Authors: Jeffrey Littorno
A crash from the kitchen drew my attention away from the girl’s gaze but did not completely wipe the family from my mind.
I walked into the kitchen to find Joey glaring into one of the cupboards saying something about “fucking mice”.
“Find anything good?” I asked trying to sound casual.
Joey turned his eyes from the cupboard to me. “Nah, just a buncha mouse shit!”
I suddenly occurred to me this was one of the very few times that we had been out of Stoaffer’s sight since stumbling across him in the grocery store. “Listen, Joey, are you sure you want to get deeper into this thing with Stoaffer? I mean the scheme has a real good chance of going bad. The guy’s story is kinda shaky. He sure doesn’t seem to have much of a plan.” The words were clearly aimed at convincing me as much as Joey to simply take off and leave Louis Stoaffer far behind.
He stared at me for a moment and then grinned. “Thomas, are you gettin’ cold feet?” Joey paused as if really enjoying my discomfort. “Whadda we gonna do if we leave? Sounds like Lou’s deal might be worth some big bucks.” He watched me for a moment before continuing, “Yer the one who’s always goin’ on about makin’ a big score and takin’ off somewheres.”
All of a sudden, the strange things I had been seeing and feeling over the last couple of days seemed a bit silly. “You’re right. I guess I’m just worrying too much.”
Joey let out a laugh and said, “Jus’ try not to be such an old lady.”
Even though I knew it had little chance of changing Joey’s mind, I offered one last point, “Don’t you think it’s kind of strange that we rob a little grocery store in the middle of nowhere and just happen to run into an old guy with a scheme to grab a fortune?”
Joey was now shaking his head and chuckling, “It’s called good luck! Don’t know ‘bout you, but I think we could use some o’ that.”
I nodded and asked, “So where is he?”
He flipped his head in the direction of the hallway. “Back there somewhere.”
“Hmm, perfect time to skip outta here,” I said
only half-kiddingly.
Joey looked at me with a flash of irritation.
“Just kidding!” I added to defend myself.
As if on cue, Stoaffer called from down the hall, “Gentlemen, your accommodations await!”
Joey’s expression changed to amused curiosity as he stepped around me toward the hallway. After a few seconds, I turned and followed him. Down the hallway, several doors awaited. The only opened door was at the end of the hall on the left. The sound of things being moved clearly came from that doorway. Joey was inside the room as I stopped at the door and peered inside. What I saw surprised me.
Unlike the rest of the house with its haze of dust and smell of shit, this room appeared bright and clean. The room almost seemed to be unconnected to the rest of the house.
Apparently, Stoaffer had found three mattresses, because he was sliding one of them against the far wall. Joey had already planted himself on one of the others and beamed at me with a wide grin. “Well, arncha you gonna grab a nap?”
Louis observed me and said, “These mattresses don’t appear to be of the highest quality, but I hope they will suffice under the circumstances.”
At the moment, those mattresses seemed to be the most inviting things in the entire world. For the first time in quite a while, a genuine smile curled my lips. ‘Yes, I think they will more than suffice, Louis.”
My reply obviously pleased Stoaffer as he smiled back. Joey was also thrilled as I made way to a mattress on the wall opposite his.
“Jus’ like one, big, happy fam’ly!” He exclaimed.
I kicked off my shoes and lay down on the mattress to the left of the door. As I did, it struck me that all of the strange thoughts I had been having and the visions of the house’s previous occupants were nothing more than the products of a very tired brain.
Nothing struck me or my tired brain again until I woke up with a start in a dark room.
Chapter 8
Anytime you wake up in a new place, it takes a minute to remember where you are. You may go through a certain period of near panic when you first become aware of being in an unfamiliar place. For me, the period of confusion lasted a little longer than usual. Adding to my confusion was the sense of someone standing in the dark a few feet from me.
The realization of not being alone put a charge through my body. With this jolt of energy, I spun off the bed and to my feet facing the dark form. ‘Who’s that?” I yelped trying unsuccessfully to keep the traces of panic out of my voice.
The shape started to move toward me, and I almost ran screaming from the place. All of a sudden, light stabbed into the dark room. A small fluorescent lantern dangled from a hand belonging to Louis Stoaffer. The effect was not much different than the ghostly appear-ance of someone holding a flashlight under their chin.
“Jesus Christ, Louis! You scared the shit out of me!” The forced irritation in my voice did not completely mask my fear. “What the hell are you doing standing in the dark?”
He stood completely still as if deep in thought. The shadows made his face appear sharp and threatening by finding every wrinkle and crevice. For what seemed like minutes but was more likely just seconds, Stoaffer stood still and silent As I was about to repeat my question, the old man twitched and then stared right at me.
“Thomas, I need your help,” he said in a flat voice.
“And just how can I help you?” I asked somehow knowing the answer was very important to him.
“I need to be able to trust you, Thomas. I need to be sure you are working with me and not against me. I need to know you will help me to keep Joey under control.” Stoaffer spoke the words slowly without an ounce of emotion.
Looking closely at his worn, half-shadowed face, I was not quite sure of how to respond. When he leaned closer to show his entire face and cold eyes, all traces of uncertainty disappeared. I immediately answered, “Of course, you can trust me, Louis. Sure, I might be critical sometimes. But I only want everything to go right. You know what I mean?”
“Yes, Thomas, I think I do.” For the first time since the light had come on in the dark room, Stoaffer showed some emotion. It was a raspy chuckle and a crooked smile which did nothing to lessen the sharp, menacing face. “You have realized a simple fact. If I don’t win, no one wins.”
Stoaffer’s words stuck in my brain for a while before I said, “Yeah, I got that, Louis. The thing I am not sure about is what exactly will count as a ‘win’.” I started to make those stupid air quote gestures with my fingers but then caught myself. “I mean, what exactly do you want?”
“Well, what does anyone want?” Stoaffer replied with a slight smile. “I want to feel there is some sort of order to the universe… some sort of balance at work in the world.”
If the emotion was not clear on my face, the irritation must have been unmistakable as I replied, “Come on, Louis! You know I am not asking about what you want in the grand scheme of things. I want to know what you want from me.”
The look on Stoaffer’s face shocked me with its fierceness. Every vein bulged with absolute rage. His lips were drawn back like a growling dog with sharp teeth bared. His eyes burned with rage. Before I had fully recovered, the face had changed from ferocious to an expression of exaggerated patience and cheerfulness.
“Ah, Thomas, you ask an interesting question. What exactly do I want from you?” He paused for a moment and rubbed his chin to signal deep consideration of the question. Suddenly, Louis nodded his head and said, “Okay, I got it. Thomas, what I want from you is assistance in restoring a sense of balance in the universe.” He paused as he regarded my reaction. “Before you roll your eyes again, let me explain what I mean. I truly believe in a balance to everything. You need to believe in something, right? Well, I believe there is a balance or order in place to keep things going along just as they should.”
I started to make a sarcastic comment but changed my mind. I figured no sarcastic comment could do justice to the absurdity of standing in the dark listening to the philosophy of Louis Stoaffer.
In any case, Stoaffer continued after a very short pause. “I think I told you enough about the circumstances which sent me to prison for you to agree things seem a bit out of whack. My intention is just to put things back in order. This is where you and Joey come into the picture. I am hoping for your assistance in restoring the balance. In other words, our objective it simply put things right.”
I was unsure for a moment whether he was being serious. Once it became obvious that he was, a huge laugh erupted from my throat. “Well, I’m not sure about a balance in the universe. But you know, I heard about a force, Obi-Wan.” Another roar of laughter burst from me. Not the happy kind of laughter, this was colder and harder.
In an instant, Stoaffer was no longer leaning against the wall. He was close to me with his face only inches from mine. I never saw him move, but somehow he did. Close enough for me to smell peppermint on his breath and also a not so pleasant odor, the stink of rotting things. His lips rolled back in a snarl. His face appeared sharper and even more threatening than moments before. At that moment, I was more scared than I had ever been.
“There’s nothing for you to laugh at here, Thomas.” His words came out slowly and carefully enunciated like someone seething with rage and struggling to contain it. “I am trying to be patient with you and explain the circumstances which led me and now us to this place. Perhaps, I failed to explain them to your satisfaction or according to your expectations, but I will not be laughed at.”
The scowl on Stoaffer’s face and fury in his eyes left no doubt I had best take him seriously which is what I did. “I apologize, Louis. I am sorry for laughing like I did.”
I found myself unable to look into his eyes. Instead, like a scolded child, I shifted my eyes in various directions around the room to avoid his gaze.
The little game might still be going on if Joey had not come into the room to end it.
Unaware of the situation which he had interrupted, Joey cheerfully said, “Good mornin’, Sleepin’ Beauty! I thought yuh’d never wake up! I’m starvin’! Can we go get some food now?” He looked at Stoaffer as he asked the question. Louis smiled and nodded. “I woulda woke yer ass up. But Lou said we oughta let yuh sleep ‘cuz yuh were so tired.”
I glanced over at the old man who smiled warmly at me. It was as though the tension of just seconds before had never taken place. That might be how he acted and what he wanted to believe, but I knew what had happened. I could not get the picture of his snarling face out of my mind and still could not help avoiding eye contact.
Louis handed the lantern to Joey and said, Sounds like a good idea, Joey. Let’s go find a grocery store. How about it, Thomas?”
Joey headed out of the bedroom without waiting for an answer from me. I started to look over at Stoaffer, but then caught myself and rushed out after Joey.
He was standing just outside the front door when I caught up to him. He was looking out at the dark street. ‘Damn! Not much goin’ on tonight!”
I almost laughed at his understatement as I looked around the neighborhood. I could not find any signs of life. Even the few houses with cars parked in front were dark and silent. I looked of at the house across the street where I thought I had seen movement earlier. The win-dows were now dark and still. I found myself staring in-tensely trying to see within.
“Whoa, not much life around this place!” Stoaffer commented from behind us.
“Like a graveyard.” Joey said brightly.
I am not sure why the comment struck them as so damn funny, but the two of them started laughing like idiots. I stared at them for a moment before forcing a fake laugh like you do when everyone else is laughing at something you don’t get but don’t want to be left out. Several seconds later, the laughter faded.
Louis muttered “like a graveyard” and shook his head as he pushed past us toward the car.
Joey and I followed.
As I drove slowly down the street, I kept looking to catch sight of anyone else. I could find no signs of anyone. No one could be seen, and it was really starting to freak me out.
My uneasiness was not helped by Stoaffer again seeming to read my thoughts as he said, “Not a living soul in sight. Certainly seems we found an excellent place to hide out for a few days.”
Without checking the view from the window, Joey said, “Yeah, excellent if yuh like
deadsville
.” The pout in his voice sounded perfect for a 10-year old kid on a disappointing vacation.
I checked my watch and was surprised to find it was already ten thirty. “Any ideas where we might find some place still open?”
“I believe we will find a shopping center just up the road. Hopefully, a twenty-four hour market is located in the center.” Stoaffer sounded as if he was reading from a card.
As I drove around the maze of houses trying to find the way back to the highway, I continued the quest for some sign of life around the neighborhood. It was just too damn strange. Even the few houses with cars parked in front where you would expect to see some light even the flicker of a television were dark. When we had come into the development hours earlier, the drive from the main road seemed short. Now, we turned and turned down dark, still streets without finding a way out of the development. The stillness of the neighborhood mir-rored the absolute silence inside the car. The whole thing really started to scare me. I imagined being forever caught in this looping maze of dark houses and empty streets with no way out. Just at the point of panic busting out of my skin, the exit appeared straight ahead.