Pus Junkies

—13—

Zak found himself at the Grease Shack. He didn’t know where else to go, and it was one of the only familiar places in town. He thought about just driving to school, sleeping in the parking lot, but the rumbling in his stomach brought him to the burger joint.

But once he got his cheeseburger and fries, he could only stare at it, the pangs in his belly becoming pure revulsion. The way the grease sparkled off the meat, the melted cheese running over the sides. The mayonnaise and ketchup overflowing from the soggy, soaked-through buns.

He tossed the food into the garbage, untouched, lit a cigarette and found an alternative rock station. He needed some noise to drown out the grotesque images running amok in his mind.

“Well that was a waste.”

Zak’s stomach dropped at the sound of the voice, and he was sure it was going to be one of the kids from the house, one of Kip’s addicts. He balled his hands into fists before cracking his eyes open, ready to defend himself. But then he relaxed when he saw her face.

“Gwendolyn?”

“Hey, he remembers my name. Too bad he didn’t remember our tutoring session.”

Zak didn’t know what else to do but smile at her. It was the furthest thing from his mind, and even when he saw her, it didn’t dawn on him until she had said something.

“Ah shit, Gwen. It’s been a fucked up day… my head’s all over the place. I’m sorry… I mean it. I didn’t meant to—”

“Shut up already,” she said and slugged him in the arm through the window. She wore a frown, but Zak could tell by her eyes that she wasn’t really mad. “And did you just call me Gwen? I just met you today, and you’re already shortening my name?”

Zak shrugged, grinned. “Gwendolyn’s a mouthful.”

“Gwen it is then. So… can I join you? I mean, unless you’re—”

“No. I mean… yes, you can join me. Please. I could use some friendly company right now.”

As she rounded the car toward the passenger side, Zak flicked his cigarette away, quickly checked his breath and straightened his posture. She opened the door, sat down, ran her palms over her jeans.

“So… have you been here waiting all this time?” Zak said.

“Please. Get over yourself, man.” Her cheeks burned bright red.

“Well… were you?”

She fingered a tear at the knee of her jeans, sort of snickered. Her eyes still hadn’t left her lap since she had entered the car. “Well shit. What can I say?”

Zak laughed. “That’s sweet. Now I really feel like shit.”

“Look… I just felt bad for you. I mean, when it comes to math… you’re kind of a retard.” She finally looked at him. Her smile was perfect.

“No offense, but I’m not really in the mood for math.”

“Me either. Can I ask what happened to your face? Wanna talk about it?”

Zak had completely forgotten about his injuries. He checked the mirror, winced as his tongue prodded at the tender opening on his lip. He was again reminded that it hurt to breathe, his ribs screaming in pain. His mind had been too busy to worry about his own beaten body.

“There’s something weird going on,” Zak said, turning in his seat so he was fully facing Gwen now. She did the same, looked like a little kid about to be read a bedtime story. “It’s Kip. I don’t know what the hell is going on… but it’s scaring the shit out of me.”

“Kip? As in your cousin? As in Toad?”

“Come on… out of everyone, I didn’t think you’d call him that.”

“I don’t, I’m just saying. How can Kip scare you? He’s a nice kid… but I can’t imagine him scaring anyone.”

Zak’s vision went blurry as he stared off into space, thinking about the kids all over Kip, moaning and screaming and fucking and laughing. The way Kip bled and bled, the sound of his voice when he got angry.

He’s a fucking monster.

“Zak?”

“Huh?”

“Lost you there for a second. Your mouth was moving but no words were coming out.”

“Sorry.” Zak focused his vision again, but when he locked eyes with Gwen, he had to force his stare into his lap. “It’s his acne. It’s… shit. I don’t even know where to begin.”

“His acne? I know it’s bad, but why would you be scared of it?”

“Believe me… if you only knew the half of it, you’d be scared too. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. I promise you.”

“Then show me.”

“What?”

She smiled that perfect smile again, brushed her bangs out of her face. “Well, if Kip’s in trouble, I’d like to help. I don’t know him that well, but like I said, he’s a good kid. I’ve always felt sorry for him, like it’s my duty to be nice to him or something. I don’t know. I’m a weirdo like that.”

You’re an angel is what you are.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Gwen. Trust me… you don’t want to see this. Shit, I already saw it, and if I could, I would unsee the shit out of it. I don’t even think I can make myself go back home.”

She reached across the middle console and grabbed Zak’s hand. When Zak locked eyes with her, she blushed, moved her eyes to their hands.

“I know I just met you, Zak. And believe me, I know how fucking corny this sounds.” She rolled her eyes and snickered.

“Yeah? What is it?”

“Oh god, just… Let’s just go. I want to help. Let me.”

Zak wanted to tell her no, wanted to explain everything, but he couldn’t find the words. He could only concentrate on her hand pressed against his, her thumb moving back and forth over his skin. Their eyes met again, neither of them looking away this time, staring deep into each other. And it felt good, it felt amazing. It felt right. Like nothing Zak had ever experienced with any other girl. He felt like he’d known this girl a lot longer than a day, and for whatever reason, he felt like he could trust her. Felt like she could handle the insanity that was Kip and his… condition.

“Okay. But I’m warning you. You won’t believe it. Even as you’re looking at it… at him. You won’t believe it.”

When her hand released his, he was filled with a strange sadness. He wanted to feel her touch again, wanted to reach over and hold her in his arms, press his mouth to hers.

But he put one hand on the steering wheel, the other on the shift. He reversed out of the Grease Shack’s parking lot, then was heading back home. He still didn’t know what he would do when they got there, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that taking Gwendolyn there was a huge mistake, but if that’s what she wanted, he’d let her see.

If anyone can convince Kip to get help, maybe it’s her.

It wasn’t until the child’s legs stopped kicking that Chuck realized he’d done a bad thing. He stood, staring down at the broken, tiny body. His jaw ached from clenching his teeth.

He recognized this boy. Chelsea’s brother? Where the fuck am I?

It came back all at once, and he remembered what he did, almost felt bad about it until his need kicked in again, stronger than ever. He tried to calm the shakes by licking Toad’s dried blood off his skin, but it wasn’t enough, didn’t satisfy him.

He moved away from the boy, who was bent nearly in half. Blood still leaked from his body, but slowly. Another burst of panic set in, and he hated himself for hurting the boy, for hurting Chelsea’s brother…

Chelsea!

He ran back to her room, collapsed beside her body. Tears and saliva dripped from his face, soaked into the gaping wound of her mouth. Chuck rested his forehead against hers, wept, held her hand in his.

But as her cold flesh touched him, he realized it wasn’t because of her he was filled with such abyssal sadness. It was because of the absence of Kip. If he could just be with Toad again, everything would be okay, everything would be perfect.

Now he remembered perfectly well. Chelsea had been trying to take it from him. That’s what she did. Her family too. They all got what they deserved.

Chuck stood, stomped on Chelsea’s split head with his heel, as hard as he could. Meat squished and bone cracked, and he kept pounding down on her, screaming, muscles aching from being so tight and tense.

A weak moan floated into the room from somewhere in the house. Chuck ran toward the noise, stormed down the stairs until he found the woman. Her crooked legs were being dragged behind her and she clawed at the ground. When she saw Chuck, a scream exploded from her throat.

A man lay on his back, his head cracked open like an egg. Gray meat oozed out, and there was so much blood. But he wasn’t moving, wasn’t screaming. So it was the woman Chuck went after, lifted her into the air with ease. She was small, light, could barely fight back.

When her body left the ground, she made a series of gurgling and coughing sounds, as if she was trying to scream but couldn’t get it past the blood in her throat.

Chuck walked her across the room toward the wall by the front door, roared as he threw her against it. Her body slammed into it, hit the ground hard. She gasped, groaned, writhed slightly. Chuck bounded toward her broken form, grabbed both ankles, spun until her body hovered over the ground, then slammed it into the wall again, painting it red where her face smacked it.

She stopped moving then. Stopped making any sounds at all.

“The Toad is mine!” When he said it this time, his voice shook, the need making him weak.

He was out the door and sprinting down the street then. The sun was gone. The night sky was littered with gray feathered clouds and the air smelled electric.

Chuck’s body throbbed with withdrawal, but it only made his legs pump faster, working double time to get him back to Toad’s place where he could beg for another hit. Anything. Just something.

I’ll suck his dick if he wants me too. I bet his cum is just as good as his pus and blood…

It didn’t take him long to get there. The closer he got to Kip’s house, the more powerful his need became. It was like the house itself was radiating heat, and by the time Chuck stood in the front yard, staring at the kids as they feasted on Toad’s motionless body on the porch, he felt completely engulfed in flame.

A few of the kids lay in the grass, giggling, rolling around and touching themselves. The first boy that Chuck ran up to caught Chuck’s foot to the middle of his face.

Stomp stomp stomp.

They started to run away then, as if they had had enough. As if they had reached their peak and no longer needed Toad. Which meant there was nothing left for Chuck.

Most fled at the sight of Chuck rampaging toward them, cackling into the night as they scattered in all directions. Those too fucked up to move off the lawn were pummeled out of frustration, but were numb to their own pain, and they eventually joined the others and disappeared into the blackness surrounding them.

Only Jade remained. She held Toad’s head in her lap, sucking on his forehead, but she sobbed, shoved the boy’s head away and buried her face in her palms.

Toad wasn’t moving, didn’t look like he was breathing. His skin had taken on a purple, almost blue color. His eyes were completely white, rimmed with a neon green, that same green ringed around each nostril and at the corners of his mouth.

“There’s nothing left,” Jade said and shoved Kip’s body completely out of her lap.

“But… but there has to be. I need him.”

Jade paced the front porch, then started slamming her forehead into the door, again and again, muttering something that Chuck couldn’t decipher.

Chuck ran his hands over Kip’s body, looking for any bumps the others might have missed, but they were all craters now. And no blood ran out of them. Some blood stained the concrete, and Chuck quickly ran his tongue across the rough surface, hard enough to strip layers of skin, but he kept licking, desperate for any taste at all.

Then he smelled it. He wasn’t sure how Jade could have missed it. Or maybe she was too fucking stupid to realize. Chuck wanted any part of Toad. Anything.

It seemed that at some point in his struggle, Kip had shit himself. Maybe it was like Chuck had heard—he couldn’t remember where—that people shit their pants right after they die. He couldn’t tell if Kip was dead or not, but the scent of shit was heavy in the air, and though it didn’t spark his addiction, he knew it would work. It would work just like the pus and blood.

Chuck looked up and Jade was still slamming her head against the door, crying and screaming. There was another quick spark of the old Chuck, just quick enough for him to remember how much he loved Jade, how badly he wanted to be with her. He had an urge to scoop her up in his arms, keep her from hurting herself, take her away with him where they could be together and share the last offering the Toad would ever give.

And now Chelsea is gone. Out of the picture. It can just be me and Jade, forever, just like I always wanted.

But now… he didn’t want that. He only wanted to be alone with his fix, just him and Toad’s shit. Somewhere secret, where nobody would find him, where nobody could try and take his prize away from him.

He shot one last look at Jade, and she seemed completely oblivious of his presence. His eyes drank in her body, and his groin stirred, fluttered once, but remained flaccid. He had other things to worry about, more pressing things.

Kip’s pants had already been torn, his boxer shorts already pulled down to the get at the forest of acne on his ass cheeks. But globs of dark shit lay in the seat of the underwear. Chuck took hold of the soiled fabric, ripped it free of the body. When the light hit it, iridescent colors rainbowed across the surface of the feces. Greens and purples and pinks and yellows.

It’s mine… it’s all mine.

Chuck wanted to do something to help Kip, only because if the kid died, Chuck knew he would die right along with him. Without Kip’s secretions, Chuck didn’t know how he would live through the night.

He checked in every direction. Nobody was there. Then there were headlights, growing brighter and brighter, and before the car could get any closer, Chuck tucked the warm shorts under his arm and sprinted into the night, heading straight for the trees.

“Is that… is that Chuck?” Gwen had both hands on the dashboard, peering out through the windshield.

Chuck was naked, looked completely covered in blood. He held something, looked like some kind of clothing, but as soon as Zak pulled up, Chuck took off. Zak lost sight of him almost instantly, but didn’t bother trying to chase him.

“That’s fucking Kip… oh shit… Oh god!” Zak fumbled with his door handle, his hands shaking uncontrollably.

Kip lay on the porch, completely still, his body riddled with wounds. The same type of wounds as before, like empty eye sockets, but this time there was no blood. The wounds looked fresh, glistened like raw chicken. Kip wasn’t moving at all, not even the up and down of his stomach to show he was breathing. His skin looked awful, a strange purplish blue color, not the pale color of someone suffering from massive blood loss.

“What the fuck did you do!” Zak grabbed Jade by the shoulders, spun her around. The tips of his fingers dug into the meat of her arms, but she could only sob, her dilated eyes streaming an endless torrent of tears.

“He’s dried up,” she said through her violent weeps. Ropes of thick saliva connected her lips like harp strings. “I need him, Zak. Do something. You have to fix him!”

“Zak… we need to get him to the hospital. Like… now,” Gwen said from behind him, placing a soft hand on his shoulder.

Zak growled and threw Jade backward and away from Kip as hard as he could. Jade hit the door, her blood-stained breasts jiggling, then dropped to her knees, continued to weep.

Zak could only imagine what was going through Gwen’s mind right then. He wanted to turn to her, explain, but there wasn’t time. He cradled Kip’s body in his arms—it was so light. The skin felt hot to the touch. Zak figured that had to be a good sign. A dead body would be cold, especially on a cool night like this.

Turning toward his Corolla, Zak carried Kip’s body across the lawn. Gwen jogged beside him, staring at Kip’s face and torso with wide eyes and a furrowed brow, her head slightly shaking. She threw the back passenger door open.

“What’s wrong with his skin? Why is it that color? And why the hell is Jade Brewster here, naked and covered in blood? And Chuck?”

“I told you… everything is fucked up. But his skin… it wasn’t this color before. I don’t know what’s—”

Zak was just about to place his cousin into the back seat when Kip’s eyes burst open.

It surprised Zak, induced a scream, and he nearly dropped Kip. Once Kip’s skin got to moving again, thrashing and bubbling, Zak did drop him, backed away.

Kip hit the lawn with a thud, and Gwen started to rush toward him, but Zak caught her by the arm and pulled her away. She struggled for a few seconds until she caught sight of the pulsating skin, the empty wounds filling with pus before their eyes, but it was a creamy purple color, the boils the color of blueberries as they bulged fatter and fatter.

“Zak… what’s wrong with him? His skin… oh my god…”

“Toad!” Jade sprinted across the lawn, bumping into Gwen as she passed and knocking her over. “Oh my god, baby… I was so scared. I thought… I thought you left me. Don’t you ever leave me, not evereverever!”

Kip stood, the blue and purple boils still thumping, and he smiled at Zak. Even his teeth seemed to have a blue tint, his eyes twitchy and rimmed in a neon green color. His skin sparkled in the moonlight as the juices flowed and rejuvenated him, each open wound now a pustule filled to bursting with that purple substance.

“Zak,” Kip said, eyes blinking one at a time, pupils vibrating. His voice was deeper, almost like a growl. His smile took up half his face, green at the corners, his lips split down the middle to allow the smile to stretch further. The gums looked black, his tongue the same. “My cousin. Where have you been?”

Jade held Kip tight, rubbed her tits and groin over his left side, humping him like some horny dog, whimpering and moaning, begging him.

But Kip ignored her completely. Because his eyes were now locked on Gwendolyn.

Gwen just stared at the scene unfolding before her, jaw hanging, head shaking.

Zak quickly helped Gwen to her feet, shot a nervous glance toward Kip. He didn’t need his cousin getting jealous. His heart pounded in his chest, made it hard to breathe.

Kip’s eyes were still locked on Gwen, and when he loosened his smile, black blood oozed from his cracked lips, dripped from his chin. Jade thrust her head forward as if to drink it up, but Kip caught her by the throat, pushed her away, then finally let his eyes roll back to Zak.

Kip’s stare was hard, accusatory, pupils still shaking and rattling. His green-encrusted nostrils widened, and he took a long step forward. His flesh had slowed now, and his body looked swollen, infected. He had a stench like insecticide.

And then he smiled again. His eyes stayed hard, but his mouth pulled tight across his face.

“Zak, I see you’ve met Gwendolyn. Hi, Gwendolyn. Remember my cousin I was telling you about? Isn’t he fucking dreamy?”

“Whoa whoa,” Zak said. “She came here because she was worried about you, Kip. I thought maybe she could help, so—”

“Yes, always worried about me. Always felt sorry for me. Isn’t that right, Gwendolyn? Never a shortage of pity for the Toad, yeah?”

“Kip, w-what’s wrong with you? What happened?” Gwen stepped forward, but quickly took a step back when Kip approached her.

“It’s the same old thing, Gwendolyn. I thought things would be different now. I thought they wanted me. Thought they needed me. But they don’t want me. They don’t give a fuck about me. Never did before, and they don’t now. It’s what’s inside of me they want.”

Zak knew Gwen must have been beyond confused, and he now wished he would have filled her in, regardless of how ridiculous it all sounded. But he didn’t expect this. Zak wondered if the monster inside of Kip was surfacing more and more, slowly eating away at the old Kip, taking over him. The thing in front of him was not his cousin.

“Kip, listen to me.” Gwen took a deep breath, reached out and took Kip’s hand. She only hesitated for a second before grabbing it, and Zak wanted so bad to pull her away, get Kip’s purplish, pus-filled skin away from hers.

Kip’s expression softened then, and he blinked rapidly as he stared down at his hand in Gwen’s. For a second, he looked like himself, scared and shy, a boy with a crush.

Jade screamed on the ground, tearing out fistfuls of grass and dirt and flinging it all around. She bared her teeth as she stared at Gwen holding hands with Kip, and Zak stayed on the defensive in case she tried anything.

“You’re better than all those fucking assholes at school. You should know that. Five years from now, all those popular dipshits will be fucking worthless, probably bagging your groceries or stirring milkshakes. But you? You’ve got great things ahead of you. Don’t let all this high school bullshit get to your head.”

Kip’s chin dipped until it touched his chest. When his shoulders started jumping, Zak thought he was crying, thought that maybe Gwen had somehow gotten to him, that maybe Kip would snap out of it and be the kid Zak grew up with again. His best friend again. The kid that loved comic books and video games and shitty horror movies.

But Kip was laughing. The laugh grew in volume until it became a cackle, and he leaned his head back and howled at the moon. His hand clenched around Gwen’s, and she tried to pull it away, shot Zak a quick glance that begged for help.

“Kip, let her go, man. What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Kip’s laugh was cut off at once, and his head snapped forward so fast, a splash of purple pus erupted from his face into the dirt, narrowly missing Gwen.

“What’s wrong with me, cousin? I’m all alone. Just like I’ve always been. I thought at least I had you. My own fucking cousin, my flesh and blood. But even you betrayed me.”

“Betrayed you? You’ve got it all wrong, Kip. Please.”

“Let me go!” Gwen balled her hand into a fist and swung, catching Kip on the chin and making him stumble back. His hand slipped free of Gwen’s, and she stared at the iridescent mucus coating her knuckles, gagged.

“You see? She thinks I’m fucking disgusting! She always did!” Kip held his hand out for Jade, and she gladly took it, was hauled to her feet. Kip pulled her in and kissed her, made sure both of their tongues were visible for Zak and Gwen. He squeezed her breasts, her ass, then smiled wider than ever.

“I love you, Toad,” Jade said, her voice low and trembling.

“I know you do. Why don’t we go inside? I want to show you something.”

With her hand still in his, Kip led Jade across the lawn and back toward the house. He slapped her on the ass just as they passed over the threshold, then Kip turned back around to face Zak and Gwen.

“You know what, cousin? I think maybe I will have a party. Invite all my new friends over, yeah? It’ll be a fucking blast, won’t it?”

Kip widened his eyes and let his grin stretch tight again, then slammed the door.

Zak fought the urge to run into the house. He swung his fists through the air, clenching his teeth. “Fuck! Motherfucker!”

“Zak… what are we gonna do? Jesus Christ… tell me what’s happening here.”

Zak took a deep breath, ushered Gwen back into his car, then peeled off.

“Where are we going?”

“The police station. Fuck this, I’m not doing this shit anymore. He needs help. I’ll tell them to bring an ambulance too.”

“But what the fuck is going on!”

Zak sighed through his nostrils. “So it was Senior Skip Day…”