I Work at a Small Town Gas Station (Part 11)

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That night, I put on some music and hung a poster board in the front window that said “Gas Station closed for private event.†It seemed highly unlikely that we’d have to worry about customers, but I wanted Jerry to see the sign and feel special.
Rosa baked a funfetti cake, and I wrapped my present to him in newspaper--a three month supply of nicotine gum. I promise, I’m not just the worst gift-giver in the world; that was actually his idea. He’d been attempting to quit smoking ever since those bounty hunters put a hurting on him bad enough to break his ribs. I was more than happy to help if it meant Jerry would be stealing less of our tobacco products.
O’Brien showed up right at ten o’clock wearing a black dress with a purse on one shoulder, and I found myself at a loss for words. The best I could muster was a simple, “Hey.â€
Her hair was down around her shoulders, and she was wearing a pair of dangly earrings. She looked good, if not a little nervous. It was strange. I’d literally never seen her in a dress before, and until that point, I didn’t even know she owned any jewelry.
She smiled back at me and said, “Hey yourself, stranger. Do you have a place for this?â€
She was referring to the six pack of beer she’d brought and wrapped in ribbon with a bow on top. Jerry was going to love it. He loves anything with a bow on top.
I reached to take the drinks, but O’Brien mistook my gesture as me going in for a hug. She leaned in and wrapped an arm around me and squeezed. I went with it and hugged her back. Then she said, “I missed you†before letting go.
I didn’t know how to react, but I’m sure laughing nervously and saying “Thanks†probably wasn’t the right thing to do. Still, that’s what my brain decided on.
She laughed back and said, “I forgot how weird you are.†Then she brushed past me to say hi to Rosa, and I caught myself smiling and thinking how nice it was to finally have everyone back together in one place…
...but then another thought struck me...
Isn’t it weird how O’Brien is dressed?
Isn’t it a little out of character for her to be so relaxed right now?
And where has she been, anyway?
Does any of this make sense?
Maybe something’s wrong here. It’s been a while since the last attack. My guard is down. The store is technically closed so there’s not even a good chance of a random passerby stopping through and interrupting.
Maybe things are seeming a little too good to be true because they are.
Maybe they’re both changed. Replaced by those things. And now I’m a sitting duck. Outnumbered and ill-prepared for a fight.
O’Brien popped open a beer and handed it to Rosa, and I snapped out of it. My senses came back to me all at once and I had to laugh.
Of course they haven’t been replaced. If they had, I’d be dead by now, and they’d be fighting over my delicious blood. No, I was right to be cautious, but this was my paranoia attempting to take the wheel again. I told myself that everything was okay. Nothing bad was going to happen tonight.
We all took seats around the folding table I’d set up in the center of the gas station. A brand new pack of playing cards and poker chips were already set up in the middle, and we went ahead and dealt a few hands to get warmed up before the guest of honor arrived.
Except he never did.
Our collective mood went from excited to confused to nervous to worried in the span of an hour.
I tried to keep from freaking out, telling myself that Jerry was probably just pregaming at his place. No reason to panic. Worst case scenario, maybe the bounty hunters came back for him. But if that were the case, they’d probably take him alive and drop him off after soliciting a decent bribe.
I knew we should have installed a tracking device on him when we had the chance!
All of our calls went straight to voicemail, and soon O’Brien announced that she was going out to check on him. She opened her purse and pulled out a handgun. At this point I didn’t even flinch. Of course she brought a firearm with her to a birthday party. But then she handed it to me and said, “Take this. I’ve got more in the car. If anything happens before I return, shoot first and ask questions later.â€
“Amy, I really don’t think you should leave me with a gun.â€
“It’s okay. I’ll be right back. Stay by the phone just in case.â€
She started for the door, but before she reached it, somebody else opened it from the other side and walked into the room.
It was nothing short of a miracle that I didn’t drop the gun on the ground. I could feel the blood drain from my face and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
No way. No ****ing way. It can’t be her.
“Hey ya’ll!†she said with a big grin. “Sorry I’m late. Is Jear-bear already drunk? Because if not, I brought something to take care of that.â€
O’Brien eyed her suspiciously as she walked past and put a bottle of whiskey on the counter next to the cake. “Who are you supposed to be?â€
She turned and sized up O’Brien. “I’m Calista. And you must be Amelia, right? Jerry’s told me a lot about you.†She flashed me a look next, then said “Hi, Jack. Good to see you again.â€
I was still trying to wrap my mind around this. As soon as the ability to breathe returned, I attempted to speak. All I could get out was, “What are you doing here?â€
She laughed, then closed the distance to me. I almost put a bullet in her right then, but decided to hold off until I knew what the hell was going on. She threw both arms around me and squeezed me into a hug, whispering softly into my ear, “If you try anything, I’ll kill them first.†When she released me, she looked into my eyes and said loud enough for everyone to hear, “You and your funny brain. Don’t you remember inviting me? I RSVP’d two weeks ago.â€
This was crazy. How was this happening? How was I the only one that recognized her? I looked over at the bulletin board by the coffee machines to see if her missing person picture was still visible, but then I remembered that it hadn’t been there in months. We took hers down shortly after they found her body. But here she was, alive and well.
Calista wasn’t Calista. Sure, she’d cut her hair into a pixie cut and dyed it all jet black, but I knew who this was. Well, no, that’s not true. I had no idea who this was, but I did know whose body she was using. The woman standing here in front of me was an exact physical copy of my late friend Vanessa.
Rosa, completely unaware of the present danger, walked up to us and introduced herself. “Hi, I’m Rosa. Nice to meet you.â€
Vanessa, or Calista, or whatever the hell it was looked down at her and said, “Hi. Calista.†She reached out and shook her hand awkwardly, then added, “Do you work here too?â€
“I do, kinda. I’m friends with Jerry.â€
“Oh,†she replied, “He didn’t mention that he had any other coworkers.†Then, with a big, silly laugh, she added, “He probably didn’t want to make me jealous. You know how he is, Jack.†She nudged me in my chest, right on top of my claw scars. Even though it was just a gentle pat, it felt like I’d been hit with a sledge hammer, and I nearly fell over backwards.
“Hang on,†O’Brien said, “Don’t I know you from somewhere?â€
Calista grabbed one of the beers from the pack O’Brien had brought for Jerry and twisted it open, saying, “You probably knew my cousin, Vanessa Riggin. I get that a lot around here.â€
I tried my damnedest to send a telepathic message to O’Brien. WARNING! WARNING! RED ALERT! This is not Calista! Hell, this probably isn’t even human! I need help! Go get your other guns!
Calista took a spot at the folding table and sipped her beer. Rosa took a seat right next to her and asked, “How do you and Jerry know each other?â€
Calista said with a proud smile, “He’s my boyfriend.†A loud country song started playing out of nowhere, and this time I did flinch. Calista reached into her jeans and pulled out the source of the music--her cell phone. “Speak of the devil. That’s him right now. If you’ll excuse me-†She stood up and walked towards the exit, answering with a “Hey sexy,†before opening the door and heading outside.
A beat passed before Rosa said, “Well she seems nice.â€
O’Brien snapped me out of my daze. “Hey Sleepy, you alright? You don’t look so hot.â€
I stuffed the gun into my inside jacket pocket, then followed “Calista†out, offering O’Brien a quick, “Be right back,†as I passed.
The cold outside air hit me hard, sending a shiver down my spine. (But maybe it wasn’t the cold.) I wasn’t sure what I was doing or what I was going to say, but I knew I needed to get her alone and away from the others. I scanned the front of the store and the parking lot, but somehow she had vanished.
“Hey there, handsome.â€
Oh ****!
I spun around to see that she was standing right behind me.
“What do you want!?†I yelled.
“Easy, keep your voice down. I’d hate for O’Brien to come out here and get hurt just because you got your panties in a twist.â€
“What do you want!?†I whisper-screamed.
“That’s better.†She put a cigarette to her lips and lit it. After a drag, she offered it to me.
“No, I’m good.â€
“Life’s too short to miss out on the little pleasures. I do hope you’ve got some vices, Jack.†She turned and looked over her shoulder at the gas station. Inside the store, O’Brien and Rosa were talking, and I caught them looking right at us. Calista turned back to me with that evil smile on her lips. “Remind me again: which one of them were you ****ing? I can’t keep up.â€
“Where’s Jerry?â€
“In a better place,†she answered, flicking her half-spent cigarette into the lot. “Now why don’t we go back inside? I’m freezing my **** off out here.†She turned to head in, but I caught her by the arm. She looked back at me with hate in her eyes. “Take your goddamned hand off of me before I take it off for you.â€
I released my grip, “You never answered me. What do you want?â€
“You really are slow, aren’t you? Isn’t it obvious? We want the gas station.â€
“Why?â€
“None of your business.â€
“Play me for it.â€
She squinted at me. “What?â€
“Play me for the gas station. We’re already set up for a game of poker. If you want me to sign the gas station over, let’s play for it. If you win, the gas station is yours.â€
She shook her head like she couldn’t believe what I was saying. That made two of us.
“You’re serious?â€
“Yes. But if I win, you tell Doctor House-of-Cards to go **** himself back to hell and leave me and my friends alone.â€
She threw up her hands, “Alright. Let’s play.â€
The door opened and O’Brien stepped outside. “Everything okay, you two?â€
Calista answered before I could, “Everything’s great. Jerry says he’s going to be a little late, but he wants us to get started without him.â€

---

I sat across from Calista. Rosa was on my left, O’Brien on my right. She glared at me as I shuffled the deck. Rosa and O’Brien knew something was up because they would have to have been complete idiots not to. Rosa tried to fill the intense silence between shuffles.
“It’s been a really long time since I’ve played.â€
Nobody answered. Calista studied the cards while I studied her.
Rosa tried again. “Quick question. How old is Jerry anyway? Does anyone know? I just grabbed a whole bunch of candles.â€
I broke the deck, shuffled, broke it, shuffled. Calista began loudly tapping the table with her fingernails. She knew I was stalling. This was her way of telling me to hurry it up.
Rosa tried again. “Boy, I sure hope Jerry gets here soon. Starting to feel like a real clamboree up in here.â€
I straightened the cards and got down to the rules. “The game is old-fashioned five card draw. Nothing wild. Bet, draw, bet, showdown. Any questions?â€
Calista announced, “I’d like to cut.â€
“Well you can’t. You’re out of turn. Amy, would you do the honors?â€
I pushed the deck in front of her. She took her time trying to decide what to say, but in the end she kept quiet and split the deck.
I dealt five cards to everybody, then watched as Calista looked at hers. She smiled big and winked at me.
Rosa started the betting, Calista raised, O’Brien folded. I looked at my cards. I had a pair of twos and nothing else. Still, I called. Rosa asked if it meant anything for all of her cards to be the same color, and O’Brien told her to fold, which she did.
Now it was just me and Calista playing heads up. She drew one card. I threw away everything but the twos. My new cards were a two, king, and jack unsuited. I was sitting on three of a kind. Not terrible for a first hand. Calista made a large bet, and I responded by pushing the rest of my chips into the middle.
“I’m all in.â€
Calista pouted her lips at me. “You know it’s not going to be any fun if you’re going to play like that.â€
“What can I say? I think I’ve got a winning hand.â€
Calista studied my face for a moment, then she looked to Rosa, then O’Brien, then back to me.
“I think you’re bluffing.â€
“Then call me and find out.â€
Rosa rubbed her hands together and said, “Ooh, this is intense.â€
“Fine!†said Calista. “I’ll call.â€
She flipped her cards over. Two queens and two aces.
“Ha!†I yelled, flipping my cards over. She looked at them, then laughed.
“Tough luck, Jack. You barely missed the straight.â€
“What?†I looked down to see that my cards were completely different than they were just a moment ago. I had an eight, nine, ten, and two jacks. I couldn’t believe it. I screamed across the table “How did you do that?!â€
“Whoa, calm down!†Calista said. “You lost fair and square. And you know what that means, right?â€
She stood up and reached into the center of the table to grab the chips.
BANG
I didn’t even have to think about it. It was the only possible choice left for me. No matter how many times I fire a gun, I will never got used to how insanely loud those things are, and by the time the ringing in my ears went away, all I could hear was screaming. Once the situational blinders wore off, I realized that the screaming was coming from Rosa.
“Jack. JACK!†O’Brien was yelling at me, too.
I took a deep breath and looked over at her. “What?â€
“Put the gun down, okay? Here, hand it to me.â€
I didn’t want to do that, though. Not yet. I was about to need it. They were both about to see. This thing sitting lifelessly in the chair across from me was about to come back, and we needed to be ready. Blood and brain matter dripped from the hole in the back of Calista’s head, her eyes wide open and pointed at the ceiling but seeing nothing. Any second now, she’d reconstruct and molt and then, well, then we were in for a hell of a fight.
“Jack,†she repeated as she reached out and took the gun from my still outstretched hand. As I released, I could see that my whole arm was shaking uncontrollably from the shock and adrenaline. That was one hell of a shot. I hit the thing right between the eyes. And now, I knew it was going to be ******. “Jack, look at me.†She grabbed my face and pulled my gaze away from Calista’s body.
“What?†I asked. “She’s not really a human, she’s a monster. Watch, you’ll see!†I looked back at the body and said, “Any second now.â€
My heart sank.
Oh god.
Oh god no.
Noooooooo.
She wasn’t coming back.
Rosa jumped up from her chair and ran out the front door. I got to my feet to try and run after her, but O’Brien pushed me back into my seat and said, “Let her go, Jack.â€
She was right. As usual. I needed to let Rosa get as far away from here as possible.
O’Brien shook her head and looked at the body of the young woman I had just murdered in front of her. With O’Brien’s gun. Worst birthday party ever.
“Okay,†O’Brien said after a minute of thinking. “Here’s what we’re going to do. Get a tarp.â€

---

Benjamin stared at me for a second, but I couldn’t get a read on him. I couldn’t tell if he was buying the story or not, but I guess it didn’t really matter anyway.
But after a while, his prolonged stare was starting to creep me out.
“Well, can I offer you something to eat?†I asked. “I still have some stuff that could be considered food.â€
“I’m waiting for you to explain what happened next.â€
“You’re looking at it,†I said, gesturing all around us at the empty gas station. “This is what happened next. They quit trying to kill me. Now they’re waiting until I drop of my own accord.â€
“That doesn’t make any sense.â€
“Yeah, well, when has that stopped things from happening around here?â€
“What about Rosa? Didn’t she call the cops?â€
“Who was she supposed to call? I killed someone in front of her and Deputy O’Brien.â€
“What did O’Brien do?â€
“She helped me get rid of the body.â€
“What about the stoner? Jerry? Did he ever show up again?â€
I laughed. It was all I could do to keep from crying. “No. Not exactly.â€
There was more to the story, but Benjamin wasn’t going to get to hear that part. It was too personal.
The day after we dumped Calista’s body into a shallow grave, the postman came into the store with a special delivery. Where the return address should have been filled out, there was just the name “Leroy.†The package itself was made out to “Mel.â€
Mel was the name of one of our part timers. He was actively suing the gas station after a weird incident involving a kidnapping and a portal to hell. I figured this was Jerry’s way of sending me a message without it being intercepted along the way. But then I ran into a small snag.
The ******* postman wouldn’t let me have the package from Jerry. He said that he was only legally allowed to deliver it to someone named “Mel.†I called O’Brien and told her it was an emergency and that she needed to come out to the store right away.
She got there ten minutes later, and I explained to the postman that this was actually “Mel.†It was short for “A-MEL-ia.†He looked at her I.D., had her sign for it, then left.
“That was the emergency you called me out for?†O’Brien seemed ******.
“Yeah, I worried you might not come if I didn’t call it an emergency.â€
O’Brien shook her head at me and gave me the sad look of disappointment that I was getting all too familiar with.
“Listen, Jack, I looked into Calista.â€
I put the package under the counter next to the baseball bat--the one with a fresh smiley face drawn onto the end.
“Why?â€
“I wanted to see. She’s got a birth record, you know? Calista Malloy grew up here. She went to school. She’s in the yearbook. She had library books that were overdue. And now she has friends that are missing her.â€
“So?†I said, “It just means that they are really good at building a fake identity. They went the extra mile so that anyone who looks closely will see. Calista Malloy didn’t exist a week ago.â€
“You’re sure about that?â€
“What are you asking, Amy? Are you asking if I accidently killed somebody? I didn’t. She was a monster. She was one of them. I don’t know why she didn’t regenerate. Maybe I hit her in the exact right spot. Maybe she just didn’t feel like coming back. I don’t know. But I’m not crazy! Okay?â€
O’Brien walked up and gave me a big hug, then said, “I’m sorry.â€
I had no idea at the time that it would be the last thing she ever said to me. After she walked out those doors, I never saw or heard from her again.
I was frustrated for a lot of reasons, not the least of which the fact that Jerry would send me a package this way. He knew I had a touchy relationship with packages. But whatever he’d sent, I knew it would be important.
Inside the box were two things. On top, there was a note.
“Hey Jack, it’s me.
By now, you’re probably aware of what’s going on. They’re everywhere. They can look like anyone. And they want you dead. Luckily, I found a way for you to tell who is and who isn’t replaced.
No need to thank me. Just stay alive.
Good luck.â€
I was way less excited about the other thing in the box.
What?
What is this?
Why?
Why would he send me this?!
I took the severed human head and put it on ice right away. It wasn’t until a couple days later that I discovered its real purpose. He was absolutely right. The head knew. It knew everything. The disembodied head could talk to me, and it would tell me things. The head was just like my own personal Russian radio. As long as I could keep it from decomposing, I just might have a fighting chance. But I knew I needed to keep it a secret because if anyone listening knew about my secret weapon, well, I don’t even want to imagine how bad things might get around here.
Benjamin reached across the table and grabbed what was left of the bottle. He took a huge gulp, then slammed it down, and said, “You mean to tell me that those things have been going around infecting people, building a goddamn army, and for some convenient reason, they haven’t managed to come in here and kill you yet?â€
“I know! How lucky can one guy be?â€
“Why isn’t Jerry here?â€
“He left, and I have no idea where he went. I assume that’s the way he wants it. For once, he was smart enough to get out while the getting was good. I’m pretty sure he’s still alive, though. After all, he sends me some helpful things in the mail every now and again.â€
“And the doctor?â€
“I haven’t heard from him since that day. And he doesn’t mail me anything. I think he actually figured out how-â€
I froze.
“What?†Benjamin asked.
“Did you hear that?â€
He raised his handgun and pulled back the hammer, following my gaze to the back door. We sat in silence for a moment, until he looked back at me and mouthed the word “What?â€
I whispered, “I think we might be in trouble,†before getting to my feet, grabbing Ricardo, and slowly starting towards the exit with the bat on my shoulder.
Benjamin caught up and blocked me off.
“Just where do you think you’re going?â€
“I was going to check it out.â€
“I should kill you for being so careless, but I’m sure that’ll self-correct on its own as soon as I leave.â€
“Yeah,†I said. “You’re probably right.â€
He let out a long, sad breath and held out his weapon in front of me, “Here. Take this.â€
“Are you serious?†I asked. “Why… do people… keep... giving... me... guns?â€
“Just keep it pointed at the ground and try not to shoot either of us, okay?†With the sound of a shink he pulled a knife from his belt that was big enough to make even his giganto-hands look delicate by comparison. I’d say it might could be classified as a sword, if we wanted to get technical. Benjamin danced the blade around in his fingertips before gripping it tightly by the handle. With a big smile, he turned and said, “Stay close.â€
I propped Ricardo next to the wall and held the handgun with both hands as we stepped out back into the sticky night air. A cloud of mayflies was swarming the single light fixture over the back door, and Benjamin scanned the area before gesturing that it was safe for me to follow. I walked up next to him and gazed out into the darkness.
“See anything?†he asked.
“No, but-†I raised the heavy gun and pointed it at the dumpster, “I’m pretty sure I heard something.â€
I took a few steps before Benjamin clamped his enormous paw onto my shoulder and yanked me back.
“Stay,†he barked. “If there’s something in there, what are you going to do? Hope it chokes on you?â€
I took a step to the side and waved my arm towards the dumpster. “After you, then.†With a cocky smile, Benjamin raised his sword-knife and took slow, deliberate, quiet steps forward.
My heart was pounding loud enough for me to hear it. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. This was going to suck. Bad.
Right as he got to the dumpster, he reached his hand out, and I closed my eyes.
SHUNK!
A blood-curdling scream and then…
SHUNK!
Another, just as loud and grizzly as the first.
As much as I would have loved to keep them shut, I opened my eyes because I had to. I had to see the damage and make a plan.
The first bear trap snapped around his right leg, the teeth digging into the meat just south of his knee. The second trap went off after he hit the ground. He must have used his knife hand to catch his fall, because the blade was a few yards away in a pile of high grass and the second trap was clamped down around the middle of his right arm.
He instinctively tried to crawl away from the traps with his good limbs. I yelled out, “Don’t! You’re not going to want to do that!†But then-
CLANG.
Another scream.
The chain attaching the traps to the dumpster had abruptly run out of slack. He fell onto his back and grunted loudly as I tiptoed closer to him.
“FUUUCK!†he screamed into the sky.
“Yeah,†I said. “I know that must hurt like all holy hell. I’m really sorry about it.â€
Through gritted teeth he forced out the words, “You KNEW about the traps?â€
He was bleeding like crazy, turning the area into a puddle of blood mud. I gave him an answer that I doubt he was expecting:
“I planted them.â€
“I’m going to ****ing kill you.â€
Where have I heard that before?
“Okay.†I said.
“Help me with this!†His right arm was clearly broken, but that didn’t stop him from trying to pry open the trap with his free hand. It was a valiant effort, but ultimately an impossible task.
“That’s not going to work,†I said, trying to use a soothing voice to calm him down.
“Then give me the ****ing gun so I can shoot the chains free!â€
He reached for me, but I was careful to stand just out of range.
“That’s not going to work, either.â€
“Don’t just stand there like a *******! Do something! Help me!â€
I lifted the heavy gun and pointed it at the center of his chest. From this distance, it would be nearly impossible to miss. But leave it to me to mess up something this easy. I didn’t want to do it at all, but it was way better than leaving him to wail and thrash and hurt himself worse until he completely bled out.
“I’m sorry.â€
He screamed at me, “What the **** are you doing?!â€
“Just close your eyes. Not to brag, but I’ve gotten pretty good at this.â€
“Wait, Jack, hold on a second. Talk to me. You’re confused, right? Let’s not do something you’re going to regret.â€
“Look, whoever you are, I know you’re not the real Benjamin.â€
He screamed wildly, calling for help.
I started screaming, too, mimicking him. We both screamed at the top of our lungs, calling loudly, desperately, begging anyone who could hear us to please god send some help. After our voices had both nearly given out, I explained it to him:
“Nobody can hear you out here. Nobody will hear the gunshot either. We’re just too far away. This isn’t the first time I’ve caught one of your kind. Heck. I’ve buried dozens of you by now.â€
I pointed at the rows of raised dirt lined up outside the back doors.
“Okay kid. Listen to me, you don’t know what’s happening. You have mental problems.â€
“I don’t disagree. But the head in the box clocked you as soon as you came in.â€
“The what?!â€
“The head in the box. Behind the counter. He talks to me. And he can tell when somebody is real and when they’re… like you. The second you walked through the doors, he told me you were part of the invasion.â€
“Take a ****ing second and reflect on what you just said. A severed head in a box told you that I’m a pod person and that’s good enough for you to kill me?â€
“Wow, when you put it like that, it really does sound crazy, doesn’t it?â€
“Let’s think about this. If I were one of those copies, I had a hundred chances to kill you already. Why wouldn’t I have done that?â€
“Oh, I’m starting to think that you can’t kill me. I’m starting to think that nothing can kill me. After all the times I’ve been in death’s mouth and had him spit me back out, I’m starting to think that either you can’t get me, or you aren’t allowed to hurt me, so you’re trying to get me to do it myself. I don’t know why. I’m not Hannibal Smith with the plans here. I’m just a guy. I don’t want to be the last line of defense against a world-ending invasion of the body snatchers, but everybody else is gone now so I have to stay here and do this all by myself. Which means I have to make the bad decisions like this because if I don’t, you guys will finally get the gas station. I don’t know how or why this place is so important, but I know you need it and as long as I’m alive you can’t have it and anyone you send to take it from me is going to end up in a shallow grave out back. Do you understand now, Benjamin?â€
He pushed himself upright and looked me in the eyes. “I understand. You’re all alone here. Hey, it’s enough to make anybody lose their marbles, and you weren’t exactly starting at the same baseline as the rest of us. You need a friend. Help me out of this and I’ll stay with you, and we’ll get through this thing together. I promise.â€
I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and crouched down just out of arm’s reach.
“That’s funny. That’s exactly what the first one said.â€
“The first what?â€
“The first Benjamin clone. Each iteration is a little better than the last. And you’re absolutely amazing. You look and sound and smell just like him. It freaks me the hell out having to make this judgment call because I know how many times I’ve gotten important decisions wrong. Every time I trust an ally he turns out to be lying to me. Every time I want to kill a demon, he turns out to be a misunderstood good guy. I’m ****ing terrible when it comes to judging character. But Benjamin, the real Benjamin, would never let me catch him with an old-fashioned trap like this. And he did once make a really good point about making peanut-butter and smashing nuts.â€
I flicked through the options on my screen until I got to my photo gallery and found what I was looking for. I held the screen out towards him so he could see.
I had taken another picture in this exact same spot not too long ago. The body in this photo was Benjamin’s. On the ground. A bullet wound in his chest. I flicked to the next picture, taken a few days later. Another Benjamin. New clothes. Same spot. Same wound. I flicked to the next picture, taken a couple days ago. Another Benjamin. Same spot. This time I was clumsy and it took a few shots before I managed to hit the heart. It was messy, and I wasn’t proud of it.
“So,†I said, “Still think I’m crazy? And if not, what do you have to say for yourself?â€
He held up his good hand in a pose of surrender and said, “Okay, okay, I see what’s going on. Those were clones. I believe you. But me? I’m the real deal. They must have set this whole thing up to trick you into killing me. They’re ****ing with both of us.â€
I pulled the trigger.
He coughed and shook and in a few seconds, he was on his back, completely still.
I got to work quickly. I had to. Just in case he was a healer like Aggie Sistrunk. There was a can of gasoline behind a tree nearby. I nabbed it and soaked the newest body, then I set it ablaze. While it burned down, I dug another hole next to the other graves, just deep enough to hide the charred corpse, and when I was finished I went inside. I could leave the body until morning, and then I’d drag what was left into the hole to be buried. It was getting to be a simple routine.
Once inside, I heard a familiar voice say “Jack? That you? Are you still alive?â€
“Yeah,†I called out, even though I’m sure he could have heard me even if I didn’t say it outloud. Surely, he could hear my thoughts and that was enough. He’d already shown a willingness and ability to go right inside my head.
I went into the bathroom and washed up, then I proceeded to the front of the store to make myself another cup of coffee.
“You okay?†asked the disembodied head from all the way inside the box behind the counter.
“No,†I answered. “Are you certain that this was another clone? He seemed pretty convinced that he was the real Benjamin.â€
“I’m one-hundred percent sure that it was a clone. You can trust me, you know.â€
“I can’t trust anyone,†I said as I rounded the counter and pulled out the ice chest. I braced for the smell of rotted meat and opened the lid to look the decomposed corpse head right in its eye holes.
The jaw bone wiggled up and down as it formed the words, “Aw, come on dude. Don’t be like that. After all we’ve been through together.â€
ah, yeah.â€
“Hey, can you do me a solid?†the skull asked. It’s lips were barely attached to the muscles, and the state of decay was only one of plenty of reasons why I should not have been able to understand the words coming out of its mouth. But still, I could hear him clear as day, and I could even detect the smile he was trying to form.
“Let me guess. You want a cigarette.â€
He laughed.
I took a pack of Marlboros off the shelf, opened it, fished one out, lit it with a quick puff that made me gag, then put it in the open mouth of the skull.
This had been his favorite brand back when he was still alive. Back before Spencer Middleton killed him and shipped his severed head to the gas station in a package made out to “Mel.â€
It was a nice little trick to get me to open the package, filling out the return address the way he did. Spencer was always looking for a good way to **** me up as bad as him. But I think his last plan backfired hard. Because the head in the box may not be alive, but he’s very talkative. Somehow, he can detect monsters. He tells me who is and isn’t real, and who needs to be taken out back and burned in order to protect the gas station. Spencer surely couldn’t have expected that. And now, I’m really good at killing monsters. And I’m really ****ing motivated.
“Thanks, bud,†said the head in the box as he took a long drag and exhaled into the room.
I smiled and said, “Don’t mention it, Jerry.â€
GSJ
FB


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