Текст книги "The Monster Within"

Автор книги: Kelly Hashway

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Текущая страница: 2 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

I was about to stand up and take care of the cuts, but then I thought that maybe the wooden box was some kind of medical kit. It might have some Band-Aids or at least some gauze. I ducked my head and reached farther into the cabinet. My fingers wrapped around the box, and I pulled it out from its hiding place. I sat on the floor, ready to fix my knees. The box had no latch at all, but there were brass hinges on one side, which meant the top opened sideways instead of lifting off. I raised the front edge and tilted it back.

It wasn’t a medical kit. The box was filled with weird stuff. Red berries, leaves, and herbs I couldn’t identify. I dug deeper, feeling something smooth and cool in my fingers. I pulled it out and gasped. It was a small animal bone. At least I assumed it was an animal bone. Dropping it back into the box, I wiped my hands on my dress. I didn’t want to risk touching any more bones, but I couldn’t help wondering what else was in there. I picked up the box with both hands and gently tilted it so the contents shifted to one side. More bones. Something shiny peeked through the leaves and herbs, so I tilted the box again to get a better look.

A red stone in a platinum setting rested in the leaves. I knew the stone. It was a ruby. My birthstone. But more than that, I knew the ring. Ethan had given it to me for my birthday just a few months ago. I picked it up and placed it on my finger. A perfect fit.

Now the question remained. Why was my ring in this box with a bunch of bones? I’d given it back to Ethan two weeks before I died. I wanted him to have it to remember me. He told me he didn’t need a silly ring to remind him of me, but I’d insisted. I couldn’t believe he’d stash it in a box with the rest of this stuff.

What was he keeping from me?

CHAPTER THREE

I WAS still staring at the ring when Ethan came back into the cottage.

“Everything okay in here?” He cocked his head at me. I probably did look a little strange staring at my own hand.

I held my hand up, facing the ring toward him. “What was this doing in a box under the sink?”

“What?” He narrowed his eyes and met me in the kitchen, taking my hand in his. “Where did you find this?”

I pointed to the wooden box on the floor. “Why would you put my ring in a box with animal bones and leaves? What’s going on, Ethan?”

He bent down and inspected the box. “Sam, I’ve never seen this stuff before. None of it. I couldn’t even tell you what these things are.” He stood up and looked at the ring again. “That can’t be the same ring.”

If he were anyone else, I wouldn’t have believed him, but I knew Ethan wouldn’t lie to me. We were always honest with each other, which was why I hated keeping the incident at the gas station a secret.

“Where’s my ring? What did you do with it after I died?”

“I put it away. I couldn’t look at it. It just reminded me you were gone.” He lowered his head like he was ashamed of seeming weak.

“That makes sense.” I rubbed his arm, trying to let him know I understood. “But now that I’m back, could you get the ring for me? I’d like to wear it again.”

He nodded. “Yeah. I left it at a storage place my cousin uses. It’s not too far from here. I could get it in a few days, after we get settled.”

“Thanks.” I forced a smile and took off the ring, placing it on the counter. If it wasn’t the one Ethan had given me, I didn’t want it. Especially after it had shared a box with animal bones.

“I’ll get rid of this.” Ethan picked up the wooden box. “I’m not sure what it was doing here anyway. Rick isn’t a hunter or anything. I don’t know why he’d have animal bones lying around.”

They weren’t lying around. They were being kept in a box. There was a big difference, but I didn’t think insulting Ethan’s cousin was a good idea. If it weren’t for his cottage, we’d be homeless. But more than that, I wasn’t in a position to insult anyone after what I’d done.

We spent the rest of the day cleaning and painting. By nighttime, the place looked…bad. But that was a step up from uninhabitable, so we were making progress. Ethan had even thought to bring a deadbolt for the front door. There wasn’t much he hadn’t thought of.

“Hungry?” Ethan asked, bringing in a bag from the car. I recognized it from the gas station and shuddered. “We should close some of the windows now. It’s getting a little chilly outside.” He put the bag on the table and started shutting the windows. If only that were the reason I was shivering.

I opened the bag and saw dinner consisted of crackers and bottled water.

“Sorry, they didn’t have black licorice.” Ethan put his hands on my shoulders. “I’ll check the general store in the morning. They usually have that kind of stuff.”

“You’ve been here before?” I took a seat and opened the box of crackers.

“A few times, when I was a kid. My aunt and uncle used to come here in the summer. My mom and dad let me come with them sometimes.” He looked around. “Obviously that was a long time ago.”

“Obviously.” The décor wasn’t from this century. I laughed but immediately felt guilty. I couldn’t be happy, not after…

“You can decorate it any way you want. Doesn’t matter to me.” He shoved a whole cracker into his mouth and took a swig from his water bottle.

I smacked his arm. “You’re going to choke.”

“What, you don’t know mouth-to-mouth?” He grinned, and bits of cracker spilled onto the table.

“Very attractive.”

“Just trying to make you smile.”

There wasn’t much to smile about, but I didn’t want Ethan to think I wasn’t grateful to be alive, to be here with him.

I reached for his hand and squeezed it. “You don’t have to try to make me smile. I’m happy just being with you.”

“Oh yeah?” He raised an eyebrow, and I knew he was up to something. “Then let’s try a round of ‘Where would you rather be?’”

I laughed. It was a game we used to play when the cancer treatments made me too sick to get out of bed. “You sure you want to do that?” I mocked him, gesturing at the dilapidated cottage.

“I think I can handle it. Lay it on me.”

“Okay.” I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Part of the game was picturing yourself in the place you wanted to be. I was usually so good at it that I could smell the ocean and taste the salt in the air. My dream place was the beach. I hadn’t been there since I was diagnosed with cancer. My parents went all out and got us a week at the best resort in Myrtle Beach. We drove twelve hours there and back, but it was worth every leg cramp and crappy oldies song Dad had made me suffer through. I loved the beach. And they’d let Ethan come along.

“Earth to Sam,” Ethan said. “Did I lose you to this dream location?”

“I’m walking out on the pier at Myrtle Beach. The warm breeze is blowing through my hair. The waves are gently crashing against the shore, and I’m holding hands with this smokin’ hot guy.”

“Anyone I know?”

I shrugged and opened my eyes. “Maybe.”

“Oh, I see how it is.” Ethan nodded. “All right, what’s fair is fair. My turn.” He closed his eyes. A devilish grin formed on his lips, but then he reached across the table and took my hand. “I’m having dinner with the most beautiful girl in the world, and we are about to start our new life together. Just the two of us. And there’s nowhere I’d rather be.”

A single tear escaped my eyes, and I smiled. Because that was Ethan. Absolutely perfect. For a moment, I forgot that I was a monster who didn’t deserve him.

There were no dishes to clean up, so after we put the box of crackers in the cabinet over the stove, we were finished with dinner. We looked around the place, trying to figure out what to do next.

“Want to watch some TV?” Ethan walked over and fiddled with the ancient TV in the living room. I watched as he pressed every button on the set and the remote, but all he got was static and more static. He gave the screen a good whack with the palm of his hand before giving up completely. “Or we could talk.”

The couch cushions were airing out in the yard so it wasn’t like we could sit comfortably, even if the TV was working. We were slumming it.

“Actually, I’m kind of beat. I think I’d like to go to sleep.” I motioned toward the bedroom, and my cheeks got hot.

“Okay.” He studied my face for a moment. “Do you want me to take the floor tonight?”

“No. Don’t be silly.” I took his hand and led him into the bedroom. I was trying to act normal, but it was more difficult than I thought it would be. I was nervous. Here we were, alone in our place. I felt like a kid playing house. Only I wasn’t a kid, and neither was Ethan.

He’d brought clean sheets, so at least there was a thin layer of protection between us and the mattress that might very well have been older than the both of us combined. I folded back the top sheet, patting down the wrinkles. I felt like a damn hotel maid doing turndown service, not like a seventeen-year-old girl going to bed with her long-term boyfriend. It was pathetic. I was pathetic.

“Hospital corners, impressive,” Ethan mocked me.

“I’m sorry. Why is this so hard? Why don’t I feel like me?”

“Come here.” He sat down on his side of the bed and reached for me. I took his hand and sat next to him. “How don’t you feel like yourself?”

How did I answer that? I was dead—or undead. I’d killed a man. I was hiding out in a tiny broken-down shack in the middle of the Poconos, and I was keeping things from the one person I trusted most in the world. I didn’t feel like me, because this wasn’t me.

But I couldn’t say that.

“I guess it’s just hard to know how to act. The last time I was alive, I had cancer. There’s a big part of me that doesn’t remember not being sick.”

“You know what I think?”

I shook my head.

“You need to stop thinking.” He cupped the side of my face in his hand and brought his face closer to mine. “Want me to help?” He stared into my eyes, making sure I was okay with this. Thankfully, I was. Being with Ethan was normal, and I wanted normal. I leaned forward, brushing my lips against his. He welcomed the kiss and pulled me closer to him.

Ethan was right. I needed to stop thinking. So, that’s what I did. I let myself get lost in him. In us. I kissed him the way I had before the cancer got so bad I could barely function. I kissed him like a normal teenage girl kisses her boyfriend. He returned each kiss with more hunger and passion than I’d ever felt. My head spun, and I loved every second of it.

We didn’t do anything we hadn’t done before. He didn’t want to push me, and I loved him for that. By the time my eyes closed, I was out of breath and completely content. No bad thoughts. The world only consisted of Ethan and me.

I slept soundly until around three-thirty. I heard a wheezing and opened my eyes, expecting to see Ethan snoring next to me. He was quiet. The noise wasn’t coming from him. It was coming from me. My hands shook with cold, and my lungs struggled for air.

Oh, God! It was happening again. Just like at the gas station. The image of the man with the cowboy hat rushed into my mind. I remembered how warm he’d felt. How I’d wanted to take that warmth from him. And I had. I’d stolen his life.

Ethan rolled onto his side, and without realizing I was doing it, my hand crept toward him. My fingers brushed against his shirt. Heat radiated from his body. My breathing started to calm down, like when I’d touched the man’s leg. No! I pulled my hand away and scrambled out of the bed. I wouldn’t do that to Ethan. I couldn’t hurt him. Not him.

I ran from the room and struggled with the deadbolt Ethan had installed on the front door before hurling myself into the night. My body was giving up on me, betraying me with every step, but I forced myself to move forward. To get away from the cottage. To get away from Ethan.

I tripped over the paint can Ethan had left on the front steps and fell forward onto the grass. My chin hit the ground, and I winced in pain. Why did the universe want me dead? I got to my feet and headed for the car. I didn’t know where I was going, but I knew I wouldn’t get there on foot. I was too weak. I reached for the hidden key in the hideaway box in the front wheel well. If I hadn’t already been having trouble breathing, I would’ve held my breath as I got in the car and started the engine. I prayed Ethan wouldn’t wake up at the sound. Please, let me get far enough away that I won’t hurt him.

I threw the car into reverse and backed out of the driveway. I could barely control the car. My limbs were weak, and steering was nearly impossible. I pulled onto the road, and tires screeched to a halt. I focused my energy on hitting the brakes before I totaled Ethan’s car. The headlights of the other car stopped right alongside me. I didn’t crash. I was okay.

The driver threw his door open, yelling curse after curse at me. He stormed up to me and flung my door open.

“What the hell are you doing? You could’ve killed me, you stupid bitch!” He reached inside the car and grabbed my arm. His touch was so warm. I felt his blood in his veins. Instinctively, I reached for his chest.

“Hey!” He smacked my hand away, but I persisted. “Listen, honey, I’m not gonna lie. You are pretty easy on the eyes.” I ignored him and slipped my hand under his shirt. “Well, okay.” He pulled his shirt over his head. “Maybe this almost accident wasn’t so bad after all.” He leaned toward me, and I reached for his neck. I felt the life coursing through his body and into mine. He bent his head toward me, thinking I wanted to kiss him, but before he met my lips, he choked.

“What?” He coughed, but I held on to him. I knew what was happening, yet I couldn’t stop. I watched in horror as the skin around his eyes wrinkled with age. His hair turned gray and started falling out of his head in clumps. Still I clung to him, drinking in every last bit of life as it left his body. His knees buckled, and he slumped onto the road right outside my door.

No longer connected to him, I was flooded with emotion. I’d killed again. My hands shook, but this time, it was out of fear. Fear of myself. I couldn’t keep doing this. I couldn’t become this hideous creature that killed to survive. Yet that was exactly what I was.

I could hear a car’s engine coming toward us. I had to do something. Fast. Fueled by adrenaline, I dragged the man to the passenger door of his car and got him inside. Then I got back into Ethan’s car and pulled it back up the driveway, just enough that it wouldn’t be in the road anymore. I raced back to the guy’s car and got in the driver’s seat. I put the car in drive and peeled out. I cringed, hoping I hadn’t left tire marks on the road. Too late to worry about it now. I drove about a half-mile to a big decline. One thing about the Poconos, there were plenty of hills. I put the car in park and dragged the guy across the seat so it looked like he was driving. I slumped him forward onto the steering wheel and buckled his seat belt around him. I closed his door and ran around to the passenger side. I put the car in drive, lunged back out, and slammed the door as the car started down the hill.

I hoped the car wouldn’t hit anything too bad. The guy was already dead. I didn’t want the car to explode and the police not to be able to identify his body. Although even his family might not recognize him now, all balding and wrinkled. Tears streamed down my face. I couldn’t handle this, any of it. I sprinted for Ethan’s car, not caring that my bare feet were being torn up by the gravel on the road. I stuck close to the edge of the trees, in case any more cars came down the road, but the night was quiet. I was sweaty by the time I reached Ethan’s car and drove it back up to the cottage. I returned the key to the hideaway box in the wheel well and slipped into the house.

After bolting the door I took a moment to catch my breath. I was a mess in more ways than one. My chest heaved and tears streamed silently down my cheeks. I couldn’t go back to bed like this. I needed to get cleaned up first.

I tiptoed to the bathroom and closed the door behind me. Ethan was a pretty sound sleeper, but I had no idea how loud the water would be coming through the old pipes in the cottage. I locked the door and worked out an excuse before I turned on the faucet. If Ethan heard me, I’d simply say I couldn’t sleep.

The pipes clanged as the water made its way to the shower. I slipped out of my pajamas and got into the stall. The water wasn’t hot by any means. Lukewarm at best. But it washed the tears from my face as I let the emotions of the past twenty-four hours consume me. I’d come back from the dead and killed two people. Sure, the guy from tonight had been a total creep, screaming at a young girl and then trying to make out with her. I was less than half his age. But that didn’t make what I’d done okay.

Nothing made that okay.

CHAPTER FOUR

BY some stroke of luck, Ethan slept through my shower, and I managed to slip back into bed. I didn’t sleep at all. There was too much going on in my head to even drift off for a minute or two. But when I felt Ethan stir next to me, I closed my eyes and pretended I was off in dreamland. He rolled over and kissed my forehead before heading to the shower.

I got dressed and prepared myself for day two of my new life. For Ethan’s sake, I pretended to be the happy girl, thankful to get a second chance at life. I ignored the nagging thoughts tugging at me as I took the box of crackers from the cabinet and placed it on the table. I tried not to think about what I’d done and how long this would go on, because if I had to keep killing people to stay alive…

“Hey, babe. Did I wake you?” Ethan came into the kitchen wearing nothing but a towel. I nearly fell over at the sight of him. Maybe it was all the manual labor he’d done the day before or maybe it was just good genes, but Ethan looked incredible. His dark hair was wet and tousled in a sexy, messy way. His abs were as chiseled as I remembered, and I refused to let myself think about the rest of him.

“No, you didn’t wake me.” I looked down at the table, needing to take my eyes off him. “I couldn’t sleep anymore.”

He walked over and kissed my cheek. “You were out when I got up. I guess you slept well.”

At least until three-thirty. I nodded and managed a weak smile. “Crackers?” I motioned to the box on the table.

“Actually, I want to go to the diner down the street. I saw a sign in the window yesterday when we drove by. They’re hiring.”

We did need jobs, and I really needed a strong cup of coffee. “Sounds good.”

Ethan got dressed, and we headed out to the car. As soon as I saw it, I shivered, remembering the events of the night. I wondered if everyone at the diner would be talking about the accident. I was sure someone had found the car by now.

I buckled up, and Ethan’s face twisted in a weird expression.

“What?” I asked.

“My seat is really far up. I feel like I’m driving a clown car or something.”

The seat! I’d forgotten to move the seat back after I used the car last night. I couldn’t help thinking that maybe part of me wanted to be caught. Caught and stopped, no matter what that meant for me.

“Uh, you must’ve moved it when you were unpacking the car.” I hated myself for coming up with an excuse, for not confessing.

“It’s weird, but I don’t remember moving the seat. I don’t see why I would’ve needed to.”

“Well, yesterday was kind of a long day. You were probably so tired you moved on autopilot.” I shrugged, trying to act casual.

“I guess you’re right.” He adjusted his seat, started the car, and backed out of the driveway.

I stared out my window, looking for tire marks from the almost accident or from when I’d peeled out in the guy’s car. I only noticed a small skid, nothing big. As we approached the hill, my chest squeezed tight. I closed my eyes, unable to look at the damage I’d caused.

“Whoa,” Ethan said.

I winced. How bad was it?

“Check that out. That car is wrapped around that tree. The guy must’ve been drunk or something.”

I forced my eyes open. Nothing more than tiny slits. The black car was on the side of the road, and like Ethan had said, the front end was crumpled around a huge tree trunk.

“No way did he survive that. Don’t you think?”

I swallowed the acidic taste in my mouth, and my bottom lip quivered.

Ethan squeezed my hand. “Oh, man. Sam, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be saying things like that. Not so soon after…”

Great. He thought I was upset because he was talking about death. In a way I was, but not at all how he thought.

“I’m okay. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Yes, I did. I shouldn’t have been so insensitive.”

“Really, I’m fine. Can we please drop it?”

He didn’t say another word. He dropped it just like that.

We pulled into the diner. One of those old-time red and silver ones you see in movies. I liked it. It was small, but it seemed welcoming, and for some reason, my mood lifted a little as we walked inside and sat in a booth by the door.

“Good morning,” an older woman with bleached-blonde hair and lipstick redder than a fire truck welcomed us.

“Morning,” Ethan said.

I forced a smile.

“I’m Gloria.” She placed two menus on the table. “Now what can I get you two to drink while you look these over?”

“Coffee,” we both said.

“Coming right up.” Gloria turned and headed to a coffee station behind the counter.

“So, what do you think?” Ethan asked.

I picked up a menu and opened it. “I’m torn between a Belgian waffle and scrambled eggs.”

“No, I mean about working here.” He nodded toward the Help Wanted sign in the window.

“Oh. Um, sure. This seems as good a place as any.”

“What will it be?” Gloria set our coffee down.

“I’ll have a Belgian waffle, please.” I handed her my menu.

“I’ll have the steak and eggs,” Ethan said. “And we’ll each take a job application, too.”

Gloria looked back and forth between us. “You two aren’t here on vacation?”

Ethan shook his head, but Gloria looked to me for confirmation.

“Our families moved here yesterday.” The little white lie slipped off my tongue. “We could really use the work.”

“Well, then. You’ve got yourselves some work.”

“Really?” Ethan almost fell out of his seat he was so happy. “Just like that? No application? No interview?”

“Honey, have you seen these legs?” Gloria took a step back and hiked up her pant leg. Big varicose veins ran down her shin. “They’ve been working too long and too hard. I need help. This is my place, and I’ll be damned if I go out of business because all the fancy resorts have their own restaurants. Nobody’s gonna come to my diner—no matter how good the coffee and pie are—if the service is poor.”

At the mention of coffee, I took a sip. It was delicious. “This is amazing. Secret recipe?”

Gloria winked. “One I’ll teach you right after breakfast. You can be my new waitress.”

“What about me?” Ethan asked.

“I’m thinking you’d fill the busboy position just fine. Sound good to you?”

“Sounds great.” Ethan’s smile lit up the diner. “Thank you.”

“I’ll be right back with your orders,” she said.

Ethan reached for my hand. “See, things are working out great already.”

Before I could answer, I saw spots. Black spots that filled my vision. Not again. “Um, I need to use the restroom.”

“It’s straight back there.” I could barely make out Ethan’s face as he motioned behind me.

“Be right back.” I used the booth to find my way out of the seat. Everything was black now. I ran my fingers across the other booths and tables as I made my way to the bathroom. I hoped I didn’t look too suspicious.

“Hey!” a girl yelled as my hand grazed her shoulder.

“Sorry.”

“You need help, honey?” I recognized Gloria’s voice.

“Yeah, I got something in my eye. I need to wash it out. I can’t see much of anything right now.”

She took my arm and led me into the bathroom, placing me in front of the sink.

“Thank you. I’ll be fine now.” I reached for the faucet, hoping Gloria would leave. I didn’t know how I was going to react when my vision came back. What would I see this time?

“Sure thing. I’ll be right outside if you need a hand.”

I pretended to fiddle with the water until I heard the door close. Then I gripped the sink to steady myself. A scene began to take shape. A house. A man walked through the front door. It was the guy from last night. He loosened his tie and kicked his shoes off, getting dirt on the carpet.

“I don’t smell dinner!” he yelled.

A woman came out of the kitchen carrying a tray of drinks and appetizers. “I thought we’d start with some bruschetta while the roast finishes cooking.”

Without warning, he knocked the tray from her hand, and the wine and bruschetta splattered all over the cream-colored carpet.

“I work all day, and you think some tomato on bread is enough to fill me? Why isn’t the roast ready? Did you go out with your friends again today? How many times do I have to tell you to make sure you’re home in plenty of time to get dinner on the table?”

The woman cowered as he pulled his hand back. I shook my head, trying to break free from this scene. I didn’t want to see any more. The woman’s scream rang in my ears as my vision went black. It was over.

I was breathing heavily, and I slumped forward onto the counter. The guy I’d killed had been awful, unbearable. He was sexist and vile. He hit his wife. A small part of me was glad he’d never get to hit her again. Glad that she’d be free.

“You okay?”

I looked up to see the reflection of a girl with jet-black hair. I jumped and turned around to face her.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

I stared at her, happy that my sight was my own again. Her eyes bored into me. They were almost cat-like. They looked really eerie, probably because she had bleached-blonde eyebrows. I doubted a single hair on this girl’s face or head was her natural color.

“I thought I was alone.”

“Yeah, you were pretty zoned out. I thought you were having a fit or something.”

“I’m fine. Thanks.” I turned back to the mirror and fussed with my hair. I had to look together so Ethan didn’t think something was wrong.

The girl eyed me for a minute before leaving. I sighed. I had to get a hold of myself. Whatever was happening to me, I had to find a way to deal with it. If Ethan knew what was going on, it would crush him—it was already destroying me. I took a few deep breaths to calm my nerves and walked back to the table.

The food was already there, and Ethan was shoveling it in. I smiled when I saw a triangular piece missing from my waffle.

“Sorry,” Ethan said, looking all innocent. “It looked really good. I gave you some eggs though. You said you couldn’t decide between a waffle or eggs, so now you have both.”

“Thanks.” I smiled at him. No. No way could I tell him any of this. I’d figure it out on my own.

The bell above the door jingled, and a police officer walked in. He went right to the counter, where Gloria met him with a cup of coffee. “Late night, huh?” she asked him.

“You said it.” He sat down on a stool, and he and Gloria talked for a few minutes. I couldn’t hear a word, but I didn’t need to. This was about the guy I’d killed. This was probably the officer who’d found the car and reported the “accident.” I sipped my coffee, not that the caffeine was going to ease the sinking feeling in my stomach. Even after the cop said goodbye to Gloria and walked out of the diner, I was still on edge.

Gloria approached with the coffee pot and tsked as she refilled our cups.

“Was that about the car we saw on the way here?” Ethan asked.

She nodded. “Bad one, too. Officer Crawford said the guy must have had a massive stroke while he was driving. They identified him by his license, but when they called his wife at the resort where they were staying, she said he looked years older. More wrinkles, balding, and what was left of his hair was completely gray. The paramedics said strokes can age a person quite a bit, but even this was beyond anything they’d ever seen.”

The few bites of waffle I’d manage to get down were on their way back up. I couldn’t listen to this. I was the only one who knew the truth. The ugly, horrible truth.

“Was he from around here?” Ethan asked.

“No. He was a tourist. I think his name was Herman Owlander,” Gloria said.

Ethan cringed. “Awful name.”

“Awful man, too, if you ask me.” Gloria put the coffee pot down on the table and leaned toward us. She looked around before whispering, “He and his wife came in here earlier in the week. He was ordering her around like she was a servant. I’m telling you, I was tempted to pour a pot of scalding hot coffee all over his unmentionable parts. Not that I’m saying I’m glad he’s dead, but there’s something to be said for getting what you deserve. If you treat people like that and show no regard for other living beings, well, sooner or later, karma is gonna come around to bite you in the ass.”

Ethan laughed, but I couldn’t. Gloria was right. Herman obviously didn’t care how he treated other people, even his own wife. The universe had given him what he deserved.

I wondered what the universe had in store for me.