Dark Rider -- Part 20
by Martin H Slusser

“You sure Carl will come?”

Todd shrugged. “I called him, but I donno if he can hear me, or anything anymore, over the spirit-line.” He studied Benny closely out of the corner of his eyes. Benny didn’t look well to Todd. The place the claw had struck was swollen, a clear fluid seeped from it, cleansing it.

“Carl told me Leda had this stuff,” Benny said and fought for breath, “kind like a poison, that she would use on a male sacrifice . . . .”

Benny squatted down and wrapped his arms around his knees. Staring down at the roiling waters below the Red Rock, Benny felt himself shrinking, being drawn into the waters. The temperature had dropped with the dying of the sun. Ice formed along the edges of twigs and stones that touched the water.

He closed his eyes and tried to call his stepfather on the ‘line.

Brush crashed as some people stumbled in clumsy haste down the steep path to the ‘Rock.

Benny scowled and tried harder. He didn’t hear Todd’s snarl from beside him.

“Yo, look-ee the fair-ies.”

Benny spun and twisted upright to faced the mocking voice.

Todd lay a restraining hand on Benny’s arm. The People considered the ‘Rock a Sacred-Place, and neither wanted to break the peace, not here.

“Hey, Donald. Bricey, Mike.” Benny nodded at the stars of Crestwood's foot ball team.

With a careless flip of his hand Donald tossed down an expensive set of fishing tackle. Teeth bared in a hot smile filled with mockery, he balled his fists and laughed.

“Now we finish it, ‘breed.” Donald lowered his head and popped a few blows into the air between them. “No skirts to hide behind here.”

Benny grinned at Todd. Todd shrugged. So much for keeping the peace.

“Yo? Only the three of you?” He glanced at Todd. “Gee. Sorry, cuz, but they didn’t bring any for you to get a work-out on. Ist? These M.T. scuds are all mine.”

Donald blinked. A twinge of unease crept up his spine.

He spat on the ‘Rock. The air above him twisted in outrage at this insult to the ‘Rock.

“Grey, you’re yellow.” In school, the ‘breed sat by himself and looked scared all of the time. Grey cringed and whimped-out at everything, even when some bimbo got mad at him. Donald shifted his feet and scowled.

He was yellow. Wasn’t he? Grey didn’t look it at the moment. In fact, he looked as if he were going kill someone.

“No-body takes it up the butt the way you did and can be a man.” A trickle of cold sweat rolled between his shoulder blades and soaked into his shirt.

Taking it calmly-for Benny-Benny reached out and rabbit punched Donald’s pretty blond face with three quick jabs. Then he settled back and waited to die. His ribs ached, his legs were jello.

Donald stumbled back and fell into his friends’ arms.

Licking his lips, Donald tasted blood. He bellowed and dragged himself up.

In a soft hiss Benny told Donald, “Touch my cousin and I’ll eat your yellow ogana liver.” Benny gave Donald a savage grin that froze the man’s soul.

Todd smiled and raised his arms in a lazy stretch.

“Yo, . . . I’m cool. I missed lunch and supper my own self.”

“You friggin faggots.” Donald backed a step and blinked in confusion.

One gave a laugh that was more brass than iron. “Let’s do ‘em, man. All they are is a couple a fairies.”

The three crouched and stalked towards Benny and Todd. Toddy looked up at the black velvet sky and into the silence said, “Sun-Father? Pop, if your gonna help, now might be a nice time to-”

“Chill.”

The word ruptured the air over their heads, was thrown back at them by the far side of the gorge.

About twenty kids ran down the path. They crowded around the three from Mountain Top. Todd glanced into the tree tops and nodded at a hawk sitting there.

A knife clicked open, loud and terrifying in a silence broken only by the quiet laughter of the rapids and the breathless whimpers of Brice Daily.

Donald laughed and spread his hands. “We only came down here to do a little fishing’s all. Grey started it-” He froze, staring as a pretty girl shoved her way to the front of him.

“‘Member me, Donny? Donna Kempher. No, I guess you don’t. Hain’a? But you bragged a lot about all the times we made out behind the school, tho’. Didn’t you? Hm?” Her hands stroked his chest. “Bragged plenty. But you still ain’t had the pleasure,” she said, her face smug. “I got better tastes.” Her gaze flicked at Todd. “But now I got you. Don’t I, McGuire?”

She glared up at Donald, her eyes flashed with contempt.

“We don’t like M.T. punks down here.” Her cold face thrust up, into Donald’s. “Go back to Mountain Top,” she said, cool and very unpleasant. “Or we’ll load pieces of you on the next train north. Got it, bitch-boy?”

She flashed a smile at Todd, who blushed, hot, almost glowing in the gathering dusk.

Feeling a flush of heat from his cousin, Benny gaped at Todd and grinned at the waves of red scorching up his cousin’s face.

“Hey, Donna.” Todd flashed a warning glance at Benny.

Donald glared around him, helpless to do anything but leave in disgrace.

He looked for their tackle. The expensive graphite poles and fish-callers were gone. So was the sack with the bottles of imported beer and scotch taken from his father’s wine cellar in the basement.

“Hey, what’d you do with our stuff?”

 Donna blew a kiss at Todd. Her words to Donald were syrup and anything but sweet.

“Go home, McGuire. Do yourself a favor and leave while you still have legs.” She added with a Shirley Temple brightness, “Ok?”

Donald walked with extreme care though the pack of kids and up the steep curving path to the safety of the top.

He turned and screamed, “I’m calling the cops on you, Grey. It’s your friggin fault my stuff got stolen.”

Grinning at Mike and Brice, he ran in the direction of his car. If anything happened to that car he was dead. Worse, Dad probably wouldn’t let him use it anymore. Donald gnashed his teeth and prayed to every god he knew or had heard of.

“Get ‘em,” Donna cried.

Howling and screaming, kids boiled up to the top. They roared down the parking lot after Donald.

Eyes bulging, Donald fumbled for the car keys.

“Move it, you jerk,” Brice Daily screamed. Mike gave a low moan and urine flooded his crotch.

Donald found the keys, shoved the right one in, wrenched it, breaking the key off. He jerked on the door and miraculously it opened. He dived in, slammed it shut and his fist crashed on the lock.

Screaming and pleading with him to open the door the Daily brothers pounded on the windows. Donald started the car and rammed it into what he hoped was first. It spurted backwards, slowing around. He popped the clutch, heading for the gate and a longer life.

The two he abandoned didn’t waste any time. They pounded down the lot after him, pleading in shrill, bat-like cries for Donald to return.

The car jounced, rattled and slid. The tail pipe snapped off and shot out with a loud screech. They dodged out of the way, stumbled, fell, and rolled to their feet, then were up and running. Mike was crunched under a wave of kids. Brice made it all the way down to the gate before getting a fist in the spine that plowed his face in the crumbling black top of old Route 940.

Distinctly unpleasant, Donna smirked. She cocked an eye at Todd. Ever so lightly, Donna sighed.

“Guess flattening ol’ McGuire's cruddy tires was a good idea. Hain’a, Toddy, hmmm?” Her brows arched in a lady-like, totally wolfish grin.

She leaned into Todd. “Wanna go to the island for some heavy breathing, Toddy? Please, Huggy-Bear?”

Todd forgot to breathe.

Her fingers touched the swollen lips. She scowled at Benny.

“Who did this?” she hissed, her eyes flashed murder in the deepening twilight. Donna glared at Benny. “I know you had something to do with it.”

“Yo. Maybe Toddy’s just hungry for you, Donna-”

She balled her fists.

Benny threw his hands up to ward her off. “Come on Donna,” he pleaded, “I -”

“Chill, both of you.”

Todd stroked Donna’s back and ran a finger under her jaw line. All desire to see Benny bleeding and broken under her fists forgotten, she whimpered, burrowing her face into his chest.

Benny grinned. He snorted a laugh and clapped a hand over his mouth. He turned away from them. Toddy had her all tied up in knots. Yo. Dude must a been listening when I told him about the training I got at the cat-house. With male slyness, Benny grinned. Cuz was most definitely a nacher'l.

Hearing a muffled chuckle, Donna cast Benny a furious look. She sighed in barely resign frustration, gave Todd a light kiss on the mouth and joined her friends.

They had all three of the MT punks well in hands. The door of the sporty little car was twisted off its hinges, the window shattered.

Punching fists in the air, she roared, “Let’s Paaarty!”

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