Gerald's Game Page #5

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- [bone crunches]

[flesh tearing]

He'll try that again.

It's fresher meat.

You're still strong enough to kick,

but you won't be for long,

and he can smell that.

Afternoon already.

Sun's starting down.

And no one came this morning.

Or if they did, you were asleep.

Eventually, someone will find you, Jess,

but it might take a long time.

The first assumption will be we're off

on some wild romantic fling.

I mean, why not?

Only you and I know, at the end,

I could only get it up

if you were handcuffed to the bed.

To the rest of the world,

we're the picture of marital function.

Sooner or later,

people will start looking, my people.

There are a couple of women

in New Orleans you call friends, but...

You've never really let them

inside your life, have you?

None of them are gonna worry much

if you drop out of sight for a week or...

ten days.

But I have appointments.

And when I don't show up by Friday,

there'll be questions.

That's how it'll start.

I think the caretaker

will actually discover the bodies.

He'll call the cops when he spots you

through the window or...

when he smells us.

He'll turn his face away while he throws

the blanket from the closet over you

because he won't wanna see your fingers

sticking through the handcuffs.

Stiff as pencils, white as candles.

But, most of all...

he won't wanna look at the expression

of horror on your face.

Why are you doing this?

The forensics unit will show up

with the county coroner.

When they pull off the blanket,

they will...

wince and nod and tell each other

the woman on the bed died hard.

But they won't know the half of it.

They won't know...

the real reason your eyes are staring...

and your mouth is screaming...

is because of what you saw at the end...

coming out of the dark.

They'll take you to the medical examiner.

He'll cut you open, inventory your guts.

He'll have a peek

at what's left of your last meal,

take a little section of brain

to look at under his microscope.

But in the end...

in the end, he'll just call it

"death by misadventure."

- They were playing a harmless game.

- Harmless.

Only the gentleman had a heart attack

at a critical moment...

and the woman was left to...

Well, it's best not to get into it.

Just to say the lady died hard.

You only need to look at her to see that.

And maybe someone

will notice your wedding ring is gone...

but they won't hunt for it

for long, if at all.

They won't notice that one

of your bones...

not an important one, the third phalange

in your right foot, let's say...

is also gone.

But we'll know, won't we, Jess?

We'll know he took them.

Because it was Death.

And you did see him...

as people who die in the lonely places do.

It was Death.

And tonight, when the sun goes down,

he'll be back for you.

Hush, little baby, don't say a word

Mama's gonna buy you...

- I'm gonna die.

- Everything dies.

All things serve the beam.

And if that mockingbird don't sing

- I'm gonna die.

- Yes, love.

- Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring

- He'll come quicker that way.

If that diamond ring turns brass

That way, you wouldn't have to wait

for the Moonlight Man.

- I'm going to...

- [father] ...sleep.

You're going to sleep.

Papa's gonna buy you a looking glass

I'm sorry.

I don't want you to be sorry.

Then what do you want?

I want you to remember.

You think I don't remember?

I remember every moment.

I remember every shame-filled glance

he threw my way, and I remember Mom...

- looking but not seeing...

- That's not what I'm talking about.

Because seeing?

It would have meant my little sister

was also doomed

to let that son of a b*tch

steal her childhood,

and Mom would have died

before facing that.

So it was up to me to protect Maddie.

Even though it meant that I never felt

like part of the family again.

And that wasn't my job description.

Was it? My job was to be a kid.

Suddenly, that wasn't an option.

You've had everything you need

to survive from the beginning.

You just have to remember.

Not the sun, not the eclipse.

After.

[mother] We had fun on the boat.

Should we get one?

- [Maddie] Yeah.

- [mother] Yeah?

I hope it was as pretty here

as it was on the boat.

- It was awesome.

- It was fun.

- [laughing]

- "It was fun."

It was beautiful here, too.

Right, Mouse? We had fun.

Did you have a nice time

with your dad, Jess?

Jesus! Jess, are you okay?

I'm... I'm...

I'm sorry. It was an accident.

Just come on, let's get this cleaned up.

Oh, it's not so bad.

I think you'll live.

- Does it hurt?

- It's okay.

Just...

Just be careful.

The last thing I want...

is to have to take you

to the emergency room

and have your fingers sewn back on.

It's gonna f***ing hurt.

- But the thing about blood...

- But the thing about blood...

...is that, until it clots,

it's as slick as oil.

That will not work.

Maybe not.

But the wrists have fewer nerves

than the body's other checkpoints.

That's why slitting wrists

is always the best way to...

How do you know so much about that?

Go too deep, you'll bleed to death.

Do nothing, I'll die of seizures,

dehydration or dog.

Or when my visitor with the bag of bones

shows up tonight.

The sun is starting down.

He'll be here soon.

Then I'll have to hurry.

Barely working, aren't they?

- I won't need much.

- Your legs won't be reliable.

It's been a day and a half

since you walked on them.

If my hands pull this off,

my legs better do their f***ing part.

Okay.

Visualize it, then. All of it.

Yeah, okay.

Okay, okay.

[Jessie 2] Once you start,

you're not gonna be able to stop.

Everything has to go very fast

because your system is already dehydrated.

- And, Jessie...

- Huh?

you know, if anything goes wrong...

It won't matter.

Goodbye.

Okay.

You stay right there, dog.

One, two...

Okay, okay.

- Three!

- [glass breaking]

Okay, okay, okay, okay.

[grunting, panting]

Oh, God!

[flesh tearing]

[screams]

[panting]

[groaning]

[screaming]

Come on. Come on.

Sh*t!

[key jangles on desk]

[yells]

Okay.

Okay.

[panting]

[coughs]

[dog growling]

Get off me!

[car horn beeps]

[dog growling]

[whimpering]

[barks]

[whispers] You're only made of moonlight.

You're only made of...

Moonlight.

[car engine starts]

[groans]

- Oh!

- [tires screech]

Oh, God.

Please, just a little bit longer.

[mumbles] Please just... a little...

Oh, no.

Mouse.

[coughing]

[horn honking]

Hi.

[footsteps approaching]

I'm writing this letter

with my right hand,

nestled snug

in its frictionless burn glove.

Three skin grafts later,

it still doesn't work quite right,

and it still hurts to write.

But that's good.

This letter should hurt to write.

The doctors, the cops

and even the reporters

accepted my amnesia at face value.

And why not?

People who undergo serious trauma

often block out memories.

The cops knew that

even better than the lawyers.

And I knew it better than any of them.

Gerald's firm kept the details out

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