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And I felt better. Stronger. More alert. After a few seconds, the doctor came for me, shouting something. I'm not sure what. I hauled
ass out of there, ran to my truck and took off. But I knew for sure what I was then. And what I needed. And I knew I needed more of it
right away. Now ... I couldn't believe it at first, even after I knew. It was happening to me and I couldn't believe it, because it was just
too ... too crazy. But it was true. And I was hungry." He wiped his face with a palm and turned away from Jon, silent for a while.
Jon felt a chill inside his chest, as if his lungs had frozen. He realized his fists were clenched in his lap and his entire body was tense.
He was afraid he might get sick. He decided that was understandableunder the circumstances. After sixteen years of looking up to
his dad, a good man, a strong, warm and solid man, he was now having to adjust to the fact that his dad had completely lost his mind.
His dad was insane.
"There was a hitchhiker," Dad went on quietly. "A girl. Young. I picked her up. I ... hurt her. But I didn't kill her. I don't think I did, anyway.
I tried hard just to take what I needed, then I left her beside the road. Unconscious."
Jon had to swallow a lump of nausea in his throat before he spoke: "God, Dad, you, I mean, do you hear what you're--"
"But I haven't done it again/' he added quickly. "And I won't. I get it in other ways. I don't want to hurt anyone. So I ... I take it from
animals. Or I steal it. From a hospital or a blood bank. But not people, Jonny. I won't hurt anymore people." Bill rubbed his eyes
wearily with one hand and massaged the back of his neck with another before he continued. "But lately ... well, I haven't been feeling
too well, lately. Not sure what's wrong, either. Just feels sorta like ... like I've got a bad case of the flu all the time. Or worse, maybe. I
don't know." He shook his head as his voice faded into a whisper.
Tears spilled down Jon's cheeks. He started to reach for his dad's hand but pulled back, unable to touch him. His voice was thick
when he spoke: "Dad, you ... you've gotta see a doctor. Really. Right away. There's gotta be a, a, a hospital here, right? Somewhere
close, right? We could take you into emer--"
"A doctor can't help me, Jon. Do you know what they would do if they found out what I am? Do you know?"
"Dad, you don't you know that, Dad, there's no--" He had to stop, take a breath. "Listen to yourself, Dad. Remember when I was a
little kid and you'd let me watch Creature Features even though you knew you'd be up all night telling me it was just a movie, that
there was no such thing as ghosts and monsters and ... Dad, you ... you need help." He turned away quickly, ashamed of what he'd
said and not wanting his dad to see him crying. He felt cold fingers on his chin, felt his dad turn his face around until they were looking
at one another again. Jon tried to pull away, couldn't bear to see him, to see what had happened to his eyes and face, but Dad's grip
was strong.
"Look at me," Dad said. "Jonny. Look at me, Jon. Look."
Jon wiped a tear from his eye and looked at Dad. Watched him as he opened his mouth slowly, opened it farther and farther. He saw
something move in Dad's mouth, two somethings, lowering in his mouth, extending downward. Two teeth. Incisors. Growing as his
mouth opened. Sliding from his gum like a snake's fangs. Needle points glistening with saliva.
Jon began to cry like a baby.
Bill was quick to calm his son down, holding him and assuring him there was nothing to be afraid of; though at first Jon struggled and
refused to listen, he returned Bill's embrace after a few moments and begged him to see a doctor, to get help, to do something about
whatever disease had done this to him. Bill said again that, although he still did not fully understand his condition, he was certain a
doctor could do nothing.
They talked a while longer and Bill tried to change the subject; Jon told him more about Grandma's stroke and the wreck they had and
Bill asked him about the girls, about his friends back home and, of course, about A.J.--Bill's pet name for Adelle Janine--whom he
was sure was somewhere in the truck stop at that moment, worried about Jon, wondering where he was and, considering their chilly
relationship, wondering if he' d perhaps just left, caught a ride with someone and taken off.
"You've got to go back inside, Jon."
"Come with me."
The words made Bill ache. "I can't," he whispered. "You know that."
"Then let me stay with you!"
He simply shook his head, unable to speak for a moment. Then: "C'mon, I'll walk you. There're a few more things I want to tell you."
Outside, their feet crunching through the crusty snow beside the road, Bill said, "You've got to promise me something, Jonny. You
can't tell your mother you saw me. No matter what."
The boy said nothing, but seemed to understand, to know the kind of trouble that would cause; or maybe he didn't speak because
he'd had the wind knocked out of him by it all and was still stunned into silence.
"Can I see you again later?" he asked after a bit. "We're gonna be here a while, you know. Probably all night. I could come out after I
eat, tell Mom I'm gonna play video games or go look around or something and come out--"
"No. No, Jon, don't go outside. Listen to me." They stopped in the middle of the parking lot and faced one another in the falling snow.
"Remember the girl I told you about? The girl who bit me? And the man who drove the truck?"
He nodded.
"They're here. Tonight. In fact, there are two trucks. That's why I'm here. To find them."
"Whuh ... what're you gonna do?"
"Well, I'm ... not sure yet. But if they did this to me, then they've done it to others. And will probably do it to more. I've been following
them. It hasn't been easy because I can't start driving until dusk and have to stop at dawn. They drive during the day. Which means the
driver isn't ... he's not like me. Like them."
Something changed in the boy's face; his eyes narrowed and his lower lip tucked between his teeth slightly. It was a thoughtful,
scheming look. "What'd you say he looked like?" [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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And I felt better. Stronger. More alert. After a few seconds, the doctor came for me, shouting something. I'm not sure what. I hauled
ass out of there, ran to my truck and took off. But I knew for sure what I was then. And what I needed. And I knew I needed more of it
right away. Now ... I couldn't believe it at first, even after I knew. It was happening to me and I couldn't believe it, because it was just
too ... too crazy. But it was true. And I was hungry." He wiped his face with a palm and turned away from Jon, silent for a while.
Jon felt a chill inside his chest, as if his lungs had frozen. He realized his fists were clenched in his lap and his entire body was tense.
He was afraid he might get sick. He decided that was understandableunder the circumstances. After sixteen years of looking up to
his dad, a good man, a strong, warm and solid man, he was now having to adjust to the fact that his dad had completely lost his mind.
His dad was insane.
"There was a hitchhiker," Dad went on quietly. "A girl. Young. I picked her up. I ... hurt her. But I didn't kill her. I don't think I did, anyway.
I tried hard just to take what I needed, then I left her beside the road. Unconscious."
Jon had to swallow a lump of nausea in his throat before he spoke: "God, Dad, you, I mean, do you hear what you're--"
"But I haven't done it again/' he added quickly. "And I won't. I get it in other ways. I don't want to hurt anyone. So I ... I take it from
animals. Or I steal it. From a hospital or a blood bank. But not people, Jonny. I won't hurt anymore people." Bill rubbed his eyes
wearily with one hand and massaged the back of his neck with another before he continued. "But lately ... well, I haven't been feeling
too well, lately. Not sure what's wrong, either. Just feels sorta like ... like I've got a bad case of the flu all the time. Or worse, maybe. I
don't know." He shook his head as his voice faded into a whisper.
Tears spilled down Jon's cheeks. He started to reach for his dad's hand but pulled back, unable to touch him. His voice was thick
when he spoke: "Dad, you ... you've gotta see a doctor. Really. Right away. There's gotta be a, a, a hospital here, right? Somewhere
close, right? We could take you into emer--"
"A doctor can't help me, Jon. Do you know what they would do if they found out what I am? Do you know?"
"Dad, you don't you know that, Dad, there's no--" He had to stop, take a breath. "Listen to yourself, Dad. Remember when I was a
little kid and you'd let me watch Creature Features even though you knew you'd be up all night telling me it was just a movie, that
there was no such thing as ghosts and monsters and ... Dad, you ... you need help." He turned away quickly, ashamed of what he'd
said and not wanting his dad to see him crying. He felt cold fingers on his chin, felt his dad turn his face around until they were looking
at one another again. Jon tried to pull away, couldn't bear to see him, to see what had happened to his eyes and face, but Dad's grip
was strong.
"Look at me," Dad said. "Jonny. Look at me, Jon. Look."
Jon wiped a tear from his eye and looked at Dad. Watched him as he opened his mouth slowly, opened it farther and farther. He saw
something move in Dad's mouth, two somethings, lowering in his mouth, extending downward. Two teeth. Incisors. Growing as his
mouth opened. Sliding from his gum like a snake's fangs. Needle points glistening with saliva.
Jon began to cry like a baby.
Bill was quick to calm his son down, holding him and assuring him there was nothing to be afraid of; though at first Jon struggled and
refused to listen, he returned Bill's embrace after a few moments and begged him to see a doctor, to get help, to do something about
whatever disease had done this to him. Bill said again that, although he still did not fully understand his condition, he was certain a
doctor could do nothing.
They talked a while longer and Bill tried to change the subject; Jon told him more about Grandma's stroke and the wreck they had and
Bill asked him about the girls, about his friends back home and, of course, about A.J.--Bill's pet name for Adelle Janine--whom he
was sure was somewhere in the truck stop at that moment, worried about Jon, wondering where he was and, considering their chilly
relationship, wondering if he' d perhaps just left, caught a ride with someone and taken off.
"You've got to go back inside, Jon."
"Come with me."
The words made Bill ache. "I can't," he whispered. "You know that."
"Then let me stay with you!"
He simply shook his head, unable to speak for a moment. Then: "C'mon, I'll walk you. There're a few more things I want to tell you."
Outside, their feet crunching through the crusty snow beside the road, Bill said, "You've got to promise me something, Jonny. You
can't tell your mother you saw me. No matter what."
The boy said nothing, but seemed to understand, to know the kind of trouble that would cause; or maybe he didn't speak because
he'd had the wind knocked out of him by it all and was still stunned into silence.
"Can I see you again later?" he asked after a bit. "We're gonna be here a while, you know. Probably all night. I could come out after I
eat, tell Mom I'm gonna play video games or go look around or something and come out--"
"No. No, Jon, don't go outside. Listen to me." They stopped in the middle of the parking lot and faced one another in the falling snow.
"Remember the girl I told you about? The girl who bit me? And the man who drove the truck?"
He nodded.
"They're here. Tonight. In fact, there are two trucks. That's why I'm here. To find them."
"Whuh ... what're you gonna do?"
"Well, I'm ... not sure yet. But if they did this to me, then they've done it to others. And will probably do it to more. I've been following
them. It hasn't been easy because I can't start driving until dusk and have to stop at dawn. They drive during the day. Which means the
driver isn't ... he's not like me. Like them."
Something changed in the boy's face; his eyes narrowed and his lower lip tucked between his teeth slightly. It was a thoughtful,
scheming look. "What'd you say he looked like?" [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]