up, she decided it would be okay. She went out into the backyard and right away Mr. Miller’s beagle down the alley began to howl. Emily walked over towards the vacant lot, her high heels clicking on the concrete. She saw Missy there. Missy had her back to her. She had her Barbie case open and was singing as she dressed Skipper and Stacey.
Emily came up behind her like she always had. “Boo,” she said.
Missy turned and screamed like Emily had never heard her scream before. She scrawled away on all fours and ran, screaming the whole while. Emily called out to her, but she wouldn’t stop.
Emily went back home.
On the way, Mr. Miller drove down the alley in his car and she waved to him. He just kept staring…staring so much, in fact, that he drove his car right through his own fence.
*
The neighborhood was busy after that.
Cars drove up and down the street and a lot of them were police cars. Lots of people gathered outside the house with Mr. Miller. Missy’s mom and dad were there, too. By the time Mother came home, there were people everywhere and lots of policemen in uniforms. They tried to stop Mother, but she ran from them and came inside.
“What did you do?” she said to Emily. “What did you do?”
“I went outside,” Emily said.
Mother locked the doors as fists pounded on them, wanting to be let in. There was a lot of shouting and yelling as night came.
“We have to get out of here,” Mother said. “We have to go somewhere safe.”
“The cemetery,” Emily said.
“Yes, that’s where we’ll go.”
But then there was more pounding at the door and finally something kept ramming it until it came off its hinges. Then the police came charging in and Mother ran right at them, screaming and fighting.
“Run, Emily!” she called out. “Run!”
So Emily did.
She ran out the back way and almost made it to the vacant lot when she heard the barking of big dogs. Men were running through the neighborhood with flashlights. Emily went into the vacant lot and hid in the grass. She dug up Mrs. Lee’s baby where she had hidden it in the dirt under the big rock, brushed the crawly things off it. Then the men came and put flashlights on her, blinding her.
“Dear God in heaven,” one of the policemen said.
Emily shook her headless baby at them and hissed, showing her long teeth.
The dogs that were with them were howling and baying and snapping at their handlers. The men let them go. The dogs came right at Emily, sinking their teeth into her, tearing open her dress-up clothes and biting free flaps of flesh and crunching bones. Lots of people cried out, but they didn’t come any closer. The dogs chewed and rent and split Emily, yanking off her limbs which kicked and clawed in the grass, fingers looking for something to grab. The dogs did not stop. They were mad and frothing and snapping and biting.
Emily kept screaming until there was nothing left to scream with.
Then there was just silence and the growling of dogs and people whimpering.
So fifteen days after Emily came out of her grave, what was left of her was shoveled back in there again.
DIS-JOINTED
It was raining when they murdered Pauly Zaber.
And it was coming down in buckets and pails when they dragged his corpse from the trunk of Specks’ Buick. Zaber had been a big man and he made a big corpse. Wrapped in sackcloth, a lot of it, he was roped up like a steer. Getting him in the trunk was tough business and getting him out was something else again.
“Just grab hold,” Specks said. “He’s dead for godsake, he won’t bite you.”
But maybe Weams and Lyon didn’t quite believe that. Sure, they’d helped Specks murder Zaber and their hands were just as red as his, but now handling the body after it had been cooling an hour…there was just something obscene about that.
Lyon reached in
Emily came up behind her like she always had. “Boo,” she said.
Missy turned and screamed like Emily had never heard her scream before. She scrawled away on all fours and ran, screaming the whole while. Emily called out to her, but she wouldn’t stop.
Emily went back home.
On the way, Mr. Miller drove down the alley in his car and she waved to him. He just kept staring…staring so much, in fact, that he drove his car right through his own fence.
*
The neighborhood was busy after that.
Cars drove up and down the street and a lot of them were police cars. Lots of people gathered outside the house with Mr. Miller. Missy’s mom and dad were there, too. By the time Mother came home, there were people everywhere and lots of policemen in uniforms. They tried to stop Mother, but she ran from them and came inside.
“What did you do?” she said to Emily. “What did you do?”
“I went outside,” Emily said.
Mother locked the doors as fists pounded on them, wanting to be let in. There was a lot of shouting and yelling as night came.
“We have to get out of here,” Mother said. “We have to go somewhere safe.”
“The cemetery,” Emily said.
“Yes, that’s where we’ll go.”
But then there was more pounding at the door and finally something kept ramming it until it came off its hinges. Then the police came charging in and Mother ran right at them, screaming and fighting.
“Run, Emily!” she called out. “Run!”
So Emily did.
She ran out the back way and almost made it to the vacant lot when she heard the barking of big dogs. Men were running through the neighborhood with flashlights. Emily went into the vacant lot and hid in the grass. She dug up Mrs. Lee’s baby where she had hidden it in the dirt under the big rock, brushed the crawly things off it. Then the men came and put flashlights on her, blinding her.
“Dear God in heaven,” one of the policemen said.
Emily shook her headless baby at them and hissed, showing her long teeth.
The dogs that were with them were howling and baying and snapping at their handlers. The men let them go. The dogs came right at Emily, sinking their teeth into her, tearing open her dress-up clothes and biting free flaps of flesh and crunching bones. Lots of people cried out, but they didn’t come any closer. The dogs chewed and rent and split Emily, yanking off her limbs which kicked and clawed in the grass, fingers looking for something to grab. The dogs did not stop. They were mad and frothing and snapping and biting.
Emily kept screaming until there was nothing left to scream with.
Then there was just silence and the growling of dogs and people whimpering.
So fifteen days after Emily came out of her grave, what was left of her was shoveled back in there again.
DIS-JOINTED
It was raining when they murdered Pauly Zaber.
And it was coming down in buckets and pails when they dragged his corpse from the trunk of Specks’ Buick. Zaber had been a big man and he made a big corpse. Wrapped in sackcloth, a lot of it, he was roped up like a steer. Getting him in the trunk was tough business and getting him out was something else again.
“Just grab hold,” Specks said. “He’s dead for godsake, he won’t bite you.”
But maybe Weams and Lyon didn’t quite believe that. Sure, they’d helped Specks murder Zaber and their hands were just as red as his, but now handling the body after it had been cooling an hour…there was just something obscene about that.
Lyon reached in
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