The Passion of Darkly Noon Page #3

I'd be out of business in a week

if everyone was like you.

Everywhere else people are

starving to death, dropping like flies.

No one has any money, no jobs, no nothing.

People are begging for food.

It's the end of the world.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah.

It's the end of the world.

You're starting to sound like

a preacher again, Quincy.

My papa was a preacher. I ever tell you that?

- A million times.

- Well, he taught me how to preach.

He said, "You start slow and very low,

"and then you get higher

until you catch fire!"

That's what I believe. That's what I do.

- Hallelujah!

- Get out of here

before you talk us all six foot under.

It's the end of the world. Hallelujah!

Damn, Quincy, your battery's gonna run dry.

Hey, I'll come visit you soon, okay?

- Okay.

- It's the end of the world.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

It's the end of the world! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! It's the end of the world!

Hallelujah! It's the end of the world!

The end is coming! The end of the world!

Don't be scared. She won't hurt you.

Well, just so long as

you don't make any sudden movements.

Seems to me like

you spent the whole night in this forest.

I did.

Don't need people, not anymore.

People let you down.

You love them, give them everything,

and then they leave you.

Forest is all I need now.

It's beautiful in here.

Beautiful?

Well, no, come to think of it,

I used to feel the same way.

But you can't let that fool you, boy.

Don't you know how

a thing can be beautiful on top,

and underneath it's uglier than sin?

Well...

That's because of the monster.

What monster?

What? The monster of the forest, boy.

It's out there.

It's vicious, mean, spiteful, teeth like knives.

And you know what it feeds on.

No.

Men.

Beautiful, young men, just like you.

Have you seen it?

Yeah. I've seen it.

That there is where I live, boy.

My name's Roxy, by the way.

Roxy and her dog. That's me.

I found... I found one of these.

Careful. That's a barbed wire bird.

Barbed wire?

Yeah. There must be lots of those

all over the forest.

Why?

I use them to train Dog here.

See, when I shoot a bird,

Dog's gotta go get it.

Now, in the early days,

Dog used to bite down,

used to mash them birds to a pulp.

So, I made that.

When she went to retrieve that thing

and bit down, boy, did she know it.

It had to be done, though.

Had to give her a soft mouth.

Let's get in the house.

You wanna sit down?

- What do you think?

- It's very, very...

Well, it's home.

It's my home, and that's the important thing.

Got a roof over my head and food to eat.

These days that's a minor miracle.

It's like the Dark Ages.

Nobody cares anymore.

Nobody cares for the family.

You're absolutely right.

You got a family?

I had one.

Stay and have some coffee with me.

No. I gotta get back.

To her?

I know where you're staying.

With Callie.

That's what she calls herself,

but you know who she is really?

- Who?

- Witch.

- Why?

- Why?

That's what she is, so that's her name.

And if you're staying with her

but sleeping out in the forest,

I think you know that.

Her name's Witch, boy. She's a witch.

So, you met Roxy?

Yeah.

You should ignore everything she says.

Lee, she's crazy.

You should stay away from her.

Why?

She has her own reasons for hating me.

Like what?

Please don't make me talk about it, Lee.

Clay and me, we're happy here.

That's really all that matters.

Roxy's a crazy woman.

Trust me?

You should be careful.

It can get infected.

Turn to poison.

You'd be surprised

how quickly that happens.

How does that feel?

Feels much better.

What?

What?

Are you going to help Clay?

No.

It's nothing. He'll be back soon.

She said that

I wasn't supposed to see you again.

Course she did.

She knows I know what she is, that's why.

A witch.

On her good days, yes.

Something I wanted to show you. Here.

What do you see there?

A family.

My family. Years ago.

What happened?

She happened.

Callie?

The witch happened.

You can tell me about it.

Once, boy, I lived in a house.

That house where you're living now?

I lived there

with Jake, my husband here,

and my beautiful boy.

And then one day, my husband found a girl

at the edge of the forest.

She was sorely tired

and had broke her ankle.

So, my husband

brought her back to our home,

to my house.

I knew she was evil from the start.

And then she commenced to tempt him,

to tease him.

She made him lose control.

It wasn't his fault. It was her.

She killed him.

She killed him.

She tempted him to her and

stopped his heart.

It takes a witch to do that.

You took the words from my mouth.

But killing my husband

was not enough for her.

After that,

she put her spell on my son,

my beautiful, silent son.

Silent?

Clay.

Your son is Clay?

He can't resist her.

It's not his fault.

She's turned him against his own mother,

but he's helpless.

But he can never be happy with her. Never!

- And do you know why?

- Why?

Because she can never have children.

She told me that when I was nursing her.

She's barren.

She committed sins!

God has placed a curse on her.

I like you, boy.

Was it you who shot at the house?

It was.

What'd you go and do a thing like that for?

To remind her that I am still here,

watching and waiting.

Waiting for her to be punished.

You ruined a family.

You don't understand anything, Lee.

It's not like she says it was.

We're gonna make this work here.

I know we are.

Listen, Lee...

The three of us together, like a family.

That woman has already

turned an entire town of people against me,

telling them that I killed her husband

and put a spell on her son

and threw her out of her own house.

But that's not the truth.

Clay's daddy tried to rape me, Lee.

He died while doing it, and that's the truth.

I haven't done anything wrong, Lee.

I just loved Clay.

I told you Clay was the only one

who could get a song from the radio.

No, I'm not sick.

I have a pain in my heart.

Missing my ma and my pa.

That's... That's all.

Just missing my ma and my pa.

Don't.

What's wrong?

Nothing.

Not hungry?

No.

Are you feeling sick?

No. Why does everybody

think I'm sick around here?

Lee?

Can I get you anything?

No.

Can I do anything?

I'm just trying to sort something out,

and when I've sorted it out,

I'll be all right again.

Can I help?

Why are you looking at me that way?

Listen.

Perhaps you should...

Do you want me to leave?

No. That's the last thing I want.

You're scaring me.

Clay has a really bad temper.

- Lf he suspects you're...

- What?

Nothing.

Say it.

Nothing.

- What?

- Don't!

It's all right, Clay.

Everything's all right.

See you in the morning, Lee.

Witch.

Witch. Witch! Witch!

No!

What happened?

Dead.

Dead and gone.

I'm all alone now.

Nothing to love. Nothing to live for.

Gotta say goodbye to her.

She won't go to heaven

if I don't say goodbye.

Animals don't go to heaven.

They do.

You just gotta know

how to say goodbye right.

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