Asylum
Chapter 10
Then:
“Let me guess, Donna and Betty are at Hank’s?”
“Just Donna. He’s never getting Betty back again.”
“Where the hell is she?”
“Whoa, big guy, she’s at the house?”
“What?”
“Look Spike, it’s an old trick. I boarded the place up. In a couple of days, the bums will break inside and the cops will think they did it.”
“You dumb fuck! Betty is Sally’s kid, not Hank’s!”
“Sorry Spike, this is between me and my brother. Tell you what, I will make Sally forget all about Betty.”
“Damn it, Eddie. Are you sure there is no way anyone can find out and track you to me?”
“I’m positive. So if you don’t mind, I would like to borrow the device. Would you believe my luck? There is a girl scout troop that meets right across the street from my new apartment.”
“I have the device with me... Put it on.”
“What do you mean? Betty was mine to do with as I please… Spike, I think her god damned hormones overrode the mind control. Come on, man. Give me a break. You don’t even know how to use that thing!”
“Eddie, Eddie, Eddie, son, you’re still playing catch-up. First off, you’re dumb enough to kill your wife and second, you fucking tell me where the body is. I mean, that’s just fucking stupid. Now put the headset on or I will fucking shoot you. I will call the cops and tell them the entire story. I’ll be a fucking hero for keeping a degenerate like you off the streets. So put on the fucking headset!”
Now:
Eric stopped the bleeding from his ear by stitching it together with some super glue. He put an ice pack against the damage and went to bed.
Eric’s sleep was cut short, Sally woke him in a full panic.
“Betty’s gone, Betty’s gone, Oh my god, Eric. Eric, please get up. Betty’s gone.”
“Betty disappears all the time. What makes you think she’s gone?”
“I just know it. You got to get up and help me find her, please.”
“Okay, I’ll look in the master bedroom.”
“Hey Spike, have you seen Betty?”
“You dumb fucker!”
“What?”
“You fucked that crazy bitch!”
The old man shouted, but stopped as the exertion nearly caused him to pass out.
“Yeah, I did, but Sally thinks she’s gone.”
“I told you not to. Sally told you not to.”
The old man struggled to breathe.
“Dude, I didn’t hurt her. She’s fine. I’m the one looking at a nasty infection.”
“No, dipshit! She’s not fine. She’s fucking insane. The last man that fucked her slit her throat and left her for dead. Now, she’s going to think that you are that man, got it? Send Sally in here. We’ve got to go to Barstow.”
“What’s the deal with Barstow?”
“Double protection. No matter what plan Betty makes, step one is always, go to Barstow. That way, we know where to find her when she runs off.”
“Great, where’s Barstow?”
“California.”
“Couldn’t you have picked someplace closer?”
“It was the best place when we lived in Reno, but just like the trigger phrases, we can’t change it now. Mother fucker! You had one goddamned job! Tell Sally Mr. Cruz wants her in the master bedroom.”
The old man fell back into the bed, coughing and gasping for air.
After talking to Sally, Eric looked for Betty. The beetle was still in the garage.
“The key cabinet!”
Sure enough, she had worked the key cabinet over, cracking it in several places, but it still held fast.
Until that moment, Eric hadn’t considered Betty a genuine threat. He could reason with her, but the damage done to the heavy cabinet and the painful throbbing of his earlobe begged to differ. Locking himself inside the den really didn’t seem like a good plan.
“What if she sets the building on fire?”
“Mr. Cruz is gone,” said Sally.
Eric looked at the empty hospital bed and silenced the alarm on the monitor. Someone had pulled the dresser drawers out from their cabinets, and they left the closet doors open wide.
“Where did Mr. Cruz go?”
“He didn’t say.”
“Sally, Mr. Cruz wants you to go back to your room and wait for Betty to get home.”
Eric ran to his room, locking the door behind him. Hours passed, and all was quiet outside. He expected some yelling or the police, or something, but not hours of nothing. What could take so long?
Fortunately, the den had its own bathroom. Eric pulled out his slimy cock. It still smelled of sex. He sighed in relief just as the fast-flowing stream of urine splashed loudly in the toilet bowl.
From the corner of his eye, Eric saw a shadow moving on the glossy tile. In a most unmanly manner he screeched, jumping and pissing, as he dodged the razor blade that sliced through the air. In a quick move, he grabbed a handful of towels from above the toilet to use as a shield when Betty slashed at him a second time.
“Betty, I’m not the bad guy!”
She swung the razor again. This time, Eric threw the towels in her face as he dodged her razor.
“Love-bug, love-bug, love-bug!”
Betty stopped. Out of breath, she was a puppet with its strings cut.
Eric was breathing hard and still pissing, but he had the chance to grab Betty’s hand and pry out the razor.
“I’m not the bad guy, Betty.”
“Can we go to Barstow?”
“Betty, honey, I don’t even know where that is. Please work with me.”
“We need to go to Barstow.”
“I know. Let’s talk to Sally.”
Eric and Betty found Sally watching TV in her room.
“Sally, I need you to talk to Betty.”
Sally ignored him.
“What the fuck Sally?”
“It’s a trap,” said Betty, bolting for the door.
“Fucking crazy-ass cousin,” said Eric, failing to catch her as she ran. Then a sound that reminded Eric of a bulldozer began and the lights went out.