Hold Me Closer, Necromancer - Lish McBride [16]
She’d told the truth, too. The bad dreams did go away. When I got older, I tried leaving it off, sure the nightmares were gone for good. I’d convinced myself that I’d made them go away, not the pouch. They came back, though, stronger than before. One night Mom found me screaming and crying, my sheets wet with sweat. She’d put her arms around me, and I’d clung to her, a shaking and whimpering mess. I kept my eyes shut as she rocked me and told the bad dreams to go away. I echoed her softly, mumbling “go away” over and over until I felt my mom slip the cord of my pouch back over my head.
“Promise to never take it off again,” she said. “It’s medicine against the dreams.”
I promised, but wouldn’t let her go. Finally she’d helped me into dry pajamas and bundled me into bed with my sister. Then I’d slept like a baby. After that, the pouch stayed on, every day, every night.
I flicked off the light and rolled back into bed.
I woke up to a sharp knocking noise. I jerked and fell out of bed. Quite a present for my aching body. I lay there taking deep gulps of air, trying to breathe the pain away. I crawled slowly to my nightstand and swallowed a few more Tylenol. There were no windows in my bedroom, so I had to sit up and read my clock to figure out how angry I should be at my visitor. Eight a.m. I hated whoever woke me up. Had they come an hour earlier, I would have also hated their families and any household pets. The sharp knock came again, so I hauled my ass off the floor and went to answer it.
Ramon had slept on my couch while Frank had camped out on my somewhat questionable carpet. Their heads popped out of their blankets, but neither made a move toward the knocking. I checked the peephole, but no one was there. Was that good or bad? Ramon helped me move the chair, and I peeked out the door. Still no one. I looked down. A square package about the size of a soccer ball sat on my front mat. It was wrapped in brown paper and tied with string. There was no postmark or markings that I could see. Maybe it was a bomb. Not a good start to my morning. I picked up the package and went inside, gesturing for Frank to shut the door and move the chair back.
I placed the package on the table, taking the seat in front of it. While I examined it, Ramon abused my coffeemaker in his morning hunt for caffeine. Technically, it was Ramon’s coffeemaker. He’d bought it and set it up on my counter so he wouldn’t have to walk to the nearest place every morning. Not that it was a far walk. You can pick any spot in Seattle, close your eyes, spin around, and odds are pretty good you’ll be pointing at some sort of coffee shop, hut, or shack when you stop. Some stereo types are true.
I stared at the package. The only clue I had was the brown paper and the string. Who wraps things like that anymore? And my extensive knowledge of bombs told me that since the package didn’t tick theatrically, I could rule that out.
Ramon sat on the floor, back against the wall, waiting for his coffee to brew. I untied the string, pulled the paper away, and stopped. The package felt cold, and I don’t mean refrigerator-frosty. This box gave me the same chilly electric feeling as the man from Plumpy’s. Not good.
“What’s wrong?” Even half asleep, Ramon had noticed my pause. I shook my head at him.
“Nothing. Just paranoid, I think.”
I opened the box, then quickly dropped it and scrambled up onto the counter, making very dignified shrieking noises. Ramon stared. Frank came into the kitchen just in time to see the box bounce onto its side and its contents roll lazily out. Ramon tried to back up, but he was already against the wall. Frank managed a quick hop back as Brooke’s head rolled to a stop in the middle of the floor. It had been severed cleanly at the neck, making her ponytail appear longer as it trailed behind like the tail on a grotesque comet. I couldn’t see any blood. In fact, the wound looked cauterized, which didn’t make it any more pleasant.
Nobody said a word.
Nobody except Brooke.
“Ow, cut it out, you guys!” Her blue eyes popped open