The Collected Horrors of Tim Wellman (29 page)

"I need ta see that book," she said.

Her mother nodded and stood. She didn't speak,
but motioned for the child to follow her as she walked out of her
room and into her own bedroom. She pulled open the louvered slat
doors of the closet and reached on her tip-toes to the top shelf
and pulled down something wrapped in old newspapers. "It ain't been
opened since your daddy put it there when you was little. Reckon
there's a hell of a fine on it from the library." She started to
hand it to Katie, but then pulled it back. "This ain't no ord'nary
book, now."

"I know," she said. "Ain't no ord'nary
situation." Her mother handed her the book and Katie unwrapped it.
It was musty and molded, old black bound leather like a good bible,
but tattered and practically falling apart. "Demonicony."

"Your daddy never could pronounce that," her
mother said and smiled. "I ain't never looked in there. Too scared,
I reckon."

Katie opened the book and quickly found a page
with the corner turned down. "It's all in simple English," she
said, "'ceptin' the spells which is in some foreign language." She
looked up. "I reckon they needs ta be read just like they is." She
ran her finger down the page, almost afraid to touch some of the
grotesque drawings and arcane symbols. "Here, protection spell is
circled."

"So your daddy had ta have used that one ta
protect the house and us."

Katie turned the page and again ran her finger
slowly down, trying to pick up on important words in paragraphs.
She moved to the next page. "These is all protection spells fer
people, animals, and such." She turned another page. "Spells Of
Binding." She looked across the book and nodded at her mother.
"That's what we need, ain't it? To bind the old devil up. Then if
he can be killed, we'll kill 'im up."

Her mother nodded and smiled but immediately
lost the expression.

There was a loud banging on the wall of the
house. "I'm in the yard, now, bitches!"

They both ran to the window and looked down. He
had broken through the spell, at least partially, but even worse,
he was holding a child over his head. He had a firm grip on the
little girl's throat and her eyes were rolled back in her head. She
was nearly dead and
would
die in the next few seconds as
Katie and her mom watched.

But Katie did something. She wasn't sure what
had happened, but the old book's pages started turning, and then it
suddenly stopped. But even without looking down, she began
speaking. She didn't understand the words, but the old man
instantly dropped the child and grabbed his arm and cried out in
pain. The girl almost immediately regained her senses and took off
running, crying at the top of her lungs.

The old man looked up at the window and pointed.
"Damned you to hell! Witch!" And they watched as the old man walked
away and back into the woods.

"What did I do?" Katie said. She dropped the
book and grabbed her mother. "What happened?!"

"Ya did good, I think," her mother said. "I
think ya got the callin' fer castin' spells. Ya saved that little
girl."

"I wasn't even thinkin'," she said. "But I hurt
him, didn't I?"

Her mother nodded. "Sure as hell did," she said.
"I thank his arm is so withered he cain't catch anymore kids for a
while."

"But he'll get better," she whispered. "I gotta
finish him off for good." She pulled away from her mother and
rubbed her cheeks. "I don't know if I gotta read the spells or if
they'll just use me when the time comes." She picked the book up
again and allowed it to fall open to a random page.

"I cain't help ya with that, honey," her mother
said. "But I promise I'll be with ya whatever ya choose ta do."

"I kinda wish daddy was here," Katie said.

"That's the wish ya want more than anything
else, ain't it?"

"I reckon so," she said. "I cain't think a
nothin' else I want more." She suddenly looked up at her mother
with tears pouring down her cheeks. "I reckon that's the sacrifice,
ain't it. Givin' up that wish."

"I reckon ya done gave it, baby," her mother
said. She pointed down at the book in Katie's hands which was
beginning to glow. It then rose up in the air, paused in front of
Katie's face, then dropped suddenly back into her hands.

The young girl looked down at the pages and
realized she could turn them just using her mind. "I can understand
the foreign words," she said. "I know what spells ta use to finish
the demon off fer good." She looked up at her mother and smiled.
"Ya gotta stay here, momma; right her in your room, okay?"

"But..."

"This room will protect ya no matter what; daddy
fixed it like that," she said. "He told me that just now."

"He told ya?" her mother said. "Katie..."

"I ain't crazy momma; he's dead and ain't never
comin' back; but sure as I got ears, I heared 'im just now tellin'
me you need to stay here and let me do this on my own." She tossed
the book on the bed and started out the bedroom door.

"Katie, don't ya need ta take that?"

"No need, I know what every page says," she
said. She stopped and turned around. "Ya know what the last page
says?"

Her mother shook her head.

"We win," Katie said and then walked out and
down the steps, directly through the kitchen, and out into the back
yard. "Hey, fuckhead! We got some business ta finish!"

****

There was a cool breeze blowing from across the
river and the day had been wasted, but what else were cool autumn
days for? The old woman sat on her front porch watching the
neighbor's kids playing in the park area down the street, built
right after the main road had been paved to give the kids a place
to play instead of the road. She almost felt like joining them. She
laughed out loud and pointed at the younger girl, running as fast
as her little legs would take her, but still not able to catch up
with the older kids. "Ya'll be growin' up soon 'nough," she said.
"Ya keep a tryin', young'un!"

She saw the car, a big red four door, gleaming
in the sun. It was her. The old woman stood up and walked down the
steps and made it to the driveway just as the car pulled in.
"Whatcha think, momma?!"

"She sure is pretty," the old woman said. "You
best be sure ya can make them payments, Katie," she said. "I know
that husband a your'un is rakin' it in down at the plant,
but..."

"Don't be worryin' 'bout me, momma," Katie said.
She turned off the car and opened the door. "I brought ya some
stuff for a fish fry... breaded shrimp and some fries and tilapia."
She grabbed the bag and climbed out of the car. "Ya got plenty a
lard, don't ya?"

"Law, Katie, ain't no body usin' lard anymore,
you know that," her mother said. "I got a whole gallon a oil fer
the deep fryer. Bring that on in b'fore it thaws too much. Ya know
the breadin' starts fallin' of if'n it thaws too much."

They both walked through the front door, down
the hall, and into the kitchen. "That side pork I smell?"

Her mother nodded. "Had some fer lunch," she
said. "I saved ya a piece."

Katie lifted the skillet lid and took a look.
"Extra fatty!" She grabbed a plate from the cabinet over the stove.
"I saw Tammy Cooper down at the store. She's gettin' as fat as a
butter-bean."

"I saw 'er down at her mom's house a couple days
ago," her mother said. She fished through the silverware drawer and
got a knife and fork for Katie. "She still waves if'n she sees
me."

"I thank she spends so much time at bingo she
ain't got no time fer nothin' else anymore," Katie said with her
mouth full. "Just like Aunt Bernie. Ain't never winnin' shit but
keep playin' like it were a religion." She smiled and licked her
lips. "Damn, I love the fatty parts!"

Tomb
Robbers

There was no way to explain the consuming
feeling, the devouring desire to get through the solid stone wall
at any cost and as quickly as possible. Doctor Alysse Summers,
fresh from grad school and ready to make her mark on the world was
tempted to take up a pick-ax herself. She was certain of her
findings, and the idea of instant stardom in the archaeology world
from her first expedition possessed her like an evil spirit. But
she restrained her emotions, instead redirecting them into sterns
words. "Get this mother fucker open!" They were a hundred feet into
an old coal mine, twenty miles across the Wayne County, West
Virginia border and knee deep in trouble. The mine had already
caved in twice, injuring several, and every man left with any sense
at all had already walked away, fearing for his life.

The men working for her now, bums who lived
under the Seventeenth Street bridge, poor, smelly cutthroats who
would do, and had done, anything for money, were just putting up
with her because she paid more than they could make collecting cans
and scrap metal. The job was temporary, they knew that, but they
could put up with her attitude for a few weeks, the time she said
it would take to get through the cave wall and enter what she was
calling the
tomb
. She had an old map and several books the
men couldn't read, and even though they didn't trust her judgment
they were inclined to trust she had enough money in the bank to pay
for their labor.

"Hey, that last whack sounded different," one of
the workers said.

"What?!" she said and knelt down quickly to look
at the hole that was starting to form. But, it was a little too
quickly and the man using the pick, Larry, wasn't paying as much
attention as he could have been and nailed the entire twelve inches
of steel right through the back of the professor's head.

"Fuck!" another yelled. "Now we'll never get
paid!"

They all bent over the body and one kicked her.
She was definitely deceased.

"Well, I reckon we can just leave the body here
and go home," Jerry said. "Guess we'll be heading to the food bank
tonight if any y'all need a ride. My parole officer is picking me
up."

"I ain't gonna just leave a prime piece a ass
here like this," Rich said. "If y'all don't want her, I do."

Everyone else stood up and backed away. "Okay,
Rich gets the award for sickest bastard I've ever met," Steve
said.

Rich picked up the body, nodded to everyone and
winked, then walked away. "Anybody else wants in on 'is, just
follow me."

No one followed.

"Hey, you know, she were after something she
said were a tomb behind this here wall," Bob said. "There might be
some sorta treasure or somethin' in there she was after."

Everyone thought for a moment. A couple of the
men bent down and examined the wall more closely. There were signs
they were nearly through; just a few more well-placed blows and
they could at least see what was behind the area Doctor Summers had
carefully marked out with chalk. Jerry held his lantern closer and
it actually seemed the coal and stone wall was turning into
plaster; there was definitely some sort of manmade room on the
other side.

"Welp, they's five of us left, counting
sick-assed Rich, so I say we make a pact, then, even split of
whatever we find in there," Larry said. "Let me give it a couple
more whacks."

Everyone else stood well back. He was definitely
hitting white plaster now, with each swing going completely through
the wall with a cloud of dust. "That might be big enough," Jerry
said. "Step way back and put the ax down and I'll take a look." He
was only half-joking.

He knelt down and put his face to the hole and
then picked out a few more pieces of plaster with his fingers.
"Well?" Bob said.

"Cain't see shit," he said. "What we need ta do
is make the hole big enough to put one of the lanterns
through."

"Alright, stand back," Larry said. But he didn't
need to tell them. He swung easier, now, trying to just chip around
the edges.

"Gonna have to hit it harder," Bob said.

"Woo!" Rich said as he walked back into the
light, zipping up his pants. "There ain't nothin' like fuckin' the
dead!"

But just as he finished the sentence, Larry's
backswing nailed him right in the forehead. He felt the resistance
as he tried to swing forward again, and looked over his shoulder as
the tip of his pick slid out of the wound. "Son of a bitch!"

"Anybody wanna fuck Rich?" Bob said. Everyone
shook their head.

"Y'all can
thank
me for that," Larry
said. "'Cause we can split the treasure just four ways now."

"Let's see if we can't drag his body outa the
way for now," Jerry said. "We're gonna have to bury him and his
girlfriend before we leave, though, 'cause the cops has seen all of
us with 'em both." Bob grabbed a foot and with Jerry on the other
one, they dragged Rich's body several yards away and walked back to
where Larry and Steve were on their knees, using picks to knock
bits off around the edge.

"I think the hole might be big enough to put a
lantern through, now," Steve said.

"I escaped outa prison once through a hole
smaller than that," Larry said.

"Then go 'head and shimmy in there, then," Bob
said.

He sniffed and patted his belly. "Well, they's
been a hell of a lot a beer between then and now."

"Here, see if that will go in there, now," Bob
said as he handed a lantern to Larry.

Larry poked it through the hole then put his
face close and looked in. He didn't speak for several seconds until
one of the guys kicked him. "Guys," he said. He still didn't move
his head away from the hole. "We might be in some deep shit, here."
He raised himself up on his hands and knees, then sat back and fell
on his butt. "They's shit in there we weren't never supposed to
see."

"What is it?" Steve said. "What..."

Larry pointed to the hole. "Take a look
yourself."