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DOOM MAGNETIC!! - CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
LADY STARMAN
William Pauley III
I should’a kicked that robot’s ass when I had the chance. Stahl? What the hell kinda name is Stahl for a robot anyway? Oh, I’ll stall its ass if ever I see that thing again, I’ll tell you what. Goddamn. Just thinkin’ ‘bout it gets my blood boiling somethin’ awful.
I’m through with this, for now at least. I need t’ rest. That robot done things t’ me that I’ve only had nightmares ‘bout. I’m not ready for anything else just yet.
‘Cept Vonna. I have t’ get Vonna. Do her right. I can’t even imagine the things the people in that town have done to her. Shit. I have to go. Now.
I tear open the Doom Magnetic, straight to the black heart of Chorizo, Nevada. It’s a quiet night, hot, no wind. Not a single soul is out and about. Must all be at Crunch’s Saloon.
I walk over to the center of town and just as I suspected, Vonna’s body is still hanging there. All her clothes have been stripped clean off. Her back and torso are covered with fresh wounds. Looks t’ me like they’ve been whipping, beating her dead body, like she was some goddamn human piñata. Makes me sick t’ my stomach. People…they just ain’t no good.
I reach into my boot and pull out my blade. I cut her down and wrap my trench coat around her naked body. Her hands and feet are swollen and much darker than the rest of her. Must be where the blood has settled. Surprisingly, there ain’t really too much of a smell just yet, which is probably why there also ain’t too much insects around neither. I carry her body over to a nearby barn, grab a shovel and begin to dig.
In the next few hours, I dig a deep enough grave t’ keep her underground forever. I’m always hearin’ about towns that bury their dead in shallow graves. Big storm comes up, floods the fields, and all of a sudden they’ve got themselves fresh corpses and old skeletons washing up on their doorsteps.
Vonna, you poor, poor child.
I cradle her body in my arms and walk her down into the grave, laying her to rest on the dark, cold earth.
“I’m so sorry, kid,” I say, tryin’ my best not t’ choke up. “I’m not entirely sure just what it is I’m doin’ yet, but I promise you that I won’t let you down. I won’t let Doogan down, I won’t let Z down, I won’t let you down.”
I kiss my fingers and push them against her lips. She’s cold.
“Rest in peace, my friend. You deserved better.”
I wrap the coat up ‘round her face, then begin to fill the grave back up with dirt. Once it’s filled, I toss the shovel aside and collapse down on the grass, exhausted.
The night sky is all I can see. I lay there watchin’ the stars for several minutes.
Lookin’ up at the night sky always gives me a sense of panic. I always feel so small, like I am suddenly realizin’ just how embarrassingly insignificant my existence truly is. I’m always fascinated and equally terrified, gazin’ up at the sky. Maybe it’s cause I’ve secretly known all along that all of this was goin’ t’ be mine one day. The stars are now my playground and battleground, all in one.
Or maybe that’s not it at all. Guess I’ll never really know for sure.
I lay there until I fall asleep. But just before I shut my eyes, a soft voice speaks to me.
“Hey there,” the voice says. It’s a woman’s voice. One I don’t recognize.
I sit up, and like a punch in the chest, it hits me.
The purple television. After all this time, there it is, sitting right in front of me, in all its glory. And standin’ behind it is the prettiest goddamn woman I think I’ve ever laid eyes on. She’s dressed in a tight green sparkly dress, has long flowin’ red hair, and red lightnin’ bolt earrings that dangle from her tiny, perfect little earlobes. I’ve never seen anything quite like her. I can’t even get myself to speak to her. I’m at a complete loss of words.
“Maundin,” she says, smilin’. “It’s time to go.”
Paid subscribers! The next chapter of this story will be posted on May 2nd! Stay tuned for The Brothers Crunk.
Lady Starman
© William Pauley III, 2011
All rights reserved.
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