The Dominant Hand Read online

  The man was taller than the other two, thicker and he looked stronger. He glanced down at Sean, then at Hefner.

  “What’s going on?”

  “None of your concern, Robbie,” Hefner said.

  “Why is he even here? I didn’t approve this,” Robbie said, taking a few steps toward Sean so that he stood in between the boy and the other men.

  “We are all Lions, Robbie. We don’t have to consult with you,” Brian said, ducking into the tent and closing the flap behind him. “Plus, we needed insurance.”

  “The Prophet is coming tonight,” Robbie said, turning toward Hefner. Hefner shrank away from Robbie. Sean could tell that both men were afraid of Robbie.

  “Sean,” Robbie said, holding his hand out to the boy. “You’re coming with me.”

  “The boy stays in the compound,” Brian said. “You can take him, but we need him for tonight.”

  Robbie glanced at Brian, then at Hefner who was still standing, but had backed to the other side of the tent.

  “Fine,” Robbie said. “But he’s not staying with Hefner.”

  Robbie motioned outside and a young teenage boy quickly ducked his head into the tent.

  “This is Andy,” Robbie said, introducing the teen. “Go with him, Sean; he will keep you safe.”

  Sean jumped up and took the teenager’s hand. Hefner grabbed Sean’s arm.

  “Back off!” Robbie snarled. For a moment, Hefner met Robbie’s eyes, but Hefner lost his nerve and let go.

  Robbie followed Sean and the teenager as they left the tent. Hefner waited a few moments and then followed.

  “What gives you the right to talk to me like that?” Hefner shouted, but Robbie didn’t turn around. “I am a Lion! These are my people. I have kept them alive, what have you done?”

  Sean looked back at Hefner.

  “We are at the end!” Hefner called. “The resolution nears, I have kept the Prophet’s flock, as I promised! Who cares about our actions in this world, when we are preparing to do something as important as saving civilization? We must seize the last hours of this existence, enjoy all the vices we can, because we do not know what comes next!”

  Sean couldn’t tell who Hefner was talking to anymore. All the people who passed by kept their eyes down like children afraid of being called on by the teacher. Sean looked over at Andy and Robbie, and he was certain he couldn’t trust them either. He decided he had to find a way to get back to Junior.

  The teenager stopped at a green pup tent, zipped open the flap and motioned for Sean to go in.

  “Stay there,” Robbie called as Sean crawled into the tent. “You’re safe in there, okay?”

  The flap zipped closed, leaving Sean alone. He curled his knees up to his chest again. He listened to the teenager sit down a few feet away from the tent. He could hear Hefner still shouting outside, and pressed his hands over his ears to drown out the man’s voice.

  Sean saw a silhouette pass along the outside of the tent and then lean up close. It was a tall man crouched over. Sean backed away from the shadow.

  “Sean,” a voice called softly.

  Sean watched the silhouette.

  “Sean,” it repeated. “My name is Charles Martin. You don’t know me, but I know you. I’m going to get you out of here.”

  Sean kept his distance.

  “Do you hear me?” the voice whispered louder. “Listen, you don’t have to trust me, but I will get you out of here. I think Robbie might be trying to help you, too, but I’m not sure how long his people can protect you. I’ve got some help though.”

  “Junior?” Sean whispered, then looked over to where the teenager had sat. He couldn’t see the kid through the tent fabric and hoped he hadn’t heard.

  “No,” Charles said. “Well, not yet.”

  “Get him please,” Sean said. “He’s my friend; he will help. He was in the army.”

  “Okay,” Charles said. He started to crawl away, but stopped. “I was in the Marine Corps, you know.”

  “Really?” Sean asked.

  “Well, sort of,” Charles replied. “I was in boot camp, but I had this … it’s complicated.”

  “Um, okay,” Sean mumbled.

  “I’ll get Junior and his father if I can, but one way or another, I’m getting you out before tonight, okay?”

  “Okay,” Sean replied.

  Sean could hear the grass crinkle and shuffle as the man crawled away. Sean buried his head into his knees and tried to draw his mother’s face in his mind.

  Jack Daniels

  Watching Orchid play with her dog, Brucey, made JD sick to his stomach. He was setting up the sound at the outdoor stage while Orchid wrestled a tennis ball out of Brucey’s mouth. She was wearing a fairy costume she’d made out of old pale blue sheets, with little wings made out of wire hangers. One wing was bigger than the other, but she liked it. JD was glad she brought Brucey, though. Considering what he’d seen earlier in the woods, every bit of protection would help.

  He was also glad she had decided not to dress the dog up for Halloween. JD was having enough trouble processing everything without giving Austin more ammunition. He’d asked Austin to take a day off from his engine shop to help set up the stage, and now regretted it since Austin hadn’t stopping giving JD shit.

  “That’s just funnier than hell, man,” Austin mumbled, as JD watched Orchid wave. JD half-waved without bothering to put down the duct tape. “Why’s she here anyway?”

  JD took a deep breath and shook his head. He held down a cord with one hand while ripping off a piece of duct tape with his mouth. He dropped the roll and then put the piece over the cord.

  “She says she wants me to be a part of their pack,” JD grumbled, not looking up at Austin.

  Austin chuckled as he walked to a box to find another cord. He dug through and finally found a wound-up cord he liked and brought it back.

  “So, you know how they say every pack has to have an alpha male?” Austin asked.

  “Shut up.”

  “My only question is …”

  “Shut up, Austin.”

  “Is it gonna be you or the dog?”

  Austin let out a whinnying laugh as JD punched him in the shoulder. Austin flinched, but didn’t stop laughing.

  JD smiled, but couldn’t stop thinking about the woods. He considered talking to Austin about the guys tied up in the forest, but he decided not to get him involved.

  “My precious Honeybee!” Orchid called, from almost a football field away.

  There were about twenty other people working around the stage, and they all stopped to look at JD.

  “Oh, Honeybee!” Orchid called again, this time in a sing-songy voice. “How long until you’re done? Brucey and I want to have a picnic!”

  “I’ll let you know!” JD called back, his voice accidentally mimicking Orchid’s sing-song. He gritted his teeth, looked at Austin. “Don’t say a fucking thing.”

  Austin shrugged and chuckled.

  For her part, Orchid was satisfied and went back to spinning in circles and letting the dog jump to nab the ball from her hand.

  “Don’t let us stop you, Honeybee,” a tech sang. “Brucey’s waiting for you.”

  The laughter came, and JD just grabbed his duct tape and kept working. His face was warm and sweating, but he wasn’t going to react.

  “Seriously, JD,” Austin mumbled. “Why don’t you go get something to eat with her? I’ll keep working here and when you get back I’ll go eat. OK?”

  “You sure?” JD asked, standing up.

  “Oh, I’m sure.”

  JD handed the duct tape to Austin and wiped his brow with his sleeve. He took a few steps toward Orchid, but stopped.

  “Austin,” JD said, walking back to him.

  “Yeah?”

  “I want you to get out of here as soon as you’re done,” JD whispered. “Don’t worry about breaking it down at the end of the night.”

  “Why?”

  “Just do it, okay?” JD said. “And t
ake Orchid and the dog with you.”

  “Sure, man.”

  JD turned and walked off to meet Orchid. The workers were still giving him sideward smirks and chuckles.

  “Go do that photosynthesis thing with her so she’ll leave us the hell alone,” Austin called, louder than he needed to.

  “What?” JD asked.

  “Photosynthesis,” Austin repeated. “Sex, man, I want you to have sex with her.”

  “Right,” JD mumbled.

  ******

  Orchid knelt down on the quilt next to Brucey, who was sleeping on his back, legs suspended in the air and his testicle-free private parts exposed to the world. Orchid was nibbling on an all-organic peanut butter sandwich. She ate like a rabbit, with small bites, chewing quickly. JD was lying on his back, looking at her thin legs, wishing she’d shave off the little blond hairs sprouting out.

  “Honeybee,” she said softly.

  “Yeah,” he replied, glancing up at her.

  “Are you embarrassed by me?” she asked.

  “Only when you call me ‘Honeybee’ in front of twenty guys I don’t know,” JD replied with a grin, running his foot along hers.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “Do you not want me to come around anymore when you’re working?”

  JD sat up and looked at her steadily. She frowned and diverted her attention to his long ponytail. She ran her fingers over it while he looked down at her.

  “Listen, I don’t care what the guys think of me, okay?”

  “Okay,” she whispered, not looking up. “I’m sorry I’m so weird.”

  “Hey,” he said softly, taking her face in his hands. “You’re my kind of weird, okay?”

  “Okay,” she whispered, with a smile.

  He leaned in and kissed her, and nudged her back until she was laying down. She giggled and then smirked up at him. The smile faded while she watched him.

  “Something’s bothering you,” Orchid said. “I can feel it.”

  JD sighed and laid down next to her.

  “Yeah, things are getting complicated out here,” JD said. “I was supposed to stick around and maybe play tonight, but I’m not so sure anymore.”

  “Why?”

  “Just getting complicated,” JD mumbled. “I want you to clear out of here in a little bit.”

  “Why?” Orchid asked nervously.

  “It’s not you,” JD whispered, rolling over to look her in the eyes. “Things aren’t right here. I’ve seen some things and I might have to do something about it. I need you to get out of here. I’m worried that it’s going to get bad tonight.”

  “But …”

  “No,” JD whispered. “Please, I don’t want to have to worry about you if something goes bad, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Branches rustled behind JD, and he turned around to see a figure crouched amid the bushes. The dog rolled to his feet and jogged over to growl.

  “Can I help ya?” JD called, standing up.

  “Jack?” the figure called, straightening to look over the leaves, then backing from the dog. “It’s me, Charles.”

  JD focused and remembered the face as a journalist he used to know. The guy’s clothes were dirty and ripped in places and he had dried blood on his neck.

  “What happened to you?” JD asked.

  “I’ll tell you later. Do you have a hunting knife, bolt cutters or anything? I kind of got my car stuck and I need to cut it out of some shrubs.”

  “Where?”

  “It’s a long story, but I need something that can cut through thick rope.”

  “I thought you said you were stuck in shrubs?”

  “Like I said,” Charles shrugged. “Long story.”

  JD glanced back at Orchid.

  “I’ll pay you if you want,” Charles said.

  “You’re not planning on doing something to the stage, are you?” JD asked.

  “God, no,” Charles replied with a nervous chuckle. “Like I said, I’m kind of stuck and need to cut my way out. Please, I’ll return them or pay you for them.”

  JD ran his hand over his hair while he thought. He nodded, then walked back to Orchid.

  “Baby, you know where those big cutters are in the back of my truck?” JD asked Orchid.

  “I think so.”

  “Can you run and get them for me?”

  “Sure, Honeyb … sure, baby,” she replied. She hopped to her feet and kissed JD on the cheek. “Come on, Brucey.”

  The dog trotted behind Orchid, checking back over its shoulder to watch Charles.

  “I’m not giving you my knife,” JD grumbled. “You can have these cutters though. I’ll warn you, they’re pretty worn out.”

  “I appreciate it. I’ll get them back to you, I promise.”

  “Don’t go out of your way,” JD said, picking up Orchid’s backpack. “Are you hungry? We got an extra sandwich.”

  “Are you sure?” Charles asked.

  JD pulled out a sandwich wrapped in plastic and tossed it to Charles. He unwrapped it and ate quickly.

  “All right,” JD said, dropping the backpack. “What’s really going on?”

  Charles finished chewing and looked up at JD. He took a few moments to consider his answer.

  “I went to the campground,” Charles said. “Things are getting kind of crazy out there.”

  “Okay?”

  “I need those cutters to get friends of mine out of there.”

  “The ones out by the clearing?” JD asked.

  “You saw them?”

  “Yeah, I saw some people tied up,” JD said. “Wasn’t sure what to do about it. They got some crazy rituals here so they could have been there by choice for all I know.”

  “Well, these people aren’t.”

  Brucey came running back to JD and then jammed his snout into Charles’s crotch. Orchid was jogging behind him with the large bolt cutters clutched tightly in both hands.

  “Thank you, baby,” JD said, kissing Orchid and then taking the cutters.

  JD walked to Charles and he held out the cutters. Charles stuffed the rest of the sandwich in his mouth and then grabbed them. JD didn’t let go.

  “Do you need any help getting your car out?” JD asked.

  Charles glanced at Orchid and the dog. He chewed and swallowed the last of the sandwich.

  “Naw, you got enough going on here,” Charles smiled. “It’s only really a one-man job.”

  JD let go and Charles walked back through the trees the way he’d come.

  “What was that all about, Honeybee?” Orchid asked.

  “I don’t know,” JD answered. “Remember what I said about getting out of here?”

  “Yeah, Honeybee.”

  “Well, I think now’s the time.”

  JD helped Orchid roll up the quilt and carried it back to JD’s truck.

  A group of men, all wearing kilts, were waiting for him. Most of them had beards, some thin and spotty and some bushy and unkempt. A man with a braided goatee wore a T-shirt that read “What a Wookie!”

  “Where are you going?” the man with the Wookie shirt asked. He was more muscular than the others with huge biceps and stalky legs, but he still looked ridiculous to JD.

  “I got to get her home,” JD said. “I’ll be back soon.”

  “You need to finish first,” he replied.

  “Who are you?” JD asked, walking past the men and throwing the backpack into the bed of the truck.

  “You can call me ‘Vader.’ I’m the one who’s paying you, and I’m saying you gotta finish first.”

  JD turned around and looked over the men.

  “I’ll be right back, man; it’s just up the road. Fifteen minutes and I’m back,” JD said, turning away and opening the door to the truck. One of the other men pushed the door closed.

  “Back the fuck off!” JD snarled.

  “Come with me,” Vader said casually, holding out his arm.

  JD motioned for Orchid to get in the truck on the driver’s side. Brucey le
aped into the bed. Vader put his arm around JD’s shoulder and led him away from the truck.

  “We have some more stuff for you to do,” Vader said.

  “Like what?” JD asked, glancing over at Austin, who was watching with a hammer in his hand.

  “We need some flares or something like that. Maybe fireworks.”

  “I’m a sound guy,” JD answered. “I don’t do pyrotechnics.”

  “Well, let me tell you why we need them,” Vader said as he led JD away from the stage. “Do you see that path between the trees?”

  JD looked at a small trail that wasn’t even big enough for a car to drive through. It was worn from foot traffic.

  “Sure.”

  “Well, we are going to have a procession leading through that path after the show. We’d like to have flares to light up, at that moment, to guide the people.”

  “You can’t do that,” JD said. “This field is all dead grass and it hasn’t rained much lately; it would catch fire.”

  “You know people. Call someone who could figure something out.”

  “I don’t have a cell phone,” JD said. “If you let me take my girl home, I’ll see if I can get someone out here for you.”

  Vader lifted a cell phone out of his pocket.

  “You can call someone.”

  JD took the phone and the man lifted his arm off JD’s shoulders. He began walking back to the group.

  “Oh, and one other thing,” Vader said, turning back to JD. “Have you seen a journalist named Charles Martin? He’s in his thirties with a shaved head.”

  JD shrugged.

  “You know who I’m talking about, don’t you?” Vader asked.

  “Sure,” JD answered. “The guy who used to write for the Gazette?”

  “If you see him, let us know, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Marcus

  There was an order to returning to the store, a process of putting Marcus’s life back into motion.

  I. Arrive early, preferably at nine a.m. Turn on lights.

  II. Turn on coffee pot. Three scoops of coffee, six cups of water.

  III. Use restroom after first cup and once more before unlocking door.

  IV. Check used CDs rack. The used CD’s rack content has some leniency, but it still says something about the store. It tells the consumer what you, as a store, are willing to trade or buy from consumers.