3. Companion

Second Revision

Deviin exhaled as one hand collected the lot of his tools in slow, aimless movements. Wrenches, pliers, and screwdrivers were tossed haphazardly onto the backseat of his truck. For a long time after his shift ended Deviin sat there staring through his windshield in thought. He contemplated the man he'd invited into his home. Kurt looked so helpless sitting there in his cab cold and shivering. He chose that over bothering to wake Michelle up. Clearly their relationship was not a good one and he lacked confidence to confront her.

He then placed each tool methodically into a padded duffel bag and zipped it up. Landlocked into routine, boredom was the only reason he took note of Kurt at all. It raised an odd feeling in him to have done so. Part of him liked being a host even if it was just for a night. Though they hadn't really talked or interacted there was an unmistakable air of respect which was foreign to him.

Unlocking the trailer door he threw his bag of tools inside with a thud. A figure jumped startled in his peripheral vision. Deviin took a step back. The TV was already on and a pair of eyes watched from just above the back of the couch. He drifted into his living room for a closer look. Deviin's body was still clad in filthy, oil stained coveralls that swished with the movement of his legs.

Kurt smiled awkwardly, “Hey there, kid.”

“You're still here?”

“Yeah... I hope that's alright.”

Nodding Deviin made his way back to the kitchen. It was like a dream; his thoughts seemed to have been transferred to reality by the quickness of this coincidence. He tried to mask a slanted grin. Wearily, he got comfortable. Deviin slipped out of his jumpsuit, laid it limply over the back of a chair, and grabbed himself a beer. From wrist to elbow one of his arms was clad in bandages wound tight for compression. Dots of crimson blood soaked through.

Kurt observed this worriedly, “What happened there? Did you have an accident at work today?”

The question was ignored.

Deviin continued with his evening ritual, “Are you hungry?”

Kurt nodded and took a seat at the kitchen table. Already, his stomach was begging. Two days passed since his last meal. Pulling a pan down from the overhead cupboards, along with a few other odds and ends, Deviin took a long swig of his beer. Kurt tried to gather racing thoughts as he rested both arms behind his head. One leg then crossed rigidly over the other.

“I stuck around because I wanted to make you an offer.”

Deviin peered over before grabbing steaks wrapped in unmarked butcher paper from the fridge. He seasoned them with a dusting of various powders, “I'm listening.”

“I spoke with Michelle this morning. We're negotiating a shift of custody involving my son Todd, so I need to spend more time here in town.” Kurt uttered that last bit with distaste, “I'm not a lease signing kind of guy. If you'll let me stay here with you I can pay two-thirds the rent and utilities. That way you can save a bit of money for yourself. You've got... a bit of prime real estate here.”

At first Deviin stared at him confused, and with a large knife in hand. A wave of conflicted feelings washed over him as he considered the idea; this was a surprise but not undesired. He'd been looking for a 'roommate' for a while now. Not just anyone would do, however. There was a reason he called Kurt in from the cold. Deviin had many thoughts while in his truck wasting time after work. Moving the steaks to a cooking sheet Deviin shrugged and took another sip, “What do you do for a living? Do you have any family or friends out this way?”

“It's complicated. Let’s just say I’m an entrepreneur. Unfortunately, I'm alone out here. Everyone I care about still lives in California.”

A contemplative silence followed. Personally he liked Kurt; there wasn't much to know after a single, quick visit but he had a gentle air about him. He was soft and small like a quirky lap dog. Polishing off his beer Deviin lobbed the empty can into the sink. It wasn't long before dinner was finished.

Deviin whipped up two plates each with a steak and serving of sautéed vegetables. Kurt remained quiet in fear that badgering would only lessen his chances. They ate together in silence. Halfway through something bothered Kurt. This food wasn't over the top, but still laden with a strange and unique flavor.

“Deviin... what is this?”

“Steak,” He whispered before taking another hefty bite.

“I gathered that much. Don't get me wrong, I like it, but it's gamey as all get out.”

“Exotic meat tends to be.”

That was enough to hush Kurt. He wondered if Deviin had procured something rare or illegal hence his lack of desire to talk about it. There was no reason or sense in pushing the issue further. Kurt just chewed slowly to savor his meal in unanswered curiosity. At moments it was very much like beef, and at others pungent like late harvested mutton. Hints of soy sauce and anise created an after taste. Deviin casually observed his guest. The confused and interested faces he made prompted a sneer.

Kurt didn't complain. He truly was appreciative just to be eating. There was trust in him. If Deviin declared this animal -whatever it may be- fit to eat then Kurt took his word for it. He found this attitude charming. When he finished Kurt leaned back into his chair with an exhale of pleasant delight. Deviin cleared their plates before stepping toward the hall and motioning his guest to follow. Obliging Kurt pursued Deviin's room. Once inside the other placed a hand firmly to the center of Kurt's chest and pushed him against the edge of the bed where he sat.

The closet door was pulled open and Deviin gripped his hanging shirts. He shoved them back in a single jerk. Kurt waited with patient intrigue; being around this younger man was like watching a movie in that little was ever really explained to him. He simply had to wait and see. In the corner of the closet were tattered boxes. Gingerly Deviin reached behind them for a velvet bag.

He craned his neck to view Kurt who looked out of place in the emptiness with both hands folded neatly on his lap. He flopped down beside him on the bed and worked his thick fingers into the bag. Silver fabric pulled away from itself. Contrasting gold strings went short. Deviin then revealed its contents. This bag he'd retrieved was full to its brim with collars.

Deviin sifted thoughtfully through them before settling on his favorite. The leather strip was accented with stark, white stitch. Rectangular accents of metal were spaced across the center and a tag hung from the D-ring reading 'Milo'. Gently, he fastened it around Kurt's neck and leaned back to see in full perspective.

“Uh... I... okay.” Kurt said with a forced and awkward smirk.

“You can stay with me, but It's a dark and unwholesome place here. Colville devours people. Everyone who lasts longer than a month stays forever. They just sort of get married to the idea of being in pain.”

Deviin gripped the tape holding his bandages. With a pained cringe he peeled it back. They were slowly unraveled back into a roll. He jerked and flinched against every agonizing second of that process. As the covering disappeared Kurt stepped back and gasped in disturbed horror of the sight. Deviin displayed that which he'd been hiding with a cool expression. Deep puncture wounds rounded the underside of his forearm, resemblant of teeth.

A few were coagulated and scabbed over while others dripped dots of blood. Under and around them were a scribble of other similar scars. They'd healed but were still clearly visible against pale skin. His eyes darkened as he rose to his feet. A shiver rocked the entirety of Kurt's small frame.

“You can take that off when you leave,” He said, running one finger around the brim of the collar before giving the tag a flick. Then he left for the bathroom to clean his pounding wounds.

At first it was hard to digest what just happened. The pit of his stomach started churning again. Kurt wanted so badly to ask what happened to Deviin and what this was all about but he couldn't force words from his throat. The younger man was introverted. Perhaps this was just his odd, eccentric way of making a deal. Maybe it was all a cry for attention. Regardless it was all quite macabre.

He followed to watch Deviin douse his arm in peroxide, and then grit his teeth to stop from crying out. Infection bubbled from the tortured limb. His hand balled into a fist so tight his knuckles whitened. Tendons jutted visibly beneath the skin. Deviin grabbed a hand towel and laid it gently over top, applying pressure.

Kurt wrung his hands at the sickly spectacle, “Are you sure you're okay?”

“I will be now.”

His sombre expression lifted and he gave Kurt a playful shove. A smile traced his face. It was genuine, coaxing the other to shiver off some of his disturbed worry. Deviin wondered off down the hall whistling. Easing down onto the couch, he propped up his boots on the coffee table. The subtle tune turned to a sharp, single note as he whistled again and patted the cushion beside him.

When Kurt answered his beckoning the younger man took the TV remote in his hand and draped one arm heavily over the other's shoulders, “There's supposed to be a good flick on tonight. Now I don't have to watch it by myself.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Keep up you guys we're almost there!”

Knowlan shook with laughter. His hat was turned sideways with strings of hair in a mess around it. Twigs and leaves clung to his dirty clothes. When he man looked down at them his eyes were black as a night sky. Each limb trembled with pep. He then continued scrambling uphill.

Janie called out for Knowlan to slow down but it was futile. They'd been trudging up the hill face for an hour already. Both eyes scanned back to check on the last person in their ascending chain. Clinging to a rock near her foot was a boy young and small. His doe eyes sparkled in overhead sunlight as he stared back winded. Lowering her hand Janie offered assistance, “We're almost at the top, Todd. I guess your brother forgot he's the only monkey here.”

Todd said nothing. Russet hair swayed across his face as he clasped her hand. Janie could see the resemblance he had to his wayward father now though it was an even split; Michelle was visible in his features. Knowlan, on the other hand, could have been cloned from one of Brain's hairs.

Eventually, they came over the ridge to a familiar plateau. A field pushed back against the forest before climbing higher and out of sight. Knowlan stood in front of a run down gazebo. Above his head he flashed his silver Glock. Todd froze a few moments on the edge of the hillside; it looked so much taller now that they'd reached the top and in the distance he could see all of Colville. It sat humble in its minuscule valley. He could see down the only main road through this quaint little town and identify every building on it.

Unable to stay still for long Knowlan ushered them onward yet. He didn't need to pause or catch his breath. His heart thudded painfully against his ribs but he didn't notice it or the dry thickness of his mouth. Off to their left was a chain link fence. It was locked with both combination and key as a protective measure against vandalism. Two spotlights pointed upward at a gargantuan metal cross housed within he barrier. At their position its full size could be respected.

Down in Colville it was just a little ornament on top of a mountain, perpetually lit through the day and night. In front of it Knowlan had driven a few sticks down into the soft earth. Overturned cans and glass bottles rested atop those sticks. Janie sat to rest her back against the fence and prepare. Inside a zipped, padded bag was her weapon of choice. Nervously, Todd looked back and forth between his brother and the older teen's girlfriend.

Todd was shy and his threshold for stimulation low. Soon the pounding blasts would come. Knowlan trotted over seething with excitement. The sight of them all together pushed him into a calm state. Soon, however, he recalled a thought that punched holes in his jubilant feelings. Kurt was back in town. The fact of that was an invasion to his home, family, and mind. Todd didn't even know his father's name and so long as Knowlan was around he intended to keep it that way regardless of what their mother decided.

If Kurt took off with Todd then the two may never come back and that was more than he could bare. When Janie finished loading the clip she stood. Her hips swayed with each step. One foot rested on a rock and she lifted her arm, cocking it to the side. Shot after shot was fired in succession like a thug exacting revenge. It was a silly, informal posture. Todd whimpered audibly, moving low to the ground.

Both hands clapped over his ears. Janie blew a trail of smoke from the barrel and grinned. Ribbons of aluminum and glass shards were strewn about. Gnarled ends of the sticks were left exposed and blasted. Knowlan's eyes glittered with amour. Janie then retired back to the fence and reloaded for another go. Todd's brother adopted a rigid disposition as he bent to grab the boy's arm and pull him upright, “Come with me. We need to talk.”

His hands fell down at his sides and he followed the gentle tug. At first Todd wondered if he was in trouble; occasionally, in malnourished and sleep deprived mood swings, Knowlan liked to pick fights with him but these occasions were rare. His dilated ,unblinking eyes were full of determination. The bangs grew distant as they walked though Todd still flinched and cowered away from them. He was led to the shelter of a wooded grove. Last summer Knowlan dug it out. He stomped down bushes and thorns to create a hideout where he could get high in relative peace.

Two stumps were positioned near the back with a plank laid across them as a bench. Rolling it over to the other side, which was dry and clean, Knowlan rested with Todd sitting beside him. He contemplated his words before giving the boy a soft nudge, “Someone came by our trailer today while you and Josh were at the theater. He's got red hair and a goatee and is only yay tall. He's trying to twist mom up in a bunch of lies and take you away from us. If he ever tries to talk to you just... I don't know... run away.”

Todd's eyes widened fearfully and he tried to imagine why anyone would do such a thing. Shuddering he hugged himself and began to whisper. After a few moments Knowlan realized his shaking wasn't from the cold. His voice raised until the boy started a multi-sided debate with himself. Knowlan pulled Todd close and softened his voice, “Hey don't freak out. I won't let anyone hurt you. We've got everything under control so all you have to do is just stay away from the guy. You can do that, right?”

It was awkward to have this conversation without giving away any key details about Todd's relationship with this stranger. Knowlan tried over and over to reword the same statement and Todd listened patiently. The boy suddenly jerked away from him. Knowlan sat back startled as Todd lifted his hand and pointed a finger to the bulging pocket of his brother's jeans, “You smell like death.”

“What?”

Todd's eyes lost their luster as he stared off into space. His breathing fell shallow until almost nonexistent. Todd then leaned down and touched the side of his face to his brother's leg as if trying to hear a faint sound being emitted from it. The entirety of his body flinched at another gunshot but his expression didn't change.

“You should worry more about yourself. There's so much ice in your pocket I can practically hear it melting. A stranger is trying to run off with you too, but you're just holding his hand and walking like a toddler who lost his parents at the mall.”

Rubbing his arm Knowlan adopted nervousness similar to Todd's just moments before. Their demeanors were instantly reversed. Now it was he who shivered with lost confidence and worry. Those strange, cryptic words disturbed him. He jumped to his feet and snapped, “Stay the hell away from that guy I told you about, okay?”

“Okay, Knowlan. I will.”

With that he turned for the opening of his shelter. Anxiety bit at Knowlan but he dared not let it show. Instead he extended one large hand and rested it on Todd's head as they walked. He peered up, feeling the motion of each bony finger as it tried to rustle his hair in a gesture of brotherly affection. When they returned to the cross Janie was proudly beaming and showing off a cluster of near perfect holes she'd fired through a piece of plywood. Oblivious to the nature of their absence she laughed. Todd sat down beside her bag at the fence and signed before covering his ears again.

Author's Note

Please comment on whatever you like. I always appreciate grammar suggestions and caught typos where I missed them. Also, I like to hear which characters you like/ dislike. If you catch plot holes, unrealistic scenarios, or things that pulled you out of the flow please tell me.

Reviews

[Bec]

Some very effective description in here.