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DOOM MAGNETIC! - CHAPTER SIX:
PROOF DETENTION
William Pauley III
There’s nothin’ quite like the rush you get the instant the hydrogen atmosphere starts a’fillin’ in your lungs. Nope, nothin’ like it. Course, you have to hit the oxygen switch right quick, else you’ll end up drivin’ that final nail into your casket. See, some people get addicted t’ the rush. Those people always end up dead.
I flip the oxygen switch. A gust of air hits my face as if it were a’shootin’ out a fire hose. It takes my breath, it always does. The van quickly fills itself with oxygen.
Now that I’ve broken through the atmosphere, I slow my pace and wait for Sweetie to catch up. I told THE VOICE that she’d only be slowin’ me down. What was her name again? Mary? Marley?
I recline my seat and prop my feet up on the dash. I look at my side mirror, ain’t nothin’ but darkness. Shit, she probably ain’t even sure how t’ get off the ground. Too proud t’ take up on my offer.
About a minute passes and a faint light appears in the distance. I stare at it through my side mirror. I plant my feet on the floorboard and slowly give it a little gas. As the van putts along, I notice the light in the mirror growin’ larger and soon enough it’s so bright that I can’t see a goddamn thing. Loud rumblin’ vibrates the rusty doors on this ol’ van till they damn near fall right off. In an instant, the white light is gone and the dim red of a taillight fades off b’fore me.
“Well, goddamn! We got ourselves a racer!” I say out loud as I slam my foot down on the gas pedal. The van roars with a bark that’s much meaner than its bite. The vehicle damn near turns itself sideways as the engine backfires out through the exhaust. I’ve been through hell and back again in this ol’ Chevy van. It holds a special place inside me, in the same place I’d keep a dog or my first fuck. Christ, you’d think I was in love with the goddamn thing, the way I carry on ‘bout it.
I’m starting to catch up to her a bit. Her taillights don’t seem so far off anymore, at least.
Then something hits the right side of my van…hard. Asteroids. Damn. Couple more hits like that and I’ve got no choice but to retire the ol’ sumbitch. I shift into fourth and do my best to dodge the massive space boulders flying full speed towards me. I’ve been going back and fourth between Nevada and Japan so much over the last fourteen years, I’ve learned a thing or two about dodging ‘em.
Every once in a while, I glance up at Sweetie to see how she’s handlin’ it. I have to admit, she ain’t too shabby of a driver. Really, she ain’t! She must have to travel this route fairly often. Ain’t no way in hell it’s beginner’s luck. Ain’t no such thing. Not in an environment such as this.
I manage to get through the belt without too much damage t’ my van, a scratch here, a dent or two there. Nothin’ that will affect its performance much. From what I can tell, Sweetie looks like she made it through with flying colors. Not a goddamn single scratch. THE VOICE was right, I am—how did he say it—pleasantly surprised.
She slows down considerably and begins to signal me with her hand. Looks like she wants to stop. She points over to a building that’s half gas station, half Pizza Barn, located on a moon-sized rock that seems to be sittin’ pretty still.
We stop.
Sweetie goes inside and orders a slice of pizza and a soda pop. I take the opportunity to fill ‘er up with premium unleaded, that way I can watch her from the outside and not come off as such a creeper. Maybe save me a finger or two. Her long blonde hair sways and whips playfully at her sides as she walks over to the pop machine. Damn, what a foxy woman.
Gasoline sprays down the side of the van and onto my boots. I overfilled the tank.
Not payin’ attention again. I hang the hose back on the pump and close the lid to the tank, grabbin’ a handful of napkins from underneath the windshield squeegee. I bend down to wipe the gasoline off my boots. Ain’t no sense gettin’ mad over this stupid shit anymore. I’m startin’ to get used to things being this shitty all the time.
I toss the used napkins into the trashcan and make my way for the station door. Looks like Sweetie’s decided t’dine in tonight. Such a greenhorn.
“Hey darlin’, donchu think we should be gettin’ on?”
“Are you serious? I’m eating. I haven’t eaten anything all day. Fuck off.”
“Do you know what I have in my van out there?” I look around to make sure no one was listenin’ to our conversation. “I have 75 goddamn watts of pure purple gold! Do you have any idea how much an item like that is worth?”
She’s got a mouthful. She takes a gulp of soda to wash most of it down. “No, how much, Maundin?” she answers. I don’t like her tone.
“More than your fuckin’ life. More than my life. Hell, there are people out there who would kill us the second they found out we had that purple television.”
She starts to laugh.
“Look, I ain’t shittin’ you! You see these hands?” I show her my wrapped palms. “I got these wounds from sawin’ a man’s head clean off his neck earlier tonight.” I take another peek behind my shoulder.
Her face goes pale. I guess she finally realizes the shit she’s gotten herself into.
“We have to go,” she says.
“Damn right we have to go! Now c’mon!”
She stands up, grabs my face with both her hands and plants a wet one square on my kisser.
“We have to go,” she says, “somewhere a little more…private.”
As hard as it is to resist a woman of such beauty, I manage to pull my head back and question her.
“What the hell’s fire has gotten into you, girl?” I ask, laughing.
“I want you. I want you now, Maundin. Do you think we could get a room. At least for a couple hours?”
Damn. I told THE VOICE that this would happen. Every time I work these jobs with a woman, my dick turns metal and gets pulled straight into her magnet. Never fails.
Sweetie goes in, gets us a room at the motel next door. I go out to my van, pull back the seat cover on the passenger side, and cut a hole in the seat cushion. I place the sack with the purple television down inside and replace the cover.
Ain’t such a thing as too careful, I reckon.
Paid subscribers! The next chapter of this story will be posted on December 13th! Stay tuned for Chula!
Proof Detention
© William Pauley III, 2009
All rights reserved.
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