They were laughing, the five of them, as they ambled down the alley. Poking and prodding each other in good-natured attempts to make one of their number chicken out. Jack spoke in a false deep and booming voice, warning his friends of the terrible dangers that they faced. Suzie replied in a squeaky falsetto, saying that she had lost a leg last time. Then squealing with delight when David pinched her lost leg to prove it was still there.
None of them noticed the ragged figure gently weeping to itself as they stumbled past. Even if they had, they would not have stopped, for theirs was the movement of the drunk, oblivious to the suffering of others.
Janet held out an arm to stop the others. Where are we?
Michael gazed blearily around, Near. We gotta be near, Fish said he was down this way.
The others nodded in agreement, it seemed like the place Fish had described, dark and slightly creepy. The water dripped off of roofs and walls that had not seen rain in a fortnight. Black bricks, contrasting with the red and greys of the rest of the town.
Suddenly Suzie screamed, the ragged figure had gripped her arm with such force she imagined fingermarks being left in her bone like it was soft clay.
Don't go. Don't listen, the figure implored her. He only tells you nearly everything!
Michael kicked the figure hard in the ribs, allowing Suzie to rip her hand away. The hood flew back and revealed a woman in her early twenties. Her eyes stared from red- rimmed sockets and her face was gaunt, as though she had not eaten for a month.
Some goddamn tramp! snarled Jack, Piss off, loser! Then he pushed her away.
The others turned and left her to her weeping, ignoring her cries for them to turn back.
Must have the DTs. said Michael.
David nodded in agreement, as did Janet. Suzie kept sneaking glances over her shoulder, not convinced that they wouldnt get stabbed in the back. But the woman just sank to the floor and continued weeping.
This is it. Gotta be, Michael said, standing in front of a door. It would have looked out of place anywhere else in the town. Made from planks of wood, like in an old castle, its colour a very dark brown, nearly black. The door knocker was of an ugly goblin face with a hand just below it, index finger raised and covering the lips in the universal gesture for silence.
Thats creepy. Janet said, completely unnecessarily.
Jack pulled a face at her, then knocked on the door. Nothing happened. He turned back to the others and was mid shrug when without so much as the creak they had all subconsciously expected, the door swung inwards..
A short oriental man stood in the entrance, his hair long and white, as was his beard. He reminded David of the old kung fu masters he had seen in films. He was wearing a dark blue robe, and as the light caught it the group all thought they could see symbols woven in, but none stayed illuminated long enough for an identification. The man did not speak, but gestured for them to come in.
He led them through halls decorated with plain white tapestries, and frames without paintings. They came to a room with four chairs. Janet and Suzie quickly sat, followed by Michael and David. Jack looked at the others, then to the man. Without saying a word the man stepped to the only door in the room, and motioned for Jack to go through.
Guess Im first then, Jack grinned, then turned and followed the man into the room, the door closing behind him.
David watched the door for a moment, then, convinced the man would be gone for a while, pulled a beer out of his pocket. He cracked it, took a swig and passed it to Michael.
What did Fish call this guy? Janet asked.
Michael gulped down a mouthful of warm beer before speaking. He said this guy was the last honest man.
Suzie, who was starting to sober up, asked, Just what does that mean?
David took the beer back off of Michael. Dunno. Fish has never been here, just heard about it. To be honest I thought this guy was a whatchacallit? Urban legend.
Janet nodded, Its a bit creepy.
Michael leaned back in his chair, letting out an exasperated sigh. For crying out loud, find another adjective. Then he put on a mocking whiny voice. This is creepy, that is creepy. The fact Im sleeping with Jack is creepy. He looked at the slightly worried expression on his friends faces. That was an impression of Janet. Im not sleeping with Jack
The others nodded and laughed.
During their laughter, the door opened. They looked, expecting to see Jack, but it was just the old man, waiting patiently.
I guess theres another way out, Michael said, then stood up. Right, my turn.
None of the others offered to stop him and he strolled in, the door closing behind him.
David turned to the girls. I suppose he doesn't want us telling each other about what goes on in there. So its all a mystery.
Janet laughed and nodded, but Suzie began to get a bit worried. What if he just murdered Jack, he could be doing anything in there.
David laughed. Come on Suze, do you really think he killed Jack, and is working through us like a conveyer belt?
Suzie shook her head. I don't know, and I don't like it.
The next few minutes passed in silence. Suzie sat biting her lip and staring at the door.
Finally the door opened, and Janet jumped to her feet. Time for a girl! she yelled.
The old man showed no emotion, he just stood patiently waiting for Janet to go in. She blew David and Suzie a kiss and danced in.
The time passed slowly in the waiting room. Suzie wouldnt make eye contact with David and he soon gave up trying to make conversation. When the door opened again David leapt through it, desperate to get away from Suzies paranoia which was bringing him down. The old man smiled at Suzie, then closed the door, leaving her all alone.
If she had thought time passed slowly before, then it positively crawled by now. Suddenly she tasted blood and realised she had chewed right through her lip. Fishing a tissue out of her pocket she tried to stem the bleeding, and was so involved that she did not notice the door open once more. When she looked up the old man was waiting patiently.
She considered backing out, thought about running back the way they had come. But if everyone else was fine then they would laugh at her, and she felt like she couldnt take any more humiliation. Standing on unsteady legs, she entered the room.
It was a simple room, two chairs sat next to each other and the walls were bare. To her relief she could see another door, which must have been how the others got out. The man signalled for her to sit down, then he sat beside her. He touched her arm to reassure her then leaned in close and began to whisper in her ear.
Tears leaked uncontrollably from Suzies eyes. He couldnt know those things! Couldnt know about Fluffles and how she had drowned him to see what killing felt like. He couldnt have known about intentionally seducing her uncle to spite her aunt. He told her about every bad thing she had done and the reasons for them. Then he told her about why people had done the things she hated them for. Told her about how she really felt about her friends. About why she fantasised about Janet. Then he began to tell her the future, where she could go, what she would do there.
Throughout she wanted to get up and leave, but his voice held her in a hypnotic spell. Her whole life was laid out in simple language, where it would fail and go wrong. All she could see was bleakness. There was nothing she could do. Long before he was finished she was crying uncontrollably.
Once he had spoken of her death, he stood and lifted off the chair. He guided her to the exit door, opened it and gently ushered her through. She stood on the street again and when she turned after hearing the door shut, there was nothing but a wall.
Suzie sank to her knees and began to rock back and forth, sobbing quietly. Not ten metres away, as oblivious to Suzie as she was to him, David was banging his head violently into the wall. With every wet smack he screamed, Got to get it out!
Three weeks later Suzie was waiting in the alley: there was nowhere else left for her, no one she could face knowing what she did. A group of four young people, students like she and her friends had been, were walking towards her. They could be her redemption, she thought. Warn them away and she could begin to heal. If only they would understand. He would be honest, but he would only tell them nearly everything. If they would understand that he could not speak of good, they might be saved. She might be saved.