© Justin Cumberland 2007

Chapter Thirty

The sun hovered. It had to be disappearing but it seemed to hang suspended as though the day would never end. The world held its breath and waited. Night would come. Somehow, surely, there would be an end to all of this.

The car sped forwards, whipping flickering shadows onto the sides of the road, an elongated monster with an extended lifespan. It would have to die.

Jason stretched his neck to one side and the other. It would be dark soon. He folded his arms across his chest, conscious of Garth on the other side of the car. They hadn’t spoken, of course – not since the gas station – not since the birthday card, really.

‘So how old are you, Jase?’ were the last words.

What could you say? The guy knew the answer.

‘What are you going to do, Garth?’

Garth jerked up in the seat and stared ahead, surprised that Jason had spoken.

‘What?’

‘What are you going to do?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, you can’t hang around, can you? Not with my parents coming back.’

Garth shrugged his shoulders. ‘Are you going to tell them?’

Jason rolled his eyes back and lifted his head slowly to the ceiling. ‘Don’t you want me to?’ he said, speaking at the roof in a monotone, sarcastically, tired of playing the same stupid game.

‘You’re a real smart-arse, aren’t you?’

Jason laughed, staring at the roof. It was funny.

‘Yes,’ he said, turning to Garth. ‘I am.’

‘You’re a fuck.’

The phone rang and Garth hit the dash-screen with his fingertips.

It was the producer. Jason had seen him during the day, over at his high desk in the shadows, off to one side of the stage. He had never caught sight of his face clearly, and, even now, on the screen, it was difficult to make out what he looked like through the network of shadows which hid him. He face was old and craggy and he was at his desk apparently. At least it looked like it.

‘Dad!’ Garth said.

Jason jolted in his seat.

‘I’ve done it, Garth. You should have seen it. It was fucking brilliant. The little shit was brilliant.’

Garth smiled and turned to Jason. He mouthed the words ‘he’s done it.’

Jason frowned.

‘We put him in the butcher shop,’ the producer continued.

‘Tell me all about it, Dad,’ Garth said, adjusting the volume on the phone till the producer’s voice distorted. ‘I want to hear everything.’

‘Well, we had him on a rope, suspended sideways. “Can I have some salami?” the lady said. “I’d like it sliced if you don’t mind.” “Why sure!” Mark swung him back and forth across the slicer. “How much do you want?” “Why I’d like the whole thing.” Slice, slice, slice.’ The producer made a motion with his hands. ‘You should have heard the little shit scream! He wouldn’t take the fucking pain blockers. That was funny! It was the funniest noise I’ve ever heard. And there was blood going everywhere – all over the both of them – all over the poor dear. But she did a good job – a consummate actress, Leslie. “Can I have some meatballs too?” she said. “How many would you like?” “Why only a couple. I’m a lady living alone, don’t you see?” She battered her eyelids. You would have sworn she didn’t even see the fuck there. He was swinging everywhere and spraying blood onto her fucking face.

‘Mark reached in and just grabbed em. Reefed the fucking things out of the kid’s sack. He stretched the cords out till they broke and frowned as they snapped back in. The noise! Oh, you’ll have to hear it! I sent the tapes through. Sent them to your young protégé there.’

‘I’m not his fucking protégé,’ Jason said.

The producer ignored him. ‘Anyway. “Did you hear something?” Mark said. “A cat?” the lady replied. A cat! A fucking cat!’ The producer laughed. ‘Fuck she’s quick. He would have hated that – having some woman there. He would have fucking hated that!

‘“I’ll go on,” he said. ‘The kid could hardly speak. I threw my head back. I couldn’t believe it – two in one fucking day. I’d had an idea. I was never gonna use it but I thought, why the fuck not? Make Garth happy. We blew his fucking arse out Garth – shoved a stick of fucking dynamite up there – blew his whole fucking butt away.

‘“I’ll…go…on.”’ The producer laughed again. ‘I’ll go on! Did he think he was going to win?’

‘Who knows?’ Garth said. ‘He’s a strange one.’

‘He didn’t win. He got what was fucking well coming to him. Who did he think he was?’

Garth shrugged. ‘You son?’

‘I cut his feet off. I cut his fucking hands off. We had a Jesus there. Do you see the fucking irony in that? “Did this hand offend thee?” The little shit nodded. “What about this hand? How about this foot? What about his one?” And he played the fucking game!’

Garth shook his head.

‘“I’ll go on,” he said afterwards. It was like he gained strength. “I’d like to go on.” Larry almost cried.

‘Did you let him?’

‘Of course I fucking let him! Do you think I’m unmerciful? I slid him down a fucking blade. Made it as quick as I could – but still, we had to seal him up again. He just wouldn’t fucking die. He had a split up his fucking middle – right up to his fucking navel.’ The producer made a motion with his hand.

‘What did you do?’

‘We tore him apart. Put a bale hook on either side and attached the fucking catapults. We drew and halved him. He split in fucking three! His fucking head popped off and hit the stage while his sides went flying. He fucking well looked at me. A real Marie Antoinette! Let him eat cake! That’s what I say!’

‘Let him eat it and have it,’ Jason said.

‘What?’

‘Let him eat it and have it, you fucking prick.’

‘Don’t speak to me like that, penis-head.’

Jason turned away. The guy thought he was funny.

Todd was dead; and the guy was making jokes.

Jason looked out at the landscape, desolate and wasted. He could hear Garth talking. He was wrapping up the call but Jason paid no attention. The sun was going down, dipping below the horizon and extinguishing itself at the end of another day. Darkness fell over the land.

‘I think I’ll wander to and fro,’ Garth said.

‘What?’

‘You asked me what I’m going to do. I think I’ll wander to and fro upon the earth.’

‘That sounds like you.’

‘It’s my job,’ Garth said.

‘You don’t have a job, Garth.’

‘Of course I have a fucking job. Where do you think you’d be without me? I’m a necessary evil. You really should read your bible, Jase.’

Jason turned to look at him. He wanted to see Garth’s face. He wanted to look at the stupid fuck and see his face; but the lights on the dash were broken and Garth had become a hollow shadow in the darkness, hunched forward on the wheel, driving them homeward and into the night.