The Mangler Page #2

you've been chasing corpses?

14 years.

Oh, man, 14 years.

You know, you need to spend

some more time with the living.

Ha ha ha!

Jesus, you sound

just like Sandy.

Sandra really loved you.

Whatever.

Uh, I just... I just

got to hang in there

and get my 20 years in

so I can retire

and get the f***

out of this town

before I turn completely numb.

Yeah, well, uh,

you know, Johnny,

you really do

need to get a life.

I got a life.

What I need is a beer.

Come over if you want.

I don't suppose you know anything

about industrial laundries?

You know, I used to work

in an industrial laundry

when I was an undergraduate

at Berkeley.

Get out of here.

I did, man.

Really?

Yeah, sure.

Well, look,

do you know that machine

they call the speed ironer?

Oh, man, yeah. It's

called a mangle.

A mangler?

Mangle.

That's the one.

That's the one.

It mangled a woman

this morning...

Oh!

Over at Mr. Gartley's

blue ribbon laundry.

It...

There was hardly

anything left of her.

No way. No way, man. That can't happen.

You've got a safety bar.

If someone's feeding the machine

and get their hand underneath,

the bar snaps up and turns

the damn thing off.

Well, that's how I remember it.

Yeah, it's got a safety bar,

but it happened anyhow.

Oh, god. Man,

what a way to go.

I hated that machine.

Oh, f*** me!

I can't do this!

Well, it is what it is, right?

Johnny, don't.

I mean, you can't...

What? A woman's dead, mark.

It folded her like a sheet.

They carried her out

in a basket.

Whose ass is on the line?

Nobody's ass is on the line.

Gartley owns judge bishop.

Judge bishop owns the sheriff.

I mean, it's all dirty.

It's all dirty.

Yeah, but why are you

fighting it, man?

I mean, wake up.

I've been in this

town long enough

to know that there's some

strange sh*t going on.

It's always been

narrow-minded and corrupt.

Hell, they used to burn witches

just 10 miles from here.

This puritanical ethic

is still hanging over...

Look, don't start

with the sprout-breath

political mystical

bullshit, mark.

I'm not in the mood

this evening. Thank you.

The woman's dead,

and that machine

is running right now,

alright, like nothing

happened... business as usual...

6 miles from here...

6 miles.

Oh, whatever.

What are you supposed to do

about it, huh?

Have a beer.

That's what I'll do.

You're going to take the sins

of the world on your shoulders?

I mean, you have to

live a little.

You can't just take

everything in.

Yeah, you're right.

Come on.

Just live a little.

You're going to get a

goddamn nervous breakdown.

I'm worried about you.

You want some yogurt?

I got some yogurt.

Is it whole-wheat?

Granola? I got granola.

Yeah, is it organic?

No.

Are you O.K.?

I wish I could go home.

Aah! Aah! Aah!

Move away!

Move away from there!

Do something!

Aah! Aah! Aah!

Shut that damn thing off!

Inside.

I'm sorry.

Chaos abounds, my dear.

You'd better get used to it.

Like I told you,

there's no free lunch,

no sirree, Bob, not in this lifetime.

Uh-uh.

Still, life must be better

here than on the streets, hmm?

Here, the predators are few.

The benefits are many, hmm?

Hmm? Mmm.

For I am a generous man.

I...Am a man

of my word.

Now, then...

Why don't you go in there

and freshen up for

your uncle Billy?

Go on now. Draw your bath.

Skedaddle.

O.K.

Shoo.

Shoo. Shoo fly.

Would you like to come in here

and keep me company?

Uh!

Lin sue, Lin sue,

you sweet

young woman.

I'll tell you,

the one thing worse than

the devil within...

Is the devil without.

Save my seat.

Hello.

Yeah.

What?

What? What is it?

There's been another

accident at the laundry.

A steam hose broke loose

on that machine,

burned three women.

One of them is at the hospital.

Hey, can I come with?

Hey, Pascal,

how you liking public service?

Oh, you know.

Can you tell me what room

Annette Gillian is in, please?

Room 132.

Thank you.

Annette!

Annette!

Remember me?

I'm officer Hunton.

Oh, I thought

you were the doctor.

Well, go get a goddamn doctor!

Wh-where is he?

Where's the doctor?

Oh, god!

What took you so long?

That's it. Take

it easy, Annette.

Take it easy.

Annette, Annette, take it easy.

This is going to take

the pain away, huh?

No pain allowed

in this hospital.

There we go.

That's it.

What do you want?

I'm officer Hunton. I'm here to

ask Annette about the accident.

I don't think she's up to it.

I don't think I want

a second opinion.

Annette, what happened?

We was running sheets,

and the ironer just blew up.

Mr. Stanner said

there must have been

a surge from the

boiler or something.

I don't know.

Has anything like this

ever happened before?

It all started happening

when Sherry cut her hand

on one of the clamps.

On the mangler?

Yeah.

Was there blood?

Well, I mean, did she

bleed on the mangler?

There was blood everywhere,

and then later...

Mrs. Frawley...

I think she's had enough.

She needs some rest.

Annette, thank you very much.

Sherry Ouelette...

Mr. Gartley's niece,

just out of high school.

Mr. Gartley watches

her like a hawk...

Has all her life.

Won't let her have

any boyfriends

or go on dates.

You know, it's almost

like that machine

had tasted blood

and found it liked it.

Don't women get funny

ideas sometimes?

Thank you very much, Annette.

You'll be fine.

Bye-bye. Thanks.

Come on.

Annette, I just wanted to ask...

Mark...

Come.

Safety inspector barely had time

to check the machine. They

railroaded that inquest through.

Said, "everything's O.K.

Put those kids back to work."

And then, kapoom...

Three women burned,

one kid's disfigured for life.

Now, that's against

the law in my book.

So, what do you think?

Mark?

What?

What's going on in that

jelly-roll head of yours?

Nothing.

Right. That would

be a first.

Barry!

Barry!

Was that

Mrs. Ellenshaw?

Yeah.

Take it easy, man.

Right. You, too.

Hey, man...

Why don't you come on over?

There's something important

I want to show you.

Six-pack of beer?

No. Come on.

Are you hungry?

No. I'm going

to bed.

Come on. It's really

important. Come on.

Ah, what the f***.

Cold beer? Is that

all I'm good for?

You know how to hurt a guy. That's

no way to treat your brother-in-law.

I suppose you'd follow me to the

ends of the earth if I asked.

That's right. I'd follow you

to the ends of the earth.

Come.

Frazer's golden bough...

Check it out. You might

learn something.

"Frazer's golden bough...

"The definitive work on magic

and the occult."

Check it out.

Check it out.

Have you considered

the possibility

that the machine

might be haunted?

Oh, yeah.

Oh, yes, mark. Yes.

That's the first thing

that popped into my mind.

No. Play along

with me.

Maybe "haunted"

is not a good word.

Let's say

"possessed."

Possessed.

Yeah. Yeah, man.

Possessed.

Possessed?

Yeah! Possessed.

By the parrot demon, right?

O.K., O.K.

We're going to grab that

bad boy by the throat,

shove a couple cloves of garlic up

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