newborn girl's deformed face and horribly twisted limbs. He looked at the doctor. "It must have been one of the patients." He started going over a mental list of the more emotionally unbalanced residents of the nursing home. "It had to be one of the patients."
The doctor was bending over, looking down at the linoleum floor.
"Maybe," he said quietly. "Maybe not." He stood up and pointed at the top of the steel counter, at the small pool of blood left by the baby.
Claw marks were clearly outlined in the blood.
And the faint imprint of tiny feet could be seen on the floor next to the discarded blanket.
"It woulda scared the shit out of me, too." Brad loaded the last case of Pepsi onto the truck and pulled down the metal door, closing it.
"I'd sue the bastards if I were you."
Gordon shook his head. "I wouldn't know who to sue. Besides, there's nothing really to sue over. The tests said Marina's okay. Even if she was exposed to something there's no way we could prove it." He picked up his hat from the table and put it on. He jumped off the concrete rim of the loading dock and got into the passenger seat of the cab.
Brad finished locking up the warehouse, then came around to the front of the truck and got in. Gordon lifted up the visor of his hat and scratched his head. "As if that wasn't enough, I had a real mother of a nightmare last night."
"That's understandable."
"I can't remember all of it exactly, but it had something to do with my cousins and a huge monster spider."
Brad grinned at him. "You know what that means, don't you? It means you're a fag."
Gordon laughed.
The truck pulled out of the warehouse driveway onto Cedar, then turned from Cedar onto Main. The turn was sharp, and the left rear tires dipped into the ditch as they rounded the corner. Gordon braced himself for the sound of tires popping--a sound he knew was inevitable--but the truck, against all odds, made the turn safely on to the paved street. He looked at Brad and smiled. "I thought for sure we'd eat it that time."
"Are you kidding? Take a lot more than that to cripple this baby."
Brad pounded the steering wheel affectionately and the horn bleated. A
small car, a Toyota, passing them in the left lane, heard the sound and honked back. Brad leaned on the horn, sending out a long sustained blast, and stuck his middle finger out the window. "We weren't even honking at you! Asshole!"
The truck turned onto the highway and headed toward the south end of town. Today they would be covering the gas stations, liquor stores and fast food places within Randall. And, as always, they would work from south to north, then from east to west, big streets to little streets.
Brad pulled into the Whiting Bros, gas station at the southern tip of town. "You say that's what happened to Julie Campbell's baby, huh?
Something to do with the water?"
Gordon shrugged. "Near as we can figure."
Brad shook his head. "Fuckers." The truck pulled to a stop in front of the ornamental wooden hitching post before the door to the gas station office, and he yanked hard on the emergency brake. The Whiting Bros, station was on the downward end of the hill sloping into town, but it was still on a considerable slant, and once before, when he had forgotten to put on the brake, the truck had started rolling on them.
He always made sure the emergency brake was on now. "I used to go out with Julie's sister," he said, getting out of the cab.
"June?" Gordon raised his eyebrows. "I didn't know that."
"Well, it was a long time ago. Before me and Connie met." He grabbed the back door handle and stood for a moment without opening it, staring at the red, white, and blue Pepsi logo painted on the metal. "Took her to my senior prom. Fucked her brains out in the car afterward. First piece of ass I ever got. I still have the picture somewhere."
"Of you fucking her brains out?" Gordon grinned. "That must be a sight to see."
"No, dick meat Our prom picture."
"Whatever
The doctor was bending over, looking down at the linoleum floor.
"Maybe," he said quietly. "Maybe not." He stood up and pointed at the top of the steel counter, at the small pool of blood left by the baby.
Claw marks were clearly outlined in the blood.
And the faint imprint of tiny feet could be seen on the floor next to the discarded blanket.
"It woulda scared the shit out of me, too." Brad loaded the last case of Pepsi onto the truck and pulled down the metal door, closing it.
"I'd sue the bastards if I were you."
Gordon shook his head. "I wouldn't know who to sue. Besides, there's nothing really to sue over. The tests said Marina's okay. Even if she was exposed to something there's no way we could prove it." He picked up his hat from the table and put it on. He jumped off the concrete rim of the loading dock and got into the passenger seat of the cab.
Brad finished locking up the warehouse, then came around to the front of the truck and got in. Gordon lifted up the visor of his hat and scratched his head. "As if that wasn't enough, I had a real mother of a nightmare last night."
"That's understandable."
"I can't remember all of it exactly, but it had something to do with my cousins and a huge monster spider."
Brad grinned at him. "You know what that means, don't you? It means you're a fag."
Gordon laughed.
The truck pulled out of the warehouse driveway onto Cedar, then turned from Cedar onto Main. The turn was sharp, and the left rear tires dipped into the ditch as they rounded the corner. Gordon braced himself for the sound of tires popping--a sound he knew was inevitable--but the truck, against all odds, made the turn safely on to the paved street. He looked at Brad and smiled. "I thought for sure we'd eat it that time."
"Are you kidding? Take a lot more than that to cripple this baby."
Brad pounded the steering wheel affectionately and the horn bleated. A
small car, a Toyota, passing them in the left lane, heard the sound and honked back. Brad leaned on the horn, sending out a long sustained blast, and stuck his middle finger out the window. "We weren't even honking at you! Asshole!"
The truck turned onto the highway and headed toward the south end of town. Today they would be covering the gas stations, liquor stores and fast food places within Randall. And, as always, they would work from south to north, then from east to west, big streets to little streets.
Brad pulled into the Whiting Bros, gas station at the southern tip of town. "You say that's what happened to Julie Campbell's baby, huh?
Something to do with the water?"
Gordon shrugged. "Near as we can figure."
Brad shook his head. "Fuckers." The truck pulled to a stop in front of the ornamental wooden hitching post before the door to the gas station office, and he yanked hard on the emergency brake. The Whiting Bros, station was on the downward end of the hill sloping into town, but it was still on a considerable slant, and once before, when he had forgotten to put on the brake, the truck had started rolling on them.
He always made sure the emergency brake was on now. "I used to go out with Julie's sister," he said, getting out of the cab.
"June?" Gordon raised his eyebrows. "I didn't know that."
"Well, it was a long time ago. Before me and Connie met." He grabbed the back door handle and stood for a moment without opening it, staring at the red, white, and blue Pepsi logo painted on the metal. "Took her to my senior prom. Fucked her brains out in the car afterward. First piece of ass I ever got. I still have the picture somewhere."
"Of you fucking her brains out?" Gordon grinned. "That must be a sight to see."
"No, dick meat Our prom picture."
"Whatever
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