The Dead Parade Read Free Page A

you?”
    James shook his head. “What… the pizza?”
    “ Yeah.”
    James felt the sharp prick of annoyance. It was a mild irritation, but it seemed like something that could get out of hand quickly. Like a gift from the anger fairy, a thought blasted his thinking: slap Johnny across the face, wake the son-of-a-bitch up and snap him from his daze.
    James resisted the urge. The physical approach didn’t seem appropriate, at least, not yet. “No man, I don’t have a pizza. But it’s coming.”
    Johnny nodded as he reached a hand into the crease of the chair. He pushed down, hunting inside. “That’s too bad,” he said, shifting in his seat.
    He jerked something free.
    “ What is it, Johnny?” James asked. But then he knew.
    It was a gun.
     
     
    6
     
    The wave of danger hit James in the chest like it was a material thing. His head began spinning. He became dizzy. Everything seemed surreal.
    “ Oh God, Johnny. What are you doing?”
    “ Shhh. It’s okay,” Johnny said. “Trust me, it’s the only way.”
    As Johnny raised the weapon, James thought about running, but then what? He’d take a bullet in the back? No thanks. James didn’t need a slug tearing a hole into his ribcage, his heart, or his lung. What he needed was a paid vacation and a couple of weeks lounging around on a tropical beach loaded with beautiful, intelligent women. Or better yet, a plan––a good plan, a plan that didn’t have him screaming in pain and dying a coward’s death with a bullet in his spine.
    Johnny put the barrel beneath his jaw. His finger tightened and the trigger moved slightly. Apparently James wasn’t in danger; Johnny was about to kill himself.
    “ Oh shit,” James said without hesitation. “Don’t do it. Don’t even think it!”
    Johnny cackled twice and sneered. “I’ll tell you what Suzy told me, if you’d like.”
    “ Suzy?” James said, puzzled. He noticed the room getting colder. “Suzy Rae?”
    Suzy Rae was a mutual friend. She was a nice girl––kind, considerate; she knew how to make people feel welcome. She was born in Haiti and still had the accent in her voice. Her dark and curly hair seemed to draw attention to her strong jaw line and full lips. She had a pretty face that made guys look twice. James knew her; he liked her quite a bit.
    “ Yeah, Suzy Rae.”
    “ What about her?”
    “ Want to know what she told me?”
    “ Sure Johnny, whatever. Just don’t do anything stupid, okay?”
    “ Stupid?”
    “ Yeah. Be cool, man. Be cool.”
    Johnny lowered the gun two inches and his smile widened. “This was Suzy’s gun,” he said. “And now she’s dead.”
     
     
    7
     
    “ What did you say?”
    Johnny laughed. “Sue shot herself a couple of weeks ago. I went to visit and found her curled up in the basement. She had her arms stretched out and a shotgun pointed at her chest. I’m not sure if she’d be able to pull the trigger. Not the way she was sitting, but she was trying. That’s the important thing, I suppose. It’s the trying that counts. She was acting crazier than shit, too. Like a loon, so I talked her into giving me the gun and I brought her upstairs. The next thing I knew the dumb cunt had a handgun. I thought she was going to kill me.” Johnny waved the gun carelessly. “She didn’t. Kill me, that is. She did herself in instead. Well, after that, I guess you could say that I was dazed. Dazed and confused, if you catch my drift. And the blood was drainin’ from her head like something from a movie. It was squirting too, if you want me to be honest with you. Squirting in the air. I grabbed the gun from her, as her body settled into place. I don’t know what I was thinking exactly, but I took it and ran as fast as my legs would carry me.”
    James couldn’t believe his ears. Sure as dirt on a rock, Johnny had gone insane. Maybe running wasn’t such a bad idea, James thought. He was quick and athletic. He could probably be out the door before Johnny realized what