The Hand That Feeds: A Horror Novel (6 page)

Angela bit her bottom lip in the way that drove John crazy. He pushed open the door and smiled back at her.

“Maybe
,” he said.

“I’m so proud of you
, baby.”

“How so?”

“You did it,” she said. “You really did it. You proved to me that you would do anything for your family.”

Angela’s voice was soft and inviting. John could
sense the pride in her. His chest swelled. He hadn’t felt this from her for longer than he could remember.

“That’s all I ever wanted from you,” she
said. “That’s all we ever wanted.”

She
pulled one foot from underneath the water and laid it up on the edge of the bathtub. She gave him a look filled with desire. John walked to the tub and pushed off his boots with his feet. He looked down at his clothes and the amount of blood startled him.

“Don’t,”
she said, then threw her other leg up on the far side of the tub, exposing herself. “Just get in here.”

The moment John pulled his stare away from the blood, the horror was gone. He looked into Angela’s eyes and forgot about
everything else. He took a hold of her hand and stepped in the warm water. Angela pulled him down on top of her, and with the slightest ease, made him forget about all his troubles.

7

John lay in bed listening to the sound of his heart. He couldn’t sleep. The last time he looked, the clock on the nightstand read 3:42 am. His eyes started burning half an hour ago, but he knew it didn’t matter. Moonlight cascaded in through the bedroom window and lit up the opposite wall. He watched the open doorway until his mind played tricks on him. He’d seen movement in the hall several times, but he knew nothing was really there.

He turned his head and looked
at Angela. She was sleeping soundly beside him as she had been since the moment her head hit the pillow. He watched her chest rise in slow, perfect rhythm. He thought she looked peaceful.

They’d made love for the first time in over a year. From the moment he’d stepped in the bath, John saw the side of Angela he fell in love with. Everything felt right
and he didn’t want to ruin it. He would have to quiet the nagging thoughts dancing in his head.

He decided
that he’d been in the bed long enough, and slowly moved Angela’s hand from his chest and slid out from under the covers. The wood floor was cold against his feet. He found his slippers under the bed, threw on his robe, and headed down the hall. His heart beat loud in his ears as he neared Alex’s room. Only a foot away, he paused and the silence brought a smile to his face. He pictured his boy sleeping soundly as he headed for the living room.

John went into the kitchen
and eyed the canisters atop the refrigerator. He reached up and fished his hand around until he found what he was looking for. From a hidden spot behind the flower container, appeared a half empty pack of cigarettes. John looked in the torn opening in the top of the pack and found the small lighter.

He went
to the back door and did his best to open it quietly. Once out back, he got far enough away from the house to be safe and pulled out a cigarette. He lit it and took a long, slow drag. The feeling was euphoric. John had officially quit smoking three months ago. Since then, he’d kept the habit down to breaks at work and the occasional late night slip in the backyard. Angela hated smoking and threatened to leave him if he didn’t give it up. He figured under the circumstances, he could smoke all he wanted.

He stood looking out across the back of the property. Moonlight illuminated the tree line in the distance. Angela said she’d found
Alex back there covered in the black ooze. John considered walking out there, but decided against it. If he was going to have a look, he thought it best to wait until sunrise. He took another long drag and held the smoke in his lungs. There was a silence all around him as the wind died away. It was then that he heard a light clicking sound from behind him. He turned and looked at the back door expecting to see it slowly moving, but found it shut.

He approached the door tentatively, noticing the sound had stopped. John was a foot from the rear of the house when
it started again, and then stopped. He was sure it was coming from the edge of the house and he kept close to the wall as he walked. The sound started again, this time at a slow rhythmic pace. The closer John came to the edge of the house, the more he recognized the sound. At the mid-way point, he stopped, peering further down the rear of the house at the lone window on the corner.

The light from the end of his cigarette lit up a small portion of his face a
s he took a drag. He leaned out from the back of the house to sneak a look at the widow. Shadows kept the moonlight away, swallowing the area in darkness. The tapping continued.

John took one last puff of his cigarette
and then flicked it out in the grass. His eyes stayed locked on the edge of the window but he didn’t move any closer. The tapping grew louder as he took a step forward. There was a new sound joining in with the first. Low, but constant, there was a rising hum. Another step and John was close enough to touch the windowsill. He steadied himself and then moved out in front of the glass. He saw a hand first, the blackened fingers tapping along the glass in search of freedom. He leaned in and Alex’s face slammed against the window, a moan erupted from his mouth as he tried to get a hold of his father.

John felt his heart stop a
s he leapt back. He came down awkward on his foot, twisting his ankle. He landed on his back with a painful thud, his elbows sinking in the mud. All the while, Alex’s dark figure pounded on the glass trying to get out. Terrified, John rolled on to his hands and knees. He sloshed through the grass, working his way toward the backdoor. He was sure the glass would give way and Alex would get out into the yard. John gasped for breath as he reached the back door. A sudden awareness of silence held him still. The pounding and deathly moan stopped. Alex was out of sight and all that remained, was a light tapping of a child’s fingers against the window.

#

Angela shot up in bed as the pounding started. The sunlight from the bedroom window caused her eyes to slam shut. It took her a few seconds to wake herself up. She squinted as her eyes adjusted, and then she realized the pounding stopped. She tried to get her bearings. It was obvious John was already up. She slid on her slippers and looked out the window. She smiled as she stretched, interested in figuring out what her husband was up to.

A sudden jolt ran up her back as the pounding returned. She spun around and focused on
Alex’s door. From her position at the window, she could only see the doorknob. She watched the door as the pounding continued. The noise stopped and she realized she was holding her breath. Fear raced through her mind when she considered what John might have done. Her heart beat faster as she walked toward Alex’s room. The pounding started again as she reached for the doorknob and hesitated.

The pounding stopped and
she put her ear up against the cold wood. There was nothing but silence, then she picked out the sounds of something shuffling across the floor. The sounds drew near. The pounding started again and as she pulled away, something hit hard against the inside of the door. She screamed and backed away, her heart in her throat.

“Angela.
”

She heard John call her name from the rear of the house.

“Angela, is that you?”

She moved down the hall and into the living room.
She pulled open the back door and stepped outside. John stood at the edge of the house near a stack of old, wood, two by fours. He had his hammer in one hand and few nails in the other. He’d already hammered three pieces of wood over Alex’s window.

“I thought I’d better cover this up,” he said.

He smiled at her and went back to work. He hoisted another board in place and began pounding away. Angela watched him work. He had his shirt off and she leered at his bare chest as it glistened in the morning sun. When the work was done, she made him something to eat and they sat down at the dining table. John ate his sandwich in four giant bites. Angela watched him with a smile painted on her face. She wanted something from him, but was waiting for the right time to ask. John didn’t give in. He ate his chips in silence, washed it all down, and then picked up after himself.

“You know…” Angela said after waiting as long as she could. “
Alex seems to be moving around much better.”

John did
n’t respond. She hadn’t got to the point yet. She used this tactic most of the time.

“It’s like he got his strength back, you know,” she said.

“I’d say so.” John headed for the couch. “He scared the hell out of me this morning.”

“How so?”

“I was out back and he came at that window,” he said.

“Why were you out
back?” she asked, sitting down next to him.

John
shuddered then changed the subject. “What are you getting at?” he asked.

“Well-
”

Angela was interrupted by a phone ring. John looked at the kitchen
with a confused expression. It was as if he’d forgotten there were other people in the world besides her and him. He made it to the kitchen by the fourth ring, picked up the receiver, and in an unsteady voice, he spoke.

“Hello.”

John held silent for a moment. Angela could see him standing in the entrance to the kitchen, his shoulders stiffening as a high-pitched voice came over the phone.

“Oh
, hi, Penny.”

Angela’s eyes narrowed.
Penny was Doctor Taylor’s assistant.

“No, no we haven’t seen the doctor.”

Angela got up off the couch and walked closer. She leaned in toward John to listen.

“Well
, that’s strange,” Penny said. “I haven’t heard from him, so I came in his office for a look. The only thing I found was a scribbled note with your name on it.”

John didn’t say anything
for a moment.

“Oh yea
.” His voice went in and out as he spoke. He cleared his throat. “I called him last night, I completely forgot.”

Angela grab
bed a firm hold of the back of his arm. He tried to pull away from her, but couldn’t. She glared at him, but he couldn’t see her face.

“So you did talk with him then?” Penny asked.

“Yes, I called to tell him how Alex was doing.”

Penny was quiet long enough for it to be uncomfortable.

“Doctor Taylor asked us to check in with him from time to time,” John said.

“Yea…” Penny hesitated. “I guess that sounds like Dr. Taylor. He didn’t come over for a visit?”

“No,” John said.

There was a long pause as Penny
waited for more. Angela wanted him to get off the phone. She hoped Penny would give up and let him off the hook. Penny finally spoke up.

“So how is
Alex?”

“
Alex?” John’s mind seemed to go blank.

Angela
tightened her grip on the back of his arm and he snatched it away.

“
Alex’s doing better.” John stepped into the kitchen to get away from Angela. When he turned around, she was leaning against the entrance smiling at him. She tilted her head to the side and pouted, waving him back to her. “Yes, much better,” he said, then shook his head at her.

Penny’s voice was loud enough so Angela could still hear her. “
Oh that’s great to hear. I know Dr. Taylor was really worried. You know it’s not like him to miss a day at the office without calling in.”

John sw
ore under his breath and then mouthed to Angela that he forgot to call into work. “Yea that is strange, but I have to go, Penny,” he said. “Thanks for calling.”

Penny was still talking when
he hung up the phone.

“Well that was rude,” Angela said.

“I have to get to work,” he said. He tried to push past her, but she didn’t budge. “Baby, I have to go.” He checked his watch. “I’m already going to be late.”

Angela put an arm around his neck and pulled herself toward him. She made him put his arms around her waist.
“Are you trying to get away from us?” Her question was playful enough, but she wanted an answer.

“No
, of course not.”

She looked at him seductively
and then kissed him. She put her hand on the back of his head and held his lips to hers for a long time. “I didn’t get to finish what I was saying,” she said when she finally let him go.

“Can’t it wait?” John asked
, then checked his watch again.

She
wasn’t going to let him go until she got out what she wanted to say. “I’m so happy to have our family back together,” she said. “I don’t know what I would do if we lost our boy.” John’s eyes squinted and she knew he understood what she was saying. “You’re the provider of this family.”

“Yes
, and that’s why I have to get to work,” he said. “I have to…”

Angela’s expression hardened and
it caused him to stop.

“
Alex got better because of Doctor Taylor,” she said.

John slowly nodded. “I know
.”

“
Alex had to have it,” she said. Her words were haunting in their simplicity. A sound emanated from the hall before she could continue. Underneath Alex’s door at the end of the hall, the remaining lines of light from his boarded window highlighted the shadow of his feet. “John.” He looked back at her and she made her demands crystal clear. “He has to eat.”