Whatever Remains (Annie)
Posted By J.C. Montgomery on March 24, 2009
Filed Under Excerpts, Horror | Leave a Comment
Shivering, Anne pulled the blanket up around her face, curling into a ball as she did in order to concentrate her body heat in one spot. It was then she noticed a tightening around her mid-section.
Feeling the line of stitches running down her stomach, she yelped and sat up; throwing off the covers, yanking up her shirt to see for herself what her fingers had told her was there.
It was then she realized she was not alone. In fact, she wasn’t even in her own bed.
“Sorry Annie, I hope I didn’t scare you.”
She knew that voice. It was…
“Hoffy?”
“Watch your eyes.”
No sooner had she covered them than they glowed from the light that filled the room. Slowly, she lowered her hands and squinted toward the direction of Horace’s voice. Looking around, she realized where she was. Had she really been that drunk that she couldn’t remember how she got here, and why she was all stitched up?
“Damn Hoffy. It musta been a helluva bender I was on. I don’t remember getting hurt. You’d think those damn surgeons would’ve at least tried to use a few less sutures.”
Reaching up, she began to run her hand through her long auburn hair, and again was surprised by what she found.
“What the…did I hit my head too? What’s going on Hoffy? If I’m so banged up, how come I’m here, and not in a hospital?”
Horace slowly stood and stretched like a man who’d been sitting for a very long time. In reality he hadn’t, but he needed time to figure out how to tell Anne the truth.
Rubbing her arms, Anne noticed how cold they were to the touch. She did feel a little chilled, but not enough to justify the coolness of her body. Again she ran her hands along the line of jagged thread on her stomach. But it wasn’t until she began reaching toward her brow that she saw what she’d missed in the dark: parallel rows of sutures running up her wrists.
“Oh crap, Hoffy, tell me I didn’t do something stupid. Please.”
Sitting on the bed beside her, he took both of her hands into his and pulled them toward him, forcing her to look up at him.
“I’m afraid you did sweetheart.”
“I don’t understand. The last thing I remember was…oh my god, Tom! He…he’s…and then I…”
Anne tried to pull away, but was still weak from the awakening. Horace pulled her towards him, embracing her as she began to break down.
“He’s dead. I remember now. He died and I…”
“It’s okay Annie. Let it out. When you’re ready, I’ll tell you everything, but for now, let it go sweetie, let it go.”
Horace remembered how Anne had been after receiving the news; strangely quiet and accepting. Her slow withdrawal from others was expected. She’d just lost her lover and best friend. Although not many people knew about the former until the letter she’d left behind had been leaked.
It was when he got the call from the coroner that he realized her behavior was typical of those who’d decided to commit suicide as he recalled how at peace she looked the last time he saw her alive.
Slowly her sobbing eased. Reaching over to the night stand, he handed her a few tissues.
“I’m sorry Hoffy, but I think I need something more along the lines of a basin full of cool water. Which way to the bathroom?”
“Uh…”
“Oh come on, it’s not like…” The look on his face silenced her.
“I don’t mind you using it Annie. It’s not that. But, well, I should prepare you for what you’re going to see in there.”
“What, there was a pile up on I-40 again and you ran outta room downstairs? I just need the sink, not the tub. I promise.”
Anne leaned back onto the pillows, trying to brace herself for what Horace had been keeping from her.
“Dammit Hoffy! Get your ass in here…NOW!”
“Tom? Oh my god, that was Tom!”
In unison, they both leapt from the bed and raced toward the viewing room situated at the back of the funeral home. Horace silently cursed himself for not getting to the point sooner with Anne. He knew that once they reached the room, all hell would break loose. But considering the sounds of yelling and scuffling, it sounded like it already had.
© J.C. Montgomery 2009. All Rights Reserved.
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