Part 32 (1/2)
He let his body relax. ”I know that,” he said. ”Doesn't bother me.”
”Right,” Deem said, smiling at him.
”Alright, I need to get back home,” Awan said, rising from the table. He pulled out his wallet and tossed some money on the table. ”My mom goes into surgery early tomorrow morning. You'll call me when you're done at the school?”
”We will,” Winn said. ”And thanks for this,” he said, holding up the emblem.
”I hope your mom will be OK,” Deem said. ”What's the surgery for, if you don't mind my prying?”
”Gallbladder,” Awan said. ”She's been in pain for a while, so it's time to come out. She's never had surgery before, so she's scared. I promised I'd be there with her.”
”Of course,” Deem said. ”I hope it all goes well.”
”Thank you,” Awan said. ”Call me.” He turned and walked out of the restaurant. Deem sat across from Winn, both of them holding the beaded emblem.
”So we're going to go into the lion's den?” Deem asked.
”Sounds like it,” Winn said. ”But I'm excited to try this.” He held the emblem up and shook it. ”Sounds like fun.”
”I can't feel it now,” Deem said. ”The dizziness is past.”
Winn placed the emblem to his forehead and pressed it there, surprising Deem. His eyes rolled back in his head. Deem reached forward, ready to catch his head if he fell forward. Instead, he slowly removed the circle from his head. His eyes rolled back into position, and he looked at Deem.
”That IS a trip,” Winn said.
”It's hard to describe how it feels, isn't it?”
”Yeah. Kind of like...well, no...like...”
”Hard to describe, I know. Did you think about anything? What were you walling off?”
”Nothing. Didn't think about anything.”
”Great. Maybe it'll wall off everything, by default.”
”Or nothing. How would we know, unless someone who can read minds tested us.”
”We could try it with Carma,” Deem said. ”I think she can read minds. A little, at least.”
”We could stop there on the way out to Kanab tomorrow, and see. Do you want to leave them in, until then?”
”G.o.d no!” Deem said. She placed the emblem at the back of her head and pressed. Her head fell forward onto the table, making the dishes jump.
”f.u.c.k,” Winn said, sliding out of his side of the booth and back in next to Deem. He raised her head off the table and laid it on his shoulder. The waitress walked by again, and gave Winn a patronizing look that seemed to say, ”I'm so sorry it happened again, but I'm glad I don't have that f.u.c.king disease!”
Winn smiled at the waitress as he patted Deem's cheek, trying to revive her. After a moment she opened her eyes.
”Please don't do that again in public,” Winn said.
”I pa.s.sed out again?” Deem asked.
”Yes.”
”And you came to my rescue,” she said, noticing how close he was sitting next to her. She patted his leg under the table. ”I'm OK now, big boy. Thank you.”
”Did it come out?” Winn asked.
They both dropped briefly into the River. Deem's emblem turned into the small snake, twisting in her palm and rising its head to slide around her little finger. Winn's emblem remained a beaded circle.
”Apparently so,” Deem said.
”How'd it feel?”
”The same. Blackout. Now I feel like I have a headache growing deep in there.”
”I imagine pulling a wall out of your head would be a little painful. I'm leaving mine in until later tonight.” He slid out of the booth from Deem and back to his original side. ”I've got someone coming over tonight, and I want to see what it feels like while having s.e.x.”
”That's so stupid,” Deem said. ”It walls off memories. It's not extascy.”
”How would you know about extascy?” Winn asked, smiling at her.
”We learned about it in health cla.s.s,” Deem replied. ”If you think that snake in your head is going to make you have a more intense o.r.g.a.s.m or something, you're crazy. It just walls off memories.”
”I was thinking more about having it wall off memories about the best s.e.x I've ever had,” Winn said, poking at a couple of lingering French fries on his plate. ”It would make even s.h.i.+tty s.e.x seem great.”
Deem rolled her eyes. ”Let's go,” she said, sliding out of the booth. ”It'll be after midnight before we get home. And we've got a big day tomorrow.” She slipped the emblem into her pants pocket and pulled out her phone.
”Texting mommy?” Winn said as he stood up and paid the tab.
”She worries about me,” Deem said. ”And I worry about her, since Dad died. Pick me up tomorrow? For the drive to Kanab?”
”Sure,” Winn said, pus.h.i.+ng open the doors to the restaurant and walking outside. ”Kanab will take two hours, so I'll be to your place around nine.”
They walked out to Winn's Jeep, Deem texting as she walked. Winn stopped when he saw the Jeep, and Deem b.u.mped into him.
”What the f.u.c.k, Winn?” Deem said. She saw him standing still, staring at the Jeep. She walked around him, and saw what he was looking at.
On top of the Jeep was a large animal with black hair. It was lying on its side, its head draped over the winds.h.i.+eld. Its throat had been cut, and the blood had drained down the winds.h.i.+eld and under the hood. Someone had used their finger to write two words in the blood: SUFFER. ATONE.
”Fuuuuck!” Deem said, turning to Winn. He stared at the car, unmoving. She turned to look around the parking lot, scanning for who might have done the act. Aside from a dozen other cars spread throughout the lot, she saw nothing.
”Who would do this?” she asked, walking up to the car. Winn slowly followed her. She could see that the animal was a large dog, a black lab.
”Suffer?” she said, turning back to Winn. ”What the f.u.c.k? Why?”
”I don't know,” Winn said. ”But I can guess.”