunlight shown on the back of his hand. He plunged into the hole just above his head, clawing like a mad dog to make it bigger. Yanking rocks and roots from the mire. Pausing for a quick breath, his heart about to explode, he stammered back and retrieved his torch. This time using it as a lever, the cave ceiling
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