It turns out that Edgar Deems was dead. He died from dehydration. He sat up there for three or four days with a Winchester rifle. The three of us were discussing all this while we were still heading to Bixby.
"You reckon he hated perfection more than us?" Earl asked. "Suppose he wanted to kill himself?"
"Come on, somebody must have chased him up there." Val answered.
"You mean someone ain't that scared of a Winchester rifle?" Earl asked again. "Then what'd they do? Camp out down below and just waiting for him to die?"
Then I saw something that will most likely scar me for the rest of my life. We were passing old Fred's tiny farm. We saw all his sheep were missing and replaced with blood.
"What the hell?" Earl questioned. He stopped the truck and got out with Val. I was about to get out but then Earl turned to me and slammed the door. "You're staying in here, got it? Do. Not. Move." He gave me that look to know that he wasn't kidding.
I was just sitting in the truck for a few minutes, waiting for the boys. I saw them running straight back to the truck. They jumped in and turned around to head back into town.
"What are you doing? What happened? What's wrong?" I was so confused.
Val turned to me slowly and said old Fred was dead. They found his head under his hat, under the ground. My eyes go wide in fear. I start to shake and Val notices. He turns back to face the road and puts his arm around me and started to say things like, "It's going to be ok." And "We're not going to get hurt." And "You're safe. No need to worry."
I just couldn't believe him as much as I wanted to. We were passing two construction workers and Earl stopped to warn them. "Get the hell outta here! There's a killer on the loose."
"What?" One of them asked like he didn't believe us.
"A murderer, man! A real psycho! He-He's cutting people's heads off. I'm not kidding!" Earl shouted as he drove away.
We kept driving into town until we got to Chang's Store. We busted in there with Melvin following us. Val went to use the phone. Melvin kept asking questions. "Are you serious? Old Fred's dead? Is that what you said? Come on, no bull shitting me, man?
"'Yea something like that."
Everyone started yelling at once I could hardly hear them at all. Melvin came up to me and asked, "Come on, Char. Is this for real?" Melvin was the only one in this town that calls me Char and I'm the only one that calls him Mel.
I looked to him sadly and answered, "Yea. It wasn't a pretty sight, Mel. I'm gonna have nightmares for the rest of my life." After I said that, he actually looked scared for once in his life.
Val and Earl started to head back into the truck so I started to follow them. Earl got in and I was about to hop in but Val came out of nowhere, grabbed my arm, and dragged me away.
"Now, where the hell do you think you're going?!" Val snaps.
"I'm going with you guys. Just like I always do." I was a little taken back.
"Yea, sure. You're staying here until we get back."
"What?! Why?!"
"Because it's safer if you stay here with everyone else!"
"Oh, sure, now you're being a protective brother! Where were you when I needed you, huh? You were never there for me then, so why should you be here for me now?!" I felt bad instantly for saying that but it was the truth.
I thought I saw a flash of pain go through his eyes but he quickly hid it with anger. "You're staying here, Charlotte. Whether you like it or not."
He grabbed my arm again and pushed me toward Melvin. He caught me and looked up in surprise. Val pulled Melvin aside and talked to him. He and Earl left and Melvin came back to my side.
"What did he tell ya?" I couldn't help but ask.
"He said I had to watch over you until they got back."
I nodded and walked around town with Melvin following me. It was silent but the good silence when you don't need to talk. I knew he heard what I had said to Val and wanted to ask but didn't know how to say it.
"It's true what I said." I admitted. "I didn't mean to say it but it just came out. We both know he never helped me out when I needed comfort. It was always you or Earl. Earl is like a dad to me. You're more like a brother to me than Val ever was."
Melvin looked at me sadly and commented, "Well, have you tried to tell him that? Maybe he just thinks you don't need him, the way you're growing up."
I look at him, shocked. "Wow. Since when did you become deep." I laugh at him.
"Well I'm sorta different when I'm around you." He cracks a smile.
We head back into the store. I told Heather what happened. I mean everything, like what we both said and how he threw me into Melvin. She told me he was just stressed out. I went back to hang out with Melvin. We are both having a Pepsi, making funny faces at each other.
We hear Mindy speak up and say, "Hey. Val and Earl."
I get super confused and jump outta my seat and look through the window. It was them. We all come out the door to meet them. Burt speaks first. "I thought you two were heading to Bixby."
"Ya'll are not gonna believe this." Val ignored Burt.
"MOM!" Mindy gasps.
I go to look and see something slimy and torn attached to the back of the truck. Earl pushes me back carefully; pulling a pistol out to make sure it won't do anything.
Everyone says something in their own disgust. I back up and Melvin takes my arm and pulls me into his chest. I turn around and hide my eyes in the front of his shirt.
"Where'd you get it?" Melvin asked.
"I didn't know we had it." I heard Val answer.
Everyone was guessing what they thought it was while Burt and Heather examined it. They thought it was like a mutation of some sort.
"Just one of these couldn't eat up Fred and his whole flock of sheep." Burt announced.
"So you think there more of 'em out there?" Val questions, voice emotionless. He must still be pissed.
We all turn to look at him thinking the same thing.
'We're all dead."
