Hyrum
He isn't ready for this.
Terri
He is. Asher can do this, Hyrum.
Hyrum
What if...
Terri
I know. ❤️
----------------------------------------
Chapter 6 — Asher
----------------------------------------
“Fractured?” Asher shook his head as he walked into Shady Pawn. What was he thinking about?
“Hey Asher,” said Terri.
Her voice hit him like a hammer. He reeled, eyes squeezed closed, making a fist with his left hand as a burst of pain exploded in his head. “Fuck! That hurts.”
“You, okay? You know what I think about using that kind of language?” She was behind a glass counter filled with odds and ends. Everything from collectible toys to old lighters and hockey cards.
Wheeler stood at the counter, trying to get her attention.
“Um, yeah, only when camping, after midnight, or if something hurts.” Asher lifted his head up to look at her.
“So? What hurts?”
“Oh, my head.” He scratched it. “Or at least it did. Seems okay now.”
“Hey, can I get some service here? I have three hundy worth of fireworks to buy.” Wheeler slapped his hand down on the counter.
“Keep talking, hooligan, and I’ll decide we no longer sell fireworks.”
“Right-O, Can I just see the order list?” Wheeler asked.
Terri slapped a list down in front of him.
Wheeler took the list from the counter, nodded, and headed to one of the old recliners to make his selection.
Asher followed the interaction as he approached, then glanced around at the ever-revolving assortment of items on display in Shady Pawn.
Right now, there were a few musical instruments, some furniture, electronics like tablets, laptops, and a spinning wrack with old cell phones hanging from it. There was also an extensive video game, DVD, vinyl, and CD section.
On the wall behind the counter were the knives, rifles, and handguns. Right in the middle of the wall was its centerpiece, an actual sword. Terri called it a nimcha. She’d told him that her father passed it to her, and his father to him. The sword passed from one soldier to another throughout her family’s history. The blade had a squared wooden pommel, metal knuckle guard, three snake barbs paralleling the blade an inch or two before curving out to defend the wielder’s hand. Asher would hate to see what happened if the pommel ever hit someone, but it was the blade that always blew his mind. It was polished and razor sharp.
Asher cut himself on its single sharp edge by grazing it with his hand once when he was a kid. The long blade curved gently and ended at a clipped point, and right now, for a second, he swore it was glowing in its scabbard.
“So, Kiddo? What do you need today? Smash re-match?” Terri thumbed behind her at the TV and gaming console.
Asher was staring at the nimcha. “Its glowing.”
“Asher?” She leaned forward, placing her black, calloused hands against the display case. “Kiddo, are you okay?”
He tore his eyes away, pulling up his hand to rub them. “Yeah, sorry, my eyes have been bugging me since the nurse’s office.” Blinking a few times, “It’s Mom, she needs…,” he pulled his backpack off, unzipped it, and reached in to grab something.
He got a weird feeling. Why had he lied? He wasn’t at the nurse’s office today. Was he?
“A new remote?” Terri finished for him.
Asher pulled out the busted remote. It looked like someone had stomped on it. Its casing cracked, some of its insides were on the outside. “How do yah know?”
Terri shrugged. “Because I know you and Susan.”
“Yeah, that’s fair,” he passed the busted remote to her. “It had something to do with someone named Arie who broke up with Becca on camera,” he shook his head. “Mom wouldn’t stop shouting at the TV and eventually just lost it and threw the remote — It was a long night.”
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
Terri chuckled.
“I saw that,” said Wheeler from the recliner. He jumped out with a loud clang as the foot extension clicked back into place and the chair rocked forward. Wheeler trotted to the counter, hand cocked for a high five. “Besides, I think he did the right thing. That Becca was super clingy. Am I right?”
“Kiddo, don’t you dare high five that boy,” Terri gave Asher a warning look.
“Wasn’t planning on it,” Asher raised his eyebrows and smirked at Wheeler, “really?”
“Alright, whatever. I still think it was the right call. Maybe a live dumping straightened her out.” He let his hand drop. “So, you got time for me now?” His finger pointed at the two of them. “Or are you two still gabbing?”
“Asher, can you give me a sec while I deal with this lower life form?”
Asher heard a chuckle, then someone said, “lower life form.”
“Tell me you didn’t hear that?” Asher took a step and set his back against the old cellphone wrack.
“What was that?” Terri raised her eyebrows. “Asher? You good?”
Wheeler looked at him with his head cocked.
“Never mind. I’ll be fine, just going to look around. No worries.” He flashed a thumbs-up.
“Neighbor probably has the TV on,” shrugged Terri. “There’s some new art in the back corner if you want to check it out.”
Asher heard a gruff male voice ask, “You sure that’s a good idea?”
He decided it was best not to engage, besides he already felt his heart hammering away and art helped him stay calm. “Uh. Yeah. Sure.” Asher retreated to the small art section.
Asher started browsing the works of art on the wall. Most were just copies, but every once in a while, Terri found an interesting item. There were pictures of landscapes, still life portraits, and as Asher moved deeper, he started seeing something new. The landscapes he loved. Someone had vandalized them!
“Terri, what happened?”
“What? Wait, just come out here. I’m almost done.”
Asher sneered. Savages. He moved back to the counter. Wheeler was picking up the last box and heading for the exit. “See you tonight, man.”
“Are you going to that?” Terri raised her left brow.
“I like parties, long as I don’t have an attack,” Asher said with a shrug. “Hey, did you know someone vandalized your landscapes?”
Terri ignored the question. “Do we need to do your exercises, so you’re ready for it?”
“Flashing lights, loud noises, at a party? Nah, I’ll be good.” Asher added a smirk for emphasis. “Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll do the meditations before I head over. No point doing them too soon.” He turned and pointed back towards the art. “Now, didn’t you hear what I said? Vandalized!”
This time Asher saw a hint of a smile on her lips. “Oh?”
“I’m not kidding. Here, come see.” Asher waved for Terri to follow.
He took her to a forest landscape painting first. It had a small stream running through it, but beside the stream were two four-legged creatures. Their legs were long, they had an enormous eye on the side of their head, and the smallest one had white spots on its back. Both creatures were a tawny brown color and the big one had large branching bones coming out of its head. “See, someone put monsters in them.”
Terri laughed.
Asher inhaled through his nose and held the breath for a moment as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. “What’s so funny? Terri, this isn’t good.”
“It’s okay Asher, these are,” she looked at another image for a moment, “these are recreations, a new take by City’s artists.”
“Oh? Well, these are kind of comical and cute, but I wonder how some of these artists dream this stuff up.”
“I think the artist called them deer.”
The paintings kept getting stranger the further they went. Asher would point out a new monster, and Terri would recall some basic information.
They saw one photograph edited to include a great furry beast catching something jumping out of a river in its mouth.
Another had aliens covered in fur with small black noses holding cards at a poker game. They had floppy ears and Asher felt they had kind eyes, however what they didn’t have were thumbs.
“How do they hold the cards?”
“Sorry?”
“The cards. How do these… um… aliens hold them?” He pointed at the painting. “They don’t have any thumbs.”
“The artist called them dogs.”
“What’s a dog?”
“Its…” Terri paused, she brought her left hand up to her chin in thought, “they are hard to explain, but I think they’re best described as the lost brothers and sisters of humanity.”
Asher nodded, “That’s deep.”
“Well, thank you.” Terri gave him a bow. “Do you like it?”
“This one? Yeah, but it doesn’t seem quite right. The activity, I mean,” Asher rubbed his head. It was throbbing — again. “They should have a ball or a frisbee or something.”
“Why’s that?” Terri raised her eyebrows.
“It just feels right.” He shrugged.
“Terri, do you know what to call that great shaggy brown beast? You know, the one with the hump on its back and the other creature from the river in its mouth?”
“Ah, the creature from the river is a fish and the big shaggy creature is a bear.”
“Really? Bear,” Asher tested the name in his mouth. “I like it, and fish is fun to say.”
“What about this one?” Asher pointed at a small furry creature with ears pointing straight up.
“A rabbit, but if it had floppy ears, you would call it a bunny.”
“I think it’s my favorite. It looks fast.”
“I think it would be, but we better deal with that remote.” She walked back towards the counter and after one last glance back at the art, Asher followed.
“So, here’s a standard one. It’s even a little sturdier than the last.” She pulled a remote off a shelf on the way to the counter. She walked behind it and Asher stopped on the customer’s side.
Terri handed Asher the remote. He could tell that something was up with her. He saw it in her eyes — worry.
“You know Asher, I’m always going to be here for you no matter what, no matter where you find yourself, or in what kind of trouble.”
“Yeah, I know.” He studied her, looking for more.
Terri nodded. “And you’re sure you’ll be okay tonight?”
Asher shrugged, “I should be. I’ve been doing psychotherapy weekly for years now and the doc has a tough time triggering it when I know it’s coming and if he does, I just need to remember that I’m not under threat.”
“Lots of surprises at a party,” she said. “How do you keep it in check?”
She was testing him. “I’m always prepared, just like you taught me.”
She rushed around the counter and wrapped Asher in a hug.
“You’re going to smother the kid,” said the gruff voice.
“You didn’t hear that?” Asher asked. Terri’s muscles tensed to squeeze him in response. “Terri, I’m not dying. I’ll see you tomorrow and tell you all about it.”
Terri shushed him. “I know. I know, I’m just so proud of you and don’t want you to forget that we’re here.” She pulled away and split in two. “You come find me.”
Asher screamed.
It wasn’t a pain scream, or a panicked scream, no this was a primal scream.
Now there were two of Terri. One looked as she was, but the other was devoid of color. The colorless one folded in on itself, swirled and reformed as a howling monster that came right for Asher.
The world went purple.