The Pale Man Rises

CHAPTER NINETEEN

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Once he'd released the woman down the hole J. B. turned with a crazy grin on his face. "Bet that bitch never thought they'd wind up down there. She was always onto my stupid brother's ass 'bout this goddamn well. "Oh the baby's gonna fall in there one day and the state will have your ass for it! Jasper always had an excuse though. It ain't my property, it's old man Kramer's place and it's up to him to do it, we ain't gonna be living here long enough to worry about it...yadda, yadda, yadda! Looks like she wuz right though." he said slapping his palms together as if cleaning his hands after a difficult chore.

Suddenly they heard a familiar sound. It was the low and terrifying growl of a dog. They both turned to the rear of the property and saw the pit bull Duke standing some ten feet or so away baring his mean looking canines at them.

"Whoa there Duke...where the fuck have you been you sorry fuckin' dog?" J. B. Asked the beast. He turned and looked at Luther. "The cavalry has arrived!" he said with a melodramatic flair. "What?" asked Luther.

J. B. grinned at him. "Luther let me introduce Duke...Duke, Luther." he said motioning toward the biker. "This motherfucker wuz s'pose to be guardin' the goddamn place! You did a piss poor job of it you sorry fucker! Jasper isn't here to fire your ass so I guess it's up to me to do it! Duke you're fired!" he said giving the umpire's signal of a third strike call. But none of this impressed the pit bull. He began to slowly approach his owner's brother his growl increasing in volume and menace.

"Don't you come at me like that you lousy fuckin' dog...this might not have happened if you hada warned us!" J. B. said to the animal as he slowly backed toward Luther. But the dog was not persuaded to stop and steadily came on. June Bug turned toward the biker. "Luther this som' bitch has never cared for me!" he said. "Seems so." Luther said with a grin. Seeing this J. B.'s fear increased. "Man don't let that fuckin' dog at me! Look...look at them fuckin' teeth will ya...there's a thousand pounds of pressure there?" "I'll bet." Luther said as he started to bellow with laughter.

129

The dog made his move then. He raced toward the cowering J. B. who could not move away fast enough. The dog went for the calf of his right leg and sunk those terrible teeth deep into his flesh. He began to jerk backwards on the man as if trying to tear the hunk of flesh off of his leg. J. B. started beating the animal on top of his head with his fists. But this was useless. He could have been slamming a sledgehammer into the animal's cranium for that matter and it still wouldn't have deterred the beast. He finally went down to the ground and began rolling around trying to free himself from the hold the dog had on him and the awful pain he was inflicting.

He started kicking the dog with his left foot. But this too was a useless effort. The pit bull was intent to do as much damage as was possible. J. B. was screaming like a banshee by now beseeching Luther to help him. "Kill him...kill the motherfucker Luther!" he begged as he tried to drag himself away from the well. Luther was laughing like crazy now. "In due course, in due course." he said as he stood there witnessing the attack. He had his arms folded like he was the boss of some construction project overseeing the minutiae of it.

When the dog was satisfied with the damage he'd done to June Bug Watkins leg he let go. But he'd only given the poor bastard a brief respite however. He now dove toward the man's head. J. B. began swinging wildly with both fists. He knew the dog was intent on ripping out his throat. He was pounding on the blunt head of the animal. His knuckles rained down on the animal's skull, but it was as if the dog felt none of it as he scrambled about looking for the advantage and a way to the man's neck.

J. B. rolled over and over now driven to exhaustion from bludgeoning the dog. "Luther goddamn it please...please...shoot the fuckin' dog?" he begged. "I told you dip shit, in due course!" Luther said as he continued to laugh at the spectacle. Within a few seconds the dog had J. B. by the throat. He sunk those vise-like teeth into his jugular and once again started the backward thrusting.