Richard Laymon - Fiends

She got to her feet and picked up the girl’s shorts.

‘Put them on.’

They fitted snugly. After she picked up the jersey, she knelt by the boy. He looked very still. Through the thin fabric of his shirt, she felt his body heat and the rise and fall of his breathing.

‘Knock it off,’ Willy said.

Ignoring him, Marty went to the girl. In the moonlight, her face looked black with blood. The nose was mashed sideways, its ridge broken.

‘Put on her top.’

Marty turned her back to Willy and started to unbutton her blouse.

‘Don’t be shy,’ he said. ‘Just think of me as your guy. Which I am. The only guy you’re ever gonna have.’

She didn’t move.

‘Turn around right now or else.’

She turned around. Facing him, she took off her wet blouse. Willy stared at her. Not drying herself, she pushed her hands through the jersey sleeves and pulled it over her head. It stuck to her wet skin.

Willy reached out a hand.

Marty backed away from him. And kept backing away until the side of the car stopped her.

‘Sit down,’ Willy said. ‘Right there. On the ground. Better still, lie down.’

‘What for?’

He grabbed the neck of her jersey and pulled. She went to her knees.

‘Lie on your stomach.’

She did.

‘Now stay that way.’

Kneeling down, Willy went through the boy’s pockets. There was. only a handkerchief and comb.

‘Give him back his wallet,’ Marty said.

‘Shut the fuck up.’

He climbed into the car, found the girl’s leather purse on the floor and dumped it on his lap. Marty, on the ground, couldn’t see what fell out. But she saw Willy pick up a billfold and look inside. He grinned. ‘Not bad. Kid’s got rich folks.’

‘Maybe she works.’

‘Maybe we’ll take her with us.’

‘Great idea. Hold her for ransom?’

‘Nope,’Willy said. He dropped the purse. ‘Ransom, that’d be too much trouble. I’ll just take her along for a little variety.’

‘Broken nose and all?’ Marty asked.

Not answering, he climbed out of the car and went to its front. There, he opened the hood. Her jerked a hose loose and threw it into the lake.

‘Finished?’ Marty asked.

‘Not just yet.’ He stepped over the unconscious boy and squatted beside the girl. ‘See that? Look at the number I did on her nose.’

‘I saw.’

‘A real ugly mess, huh? But it’s just from the neck up, and that isn’t the part that counts. Know what I mean?’ He reached down and patted the girl’s right breast. ‘Guess I’d better not take her with us. Not with her nose like this. People’d wonder.’

‘They sure would.’ Marty spat out a fleck of tooth. ‘They’d ask a lot of questions.’

‘Well, since I’m not taking her…’ He picked up the girl’s legs and turned her until the top of her head was toward Marty. Then he dropped her legs and got on his knees between them.

‘Willy! No!’

‘Yes, yes.’ He pulled the pistol out of his belt and aimed it at Marty.

‘God, don’t.’

He laughed. ‘Think I’m gonna pass up a piece like this?’ He unzipped his jeans.

‘Do me instead.’

‘Thanks anyhow.’

‘Willy, I’d be better. Hell, she’s out cold. She’ll just lie there.’

‘You’re for later. She’s for now.’

‘Don’t do this to her.’

‘Jealous?’

‘Please.’

Willy, grinning, pulled his penis out of his jeans. It was big and upright.

‘I’m not going to let you.’

‘Can’t stop me.’

‘We’ll see about…’

In the distance, a car engine rumbled and sputtered.

They both looked toward the entrance to the parking area. So far, there was no sign of headlights.

‘It’ll be here in a minute,’ Marty said. ‘It’ll be the first of a whole bunch. The movie probably just got out. Pretty soon, this place will be crawling with horny teenagers.’

‘I’m not quitting now.’ Willy started to lower himself onto the girl. Marty scurried backward, half expecting a bullet to smash through her body. She crawled to Willy’s car, stretched across its front seat and reached to the steering wheel.

As she shoved, the blare of Willy’s car horn sounded through the night.

The driver’s door flew open. The revolver came in, swinging. Marty jerked her hand away an instant before the barrel hammered the steering wheel where her fingers had been. The horn went silent.

‘I’m gonna fix you for that. Fix you real good. Sit up! We gotta get out of here.’

He jumped into the car and slammed the door.

‘Shut your door, damn it! I could’ve fucked that girl, you stupid bitch. Shut it!’ His fist shot sideways, pounding Marty’s arm as she leaned away. She pulled the door shut. Willy started the engine and backed up.

The headbeams lit the boy and girl. Their bodies were motionless, but Marty knew they were alive.

Alive and lucky.

Willy’s car rolled over the bumpy road, out of the woods, onto the main road.

‘Where’d that other car go?’ Willy asked.

‘I wouldn’t know.’

‘It was coming.’

‘Maybe it turned off.’

‘You said a whole bunch were coming.’

‘Maybe I was wrong.’

‘I oughta kill you.’

She looked out her window. There was nothing to see but dark woods.

She looked at her forearm and saw several places where splinters from the door had torn into her skin. She didn’t seem to be bleeding, but the area around the cuts felt tender and sore.

Compared to the rest of her body, her arm was in good shape. Dizzying throbs pounded through her head. The roof of her mouth, cut by the gun sight, felt ragged and painful at the touch of her tongue. The front tooth was crooked and sharp. Her stomach seemed hollow and sour. Underneath the jersey and shorts, her skin itched because she’d still been wet when Willy made her put them on.

You’re in great shape, kid.

At least he didn’t rape the girl.

Thank God.

Marty slipped a hand down the back of her shorts and scratched her buttocks. They felt clammy.

‘Do you mind if I get in the back seat?’ she asked. ‘I want to lie down.’

‘Go on.’

She turned around, crawled awkwardly over the back of the front seat, and dropped onto the rear seat.

‘Don’t try and pull anything,’ Willy warned. ‘Remember who’s in the trunk.’

‘I remember.’

Putting her back to Willy, she curled onto her side and pillowed her head on her arm just above the splinter cuts.

She wanted to take off the damp clothes so that she could get dry.

But she didn’t move.

He’ll look around and see me.

So what? she thought. This wouldn’t be the first time he’s seen me naked. Anyhow, he’ll only be able to see my back. And what’s he going to do about it?

Trembling slightly, Marty struggled out of her jersey. Then she pulled the shorts down to her knees.

The warm night air blowing through the windows rushed against her skin, soothing it, caressing away the itchy dampness.

Willy didn’t make a comment, didn’t touch her.

He doesn’t even know.

The air kept blowing against her, and soon the pains of the body no longer mattered. Only the warm dry smoothness of the moving air mattered. After a while, she fell asleep.

In her dream, Dan was late coming home from work. Apparently, she was married to him. And he was late. And she was worried. But suddenly the front door opened, and Dan came into the bright sunny room. He was naked.

‘Where are your clothes?’ Marty asked.

‘I had to take them off and leave them in the trunk. They’re all bloody.’