Level Zero by Dan McDowell (debian ebook reader .txt) 📗

“I’ll be alright. I had one of my… moments again.”

“The lightheaded thing?”

“Yeah, something like that. I’ll recharge over the weekend and see you on Monday. Have an extra drink at Bridgewater for me,” Wayne said.

“Yeah, will do.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Chris Wilkerson popped into the lobby to greet NANCY HELBENS. His face showed no emotion and his voice remained flat, “Do you have a second? Let’s find a conference room.”

Nancy grew pale.

Gah. The petty cash… I’m such a dummy.

As Chris motioned toward her to sit, she studied the side of her arm, refusing to make eye contact with him. The chair she sat in squeaked as silence held the room its invisible hostage.

Chris sighed, collecting his composure before speaking, “I’m really sorry, Nancy, but I cannot, and I will not tolerate a liar. Nor can I stomach employing a thief. At the root of all evil is deceit. It’s a shame I have to do this because you were doing some good things for us. You’ve left me with no other choice, though. Pack your belongings and get on. How long has this been going on? I hope the Reese’s were worth it… You want to talk about it?”

Of course I don’t want to talk about it, she thought. Get on, and I will, too. I’m such an idiot.

“Alright, then. That’s how it’s going to be? Good luck.” Chris stormed out of the room.

“So… I can’t be trusted with petty cash, and I’ve got a sweet tooth. Give me a break.”

She slammed her fist on the table.

That was too loud.

The door to the room squeaked back open. “What was that noise?” Chris asked.

“I was just packing my things.”

“Take care, thief. If money was really that tight, you should have said so.”

.     .     .     .     .

After taking a few minutes to pull herself together, NANCY HELBENS walked out of the Creepy Nights facility. She moved toward the parking lot where her navy, wood-paneled station wagon was parked.

Can it get any worse? Momma’s gonna freak. Dummy… dummy… dummy… That’s me.

It was a rainy Tuesday night as she cranked the volume on her car stereo to the maximum.

“Folks, we interrupt our Two for Tuesday classic rock-and-roll mix to announce another disappearance in Riverton.”

She changed the station as she cruised down the street past the Bridgewater Restaurant at an increasing speed. Three blocks later, the business district ended, and it led into an area surrounded by Oak trees.

“Who’s there?”

Holy…

An unidentified pedestrian charged toward Nancy’s vehicle, running her off the road straight into a tree as her car wrapped around it.

.     .     .     .     .

She awoke in a dark and unlit area with staggering ceilings, hearing the faint sounds of dripping and the chirp of smaller life creeping along. A chilling and whiny voice reverberated through the tunnel as she looked around. The creep spoke with exceptional confidence, “Alright then, Nancy. Let’s throw law enforcement a bone. They’re hungry for one, aren’t they? They’ll never find you. All they do on the news in these situations is sensationalize. They love to create a narrative, a story — where pictures, faces, and names become nothing more than statistics. I won’t let you become one of those. This isn’t the same. Far different from any trail that those sorry dogs can sniff their way into.”

He pulled out the bent nose automotive pliers from Honest Steve’s and yanked back and forth until he ripped her implanted tooth out, stripping it away from the mounted screw. She could only scream a moment before seeing stars as she writhed in excruciating struggle.

Oh God, have mercy on me and my life. If you take me now, know that I’m sorry.

“Didn’t belong in there anyway, did it?” the tormenter continued. “It was a phantom tooth… just a façade, nothing more than that. You should know about façades, shouldn’t you? Heh-heh! What do you have to hide? The implant has a serial number. What do you say? Should we give them a little nugget? That’ll be enough to keep things interesting, will it not? Everyone’s going to assume you were just depressed. I mean, losing a job is one of the top five traumas experienced in a person’s life, right? Especially since you worked so hard for… Chris. The guy raked you over the coals, didn’t he? You know, people make so many assumptions. Most of them will be out there thinking you’d run away of your own volition to stay out of touch with the rest. It won’t take long for them to give up hope and move on with their lives.” The creep hovered above Nancy, his breath escalating as he continued his monologue and held onto her arm.

Get your hands off me. I can’t stand the slickness.

“You have something you want to say, sweetness? Oh, I know how it stings, but it’s the truth. You know you belong here. This place has been tirelessly pining for you. Thing is, most of life’s important lessons happen in tumultuous times, don’t they? There’s power in numbers. So many missing pieces. And now, I’m bringing you all back together where you belong, tangled up in my web. It hasn’t been easy collecting you. Remember? Can’t you remember? Look into my eyes, dear child. You will see. You will see! Remember? You’ve got to get a hold of yourself! Otherwise, this place will eat you alive if you let it. It’s a cruel dark world out there, my dear, but you won’t ever have to worry about that anymore, will you? Who knows? You might even thank me later. Heh-heh.”

The creep handed her a drink in a pewter cup.

“Take a swill of this. It’ll cure the pain.”

Please be poison. Please be poison. Just kill me.

She drank from the cup in one long-winded gulp.

Why do I feel relieved?

Nancy tried to speak but found no words. The bright glow in the creep’s eyes radiated as he celebrated her capture.

“Call me Joe. I don’t always introduce myself, but you’re a looker. I always liked