Hazy
I loved going to drive-ins on Saturday nights right outside of my hometown. My parents started this tradition with my brother and me when we were very little. Every Saturday we would pack a picnic dinner and head on over and watch the double feature. My favorite was always Herbie the Lovebug movies followed by a second feature. Either a cartoon or if we were lucky it was Return to Witch Mountain.
My favorite part of that movie was when Tony would play his harmonica and suddenly all the puppets would come to life. I tried to do that but no matter how many times I sat and stared at my toys they never once budged.
“Mine either” I turned to look at Nick. A very small and young one. He had to be all of ten I swear.
“Where did you come from?”
“I’ve been here all along stupid ass!” I smacked him on the head.
“Don’t say stupid ass in front of my Mother please!” He laughed and pushed a handful of popcorn into his mouth.
“Do you guys mind I’m trying to watch the movie here!” Harold yelled at us from the front seat. Now I was confused.
“Hey I didn’t even know you when you were ten so what the heck are you doing here?”
Nick shrugged as he stole my glass bottle of Coke. “Beats me, it’s your dream”
That’s when suddenly everything changed and we were no longer in our old beat up red pick up truck but now in a dark smelly room. Harold and Nick nowhere in site. This time only me. I placed my arms around myself as I walked through the room rubbing to keep myself warm. It felt like a freezer and judging by the dead animals hanging from meat hooks that’s exactly what it was.
I walked over to the door to let myself out but it was locked. I jiggled the handle as much as I could but still nothing happened.
“Hey! Anyone out there to help me?” I yelled jumping to look through the small window.
There were a few people all standing around but not one of them even pretended to notice me. I grew frantic and started to pound on the door with both fists clenched, “HEY!!! LET ME OUT OF HERE!!!” Still no one seemed to hear me or care.
I turned to try to find another way out when I saw him again.
“Is it too cold in here for you Brian?” He asked holding the bucket of popcorn that Nick and I were so innocently sharing at the movies.
“L-l-l et me out of here!” I said taking a step backwards from him.
“What’s wrong Brian? Don’t you like it in here with me?” He smiled at me with those stupid gold teeth of his but this time they were razor sharp. I screamed at the mere site of them and once again frantically started banging on the door for help. I saw my brother Harold sitting there watching Return to Witch Mountain on the screen. This time the rest of the guys were with him, everyone but Nick.
“HELP ME!” I screamed once more but it was useless.
Now he turned me around to face him once again, he was smiling, his razor sharp teeth only inches away from me.
“This is going to be fun don’t you think?” He asked me as he went to take a bite out of my shoulder. I broke free from him. “Now come on child….why are you running? Your friend didn’t run” I knew who he was talking about, “Where is he?” I asked trying not to look at his face.
The man pointed at the hooks all holding animal carcasses and there at the very end was my friend Nick.
“NOOOO!!!!” I screamed as the man laughed. “What Brian he was good inside and out!”
“NICK!!!”
“Brian…” I shook him off of me but this time the voice of Darth Vader was replaced by Kevin. Still deep but not nearly as menacing.
“He’s waking up”
“Thank God!” That was AJ.
I tried to force my eyes open but only my mouth would work,”Nick…Nick are you okay?”
I felt someone touch my forehead. “Shhh it’s okay Brian open your eyes for me please”
I opened them but the glare of the bright room hurt me and I wanted to close my eyes once again. I was warm thankfully which meant no freezer with hanging dead Nicks in it.
“Brian…what happened” My cousin asked me as he once again pat my head this time tenderly moving some hair off of my face and firmly holding what I would later find out was his jacket against my head to try to stop the bleeding.
“I don’t…remember”
“You’re bleeding”
I felt hazy and everything was spinning. Where was I? I tried to roll over and stand up but Kevin wouldn’t let me.
“You yelled for Nick. Was he in here with you?” Was he? Why couldn’t I remember?
“I don’t know” I was starting to see things a little bit clearer now as Kevin’s concerned face came into view. Howie was standing off to the side and AJ back a ways.
“How did you guys get in?” I asked scanning the room for a memory.
“Extra key” AJ answered still standing by the bathroom worried.
“Brian was Nicky in here with you?” Howie looked worried. They all did.
“I think he was with me but I don’t remember”
AJ now walked over towards Nick’s room. The adjoining door was semi opened. “Nick....you in here buddy?” AJ called as he slowly walked into the room.
“Maybe something fell on him and hit him on the head?” Howie said to Kevin to try to figure out why I was a bloody mess on the floor. I think I knew better but then again I think they did too.
“Nick?” I heard AJ say he continued to scan our friend’s room.
“Brian I think we are going to take you to the emergency room. I am pretty sure you need some stitches”
I was just about to argue with him, tell him I was perfectly fine and the last thing I needed was a trip to the emergency room when AJ changed all of that.
“Oh my Goooooood. Jesus someone call an ambulance!” The dread in AJ’s voice was so horrid that it’s a tone I will never forget. The slow agonizing way he said the Lord’s name. It was gruesome and terrifying before any of us even knew HOW scary it would be. Just his tone of voice made us all move fast as lightening. Me included.
They all ran in before me. It was hard for me to stand but as I tried I heard the gasps and various cusses coming out of everyone’s mouths. “What happened?” I screamed but they ignored me.
“Okay okay Howie call an ambulance. Nicky you are going to be okay baby. Just hold on” Kevin sounded like he was crying and again I tried to yell, “Guys! Please what’s wrong with Nick?” This time I got halfway up before I fell back down again.
“Get a blanket something to cover him up” Just as Kevin shouted the command I heard the shuffling of feet running for something. Why would he need to be covered up?
“Jesus who did this to you” Kevin mumbled as finally AJ stuck his head in,”Are you okay Rok?” I nodded, “Nick?” Was all I could get out.
AJ was holding a blanket pulled from the bed. “Not good” He said before running back into Nick’s room.
“Where are his clothes?” I closed my eyes and laid back on the floor deciding maybe it would be best if I checked out about now but my mind had other sinister ideas as the face of the man invading my dreams, the one with the sharp golden teeth popped into my head. Then it all became clear as day. I sat up and screamed.
Everything that happened from that point on was very unclear to me. I vaguely remember someone running over to me as I screamed. I wanted so badly to tell them what was wrong but all I could do was see that guys face in front of me. I fell asleep shortly after that or at least from what I recall.
I don’t remember going to the hospital. I didn’t remember riding in the ambulance next to Nick as everyone said I did. They said I actually held his hand but again, I have no recollection of that at all.
It wasn’t until night time of the next day when I remember waking up in the hospital with Kevin at my side. He was holding my hand half heartedly. I almost didn’t want to wake up. I was afraid of what I might actually wake up to. It was one thing to sleep in the midst of a nightmare and another to be living wide awake in one.
“Hey buddy welcome back” He whispered to me. I sat up a little bit when I felt a pain in my back and neck. I groaned which had him up on his feet. “Want me to call a nurse?”
“No…I’m just a little achy” I sat up a little straighter this time refusing to let out a moan no matter how badly I felt the need too. “Where am I?” The television was on to some random basketball game and there were a few nice vases full of roses placed about the room.
“In the hospital. Don’t you remember?”
“Kind of…but not really”
He let go of my hand for the first time and sat back in his chair. “Brian do you remember what happened in there?”
I shook my head, “I wish I did but no, the last thing I remember is screaming” Nick?
“Where is Nick?” I was panicking. If Kevin was in here with me that meant there was no need for him to be with Nick.
He stood up and made his way over to me this time sitting next to me on the bed. I wasn’t liking this. My heart was telling me he was gone. Kevin was going to say Nick is dead. We found him in your freezer on a meat hook. Don’t you remember Brian you were playing a harmonica and trying to get him to dance back to life?
“Brian are you still with me buddy?” I looked over at my cousin who was sitting face to face with me staring intently. “He’s in bad shape Bri. The police are going to be coming to talk to you about what happened, now that you are awake”
“Bad shape?” I ignored the rest of what Kevin said. Who cared about police?
“It would help if you could remember what happened to you and Nick at the hotel”
I closed my eyes trying to remember. So many images crossed my mind, Popcorn; soda bottles my family and the pick up truck. “A meat locker”
“What?”
“The guy who attacked us had gold teeth” He decided to ignore my meat locker remark.
“Gold teeth?”
I looked away, “Yes”
“Don’t worry they’ll find the son of a bitch who did this” The look of contempt on his face made me scared.
“What is wrong with Nick?” I didn’t really want to know. I couldn’t bear to know.
“Did the guy try to strangle him? He tried to strangle me” Kevin didn’t say anything but moved closer to me and gave me a hug. “I know he did and I’m so sorry”
“How did you know?”
“The marks on your neck. The doctor said it looked like someone had tried to strangle you”
I pushed him away not wanting sympathy at the moment, “Where are the others?”
“They are with Nick”
“Is he gonna be okay?”
“He’ll…” Three policemen walked into the room which broke up our moment.
“Mr. Littrell how are you feeling?” He asked but it was so insincere I don’t know why he even bothered.
“I’ve been better thanks”
“I’m sure you have. We need to ask you some questions” The main detective who never even bothered to give me his name sat down in the chair Kevin had occupied while the other two men stood and listened.
“He just woke up he may not be ready for this”
“I know that Mr. Richardson but the sooner we get answers the sooner we will get our suspect”
He knew my cousin already which meant that they had talked.
“So you don’t know who did this?”
“No, we were hoping you would be able to help us out with that” It made me kind of scared to know that the man who had done this was still on the loose. Lurking in someone’s freezer probably eating raw meat.
“I’ll do my best” I said taking a deep breath.
I closed my eyes and tried to go back to that place. Feeling my hair stand on end as I once again saw his face and heard his voice in my head…
