Wrath White - The Resurrectionist

Sarah didn’t say anything to Josh when they left the hospital. She didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t make her sound insane.

“Let’s call an alarm company when we get home. We’ll see if we can get someone to install it tonight.”

Sarah shook her head slowly, still staring ahead, eyes glazed, looking out the windshield at nothing.

“No. We don’t need to spend any more money on this. But I can’t take another night in that house. Not tonight. Let’s just go home and get some clothes and I’ll go with you to work. See if you can get us a hotel room.”

“Okay. Okay. That shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll speak to the hotel manager. I should be able to get us a few nights for free. That will give me enough time to get that door fixed. I think I’m going to get an alarm installed anyway. I should make some good tips tonight and that cop was right. The neighborhood is changing.”

Sarah nodded again, still staring out the windshield at the desert rushing by. The mountains surrounding the valley were still an odd sight to her. In Indianapolis there was nothing to see but trees and more buildings. Though, the mountains were the only things about the town that Sarah thought of as beautiful. This was a town that destroys its own history. Any building older than thirty years was threatened with demolition leaving only row after row of cookie-cutter stucco tract homes, most less than ten years old. More and more Sarah was coming to despise this city.

The collapse of the economy had devastated the town, leaving brand-new houses standing empty, vacant strip malls, and towering office buildings standing unfinished, little more than steel frames without the bank funding to complete them. And the crime rate had been steadily increasing year after year. There were more red and blue bandanas hanging from the back pockets of sagging jeans than she had ever seen before.

Their car pulled into the driveway and Sarah turned to look at the house across the street. She thought she saw the blinds close as she turned. A sudden fury rose inside her and she stormed down the driveway and started across the street toward the neighbor’s house.

“Fuck this bullshit! I’m not going to let anyone terrorize me and scare me out of my own damn house!”

“Sarah!”

Josh came running after her, catching up to her in the street. Sarah did not slow her stride.

“Sarah? Sarah? What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to let this bastard know that I know what he’s been up to. I want him to know that I’m not afraid.”

Sarah walked up the neighbor’s steps and pounded on his front door. It felt good to be doing something, to be taking control again instead of just sitting back waiting for him to break in and attack her again. Even if the entire attack was all in her head and the neighbor didn’t know what the hell she was talking about, it would still feel good to be doing something. After being probed and examined and being told by those fucking nurses that she might have gotten wet when she was being raped, it felt great to go on the offensive. She waited. There was no answer. She pounded on the door again.

“Open this goddamned door! I know you’re there. I saw you looking at me through the blinds!”

The door swung open and Dale stood there in a robe that was too big for him and made him look even smaller, weaker, and emaciated.

“Yes?”

“I know what you’ve been up to and if I ever catch you sneaking into my house again I will kill you. Do you hear me? I will blow your fucking head off!”

Dale looked terrified. His eyes shifted nervously from Josh to Sarah.

“I–I-I haven’t been in your house. What are you talking about? I wouldn’t do anything like that.”

Josh tried to step in front of Sarah.

“My wife has been under a lot of stress lately.”

Sarah whirled on him, pushing him back and jabbing a finger in his face.

“Don’t! Don’t you fucking dare!”

Josh fell silent and dropped his head. Sarah turned back to Dale.

“I don’t know how you’re doing it, but we are going to catch you and then your ass won’t go to jail. I won’t call the cops. I’m going to send your scrawny ass to the fucking morgue!”

Dale smiled. It was quick. He suppressed it almost immediately and resumed his look of fear and confusion. But Sarah saw it. He had smiled. Before she could think, question herself, talk herself out of it, she drew her hand back and slapped him. She turned her shoulders into the blow, giving it her all. He fell against the doorjamb and a big, angry red welt in the shape of four fingers rose on his left cheek. The expression on his face was one of stunned outrage but then she saw it again, that quick smile. Sarah balled up her fist and pulled back and Josh grabbed her, dragged her off the steps and into the street.

“I’ll fucking kill you! Do you hear me, you fucking pervert! I’ll kill you!”

Up and down the block, doors and windows opened as the few remaining curious neighbors looked out to see what was going on. Sarah knew she ought to feel embarrassed but she didn’t. She felt great!

“Why did you hit me? You’re crazy! I’m calling the cops! You’re crazy!”

But for the first time in days she didn’t feel crazy. She felt strong again. She felt in control again. And even if she was imagining everything else, she had not imagined that smile. She was certain about that.

She turned and shook free of Josh, then walked into the house, stomping her feet with her hands balled into tight fists. Josh walked in right behind her.

“I can’t believe you slapped him.”

“He fucking smiled at me. That slimy, nasty little bastard was grinning at me.”

“I think we need to get you someone to talk to.”

“What?”

“Maybe…I don’t know…Maybe you need some help.”

There it was, out in the open. He thought she was crazy.

“Do you think maybe we should at least wait for the lab results?”

“That policewoman told me they found no physical signs of rape.”

“She told you?”

“I’m your husband. I was concerned.”

“Did she tell you that it could have looked that way because he used lubrication and had a small dick? Or because the drugs relaxed my damned vaginal muscles?”

“Well, drugs or lubricant would show up in the lab results.”

“That’s why maybe you should wait before you try shipping me off to the fucking loony bin! Wait to see if maybe I’m fucking right!”

Josh was keeping his distance. He appeared to be afraid that she would attack him too the way she had attacked the neighbor. He held his hands out palms up as if he were trying to negotiate with a gunman. Sarah really did want to hit him. Josh knew her well.

“But what if nothing happened? You just slapped that guy. He could press charges. You were about to beat the hell out of him. Can you seriously imagine that little guy attacking anybody?”

“Maybe that’s why he uses the drugs? So we can’t fight him.”

“We don’t know that he uses anything! We don’t know that anything happened! This could all be in your head. You could have sleepwalked and shot off that gun and changed the sheets and scrubbed the carpet and then crawled right back into bed and went back to sleep. That sounds a whole fucking lot more likely than some sheepish little guy who lives across the street has been breaking in at night and raping and killing you but you can’t remember it and, did I forget to mention, you aren’t fucking dead!”

Sarah was stunned. Now it was all out in the open. Everything she had felt before, all the power and confidence, was now gone. Now, she felt crazy again.

“Wow. I–I really didn’t know you felt that way.”