Experience dying

The next morning they received a call from the hospital declaring Evelynn Good dead.

Delilah broke into a sobbing mess at the notice.

Adam felt surprisingly distant at the notice. Everything indicated he was responsible for it, so maybe he should feel more, but all he felt was a vague sense of detachment.

Neither John or Joseph returned.

Louis paced back and forth around the house, Thomas at her heels. She was distressed. “We should call the police.”

“It’s just been a night,” Alexandra said. “He might turn up later.”

Louis glowered at her. “He’s disappeared! Without notice!”

Alexandra flinched, then stood, red-faced. “So what if he is?”

“Be more worried!” Louis ordered. She shook her head. “What kind of wife are you?”

“A very bad one,” Mary muttered.

Alexandra glared at her.

Mary studied the table.

Alexandra glanced briefly at Adam. “I don’t need to hear this.” She sat back on the couch, crossing her legs. “He’s sad that Lucas died. He’s probably in a bar somewhere drinking his tears away.”

Louis looked disgusted by her.

Mary whistled.

“I think we should call the police,” Terry piped in. “We don’t know where John might be and I am worried for him.”

Their discussion was interrupted by someone calling at the gate. Louis talked to them through the intercom with a strange face. “It’s the police,” was the explanation.

They sat on the front hall, on edge, expecting bad news about John or Joseph. Instead, it was about Mary.

Truthfully, it wasn’t unexpected.

“She disappeared from the hospital,” one of the cops explained.

“I woke up,” she declared. “Nothing wrong with leaving.”

“Well, the hospital staff disagrees; you disappeared, and that wasn’t the only odd thing thing that happened. There was another attack. We’d like to hear what you have to say about that.”

With a sigh, Mary told them a rather unbelievable story about how she woke up suddenly and everyone was asleep. In the story, Adam was unconscious as well, but she slapped him awake and made him drive her home. She couldn’t help it, she explained, she was scared of the hospital and wasn’t acting rationally.

The cops, however, seemed to swallow it.

Louis talked with the cops afterward. She explained that her brother, John, had disappeared. Just took the car and left.

“And you think something happened to him?”

“He wasn’t in a right state of mind,” Louis explained. “Our other brother has just died.”

They were very sympathetic, and promised to search for him soon. They asked the others for any relevant information, but they had nothing to say. Alexandra did give Adam a rather strange gaze as they asked her, however.

Adam felt Mary tug on his arm. He turned to her.

“Come with me,” she said.

Adam followed her to the kitchen. The others didn’t seem to be paying them attention, anyway.

“I’ll search for John,” she said, pouring herself a cup of water. “He’ll be easy to find since he is reeking of dreams.”

Adam imagined her driving around town searching for John in bars, then he realized the implications of her words. “With a spell?”

“Of course it’s with a spell,” she said, frowning. “Oh, yeah, amnesia.” She smiled, uncertainly. “Are you going to meet Pence?”

“Yeah.”

She cocked her head, studying the bottom of her cup. “You should buy a new car. Have you got a phone yet?”

“Yeah,” he said. “But I’ve been only using yours.”

She put the cup on the sink, and gave him her number.

§

The house Pence prepared was a two-storied family house without neighboring houses, out of the way, in a distant lane. Several houses were abandoned around the block. The road was practically deserted. If there was a place for shady business, it was there.

Adam knocked on the door normally.

A stranger opened it half-way, and furrowed his brows slightly.

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“Adam Good,” said Adam, trying to convey his friendliness. “Looking for a Richard Pence.”

“Very funny,” the stranger said, flatly. “The old man is in the back.” He retreated, leaving the door open.

Adam entered, and closed the door behind him, casually observing the house as he did. It lacked furniture of any kind, but was very clean and without any visible signs of wear. In fact, the walls and floor looked brand new. The man who greeted him at the entrance went to a side room to play a game of poker around a table with four others. They ignored Adam’s presence.

As instructed, he went to the back of the house.

Pence sat on a rickety chair on a long porch, enjoying a beer. Tall walls hid the frosty back garden from prying eyes. There was a gate on the other side of the garden, leading to a piece of forest. Trees swished with the wind.

Adam hadn’t realized he was so close to the woods.

“Sit here Adam,” Pence said, looking extremely relaxed in his casual clothes. He took another beer from an icebox and put it on the table. “This is a rather nice neighborhood.”

“I haven’t seen anyone in the neighborhood.”

“It used to be more populated in the past, but the local clothing business failed, and people left. Later, when the town began attracting people again, this neighborhood, for some reason, remained abandoned. I bought all the houses around this place.” Pence pointed at the chair again.

“Why?” Adam asked, finally sitting on the proffered chair.

Pence poured him a beer. Foam spilled over the side of the glass. For himself, Pence poured another, and gulped it down with vigor. “I always make sure to buy real estate when available.”

“What did you call me for? And couldn’t it be by phone?”

“Relax,” he said, gesturing for Adam to drink. “I heard your brother and his mother are dead. Only, what, four, five more to go?”

“I am sure you’ll know when it’s done, maybe before me.”

Pence laughed and sipped his beer.

There was an edge to his laughter that gave Adam pause.

“They didn’t disappear. The police found them, unlike your previous works,” Pence continued, a hint of annoyance in his voice. “Although I think it’s impossible to even imagine you had anything to do with the mother. How did you do it? Poison?”

“No.”

Pence waited for a moment then gave up. “Fine, don’t tell me.” He gestured at the beer again.

Adam drank, more to satisfy Pence than for any real desire. He’d rather have a hot cup of coffee in this weather.

“And what about the ones who did disappear? Are they dead?”

Adam shrugged. “Maybe.”

Pence lifted his eyes to a tree. Adam followed his gaze to observe a bird nestling on a branch far above. The bird preened itself.

“Did you call me to ask again about my family?”

Pence snorted. “Family,” he drawled. “I am more your family than they are. I remember when we first met, you know. I remember your sketchy declaration when I needed help in my most desperate moment. I believe now that you were taking advantage of me, but you were useful, very useful.” Pence sighed profoundly, appearing absorbed in whatever memories he was digging.

“Are we here to talk about our memories together?” Adam asked, taking another sip of the beer.

Pence dropped his cup on the table, glancing at Adam with an odd gaze. He seemed embroiled in his emotions. “I was desperate when you helped me. I would never have accomplished as much as I did without you. I was good with business, but you always seemed to spur me in the right direction. Do you remember when you told me Willian’s sons would kill each other once their father was cold, and convinced me to send out men to strong-arm them in selling us their bar? Back at the beginning.”

“No,” Adam said. “I don’t remember.”

“I do,” Pence said. “I also remember when you first showed me your wife. Mary was a lot less open back then. Well, she was only a scrawny teenager eating dinner with a bunch of criminals, so it’s only understandable. I didn’t think the two of you would last. You might dislike me saying but I even thought about putting her in my bar once you were through with her. Did I ever speak of it, do you remember?”

“No,” Adam repeated. “I don’t remember.”

Pence sighed, unappreciatively. “Well,” he said. “I guess it was too much to expect you to share some fond memories with me before the end.”

“End?”

Pence turned toward him, pensive. He looked at the beer and nodded. “Yes. End.”

Confused, Adam was about to ask what he was talking about when he swooned. He stumbled from the chair, holding on to the table for support. The glass fell on the porch and broke, spilling the remaining beer in the cup. He felt his muscles failing. He tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t form. His vision darkened.

“I am sorry, friend,” he heard Pence say before feeling a heavy impact and losing consciousness completely.

§

When Adam came to he was strapped to a chair by ropes, completely unable to move.

Pence was standing before him, flanked by two men. His face was impassive, though the two others looked very uncomfortable.

Adam tried to move, but it was impossible. The ropes were knotted tightly on his arms and legs.

He looked at Pence. “What’s the meaning of this?”

Pence looked truly sorrowful as he asked, “Adam how could you be so sloppy?”

“What are you talking about?” Adam demanded.

“The cops, Adam!” Pence shouted. “They are snooping around us. They have identified several of my men already. It’s just a matter of time before they got you a conviction.” He gestured toward one of the two men.

One of them brought a chair and put it in front of Adam.

Pence sat, drooping his shoulders. His wrinkled face seemed very troubled. He shook his head, looking toward the floor. “What should I do Adam?”

Adam kept silent. He was speaking to himself, not him.

“I got almost nothing on these special investigators,” he said. “They’ve taken an interest in you, so I had them investigated. All my contacts came null. They come from a bureau no one has ever heard about, but were granted leave for almost anything.” He turned toward Adam. “They have invaded my club in Chester, got us for guns. Can you believe that?”

For a moment there was silence between them.

“Say something damn it!”

A cold, detached feeling took hold of him as he realized the seriousness and hopelessness of the situation. “Why exactly are you going to kill me?”

Pence sputtered. He almost laughed. “Of course that is what you’d ask, ‘I understand you’re going to kill me, but tell me the reasoning please, don’t leave away the details.’ Well, you want to know? It’s because you let yourself get caught. They have proof to put you in jail, and these guys don’t play around. And you just happen to know all of my dirty secrets. I can’t have you telling them what you know.”

“Couldn’t you just let me run away?” Adam reasoned, knowing in his heard that it was futile. “Maybe if I leave the country, they’ll leave you alone.”

Pence shook his head. “I’m afraid that wouldn’t be quite enough. And I can’t risk it. Besides, would you really be willing to leave this behind? I know how much you want these lands. I’ve watched you, Adam.”

“I am sure you would know me better than myself,” Adam assured him.

“Ah, there it is, the snarky comment,” Pence snorted.

“You’re really going to kill me over this?!” Adam roared, letting his anger speak for him.

Rick called one of the two men over. “Shoot him in the head. Bury him in the forest. Make sure he dies fast, without pain.”

“Oh thank you!” Adam laughed. “It would be terrible to die painfully. I just can’t thank you enough, Rick.”

The guy stood before him. He fumbled with his gun, visibly disturbed, then pointed it at Adam’s forehead.

“Sorry,” Pence said, turning away.

“You will pay for this, Pence!” Adam shouted to the man’s back. “I’ll kill you!”

Pence turned around, gave him a pitying glance, and turned away again.

“You’re gonna pay, you bastard!” Adam shouted. “You fucki—

The words died on his lips. The last thing he heard was the thunderous sound of the gun, ringing in his ears, and the single most painful headache he ever had. He believed he toppled on the floor, chair and all, but couldn’t be sure because everything went dark.

The cold was the last thing he felt.