Джордан Шор - The Search

“ I will look ,” Adam said.

Adam pointed toward the main house, and seemed to encourage Jack not to follow him on his way to the small house next to the barn.

Julie sat by the dining room table, and as Jack entered the room, she smiled. Jack came up behind her and placed both his hands on her shoulders.

“Is everything all right?”

“Yes, I’m fine, Jack.” Julie sounded a bit bewildered. “I limped over here.”

Jack looked at the bathroom door just a few yards away. “I’m going to take a shower and lose the beard. I won’t be long. Don’t go anywhere. Okay?”

“I didn’t see a razor in there. I was…” Julie trailed off and looked embarrassed, while she glanced at her legs.

“There should be a razor,” Jack said and focused on the kitchen.

“Both Adam and John have full-grown beards. I don’t think they shave, Jack.”

“They shave their heads,” Jack responded quickly. “My good man! Do you have a razor I could borrow?”

Jean had stopped stirring the pot and had placed four deep porcelain bowls on the counter next to the stove. Now, he looked toward the dining room and frowned.

“Razor.” Jack pronounced the word slowly, and scratched his beard.

Jean shook his head, and scratched his beard in response.

“Razor.” Jack ran his hand through his hair.

Jean twitched and then stroked his bald head. Then, he went to the dresser next to the bathroom door and took out an old-fashioned razor along with a pack of blades from the top drawer.

“ Le rasoir, ” Jean said in a perfect French accent, and winked at Julie.

Jean walked sideways to the kitchen, his eyes focused on Jack.

“Is John the one in the kitchen?”

Jack shrugged his shoulders at Julie and then went into the bathroom.

When Jack emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, the dining table was set and three out of four chairs were occupied. The twins had their backs toward the kitchen. Jack sat down next to Julie in the chair furthest away from the kitchen. No knives or forks had been placed on the table, only spoons. Jack had shaved his beard. However, his hair wasn’t wet.

“Look at you, Jack. You look like a new man.” Julie smiled, and touched her chin.

“No, I’m back to the old one.”

“You look great, Jack.” Julie leaned in closer to Jack and whispered, “ And you smell great too. ”

“ I put on some aftershave, ” Jack whispered.

“Look, their mother was kind enough to lend me some clothes.”

Julie pointed at the dresser next to the bathroom door, and then looked at Jean.

“What is your mother’s name?” Julie asked Jean.

“Melinda , ” Adam eventually answered.

“Be sure to thank Melinda for me, and I do hope she’ll get well soon.”

“ Bon appetite ,” Adam said, and extended his palms across the table.

Jean was just about to pour Jack a glass of red wine.

“No, thank you. I’d rather have a glass of milk.” Jack got up from his chair.

Adam rose quickly. “ I get you milk. ”

Jack unwillingly sat down, and while he did, he glanced toward the kitchen.

“You don’t drink alcohol, Jack?”

“Red wine is quite sour, and you shouldn’t drink it on an empty stomach.”

Adam returned to the table, and put the glass with milk down with excessive force. Then he picked up the wine bottle and was just about to poor Julie a glass of wine.

“I’ll get you some milk,” Jack said, and prepared to rise to his feet.

The twins gave Jack a hostile look, as both almost rose.

“No, I want wine. I can take it. Hit me.” Julie smiled, and extended her glass across the table.

“ Bon appetite ,” Jean said, after he’d filled the glass with wine.

“ Mer-see ,” Julie said, pronouncing the French word awkwardly.

Jean gazed into Julie’s eyes and then shook his head and smiled. “ Nope ,” he mumbled.

“Pardon my French,” Julie said, and smiled back at Jean.

Jack stared at Julie with wide eyes.

“What’s wrong, Jack?”

Jack swallowed hard and eventually blurted out, “I want to say grace.”

Julie looked confused. “Okay . ”

Jack folded his hands, bowed his head and closed his eyes; Julie did just the same. However, Adam and Jean kept their hands apart and their eyes wide open, as they stared suspiciously at Jack.

“Thank you, Lord, for the food we’re about to receive, and thank you for helping us find shelter in our hour of need.”

Jack opened his eyes briefly and glanced across the table.

“Amen,” Jack added, looking disappointed.

He drank all his milk at once. Then he brought the bowl with stew close to his face, and began eating in a fast and frantic manner. The brothers looked at each other, and then they focused on Jack before they eventually began eating.

A few moments later, Jack stopped eating and placed the bowl down on the table, the bowl almost full. He placed his hands on the table surface and spread his fingers apart. He sniffed his nose louder than usual. Then his breathing accelerated, and he was breathing deeper each breath he took.

Both brothers looked curious as they focused on Jack.

“Are you all right, Jack?” she asked.

Jack didn’t speak. He appeared to be hyperventilating, and his eyes were fixated on the bowl in front of him. Then his head collided with the hardwood table top, and he collapsed on the floor.

Julie slid down onto the floor, shook Jack’s shoulder and asked him what was wrong. Adam rose to his feet, and as he stood next to Jack’s lifeless body, he started to yell in French. He kept repeating the same phrase, while he pointed at his brother, who had a look of defeat.

“ Yes . You told me ,” Jean eventually said, and seemed provoked by his brother, since he avoided eye contact with him. “ You win. ”

Adam walked up to Jack’s lifeless body and kicked Jack in the head. Not much force was behind the kick, but it was enough to make Julie cry.

“What are you doing, John?” Julie asked in a quivering voice, and embraced Jack’s head with her arms.

Adam lifted Julie up by her armpits, but she didn’t move from there at all. She just hung still in the air with a befuddled look on her face. The same look remained on her face as Adam carried her across the hall, but when she noticed the bed, she started to scream, and once on her back, she started to kick. As Julie kept screaming and kicking, Adam began choking her. But he didn’t put his hands around her neck; instead, he put his fist in her mouth and his fingers deep down her throat. Seemingly, grabbing and squeezing her tongue, Adam kept smiling her way, as though encouraging Julie to try to bite down on his hand.

Julie stopped kicking.

When Adam finally took his fist out of her mouth, Julie tilted her head to the side, and began hurling and spitting up a mix of saliva and stew. After that, she coughed and gasped for air. Adam pulled off her pants in one rapid motion—Julie wasn’t wearing any underwear.

“Please, John,” she pleaded in a soft, calm voice.

Adam suddenly burst into laughter. But it wasn’t a raw, or a cruel laugh. He sounded genuinely amused. As Adam kept laughing, Julie looked just as confused as previously, and for a brief second, she actually smiled. However, Julie’s face shifted as soon as she looked Adam in the eyes. Suddenly, she looked defeated and weak. Adam kept staring at the hair on her legs, and he wouldn’t stop laughing.

Julie turned her head away from Adam and looked at the window. It was a beautiful day outside. The sun was shining. The sky was a clear blue, and the birds spread across the ground were eating apples. Inside came a heavy and deep moaning sound, and the sound kept increasing.