Page 13 of Creepy
I would not let a new person in town cramp my style.I went about my day, as usual, not counting the fact I was in the Buick and not the truck.After cleaning out a few driveways and sheds on the opposite side of town, I was eating some fried shrimp over instant cheese grits made from a packet at Mrs.Dean’s in no time.I checked my watch, almost on schedule.I’d missed my grocery store run, but one day wouldn’t hurt.Slowly, I’d been stockpiling all I could in a secure location.Somewhere Dillon couldn’t find it.The day would come that I’d have to leave my home, and I’d been preparing.
Back home I continued my routine, the one Dillon interrupted yesterday.I picked tomatoes even if they were green because the bugs got them as soon as they ripened.I took my canned goods and paper products, dried herbs and fruit, anything I’d found that would be of use in the future, all I could carry over to my neighbor’s house.About a half-mile down the road, at the end of my lane sat a huge white plantation house with a finished, waterproof basement perfect for storing supplies.Spooky and secluded, the residence sat on the list of one of Louisiana’s most haunted properties.Before the pandemic, the owner hosted private stays for those who could afford it.Even better, a tall iron gate surrounded the once lavish grounds.Having looked after the place for old man Jules a time or two, I knew the combination to the side gate.Stepping through a clearing, I took a shortcut around to reach it.
4
The rest of the weekI stuck to my normal schedule, starting with my walk to the mailbox.On Friday, while driving down main street to Dirty Rice, a black Suburban rolled by.Troy waved, and I waved.It was the only polite thing to do.Sunday was the only day I deviated from my schedule.I put on my finest for church, wondering if I should invite the only other resident in town.
Maybe next week.
Creepy’s downtown boasted three big churches, a Baptist, Methodist, and Catholic.Covering all my bases, I rotated my visits to all three.Saint Mary Mother Cathedral stood out in size, being second only to our massive courthouse.Yellow and white brick layered up like a cake to the cross topped steeple.White medieval crosses dotted the façade.Huge arching doors and rainbowed glass made it by far the most handsome building in Creepy.A greening, bronze statue of some saint stood at the entrance.I didn’t know him.Being baptized down the street at the age of thirteen, I was no Catholic.I didn’t agree with everything Christians believed, especially when it came to my Papa and who he loved, but he and I always attended church on Sunday.
“Don’t let them take Jesus from you,” my Papa would say about hateful Christians.
Admiring the rows of white marble columns, I strolled up the narrow aisle to the statue of Mary.Under her, I lit every candle.I found it comforting.Just as I had them all ignited, I blew them out to not burn the place down.Then I went to work.Back in the office, I grabbed some cleaning supplies and a feather duster.Three weeks of grime awaited me.
Sunday being the only day I skipped going on my scavenging hunt, I still went to the diner.I’d worked up an appetite and the generator wouldn’t fill itself.Grabbing a butcher knife, I knew what I was after.Stepping into the freezer, I pried two wieners off an industrial-sized frozen block of them.What goes with bunless wieners?A rectangle of hash browns would do.Paired with a big helping of ketchup and mustard, it’d be a treat for sure.Leaving the freezer with a smile on my face, I ran right into Dillon again.
“What the fuck?”I almost dropped my food.
“You forget again?It’s Monday.”
“Is not.”I was astonished.
“Sure, it is.Don’t you look nice?”He undressed me with his eyes.“Is that a new sun dress?”
“It is.Had church.So, I know it’s not Monday.”
“You’ve got me.”
“What are you doing here?There are no freebies.”
“I had business nearby.”
“You didn’t message me first...you must like to scare the bejesus out of me?”
“I love making you jump, Sissy.”
