Dastardly Bastard(36)

Nana Penance hissed.

Justine slid the ring onto her finger. The gold felt cool against her skin.

With new resolve, she pushed herself up off the ground and dusted off her pants. She walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down into the chasm. Her breath calmed. The flood of tears ceased.

She knew what she had to do.

“Just? Think about this ‘fore you go and do something stupid.”

Justine looked back at the thing that wasn’t her Nana and met its questioning eyes. “I’m coming for you, asshole.” The pressure in her chest lifted.

A flicker of shade passed over Nana Penance’s face. “We’ll see about that.” Nana Penance flickered like the last reel of a moving picture before disappearing.

Justine looked down at the ring on her finger and smiled.

“I do.”

She stepped off the cliff.





FULLY INVOLVED





28


BACK…

“FROM THE LOWEST CLIFF of Waverly Chasm, you can look down and never see the bottom. Some say it’s over a mile deep, but that can’t be confirmed, as no one has ever been to the bottom.”

That morning’s group—Donald, Mark, Justine, Trevor, Marsha, and Lyle—stood unmoving, their faces shining in the morning sun.

“Any questions?” Jaleel asked.

Something was off about them. The group looked plastic, mannequin-like. Mark’s eyes gleamed as a shadow passed over his face. The shadow rolled over Marsha and Lyle, hovering on the boy a little longer than it had on the camera man. Jaleel looked at the sky, expecting to see a rogue cloud up there in the bold blue, but there was none. The sun held its spot off in the east.

“Hello?” Jaleel waved a hand, hoping to catch one of their gazes. Those plastic eyes stared to the front, not looking at him, but past him. Jaleel looked over his shoulder—nothing but the tree line and the trail that would lead them to Waverly Chasm.

He took a step toward the stoic band of tourists. Leaning in, almost close enough to touch noses with Mark, Jaleel thumped the camera man’s iris. It tinked, sounding like a nail striking glass. He snapped his fingers in front of Marsha’s face. She didn’t so much as blink.

“Guys?” He ran a hand over his short black hair. The flesh of his scalp was warm from the sun.

Jaleel pressed his fingers to Trevor’s forehead and gave a slight push. The man fell over, toppling like a domino, landing on Donald just behind him. Both bodies clattered across the ground.

“Well, shit,” Jaleel said.

Jaleel’s vision filled with blinding light. Pink and blue sparkles exploded in front of him. His stomach heaved as his mind spun.

He was sitting in Thom Grant’s office back at the parks and recreation building. His boss didn’t look happy.

“I’m not saying you’re a bad tour guide, Jaleel. You just screwed up. Thom clasped his hands on the desk in front of him, furrowing his brow. “You’re not going to make this a black thing; are you?”

“What?” Jaleel had no idea how he’d gotten there. The time and place seemed familiar, but what would come next eluded him. His memories had become reality, playing back as if in real time.

“You know, try and sue the company for… oh, never mind. This isn’t about that, even if you think it is. Righteous Cola has been informed that you haven’t been making people aware of their sponsorship. Now, I can’t see—”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Jaleel stood and leaned over the desk. “I do my job!”

“That’s not what we’ve been hearing.” Thom’s face screwed into a grimace. “I’ve heard this from several of the guides. I’m sorry, Jaleel, but I’m going to have to let you go.”

“Fuck this.” Jaleel spat in the man’s face. “I’ll have your ass for dinner when—”

Sparkles, spinning…

Jaleel stood in front of his locker in the ranger station, staring into the empty space. His belongings sat in a box next to him on the bench. He shut the door of the locker, spinning the dial from habit.

“I’m sorry about this, Jaleel.” Clyde Lewis rubbed his hands together, looking uncomfortable. He avoided making eye contact.

“It’s not your fault, Clyde.” Jaleel picked up his belongings, balancing them under one arm. “It’s those fucking Righteous Cola guys.”

“I know.” Clyde finally looked up, and Jaleel saw the worry in the man’s eyes. “I’m the one who called them.”

“What?”

Clyde raised his hands. “Calm down. Let me—”

“Fuck calming down, man. They canned my ass because of you. Do you know how hard I worked for this position?”

“I know. I know, Jaleel, but my wife’s pregnant, and I needed more hours to help with the bills. Since you got that promotion to guide, they cut my hours in half. I can’t raise a fam—”

“Fuck your family!” Jaleel hissed. “What about me? What about my life? You ever think about that, you cocksucker?”

That’s right. Get him.

The voice was in Jaleel’s head.

“You know what? Fucking take it!” Jaleel shoved the box of belongings into Clyde’s chest. His co-worker stumbled backward, crashing into the lockers. “Take that shit with you, too.”