LEFT OF SINISTER

CHAPTER THIRTY

When Earl woke up his neck hurt specifically the back of his neck where it met the upper part of the shoulders. And no wonder his head was tilted forward because he was now no longer seated in the chair but rather in a sitting position before the chair. His hands were in front of him in his lap his legs straight out drawn together as well all four limbs bound to each other by what he determined to be duct tape its gray color readily available to see now that the sun seemed up the light in the room more prominent.

He rolled his head to his left his cheek now in contact with the cushion of the chair there. He could feel the wet dribble on his check where slobber had escaped his mouth during his spell of abject drunkenness.

He hadn't gotten so intoxicated that his memory failed him however. He was still well aware of what was going on, that his brother was insane and had all intentions, he'd made it clear, to make him his sixty fifth victim in his, as he'd said, "age specific" work.

He could see Candy standing at the first window in the room the sheer curtains spread wide the blinds of both windows drawn all the way to the top. The panes of glass were brilliant with the bright blue of the sky and the light of a new day with a rising sun there to the east angling in revealing the dust in the air.

Oddly enough though he thought he as well could see some dark form there near the corner of the room a short distance from his brother where the sunlight was not so defined, the shape of a man, but so drenched in the shadows of morning in that part of the room not the least bit discernable. But there was something palpable about it, the sheer disgust that seemed to emanate from it, disgust he realized was for him rather than his murderous sibling. It was that phantasm he'd seen last evening before returning inside with the manila envelope. He was certain of it.

It seemed to move for an instant, but then suddenly it receded into the corner and disappeared. What was real and what was illusion at present was a point of debate he was convinced realizing he could still be suffering the residual effects of the alcohol and marijuana and at the same time very much aware of the raging headache he once more had.

Candy's back was to him as he stared out the window his head moving left and right every other moment it seemed as if on guard for some movement out there beyond the window. And then as if sensing his brother and regretful companion was now awake he turned around displaying the gun still in his left hand and peering back at his brother.

"Ah you're awake. Look!" he said swinging about raising his right hand at a tilt as if a tour guide before a tourist and calling his attention to some vista he might wish to peruse. "The morning has broken yet again another day has come and once more the sun graces us with its raging glory. And thankfully it seems our unwanted guests have like the moon settled in for the day." he was saying approaching him still with a frighteningly mad look upon his face.

"I've deduced that the fact you can't see them at such times as this–when the weather is grand, the sun not the least bit dissuaded in its revelation by foul weather is because they were rejects of nature and that my actions against them was, or should I say, is nature's way, or God's if you're oddly enough a religious man, of ferreting out the unworthy, separating the wheat from the chaff so to speak. Removing it from this teeming world where there is no room for them and is therefore justification for what I've done. It thus becomes the result of their being impure souls, even the children I have done in. Do you see my dear brother my services deserve the stamp of approval rather than be sorely demeaned?" and with that said another quixotic laugh erupted from him. He now jerked the gun a bit intent to direct Earl's attention to behind him. "Have a look behind you." he now said.

Earl sat up as much as the dizziness he felt allowed shifting his head from side to side to defeat the tortuous crinks he felt there making it painful to move his noggin about. He looked about and saw that his charcoal gray suit coat was draped on the back of his chair.