The Void Read Free Page A

Eddie liked that just fine. He was sure that he would look an even bigger hero after it was done. He turned to her and flashed his best smile, the one he saved for girls like Candy.
    “Look, this is nothing to worry about babe. I’ll go down there and take a look, see how deep this bitch goes.”
    “Let’s just forget it. We can find a bar, get a drink or something.”
    “And have you tell everyone I lost my nerve? No thanks.”
    She grabbed him and kissed him hard, probing into his mouth with her tongue. She could taste booze and mint from his chewing gum. He could taste her fear, a heady, sweet-sour taste. She came up for air and gripped his face in her hands.
    “Look, forget it. I’ll still do you, I was going to anyway. You don’t have to impress me.”
    “Oh yeah?” he asked, flashing a grin. “Prove it.”
    She smiled and reached over, unbuttoning his jeans.
    “You asked for it, Eddie.”
    She leaned her head over the seat, and Eddie closed his eyes. He couldn’t believe his luck.
     
    III
     
    Morgan opened the door quietly, keen to make sure he didn’t disturb his mother. It was a warm night, and a light breeze ruffled his hair as he went outside. He pulled the door closed behind him and turned towards the hole. It looked to have grown even bigger since the morning, and he crossed to it quickly, making sure to keep a tight grip on the jar. He approached the edge, and a woozy dizziness came over him as he stared into the black depths. It seemed different at night. Without the crowds and the noise, there was a different vibe, one he, more than anyone knew all about. A light breeze pushed out of the hole, a hot breath of some slumbering beast which made Morgan wrinkle his nose. He looked up and down the length of the street at the houses which were dark and silent like graveyard tombs housing the dead. He held his breath, and apart from the steady drone of traffic in the distance, there was absolute silence. He clicked his finger against the jar as his stomach began to quiver.
    Tap tap. Tap tap.
    He licked his lips, and held the jar up in front of him, rotating it in his hands, wishing he didn’t have to do what he was about to do. Another breeze drifted from the hole, and the smell was stronger now. It smelled like the dead cat he had found under the porch, the one that had been there all summer and was rotten and covered with maggots when he discovered it.
    Not much time.
    He shuffled on his knees to the very edge, a few loose stones falling into the abyss. He held the jar out in front of him and closed his eyes, preparing himself for what was to come. It was the way it was, and the way it had to be.
     
    IV
     
    Candy finished and lit a cigarette as Eddie fastened his jeans.
    “Holy shit, baby. That was something else,” he said, a cocky grin plastered across his face.
    Candy smiled, her eyes nervously flicking to the window. Although it was around the corner and out of sight, she could almost sense the hole, and it scared her.
    “I’m glad you liked it, Eddie. Now let’s go, okay?”
    “Absolutely babe, whatever you say. Just as soon as I take a quick look in this hole.”
    “Eddie, no. You promised.”
    He didn’t answer; instead, he climbed out of the car and opened the trunk, taking out the large roll of rope. Candy climbed out of the car, stalking towards him.
    “You said you wouldn’t,” she whined.
    “No, I didn’t. Do you remember me saying I wouldn’t go ahead?”
    “But, I don’t want you to.”
    “I’m not scared.”
    “Well I am,” she whispered.
    He hesitated for a second, and she thought that on some level, below the macho bullshit and bravado, he was scared, too. He had just put himself in a position where his pride wouldn’t let him talk his way out of it. He closed the trunk and locked the car.
    “Come on, let’s go take a look,” he said, tipping her a wink.
    She started to protest, but he was already walking up hill towards the hole.
     
    V
     
    Tap tap. Tap