laugh.
He stares hard at me with a glassy smile at the corner of his eyes.
“How’s the wandering?”
“Not wandering, Sam. Just travelling last I could tell.”
“Good. Good for you.”
“Met a raven. Ian was his name.”
Sam takes a long pull of the Jameson’s and eyes me suspiciously for the first time I can recall.
“What the fuck you talking to ravens for kid?”
“Not a choice. He could have been picking me apart, you know? I just woke up from the sleep and he was there. Started talking to me. Actually gave me a heads up to get out before the rest saw me.”
“Out in the desert?”
“Yeah, how’d you know? I thought you never left. You’re a fuckin stayer right?”
“Think I was always a stayer? I wandered around a bit before I became a stayer kid.”
“Uhuhh. That makes sense.”
“What this raven say…Ian was it?”
“Nothing important really. Fat fucker. Definitely feeder, you know? Just looked at me and told me to get the fuck out of where I was. I appreciated it.”
‘Hmmph…there’s no good ravens, kid.”
“Yeah, well if he kept me from waking up to being picked to shreds and the screaming of insults and sins, then he’s better than most here.”
“Give ya that, kid. Never ran into any that weren’t after the deepest sins in the soul. They’ll peck through every fiber to get to yer heart…deepest sins and regrets.”
“Yeah, I saw that, Sam. Been lucky so far, but seen them rip a woman’s heart into pieces to share. Lift their greasy gullets and swallow. Watched terrified as they screamed her sins and tore at her flesh”
“ I know nothing more than you about the fucking ravens. I know they ain’t here.”
“Yeah, I notice they like the desert though.”
“Yep.”
“Problem for me is I get called there a lot sometimes. I end up walking the sleep there sometimes. Can’t tell you how many times I woke up in the desert.”
“Yeah, that’s a problem.”
“So the last time, this fat fucking raven with an Australian accent is hoping around and staring at me. You know? The terror. Like knowing it’s going to be twenty or thirty in seconds. Ripping and tearing….but he didn’t.”
“Fucking weird, kid.”
“Yeah. I know. Fucking weird.”
A couple walks into the liquor store giggling and drunk. Her head is hanging half off but she’s laughing and hugging her man. He’s twenty something in biker garb. His head is half gone and he’s laughing. Smiling through a mouth dissected in half with broken teeth. His head is gaping and open. I see his brain pulsing. Sam breaks away from me.
“Hey kids!”
She slurs and puts her bloody hand out to show a pawn shop wedding ring.
“We just got married!!!!!! Woooohoooo!” she laughs and he laughs with her.
“Hey congrats, you crazy kids!” Sam puts there bottle of Jim Beam in a sack. “On the house!”
“Thanks, Bro!” The half headed man smiles and a bloody tooth drops on the counter. They walk out into the night laughing.
“They came in yesterday from the other side. Nice Harley, Roadglide, I think, big bagger Harley. They were riding up to Vegas to get married. Heard they slammed into a semi at ninety outside of Baker on the way back. Damn shame. Seemed like good kids on that side.”
“They came in here before they rode out?”
“Yep. I sold them a few bottles of Beam and cigarettes. They were fucked up”
“Did you know they were going to smash that semi coming back?”
“Hmmmm I dunno. Maybe.”
“Where are you, Sam.?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you saw these guys come in. You sold them more booze and watched them ride away. You probably knew they were going to die. I mean where the fuck are you?”
“Huh. I dunno. Never thought about it much. I never talked to people much this side. You’re the first one that stuck around long enough.”
“Are you dead, Sam!?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Fuck you, Sam.”
He laughs and drains the bottle of Jameson’s.
“See you later,
He stares hard at me with a glassy smile at the corner of his eyes.
“How’s the wandering?”
“Not wandering, Sam. Just travelling last I could tell.”
“Good. Good for you.”
“Met a raven. Ian was his name.”
Sam takes a long pull of the Jameson’s and eyes me suspiciously for the first time I can recall.
“What the fuck you talking to ravens for kid?”
“Not a choice. He could have been picking me apart, you know? I just woke up from the sleep and he was there. Started talking to me. Actually gave me a heads up to get out before the rest saw me.”
“Out in the desert?”
“Yeah, how’d you know? I thought you never left. You’re a fuckin stayer right?”
“Think I was always a stayer? I wandered around a bit before I became a stayer kid.”
“Uhuhh. That makes sense.”
“What this raven say…Ian was it?”
“Nothing important really. Fat fucker. Definitely feeder, you know? Just looked at me and told me to get the fuck out of where I was. I appreciated it.”
‘Hmmph…there’s no good ravens, kid.”
“Yeah, well if he kept me from waking up to being picked to shreds and the screaming of insults and sins, then he’s better than most here.”
“Give ya that, kid. Never ran into any that weren’t after the deepest sins in the soul. They’ll peck through every fiber to get to yer heart…deepest sins and regrets.”
“Yeah, I saw that, Sam. Been lucky so far, but seen them rip a woman’s heart into pieces to share. Lift their greasy gullets and swallow. Watched terrified as they screamed her sins and tore at her flesh”
“ I know nothing more than you about the fucking ravens. I know they ain’t here.”
“Yeah, I notice they like the desert though.”
“Yep.”
“Problem for me is I get called there a lot sometimes. I end up walking the sleep there sometimes. Can’t tell you how many times I woke up in the desert.”
“Yeah, that’s a problem.”
“So the last time, this fat fucking raven with an Australian accent is hoping around and staring at me. You know? The terror. Like knowing it’s going to be twenty or thirty in seconds. Ripping and tearing….but he didn’t.”
“Fucking weird, kid.”
“Yeah. I know. Fucking weird.”
A couple walks into the liquor store giggling and drunk. Her head is hanging half off but she’s laughing and hugging her man. He’s twenty something in biker garb. His head is half gone and he’s laughing. Smiling through a mouth dissected in half with broken teeth. His head is gaping and open. I see his brain pulsing. Sam breaks away from me.
“Hey kids!”
She slurs and puts her bloody hand out to show a pawn shop wedding ring.
“We just got married!!!!!! Woooohoooo!” she laughs and he laughs with her.
“Hey congrats, you crazy kids!” Sam puts there bottle of Jim Beam in a sack. “On the house!”
“Thanks, Bro!” The half headed man smiles and a bloody tooth drops on the counter. They walk out into the night laughing.
“They came in yesterday from the other side. Nice Harley, Roadglide, I think, big bagger Harley. They were riding up to Vegas to get married. Heard they slammed into a semi at ninety outside of Baker on the way back. Damn shame. Seemed like good kids on that side.”
“They came in here before they rode out?”
“Yep. I sold them a few bottles of Beam and cigarettes. They were fucked up”
“Did you know they were going to smash that semi coming back?”
“Hmmmm I dunno. Maybe.”
“Where are you, Sam.?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you saw these guys come in. You sold them more booze and watched them ride away. You probably knew they were going to die. I mean where the fuck are you?”
“Huh. I dunno. Never thought about it much. I never talked to people much this side. You’re the first one that stuck around long enough.”
“Are you dead, Sam!?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Fuck you, Sam.”
He laughs and drains the bottle of Jameson’s.
“See you later,
Similar Books
