Animal Behavior and Other Tales of Lycanthropy (19 page)

“It feels so slimy,” Jonah said.

Nicky turned to see what he was talking about and quickly regretted it. The sight of his fingers probing inside the wolf’s skull was the final straw. He turned away and yakked partially digested sloppy joes and tater tots.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Me?” Nicky said, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. “What’s wrong with you? You’re the one sticking your hands in there.”

Jonah pulled out a slick, spongy-looking pinky-gray glob and held it out for him to see. “I take it you won’t be joining me, then?”

“I don’t know.” He walked away.

“If you don’t, I’ll show everyone at school your sister’s picture. You know the one.”

“Dude, you wouldn’t.”

“Of course I would. And your sister is sure to find out you gave it to me.”

Nicky thought about that. If Maria knew he’d taken that Polaroid in the middle of the night, she’d kick his butt, then his father would take a crack at him too. He hadn’t been the one who snapped the picture—Maria’s girlfriend Kelly had during a sleepover—why, he didn’t know—but he was spying nonetheless and got an eye full of both of them. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

Jonah smiled triumphantly as he walked to the fire. He crammed the stick into the chunk of brain matter and hovered it over the fire. When the surface was completely blackened, he asked, “You think it’s ready?”

“I don’t know. Looks like burnt burger. Try it.” Nicky fought back a smile when he saw the look of apprehension on Jonah’s face. “Well?”

“All right, all right.” Jonah plucked a sizable piece off and shoved it into his mouth.

“How is it?”

He chewed for a few moments before answering. “It’s . . . quite good, actually.”

“Let me try.” Nicky pulled off a piece and stared at it long and hard.

“Well? What’re you waiting for?”

Nicky closed his eyes and plopped it into his mouth. It was slightly bitter, but had the familiar taste of pork.

They each took another piece and continued until the hunk of meat was gone.

“Should we cook some more?” Jonah asked.

“Nah. We should get out of here. The smoke has gotten high. Someone might come running if they think it’s a forest fire.”

“Good point.” Jonah stood and raked his foot along the ground, kicking dirt onto the fire. He kept it up until it was smothered. “We should stick together. Why don’t you sleep over at my house tonight?”

“Okay.”

As they walked not a word was passed between the two. There was tightness in Nicky’s stomach, an uneasy roiling. He didn’t feel like he was going to throw up again, but it was an odd feeling he was unfamiliar with, sort of a cross between being full and satisfied, but nauseous all the same. Jonah’s right hand was pressed against his stomach, and though Nicky wanted to ask if he was okay, he was afraid if heard otherwise it might put him over the top, and another bout of vomiting would come about.

If he wants to tell me, he will
, he figured.

When they arrived at Jonah’s house, Nicky felt some relief and he noticed Jonah’s hand was by his side so he assumed he was feeling good, too. As expected, Jonah’s mother was nowhere insight and the two headed upstairs to Jonah’s bedroom.

Nicky looked around the room and wondered where he was going to sleep. The floor was covered with discarded clothes, magazines, video game cases, and an empty potato chip bag. He watched his step and walked over to the terrarium on Jonah’s desk.

“You gonna hold her this time?” Jonah asked.

Nicky took one look at the Chilean Rose Hair tarantula in the five-gallon tank and shivers danced down his spine. The spider was nestled inside a tree hollow Jonah had carved. He loved and spoiled the thing, feeding it cockroaches and the entrails of other vermin. The spider stared at him, daring him to stick his hand inside the tank so she might sink those fangs of hers into his tender flesh and pump venom deep inside his veins.

“I don’t think so,” he finally said.

“What a girl! You know it loves ya when it doesn’t bite.”

“Same can be said for a normal pet . . . like a
dog
!”

Jonah waved his hand, dismissing the idea. “Agh!”

He knew he was being silly. The venom stored in the arachnid wasn’t potent enough to kill a person unless they were allergic. Statistically speaking a person had a greater risk of being mauled to death by a dog then dying from a venomous bite. That knowledge did nothing to lessen his anxiety of touching the creature.

“So . . . any requests for dinner?” Jonah asked.

Nicky tilted his head in apprehension. “You cooking?”

“Yep.”

“More brain?”

“Ha ha.”

“Nah. It’s okay.
I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to head home. I’ll call you—”

“Don’t be silly,” Jonah said with a smile. “If it’ll make you feel better I’ll toss in a frozen pizza.”

“That’ll do.”

“All right, then . . . it’s not delivery!”

The two laughed heartedly.

“What’s wrong?” Nicky asked when Jonah suddenly stopped.

“You smell that? Sunflowers.” Jonah pushed passed Nicky, making a bee-line to the window. “What’s she doing next door?”

“Who?” Nicky asked as he walked over to his side. “Leah?”

“Yeah. That’s her, right?”

“I think so.”

The two stared out the window; Nicky saw Jonah was as perplexed as he was as to why she was in the neighborhood.

Jonah turned away from the window. “I’m going out there.”

“No, wait!” Nicky grabbed him by the arm. Jeremy had just appeared from the bushes that ran along the side of the house. “She’s not alone. Better to stay here.”

“Aw, man. What a douche.” Jonah leaned against the sill, his body filling the window frame. “Do you remember seeing Lily at school today?”

Nicky gave it some thought. “No, I don’t.”

“Yep. She just slid an envelope into the mail slot. Must be an invitation to the party.”

“You should get out of the window before they see you,” Nicky said unable to see.

“Too late.”

“Dude!”

“She’s staring at me. I knew it. She’s still interested in more than friendship.” He paused, then Jonah mumbled. “Same to you!”

“What is it?” Nicky pushed his way to see.

“He pegged me off when he noticed I was the one she was looking at. Jealous prick.”

“Ah!” Jonah stepped away from the window as Leah and Jeremy got in Jeremy’s Cavalier.

Nicky watched them drive off all the while wondering how Jonah knew she was out there. How could he have smelled her when he was inside and the window was closed?

“Pizza time!” Jonah said as he started to leave the room.

“Are you sure you smelled her?”

“Positive. She wears that sunflower perfume. I’d know it anywhere.”

“But how?”

Jonah paused. The look of concentration allowed Nicky to see the mental wheels turning. “It must be working,” he finally said.

“Working? The wolf thing? I don’t feel any different and I don’t smell sunflowers.”

“I don’t know, man, maybe it’s different for—”

All sound vanished. Jonah’s lips were still moving but Nicky couldn’t hear a word. “What’s happening?” he tried to say, but he couldn’t be certain words formed.

I’m deaf. He get’s super smell, I go deaf. No fair. This is all his fault. I could just punch his face in.
He tried to tell Jonah, and he wasn’t sure if words came out of his mouth until Jonah just looked at him dumbfounded, raising his hands palms upward as if saying, “What?”
Mute, too, great!

Jonah put his hand on Nicky’s shoulder and said something; he assumed Jonah was asking if he was okay.

No, I’m far from okay.

He looked around the room for a pen and paper. He stepped toward the desk and grabbed a pen resting in between the number and function keys of Jonah’s keyboard, and one of the many loose papers cluttering the desk.

He scribbled: hearing’s gone. your fault. He turned and held the paper up for Jonah to see.

“You serious?”

Nicky managed to read his lips and nodded.

“Dude, it’s not my fault.” Nicky read his lips again. “We need to get you to a doctor.” Just as suddenly as it was gone, his hearing returned, though the sound was muffled as if Jonah was in the next room.

“Wait,” Nicky said, digging his index finger into his ear canal. “Say something.”

“I love you and want your baby.”

That’s better
, he thought. “Always a jokester.”

“You heard me? You’re okay?”

“I think so. What the heck was that?”

Jonah just smiled that full-faced, devilish grin. “It’s working. It’s really working!”

“This is scary, man. How’s it working? Shouldn’t my hearing be amplified not diminishing? I don’t think—”

“Don’t think, man, just go with it. It’s a good thing you’re sleeping over. We’ll keep an eye on each other.”

“I suppose,” Nicky said, but he had his reservations.

“You worry too much. C’mon, I’m starving all of a sudden. Let me get that pizza in the oven.”

After dinner, the two watched the usual hack-n-slash movies on cable television, a true sign of the season. Jonah’s mother let them be, locking herself in her room once she got home from work. They fell asleep on the couch with the TV still on.

Nicky awoke abruptly, disturbed by the vision of him sneaking into Mrs. Morgan’s bedroom and ripping her throat out with his teeth while she slept peacefully. The dream felt so real, he could still taste the blood in his mouth. He wiped his hand across his chin to check for blood, but found none, fresh or dried.
Must’ve bitten the inside of my cheek
, he reasoned.

Still . . .
He peered over his shoulder to the closed bedroom door.
I better check on her
.

He got up slowly so as not to disturb Jonah and stood from the couch. With each step he placed his feet as gently as he could against the hardwood floor. The cold floor sent shivers up his spine from the large hole in the heel of his sock.

Please don’t squeak, please don’t squeak
. He chanted his mantra as he turned the doorknob. The brass knob complied and his mantra changed.
Please let it’ve been a dream.

He opened the door just enough to shimmy through. His eyes already adjusted to the darkness, and with the aid of the soft light from the television filtering in, he quickly saw Mrs. Morgan. His eyes went wide and it took him a moment to realize he was holding his breath. She lay there upon her bed, the sheet draped just below her left breast, even through her bra her nipple erect from the cool autumn air.

Don’t be a pervert
, he told himself,
you came in to see if your dream was just that: a dream.
Though he fought to take his eyes off the mesmerizing sight, he did so long enough to see her chest rise and fall.
Good. Just a dream.

A soft whimper from the other room caused him to look away. He stood in the doorway and waited, but Jonah remained on the couch.

Better not push my luck.
He stole one last glance.
Man, she’s beautiful. Wonder how far Dad got with her?

With one hand pressed against the door, he gently pulled it closed. Not a sound was made, but another dog-like whimper piqued his curiosity.
What’s going on over there?
he thought as he returned to the living room.

As he came around the edge of the couch he saw Jonah lying on his side, almost in the fetal position, his legs and arms twitching as if he was running on all fours. When Jonah whimpered again, Nicky reached out, grabbed his ankle, and gently shook it.

“Wake up, man. You all right?”

“Huh!” Jonah sat up. “What’s wrong?”

“That’s what I want to ask you. You were whimpering.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. What were you dreaming of?”

“Running through the woods, chasing a deer.” He looked toward the floor with his lips pursed and brow furrowed. “Did you have a similar dream? Maybe it’s another sign.”

“No . . . my dream was . . . different.”

“What was it?”

“Short version, I killed your mother.” By the way Jonah’s brow furrowed even more, Nicky could tell he didn’t like hearing that.

“Weird.”

“Yeah.”

“We should probably shut that off and go to my room. If my mom wakes up and finds us out here, she’ll be pissed.”

“All right.”

Jonah turned off the television and the two quietly passed through the living room and hallway, and as they walked up the stairs, Nicky whispered, “You think your dad regrets leaving your mom?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“I don’t know, it’s just —”

“My mom ain’t the easiest to get along with. And that’s all I’m going to say on that. I don’t like thinking about it. You got it easy. Your mom died. She didn’t leave you by choice.”