5. El Inconveniente tienda ( The Inconvenient store)

A Chapter by Dr.Vishnu

Bob successfully closed all the glass windows and doors with the curtains, unnoticed by the dumb Dombies. As he finished his work, he came inside.

All the others were sitting around Rhodes. They were looking dull. Bob went nearer and touched Stanley. Stanley looked at Bob and said, “We lost him Bob.”

“But you said that he still has one more hour for survival!”

“Yes, but that’s half an hour ago. He can’t make it even for five minutes. Nobody can help now.”

“So, what now?”

“I don’t know. Lucy what do you think we can do?” asked Stanley very sadly.

“Nothing Stan. I am worried how his wife gonna take this” said Lucy.

“We will tell her when she wakes up. Until then we have to keep him somewhere”

They rolled Rhodes’ body in a white thick cloth. They covered him completely up to the face. They kept him on a bench over the north east corner of the store. They stood for sometime there. And slowly one by one they returned to the place where they were resting earlier. Bob came lately. Stanley was standing, john and lucy were sitting on the floor watching Stanley. It seems Stanley was supposed to say something to them. Bob joined the team and sat with both of them like joining the meeting.

“Okay. All right!...um…I really don’t understand what’s happening. Bob either, who was here for 20 years. So we gotta sort out things happening around here.”

Bob-“Yeah, you are right”

John-“That’s the only thing we can do right now”

Lucy-“Whatever”

“Okay, good. Now we know that there were dead people wandering right outside. And they came from their graves, which is impossible, awful and spine-chilling. And we have a bat that is not beaten dead. And another bat that screwed Rhodes’ life. Right?”

“Right” said in chorus.

“So, did any one understand the situation?” asked Stanley.

John readily raised his hand-implying that he was ready to answer that question.

“John! This is not a quiz.. Anyone can say anything. No need to raise your hand. Okay?......anyway, what’s your inference?” asked Stan.

“It sucks !” said john.

“Of course that was everyone’s feeling right here. But didn’t you find something interesting here?” asked Stanley.

“Well, you seemed to find out something. Why can’t you just tell?” said john.

“Yeah..then…taking all the above facts into consideration, what I felt is�"We are completely surrounded by �"immortals. We can’t kill them because they are already dead. But they are ready to kill us. So friends! We are in a grave danger!” said Stan.

“Yes, danger from the Grave!” uttered Bob.

“I said that word ‘Grave’ in a general sense Bob. Not like you thought it…of course it was right, I am…..” replied Stan.

“Ok..ok…I Got it Stanley!” said Bob.

Hearing that, Stanley looked at Bob, “What, ‘Stanley?’…where did the ‘SIR’ go?”

“I …um..uh…thought that we were friends now. That’s why I stopped calling you sir. But if you insist to call you sir, I will do so, no problem for…..” retorted Bob against Stanley.

“That’s okay. That’s okay, you can call me Stanley, That’s better, ignore it!” said Stanley and again continued, “So, where are we?”

“Grave danger!” replied John and Lucy simultaneously.

“Yeah! Now we gotta stay inside until everything become normal” said Stanley.

“Are you kidding me? You are talking futile. We can’t spend our rest of life here, because I had this feeling that this is not transitory. It’s a situation where we have no idea about anything! So just don’t decide anything and jump to conclusions” said Lucy.

“She was right Stan!” said john by looking at Stanley.

Stanley nodded his head and sat there itself. Lucy stood up and took a small candy from the rack of the store. Looking at bob, she said “I hope it’s a freebie today!”

Bob nodded his head concurring that. She asked,

“I was gonna look at Betsy. Anyone accompany me?”

She got no answer, so she moved alone to the personal glassed room of Bob, where Betsy was lying.

Then suddenly electricity came to the store and all the lights were on.

“Glad, at least the power made its way for us” relaxed john.

* * *

BUZZZZZzzzzzz……a small housefly was circling around john disturbing him. First time he wiped it aside with his hand. It came again..BUZZZZZzzzzz….John looked seriously at it and again wiped it with his hand.. Then Stanley handed him a small pad to teach the housefly a lesson. John took it and waited for it. It liked john, so it came again. Seeing that john’s face turned red and he forcefully hit that fly against floor. That fly was glued to the floor completely as a paste.

Hearing that ‘Spat’ sound Lucy yelled, “What was that?”

“It’s just Housefly honey!” shouted back Stan.

“Hey don’t use the word- Honey, the fly could come back for it! Ha ha…”joked Bob. Suddenly as Bob said, the dead fly rose from the floor. Seeing that, John puzzled. It again started buzzing around him. Then without thinking he gave it another SPATTTTT. That fly again fixed to the floor. Stanley and john stared at Bob.

Confusingly, Bob said, “It….. It didn’t wake up on my command. That’s impossible; I think I don’t have powers. I am not Harry potter!”

Before he finished his sentence, the fly again rose from the floor. John again hit the fly and now he kept a big box on it. Then Stanley came up with some understanding and explained,

“Adding this fact to above facts, what I felt is- If something is dead here, that something is not dead anymore. There is no death in this place. You see we killed that bat, it became immortal. And now, we killed the fly-it turned to immortal.”

“And now they are trying to kill us, starting from this small fly” said Bob.

Stanley suddenly stood up and said, “What about Rhodes. If he is dead, he will be after us to kill……..” saying this Stanley ran to the place where Rhodes’ body was kept rolled in a carpet.

* * *

Lucy saw Betsy inside the room from outside through the glass. She was still unconscious. Then she slowly opened the door and went inside. Keeping her hand over Betsy’s head, she sat besides her. The old lady was peacefully unconscious in the couch. Suddenly, Lucy stood up on hearing some noise outside, an abnormal groaning.

* * *

Stanley reached the area. Astonishingly, Rhodes was not there. The carpet was unrolled off lying on the floor. Stanley struck with terror. Bob and john followed Stanley and they also understood the severity of the situation.

“Where the hell is he?” they shouted in chorus.

* * *

Lucy moved towards the door to find out what’s sounding outside. She came to the door and then suddenly Rhodes presented at the door. He was cruelly moaning at her. Lucy terrified at the moment and she screamed loudly. Rhodes was trying to open the door to the room, but luckily he couldn’t open that door. Perceiving that sound, Stanley and others ran towards the room. They stopped distantly after seeing Rhodes at the door. They also screamed in horror involuntarily.

Rhodes looked at them and he also roared at them. Now, Stanley remembered me and took me in to his hands. He suddenly without thinking shot Rhodes in head.

( No..no... I hate this. My first firing is on my owner itself! He released me from the hell and I am sending him to the hell. This is ridiculous. I never thought that my first desire was gonna fulfill like this. You did a terrible mistake Stanley. Terrible mistake!)

But Rhodes didn’t get hurt; he continued to move towards them more angrily.

“You forgot again? He is immortal. You wasted one bullet now” shouted Bob.

“Now you care about bullets Bob? Tell me how to handle this situation?” yelled Stanley at bob.

John said, “We have to lock him like the Bat.”

Bob, “yes, there was an old stockroom at the corner. We can lock him there. Stanley! You bring him there.”

“What? Me?” shouted Stan.

“Yes. Only you can do that! Come on” Said bob and ran to the corner with john.

Stanley aiming the gun at Rhodes slowly stepped backwards. With that chase, Stanley reached the stockroom; john and bob were waiting at the side of room behind racks on either side. They were ready to lock the room from outside when Rhodes went in. Stanley went inside the dark room holding his gun at Rhodes. Rhodes chased/followed Stanley into the room.

Bob and john peeped from behind the racks at the room. Stanley didn’t come back. They looked precisely at the room. Suddenly Stan rushed out of the room crying,

“Now. Lock it now. Now, you bunch of traitors.”

Momentarily, John and Bob zapped at the door and locked it. Rhodes banged the door violently from inside. Lucy came running to them. Stanley went to her and hugged her.

She asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah”, replied Stan.

“How did you get out man? I thought you were…” asked Bob.

“Oh…why didn’t you thought this before you planned this, scumbag, freak, *beep*?” yelled Stanley at bob. Then everyone stood silent. Lucy again hugged Stanley (to relax him?).

Stanley slowly murmered, “Rester calmaaaa, rester calmaaa!”

But then John heard a small bang from distant- ‘dhum..dhummm.dhumm..’

“Is that our door banging?” asked john looking at Bob.

* * *

Being familiar with that banging, Bob understood that the banging was from the main door of this store and someone is slamming the door from outside. Even though, bob and john were afraid, they thought of going and take a look.

“What’s coming now?” exclaimed Stanley. Bob and john went to the door quickly, but Stanley and Lucy stood distantly from the door. Bob wanted to see ‘what’s wrong’ through the curtains.

Lucy said, “May be they found us, so they are trying to come inside?” Hearing that, Bob stopped peeking. Then he heard some more familiar sounds, “puerta..puerta!”

“It’s Neil!” shouted Bob and opened the door even without peeping. Then a strong man came inside puffing. He was Neil maggots.

{ Neil maggots a.k.a. Screwdriver

He was called as screwdriver not just because he is a mechanic, but he screwed many people before. And may be in the future. This dangerous mechanic was from some Spanish speaking country. He was a tall figure and looks like John Rambo. He was perfect for a WWE championship instead of mechanic. He was one of the friends for Bob in case. He knows little English, as his first language was Spanish- for which I have to translate for you! }

“Oye usted imbécil! lo que le llevó tanto tiempo para abrir la maldita puerta!” shouted Neil to Bob angrily.

[ Hey you *beep*! what took you so much time to open the *beep* door! ]

Oh man, he is too harsh; I just can’t translate some words. If you want the meaning of those some words, you have to use Spanish dictionary!

“Vamos Neil, no sabíamos que era usted!” replied Bob.

[ Come on Neil, we didn't know it was you! ]

“Pero estoy golpeando la puerta que idiota!” shouted Neil.

[ But I am banging the door, you moron! ]

“Neil siento bien, de todos modos espero que están bien” asked Bob.

[ Okay sorry neil, anyway I hope you are fine ]

“Sí, estoy bien. Sólo un momento más por ahí, voy a ser terminado en las manos de los de puta” said Neil.

[ Yes, I am fine. Just one more moment out there, I will be finished in those *beep* hands. ]

Then bob looked at others; they were looking confusingly at both of them.

‘We didn’t understand a single word’-their expression says.

“Neil we gotta talk in English, they won’t understand Spanish” said Bob. Neil looked at them and asked, “I am poor in English. Who are they anyway?”

“Those are your customers” said Bob.

“Oh, then who is the owner of the car?” asked Neil again.

“He is” bob pointed to John. Neil came to him and handed him a steel rod that looks like a Brake rod. Slowly he said, “I am sorry about your car!”

John confused and asked,

“Why are you sorry? Didn’t you fix it? Or it can’t be fixed? And what is this thing you handed me? And why did you give me this thing? I didn’t even know what it is?”

Hearing all those questions Neil became insane for a moment.

He looked at Bob and said, “How did you think I come crossing those bunch of dead *beep* here?”

“Oh yeah, I forgot to ask. How did you come so far crossing those dead *beep*?” asked Bob amazingly.

“Yes, we are still amazed to know that. How did you escape them Neil?” asked Stanley.

“I came with his car -driving crazily among those dead *beep* and crushing many of them under the car.”

“Oh, you crushed them under my car? Crap man, I hate that” said John.

“And at last this car has many dead people over…on the front and top also on the back. They mad me and I rotated upside down the car just in front of the store. So every son of dead crushed under, then I came to door hitting!”

“You flipped my car?” said john and ran to the door. He slowly peeked through the curtains on to the road. There was his car flipped and almost completely wrecked. John invoked a lunatic and shouted throwing the rod in his hand distantly, “No..no..oh my god. My car!”

“Cool john, it can be fixed again!” said Stanley by patting his shoulders.

* * *

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