Magic Street Read Free Page A

house?"
    "Not our house, I dropped him off at the bend. But it was crazy. I did whatever he wanted. I wanted to do it. He made me want to. I was thinking he hypnotized me."
    "Well this isn't hypnosis, is it," said Nadine. "It hurts, By." Then her body tautened. "Merciful Savior make it stop!"
    Byron realized his hand was cold and wet. "Baby, I think your water broke."
    "What water!" she hissed. "I'm not pregnant!" get through her fully dilated cervix.
    "Just hold still, baby, and push this thing out."
    "What thing!"
    "It looks like a baby," said Byron. "I know it's impossible but I can't lie about what I see."
    "It's not a baby," said Nadine as she panted. "Whatever it is. It's not a baby. Babies don't.
    Come this. Fast."
    But this one did. Like popping a pimple, it suddenly squished out right into Byron's waiting hands. A little boy. Smaller than any of their real children had been.
    Not that this baby didn't look real. It had the arms and legs and fingers and head of a genuine baby, and it was slithery and streaked in blood.
    "It was nice of him to let you deliver this one without an episiotomy," said Byron.
    "What?" asked Nadine, gasping as her body convulsed to deliver the afterbirth. The bed was soaked in blood now.
    "He didn't tear you. Coming out."
    "What?"
    "I've got to cut. The cord. Where are there any scissors? I don't want to go clear to the kitchen, don't you have scissors here?"
    "Sewing scissors in the kit in the closet," she said.
    The afterbirth spewed out onto the bed and Nadine whimpered a couple of times and fell asleep.
    No, fell unconscious, that was the right term for it.
    Byron got the kit open and took out the scissors and then found himself hesitating as he tried to decide what color thread to use. Until he finally realized that the color didn't matter. It was insane to even worry about it. Except what was sane about any of this? A woman who wasn't pregnant this morning, she gives birth before dinner?
    He tied the umbilical cord and then tied it again, and between the two threads he cut the springy flesh. It was like cutting raw turkey skin.
    Only when he was done did he realize what was wrong. The baby hadn't made a sound.
    It just lay there on its back in a pool of blood on the bed, not crying, not moving.
    "It's dead," whispered Byron.
    How would they explain this to the police? No, we didn't know my wife was pregnant. No, we didn't have time to get to the hospital.
    And something else. Nadine still had her legs spread wide, and she was smeared with blood, but her belly wasn't swollen anymore. She had the flat stomach of a woman who takes her workouts seriously. There was no sign that a few moments ago she was nine months pregnant with this dead baby.
    There was a knock on the door.
    "What?"
    "Man here to see you," said Word.
    "I can't see anybody right now, Word," said Byron.
    The door opened and Byron moved quickly to hide his wife's naked body. But it wasn't Word in the doorway. It was Bag Man.
    "You," said Byron. "You son-of-a-bitch. What have you done to my wife?"
    "Got that baby out already? That was quick." He looked downright cheerful.
    "I got news for you," said Byron. "The baby's dead. So whatever you're doing to us, you blew it.
    It didn't work."
    Bag Man just shook his head and grinned. Byron hated that grin now. This man virtually carjacked him tonight, and somehow made him like it. Well, he didn't like it now. He wanted to throw the man against the wall. Knock him down and kick his head.
    Instead he watched as Bag Man shambled past him and picked up the baby. "Look at him," said Bag Man. "Ain't he as pretty as can be?"
    "I told you," said Byron. "He's dead."
    "Don't be silly," said Bag Man. "Baby like this, it can't die. How can it die? Ain't alive yet. Can't die less you been alive, fool."
    Bag Man held the baby like a football in one arm, while he snapped open a plastic grocery bag with the other hand. Then he slipped the baby into the bag. It fit nicely, with its legs scrunched up