Between Heaven and Hell

Chapter 3

 

Between Heaven and Hell

Copyright © 2012 by Carla Meyer

All Rights Reserved

 

 

 

CHAPTER 3

Joey stumbled upon a fading red 1963 Volkswagen Beetle in the shed. It was predominantly tarnished but the car’s engine still ran. It was all he needed to get back to Devilsville, and he lamented leaving the town in the first place. But he knew there was nothing he could do about it. All Joey Olsen could do was return to Devilsville and find the location where Clara had found him.

It was already dusk when Joey pulled into the road, and even though he had been walking for hours, he didn’t feel the need to rest. He was too worked up do anything other than finding the answers he needed.

He drove as speedily as the car would permit him to, which wasn’t at a rate he would have preferred. It was a straight road, and he didn’t have to to pay a great deal of attention to where he was going, so Joey found himself drowning in regret. He hated what he had done to Clara, Giovanni and the old man. He couldn’t rationalize his actions, even though Clara’s disappearance had been an accident. But he had enjoyed the pleasure of sending Giovanni and the old man off to wherever they disappeared to, and the feelings he experienced terrified him.

He remembered that he was a child of God, the kind of person who wouldn’t inflict harm on anyone or anything. He remembered it all too clearly, yet somehow all of that had changed for the worse.

Joey soon found himself driving past a sign which welcomed him to Devilsville. At least he knew there was no one around whom he could harm. He silently wished to himself that he would find Clara and Giovanni in one piece, and find that everything had just been one awful nightmare. But the burning of his palms told him otherwise, and he knew there was no reason to linger on self-delusion.

He parked the car on the side of the road, but couldn’t see anything through the obscurity. There was nothing left in Devilsville with the exception of the little white house where Clara had disappeared. He decided it was best to wait until dawn before he went searching for the hole in the ground.

It was an eerie feeling walking into the little house. Everything was still in its place; exactly as it had been the previous day. He went over to the kitchen, and after staring vacantly at the spot where Clara had disappeared, he went to fetch himself something to eat, even though he had no appetite. Joey returned to the living area and ate the leftovers of the previous night, remembering how appetising it had been. He sat on the couch and ate in silence, and later found himself easily drifting to sleep.

Joey had a nightmare that night.

 

*

 

He dreamt about fire, a lot of fire, and how he couldn’t breathe. He felt his lounges tighten in his chest as he fought his way past the blazing figures. It all seemed too familiar to Joey and he searched for clues in his dream. Nothing clicked together, which left Joey trapped in the fire with no way out. The fire caressed each part of Joey’s body, and he cried out in agony along with the blazing figures. He was just about to submit to the flames when he heard someone calling out to him.