Page 57 of Eternally Devoted

“Uh.” My focus slides to Dash, whose head is tipped sideways. He’s staring me down with a knowing glint in his eyes. He caught me checking out Juni’s ass, no doubt.

“Anyway,” he smirks, “I’m, uh, I’m the well guy, eh?”

I nod. “My thinking is not far from what I just told Juniper. If something happens, you can likely climb out. But if you get injured, I can pull you out. If I go down and get hurt, the two of you, you can’t pull me out.”

“I think we could,” he argues.

“I don’t. And I’m not willing to risk all of our freedoms. I’ve been this size for a long time. Not many people can help a hurt guy my size. So let’s play it safe here.”

He stares at me for a long moment. “If that’s how you feel.”

“I do.”

“Okay,” he says, slipping the harness over his chest. Juniper brings over the burlap bags and stuffs them into an empty backpack, along with a pocketknife, hand shovel, balaclava and extra pair of work gloves. “So whatever's left goes in the burlap. After you bag it all, tug the rope and we’ll pull you out. Strap the remains to the carabiner on your backpack.”

“Why can’t I just call up?” he asks as he clicks another part of the harness into place.

I blink at him, having thoroughly considered today’s events. I’m starting to wonder ifhehas. Maybe he’s been just as preoccupied as me? As much as the fleeting thought puts a shimmer of ease in my veins, I remain focused. “He’s been down there, exposed to the elements, for quite some time.” I glance quickly at Juniper, not really wanting her privy to these details. I don’t want to upset her. I lower my voice when I say, “It’s not going to be a place you want to have your mouth open, even with the gaiter on.” He blinks at me with confusion knitting his brows. “It’s going to likely smell unbearable.”

The wind picks up right then, sending strands of Juniper’s hair across her face. She tugs them away, making her way to the well. She looks over and draws back, bringing her hand to her face. “Oh god,” she groans. “That’s unpleasant.”

“That’s death,” I tell her, looking at Dash. “Tug the rope when you’re ready. I’ll be at the edge the whole time.”

He nods, cautiously positioning himself on the edge of the well after securing his backpack and gloves. With his baseball hat turned backward, we hold eye contact as he sits on the edge. With the rope wrapped around my fist, I nod. “I’ve got you.”

Dash’s nostrils flare. “I know you do.” And with that, I drop the end of the rope. We wait till it thuds against the bottom and Dash grabs the slack, wrapping it around one palm as he carefully lowers himself down. My biceps and torso tighten with strain as more and more weight is leveraged against me the lower he descends. After what feels like an eternity, with Juniper standing a few feet away from me, silently observing, there’s a small tug on the line.

“He made it down,” I tell her over my shoulder. She sighs with relief, draping a hand over her chest.

“Thank God.”

But our relief is short-lived as an echoing shout reverberates through the well, out into the night.

“Fuck!” Dash shouts, his tone more panicked than I’ve ever heard as I peer down into the darkness, my own gaiter pulled over my mouth and nose.

“Talk to me,” I call, panic stirring in my veins. “What’s going on, D?”

His flashlight turns on, illuminating the well and the portion of his face that is uncovered. “It’s fucking nasty down there! There are maggots and critters everywhere! Jesus Christ, get me the fuck out!”

Juniper joins me at the edge of the well, unable to stand back a moment longer. She coughs, bringing her shirt to her nose to diffuse the stench. “He’s panicking,” she says to me quietly. “I get that way, you know,right after,” she says, referencing her murders. “I calm myself down by taking it a step at a time. That’s what he needs to do,” she says, her voice so soft I question if she’s faint or not.

I take over, shouting her orders down the well. “Focus, D. It’s going to be okay. First things first, get the burlap sacks from your bag. Can you do that?”

He nods, making the light move along the rotted old cinder blocks. A moment later he calls up, his words echoing. “I got the burlap.”

“Okay, now assess the area. Do you need a hand shovel, or can you collect it with your hands?”

He steps around things I can’t see, my scope limited. A moment later he says, “I can get it with my hands. I think he’ll fill two bags.” He makes a choking noise, then coughs, gagging. “Oh god, this is so disgusting.”

“Hang in there. One thing at a time. Get the bags out,” I advise, a shiver racking my spine at the reality of the situation. Someone’s loved one is decomposed and their remains are going into old potato sacks for me to burn later.

How did my boring life become a Tarantino film overnight?

There’s movement at the bottom of the well and less than five minutes later, a hard tug on the line. Wrapping the ropes around my hands, I take a step back and begin intermittent, hard tugs.

After a few minutes, Dash still hasn’t surfaced, so I implore Juniper to look over the edge. With sweat clouding my vision, dripping down my face, I pull with all of my might.

A moment later, a backward baseball cap appears, and then gray eyes. “Lean over!” Juni tells him, reaching over the edge to grab the harness around his hips. I pull, she pulls, and he leans,and a moment later, he’s toppling over the side of the well back to the ground, his pack and the burlap bags following.

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