Part XXXIV

Part XXXIV

I could hear the TV in Carl's room pushing through the walls like a picture out of focus. You thought you knew what you were hearing, but then it would shift and you realized that maybe you didn't. I'd told him to think over whether on not he wanted to continue on this little adventure of mine. If he didn't, I said I'd buy him a plane ticket home, as soon as we got near an airport big enough to have a plane heading anywhere near Knoxville.

For my part, I'd picked up a few things from a hardware store and did my best to secure my room. I had 100 feet of garden hose running the perimeter, with one end hooked to the bathtub faucet and the other clamped onto the side of the tub so that when the water made the circuit around the room, it drained out properly.

I sat in the middle of the floor with the bowling ball bag and tried to find the courage to look inside. It was probably a long shot, only having one fifth of my uncle back, but then again, I didn't know which piece I had. I cracked another can of beer and finally unzipped the bag. Three beers later I reached in and took out the ball.

The skull grinned at me like we'd just shared a joke and it was doing all the laughing; riga-mortis of a clown in repose. I held it firmly in both hands and brought it close until we were touching foreheads, or at least as close to that as 2" of pyrex would let us. I closed my eyes, mumbled under my breath and felt the room fall away.

When I opened my eyes I was standing on the jetty that jutted out into the Gulf of Mexico in St Andrews State Park. I had a rod in my hand and was watching my Uncle gut and fillet a small Spanish Mackerel he'd just caught using a our last piece of cigar minnow. If you knew what you were doing, you could buy one minnow and then fish the rest of the day by using what you caught. I remembered this day. I was 14, wearing my usual all black ensemble and enjoying the beach the only way I knew how.

The fillet knife ran the spine and pulled away clean. Then, my uncle laid prize on a flat piece of rock and cut it into strips that we could wind around the hook. It had been hot that day, and the jetty smelled of briny fish rot.

The strips cut, my uncle looked up at me, handing me a strip.

Don't forget to wind the hook through. They'll suck it right off if you don't.

I nodded and prepped the hook.

My first cast went short as my thumb slipped, hitting the spool of line and causing it to drag and hiccup. My second one was better and I watched the line disappear into the sun. My Uncle gave my a quick pat on the shoulder.

Nice one.

I turned to look up at him, and he was gone. The Tall Man stood grinning down at me. I felt my spine go numb as I realized his hand was still on my shoulder and the fillet knife was still in his other hand.

This wasn't right though. It was a real memory, and somehow he'd gotten in. He was changing the rules.

Just then my line puled tight and the spool started to scream. Something had taken my bait and was running. I didn't know what to do. I really wanted to catch what was on the other end of that line, but then again I didn't want the Tall Man to turn me into chum.

When I looked back up at him though, the knife was gone and my Uncle was back.

Set the hook.

I popped the rod up hard and the tip bent, forming a parabola. I grabbed the crank, and started bringing in the line little by little, easing the pole forward then pulling it back slowly. Whatever was on the other end of the line was big, and my hands were starting to hurt.

You need help Aubrey?

I looked at my Uncle, feeling about as excited as I'd ever been.

No, I can do this.

There's nothing wrong with asking for help.

I've got it.

Then, I struggled for an amount of time that's hard to explain since it was all a weird dream anyway. It felt like years passed, and all I did was continue to reel in whatever was on the other end of the line. Every-time I thought I had the upper hand, I'd weaken for just a moment, or get distracted, and it'd run the line out again.

Finally, I was just tired, and it was right at the second, just before I let go of the rod, that my Uncle stepped in. He took the rod from me gently and planted his left foot forward on one of the rocks to give himself greater balance. Then, he just started cranking the handle, bringing the line in smoothly, rolling the rod tip forward and then pulling it back.

There's some things you just can't do alone Aubrey.

It didn't take him very long to bring in our catch. The tide was coming in, so the waves breaking on the jetty were high and helped pull our quarry with them. As the end of the line neared, something surfaced just a few feet away from the Jetty. At first I wasn't sure what it was, but then sun reflecting off the water shimmered and then dimmed and I watched my Uncle's body take the next wave in and slam against the rocks.

I looked back and the Tall Man stood grinning in a Gorton's Fisherman yellow slicker and hat. The rod was gone, but he had a large fillet knife that he was using to gut Carl on the rocks. Carl's eyes were wide and his mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out.

You gotta chum the water first.

He reached into Carl's chest and pulled out a wad of viscera, which he threw out into the waves. He reached in again and the second handful looked even redder than the first. I looked back to the Gulf, and my Uncle's body was gone, but the water was teaming with sharks, fighting over the bits of Carl.

See that? All you have to do is Chum the water.

Shit. That's when I realized that that was exactly what I was doing. Sitting in my hotel room, holding the Nexus. Sure, the Death Runners were held at bay with the water, but now I knew how the Tall Man had gotten into my dream. He was close, and trying to keep me distracted while he closed in on the Nexus.

Then, the Tall Man in the dream came for me, with his bright yellow slicker and large fillet knife. I tried to back away, but lost my footing on the jagged rocks and went down. The Tall Man laughed and brought the fillet knife down in an impossible arc. Just before it's tip touched my skin, the knife and the Tall Man flew back and away, pulled by some invisible force.

The Gorton's Tall Man hit the rocks hard, but got up fast. Then, my Uncle was there at my side helping me up.

I can't hold him for long Aubrey. You need to leave.

I shut my eyes and thought of the hotel room. I didn't know if it would be that easy or not.

When I opened my eyes though I was staring at the bowling ball, and it was staring right back at me. I shoved it in the bag and zipped it up, just before I heard a knock at my door, followed by the overwhelming smell of brine and fish rot.