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

“What are you doing? You dazed or what? Let’s get the evidence admitted, and I’ll escort you back to interrogation room three,” Penske said.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

TODD ADAMS continued en route to the area the freak exited, still pondering on his conversation with Harv. He studied the tunnel, noting many crevices, hideaways, and various pieces of old furniture strewn about.

My meds are wearing off. This ought to be interesting. I’m due for a change any day now.

He had many thoughts about the tunnel, but nothing seemed to make sense.

What does the creep want with us, and why aren’t we dead?

He ran his fingers across the sides of one of the walls, hoping to identify the texture.

It’s solid rock. Walls are jagged enough to point back to dynamite. Ouch… A shard of something from the rock must have caught one of my fingertips. There’s my blood. Way to go, Todd.

Working his way through, he spotted varieties of burrows, holes, and places for others to reside until coming upon a woman.

Oh, man. She looks like a winner. Probably hasn’t showered or changed clothes in months. I bet she’s got a better handle on this place. Look at that skin. Not a hint of preservation could save it unless she’s going for the leather bag look. And… to perfect the accoutrement, an oversized red men’s polo and baggy blue jeans. Such a flattering ensemble. This is brutal. I can’t think about it any longer. An imagination gone wild on her can’t be good for anyone.

Gazing upon her with care, desperation for community radiated through her eyes.

Her creaky voice spoke, “Hello. Call me Nancy. Have a seat.”

Todd sat on the make-shifted bench made from an old, recycled bed frame as it leaned against the wall.

Be pleasant, Todd. Treat her better than you think. If there’s one thing this period can do for you, it’s to grow you into a better man, right? She deserves that, despite her… non-effeminate elegance.

“Hi, Nancy. I’m Todd. I don’t know much about what’s going on here. You look like you’ve been here a while. Can you help me figure things out? Where am I?”

Unphased by the candid remark, Nancy said, “It’s nice to meet you. We’re in Level Zero.”

“What do you mean? What is Level Zero? I ran into a bullying creep earlier.”

Nancy’s face grew pale. “Creeper Joe? He hasn’t messed with me in a while.”

I wonder why. You might as well have clouds of filth and smoke coming off of you.

“Really?” Todd replied. “From what I’ve observed, I’d think he would be a real problem to your little ‘town.’ The creep tortured me with my weedeater and counted my scratches — all fifty-four of them. Dark as it is in here, you probably can’t see ‘em.”

Nancy moved closer to Todd, and he caught a putrid stench exuding from her mouth.

Good Lord.

She spoke softer, “Of course he’s a problem. Creeper Joe appears to those he deems worthy. Do you have something to hide? Why’s he after you? Are you one of us?”

One of us? What’s that mean? I’ll go along with it.

“I am.”

“Well, I would assume he was just trying to get you… settled in. This is a strange and mysterious place. It can, at times, be… ominous, and other times… completely enchanting. I don’t have it mapped out, but I think we’re just under Creepy Nights…”

“What a waste,” Todd said.

“Watch your mouth. You could have your tongue seared right off talking that way,” she whispered.

“What are you trying to say?”

Nancy fidgeted with a small rock she picked up from the ground. “You think I’m in here because I’m homeless? I hate to break it to you, but this isn’t a way of life we’ve chosen.”

“It’s not?”

“We’re his prisoners.”

Todd processed the statement. The tunnel walls wobbled up and down as his lithium withdrawal threw him in a topsy-turvy haze.

“Ugh. I’m sorry. I’m not feeling well. Do you mean prisoners of the mind? Isn’t that what most you homeless types are?”

“Fair question, but I’m not homeless! Like I said before, I’m a victim… and you are, too.”

Screw that. You don’t know me or anything about me. Watch it… be nice, Todd.

“Exactly,” he said. “A victim of a failed social service system. If these politicians would just quit their yammering and do somethin’ for a change, we could get you some help.”

Nancy studied Todd. “I see you trying to separate yourself away from me like that. It’s not like that down here, mister. If you’re in here, you’re plagued with it, too.”

“Plagued with what?”

“Don’t play dumb. I know you see things. Memories you can’t explain. Times you never lived.”

“What else do you know?”

“That’s it. We’re trophies.”

Oh, boy. This is where stuff hits the fan.

“Well, where’s the case? I want to make sure I’m polished and glossy before we get any lookers.”

“It was a figure of speech, smart ass.”

Todd scoffed. “I think you’re just wasting my time now…”

Nancy faked a grin despite the rude comment. Though quite dim, he noticed she was missing three of her front teeth. The others that remained appeared iridescent, yellow, and decaying. A swirl of anxious and uncomfortable thoughts rushed.

Could it get any worse? I’m stuck in the middle of the earth next to the worst case of halitosis I have ever experienced. Dig a hole and let me die, he thought.

His mind flashed to another experience at the hotel.

Creeper Joe stood in the lobby, a well-groomed man, exceptional at disguising his idiosyncrasies, all the while maintaining a charming cunning he finagled with ease.

He spoke to Joe, “I want you to have the job. You’re young. You’re smart. You are attentive. I’ve known your father for a long time, too. He’s a good man, an honorable man.”

He could see Joe’s distrust in the statement.

All to save face.

“Let me show you around the hotel,” the man said. “I know you don’t get around quickly, and that’s okay. I’d like to show you the highlights. After we conclude, please explore the rest as time presents itself. This place