Inanimate Page 11

  “The Eye” flicked his fingers onto his chin, stroking at it, over exaggerating his ponder, he mused to himself quietly while Connor watched.

  “Why don’t you just open the door and let me out, I’ll find the ones that harmed my dad.”

  “The Eye” halted his finger movements and smiled at Connor

  “I’m sure you would kid. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do not doubt your sincerity or your determination. No, I would never dream of that. But realistically, I couldn’t let you out. Well I mean I could, but there wouldn’t be much point.”

  “Why?” asked Connor stubbornly.

  “Dynamics my young friend! If I let you out now, they would be out looking for you by morning and they would most probably catch you by lunchtime since you would be all alone against many. Not only that, some of these people, these liars, these murderers, they live in completely different areas; some in the city, some in Staunton. It could take you days or longer to do the job. They would definitely catch you by then.”

  “The Eye” paused a moment before continuing.

  “I would probably have to give you bus fare as well! Couldn’t have a boy your age hitch-hiking your way to Staunton, there are a lot of bad people out there you know. No no no, what you need are friends. Friends who can be invisible and deadly at the same time.”

  As if coming to his realization mid-sentence “The Eye” gestured towards Connor’s dolls as he continued.

  “Friends who no-one would suspect, who are controllable and can blend into their surroundings... You play quite a lot don’t you Connor?”

  “I used to.”

  “Well, I think you should start ‘playing’ again. It’s time those toys got to live again Connor, this time outside of that active imagination of yours.”

  Connor looked down at his dolls all scattered along the floor (Dixie caused quite a mess when he entered the room). “The Eye” slowly started flicking his fingers as if he were pulling on invisible puppet strings. He created a silent energy which pulled the dolls together. In unison they slid to one point in the room, gracefully sitting up and facing Connor, ready for “playtime”. Connor was bewildered. His little eyes sparkled with interest. Unable to remove them from Basket’s round black eyes he spoke softly.

  “But these are just toys, what can they do? And I don’t even know who’s to blame. How will I know who’s responsible.”

  Speaking equally as soft, selling the deal to the youngster “The Eye” replied.

  “The dolls will know. I will give them the knowledge and they will seek out the bad people. I will also grant them strength as well as knowledge. They will be crafty and dangerous…but not invincible. No, that would make things too easy.”

  “The Eye” moved silently behind Connor and placed his hands gently on the boy’s shoulders.

  “I will transport them to an area of town where they will divide and conquer. You will have the choice to watch, or to control them individually, all with the power of a device I will give you.”

  Enthralled in the idea, Connor was staring right through Basket. The thought of his dolls coming to life to help him was intoxicating.

  “You can do all that?” Connor finally asked.

  “I can do anything I want.”

  Bringing himself back from his fantasy, Connor digested the idea. He didn’t want to ask too many questions but he had to ask a couple to make sure he could trust this man.

  “Hold on a second.”

  Connor gently broke the man’s grip and turned to face him.

  “Why are you doing all this? What do you have to gain?”

  Stepping back a little “The Eye” tilted his head, cocked one eye and looked down at Connor.

  “I knew I would like you” he chuckled. “Very good question, and since you asked, let me be blunt. There is a clear injustice going on here. You’ve had a pretty rough life son, first your mom got killed, then your dad’s abusive girlfriend, then the one person you had left got taken away from you and it seems no-one wants to do anything about it. Well, both my employer and myself think that is wrong. And we want to help you do something about it.”

  “Not that I’m ungrateful, but you keep referring to ‘your employer.’ That suggests there is something to be gained from me, by your coming here. I was always told demons were bad. If so then surely your intentions can’t be good…”

  “The Eye” interrupted.

  “So many questions young Connor. Ok, yes there is something to be gained from you. Entertainment. My employer and I are not always good but then we are not always bad either, it is all about perspective. I mean think about it. Normally, watching innocent people die is no fun at all. I mean, they didn’t deserve to die right? But revenge? Now that’s different. The people you would be killing are not innocent; they deserve to pay for what they did to your father. For instance, if you asked a stranger on the street if some young man in a little town should die, nine times out of ten the answer would be no. But if you told them that young man helped kill a little boy’s father then everything changes doesn’t it? And that’s all. That’s all we want. But don’t worry. This isn’t one of those cartoon deals where you trade me your soul for a shot at the big time. It’s pure entertainment, with a little justice thrown in for good measure”.

  Connor looked at the man before him, (the man who was offering to help him kill for the sake of perverted viewing) if he was being honest, he didn’t care what the man’s reasons were, he wanted retribution for his father and it didn’t matter how he got it or who got hurt in the process. Not wanting to seem too eager Connor slowly nodded, releasing the word “Ok” from his pursed lips. The man was ecstatic with Connor’s decision, showing it through a beaming grin.

  “Ok” he said. “Hold out your hand.”

  Connor obeyed, stretching out his little arm then opening out his palm. Taking Connor’s right hand “The Eye” lifted it up and outstretched his index finger. A claw flicked out from where the nail should be and it started to glow red.

  “What’s that?” Connor asked warily.

  “I’m going to give you a remote controlling device!”

  With that he moved the red hot claw to Connor’s palm and started emblazing something onto it. Connor tried his hardest not to cry out with the pain. Swallowing hard enough to squeeze out tears he took the agony silently. When “The Eye” was finished he let Connor’s hand go. Resisting the urge to recoil in pain the boy looked down at his seared flesh. Glowing an un-natural red before fading to black was an intricate drawing of a human eye, complete with a small red pupil. Connor didn’t wipe his face this time; instead he looked straight into the eyes of the man before him.

  “What do I do with this?” he asked, with mission only in mind.

  “You close your eyes, and you squeeze it. Then, you have the power to control your little friends individually, or simply watch the carnage unfold before you. Now, watch closely” instructed “The Eye”.

  He waved his right hand around like a skilled illusionist then waved it across Connor’s face. Once he took his hand away the dolls were all gone, leaving only the two of them in the room. Connor noticed how quiet the room went and turned to see an empty spot where Dixie once stood. Connor turned to “The Eye” excitedly but the man simply smiled, cool as could be, looking right into Connor he uttered only the simplest of explanations:

  “It has begun.”

  CHAPTER 19

  A stray dog sniffed around in a small alleyway, savoring the aromas of the humans’ garbage. Perhaps some meat was in a bag, but all the dog could do was sniff, the dumpster was too high for her. Suddenly, the dog froze, the air had changed. In an instant the dog went from curious and excited to petrified. Something had just arrived inside the dumpster, something evil, and the dog could sense it. Holding still in its place, the dog listened closely. A rustle from inside was enough to send the pooch running off, yapping into the night to anybody who would listen. Nimbly a hand reached up, taking the lip of the dumpster tight
and pulling itself out. In the murky darkness the figure dropped to the tarmac with hardly a noise, landing sweetly it was illuminated only by a solitary streetlight. As the yellow glow from the light washed over the figure it was like he was being born. Stretching back his arms as if rousing from some previously eternal slumber, Basket surveyed the horizon ahead of him. As he stood looking out across the virtually empty parking lot, just outside of the alley, other figures dropped behind him. Silent, as he was, Bear landed gently on the ground. As Basket turned to meet him, Bear’s once black eyes flashed red and claws flicked out from his furry paws. A menacing grin was shared between the two. They were enjoying having life. Clumsily, two small ventriloquist dummies broke the silence by landing hard on the ground. As they got up in unison and looked at one another they start scrapping like impudent children. Betsy and the larger ventriloquist dummy stepped out from the shadows behind the dumpster. Dummy-the largest of the three-glared at the two smaller ones; its head jerked from side to side giving them both angry looks. The two smaller ones quieted down instantly. The larger dummy then looked up at Basket; and with a twist of his head, nodded respectfully. Basket nodded back then looked at Betsy. The well-dressed porcelain doll just looked back at him, life was void in her vacant stare but Basket knew she was fully aware of her surroundings. The last of the additions to the group were a small unit of six army men and Connor’s toy Labrador. The soldiers fell in beside the dummies and stood ready for action. Dog slinked in gently; he seemed the most passive of the bunch. Basket stared right at him. Dog, unable to meet eyes with the clown, lowered his head to avoid the stare. As Basket’s gaze became more intense, the strangest thing happened (even for this particularly strange evening). As if wrestling with some kind of split personality, Dog instantly changed from passive to rabid, his eyes bulged and changed color as he snarled furiously. With Dog’s head violently shaking, Basket simply grinned that evil grin at him and, as quick as he changed he changed back into a totally passive creature. Looking closely at the group before him Basket’s eyes passed from face to face, looking closely at their uniquely devilish expressions. Well, all except for Dog, but Basket was now fully aware how quickly that could change. An overwhelming surge of laughter gripped the clown. Half trying to fight it he sounded like he was choking a little; his stomach tightened and relaxed as he tried to hold it in. Finally, unwilling to hold it in any longer he rolled back his head and let out the most frenzied laugh the town of Staunton had ever heard. Trying to compose himself he sniffed up the last of his guffaws and, with his arm he gestured to the rest of the toys, as if to say “after you”, aiming towards the parking lot leading into town. The street lamps painted shadows all over as the group fanned out across the lot, heading in different directions. As they disappeared, Basket let out one more blood curdling laugh.

  “Did you hear that?”

  Amanda was so startled she almost dropped the popcorn out her hand…but not quite. As Kyle stared at the TV, he didn’t even bother to turn round to answer his girlfriend, who was munching in the kitchenette behind him.

  “Probably the microwave. Do you have something in?”

  Taking the question as an insult Amanda spluttered kernels in offense.

  “You know you snack as much as I do Kyle!”

  Unperturbed, Kyle responded.

  “Do you have something in?”

  Fixing her stare squarely on the back of his head Amanda was forced to answer.

  “This time, yes I do, my popcorn’s dish is almost empty so I’m making more.”

  Kyle simply raised his eyebrows, knowing she could not see him.

  “For $10,000, which country was formerly known as Siam?”

  The voice of the television game show host provided a much appreciated distraction for Kyle, who quietly hated his life.

  “India!”

  Amanda blurted out while her chubby hands removed the popcorn bag and dominated it.

  The kitchenette was deliberately designed in such a way so that Amanda and Kyle could still watched television while making snacks.

  “Thailand?” Answered the contestant nervously.

  “Wrong!”

  Amanda yelled with the tone of a game-show buzzer; while her practiced hands skillfully dodged the steam shooting from the microwave bag.

  “Correct!” The host yelled as the bell dinged.

  Amanda pretended she didn’t notice.

  “Now, for $25,000, which composer created the Brandenburg concertos selected for a spot on the space probe?”

  “Mozart!” Amanda yelled, while Kyle sat staring.

  “Um...Bach?” Said the contestant.

  “Correct! You have just won $25,000!”

  The host was ecstatic, almost more so than the contestant.

  “You should really go on this show.” Kyle said sarcastically.

  “Fuck off!” Amanda snapped as she came into the sitting area with a fresh bowl of buttery popcorn. No sooner had her butt cheeks squashed the couch cushion when the buzzer at the front desk went off. Buzzing for exactly one second at exactly one second intervals, it went nearly twenty times in the time it took Amanda to walk the ten feet to the door.

  “I’m coming for Christ sake!”

  Amanda moaned but when she walked out into the booking area there was no one there except a small ventriloquist dummy with its hand on the buzzer. She stepped over and grabbed it with a lazy swipe. The buzzing stopped; suddenly the only noise was coming from the TV again.

  “Damn kids!”

  Amanda had had trouble with the local kids before; they always found it amusing to press the buzzer, giggling while she waddled out to find an empty room. But this time she saw no kids. Not to be outdone, Amanda moved out into the parking lot, squinting across at the solitary light by the alley. But there was no one there.

  “You fucking kids think it’s funny to play pranks? Why don’t you come over here and I’ll prank your asses back to mama!”

  Never one for wordplay; Amanda wasn’t even really sure what her threat meant; but she felt better knowing she had made it. When she turned around she saw another small ventriloquist dummy propped up against the large glass window, staring right at her. Amanda yelled again.

  “You kids aint getting your stupid dolls back!”

  All this exercise had made her peckish, so it was time to retreat. Through the front again, with the dummies in her hands she waddled through the office. She pushed open the door into the living area and stopped dead, her thighs gelling together when they stopped.

  “Kyle…” She spoke quietly…

  “Stop eating my popcorn!”

  Kyle had his head buried in her popcorn bowl, enraging her to no end.

  “If you have to have some could you at least not eat like a pig!”

  Amanda stormed over to her man to give him a scolding but he didn’t respond.

  “Hey!”

  “Hey!”

  “Hey! Dammit, I’m talking to you!”

  Still with the little dummies in her meaty hands, she shoved at Kyle’s shoulder out of anger. In one fluid motion his head detached, falling over to the ground with the bowl of popcorn following closely. For the first time in her life Amanda was silent. She stepped back, staving off hyper-ventilation temporarily. Kyle’s eyes were shut, his mouth was full of popcorn, he had inhaled a lot before he died. Like some great leviathan rising from the depths of the ocean, Dummy rose from the behind the arm of the couch staring at Amanda with a fire-like intensity. Logic told her to run but her inherent laziness prevented her from doing so; instead she desperately thought of other options. As Amanda dropped the little hitchhikers in her hands, Dummy walked round to the front of the couch. His movements were fairly smooth if only a little robotic. Walking to the head of Kyle he picked it up while Amanda simply stared in horror at the sight unfolding before her. Lifting it up by the hair (letting several chins droop) Dummy reached down below the chin and with a yank of his hand he forced Kyle’s eyes wide open. This was Am
anda’s cue. She screamed uncontrollably and turned to the table behind her grabbing the phone. Her flustered, fatuous digits pounded hard at 9, 1 and 1. Lifting the receiver to her ear while Dummy just watched, she was horrified to find there was no dial tone. One of the smaller dummies stood by the phone connection smiling blankly at her as he had just pulled out the cord. She turned towards the large dummy. Her eyes pleaded for life. Kyle’s mouth dropped open, as did Dummy’s. Kyle’s voice came out the mouth of Dummy, much to the compounding terror of his girlfriend.

  “Come on baby, let’s play”

  With that, Dummy dropped his head and charged the six feet to the rigid woman. Her instincts kicked in as Dummy lunged at her. She tried to pull her body away but she was too late. A strong wooden hand was brought down hard across her face, splitting skin and cracking bone, more than enough to put Amanda down. As she lay on the ground helpless, her hand slipped into her pocket and grabbed her cell phone. With no need to look at what she was doing, her well versed skills allowed her to unlock the device and dial 911 in a last ditch attempt for help.

  “Operator, what is your emergency?”

  Amanda had no time to respond. Dummy sat over the top of her and opened his mouth, exposing two rows of blunt wooden teeth. Leaning over her his mouth opened wide, ready to chomp down on Amanda’s soft face. Black and excited eyes stared deep into her as Dummy moved in for his first taste of human flesh. As it turned out, having your face clamped by powerful jaws was just excruciating enough to make you unable to feel two smaller mouths biting at you as well. Amanda found this out the hard way.

  Oates looked down at the mangled body lying on the floor before him. Face crushed, body chewed, blood soaked the carpet all around it. He turned to the picture snapping coroner behind him and quietly asked.