Unlikely Hero 11

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Unlikely Hero -112

End of chapter ten3

Last night, long after Kayla had finally given up attempting to coax him into opening his door, Garth had killed and killed and killed…. He transferred his anger to the Atari game system. His fingers moved rapidly on the controller while the little round heads with their big teeth chomped their way across the TV screen. Eyes fogged by angry tears, the nine year old soon saw the targets as people and a number of them wore Kayla’s face.4

“Hugh’s right! Hugh’s right! You’re scared!” Her words mixed and mingled in his mind with rancid thoughts. ‘Ugly, fuckin’ bitch!’ He’d show her-- scared. Kill the wench! Chop her, gobble her, tear her apart! And his Pacmen joyfully continued to chomp. Garth wasn’t certain when they ceased to be little yellow heads and became images of full-grown men. The Ghostly men marched across the TV screen, arms flung wide, and the blades in their grasps striking out at their targets. The tears on Garth’s cheeks dried causing the skin to pucker and itch. He rubbed at them. The intensive stare made Garth’s eyes burn. Kayla’s fairness soon blurred into Leona’s darkness. The heroes were red with the blood splattering them and Leona still screeched, ‘Gareee’. 5

Over and over, “Gareee…Garee….” It grew to a loud pounding noise in his head. “Sure, you’ll rot an’ die in a prison like ‘im.” Leona would get him--drag him back. Drag him back to die in prison. Stupid he was, bloody stupid, to think it could be different. His Uncle Matt couldn’t save him. America wouldn’t save him. They had followed him here. There would be nowhere to run. There would be nowhere to hide and not a soul to help him. He’d die in the bloody prison even if his pa was no longer with the heroes. 6

He wasn’t aware that when he staggered half-asleep to collapse on Joel’s bed, his heroes had become Pacmen again waiting patiently for him to resume the game. ‘Gareee’ Leona wouldn’t shut up! Grabbing the pillow he jammed it over his head.7

Garth woke late to a quiet house; it was so silent he found himself creeping down the back stairs. The anger gone now, the child had a sudden need for companionship.8

He plopped at the table in the dinette. He shifted the sugar bowl so the cover rattled making as much noise as he could. About to start on the napkin holder, he let his hand fall away when Darlene came though the kitchen entrance. 9

“So the prince is finally up.” She smiled with her toothy mouth. “I suppose you want something special for breakfast?”10

“Where’s Kayla?”11

“She doesn’t check in with me. You could say good morning.” 12

Garth leaned his elbows on the table and propped his chin up with his palms. “Yeah, right, good mornin’. ”13

“That wasn’t so hard?” Darlene said. “I believe Kayla mentioned to Hugh, she was going into the office. She’d be back by noon. Could I interest you in waffles, the batter’s made.”14

“Rather have sausage and eggs—scrambled ones and lots of toast with jam. Where’s Joel?” He called out for she was already moving back into the kitchen.15

“Helping Hugh. Some boys do have chores.”16

Garth heard the phone ring. It didn’t matter much; she was always talking on the phone. He couldn’t hear what she was saying, but felt better just hearing Darlene talking pleasantly to someone. Then she called out. “Garth, your uncle’s on the phone.”17

The boy flew into the kitchen and nearly tore the receiver from her hand. “Uncle Matt! When you coming home?18

“Why so long?” He continued to listen to Mathew’s explanation. He tried to justify his own actions when Mathew asked why he’d become so upset the previous night. “We were having a great time. Kayla is lots of fun and we been doing things together—all three of us. I know. But I didn’t want it to stop. Okay. I’ll behave.”19

When he finally hung up he glared at the squealer. Darlene’s toothy smile surfaced. “If you hadn’t blew up last night,” she said. “You would have gotten your way.” She dumped his scrambled eggs onto the plate that held four sausage links, crispy the way he liked them. “I couldn’t see anything wrong with Joel staying in your room. He wanted to and you liked having him there. I told Mathew that. I assured him I’d set things right today.”20

‘Yeah, sure.’ Garth followed her as she carried his breakfast plate into the dinette. He figured his Uncle Matt told her what to do. “Joel and I have fun together,” he said. 21

“And that’s fine.” She set his food on the table. “But you are both still children. You better apologize to Hugh and Kayla for the names you called them.”22

Garth slipped into his chair. “Looks good,” he said. “Is Kayla awful mad at me?”23

“She’ll get over it. She already told me she has a surprise for you boys for this afternoon. Now eat before it gets cold. Then you had better shower and change. What did you do, sleep in your clothes?”24

The ABC news building was still a half a block away. Kayla’s second ‘Hail Mary’ was tapering off into ‘blessed is the fruit of thy womb…’ when a sign flicked on in the window at her right. She made a rapid choice and headed to the door. Instantly she regretted the action. The fellow she pushed by had to be sixty or better. Her eyes flitted nervously around the empty café and came back to rest on the short, plump and balding man who offered her a “Good morning.”25

When she turned around she saw the four youths doing their jiving outside the window. The door stood open; its iron security bars having slid back against the wall it offered entrance to all. What a damn fool. She hadn’t found sanctuary. She’d simply offered up a second victim.26