Lychan Part 3
“Anyone hungry?” Ivan asked. Everyone said they could eat. So Caelan pulled off of the highway and found a Checker’s fast food restaurant…
“Anyone hungry?” Ivan asked. Everyone said they could eat. So Caelan pulled off the highway and found a Checker’s fast food restaurant. They went through the drive-thru, ordering. They all got burgers and Checkers crack fries.
“Tellin’ you,” Ivan said. “The best damn fries in the country, maybe the world.”
“Macdonald’s got better,” Nick said.
“You smokin’ somethin’ I don’t want. You’ll love ’em, Rick.” Caelan pulled up at the window and saw a cute girl standing with a beautiful bright smile. Captivated, Caelan smiled back, checking her out by looking her up and down, lustfully.
“Anything else,” the girl asked.
“Can I have some more ketchup?”
“Yeah, sure thing.” She grabbed a handful.
“Oh, and… are you single?”
“Oh, well… it depends on who’s asking?”
“I’m Caelan. You’re real pretty,” he said smiling.
She smiled, “Oh, thank you, but I’m not really lookin’. Thank you, though. That’s so sweet!”
“Alright, well, have a great day, now.” Embarrassed, he forced a smirk as they pulled away into the parking lot.
“Oh, man, you went for it,” Ivan said.
“Had to, but…”
“Means she’s not interested.” Nick chuckled.
“Hey, that’s alright, man,” Ivan said. “The day is young. Just you wait. Later, man.”
“Whatever. What did I tell you,” Caelan said roughly.
“You got a point,” Ivan said.
Passing the bags and rifling through them, they picked fries with their oily fingers. As they reached inside and looked for lost fries, they consumed them delightfully. Unwrapping their gifts of delicacies like ravenous beasts, they devoured their burgers in minutes. They slurped their drinks from their stringy straws and burped satisfied. Ricky still ate while already the three guys were done, wiping their salty mouths.
“Damn, you ate those fast,” Ricky said.
“A man is hungry when he’s most tired,” Ivan said. “We’ve been havin’ long nights recently.”
“What’d you guys do?”
They looked at one another. “Construction. Come on, we’ll show ya the place.” Ivan started up the engine as it revved to life.
“Are you lookin’ for your friend,” Ricky asked.
“Nah, I… think he’ll be OK. If not, tomorrow he’ll turn up. It happens sometimes.” He put it in drive.
“Yeah, once, he came back after a week,” Nick said. “High off his ass. The shrooms got to ‘em,” he said, snorting like a pig.
“He’ll show up,” Ivan said.
Eventually, they arrived at a secluded mile-long driveway that curved up to a house. Driving down the dirt road to the red two-story abode the bumps rattled the car. It was a simple house that was dirtied on the sides stained by the scorching sun. The black shutters were old and wooden and many windows covered the front where a porch was built. Late into the night, they would sit and smoke and chat. A barn was stationed in the back of the property and about twenty acres of land lay behind.
Inside was a pigsty. An odor, foul and stale, was in the air. No windows were open, letting no airflow come swooping in, covered by dark shades.
Ivan turned on the light and the fluorescent lights shined and showcased a few mice scurrying along the edge of the large living room. Clothes and towels were everywhere. Bras and panties were thrown in the corner.
Ivan picked up some thongs. “Sorry about the mess.” Holding it up and twirling it in his fingers, he laughed. “We do have our fun.”
“Oh, you’re fine. Loved what you’ve done with the place,” Ricky said as Ivan winked at him.
Downstairs in the basement, the same mess was present. The smell wasn’t as foul but was overcome by a potent bleach air.
“Yeah, we had a dead possum in the crawlspace. We had to clean the place up a bit. The bleach smell is better than it was. Should go away after a few days.”
“Thanks again, Ivan. I really appreciate it,” he said looking around, disgusted by the whole place.
At least, it’s free. Won’t be here long.
“Of course, man. Until you get outta town. But maybe you’ll like it here.”
After Ricky made himself comfortable and got settled, Nick rolled a joint and passed it along as they all sat in plastic chairs on the front porch in the afternoon.
“Everything in common here,” Ivan said to Ricky. “No one hogs anything. That’s how society’s meant to be.” He took a drag and passed it to Ricky.
“Sounds alright to me,” Ricky said, taking a long drag.
“Hey, you ever get the feelin’ that everyone’s watching you, man? Like the whole world is out to get you?” Nick asked. Ricky passed it to him.
“I don’t know, it’s all just bullshit,” Ivan said.
“Hey, so what’s up with these murders in Lansing? A sheriff pulled me over and gave me his card. It kinda spooked me.”
“Oh, shit, yeah? Yeah, they’re all paranoid, man. You’ll be fine,” Ivan said. “Hey, psychopaths never stay in one place. They always travel around and stay for a time but eventually move on. That’s what my psych professor said once.”
“You went to college?”
“Local, one semester. Hated it, bro. Absolutely hated it. It’s the system like I told you.”
“You in school,” Caelan asked Ricky.
“Yeah, but takin’ a year off.”
“That’s good. That’s what I did after a year decided not to go back,” Ivan said.
“What made you do that?” Ricky asked.
“I worked, journeyed. Found what I was lookin’ for. Well, all four of us did.”
“We went on a road trip,” Caelan said.
“It was somethin’,” Nick said smoking and smiling.
“We found these little communities of people who were so alive. So real with…”
“A sense of purpose, drive like we’ve never seen,” Ivan finished his thought.
“Yeah,” Caelan said. “Then this one guy — a shaman told us to go to Austria and we would find what we we’re lookin’ for. ‘Follow the voice,’ he said.”
“Austria,” Ivan said. “Beautiful country, great people.”
“Did you find it?” Ricky asked intrigued and in awe.
“Yeah and more. A purpose like no other, a colony of like-minded people who all wanted the truth.”
They stared out beyond the overcast afternoon; the evening was coming.
“What was it?”
The three friends became quiet. They passed along the joint in silence. Nick finished it.
“Well, it’s gettin’ late. Who wants dinner? Burgers?” Ivan asked.
“Sounds great!” the other two said as Ricky was left to his thoughts.
Confused, he had a feeling they held some valuable information from him. Suspicious, he went along and decided to find out by asking the right questions; waiting for the right time. He liked these guys, they were becoming close very fast. Only knowing them a few hours they had become like brothers, brothers he never had.
Their kitchen was filthy, the stove top crusty from fried foods and oils. Bread crumbs and sticky juices from meals in ancient times. The floor hadn’t been swept in years. And the foul odor was worse.
“Take that trash out, Nick,” Ivan said.
“Why me?”
Ivan had no patience. “Here, Rick, can you take that out? Outback. Somebody doesn’t want to do their chores. We all help out. Nick, help with dinner then.” Nick agreed.
Gladly, Ricky took it out by opening the door and throwing it in the large bin outside. The many trash bags were piled high on the side. Flies swarmed around laying their eggs; larvae were everywhere.
Yep, that’s the smell. Shit, what the hell?
Maggots alive and working fed off of the garbage, making new life and growing in size; dreadful to the eyes. He walked out further toward the two-story big red barn, deciding to check his surroundings. And as he approached, Ivan shouted, “Hey man, you want cheese?”
He turned, “Uh, yeah… whaddya you guys have in there?”
“Oh, it’s just lawnmowers and shit. Come inside, bro. I need your help.” That propelled him back to the dirty house.
“You guys have like a lot of larvae on the side of your house.”
“Yeah, it’s disgusting, right?” Nick said proud. “We’re tryin’ to save money. No trash pick up.”
“We try to do compost and all that crap,” Ivan said quickly flipping burgers and placing buns in the toaster oven defiled by filth. Crusty by the toasts of mythical hands, strange claws left remnants of lurking evil as it toasted the delectable buns manufactured by machines and dangerous chemicals.
But nothing grew. It was barren farmland, desolate, without life. All the fields were tawny streaked by the sun. Gardening hadn’t been attempted in a long while.
To Be Continued…
