Zero Worship: Confessions of a Fake Psychic Detective #6

Chapter 10 - Papaver somniferum

.././.\\.\

They sleep through the morning and into the afternoon. An ache in Zandra's shoulder wakes her. She yawns and tries to stretch, but a dull blanket of pain keeps one arm planted on the couch.

Feels like I got punched.

She shuffles up from the couch and stops. The living room looks different.

Where am I?

The couch isn't a couch at all, but a rocking chair stuffed into a corner. Graffiti lines the walls. An overturned dresser, clothes, sleeping bags, and plastic grocery bags cover the floor.

Zandra hobbles to a closed door on the opposite side of the room. She opens it and sees a staircase leading down. She knows where she is now.

The upstairs bedroom. How did I get up here?

Bexley's voice carries up the stairs, and Zandra follows it down. She finds Bexley and Chad in the kitchen microwaving lunch meat—or something resembling lunch meat.

"Morning," Zandra says in a croak.

Chad and Bexley ignore her.

Whatever. Nature calls.

The bathroom is in such a condition that going behind a storage shed sheltered by bushes is a more sanitary option. Zandra washes with a bottle of hand sanitizer that probably doubled as a needle junkie's disinfectant. She returns to the kitchen, where Chad and Bexley still won't acknowledge her.

Am I a ghost?

"The hell is your two's problem?" Zandra says.

Bexley slips an eye toward Zandra and shakes her head.

Good. I'm not dead yet.

Chad takes the meat-like food out of the microwave and slides it onto the cover of a Portage County phonebook for Bexley.

Those things still have a use after all.

"You're not going to give us any more trouble, are you?" Bexley says to Zandra after taking her first bite.

"What're you talking about?" Zandra says.

Chad sighs. "The fuck, Zandra? I was just following directions."

"What directions?"

"Your directions," Chad says. "To not let you—you know."

Oh.

Oohhhhhhhh.

Zandra reaches her hand into the deep pocket of her purple gown. The nifedipine, receipt, and poker cards are still there. The packet is gone.

"It, uh, got a little crazy last night," Bexley says.

Zandra rubs her shoulder. "I see."

"And you were like, 'Hit me in the face, I dare you.' And we couldn't do that," Bexley says.

"But the shoulder seemed like it was OK to hit," Chad says. "So, yeah."

The kitchen stays silent for an awkward 30 seconds.

"Anyway, it won't happen again, because it's all gone now," Bexley says.

That's...............................................................................................................................good.

"I'm sorry," Zandra says.

"Like, this shit's supposed to be fun, you know? And you weren't fun last night," Chad says. "You got a real taste for that shit."