Devil Eyes

The deal

One afternoon, on a hot summer day in Norwich, 1953, the subject of our story is clipping the lawn of Annie Wilson. Annie and her girlfriends Gertrude and Agnes watched with amusement as the 18 year old strutted around shirtless and sweaty as he mowed the lawn.

"Mm. Isn't that like fresh water?"Annie says, making the girls laugh.

"We can only dream of our husbands being that muscular."Gertrude huffs.

"I wish he'd come over here, such a handsome lad isn't he?"Anges says.

"Hm."Annie smiles, sitting up.

"Jimmy! Darling!"Annie calls.

Jimmy looks over at them before turning the mower off. He takes a sweat rag from the back pocket of his shorts, wiping his forehead as he walked over to the ladies.

"Yes ma'am?"Jimmy questions.

"You look parched love, have some lemonade."Annie smiles, handing him a glass.

"Thank you ma'am"Jimmy smiles charmingly as he takes the beverage.

"Darling, I thing there's something wrong with my car, would you mind taking a look for my once you've finished your drink?"Annie smiles with her red lips.

"Of course ma'am"he says, taking another drink of his beverage and then sitting it on the table.

He walks over to the car and lifts the hood of the classic chevrolet.

The ladies take in the full sight of him bending down to check the ignition chord.

"Check mate ladies."Gertrude says.

"I can't see anything wrong with the ignition. Does it start?"He asks from under the hood.

"It does, but when it does it jutts about like it's going to die."Annie says.

"Must be the injectors, once I'm finished with the lawn I'll go under"he says.

"Thank you darling."Annie flirts as he walks back to the mower.

The tugs the pull chord, starting it up and pushing it on. The sound of the mower was hypnotic as he watched the shrubbery being mowed down.

As he pushed on, he had yet to notice the small heap of scrap metal beneath the shrubbery.

And so, the mower hits it. The sound of metal hitting metal frightens him, and he looks down. Instantly, shards of metal shoot directly at him, striking the right side of his face, including his eye.

He throws his head back, and then falls into his back as blood sprays out of his head.

The ladies scream, and rush to his aid.

.....

Jimmy rests in his intensive care unit, his head covered in bloodied bandages. 17 hours of surgery, and all they had managed to save from his injury was his eye.

The side of his head was horribly disfigured. Scarred, and burned. He looks at himself with his unbandaged eye in the mirror across from himself. 

He was disgusted at this horrible, bloody bandage monster he had become. He hears the door to his unit open and he averts his eye to it.

The door opens, and an unfamiliar man walks in, closing the door behind him.

"Oh. You poor thing."the man says.

"Who are you?"Jimmy mumbles.

"Me? Oh I'm just a man. A man with an offer."The man shrugs.

"You aren't a doctor. I don't know you."Jimmy says.

The man tilts his head, looking at the blood soaked bandages jimmy has on the side of his face.

"Look at that. No more Mr. Handsome, aye? Pretty boy."He says, stepping closer to Jimmy.

Jimmy huffs, looking away from the man.

"What do you want?"Jimmy wheezes.

"..what do you think about yourself? Your face, I mean?"the man says.

Jimmy shakes his head.

"I'm hideous."

The man smiles.

"I think not. I think your look is great. Perfect, actually."He says, walking closer to him.

"That's why I offer you this. A job, your handsomely paid. Lodging is provided. And in the end, hell, I might even gift you your face back."he smiles.

"How in the hell can you do that?!"Jimmy says.

"Do you accept?"The man says.

Jimmy bites his lip, looking at himself in the mirror.

"What's in it for you?"jimmy asks, making the man chuckle.

"Eyes. I want you to be my eyes."

.....

68 years later

Jimmy huffs as he looks at his watch. He then looks out the window. He sees a man on his list, running from a taxi into an apartment complex. He groans as he gets out of the car.

....

He walks up to the apartment door, and it simply opens like magic. He steps inside, seeing the man in the living room with his back to Jimmy, stuffing american dollar bills into a suitcase.

Jimmy rolls his eyes, walking over to the window and drawing the curtains.

The man shouts as he sees Jimmy.

"Edgar. Come on mate, it's your time."Jimmy says, folding his arms.

"N-no! That can't be- I asked for another week!"Edgar exclaims.

"Your crummy soul isn't worth that much edgar."Jimmy says, reaching into his jacket.

Just as quickly, Edgar pulls a shotgun from his suitcase, and shoots Jimmy right in the chest, sending him flying out the window.

He falls 4 stories down and lands directly on his car, crushing it.

It's silent for a moment, but then he lets off an unbothered sigh.

"I hate this fucking country."